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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 18, 1912

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 89, No. 3.

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Editorial

By F. M. W.

The Human and the Divine

God is seeking to perfect a people to reign with him eternally. The divine call of grace extends to all men, and some there will be out of every nation, class, and condition who will heed the invitation. It is the work of the divine Architect to take these rough, unhewn stones from the various quarries of life and human experience, and by his grace shape them and fashion them after the divine similitude. It is not unreasonable to expect that during this transforming process some should still manifest at times the evil traits of their natures, revealing weak human propensities instead of the spirit of the divine Teacher.
The fundamental principle of the plan of salvation is the union of the human with the divine. This principle extends all through the operations of the church of God in the earth. Throughout the history of the church the imperfections of the human agent may be seen. The enemies of the Lord have taken occasion by this to blaspheme and to throw discredit upon the church and truth of God. Some there are to-day who look at the professed people of God, and searching for the mistakes and weaknesses rather than for the opposite traits, count the work of grace a failure, and throw discredit upon the holy cause of religion. We can see in the church of God to-day many failures. No institution nor organization is perfect in its operation. There is no man in official position but who makes mistakes. Some there are who deny the power of the truth they possess, and by their course of conduct bring discredit upon the cause of the Master.
This has ever been so in the work of God. From the holy presence of his Maker, Lucifer went out to sow the seeds of doubt, variance, and hatred. In the days of Israel, when God, by the open manifest token of his presence in the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire, was leading his people, there were found Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and two hundred fifty leading princes of Israel who raised the standard of revolt. Yet God was with Israel and his presence was going before them. Though some refused him their allegiance and were unwilling to be molded by the experiences through which he brought them, there were others who gained blessed victories and came off more than conquerors through his grace. It was none the less the work of God when he manifested his displeasure in consuming Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and their wicked associates, than when he led his children triumphantly through the Red Sea.
Among the men chosen as the intimate associates of the Lord Jesus through his earthly ministry, and as the pillars of his church, was found one who, instead of yielding to the holy influence of his divine Teacher, became the tool of evil men and the agent of Satan in bringing about the death of the Son of God. But notwithstanding this failure on the part of one of the chosen twelve, God was still leading in his work.
It is the same to-day. The mistakes of the human are not chargeable to our great Leader. Man fails because he refuses to submit to God's way, because of the iron resistance in his nature which prevents him from being fashioned as yielding clay in the hands of the great Potter. God is true though every one of his professed children fails properly to represent his life and character. The foundation of God standeth sure even though men may make shipwreck of their faith. This truth which we profess to believe as a people has its foundation in the eternal Word of truth. This great movement with which we are connected will triumph ultimately, and some there are who will triumph with it. Some will be sanctified by the message of God to this last generation.
Dear reader, you may be among that number. The determination of the question, however, largely rests with your own free choice, with the way you relate yourself to God and to his work. We may look at our brethren and see much to discourage us. If we keep our eyes fixed upon the path that poor weak humanity has made, we shall become confused; but if we fasten our eyes upon the road that our blessed Lord has marked out before us and if, instead of seeing how far the human agent has come short, we see what marvels have been wrought by the grace of God in lifting him up from his lowly estate, we shall find much to encourage us in the divine life.
Christ is our example. We are not to take the lives of our associates as the gage of our conduct in Christian experience. We have one master, Christ the Lord. We have one perfect example, our great High Priest. Let us look to the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire, and not try to draw inspiration from the darkness of human error and weakness around us. By this course we shall gather strength for the conflict, and come off more than conquerors in the end.
F. M. W.