Editorial

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Aug 10, 1905

Lost

“My people have been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray; they have turned them away on the mountains; . . . they have forgotten their resting-place.” “I was not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” “For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Found

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and his neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.” “The father said to his servants, Bring forth quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat, and make merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” “Yea verily, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but refuse, that I may gain Christ, and be found in him.”

An Extraordinary Bargain

“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not? harken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.” “For thus saith Jehovah, Ye were sold for naught; and ye shall be redeemed without money.” “Now when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit. But Peter said unto him, Thy silver perish with thee, because thou hast thought to obtain the gift of God with money.” “Ye were redeemed, not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers; but with precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, even the blood of Christ.” “Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift.”

Simple Truths

THE simple truths of the gospel presented in a simple way are most helpful to the people. No human philosophy and no ponderous eloquence can satisfy the need of a soul held captive by sin and seeking deliverance. Old and young, rich and poor, alike need to be taught that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures;” that “he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures;” that “he ascended up on high;” that he “is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man;” that “he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them;” that “the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand;” and that “this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” The preacher of such truths can say to his hearers when leaving them, as Paul did, “I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, . . . testifying . . . repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” The simple truths of the gospel, put into the setting provided for them in the prophetic scriptures, constitute the message of the third angel,— yea, God’s final word to the people of this generation,—and these great truths should be taught in their simplicity. The example of Jesus is the most weighty argument in favor of teaching the simple truths of the gospel in a straight-forward manner, and “the common people heard him gladly.”