p. 4 | A New Vision Needed by William W. Prescott

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 16, 1909

A New Vision Needed

By William W. Prescott

From the very beginning of the great controversy between Christ and Satan, the question at issue has been whether Christ should be given the place which belongs to him by virtue of his relation to God, or whether some other being should be put in his place. In these closing days of this controversy, this issue stands out very clearly.

According to the modern view of Christ he was not one with the Father previous to his manifestation in the flesh; he was not miraculously born; he performed no actual miracles; he did not rise from the dead; he did not ascend into heaven; and he will not come to earth the second time. In view of these monstrous claims—claims which would take from us an all-sufficient Saviour, and leave us only a good example—it is important that we should have a clear understanding of the being and life of Christ, so far as they have been revealed to us, in order that we may have solid foundation for an intelligent faith in one who is able to save us from sin. This has been well stated in these words:—

We need a new vision of the Saviour to convince us that Jesus is lifted above space and time, that his existence antedated creation, that he conducted the march of Hebrew history, that he was born of a virgin, suffered on the cross, rose from the dead, and now lives forevermore, the Lord of the universe, the only God with whom we have to do, our Saviour, and our judge hereafter. Without a revival of this faith, our churches will become secularized, mission enterprises will die out, and the candlestick will be removed out of its place, as it was in the seven churches of Asia, and as it has been with the apostate churches of New England.

Perhaps there is no setting of Scripture truth which will contribute more to this result than the revelation of the gospel through the sanctuary and its services. Here we are brought face to face with the atoning work of Christ in such a way as to emphasize the reality and the enormity of sin, the efficacy of the offering of the sacrifice for sin, the personality of the Saviour from sin, and the sufficiency of the mediation of Christ in behalf of sin. We are thus led to adopt in our own experience the inspiring teaching:—

“Now in the things which we are saying the chief point is this: We have such a high priest, who sat down 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, not man.” Heb. 8: 1, 2.

In the truth of the gospel as taught in this threefold message, we shall find the antidote for every error, the correction of every perversion of the gospel, and such positive teaching as is required in this generation to save the people from being deceived by human philosophy and an atheistical science. But all this does not lie upon the surface. In order to develop these revelations of truth in such a way as to meet the demands of the hour, it requires earnest study and that personal consecration which changes mere theoretical exposition into living experience. This is what is required of the teachers of this message at the present time.

W. W. P.