p. 475 | Willful Ignorance by W. N. G.

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, Cal. · Oct 25, 1883

Willful Ignorance.

By W. N. G.

THE first and greatest gift of our beneficent Creator was light. The first day's work in the creation of our world was calling forth light. "And God said, Let there be light, and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good." Gen. 1:3, 4. So long as man was obedient to his Creator, he also enjoyed spiritual light, to the extent of personal daily communion with God.

But when the man became disobedient, he fell from his high estate, his spiritual vision was to a great extent darkened by sin, and many of his privileges were cut off. But a plan of redemption was devised in Heaven, the fallen race was again placed upon probation, with a chance for a restoration of the former condition of life and light. The conditions of the restoration to divine favor were obedience and faith in God's plan and the promised Redeemer.

But man had admitted an enemy into his counsel who was not to be easily shaken off, and when God would offer light to his unfortunate creatures this enemy would enshroud it in darkness, and so great was the influence of Satan that he led the increasing population to prefer the darkness. To such an extent did the enemy of light at length prevail that the people were said to "walk in darkness," and to "dwell in the land of the shadow of death." Isa. 9:2. David lamented that "there is none that doeth good, no, not one." Ps. 14:3.

Is this sad condition of man the result of fate, or is it his own fault? We believe that the Scriptures will bear out the assertion that the sinful, darkened, ignorant condition of the human race has always been the result of choice. Surely Adam was not compelled to disobey his Creator; every surrounding was such as to induce him to the opposite course. "The way of Cain" was not forced upon him, for he might as easily have chosen Abel's course and been approved of God. Enoch walked with God and was translated, and his contemporaries had the same opportunity that he had. Noah obeyed God and was saved from the flood, which might have been averted altogether, had his fellow-men made choice to serve the Lord. Lot chose the way toward Sodom, and the loss of his property, his wife, and all but two of his children, was the result of his choice. The history of Israel is one continuous chain of the varying results of choosing good and evil, and furnishes all the evidence that could reasonably be desired upon this point.

All the judgments that the Creator has visited upon his people have been in consequence of their refusing to be instructed by his warnings. Even Sodom, in all its wickedness was faithfully warned, and if even five would have been found willing to accept the message, the city would have been saved. In conspicuous contrast is the case of Nineveh. The prophet had cried in the streets the proclamation of destruction, even fixing the day, "Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be destroyed." But the people repented and turned to the Lord, and the decree was annulled.

When the Saviour came into the world, he was the "Light of men." The world was in darkness, and he presented the true light. But notwithstanding he was "approved of God by miracles and wonders and signs," man's propensity to choose evil led him to disregard the light and reject the Messiah. Whose fault was it? Jesus said to the Jews, "Ye will not come to me that ye might have life." John 5:40. After telling the people that "God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved" (John 3:17), he proceeds to state what does condemn: "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved." Verses 19, 20.

When asked by the disciples why he spoke to the multitude in parables, he answered them in the language of the prophet: "For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them." Matt. 13:15. The Lord told the prophet Ezekiel that he dwelt in "a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not; for they are a rebellious house." Eze. 12:2.

Thus we see that, in the light of the Bible, ignorance is unnecessary, and that it is the result of sin, a disregard of the will of God—in fact, that it is sinful to be ignorant of his will. And if it was inexcusable in a dispensation of types and shadows, how much more so after light had come into the world. But how is it with our own time? Are we living up to the light that is being shed upon us? When the Saviour was upon earth he imparted to his followers much instruction as to the way of escape from the consequences of sin; but the basis of that instruction was the Scriptures—the same source of learning to which the world had closed its eyes. He brought them nothing new, save the fulfillment of that which they had been taught to hope for—the development of original plans foreshadowed in their daily services. To Nicodemus he expressed surprise, saying, "Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?" Regarding the new dispensation which he established, the instruction was to come from the same Scriptures of truth, the word of God. Said he, "Search the Scriptures," and after his resurrection, when he would lead his disciples further into the light, he opened unto them the Scriptures. And the apostles, whom he had personally instructed, preached the gospel from the Scriptures.

It is surprising, with all these facts before us, how much negligence, willful disregard of true knowledge, is manifested in these last days. There seems to be a too prevalent idea that ignorance precludes responsibility—that God will not hold us accountable for that which we do not know. There is much itching after the superficial things that please the natural mind, but no special effort to know the will of God and do it. It requires mental labor to search out the truth, and that is considered an unnecessary burden. The labor might be materially lessened if known truth were accepted and acted upon. "If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine." John 7:17.

Willingness on the part of professed Christians to be ignorant of the teachings of the Spirit of truth is a most unaccountable position. One says, our forefathers did not know these doctrines that you call present truth, and they were saved. We might add, they had not the means of knowing them; they were not required to know what was not revealed. The Jews were rejected because they would not receive light that had not been revealed unto their fathers; but Jesus said to his disciples, "Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them." Matt. 13:17. And the same is true in regard to present truth.

One more point in this connection is, the loss that the church has sustained through negligence of its members to keep pace with the cause of the Lord and his ever-developing truth. How readily and perfectly the field might be supplied with laborers, had professed disciples more of a disposition to search out the hidden treasures of his word. And how much stronger and more influential would the churches be if the members were not so willing to be ignorant of doctrine and duty. How applicable to many of our churches are the words of Paul in his letter to the Hebrews: "When for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again . . . the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." Heb. 5:11-14. Here is an instance of important and strengthening instruction being withheld from a church because they had not improved their opportunities and prepared themselves for the reception of further knowledge and for further usefulness. How many churches and individuals are defrauding themselves in the same way to-day. Alas, too many.