Charity-What Is It? by Eld. R. F. Cottrell

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Feb 15, 1883

Charity—What Is It?

By Eld. R. F. Cottrell

BY ELD. R. F. COTTRELL.

CHARITY is love, the great duty of man—supreme love to God, and equal love to man. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart." "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."

If we love God we will keep his commandments. "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not grievous." If we love men, we shall not only not injure them, but seek their good, their highest good, even their eternal salvation.

The Lord has said, "In all that I command thee, be circumspect." That is, do exactly what I say. Is it charity to our neighbor to tell him he need not be very particular in his obedience to God?—that you can have charity for him, a charity that encourages him in whatever course he chooses to take in his professed service to God? Not at all. "Charity suffereth long and is kind;" but it "rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth." The law of God is the truth, and iniquity is its transgression. "Thy law is the truth." Charity rejoices in the law of God; it delights in it. Its language is, "How love I thy law!" It cannot encourage its transgression. The law of God is law; it is not license; it gives no countenance to looseness.

But the popular charity of the present day speaks in this way: "We can fellowship all denominations. It makes no difference what your faith and practice is, if you only love God. You may serve him as you choose." Says one, "The Sabbath question is of very little importance. You may keep the seventh day, and I can receive you to the church. I would keep it, if I lived in a community where they all kept it."

Is it a matter of little importance whether we obey God or not? whether we do what he has said, or something else? Who has given men the right to trifle with his law? to say to our neighbor, "You may do this or that, just which you choose, and all will be well"? Is this charity to our neighbor, to whom God has said, "In all that I command thee be circumspect?" Far from it! Charity to him would teach him to obey God, that he might be saved. If God requires a thing of us, he requires it. There are no choosing notes in his requirements; if men introduce them, it makes discord. That man that would keep the seventh day, if he lived where they all kept it, ought to keep it where he is. His own mouth testifies against him; and the marvel is, that he does not know it.

Men offer a choice between three or four "modes of baptism." This is thought to be liberal and charitable. It gives the liberty of choice; but who has the right to give such license? Christian baptism is one. "One Lord, one faith, one baptism." Who says there are three? If immersion is baptism, sprinkling is not. The best authorities give immersion as the meaning of baptism. If they are correct, to be baptized by sprinkling is equivalent to being immersed by sprinkling. Immersion and sprinkling are two things. There is no record that God has given men a choice between them. Who has a right to do this? Is it charitable to teach men that they are at liberty to choose between different actions, when God has not said so? He has said, "In all that I command thee, be circumspect." Who is it that says the contrary—that we need not be circumspect, but may choose for ourselves?

True charity does not consist in countenancing every form and shade of error; excusing and encouraging men in their departures from the word of God, and making no difference between the truth and those fables and inventions by which it is made of no importance and of none effect. But it honors that word, and exhorts all to abide by its authority, and warns of the danger of disregarding it.

But the objector says, "We do not all understand that word alike."

If those who desire to understand it, so that they may do its requirements, cannot, of course the word is in the fault; but true charity will not take this ground, but will charge the fault to men, rather than to the Author of the Bible. Let men obey the precepts of Scripture as they are given, and these differences will cease to be. Charity would have all obey and live.

"THE end of the commandment is charity."