Shineth More and More

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Aug 4, 1909

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 36, No. 30.

“Shineth More and More”

The revelation of God’s truth has been ever progressive. From the time that the Gospel was revealed to our first parents in Eden to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the revelation of God’s will became clearer and clearer, especially when His people were walking in the light.

This does not mean that any generation did not have light sufficient to guide and save every soul who desired God’s guidance and salvation. Out of every age and generation and land and clime the resurrection morning will bring trophies of the triumph of God’s grace,—witnesses to the sufficiency of the divine means to save.

But sin and wickedness develop. The arts of the enemy of souls counterfeit the true, deceive the people, lead them to trust in dead forms, and make of none effect the means of grace. Therefore “He giveth more grace.” Where sin abounds, grace is made to superabound; and “grace and truth” are twin factors in the redemption of humanity.

Abel had light sufficient. Enoch, Noah, and Abraham had more than Abel. The elaborate object-lesson of the sanctuary built by “Moses the man of God,” carried clearer lessons of truth than did the simple sacrifices of the Patriarchal Age. Clearer and clearer are the messages of the later prophets, till Daniel and Zechariah glow with light of the fuller revelation of the salvation and kingdom of the Promised One. “The path of the just is as the shining light, which shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”

When Jesus came, the windows on high were opened, and floods of light and life and grace and glory were poured out upon the world. The dried skin bottles of dead formalism could not receive it, and remained with their fossils of truth. The old cloth of self-righteousness could not bear the shrinking, and rejected the new. The specter of the fear of man loomed large and hid the unfolding truth from other vision. But the simple souls who received that truth grew, expanded, and became “men wondered at,” aye, world-molders. It meant trial, isolation from former associates, persecution, to some, death; but it meant glorious victory and larger unfoldment of the glorious truth of the Gospel.

But not then was the whole truth unfolded. Personified Truth was forced to say even to the inner circle, “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye can not bear them now;” and the Master died with the things unsaid. But on the Day of Pentecost, and later, how the truth shone out, reaching its climax in the effulgence of the glory of the Apocalypse!

The Dark Ages came with the hiding of the truth. God blessed the honest souls stumbling heavenward in the gloom, blessed them not because of the error they held, but in spite of it. He blessed them because of faith in Jesus as the Saviour, because faith and loyalty to little light.

Then dawned the Reformation based on the opening and unfolding word. Dark shadows of sin and error were dissipated, lurking dangers were disclosed, the thorn-bordered path of truth was revealed to the people who sat in darkness. It was their privilege and it would have been a great blessing, if the reformed churches in Germany, Switzerland, France, and England had gone on. Other darkness would have been dissipated, other errors would have faded away, fuller light would have come to the advancing church.

It is a sad thing that since the Reformation the advancing light of God’s truth has found so little encouragement in the great Reformation churches. Human creeds have closed the doors to its entrance. Cold formalism has frozen its living light when admitted into the fold. Yet to those Reformation churches God would have restored every down-trodden truth, God would have given every new unfoldment of the Gospel message.

When God’s professed people refuse to be beams of His ever unfolding truth, one of two things becomes necessary: either He must suffer His truth to be lost to the world, or He must call out or raise up others who will be loyal to advancing truth. He has ever waited long for a cold, formal church to accept and declare His truth. Under the stimulus of developing truth His church may sometimes do this. If she refuse, God is not straitened; He will choose other means, and His abundant blessing will accompany His revealed and revealing truth. Waiting too long, His people will ever lose blessing. Prompt to respond, they will reap God’s blessing in abundant measure.

In the closing days of Humanity’s tutelage and trial, when great issues are at stake, when subtle counterfeits multiply, God’s truth will unfold at times with startling rapidity. Blessed is the man who watches with ear attent to the voice of God, and heart in tune with eternal truth. Blessed is that church which will not be held by dead hands of men, howsoever honored and holy, but will hear the voice of the True Shepherd, and march to the music of eternal and unfolding verity.