The Sabbath-School by Ellet Joseph Waggoner

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Aug 16, 1883

The Sabbath-School.

By Ellet Joseph Waggoner

Lesson for the Pacific Coast.—Aug. 25.

ACTS 13:50-52; 14.

NOTES ON THE LESSON.

PAUL perceived that the lame man at Lystra had faith to be healed. He had heard Paul preach the gospel—forgiveness of sins through Christ—and he believed. In this case, doubtless, as in that of the palsied man whom Christ healed (Matt. 9:2-8), forgiveness of sins preceded the miracle; the healing of the soul was first, the healing of the body second. As the man heard of the great love of Christ for suffering humanity, and his power and willingness to forgive sins, how naturally the question would arise in his mind, "Why may I not as well be healed of my lameness as of my sins?" As Christ said, "Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise and walk?" Divine power is required for both, and it is no more wonderful that the sick should be healed than that sins should be forgiven.

Most religious teachers at the present time scoff at the idea that in this age of the world God miraculously heals diseases in answer to prayer; yet they profess to believe in the forgiveness of sins. There is a close relation between the two acts. They go together in the promise in James 5:14, 15; also in Ps. 103:3. Why should not Christians depend on God for the healing of the body as well as of the soul? "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" Rom. 8:32.

At Lystra the Lord wrought a notable miracle through Paul; a man was healed who had been a cripple from his birth. The people, in their astonishment, cried out that they were gods, and the priest of Jupiter, with the people, was about to offer sacrifices to them. But Paul earnestly spoke against their idolatry. Verses 18, 19, convey a striking lesson:—

"And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.

"And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and having stoned Paul drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead."

The man was healed; the miracle remained among them. Yet the same people who were scarce restrained from offering sacrifices to them as gods, with a little persuasion stoned Paul, and supposing he was dead, drew him out of the city and left him as they would a dead dog.

This is a most remarkable illustration of the fickleness of man, and of the utter worthlessness of popular applause. A minister of God should never be elated when the multitude praise him. Especially if the hearts of the people are not stirred by the truth and the Spirit of God, and if the current of popular favor is setting in his direction for the time, he should look with great distrust upon words spoken in his praise. Satan would not at all object to having the priests of Jupiter or of Mammon do homage to the servants of God, if he could persuade those servants to accept the worship; for he well knows if they do accept it he has destroyed their influence for good. "Beware of the flatterers." Christian workers have no worse enemies.

NEITHER should the minister be discouraged if the people turn against him. It is no evidence that God is not with him. The well-worn saying: "The voice of the people is the voice of God," is a miserable falsehood, and will lure to ruin all who trust in it. The people of Lystra had not as good reason to stone Paul as they had to do him reverence; but while he could dissuade them from worshiping him, he could not prevent their stoning him. So it always was, and so it is. A little playing upon the evil passions of men will quickly cause them to forget the best deeds and the greatest benefits.

We have no doubt that if Paul had permitted them to worship him, they would not have been so easily persuaded to stone him; for man does not so readily turn against his own idols. Forgetting this, many a minister has gone to destruction because he measured his success in his work by the applause he received. It was not without an evident reason that the Saviour said: "Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets."

ALTHOUGH God at one time suffered the nations to walk in their own ways, they were not without excuse. "He left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness." Paul uses the same argument in Rom. 1:19-21. Since the creation of the world, the eternal power and godhead of the Creator are clearly seen through the things that he has made, so that all unbelievers are without excuse, even though they have not his revealed word.

Paul did not preach Christ to these men of Lystra, on this occasion; that would have been beyond their comprehension. They must have a knowledge of the true God, and see that they had sinned against him, before they could receive Christ, the remedy for sin.

Many professed teachers of the gospel do not profit by Paul's example. They tell sinners to come to Christ, but do not tell them why they should come; or, if they tell them to come and find pardon for sins, they do not tell them what sin is, nor of what sins they must repent. We say that Paul did not preach Christ, but he was working toward it as fast as possible. He told the people that they were sinners; not in a general way, but directly. He pointed out the special sin of which they were guilty. Had they acknowledged that much, he would have proceeded to point them to Christ. The only true order is, first the law then the gospel of good news—the relief from sin.

THE testimony of Paul and Barnabas to the brethren was that "we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." But we are told that the world is constantly growing better, and that soon the whole world will accept the gospel. If this be so, then those words of Paul do not apply now as they did when spoken, and there will come a time when they will not apply at all. In another place, however, Paul said that "all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution;" and by a further examination of the chapter in which these words occur, we find that they apply "in the last days;" and further, the reason why the godly will suffer persecution is that "men shall be lovers of their own selves," corrupt in mind, and "reprobate concerning the faith." This state of things will not improve as time passes, but "evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." It must be, then, that Paul's words to the brethren apply to all, and to none so much as to those who live in the last days.

SUPPOSE that the time should come when we would not be obliged to enter the kingdom through tribulation. Then we should have the wonderful spectacle of the disciple being above his master, and the servant greater than his lord. Who is there that aspires to such a position? Who is there that would rejoice to hear the Master say, "This one endured nothing for me"? Said Christ, "Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers unto the false prophets." There are religious teachers who commend themselves to the world, and are applauded; but we never hear them boldly condemning all sorts of sin. They speak against sin in a general way, but they keep silent concerning sins that are popular. Such are not to be envied. The Christian may and should be like Daniel, so that no fault can be found in him except it be concerning the law of his God; but when he is universally popular, he should tremble for himself. Christ will purify to himself a "peculiar people," and peculiar people are not usually held in high repute. Their peculiarity consists not in grotesqueness, but in goodness.

IT does not necessarily follow from Paul's words in Acts 14:22 that all who strive to enter the kingdom will suffer outward persecution; that they will all be stoned, or burned at the stake, or cast into prison, or even brought before the council. Tribulation includes more than this. The word is derived from the Latin tribulum, a threshing-sledge. This was "a wooden platform studded underneath with pieces of flint, or with iron teeth." It was dragged over the grain to cut up the straw, and separating the chaff from the grain. All Christians have to undergo this process. Burdens that are very unpleasant have to be borne; duties the most distasteful have to be performed. We may take ourselves off from the threshing-floor of Christ, but the chaff of evil dispositions and inherited faults will remain upon us, effectually shutting us out of the heavenly garner.

When the clumsy instrument had finished its work, a strong wind was directed against the mass, and all the chaff was blown away; the sound, heavy kernels of grain alone remained. But if wheat was still encased in its natural covering, the chaff became as it were a sail, by which it was borne away to destruction. So it will be with us, if we do not submit to God's cleansing process, however hard it may be at the time.

E. J. W.