THE LIFE OF GOD | AdventAI

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jul 2, 1902

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 28, No. 27.

THE LIFE OF GOD.

THE life of God is the bond of the universe. It is not a conceivable thing to the believer in God that He ever did or ever could create a dead or even lifeless thing. “He is the living God.” Life is an essential attribute of Deity. Nay, more, He is life itself. “In Him we live, and move, and have our being.”

God created the universe. By this we mean not alone this earth or this solar system; but the whole stellar concourse of satellites, planets, suns, groups of suns, clusters of groups, nebulae, within and beyond telescopic vision. They are of God’s speaking. When they came from Him, they throbbed with His life. The entire correlation pulsed in harmony with the great Heart of creation. In its perfect oneness and exquisitely adjusted harmony, every movement was felt through all its parts. There was flow and interflow between sun and sun, between planet and sun, between satellite and planet. No nebula glittered so far out on “the black bosom of eternal nothingness” that it was not in communication with every nebula or body in the great stellar sphere.

The law of that life-bond was love—including in its comprehensive scope, justice, righteousness, purity, truth, and every other quality of goodness. Every pulse beat of life was in harmony with that law. All flow and interflow of life was in concord with love’s rhythmic beat. Every sound of life, from the growing of the corn to the deep bass of the rolling of the spheres, helped to round out the sweet music of life’s triumphant oratorio. Every gladness and joy which came to the hearts of God’s creatures quickened with fresh glad impulse of life all other hearts. Every impulse of the universe would forever have ministered to the good and joy of all. Such would have been the ever-growing glory of God’s universe, bound up in “the bundle of His life” if a foreign element had not entered.

That foreign element was sin; and sin is “missing the mark.” It is missing the mark by turning to selfish purposes the blessings designed for all. It intercepted love, and selfishness and hatred were the result. It perverted righteousness, and it became sin. Under its blasting perversion equity became iniquity, truth became a lie, good became evil, the straight became crooked, peace became war, joy became sorrow, and life became death.

We now see God’s creation under perverted law. Nowhere is it perfect as it came from His hand. The most beautiful flowers, the loveliest foliage, the sweetest blossoms, are all touched by death. We get glimpses of perfect forms; some parts and portions do not wholly belie the divine originals, but none are perfect. God is the God of nature, but not perverted nature. Once He reigned in every part, with every law and pulsation willingly obedient to His mind. The Lord God Omnipotent still reigns in nature; but He does it despite of sin, does it in such a way that man may see the sad lesson of sin’s working if he will, and so learn to hate it with all his heart, and to long for that time when the perfect shall come. Is it coming? This earth is a part of the universe marred by sin’s blasting. God’s pledge for it is His pledge for all: “For thus saith Jehovah that created the heavens; He is God; that formed the earth and made it; He established it, He created it not a waste, He formed it to be inhabited. I am Jehovah, and there is none else.” Isa. 45:18. In and through Jesus Christ God will restore all things. Who can thwart His will? Do you wish a part in the eternal harmony to come? Then yield to the law of His life in Christ Jesus.