Walking in Christ by J. O. Corliss

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 25, 1875

Walking in Christ.

By J. O. Corliss

A LADY who has recently embraced the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, wrote to her sister in Wisconsin, stating her views, at the same time sending her a copy of the REVIEW. She received a note in reply, saying that, after reading the paper, the thought came to her, “Perhaps they are right after all,” which made her feel “uncomfortably.” So she went before the Lord to pray over the matter, and became satisfied that she was doing wrong in trying to understand the secrets of the Almighty. At the same time the Spirit assured her that “as she had received Christ Jesus the Lord, so she should walk in him.”

A great many persons argue as above to relieve conscience after being convicted on the truth, and then settle into their old ways; and deceive themselves by trying to believe that they will be justified by pursuing a course directly contrary to that marked out by the Spirit of God. The reasons for doing so are various and palpable. One of the offices of the Holy Spirit is to convince of righteousness.

The case of the apostle Paul furnishes us an example of the way in which we will walk when we have really received the Spirit of Christ into our hearts. When standing before Agrippa relating his life, he said: “I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth;” Acts 26:9; yet he testifies that he did it all honestly and in harmony with the faith he professed, which made him very zealous toward God (chap. 22:3); and also gave him a hope in the resurrection of the dead. Acts 24:15. While journeying to Damascus in fulfillment of a supposed duty, he was arrested in his course by a light from heaven, showing the claims of God’s law upon him, and condemning him as its transgressor. This caused him to tremble, and without doubt he felt “uncomfortably;” for in relating his experience, he says, in Rom. 7:9: “I was alive without the law once; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.” But he was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, and instead of praying to be released from his obligation to obey the law, he said: “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” showing the death of the old man, and a willingness to put on Christ and move in any direction indicated by him.

The Spirit which is Christ’s representative in the earth (if it be the genuine Spirit), will agree with his word spoken while on the earth, which says: “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” John 15:7. Now to abide in Christ, as explained elsewhere, is to walk even as he walked. 1 John 2:6. Jesus says: “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.” John 15:10.

The same word also says, “Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me.” John 5:39. Therefore, if we have a spirit which forbids searching his word, it cannot be the one that inspired the writing of that word; and if in searching the word, we find duties which have before been hidden from us, the Spirit, to be consistent with its office as a reprover would teach us to conform our lives to that word.

The truth of God is ever progressive. The psalmist tells us that light is sown for the righteous. Ps. 97:11. Because a person is righteous so far as he knows, it is not evidence that he has learned all that God would have him know; he has only given proof that when further duties are presented to him, he will perform them with the same alacrity that he has those made known before.

The case of Cornelius furnishes a notable example of this kind. He was a devout man, and one who feared God; one also who had given of his means for the benefit of his fellow-creatures, and had been constant at the throne of grace. His prayers were answered by the angel calling him by name, and saying: “Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God, and now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon whose surname is Peter . . . he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.” Although Cornelius had the evidence that what he had done was acceptable; the Spirit of God being the witness, yet there were other duties to be made known, and to be performed by him. He was himself to be conformed to the doctrine of Christ only in that way, and through those means, that God has ordained. God’s word is the channel through which he imparts instruction to us; but if we ignore its plain teachings, and take a course contrary to the one marked out, be it ever so congenial to our own inclinations, how can we expect to retain his Spirit in our hearts? Evidently we do not; but suffer another to usurp the place which God intends for his Spirit to occupy, and thus doing, deceive ourselves by thinking we are walking in Christ.

Perhaps this class is referred to by our Saviour in Matt. 7:21-23, where he condemns those who say, Lord, Lord, but do not the things he has said; and to whom in the Judgment he will say, “I never knew you; depart from me, ye workers of iniquity;” or as some translations read: “I never acknowledged you.” Let us not deceive ourselves, but build upon the word of God, which is the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone.

J. O. CORLISS.

Dryden, Mich.