Editorial by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Sep 25, 1893

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 19, No. 46.

Editorial.

By Editor

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable."—2 Tim. 3:16.

"It is written." With this powerful argument Christ met and vanquished the arch deceiver. Not once did Christ parley, or seek by argument to gain the victory. He says, "I can of my own self do nothing." He realized that his sufficiency was of God. To him he looked in the hour of trial; upon his word he depended for power and strength. "Thus saith the Lord." Let this be our plea, our argument. Let us plead that word before the throne of grace as we seek for sins forgiven, for blessings prolonged. Not my worthiness, but thine; not my word, but the power of thy pledged promise. In temptation let us plead the promised strength. "It is written." The power of this argument will gain for us the victory in every trial.

The great apostle to the Gentiles in his parting meeting with the elders of the church at Ephesus bears this testimony to his labors in their behalf: "I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house." "For I have not shunned to declare unto you the whole counsel of God." Acts 20:20, 27. In all of Paul's work for the Ephesian church, as recorded by Luke, and in the epistle he wrote to them, we find no command or hint given by the great apostle for the observance of the first day. Now if Paul, as he stated, declared unto the Ephesians the whole counsel of God, and kept back nothing that was profitable, and yet said not one thing about observing the first day of the week as the Sabbath, does it not prove that in no sense did Paul consider first-day observance as a part of God's counsel, or even profitable for the Ephesian church to know or practice? We can reach no other conclusion from Paul's testimony. Nothing outside of God's word makes for salvation. Paul knew this. He also knew that the observance of any other day than the one enjoined in the commandment would have been not only unprofitable for the church, but subversive of God's counsel. Had Paul taught Sunday observance, he would have taught a doctrine opposed to God's counsel. He would have done the work which was done a little later by antichrist, and would therefore have become himself antichrist. God's word is his counsel. Paul recognized this fact, and may we also recognize the same in our practice.

God calls upon his people to be distinct and separate from the world. He does not call them out of the world; he leaves them here for lights and ambassadors. Christ and Belial can have no concord. Each represents a different principle; each is contending for distinct and separate ideas. We must be wholly the Lord's. No half-hearted service will avail; no divided interest will prove successful. Christ bought us not in part, but in whole. He asks of us that which is his own, that for which he gave himself, his life. If we are Christ's and Christ is ours, if the life we live is not our own but the Christ life in us, then will there be in us and about us the same manifest distinction that there was in Christ, who, although he came to save sinners, and for that purpose mingled among them, yet was separate from sinners, holy, harmless, and undefiled.