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2048.—Observance of the Sabbath.
In the true observance of the Sabbath is it possible for us to allow contractors to do work for us on that day?
That would depend on the nature of the contract and where the work is done. If it is on premises under one's own control, it certainly should not be. The commandment forbids this very clearly, "thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates." When a man contracts with a railroad to have freight carried from a distance, he has no power to compel that railroad to refrain from hauling that freight on the Sabbath. If he contracts to get a suit of clothes made, in all probability the tailor would work as seemed best to him in making the clothes. They do not belong to the man who employs the tailor until they are finished. If he contracts to have a house built for him, on his own premises, without specifying in the contract, he certainly lacks forethought, and will have to settle the matter the best way he can. He failed to remember the Sabbath day in order to keep it holy. All agreements, all bargains, touching our premises, our own homes, our own families, can be so arranged that the Sabbath shall be truly and properly kept. When the missionary ship Pitcairn was built on San Francisco Bay, there was not a stroke of work done on that ship on the Sabbath at all; it was done entirely by those who did not keep the Sabbath, rather by those who kept the first day of the week. For that reason it was called "The five-day boat," because only on five days of the week was any work performed on it. Sometimes, carelessly, there is failure to make definite specifications, and trouble ensues. Those who make the mistake will have to get out of the difficulty the best way they possibly can, but it is always safe to give the Lord the benefit of every doubt.
2049.—Will the Sabbath Save?
A correspondent asks us if we think that if she does not keep the Sabbath, would that shut her out of heaven. On the other hand, she feels so sure that if she should die any day she would be saved.
The outward keeping of the Sabbath, or any other commandment of God's law, will not save us. We are saved only thru Jesus Christ our Lord, for "there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." To the one to whom God's word has come there must be faith in Him. Faith is not mere belief, or assent, to a thing, it is such a yielding to God on our part and such an acceptance of Him that will bring Him into the life. There is a nominal belief which will condemn us at last, for "the devils also believe and tremble." True Christian belief is that set forth in the following words of the apostle: "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." The belief which stops short of believing UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS is a spurious belief, and in that last great day will profit nothing. The belief which believes unto righteousness is that which not only accepts the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ for all the sins of the past, but which accepts God's living righteousness now, so that "the righteousness of the law [margin, "the requirement of the law"] is fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Rom. 8:4. Or in the words of the apostle in another place, "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." Gal. 2:20. When the Lord Jesus Christ lived here upon earth He kept all the commandments of God. He delighted to do His Father's will. If Christ is living in us, He will delight to do the same will and will keep the same commandments in us. Now there are millions who have not kept the seventh-day Sabbath outwardly because they did not have the light upon the question, yet who will be saved, because they believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, and found the rest that Christ gives us as set forth in the institution of the Sabbath,—the creative power to give us life, and creative power of redemption to save us from sin; and he who knowingly rejects this or any other truth of God's word, it matters not how small, in that very thing shuts out Christ. He who closes his eyes to a single ray of sunlight closes his eyes to the sun; he who turns from one single ray of light turns from it all; and he who rejects one of God's commandments rejects all, for in that very thing he rejects the Lawgiver. We are told of those who profess to know God, but whose works deny Him (Titus 1:16); and the beloved apostle in that wonderful epistle of love, 1 John, tells us over and over, in various forms, that he who professes to know God and keeps not His commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him; that is, all the commandments which God in His goodness and mercy has revealed to him. The Lord takes the will for the deed, and the one whose heart is perfect toward God is accepted of Him, even tho he be in the darkness of heathendom; but he who having the light of God's word turns from that light, or wilfully refuses to learn the will of the Lord, by that very means shuts Christ from his heart.
Please explain this passage. These plagues are poured out after probation is ended, and the language says, "They repented not to give God the glory." It seems to imply that repentance was expected. What effect would repentance have after probation is closed?
There are two ways of looking at the question. It seems very clear in the teaching of the word that the plagues are poured out after probation is closed. In these plagues is filled up the wrath of God. Rev. 15:1. That is, wrath unmixed with mercy. Rev. 14:11. They come in that little time set forth in Rev. 22:11, 12 just before our Lord comes.
Men are contending now, contrary to God's word, that humanity is divine, a part of Deity, that Jesus Christ dwells in every man. They have so perverted the Gospel that it does not mean a message of life from on high to man, but is a revelation to man that he has this life within himself, apart from faith, that this faith does not bring the life, but that faith is the mere recognition on his part that he has life; and this "divine immanence" in the man is that which leads him, helps him, strengthens him, saves him. And that, contrary to all Gospel teaching, is "Christ within, the hope of glory." On the other hand, God's word teaches that those who do not have living faith in the living Christ for all things that Christ brings have no hope and are without God in the world. Eph. 2:12. They are alienated from the life of God. Eph. 4:18. More than that, they would not even come to God, except the Father drew them. When probation closes, man will have rejected every means by which God saves, Jesus Christ, His word, His Spirit. There can then be no true repentance; and this is the testimony of Rev. 16:8-11, that when men come into that condition, which is the result of sin, and their own sins, there is absolutely no heart for repentance in them, no desire for true repentance, no sorrow for sin. It is God's testimony that when we reach that place there is nothing in and of ourselves that would lead from sin; and so the divine testimony is not that repentance is expected, but it is to the effect that there can be no repentance, because they have, as Esau did, bartered their birthright and separated themselves from God for the desires of this world, and consequently can find no place for repentance. So it will be when, in the second resurrection, the wicked are brought forth from their graves. It will be demonstrated to the whole universe that mankind rejecting God's word, trusting to himself, is wholly within the power of Satan and sin.
2051.—David's Conduct.
How is it that in 1 Kings 15:5 that David did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and turned not aside from anything that He commanded him, all the days of his life, save only the matter of Uriah the Hittite? In 2 Sam. 24:10 it speaks of David numbering Israel, and in other places we read of his wives and concubines, which was not in keeping with God's plan.
All of which is true. In these things where David failed there was either no expressed command forbidding his doing what he did, or it had not been clearly brought before him so that he himself understood just what his duty was. Whenever the Lord told him to do anything, he did it. Transgression against the Lord in the matter of Uriah the Hittite was flagrant, open wickedness, directly contrary to the command of God. The numbering of Israel was doubtless a matter of ambition on David's part to show how Israel had increased, which he himself evidently did not clearly see. The real test of David's loyalty was seen in his taking reproof and in ever submitting to God when he had done wrong and was reproved. But where the king clearly saw his duty there seems to have been no question but what he always did it, save in the exception that is made. While we never can or should excuse ourselves in any sin from ignorance, because just as soon as we begin to excuse ourselves we admit our knowledge of the sin, God does excuse us, just as He has overlooked many failures on the part of His servants in the past. He knows the heart.
2052.—Renting Land.
Is it wrong for a Sabbath-keeper to rent land isolated from his home and place of residence to one who is not a Sabbath-keeper?
No, we do not see that it would be wrong, if the business transactions are such that they will not involve the owner in any Sabbath transaction. To put it in another form, he sells his land for that time to that individual and is not responsible for the man or the kind of work which the individual puts upon it, or the time when he does it. During the time the renter is in possession of the land until the expiration of his lease, he is the practical controller of the property. Where the man lives within his own gates, it is another matter.
