What Would Jesus Do? by Charles Thompson

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Nov 3, 1914

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 41, No. 43.

What Would Jesus Do?

By Charles Thompson

His Definite Example in a Certain Thing — Are We Following Him in That Particular?

By CHARLES THOMPSON

TO hear Christ and follow His steps is the sum of Christian duty. Matt. 17: 5; 1 Peter 2: 21. Nothing more is required of man, nothing less will answer the standard of the Judgment.

There is no Christian duty more applicable to this rule than the observance of the Sabbath. There is no divine requirement that brings one more conspicuously before the eyes of man than does the keeping of the divine rest day. God has ordained it to be so; for He says, "Moreover also I gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them." Eze. 20: 12. Therefore we ask, If Jesus were upon earth to-day, which day of the week would He observe as the Sabbath? We have no source of information other than the inspired Word, the Holy Scriptures. "They are they which testify of Me," says Christ. John 5: 39.

OFFENDED IN NO POINT

In John 15: 10 we read of Jesus when upon earth that He kept His Father's commandments. Through the inspired apostle, we have a definition of commandment keeping. He says, "Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." James 2: 10. If to "offend in one point" is to be guilty of commandment breaking, to be a commandment keeper one must be observant of every "point."

It will be noticed by the reader that James recognized a "whole" or complete law, composed of different "points." The existence of the "whole" depends upon the perpetuity of every "point"; for if to violate one is to be guilty of all, to be excused from one would be to be excused from all, or to abrogate one would abrogate all. The law James is thus defining is that law which said, "Do not commit adultery," and "Do not kill." Verse 11. This shows conclusively that he is talking of the Ten Commandments, and this "whole" law is composed of ten distinct "points." Ex. 20: 1-17.

"IT IS LAWFUL TO DO WELL"

Sin is defined to be "the transgression of the law." 1 John 3: 4. The Scriptures affirm positively that Jesus was without sin. Heb. 4: 15. Therefore He kept every "point" of the Ten Commandment law, and was a Sabbath keeper. On one occasion, He healed a man with a withered hand, on the Sabbath day, and the Pharisees accused Him of breaking the Sabbath. He answered, "It is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days." Matt. 12: 12. Thus His own words prove that He kept the Sabbath according to the law. The only law for Sabbath keeping is the fourth precept of the Ten Commandments. Therefore it is clear that when Jesus was upon earth, He kept the seventh-day Sabbath, and taught others to keep it by "following His steps."

YESTERDAY, TO-DAY, AND FOREVER

The same inspired Word that teaches the above, teaches also that Jesus is "the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever." Heb. 13: 8. By "yesterday" is meant the past, "to-day" the present, and "forever" all the future. In the words of the prophet Malachi, He changes not. Mal. 3: 6. Therefore it is clear as sunlight that if Jesus were upon earth to-day, He would observe the seventh-day Sabbath, according to the commandments; and if we would "follow His steps," our duty is clear.

A PROMISED BLESSING

Dear reader, let us heed the instruction and enjoy the blessing of which the prophet says: "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." "Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil." Isa. 58: 13, 14; 56: 2.