IN briefest outline we have studied the great central thought of the Third Angel’s Message—“Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.1

We have studied, What are the commandments of God that must be kept to keep the faith of Jesus? and have found them to be nothing else than the ten commandments, which God spoke from heaven with a voice that shook the earth, and which he twice wrote with his own hand on two tables of stone.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.2

We have studied, What is the faith of Jesus that must be kept to keep the commandments of God? and have found it to be nothing else than the faith which brings into the life of the believer in Jesus the righteousness, the virtue, the very character, of God—the faith that brings into the life of the believer the power of God to perform there the will of God.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.3

The power of God comes to us in no other way than through the righteousness of God. The gospel is “the power of God,” only because that “therein is the righteousness of God revealed.” This righteousness reaches the believer only through faith, because it is revealed only “from faith to faith.” Romans 1:16, 17. And this faith is the faith of Jesus which he brought to the world, which he tested victoriously to the uttermost in every species of temptation that can ever be known to man, and which is freely given to every man in the world as the gracious gift of God. Ephesians 2:8-10.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.4

The righteousness of God, being the character—the very quality—of God, is nothing apart from the very personality of God himself, and can not be had apart from the personality of God himself. Thus in Christ, by the faith which he exercised in the world, it was God who was manifest in the flesh, and who was reconciling the world unto himself. And in the believer in Jesus, in him who keeps the faith of Jesus, it is still God manifest in the flesh; for it is “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” and it is only God that is found in Christ.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.5

Thus the faith of Jesus is that which brings God to men and men to God: it is that which joins the divine to the human, making men “partakers of the divine nature:” it is that by which God dwells in the heart and works in the life, “working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight;” working in you “both to will and to do of his good pleasure:” it is that by which “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.”ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.6

This, and this alone, is the faith of Jesus that must be kept in order for a person to be indeed a keeper of “the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus,” in order to be a true believer of the Third Angel’s Message.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.7

And now it comes before us to study this great and important question of How to Keep the Faith of Jesus.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.8

Since the commandments of God can be kept only “by faith of Jesus Christ,” the whole question of the Third Angel’s Message as it is in truth, the whole question of the real keeping of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, turns indeed upon the keeping of the faith of Jesus.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.9

And since the real keeping of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus—the real keeping of the faith of Jesus—is God manifest in the flesh, is Christ in you the hope of glory, the great and important thing for every believer of the Third Angel’s Message to know is, How is God manifest in the flesh? What is “Christ in you, the hope of glory”?ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.10

This is the great and important thing to know, because for anyone to be a true keeper of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, God must be manifest in his flesh: Christ must be in him the hope of glory.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.11

And in order to know this great and important thing it is essential for us to “consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.” He is the answer to those all-important questions; he is the solution of this great problem; for he is the revelation of the mystery of God; he is God manifest in the flesh; he trusted in God with a faith that wrought the keeping of the commandments of God. Hebrews 2:13; John 15:10.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.12

Accordingly, next week we shall begin a study of the faith of Jesus as it is in Jesus himself, a study of God manifest in the flesh, as in Jesus himself.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.13

And this is a study of the Third Angel’s Message as it is in truth; it is the study of the mystery of God which should be finished “in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound.” Revelation 10:7.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.14

Come, let us study it all together.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.15

“Studies in Galatians. Galatians 6:11-18” Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 77, 46, p. 728.

“YE see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand.”ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.1

This is, literally, “with what large letters;” relating to the size of the letters which he was obliged to make because of his defective eyesight.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.2

This itself was an appeal which would tenderly touch the Galatians, and revive in them the memory of the blessedness of their first days in Christianity; for, in the fifteenth verse of the fourth chapter, he says: “Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you redord, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.” This was their love to him when they enjoyed the blessedness of the true gospel which they had received, and Paul gladly witnessed to it. But there never would have been any need, nor any ground for thought, of plucking out their eyes and giving them to him if there had not been in him a manifest need of eyes.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.3

This defect in his eyes was the result of the consuming glory of Christ that day when the Lord appeared to him as he was on his way to Damascus; for, when the vision was past, he was unable to see; and “they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.” And there “he was three days without sight,” until Ananias was sent by the Lord to put his hand on him “that he might recieve his sight.” And when Ananias had so done, “immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales.” But forever there was thus in his flesh that mark which he calls “my temptation which was in my flesh.”ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.4

And now, in his last words to the Galatians, when he says, “Ye see with what large letters I have written unto you with mine own hand,” it is a delicate and touching way in which he would call their attention to this affliction which they, in their love at the first, would have remedied by plucking out their own eyes and giving them to him. This expression shows to them that he had written this whole letter with his own hand in spite of this affliction, which obliged him to write in exceptionally large letters, in order that he himself might be able to see his writing. This of itself would be a powerful testimony to them of his tender love still for them, and that, whatever he had said, in none of it was there any ill-feeling toward them, but a great fear lest they should be caused to lose the great. salvation that had been so freely given to them.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.5

This writing of a whole letter in Paul’s own hand was unusual. He usually wrote the body of a letter by an amanuensia. For instance, the actual body of the letter to the Romans was written by Tertius. Romans 16:22. But always, Paul would sign the letter with his own name, with his own hand, as, for instance, 1 Corinthians 16:21: “The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand;” Colossians 4:18: “The salutation by the hand of Paul;” and 2 Thessalonians 3:17: “The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write.” This, indeed, became essential, because 2 Thessalonians 2:2 shows that there were those who were circulating letters as from Paul, which were fraudulent.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.6

“As many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.”ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.7

It must be borne in mind that those who had confused the Galatians and caused all the trouble there were “Pharisees which believed.” They were Pharisees at first, and, still holding to their pharisaism, professed to believe in Jesus; and this had made their profession of Christianity merely pharisaism. And pure Christianity at that time, as well as in every other time, could not be made to fit well with pharisaism; because, at that time, it was a very humiliating thing to be known as a Christian outright. The One in whom all Christianity centered had only lately been crucified as a malefactor; had thus died the most disgraceful death, and by the most disgraceful means, known to mankind. In addition to this, there was persecution attached to the outright profession of Christianity, But the Pharisees, still holding to their pride, had not discerned the true glory of the cross of Christ so that they could with confidence, and even with joy, suffer persecution. But in the way of circumcision there was no persecution: that was the way of glory. True, it was worldly glory; it was pharisaic glory; it was self-glory; but that being the only glory which they knew, to them it was the true way of glory. Consequently, so long as they could hold to circumcision, they would escape persecution.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.8

Thus the controversy centered in the question as to the true way of glory—whether it was by circumcision, or by the cross of Christ. By the pride of the Pharisees circumcision was exalted to the pinnacle of the true way of glory. The cross, as already stated, was the most degrading thing in the world. But behold here the illustration of the great truth that “that which is highly esteemed amongst men, is abomination in the sight of God.” The Pharisees had made circumcision the greatest of all things, and the perfect highway to glory, while they, and all mankind, looked upon the way of the cross as the most disgraceful thing that could ever come to a man. But that way of the cross, God shows to be indeed the highway of glory. The way which men most despise is the way in which God would most manifest his glory: the way in which men most gloried is indeed the way which is most truly to be despised.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.9

Therefore, it is the true, triumphant exclamation of the Christian everywhere and forever: “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.”ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.10

“And as many as walk according to this rule, peace to them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.” And this is forever true; as many as walk by this rule of the cross of Christ, and of the glorying in the cross of Christ; as many as walk by this rule of being by the cross of Christ crucified unto the world, and the world unto them; as many as walk by this rule that neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but only a new creature avails in Christ Jesus,—“as many a walk according to THIS RULE, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.”ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.11

“From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” These marks of the Lord Jesus were those which Paul received in the scourgings, the stonings, and all of the other hardships which left their impress upon him. And another translation gives it: “I the brands of the Lord Jesus in my body bear.” These things were the token to all who might see, that he belonged to Christ; these were the marks, the brands, which he bore, signifying Christ’s ownership of him. And so it is with the Christian forever.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 728.12

“Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.”ARSH November 13, 1900, page 729.1

As to the additional subscription: “Unto the Galatians written from Rome,” it is but proper to state that the letter to the Galatians was not written from Rome at all, but from Corinth.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 729.2

“A Self-erected Obstacle” Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, 77, 46, p. 729.

IN the Evangelist, Prof. Warren Clark writes upon “The Great Obstacle to the Progress of Christianity in Heathen Countries.” He declares this great obstacle to be “the inconsistency of Christians.” Yet, when we come to read his article, this “inconsistency of Christians” is not indeed the inconsistency of those who profess to be Christians, but that which is counted the inconsistency of the people are not Christian at all, in their going from what are called Christian lands to what are called countries, and acting there in a way unbecoming to Christians.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 729.1

He says that “to veterans long on the field [of missionary work in heathen lands] the ingenuity is taxed to know how to answer the questions of heathen converts, as to why these rich and wealthy people from Christian lands are indifferent to all religion.” He speaks of having taken from Japan “two of our most earnest Christian converts on a visit to the foreign resident quarter of Yokohama,” when “the first thing they saw in front of the English Episcopal church was a drunken British ‘tar,’ assaulting an equally intoxicated American sailor, and both of them were being arrested by a heathen Japanese policeman!” Further, he mentions a Japanese student whom he met in London, and with whom he went around to see “the sights of the metropolis,” and, “returning at night along the Strand, the evidences of drunkenness and licentiousness were so glaring as to put to blush anything I had ever seen in any ‘heathen’ country, and my Japanese companion (whom I had been trying to convert to Christianity) was dumb with surprise and horror. ‘Is not this the capital of the greatest Christian empire in the world?’ he asked. ‘Did you ever see such wickedness in heathen Tokio?’ ‘No,’ was the only answer I could give. ‘Then why don’t your churches convert these degraded men and women here in London? You need not send missionaries ten thousand miles to find heathen when they are at your very doors. Before I left Japan,’ he continued, ‘our consular agent advised me against the immoralities of London, and warned me against the temptations in this great Christian city!’”ARSH November 13, 1900, page 729.2

The great mistake of all this is in speaking of Britain, America, etc., as Christian lands, and of London, New York, and the like, as Christian cities. There is no such thing in the world as a Christian country, nor even a Christian city. Only those are Christians who individually and decidedly choose Christ as their life, their all in all. Whoever does not do this is as certainly a heathen as is any person in any heathen land or heathen city, who does not make such a choice of Christ. But to count these countries Christian countries when they are not such at all; and to give the people in heathen countries the idea that these are Christian countries indeed, according to the Christianity which is preached to them, and which alone they can look upon as Christianity; and then blame these people with inconsistency in not being Christians in those heathen lands when they never thought of being Christians in their own “Christian” land,—this is the greatest inconsistency of all. It is an utter misleading of the people in those so-called heathen lands.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 729.3

And when the missionaries themselves so mislead the people in heathen lands, they themselves are the ones who are responsible for this “great obstacle to the progress of Christianity in heathen countries.” And they can not in justice wonder that the people in heathen lands are caused to question the power and virtue of Christianity when the missionaries themselves give the people in heathen lands to understand that these others are “Christian countries,” and when they teach those people to expect Christianity in the people of these “Christian countries” and “Christian cities,” when in fact the vast majority of these people make no pretentions to Christianity, and care nothing for it whatever.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 729.4

For the missionaries, there is a way out of this difficulty; but it is not by complaining of the inconsistency of Christians, when the people of whom they complain are more heathenish than the heathen, and are in no way connected with Christianity. The true way out of the dilemma is to get down to the truth of Christianity upon its true foundation: that Christianity is an individual thing, and that the only Christians that there ever can be, whether in America, in England, in Japan, or in China, are those people who, as individuals, have chosen, in the true Christian way, Christ as their portion forever; and along with this recognize also the truth that every person who does not do this is a heathen, whether he be an American, a Japanese, a Britisher, or a Chinese.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 729.5

This conception of things would also, among the missionaries and all Christians, break down at once all national lines and race distinctions. Then the people of one country would not stand any higher in the estimation of the missionary than those of any other country, because, not having accepted Christ, all being heathen, and the missionaries having a message to all such,—the people being all alike, and the message being one to all people,—the missionaries would necessarily look upon all alike.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 729.6

But the missionaries will all at once say, “It would never do to call the American people heathen.” Very well, then, why call the Japanese, or the Chinese, or any other people, heathen? And if other people must all be called heathen, and the people of America and other such “Christian lands” can not be called heathen, when all know that, as a matter of fact, multitudes of these are more heathenish than are those who are called heathen,—then it is a mere matter of favoritism on the part of those who do the calling. But why should there be such favorites, especially toward those who are the worst in comparison?ARSH November 13, 1900, page 729.7

We do not say that people in America and other such countries, who are not Christians, should be called “heathen.” No more do we say that the people in China, Japan, and other such countries, who are not Christians, should be called “heathen.” The people in America who are not Christians, are simply sinners and lost men; wherever they are, they are all alike; and there is no respect of persons with God, nor with those who are of God.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 729.8

Let all the missionaries, ministers, and Christians in the world recognize everywhere the Christian truth that only those are Christians who have chosen Christ as their Saviour and their portion forever; and that all who have not so done are alike in all the world, wherever they be, and whatever they may be called. Then this “great obstacle to the progress of Christianity in heathen countries” that is here, and so much elsewhere, complained of will no longer exist anywhere in the world.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 729.9

“Editorial” Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 77, 46, p. 729.

IT will be remembered that in the studies on the Eastern question in these columns a few weeks ago—The Sixth and Seventh Trumpets—it was made plain that the greater Eastern question as it is now in China is but the extension of the original Eastern question as it began and continues in Turkey; and that the Eastern question as it centers in Turkey is the real pivot of the greater Eastern question as it centers in China. The following extract from an address by President Washburn, of Robert College, Constantinople, published in the Hartford Seminary Record, November, well expresses the same truth:—ARSH November 13, 1900, page 729.1

The world center has not been shifted to China, but is still in the nearer East—in Asia Minor, Syria, and the Balkan Peninsula—in those lands which were the birthplace of Judaism, Christianity, and Mohammedanism—which have always been the battle ground of East and West. Here will be finally decided the question of Christian or Mohammedan supremacy. Here it will be settled whether the Slavic or Teutonic races are to rule the world. In its relation to the future, Constantinople is the most important city in the world. London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Rome, are the work of man. Nature had little to do with the choice of these cities for great capitals, but nature herself has destined Constantinople to be the capital of the Old World, and some day this will be realized; and whatever Power may rule in that capital, the same races who now inhabit the Turkish Empire will still be there. War has never united them.ARSH November 13, 1900, page 729.2

November 6, 1900

November 20, 1900