Sermon 5—Membership Means Separation

THE family record of this divine-human family is kept in heaven in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And it is a sad thing to think that when the time of examination comes, many now found in records on earth will not be found in the family record in heaven. And there is no question which any human being can ask himself which equals in importance to him, the question as to whether he has really been born again and whether he is indeed, in accordance with God’s view of the matter, a member of this divine-human family. So we shall continue this evening the consideration of this question.DHF 55.1

In our last study we presented some passages of scripture bearing upon the question of membership in the family, and how this membership is obtained; and we found how complete is the change, by this process spoken of as the new birth, — a complete change from the kingdom of this world to the kingdom of heaven. And we found that this change can only be wrought by the power of the Spirit of God. And that this power was exercised in and through the mind; that it was by renewing the mind; that the mind of the flesh is death; that the mind of the Spirit was life and peace, and that the putting on of the new man was by the renewing of the mind. Having considered these scriptures, I desire this evening to read a little from the comments by the Spirit of Prophecy upon these scriptures, be-ginning first with “Steps to Christ,” page 8 [SC 18.1]:-DHF 55.2

“It is impossible for us, of ourselves, to escape from the pit of sin in which we are sunken. Our hearts are evil, and we cannot change them. ‘Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? — Not one.’ ‘The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.’ Education, culture, the exercise of the will, human effort, all have their proper sphere, but here they are powerless. They may produce an outward correctness of behavior, but they cannot change the heart; they cannot purify the springs of life. There must be a power working from within, a new life from above, before men can be changed from sin to holiness. That power is Christ. His grace alone can quicken the lifeless faculties of the soul, and attract it to God, to holiness.”DHF 56.1

This has suggested to my mind the idea that by sin certain faculties of the mind were killed, and they became lifeless faculties of the soul. When man was created, the Lord breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. Now the outward organization was there before, but all the faculties were simply dead; it was simply outward organization, and the breath of life was necessary, for it to become a living soul. Christ, as it is said in the record, “breathed on them and said, Receive ye the Holy Ghost,” and the Holy Spirit being breathed upon the lifeless faculties of the soul, gives life; and that is the light from above. So His grace alone can quicken the lifeless faculties of the soul, and attract it to God, to holiness.DHF 56.2

The Saviour said, “Except a man be born from above,” unless he shall receive a new heart, new desires, purposes, and motives, leading to a new life, “he cannot see the kingdom of God.” The idea that it is necessary only to develop the good that exists in man by nature, is a fatal deception. “The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” Of Christ it is written, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men,” the only “name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved.”DHF 56.3

On page 54 [SC 51.4], in speaking of accepting the word of God just as it reads, simply believing God, it says:-DHF 57.1

“Through this simple act of believing God, the Holy Spirit has begotten a new life in your heart. You are as a child born into the family of God, and he loves you as he loves his Son.”DHF 57.2

That is the new birth; on our part, exercise the faith which God gives, on his part, the Holy Spirit begets a new life in the soul. I will read further from “Great Controversy,” Vol. 2, beginning on page 127 [2SP 127.3; emphasis supplied]. It is the account of the interview with Nicodemus.DHF 57.3

“Jesus with solemn emphasis repeated, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of the water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’ The words of Jesus could no longer be misunderstood. His listener well knew that he referred to water baptism and the grace of God. The power of the Holy Spirit transforms the entire man. This change constitutes the new birth.”DHF 57.4

“This new birth looks mysterious to Nicodemus. He asks, ‘How can these things be?’ Jesus, bidding him marvel not, uses the wind as an illustration of his meaning. It is heard among the branches of the trees, and rustling the leaves and flowers, yet it is invisible to the eye, and from whence it comes and whither it goeth, no man knoweth. So is the experience of every one who is born of the Spirit. The mind is an invisible agent of God to produce tangible results. Its influence is powerful, and governs the actions of men. If purified from all evil, it is the motive power of good. The regenerating Spirit of God, taking possession of the mind, transforms the life” [2SP 128.3; emphasis supplied].DHF 57.5

That is the new birth. It is not the Holy Spirit from without, directing something within, but it itself, taking possession of the mind, transforms the life. The mind of the Spirit in that way becomes the mind of the individual and yet not without, or contrary to, his con-sent; his mind is active all the time in choosing that the mind of the Spirit shall rule in him, and it is the description of Christ’s experience when it says he “emptied himself.” That is, his own mind, as of himself, was entirely in the back ground, and entirely subordinate; and the mind of God had complete and free sway in him, and self, as of himself, did not appear in Christ at all, and we have never seen anything of Jesus Christ himself as of himself. And yet it was all the time of his own free will, or his own free choice in the matter. His whole work has been to reveal the Father unto man. It may be that in the kingdom, the Father will reveal the Son to us, but the scripture now is, “No man knoweth the Son save the Father.” It makes no promise that the Son will be revealed to us here. Going on, it says, “Neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son and he to whomsoever the Son shall reveal him.” So it is the work of Christ, with self entirely lost sight of, simply to reveal the Father to the world.DHF 57.6

Now the Christian’s place, as a follower of Christ, is with self completely and wholly in the back ground, by his own choice, to reveal Jesus Christ who is a revelation of the Father, and so the mind of the Spirit will appear in him continually. The regenerating Spirit of God, taking possession of the mind, and having complete control of the mind, yet all the time by the choice and consent of that mind itself, “transforms the life; wicked thoughts are put away, evil deeds are renounced, love, peace, and humility take the place of anger, envy, and strife. That power which no human eye can see, has created a new being in the image of God.” “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”DHF 58.1

The necessity of the new birth was not so strongly impressed upon Nicodemus as the manner of its accomplishment. Jesus re-proves him, asking if he, a master and teacher in Israel, an ex-pounder of the prophecies, can be ignorant of these things. Has he read those sacred writings in vain, that he has failed to understand from them that the heart must be cleansed from its natural defilement by the spirit of God before it can be fit for the kingdom of heaven?DHF 58.2

The learned Nicodemus had read these pointed prophecies with a clouded mind, but now he began to comprehend their true meaning, and to understand that even a man as just and honorable as himself must experience a new birth through Jesus Christ, as the only condition upon which he could be saved, and secure an entrance into the kingdom of God. Jesus spoke positively that unless a man is born again he cannot discern the kingdom which Christ came upon earth to set up.DHF 59.1

A kingdom within a kingdom which cannot be perceived except the eyes be enlightened. “Rigid precision in obeying the law would entitle no man to enter the kingdom of heaven. There must be a new birth, a new mind.” And that is the climax, that is the point of emphasis in all this lesson; there must be a new birth, a new mind, “through the operation of the Spirit of God, which purifies the life and ennobles the character. This connection with God fits man for the glorious kingdom of heaven. No human invention can ever find a remedy for the sinning soul. Only by repentance and humiliation, a submission to the divine requirements, can the work of grace be performed. Iniquity is so offensive in the sight of God, whom the sinner has so long insulted and wronged, that a repentance commensurate with the character of the sins committed often produces an agony of spirit hard to bear” [2SP 132.1-132.2].DHF 59.2

“Man has separated himself from God by sin. Christ brought his divinity to earth, veiled by humanity, in order to rescue man from his lost condition. Human nature is vile, and man’s character must be changed before it can harmonize with the pure and holy in God’s immortal kingdom. This transformation is the new birth” [2SP 133.1; emphasis supplied].DHF 59.3

What the new birth is, and the process by which it is accomplished, are certainly very clear before us now. A complete change, a complete transformation of the whole being by a power from without, and that power, the Spirit of God. Now when such a change as this has been wrought in an individual, it follows of necessity that the outward expression of the man will be entirely different. What we say, what we do, the spirit with which we treat each other and others, our whole attitude toward the things of the world or the things of the kingdom are simply the outward expression of the man, what he is within. What he does is simply the outward expression of what he is. When his whole nature has been completely transformed and a new being has been begotten within him, a new life has been implanted in his soul, it follows of necessity that there must be a different outward expression, and so his life, his relation to others about him, will of necessity be changed. It is perfectly impossible that this change should be wrought within and there be no outward change, and so while outward deeds cannot change the inward man, yet it is perfectly safe to say that when the outward deeds are the same as before, the inward man has not been changed. So while works have of themselves no merit, no efficacy in bringing us to God, in reconciling us to God or in meeting God’s mind concerning us as of themselves, yet they inevitably appear in the life of the individual as the fruits of this change, in consequence of this change.DHF 59.4

So, as we said in a former study, “He that saith he abideth in him, ought himself so to walk even as he walked.” Not so much as the obligation, but the consequence. Now to illustrate this, I would like to present this evening a brief survey of the early church as set forth by the church historian, Neander. It is not possible to present a complete view of it, of course, but only some special points which indicate how these ideas took hold of the early Christians, and how they looked at this idea of a new birth, and to what extent they regarded the religion of Jesus Christ as different from the world. See Vol. 1 of Neander’s Church History, Sec. 3 (All of these extracts will be from this Section.) A word first from Cyprian with reference to his own experience and his own feelings of this change:-DHF 60.1

“While I was lying in darkness and blind night, tossed about by the waves of the world, ignorant of the way of life, estranged from the truth and from the light, what divine mercy promised for my salvation, seemed to me, in my then state of mind, a hard and impracticable thing; — that a man should be born again, and, casting off his former self, while his bodily nature remained the same, become, in soul and disposition, another man. How, said I, can such a change be possible; that what is so deep-rooted within should be extirpated at once? Entangled in the many errors of my earlier life, from which I could see no deliverance, I abandoned myself to my besetting sins, and, despairing of amendment, nurtured the evil within me as if it belonged to my nature. But when, after the stains of my former life had been washed away by the water of regeneration, light from on high was shed abroad in the heart now freed from guilt, made clear and pure; when I breathed the spirit of heaven, and was changed by the second birth into a new man, all my doubts were at once strangely resolved. That lay open which had been shut to me; that was light where I had seen nothing but darkness; that became easy which was before difficult; practicable, which before seemed impossible; so that I could understand how it was that, being born in the flesh, I lived subject to sin — a worldly life — but the life I had now begun to live was the commencement of a life from God, of a life quickened by the Holy Spirit. From God, from God, I repeat, proceeds all we can now do, from him we derive our life and our power.”DHF 60.2

In this period, as at all times, there would be those who had been for a moment touched by the power of truth, but who, neglecting to follow up the impressions they had received, proved faithless to the truth, instead of consecrating to it their whole life; or who, wishing to serve at one and the same time God and the world, soon became once more completely enslaved to the world. Whoever failed to watch over his own heart — whoever failed of seeking earnestly and constantly, with fear and trembling, under the guidance of the divine Spirit, to distinguish and separate in his inmost being what was of the Spirit from what was of the world, exposed himself to the same causes of dangerous self-deception, and consequently to the same fall, as Christians were liable to in other times.DHF 61.1

That which our Lord himself, in his last interview with his disciples, described as the test by which his disciples might always be distinguished — as the mark of their fellowship with him and the Father in heaven, the mark of his glory dwelling in the midst of them, — namely that they love one another, — precisely this constituted the prominent mark, plain and striking to the pagans themselves, of the first Christian fellowship. The names, “brother” and “sister,” which the Christians gave to each other, were not names without meaning.DHF 61.2

You see if they were all born into the family of God and a member of the divine-human family, there is a meaning to the word “brother” and “sister.” I have thought of that in view of this study as I never have before, of what it means really to call one another brother and sister; in this family there is a meaning in it.DHF 62.1

Nor did the active brotherly love of each community confine itself to what transpired in its own immediate circle, but extended itself also to the wants of the Christian communities in distant lands. On urgent occasions of this kind, the bishops made arrangements for special collections.DHF 62.2

This may remind you of the opportunity now being offered to assist brethren who are in need.DHF 62.3

They appointed fasts; so that what was saved, even by the poorest of the flock, from their daily food, might help to supply the common wants. When the communities of the provincial towns were too poor to provide relief in cases of distress, they had recourse to the more wealthy communities of the metropolis. Thus it had happened in Numidia, that certain Christians, men and women, had been carried away captive by neighboring barbarians, and the Numidian churches were unable to contribute the sum of money required for their ransom; they therefore applied to the more wealthy communities of the great capital of North Africa. The Bishop Cyprian of Carthage very shortly raised a contribution of more than four thousand dollars, and transmitted the whole to the Numidian bishops, with a letter full of the spirit of Christian, brotherly affection.DHF 62.4

The same spirit of Christianity which inculcated obedience to man for the sake of God, taught also that God should be obeyed rather than man, that every consideration must be sacrificed, property and life despised, in all cases where human authority demanded an obedience contrary to the laws and ordinances of God. Here was displayed in the Christians that true spirit of freedom, against which despotic power would avail nothing. We have al-ready had occasion, in the first section of this history, to observe the effects of the Christian spirit in both these directions. In this sense Justin Martyr says, “Tribute and customs we seek uniformly, before all other, to pay over to your appointed officers, as we have been taught to do by our Master. Matthew 22:21. Therefore we pray to God alone; but you we cheerfully serve in all other things, since we acknowledge you as rulers of men. Tertullian boldly asserted that what the State lost in its revenue from the temples, by the spread of Christianity, would be found to be made up by what it gained in the way of tribute and customs, through the honesty of the Christians, when compared to the common frauds resorted to in paying them.DHF 63.1

The principles by which men were bound to act, in this case, could be easily laid down in theory, and easily deduced from the holy Scriptures, and from the nature of Christianity. Hence, in the-ory, all Christians were agreed; but there was some difficulty in applying these principles to particular cases, and in answering the question in every instance, how the line was to be drawn between what belonged to Caesar and what belonged to God — between what might be considered, in reference to religion, matters of in-difference, and what not. The pagan religion was, in truth, so closely interwoven with all the arrangements of civil and social life, that it was not always easy to separate and distinguish the barely civil or social from the religious element. Many customs had really sprung from a religious source, whose connection, however, with religion had long been forgotten by the multitude, and remembered only by a few learned antiquarians, lay too far back to be recalled in the popular consciousness. The question here arose, whether such customs should, like others, be considered as in themselves different; whether men might be allowed in such matters to follow the barely social or civil usages, or whether they should set aside all other considerations on the ground of the connection of such customs with paganism.DHF 63.2

Again, Christianity, from its nature, must pronounce sentence of condemnation against all ungodliness, but, at the same time, appropriate to itself all purely human relations and arrangements, consecrating and ennobling, instead of annihilating them. But the question might arise, in particular cases, as to what was purely human, and adapted, therefore, to be received into union with Christianity; and what had sprung originally out of the corruption of human nature, and, being in its essence ungodly, must therefore be rejected. Christianity having appeared as the new leaven in the old world — and being destined to produce a new creation in an old one, that had grown out of an entirely different principle of life, the question might the more readily occur, which of the already existing elements needed only to be transformed and ennobled, and which should be purged wholly away.DHF 64.1

Hence, notwithstanding that Christians were agreed as to general principles, disputes might arise among them with regard to the application of these principles in particular cases, according as they were led by their different positions and tendencies of mind to take a different view of the circumstances — disputes similar to those which at various periods afterwards were not infrequently arising, relative to the management of missions among foreign tribes of men, to the organization of new churches, and to the disposition of matters not essential. Men were liable to err here on both extremes, — on that of too lax an accommodation to, or on that of too stern a repulsion of, existing usages. The aggressive or the assimilating power of Christianity, which should both be intimately united to secure the healthy development of life, might one or the other be allowed an undue predominance. The few excepted who had already progressed farther in the genuine liberty of the gospel, who to deep Christian earnestness united the prudence and clearness of science, these few excepted, the better class of Christians were generally more inclined to the latter than to the former of these extremes; they chose rather to reject many of those customs, which, as pagans, they had once practiced in the service of sin and falsehood, but which were capable also of another application, than run the risk of adopting with them the corruptions of heathenism; they were glad to let go everything which was associated in their minds with sin or with pagan rites; they chose rather to do too much than to forfeit a tittle of that Christianity which constituted their jewel, the pearl for which they were willing to sell all they had.DHF 64.2

As regards the controversy between the two parties described, one class appealed to the rule that men are bound to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, — that in matters pertaining to civil order, they are bound to obey the existing laws, — that they ought not unnecessarily to give offense to the heathen nor afford them any occasion for blaspheming the name of God, — that in order to win all to embrace the gospel, it was necessary to become all things to all men. The other party could not deny that these were Scripture principles; but, said they, while we are to consider all outward, earthly possessions as belonging to the emperor, our hearts and our lives certainly must belong wholly to God. That which is the emperor’s ought never to be put in competition with that which is God’s. If the injunction that we should give the heathen no occasion to blaspheme the Christian name must be so unconditionally understood, it would be necessary to put off Christianity entirely. Let them continue to blaspheme us, provided only we give them no occasion for so doing by our unchristian conduct, provided they blaspheme in us only what belongs to Christianity. We should indeed, in every proper way, become all things to all men; but yet in no such sense as to become worldly to worldly men; for it is also said, “If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” We see plainly that each of these two parties were correct in the principles they would maintain; the only question to be determined was, where these principles found their right application.DHF 65.1

Whoever followed a trade or occupation which was contrary to the generally received Christian principles, was not admitted to baptism till he had pledged himself to lay it aside. He must enter on some new occupation to earn the means of subsistence; or, if not in a situation to do this, he was received into the number of the poor maintained by the church. To these occupations were reckoned all that stood in any way connected with idolatry, or which were cal-culated to promote it; those, for instance, of the artists and handi-craftsmen who employed themselves in making or adorning images of the gods. There were, doubtless, many who, wishing to pursue these trades for a subsistence, excused themselves on the ground that they did not worship the idols, that they did not consider them as objects of worship, but simply as objects of art; though, in these times, it assuredly argued a peculiar coldness of religious feeling, to distinguish thus what belonged to art and what belonged to religion. Against such excuses Tertullian exclaimed with pious warmth: “Assuredly you are a worshiper of idols, when you help to promote their worship. It is true you bring to them no outward victim, but you sacrifice to them your mind; your sweat is their drink-offering; you kindle for them the light of your skill.”DHF 66.1

Whoever frequented the gladiatorial shows and combats of wild beasts was, by the general principle of the Church, excluded from its communion.DHF 66.2

But it was not the participation in these cruel sports alone, which to the Christians appeared incompatible with the nature of their calling; the same censure extended to all the different public exhibitions of that period; to the pantomimes, the comedies and tragedies, the chariot and foot-races, and the various amusements of the circus and the theater.DHF 66.3

Now those were simply the popular amusements of the day. That was all. I suppose they did not have at that time some things that we have now, simply because they had not been thought of, and while it was popular then to amuse themselves with the tragedy and comedy, the Christians could not get the consent of their minds to participate in them. They would have nothing in common with worldly gatherings of that kind.DHF 67.1

Such was the prevailing and passionate fondness of the Romans at that time for theatrical entertainments, that many were known to be Christians simply from the fact that they absented themselves wholly from the theater. The spectacles, in the first place, were considered as an appendage of idolatry, by virtue of their origin from pagan rites, and of their connection with several of the pagan festivals.DHF 67.2

I am reading the history of the church of long ago, but those who read between the lines can read a later history.DHF 67.3

Among the pomps of idolatry and devil worship, which Christians when enrolled at their baptism into the service of God’s kingdom, were obliged to renounce (the sacramentum militiae Christi), these spectacles were particularly included. In the next place, many things occurred in them which were revolting to the Christian sense of propriety; and where this was not the case, yet the occupying of one’s self for hours with mere nonsense, the unholy spirit which ruled in these assemblies, the wild uproar of the congregated multitude, seemed unsuited to the holy seriousness of the Christian, priestly character.DHF 67.4

Now the transformation is through the mind, and when the mind is wholly engaged with this sort of thing, how can the still small voice be heard and how can the Spirit of God rule the heart.DHF 67.5

“The Christians did, in truth, consider themselves priests.” “Ye are a chosen nation, a royal priesthood.” The Syriac translation is, “Ye are priests officiating in the kingdom of God.”DHF 67.6

The Christians did, in truth, consider themselves as priests, consecrated, in their whole life, to God; as temples of the Holy Spirit, everything, therefore, which was alien to this Spirit, for which they should always keep in readiness the dwelling in their hearts, must be avoided. “God has commanded,” says Tertullian, “that the Holy Spirit, as a tender and gentle Spirit, should, according to its own excellent nature, be treated with tranquility and gentleness, with quiet and peace; — that it should not be disturbed by passion, fury, anger, and emotions of violent grief. How can such a spirit consist with the spectacles? For no spectacle passes off without violently agitating the passions. When one goes to the play, one thinks of nothing else than to see and to be seen. Can one, while listening to the declamation of an actor, think on the sentence of a prophet, or in the midst of the song of an effeminate stage-player, meditate on a psalm? If every special form of immodesty is abominable to us, how should we allow ourselves to hear what we cannot feel at liberty to speak; when we know that every idle and unprofitable word is condemned by our Lord?”DHF 68.1

To Tertullian, who was inclined to look upon all art as a lie, a counterfeiting of the original nature which God created, the whole system of spectacles appeared merely as an art of dissimulation and falsehood. “The Creator of truth,” said he, “loves nothing that is false, — all fiction is, to him, falsification. He who condemns everything in the shape of hypocrisy, cannot look with complacency on him who dissimulates voice, sex, age, love, anger, sighs, or tears.”DHF 68.2

Weak-minded individuals, who allowed themselves to be so far carried away by the power of prevailing custom, which contradicted their Christian feelings, as to visit such scenes, might be wounded by impressions thus received, and permanently robbed of their peace.DHF 68.3

Did you ever know of anybody’s being robbed of their peace of mind in such a way as that?DHF 68.4

On the question whether a Christian could properly hold any civil or military office, especially the latter, opinions were divided.DHF 69.1

Did you ever hear of any other time when they were divided?DHF 69.2

As the pagan religion of the State was closely interwoven with all political and social arrangements, every such office might easily place one in situations where joining the pagan ceremonies was a thing not to be avoided.DHF 69.3

That is, if he obeyed the law, he would have to compromise his religion.DHF 69.4

For this, all Christians were agreed, no necessity whatever constituted an excuse. On this point, Tertullian’s remark was as-suredly spoken from the soul of every believer:- “To be a Christian is not one thing here and another there. There is one gospel and one Jesus, who will deny all them that deny him, and confess all them that confess God. With him the believing citizen is a soldier of the Lord, and the soldier owes the same duties to the faith as the citi-zen.”DHF 69.5

But, independent of this, was the question whether such an of-fice, considered in itself, was compatible with the Christian calling; which was answered by one party in the affirmative, by another in the negative.DHF 69.6

In general, the Christians became accustomed by their circum-stances at that time to consider the State as a hostile power, standing in opposition to the Church; and it was as yet, in the main, quite remote from their ideas to expect that Christianity could and would appropriate to itself, also, the relations of the State. The Christians stood over against the State, as a priestly, spiritual race; and the only way in which it seemed possible that Christianity could exert an influence on civil life, was (which it must be allowed was the purest way), by tending continually to diffuse more of a holy temper among the citizens of the State.DHF 69.7

To another proposal made by Celsus to the Christians; namely, that they should undertake the administration of civil affairs in their country, Origen replies: “But we know, that in whatever city we are, we have another country which is founded on the word of God; and we require those who, by their gift of teaching and by their pious life, are competent to the task, to undertake the administration of the offices of the Church.”DHF 69.8

I do not know that it is necessary to add a word. I have read what seems page after page of dry history, that might better be left on the shelf, but some have read between the lines and so have seen the lessons.DHF 70.1

If the spirit of God rule in the mind of a man, and control his mind, he will not be hankering after the things of the world all the time, and he will not be wanting to fill his mind with the things of the world, and it may be that he will be so particular that he will think it will not be best for him to attend the popular lectures and the popular concerts. It may be there will be some things considered first class, highly respectable, that he would not think best for him to mix with. It may be that he would rather be called a straight-laced man than to mix with such things. It may be he will think best to withdraw himself completely from the things of this world, and give himself, his mind, his soul, his body, and separate entirely to the things of the kingdom of God, and if there should be such a one, I say, Amen; let us go together.DHF 70.2