Chapter 61—Christ the Center of the Message
[
This article appeared in
The Review and Herald, March 20, 1894
.]
The third angel’s message calls for the presentation of the Sabbath
of the fourth commandment, and this truth must be brought before
the world; but the great center of attraction, Jesus Christ, must not
be left out of the third angel’s message. By many who have been
engaged in the work for this time, Christ has been made secondary,
and theories and arguments have had first place. The glory of God
that was revealed to Moses in regard to the divine character has not
been made prominent. The Lord said to Moses, “I will make all my
goodness pass before thee” (
Exodus 33:19
). “And the Lord passed by
before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and
gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping
mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and
that will by no means clear the guilty” (
Exodus 34:6, 7
).
A veil has seemed to be before the eyes of many who have la-
bored in the cause, so that when they presented the law, they have not
had views of Jesus, and have not proclaimed the fact that, where sin
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abounded, grace doth much more abound. It is at the cross of Calvary
that mercy and truth meet together, where righteousness and peace
kiss each other. The sinner must ever look toward Calvary; and with
the simple faith of a little child, he must rest in the merits of Christ,
accepting His righteousness and believing in His mercy. Laborers in
the cause of truth should present the righteousness of Christ, not as
new light but as precious light that has for a time been lost sight of
by the people. We are to accept Christ as our personal Saviour, and
He imputes unto us the righteousness of God in Christ. Let us repeat
and make prominent the truth that John has portrayed: “Herein is love,
not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the
propitiation for our sins” (
1 John 4:10
).
In the love of God has been opened the most marvelous vein of
precious truth, and the treasures of the grace of Christ are laid open
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