Work of Purification Needed
347
Living Below Our Privileges
We are far from being the people God would have us to be, because
we do not elevate the soul and refine the character in harmony with the
wonderful unfolding of God’s truth and His purposes. “Righteousness
exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (
Proverbs 14:34
).
Sin is a disorganizer. Wherever it is cherished—in the individual heart,
in the household, in the church—there is disorder, strife, variance,
enmity, envy, jealousy, because the enemy of man and of God has the
controlling power over the mind. But let the truth be loved and brought
into the life, as well as advocated, and that man or woman will hate
sin and will be a living representative of Jesus Christ to the world.
The people claiming to believe the truth will not be condemned
because they had not the light, but because they had great light and
did not bring their hearts to the test of God’s great moral standard
of righteousness. The people who claim to believe the truth must be
elevated by living it out. Real Bible religion must leaven the life, refine
and ennoble the character, making it more and more like the divine
model. Then will the home be vocal with prayer, with thanksgiving
and praise to God. Angels will minister in the home and accompany
the worshiper to the house of prayer.
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Let the churches who claim to believe the truth, who are advocat-
ing the law of God, keep that law and depart from all iniquity. Let the
individual members of the church resist the temptations to practice
evils and indulge in sin. Let the church commence the work of purifi-
cation before God by repentance, humiliation, deep heart searching,
for we are in the antitypical day of atonement—solemn hour fraught
with eternal results.
Let those who teach the truth present it as it is in Jesus. Under
the subduing, sanctifying, refining influence of the truth of God they
are as clean vessels. Let them be leavened with Bible religion, and
what an influence would go forth from them to the world! Let the
individual members of the church be pure, steadfast, unmovable, al-
ways abounding in the love of Jesus, and they will then be a light to
the world. Let the men standing as watchmen and as shepherds of
the flock proclaim the solemn truth, sound the notes of warning to
all people, nations, and tongues. Let them be living representatives
of the truth they advocate, and honor God’s law by strict and holy