Chapter 4—The Conflicting Principles of Christ and
Satan
Human beings belong to one great family,—the family of God.
The Creator designed that they should respect and love one another,
ever manifesting a pure, unselfish interest in one another’s welfare. But
Satan’s aim has been to lead men to self first; and yielding themselves
to his control, they have developed a selfishness that has filled the
world with misery and strife, setting human beings at variance with
one another.
Selfishness is the essence of depravity, and because human beings
have yielded to its power, the opposite of allegiance to God is seen in
the world today. Nations, families, and individuals are filled with a
desire to make self a center. Man longs to rule over his fellow men.
Separating himself in his egotism from God and his fellow beings, he
follows his unrestrained inclinations. He acts as if the good of others
depended on their subjection to his supremacy.
Selfishness has brought discord into the church, filling it with
unholy ambition.... Selfishness destroys Christlikeness, filling man
with self-love. It leads to continual departure from righteousness.
Christ says, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in
heaven is perfect.” But self-love is blind to the perfection which God
requires....
Christ came to this world to reveal the love of God. His followers
are to continue the work which He began. Let us strive to help and
strengthen one another. Seeking the good of others is the way in which
true happiness can be found. Man does not work against his own
interest by loving God and his fellow men. The more unselfish his
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spirit, the happier he is, because he is fulfilling God’s purpose for him.
The breath of God is breathed through him, filling him with gladness.
To him life is a sacred trust, precious in his sight because given by
God to be spent in ministering to others.—
The Review and Herald,
June 25, 1908
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