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In the World, But Not of It, August 27
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the
world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the
world is the enemy of God.
James 4:4
.
The great day of the Lord is near at hand. When Christ appears in the
clouds of heaven, those who have not sought Him with all the heart, those
who have allowed themselves to be deceived, will surely perish. Our only
safety is to be found through repentance and conversion, and the blotting out
of sins. Those who will now seek the Lord earnestly, humbling their hearts
before Him, and forsaking their sins, will, through the sanctification of the
truth, be fitted to unite with the members of the royal family, and will see the
King in His beauty....
Whatever his educational attainments, only he who realizes his account-
ability to God, and who is led by the Holy Spirit, can be an effectual teacher,
or be successful in winning to God those who are brought under his influence.
Shall those who do not heed the divine counsel be acknowledged as leaders
in the Lord’s institutions?—God forbid. How can we regard as safe guides
those who manifest a spirit of unbelief, and who, in words and character, fail
of revealing true godliness?
“Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little
children [in learning the way of the Lord], ye shall not enter the kingdom of
heaven” (
Matthew 18:3
).
Self needs to be brought into submission to the yoke of Christ. The great
Teacher invites all to learn of Him.... “The Son of man is come to save
that which was lost” (
Verse 11
). But those who desire to be saved must be
willing to be saved in the Lord’s appointed way, and not in a way of their own
choosing. The free grace of God is man’s only hope. God is in earnest with
every one of us....
We are called to be the Lord’s special people in a much higher sense than
many have realized. The world lies in wickedness, and God’s people are to
come out of the world, and be separate. They are to be free from worldly
customs and worldly habits. They are not to accord with worldly sentiments,
but are to stand out distinct, as the Lord’s peculiar people, earnest in all their
service. They are to have no fellowship with the works of darkness.—
Letter
280, August 27, 1906
, to “My Brethren and Sisters in Denver and Boulder.”
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