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Assurance of Victory, March 16
Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this
present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father.
Galatians 1:4
.
By giving His life for the life of the world, Christ bridged the gulf that sin
had made, joining this sin-cursed earth to the universe of heaven as a province.
God chose this world to be the theater of His mighty works of grace. While
the sentence of condemnation was suspended over it because of the rebellion
of its inhabitants, while the clouds of wrath were accumulating because of
the transgression of the law of God, a mysterious voice was heard in heaven,
“Lo, I come...to do thy will, O God” (
Psalm 40:7, 8
). Our substitute and
surety came from heaven declaring that He had brought with Him the vast and
inestimable donation of eternal life. Pardon is offered to all who will return
their allegiance to the law of God. But there are those who refuse to accept
a “thus saith the Lord.” They will not reverence and respect His law. They
make rigorous human enactments in opposition to a “thus saith the Lord,” and
by precept and example lead men, women, and children into sin. They exalt
human enactments above the divine law. But the condemnation and wrath
of God are suspended over the disobedient. The clouds of God’s justice are
gathering. The material of destruction has been piled up for ages; and still
apostasy, rebellion, and disloyalty against God is continually increasing. The
remnant people of God, who keep His commandments, will understand the
word spoken by Daniel, “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried;
but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand;
but the wise shall understand” (
Daniel 12:10
).
Satan has called this world his territory. Here his seat is, and he holds
in allegiance to himself all who refuse to keep God’s commandments, who
reject a plain, “thus saith the Lord.” They stand under the enemy’s banner;
for there are but two parties in the world. All rank either under the banner of
the obedient or under the banner of the disobedient.
Jesus is now sending His message to a fallen world. He delights to take
apparently hopeless material, those through whom Satan has worked, and
make them the subjects of His grace. He rejoices to deliver them from the
wrath which is to fall upon the disobedient.—
Manuscript 41, March 16,
1898
,” The Measure of God’s Love.”
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