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Selected Messages Book 1
to punishment. Where is the remedy? The law drives us to Christ,
who was hanged upon the cross that He might be able to impart His
righteousness to fallen, sinful man and thus present men to His Father
in His righteous character.
Christ on the cross not only draws men to repentance toward God
for the transgression of His law—for whom God pardons He first
makes penitent—but Christ has satisfied Justice; He has proffered
Himself as an atonement. His gushing blood, His broken body, satisfy
the claims of the broken law, and thus He bridges the gulf which sin
has made. He suffered in the flesh, that with His bruised and broken
body He might cover the defenseless sinner. The victory gained at His
death on Calvary broke forever the accusing power of Satan over the
universe and silenced his charges that self-denial was impossible with
God and therefore not essential in the human family.
Satan’s position in heaven had been next to the Son of God. He
was first among the angels. His power had been debasing, but God
could not reveal it in its true light and carry all heaven in harmony
with Him in removing him with his evil influences. His power was
increasing, but the evil was yet unrecognized. It was a deadly power
to the universe, but for the security of the worlds and the government
of heaven, it was necessary that it should develop and be revealed in
its true light.
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Self-denial With God
In carrying out his enmity to Christ until He hung upon the cross
of Calvary, with wounded, bruised body and broken heart, Satan com-
pletely uprooted himself from the affections of the universe. It was
then seen that God had in His Son denied Himself, giving Himself for
the sins of the world, because He loved mankind. The Creator was
revealed in the Son of the infinite God. Here the question, “Can there
be self-denial with God?” was forever answered. Christ was God, and
condescending to be made flesh, He assumed humanity and became
obedient unto death, that He might undergo infinite sacrifice.
Whatever sacrifice a human being could undergo Christ endured,
notwithstanding Satan put forth every effort to seduce Him with temp-
tations; but the greater the temptation, the more perfect was the sacri-
fice. All that was possible for man to endure in the conflict with Satan,