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Selected Messages Book 1
good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the
commandments.” He saith unto Him, “Which?” Jesus quoted several,
and the young man said unto Him, “All these things have I kept from
my youth up: what lack I yet?” Jesus said unto him, “If thou wilt
be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou
shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” Here are
conditions, and the Bible is full of conditions. “But when the young
man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great
possessions” (
Matthew 19:17, 20, 21, 22
).
Points to Guard
Then when you say there are no conditions, and some expressions
are made quite broad, you burden the minds, and some cannot see con-
sistency in your expressions. They cannot see how they can harmonize
these expressions with the plain statements of the Word of God. Please
guard these points. These strong assertions in regard to works never
make our position any stronger. The expressions weaken our position,
for there are many who will consider you an extremist, and will lose
the rich lessons you have for them upon the very subjects they need to
know.... My brother, it is hard for the mind to comprehend this point,
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and do not confuse any mind with ideas that will not harmonize with
the Word. Please to consider that under the teaching of Christ many
of the disciples were lamentably ignorant; but when the Holy Spirit
that Jesus promised came upon them and made the vacillating Peter
the champion of faith, what a transformation in his character! But do
not lay one pebble, for a soul that is weak in the faith to stumble over,
in overwrought presentations or expressions. Be ever consistent, calm,
deep, and solid. Do not go to any extreme in anything, but keep your
feet on solid rock. O precious, precious Saviour. “He that hath my
commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that
loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will
manifest myself to him” (
John 14:21
).
This is the true test—the doing of the words of Christ. And it is
the evidence of the human agent’s love to Jesus, and he that doeth His
will giveth to the world the practical evidence of the fruit he manifests
in obedience, in purity, and in holiness of character....