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The Spirit of Prophecy Volume 4
receive false doctrines. But as they reject the truth, they fall a prey
to these deceptions.
Another dangerous heresy is the doctrine that denies the divinity
of Christ. Men who have no experimental knowledge of Jesus, will
yet assume an appearance of great wisdom, as though their judgment
were beyond question, and boldly declare that the Son of God had
no existence prior to his first advent to this world. This position
directly contradicts the plainest statements of our Saviour concerning
himself; yet it is received with favor by a large class who claim to
believe the Scriptures. With such persons it is folly to argue. No
argument, however conclusive, will convince those who reject the
direct testimony of the Son of God. “The natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him;
neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
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1 Corinthians 2:14
.] Those who persistently cling to such errors,
give evidence of their own ignorance of God and of his Son.
Still another subtle and mischievous error is the fast-spreading
belief that Satan has no existence as a personal being; that the name
is used in Scripture merely to represent men’s evil thoughts and
desires.
The teaching so widely echoed from popular pulpits, that the
second advent of Christ is his coming to each individual at death, is
a device to divert the minds of men from his personal coming in the
clouds of heaven. For years Satan has thus been saying, “Behold,
he is in the secret chambers;” and many souls have been lost by
accepting this deception.
Again, worldly wisdom teaches that prayer is not essential. Men
of science claim that there can be no real answer to prayer; that
this would be a violation of law, a miracle, and that miracles have
no existence. The universe, say they, is governed by fixed laws,
and God himself does nothing contrary to these laws. Thus they
represent God as bound by his own laws; as if the operation of divine
laws could exclude divine freedom. Such teaching is opposed to the
testimony of the Scriptures. Were not miracles wrought by Christ
and his apostles? The same compassionate Saviour lives today, and
he is as willing to listen to the prayer of faith as when he walked
visibly among men. The natural co-operates with the supernatural.