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The Sanctified Life
With fidelity and earnestness John bore testimony for his Lord
upon every suitable occasion. He saw that the times were full of peril
for the church. Satanic delusions were existing everywhere. The minds
of the people were wandering through the mazes of skepticism and
deceptive doctrines. Some who pretended to be true to the cause of
God were deceivers. They denied Christ and His gospel and were
bringing in damnable heresies and living in transgression of the divine
law.
John’s Favorite Theme
John’s favorite theme was the infinite love of Christ. He believed
in God as a child believes in a kind and tender father. He understood
the character and work of Jesus; and when he saw his Jewish brethren
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groping their way without a ray of the Sun of Righteousness to illumi-
nate their path, he longed to present to them Christ, the Light of the
world.
The faithful apostle saw that their blindness, their pride, supersti-
tion, and ignorance of the Scriptures were riveting upon their souls
fetters which would never be broken. The prejudice and hatred against
Christ which they obstinately cherished, was bringing ruin upon them
as a nation and destroying their hopes of everlasting life. But John
continued to present Christ to them as the only way of salvation. The
evidence that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah was so clear that John
declares no man needs to walk in the darkness of error while such light
is proffered him.
Saddened by Poisonous Errors
John lived to see the gospel of Christ preached far and near, and
thousands eagerly accepting its teachings. But he was filled with
sadness as he perceived poisonous errors creeping into the church.
Some who accepted Christ claimed that His love released them from
obedience to the law of God. On the other hand, many taught that
the letter of the law should be kept, also all the Jewish customs and
ceremonies, and that this was sufficient for salvation, without the blood
of Christ. They held that Christ was a good man, like the apostles, but
denied His divinity. John saw the dangers to which the church would