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Right Methods, Principles, and Motives
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ing of professed Christians, who have never been transformed by
the grace of Jesus Christ. They are deadly enemies to those who
believe. They despise the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, and
if they can make it appear that those who are striving to obey the
commandments of God are faulty, Satan has cast his arrow, and now
what? He has shown his accusing power; but his cruel thrusts will
do little harm if the professed believers will stand true to the words
of Christ, and be doers of His word and not hearers only. Those to
whom these complaints are made are under bonds to Jesus Christ
to love and respect and be faithful to one another who are united to
Christ in church fellowship. To unite with the faultfinding element,
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to be accusers of the brethren, to take up the reproach they lay at
your door is seconding the work of the enemy by playing yourself
into his hands to make his work a success.
Why Christ was Hated
I presented the matter before the hearers that Jesus the Lord
of life and glory was crucified to please the malice of the Jews
because the principles He presented did not coincide with their own
ideas and ambitious aims. He condemned all guile, all underhanded
work of policy for supremacy, and every unholy practice. Pilate
and Herod became friends in crucifying Christ. They pleased the
Jews in making effective their enmity against One whom Pilate
proclaimed innocent. I presented to them Judas, who betrayed his
Lord for money value; Peter, who denied Him in His humiliation in
the judgment hall. A few hours before, he had with great firmness
assured his Master he would go with Him to prison and to death;
and notwithstanding Jesus’ declaration that he would, ere the cock
crew, deny Him thrice, he was so self-confident that he took not the
words of Christ as verity and truth. How little he knew himself! How
soon circumstances tested his allegiance to his Master! He denied
Jesus in the very hour he should have watched with Him in fervent
prayer. When in the judgment hall he was accused of being one of
this Man’s disciples, he denied; and the third time he was accused,
he emphasized his denial with cursing and swearing.