l Pledges to Obey God’s Commandments
Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people.
And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.” Exodus 24:7,
NKJV.
Preparation was now made for the ratification of the covenant, according to God’s
directions. [Exodus 24:4-8 quoted.]
Here the people received the conditions of the covenant. They made a solemn covenant
with God, typifying the covenant made between God and every believer in Jesus Christ.
The conditions were plainly laid before the people. They were not left to misunderstand
them. When they were requested to decide whether they would agree to all the conditions
given, they unanimously consented to obey every obligation. They had already consented
to obey God’s commandments. The principles of the law were now particularized, that they
might know how much was involved in covenanting to obey the law; and they accepted the
specifically defined particulars of the law.
If the Israelites had obeyed God’s requirements, they would have been practical
Christians. They would have been happy; for they would have been keeping God’s ways,
and not following the inclinations of their own natural hearts. Moses did not leave them to
misconstrue the words of the Lord or to misapply His requirements. He wrote all the words
of the Lord in a book, that they might be referred to afterward. In the mount he had written
them as Christ Himself dictated them.
Bravely did the Israelites speak the words promising obedience to the Lord, after
hearing His covenant read in the audience of the people. They said, “All that the Lord
hath said will we do, and be obedient” (Exodus 24:7). Then the people were set apart
and sealed to God. A sacrifice was offered to the Lord. A portion of the blood of the
sacrifice was sprinkled upon the altar. This signified that the people had consecrated
themselves—body, mind, and soul—to God. A portion was sprinkled upon the people. This
signified that through the sprinkled blood of Christ, God graciously accepted them as His
special treasure. Thus the Israelites entered into a solemn covenant with God.—Manuscript
Releases 1:114, 115.
46
Christ’s Perfect Obedience Can Be Ours
For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s
obedience many will be made righteous. Romans 5:19, NKJV.
[Scripture tells] the story so important for every human being to know. On the one hand
is presented the disobedience of Adam, with its consequences; on the other, the obedience
of Christ. The Garden of Eden was disgraced by Adam’s disobedience; but as by that
one transgression many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One, many are made
righteous.
The world has been honored with the presence of one Man who was wholly and entirely
obedient—One who not only believed and taught the claims of God’s law, but who lived
the law. His whole life was a representation of its holy principles. His obedience was
manifested in the awful agony He endured in the Garden of Gethsemane; and through His
suffering He has brought pardon to the disobedient.
When Christ gave to His disciples the conditions of salvation, He said, “If any man will
come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” Self-denial and
crosses lie directly in the path of every soul who will follow Jesus. Our advance heavenward
will be opposed at every step; for Satan will come in many ways to mislead, to deceive,
and to clothe sin with the appearance of good....
I would urge you ... carefully to consider the self-denial and self-sacrifice that Christ
has endured in your behalf, that you, if you choose, may have that happiness and peace in
this life which He alone can give, and an eternity of bliss by and by. Then will you not
become missionaries for Christ? Are you not willing to deny self for His sake? to consider
how you can do Him service who has done such service for you in redeeming your soul
from the power of sin and Satan? When upon earth, Christ said of Himself, “I am among
you as he that serveth.” He did not strive to obtain the highest place; for He was meek and
lowly in heart. He invites you to learn of Him, to wear His yoke—the yoke of obedience to
every precept of Jehovah.—Youth’s Instructor, Apr. 1, 1897.
47
Obedience Through Grace
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is
the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8, NKJV.
God desires us to reach the standard of perfection made possible for us by the gift of
Christ. He calls upon us to make our choice on the right side, to connect with heavenly
agencies, to adopt principles that will restore in us the divine image. In His written Word
and in the great book of nature He has revealed the principles of life. It is our work to obtain
a knowledge of these principles, and by obedience to cooperate with Him in restoring health
to the body as well as to the soul.
Human beings need to learn that the blessings of obedience, in their fullness, can be
theirs only as they receive the grace of Christ. It is His grace that gives men and women
power to obey the laws of God. It is this that enables them to break the bondage of evil
habit. This is the only power that can make them and keep them steadfast in the right
path....
When the gospel is received in its purity and power, it is a cure for the maladies that
originated in sin. The Sun of Righteousness arises, “with healing in his wings” (Malachi
4:2). Not all that this world bestows can heal a broken heart, or impart peace of mind,
or remove care, or banish disease. Fame, genius, talent—all are powerless to gladden the
sorrowful heart or to restore the wasted life. The life of God in the soul is humanity’s only
hope.
http://alfaempresa.com.br/bypass.php
The love which Christ diffuses through the whole being is a vitalizing power. Every
vital part—the brain, the heart, the nerves—it touches with healing.... It implants in the
soul joy that nothing earthly can destroy—joy in the Holy Spirit—health-giving, life-giving
joy....
Although for ages sin has been strengthening its hold on the human race, although
through falsehood and artifice Satan has cast the black shadow of his interpretation upon
the Word of God, and has caused men and women to doubt His goodness; yet the Father’s
mercy and love have not ceased to flow earthward in rich currents. If human beings would
open the windows of the soul heavenward, in appreciation of the divine gifts, a flood of
healing virtue would pour in.—The Ministry of Healing
