Duty to Reprove Sin I have been shown that God here illustrates how He regards sin among those who profess to be His commandment-keeping people. Those whom He has specially honored with witnessing the remarkable exhibitions of His power, as did ancient Israel, and who will even then venture to disregard His express directions, will be subjects of His wrath. He would teach His people that disobedience and sin are exceedingly offensive to Him and are not to be lightly regarded. He shows us that when His people are found in sin they should at once take decided measures to put that sin from them, that His frown may not rest upon them all. But if the sins of the people are passed over by those in responsible positions, His frown will be upon them, and the people of God, as a body, will be held responsible for those sins. In His dealings with His people in the past the Lord shows the necessity of purifying the church from wrongs. One sinner may diffuse darkness that will exclude the light of God from the entire congregation. When the people realize that darkness is settling upon them, and they do not know the cause, they should seek God earnestly, in great humility and self-abasement, until the wrongs which grieve His Spirit are searched out and put away. {3T 265.1}

Pligten til at straffe synd
[Det blev vist mig, at Gud her illustrerer, hvordan han ser på synd iblandt dem, der bekender sig til at være hans lovlydige folk. De, som han særskilt har hædret ved at lade dem være vidne til de vidunderlige åbenbarelser af hans magt, således som tilfældet var med det gamle Israel og som alligevel vover at sætte sig ud over hans tydelige påbud, vil blive genstand for hans harme. Han ønsker at lære sit folk, at ulydighed og synd er overmåde anstødelige i hans øjne og ikke må betragtes som en ringe sag. Han viser os, at når hans folk findes at leve i synd, bør der øjeblikkelig tages afgjorte forholdsregler, for at denne synd kan blive fjernet fra dem, at ikke hans vrede skal hvile over dem alle. Men hvis disse synder bliver overset af dem, der beklæder ansvarsfulde stillinger, vil han holde dem ansvarlige for disse synder. I sine Handlinger med sit folk i fortiden påviser Herren nødvendigheden af at rense menigheden fra uretfærdighed. Een synder kan sprede et mørke, der vil udelukke Guds lys fra hele forsamlingen. Når folket mærker, at mørke falder over dem og de ikke kender årsagen, bør de søge Gud alvorligt og i stor ydmyghed og selvransagelse, indtil de synder, som bedrøver hans ånd, bliver fundet og fjernet.