Those who have an experimental knowledge of the grace of Christ will feel their obligation to him to be representatives of his power to the world. They will realize that he who knew no sin was made to be sin for them, that they might be made the righteousness of God in him. An appreciation of this fact will enable us to get correct views of the work of our Redeemer. True believers will realize that while they were separated from him through impenitence and sin, he did not forsake them, but rather interceded for them, that they might have the benefits of the salvation which he had purchased for them at an infinite sacrifice. In accepting Christ they know that they must come out from the world, and be separate, and touch not the unclean, that they may be the children of God. They must love Christ supremely. It is impossible for finite minds to make a just estimate of the love of God toward his fallen creatures. We are ever in danger of forgetting this great love, because we fail to meditate upon it, and allow ourselves to become absorbed in the things of this world. We permit our hearts to be divided by placing our affections on things below, and so separate from the true Source of happiness. Christ should be the theme of our thoughts, the object of our tenderest affection. We should let our minds dwell upon the precious characteristics of our Lord; we should contemplate the rich promises of his word; we should meditate upon the glories of heaven. We should not be satisfied with but occasional glimpses of our Redeemer, but our minds should be stayed upon God by continual trust in his word. We should search the Scriptures diligently in order that we may have an understanding of the claims that Christ has upon us, and that we may have right views of the truth. Our wills must be subdued, and brought into harmony with the will of God. |
The Signs of the Times 8/12 1890 |
At være repræsentanter for Kristus i verden, føles som et ansvar for dem, som kender Kristi nåde af erfaring. De forstår at han, som ikke kendte til synd, blev gjort til synd for deres skyld, så de i ham kunne blive Guds retfærdighed. Forståelsen af dette faktum skaffer adgang til den rigtige opfattelse af vor forløsers gerning. De sande troende forstår, at han forlod dem, ikke medens de var adskilt fra ham ved deres synd og ubodfærdighed, men han gik i forbøn for dem, så de kunne høste fordelene ved den frelse, han skaffede dem ved sit ufattelige offer. De er klar over at de må forlade verden, når de tager imod Kristus, og være adskilt fra den, og ikke røre det urene, for at de kan være Guds børn. De må elske Kristus af hele deres hjerte. Det er umuligt for dødelige mennesker ret at vurdere Guds kærlighed til hans faldne skabninger. Vi står endog i fare for at glemme denne kærlighed, fordi vi ikke mediterer over den, men bliver fuldstændig optaget af timelige ting. Vore tanker splittes, fordi vi sætter vor higen efter det, som kommer nedefra, og derved adskiller vi os fra glædens sande kilde. Kristus må være emnet for vore tanker og genstand for vore inderligste følelser. Vore tanker må dvæle ved vor Herres særlige kendetegn; vi bør overveje hans ords rige løfter og meditere over Himmelens herligheder. Vi skal ikke være tilfredse med enkelte glimt af vor forløser, men vore tanker bør dvæle vedvarende hos Gud i stadig tillid til hans ord. Vi må flittigt søge i Skriften for at få en opfattelse af de krav Kristus har til os, og for at have den rigtige forståelse af sandheden. Vor vilje må dæmpes og bringes i harmoni med Guds vilje. |