Sanctified By The Truth

 

 

An Introductory Thought

"Educate your mind to love the Bible, to love the prayer meeting, to love the hour of meditation, and, above all, the hour when the soul communes with God. Become heavenly-minded if you would unite with the heavenly choir in the mansions above." Counself to the Church, 187.1

 

Upcoming Appointments

Food Demonstrations This Tuesday

Rose is doing food demonstrations locally at the Village SDA Church this coming Tuesday. She will be sharing super easy ways of cooking amazingly delicious creamy beans, golden seasoning, virtually no-fat mayonnaise, etc. I believe our little one will also help. This will be livestreamed, I believe, so you should be able to watch it online.

Bowling Green (OH) SDA Church - August 23, 2025

This coming Sabbath (August 23, 2025), we will be speaking four times at the Bowling Green, Ohio SDA Church on the subject of prayer and unity. Join us if you live in the area; pray for us if you don't.

 

On Working With Youth

Found in some random reading this week.

It is sympathy and tenderness that will work as you have never dreamed of. It is not fretting and scolding; this will discourage them. We know Satan has a power over the youth and children, and we want to take these children out of his ranks and place them under the ranks of Jesus Christ. No teacher should let his scholars know that they can get the advantage of him. When I have felt roiled, and [was tempted to] speak words that I would be ashamed of, I would keep silent and pass right out of the room and ask God to give me patience to teach these children. Then I could go back and talk with them and tell them they must not do this wrong again. We can take [such] a position in this matter that we shall not provoke the children to wrath. We should speak kindly and patiently, remembering all the time how wayward we are and how we want to be treated by our heavenly Father. {Ms 19, 1887, par. 22}

Now these are the lessons that parents must learn, and when you have learned these, you will be the very best students in the school of Christ, and your children will be the very best of children. In this way you can teach them to have respect to God and keep His law, because you will have excellent government over them, and in doing this you are bringing up into society children who will be a blessing to all around them. You are fitting them to be laborers together with God in the colporteur work, in the canvassing work. Now in the schools we are establishing, we want fathers and mothers, we want those who know how to take care of the sick, and the school is not complete unless you have those there. To my certain knowledge, we have taken case after case and treated them and saved them. This life is not so worthless that we can throw it away. We can use it so that we can be a blessing to those around us, and when we shall enter the city of God, there we shall see the very ones we have labored for, not only to give them physical health, but mental and moral strength. And their hearts will fill with gratitude to those who have done this good work for them. {Ms 19, 1887, par. 23}

I will share much more from this manuscript in a future newsletter.

 

Sanctification includes accepting truth AND unreserved surrender.

Introduction

Mrs. White, in a Review and Herald article published in 1892, emphasized that true sanctification comes through wholehearted acceptance of God’s truth AND full surrender to Christ’s transforming power. She goes on to say that many profess faith yet retain old habits, which hinder personal growth and bring about misrepresentations of the gospel. She also points out that God’s messengers must reflect Christ’s character, for people not only judge the truth by those who advocate the truth, but also imitate them: in good ways if a godly teacher, or for evil if the teacher is not fully surrendered to following the truth. We are therefore called to carefully study and adopt truth, make the required surrender, pursue transformation, and live according to God’s Word. In all of this, the Holy Spirit plays the key role in bringing about genuine fruit in the life of believers, empowering witnessing, and advocating for unity in Christ. Finally, only by lifting up Jesus, not self, can souls be drawn to seek salvation, experience peace, and be transformed into His likeness for God’s glory.

Of special significance is the need for unreserved surrender, something I have noticed is always at the heart of successful revival work—SDAs like Elder Minchin whose ministry I have been intensely studying while developing the website, or even non-SDAs like Jonathan Goforth, who was a revivalist in Korea and China beginning in the late 1800s.

She also speaks of the danger of believers sometimes being unduly influenced in a negative way by their human teachers—pastors, Sabbath School Teachers, and therefore accepting and copying whatever they are hearing without making sure it is according to the Scriptures.

This is a very helpful sermon which I highly recommend! Please read the entire sermon at the link that follows.

While you are there, explore two other sermons on the subject, as well as many quotes, in this new section of discipleheart on loving and following the truth.

Sanctification Through the Truth

Ellen G. white

Review and Herald, April 12, 1892

Key Excerpts

"It is through the truth, by the power of the Holy Spirit, that we are to be sanctified,—transformed into the likeness of Christ. And in order for this change to be wrought in us, there must be an unconditional, whole-hearted acceptance of the truth, an unreserved surrender of the soul to its transforming power. RH April 12, 1892, par. 1

"With some excellent qualities are united objectionable traits, and through long indulgence wrong tendencies become second nature, and many persons cling tenaciously to their peculiarities. Even after they profess to accept the truth, to yield themselves to Christ, the same old habits are indulged, the same self-esteem is manifested, the same false notions entertained. Although such ones claim to be converted, it is evident that they have not yielded themselves to the transforming power of the truth. RH April 12, 1892, par. 2 We may see why some of our ministers as well as laymen have not greater power. They have not made an entire surrender to God. They do not realize the sinfulness of clinging to their own ways, following their own ideas, which are crude and narrow, and without symmetry. They hold tenaciously to the theory of the truth, and try to present it to others, but it is so beclouded by their own peculiarities that its brightness is obscured; it appears unattractive, and too often is refused. RH April 12, 1892, par. 3

Those who do accept the truth naturally expect that the one who presents it to them is right in his ideas of general principles and of what constitutes Christian character. When associated with him, they incline to do as he does. If his practices are wrong, they almost imperceptibly become partakers of the evil. His defects are reproduced in their religious experience. Often, through their love and reverence for him, some objectionable feature of his character is even copied by them as a virtue. If the one who is thus misrepresenting Christ could know what harm has been wrought by the faults of character which he has excused and cherished, he would be filled with horror. RH April 12, 1892, par. 5

"Every soul who receives the truth should make the fullest possible surrender of himself to God,—a surrender represented as falling upon the Rock and being broken. Our old habits, our hereditary and cultivated traits of character, must all be yielded to the transforming power of Christ if we would become vessels unto honor, meet for the Master's use, prepared unto every good work. RH April 12, 1892, par. 6

"The reason why the unbelieving world [unbelievers] are not saved is that they do not choose to be enlightened. The old nature, born of blood and the will of the flesh, cannot inherit the kingdom of God. The old ways, the hereditary tendencies, the former habits, must be given up; for grace is not inherited. The new birth consists in having new motives, new tastes, new tendencies. Those who are begotten unto a new life by the Holy Spirit, have become partakers of the divine nature, and in all their habits and practices, they will give evidence of their relationship to Christ. When men who claim to be Christians retain all their natural defects of character and disposition, in what does their position differ from that of the worldling? They do not appreciate the truth as a sanctifier, a refiner. They have not been born again. RH April 12, 1892, par. 9

"None can walk safely unless they are distrustful of self, and are constantly looking to the word of God, studying it with willing heart to see their own errors, and to learn the will of Christ, and praying that it may be done in and by and through them. They show that their confidence is not in themselves, but in Christ. They hold the truth as a sacred treasure, able to sanctify and refine, and they are constantly seeking to bring their words and ways into harmony with its principles. They fear and tremble lest something savoring of self shall be idolized, and thus their defects be reproduced in others who confide in them. They are always seeking to subdue self, to put away everything that savors of it, and to supply the place with the meekness and lowliness of Christ. They are looking unto Jesus, growing up into him, gathering from him light and grace, that they may diffuse the same to others. RH April 12, 1892, par. 11

"Never think that even when you do your best, you are, of yourself, capable of winning souls to Christ. You must cultivate the habit of discerning a power beyond that which can be seen with human vision,—a power that is constantly at work upon the hearts of men. When you approach the stranger, when you stand face to face with the impenitent, the afflicted, the soul-needy, the Lord is by your side if you have indeed given yourself to him. He makes the impression on the heart. But you may be the instrument for his gracious work. You cannot reach hearts with a mere form of words, a parrot-like repetition of set phrases. What you say must be the expression of a personal experience: If you cheer hearts with words of courage and hope, it will be because the grace and love of God are to you a living reality. It is God's impress that these souls are to receive, not your own. But if the worker has not himself been refined, transformed, he cannot present the truth with a freshness, a force, a power, that awakens responsive feelings in those who hear the word of life. RH April 12, 1892, par. 13

"Those to whom the message of truth is spoken, seldom ask, “Is it true?” But, “Who are the men that present these doctrines?” They judge of the truth by the character of its advocates. ... The advocates of truth must hide in Jesus; he is their greatness, their power and efficiency. They must love souls as he loved them, be obedient as he was, be courteous, full of sympathy. They should war with all their power against the least defect of character in themselves. They must represent Jesus. In every act let him appear. RH April 12, 1892, par. 15

"Jesus prayed that his followers might be one; but we are not to sacrifice the truth in order to secure this union, for we are to be sanctified through the truth. Here is the foundation of all true peace. Human wisdom would change all this, pronouncing this basis too narrow. Men would try to effect unity through concession to popular opinion, through compromise with the world, a sacrifice of vital godliness. But truth is God's basis for the unity of his people. RH April 12, 1892, par. 19

"The belief of the truth does not make men gloomy and uncomfortable. If you have peace in Christ, his precious blood is speaking pardon and hope to your soul. Yea, more, you have joy in the Holy Spirit, through accepting the precious promises. RH April 12, 1892, par. 20 Jesus says, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world.” “Therefore the world shall not overcome you if you believe in me. It is a world that I have conquered. Because I have overcome, if you believe in me, you shall overcome, and have eternal life.” RH April 12, 1892, par. 21 All that Jesus has promised, he will fulfill; and it is greatly dishonoring to him for us to doubt him. All his words are spirit and life. Accepted and obeyed, they will give peace and happiness and assurance forever. “Not as the world giveth, give I unto you.” Christ declares that he has given us peace; it belongs to us. And he has spoken these things, that in him we may have that which through infinite sacrifice he has purchased for us,—what he holds as ours. This peace we need not seek in the world, for the world has it not to bestow. It is in Christ. He will give it, in spite of the world, notwithstanding its threats and decrees, its alluring, deceiving promises. RH April 12, 1892, par. 22

"In the presentation of truth the great lessons essential to success are to be learned, not from human authors, but from Christ. The teachings of men may be a help to the worker, but not till he has learned in the school of Christ the lesson, “Without me ye can do nothing.” It is while you are humbling yourself in the sight of God that he is lifting you up. By beholding him, you will become changed into his likeness, and thus you will manifest the Christ-like graces that prove you to be one with him. RH April 12, 1892, par. 23

"Satan is continually seeking to turn minds away from Christ. Through his devices, man has been exalted, and has received confidence and honor that belong only to God. The people have looked to men for wisdom, instead of looking to God. And in order to save man from ruin, God has been compelled to let him see his own weakness by withdrawing, in a great measure, the Holy Spirit from him. RH April 12, 1892, par. 26

"It is the preaching of Christ and him crucified that melts and subdues the soul. Only by presenting the truth as it is in Jesus will our work be effectual in reaching the hearts of men. RH April 12, 1892, par. 28

 

Is This Article Relevant in Our Day?

Is what you have read relevant to what is going on in the church? YES! Today there are many voices purporting to speak the truth—in the church, outside of the church, on YouTube, etc. Much attention is given to those who analyze and dissect what is going on—causing more people to adopt the same ways. I am not convinced that everything is as truth-based as could be, nor is it always done in a manner that bears the signature of the Holy Spirit. Sadly, that which concerns division and differences of opinion garners the most attention. But will you be saved for knowing about the differences and the negativity? Please compare anything you hear to what is found in the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. Also, compare the tone of what is being said to the tone exhibited in the Word. Some of it, as Ellen White said, tastes of the cup—self, and not of the Word of Life. I am not trying to judge or throw stones, just saying that we need to be exceedingly careful and make sure we are seeking the experience spoken of in this article—truth and unreserved surrender to follow the truth. Remember, "It is the preaching of Christ and him crucified that melts and subdues the soul. Only by presenting the truth as it is in Jesus will our work be effectual in reaching the hearts of men." I will share more on this in later newsletters.

Here is a link to read the entire sermon on discipleheart.

 

Concluding

I pray this finds you well and rejoicing in the Lord. Thank you again for your prayers and other support.

Blessings, Dan