CONDITIONS FOR OBTAINING ETERNAL RICHES

Conditions for Obtaining Eternal Riches

An infinite price has been paid for our redemption, and we should know that we are in the right way, walking in the path of humble obedience. We must bring our work, thought, and emotion to the word of Yahuwah, and have Yahuwah impress upon our hearts his written word; then may we have confidence toward him. The Saviour says, "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." (John 15:10-11). We can see harmony in the word of Yahuwah. We are to be in a condition to keep Yahuwah's commandments and live, and his law as the apple of the eye. It is true sanctification to love Yahuwah with all the heart, and with all the mind, and with all the strength, and our neighbors as ourselves. We must be subject to the will of Yahuwah. We must not make our feelings a standard, but Yahuwah's will must be our rule of action.

Forty-five years ago, when I began my labors, we met with some of the most erroneous doctrines. One would say, "I have the truth because my feelings tell me so." Another would say, "The Spirit tells me that I have the truth." But how were they to know that they had the right spirit. There are two spirits in the world, the Spirit of Yahushua and the spirit of antiYahushua. They declared that they had gone beyond the Bible, and left that for those not so far advanced as themselves; for the Master talked directly with them. As I stood with my Bible before them, pleading with them, they pushed me away, saying, "No, no, I don't want to hear anything about it. Yahuwah has told me the way." We must know what saith the Scriptures. Let Yahuwah be true and every man a liar. Not one of us must lose the eternal treasure that is laid up for the overcomer. A great sacrifice was made for us because Yahuwah loved us.

Adam and Eve were placed upon probation in the garden of Eden, and they were tested as to whether they would render obedience to Yahuwah's law. They fell from their allegiance through the temptation of the wily foe, and now a great and infinite sacrifice has been made that man may have another trial. And of all the creatures upon the face of the earth, we should be the most happy because this great sacrifice has been made in our behalf, that a just and holy Yahuwah may accept our efforts to keep his law. We should come into a position where we will be determined to have salvation even at the cost of every earthly consideration; for a way has been devised whereby every one of us can be saved, and it is by coming back to our allegiance to Yahushua. And when we realize that the Heavenly Father gave his Son to assume humanity, to lift up the fallen race, we will be ready to praise him.

This earth was the field of battle; here the Son of Yahuwah had to contend with the wily foe in our behalf. Behold him on Jordan's bank just before he entered the desert of temptation. He offered up a prayer such as heaven never heard before, and the heavens opened and the Spirit of Yahuwah, like a dove of burnished gold, encircled the Son of Yahuwah, and there was heard a voice, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17). Do you comprehend all that this scene signifies? It tells you that heaven is opened before you, and that your petitions will find access to the Father. After the transgression of Adam, Yahuwah no longer communicated directly with man; earth was separated, as it were, from the continent of heaven; but Yahushua was made our substitute, our surety, that he might bring us back to the Father, and his human arm encircles the race, while his infinite arm reaches to the highest heavens, and thus he unites finite man to the infinite Yahuwah, and connects earth with heaven. The voice that came from heaven to our Surety, tells us that heaven's portals are open and Yahuwah hears our prayers, and that the light that enshrouded the Son of Yahuwah will be over us if we follow in his way.

Yahushua passed from this scene of glory to one of the greatest temptation. He went into the wilderness, and there Satan met him, and tempted him on the very points where man will be tempted. Our Substitute and Surety passed over the ground where Adam stumbled and fell. And the question was, Will he stumble and fall as Adam did over Yahuwah's commandments? He met Satan's attacks again and again with, "It is written," (Matthew 4:4) and Satan left the field of conflict a conquered foe. Yahushua has redeemed Adam's disgraceful fall, and has perfected a character of perfect obedience, and left an example for the human family, that they may imitate the Pattern. Had he failed on one point in reference to the law of Yahuwah, he would not have been a perfect offering; for it was on one point only that Adam failed.

But he says, "I have kept my Father's commandments." (John 15:10). He withstood the fiercest temptation upon appetite, which has had such a great influence upon the human family; so that whatever may be the habits and practices of men, they may overcome them in his name and through his merits. Yahuwah saw that it was impossible for man to overcome in his own strength, with his own feeble moral power; yet man is required to exercise all the capabilities and powers that Yahuwah has given him in order to overcome, and then he needs a higher power, and help has been laid upon One who is mighty to save. Divine power may combine with human effort, that through Yahushua man may stand free, a conqueror. Man may conquer perverted appetite. Though the moral image of Yahuwah was almost obliterated by the sin of Adam, through the merits and power of Yahushua it may be renewed. Man may stand with the moral image of Yahuwah in his character; for Yahushua will give it to him. Unless the moral image of Yahuwah is seen in man, he can never enter the city of Yahuwah as a conqueror.

Satan tempted Yahushua upon ambition. How many have been ruined by ambition! They have had a knowledge of the truth, but they bring up their business, and say, "I cannot obey the truth on account of my business." And, again, "What will other people say? I cannot be different from the people around me." What does the voice of the good Shepherd say? What says the Master?--"Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey?" (Romans 6:16). We must not study how to serve ourselves, but to do the will of Yahuwah. Yahushua left his glory, his majesty, and clothed his divinity with humanity, and came to our world; he was a Man of sorrow, and acquainted with grief. For our sakes he became poor that we through his poverty might become rich. And then after this infinite sacrifice has been made for us, what sacrifices are we willing to make for Yahushua?

Satan came to Yahushua and presented another temptation. He took him upon an exceeding high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them in a moment of time, and promised to give them all to him if he would only fall down and worship him. Yahushua resisted Satan with, "It is written, Thou shalt worship the Master thy Yahuwah, and him only shalt thou serve." (Luke 4:8). We see many around us who will be allured by the things of earth. Satan presents these things in a flattering light to them, and they sell their souls for a little worldly gain, when Yahushua has presented to us eternal riches, on condition of obedience. Who can describe the exceeding great reward that is to be given to the follower of Yahushua? Eternal riches are promised, and who can turn his eyes from this reward? We are subject to failures in this world. A man may be worth his thousands one day, and it may be all swept away the next. It is not meet to ask what we must do to secure eternal riches?

Yahushua withstood all the temptations of Satan, and through Yahushua we may withstand them. Through Yahushua we may overcome the love for earthly treasures. Our Saviour withstood on every point the test of temptation, and in this way he has made it possible for man to overcome. Now, there is enough in this idea, in this thought, to fill our hearts with gratitude every day of our lives. As Yahushua was accepted as our substitute and surety, every one of us will be accepted if we stand the test and trial for ourselves. He took our nature that he might become acquainted with the trials wherewith man should be beset, and he is our mediator and intercessor before the Father.

Every one that follows in the footsteps of Yahushua keeps the commandments of Yahuwah. Those who flatter themselves that Yahuwah has told them that they need not keep his commandments because it interferes with their circumstances, make a sad mistake. It is another leader that such are following, and not Yahushua. We are to inquire what saith the Scriptures. We must have the law of Yahuwah before us. Yahushua suffered the severest temptation, and finally died upon Calvary's cross, thus demonstrating to the human family that the law of Yahuwah is immutable, not one jot or one tittle can be changed; but Satan has deceived the world with the story that Yahushua died to abolish the law. It was the cross of Calvary that exalted the law of Yahuwah and made it honorable, and showed its immutable character, and thus it is demonstrated before all the worlds Yahuwah has created, and before the heavenly angels, that the law is changeless. If Yahuwah could have changed one iota of his law, Yahushua need not have come to our world and died. But our Saviour, who was equal with Yahuwah himself, came into our world and suffered the death upon the cross, to give man another probation.

If this great and infinite sacrifice has been made in our behalf, let us ask ourselves what we are doing. Do we say, "Believe on Yahushua, and that is all you have to do"? It is our privilege to ask those who tell us this, what we shall believe. The words of Satan ever lead to disobedience, but the voice of Yahuwah in his word leads to a perfect obedience. We must have the faith that works by love and purifies the soul from every stain of sin. What is sin? The only definition that is given to you in the word of Yahuwah, is, "Sin is the transgression of the law." (1 John 3:4). The apostle says, "Where no law is, there is no transgression." (Romans 4:15).

The law of Yahuwah is the one great standard that will measure every man's character in the day of Yahuwah. The prayer of Yahushua was, "Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth." Therefore the sanctification of the Spirit of Yahuwah upon the heart, leads men to walk in the way of Yahuwah's commandments. The very test that Yahuwah brought upon Adam in Eden, will be brought upon every member of the human family. Obedience to Yahuwah was required of Adam, and we stand in the same position that he did to have a second trial, to see whether we will listen to the voice of Satan and disobey Yahuwah, or to the word of Yahuwah and obey. We must exercise repentance toward Yahuwah, and faith toward our Master Yahushua. There is no power in the law to save the transgressor of the law from the penalty, but the penalty has been paid by Yahushua. It was because the Father loved us that he gave his only begotten Son to die for us. John says, "Beloved, now are we the sons of Yahuwah, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." It is no cheap faith that we are to have. "Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." (1 John 3:3). Every sin will be put away from us because it is an offense to Yahuwah, and we will bring ourselves into harmony with Yahuwah.

"Believe, believe, believe in Yahushua," is the soothing fallacy that is lulling many to sleep in the cradle of carnal security, and we need to be alarmed. When you bring Yahushua into your daily life and character, you will not talk of your feelings, but of what Yahuwah hath said. When Yahushua is in the soul, then we will work for those around us who are in darkness. There will not be heard from any man, "Give me Yahushua, but away with the commandments of Yahuwah, I do not want to hear anything about them." We must know that our feet are upon the eternal Rock. It is not for us to bring the word of Yahuwah to our feelings and ideas, but to bring these to the word of Yahuwah. "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." (Isaiah 80). We are in the perils of the last days, and Yahushua has said that false teachers shall arise in the world, and deceive many with their pernicious doctrines. Then how shall we know the true from the false?--"Ye shall know them by their fruits." (Matthew 7:16). Do they teach obedience to the law of Yahuwah, or do they teach men to break his commandments? We are living in a world of false doctrines, and we must know what is truth. We do not inquire, What is for my convenience? but, What is Yahuwah's word? If Yahushua had studied his convenience, he would never have left heaven to come to our world to die, to hang upon the accursed tree for us. Yahushua has died for you, and now what will you do for Yahushua? He says, "Love one another, as I have loved you." (John 13:34). And if you love Yahushua, you will have your feet planted in the blood-stained foot-prints of the Man of Calvary, and at last those who have gained the victory will enter in through the gates into the city, and have a right to the tree of life. Yahuwah has given us reasoning faculties, and he wants us to use them. He has given us a chart which marks out for us the only right way to reach eternal life. Study the Scriptures for yourselves. Hear what the voice of the true Shepherd says to you, and then walk in the path of humble obedience, and at last the gift of eternal life will be granted to you. We cannot afford to lose eternal life. May Yahuwah grant that we may meet this dear people around the great white throne, and with them sing the song of redemption in the kingdom of glory.

By: Ellen White
Review and Herald
June 10, 1890