YAHUSHUA THE WAY OF LIFE

Yahushua the Way of Life

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Yahushua the Way of Life

"Yahushua came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of Yahuwah, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of Yahuwah is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:14).

Repentance is associated with faith, and is urged in the gospel as essential to salvation. Paul preached repentance. He said, "I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward Yahuwah, and faith toward our Master Yahushua" (Acts 20:20). There is no salvation without repentance. No impenitent sinner can believe with his heart unto righteousness. Repentance is described by Paul as a Yahuwahly sorrow for sin, that "worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of" (2 Corinthians 7:10). This repentance has in it nothing of the nature of merit, but it prepares the heart for the acceptance of Yahushua as the only Saviour, the only hope of the lost sinner.

As the sinner looks to the law, his guilt is made plain to him, and pressed home to his conscience, and he is condemned. His only comfort and hope is found in looking to the cross of Calvary. As he ventures upon the promises, taking Yahuwah at his word, relief and peace come to his soul. He cries, "Master, thou hast promised to save all who come unto thee in the name of thy Son. I am a lost, helpless, hopeless soul. Master, save, or I perish." His faith lays hold on Yahushua, and he is justified before Yahuwah.

But while Yahuwah can be just, and yet justify the sinner through the merits of Yahushua, no man can cover his soul with the garments of Yahushua's righteousness while practicing known sins, or neglecting known duties. Yahuwah requires the entire surrender of the heart, before justification can take place; and in order for man to retain justification, there must be continual obedience, through active, living faith that works by love and purifies the soul.

James writes of Abraham and says, "Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed Yahuwah, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the friend of Yahuwah. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only" (James 2:21-22). In order for man to be justified by faith, faith must reach a point where it will control the affections and impulses of the heart; and it is by obedience that faith itself is made perfect.

Without the grace of Yahushua, the sinner is in a hopeless condition; nothing can be done for him; but through divine grace, supernatural power is imparted to the man, and works in mind and heart and character. It is through the impartation of the grace of Yahushua that sin is discerned in its hateful nature, and finally driven from the soul temple. It is through grace that we are brought into fellowship with Yahushua, to be associated with him in the work of salvation. Faith is the condition upon which Yahuwah has seen fit to promise pardon to sinners; not that there is any virtue in faith whereby salvation is merited, but because faith can lay hold of the merits of Yahushua, the remedy provided for sin. Faith can present Yahushua's perfect obedience instead of the sinner's transgression and defection. When the sinner believes that Yahushua is his personal Saviour, then, according to his unfailing promises, Yahuwah pardons his sin, and justifies him freely. The repentant soul realizes that his justification comes because Yahushua, as his substitute and surety, has died for him, is his atonement and righteousness.

"Abraham believed Yahuwah, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the unYahuwahly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Romans 4:3). (Righteousness is obedience to the law. The law demands righteousness, and this the sinner owes to the law; but he is incapable of rendering it. The only way in which he can attain to righteousness is through faith. By faith he can bring to Yahuwah the merits of Yahushua, and the Master places the obedience of his Son to the sinner's account. Yahushua's righteousness is accepted in place of man's failure, and Yahuwah receives, pardons, justifies, the repentant, believing soul, treats him as though he were righteous, and loves him as he loves his Son. This is how faith is accounted righteousness; and the pardoned soul goes on from grace to grace, from light to a greater light. He can say with rejoicing, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Yahushua our Saviour, that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:5-6).

Again: it is written, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of Yahuwah, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of Yahuwah" (John 1:12). Yahushua declared, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of Yahuwah" (John 3:3). "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of Yahuwah" (John 3:5). It is not a low standard that is placed before us; for we are to become the children of Yahuwah. We are to be saved as individuals; and in the day of test and trial we shall be able to discern between him that serveth Yahuwah and him that serveth him not. We are saved as individual believers in the Master Yahushua.

Many are losing the right way, in consequence of thinking that they must climb to heaven, that they must do something to merit the favor of Yahuwah. They seek to make themselves better by their own unaided efforts. This they can never accomplish. Yahushua has made the way by dying our sacrifice, by living our example, by becoming our great high-priest. He declares, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). If by any effort of our own we could advance one step toward the ladder, the words of Yahushua would not be true. But when we accept Yahushua, good works will appear as fruitful evidence that we are in the way of life, that Yahushua is our way, and that we are treading the true path that leads to heaven.

By: Ellen White
Review and Herald
November 4, 1890.