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Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the
world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” (Colossians 2:8-10)
“In Him dwells all the fullness of the godhead bodily,” and He strengthens you with might by His spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your heart by faith, that you may be “filled with all the fullness of God.”
True, Christ partook of the divine nature, and so do you if you are a child of promise, and not of the flesh. By the promises you are partakers of the divine nature.
There was nothing given to Him in this world, and He had nothing in this world, that is not freely given to you, or that you may not have. All this is in order…that you may walk in the newness of Life;
that henceforth you may not serve sin;
that you may be the servant of righteousness only;
that you may be freed from sin;
that sin may not have dominion over you;
that you may glorify God on the earth;
and that you may be like Jesus.
Therefore “to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift… till we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4: 7, 13)
And I “plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” (2 Corinthians 6:1)
A.T.Jones, Review & Herald, Sept.1, 1896
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“I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘ Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? it is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 26:14)
Where the difficulty comes is that so many people try to serve God with the power of Satan. But that can never be done. Men cannot gather grapes of thorns, nor figs of thistles. The tree must be made good, root and branch. It must be made new. “You must be born again.”
Let no one ever attempt to serve God with anything but the present, living power of God that makes him a new creature; with nothing but the much more abundant grace that condemns sin in the flesh, and reigns through righteousness unto eternal life. Then the service of God will indeed be in “newness of life.” Then it will be found that His yoke is indeed “easy” and His
burden “ light.” Then His service will be found indeed to be with “joy unspeakable and full of glory.”
Did Jesus ever find it difficult to do right? Everyone will instantly say, No. But why? He took flesh and blood the same as ours. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). And the kind of flesh that He was made in this world was precisely such as was in this world. “In all things He had to be made like His brethren” (Hebrews 2: 17. “In all things.” It does not say In all things but one. There is no exception. He was of Himself weak as we are, for He said, “ I can of Myself do nothing.” (John 5:30).
Why then did He find it always easy to do right?- because He never trusted to Himself, but His trust was always in God alone. He always sought to serve God, only with the power of God. But as He is, so are we in the world. He has left us an example, that we should follow His steps. “It is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure,” as well as in Him (Philippians 2:13). All power in heaven and in earth is given unto Him and He desires that you should be strengthened with all might according to His glorious power. (A.T. Jones, Review & Herald, Sept. 1, 1896)
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“Come to me all you who labor and are heavy heavy laden and I will give you rest… my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28, 30) Under the reign of grace it is just as easy to do right as under the reign of sin it is easy to do wrong. This must be so, for if there is not more power in
grace than there is in sin, there can be no salvation from sin. But there is salvation from sin. No one who believes Christianity can deny this.
Salvation from sin depends upon their being more power in grace than there is in sin. It cannot possibly be otherwise. Wherever the power of grace can have control, it will be easy to do right.
No one ever naturally found it difficult to do wrong, because man is naturally enslaved to the power of sin that is absolute in its reign. And as long as that power has sway, it is not only difficult, it is impossible to do the good that he knows, and that he would.
But let a mightier power than that have sway, then is it not plain enough that it will be just as easy to serve the will of the mighty of power as it was to serve the will of the other power when it reigned?
But grace is not simply more powerful than is sin. If this werel all, even then there would be good cheer to every sinner in the world. But there is much more power in grace than there is in sin. For “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.”
So [there is] much more hope for every sinner in the world. Whence comes grace? From God. “Grace be unto you… from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” When comes sin? From the devil, of course. Well, it is as plain as ABC that there is much more power in grace than there is in sin, as there is more power in God than there is in the devil.
(A.T. Jones, Review & Herald, Sept.1, 1896)
