For the purpose of this study, I need to assume the role of someone other then myself, so I will go about outlining the steps I would take to convince you and the rest of the world that I am not me but rather my friend, Richard Eaton.

I would like to go about proving to the world that I am Richard Eaton, a dear friend of mine. Let us say for the moment that I have the appearance of Richard Eaton and I speak as he does; genetically I am identical to him.

  1. NAME. My first act in convincing the world that I am Richard would logically be to assume his name. So I change all my documents: birth certificate, passport, Medicare, driver’s license, and so on. Would this be enough for the world to believe that I am Richard? No. Anyone who knows Richard would not be convinced, yet the majority of the world, seeing the official documents would be convinced, not knowing Richard in any detail.
  2. WORK. So now having taken the name I endeavor to work as Richard does. Knowing that he works in a nursing home I learn his field of employment as a recreation therapist and begin also to work in a nursing home. Would this be enough to convince the world that I am Richard? Again, it would convince more people (perhaps the elderly), but it surely would not convince all, especially those closest to Richard, his inner circle of family and friends.
  3. IMITATE. So now I decide that I would like to speak like Richard would, to act like Richard would, to even think like Richard would. I go about studying his history, his traits, and even his little quirks. I study him so well that I know everything there is to know about Richard, every intimate detail. So now would the world be convinced that I was Richard? Yes indeed, there could be no doubt even to his parents and sister.

So now I would like to apply the above to Christianity. What does it mean to be a Christian? To be like Christ? So if I take Christ’s name, if I do the works that Christ did and if I study Him, His character, His Word, every detail about Him given in the Bible so that I can be just like Him, would that then convince you and the world that I am a Christian?

Let me break these steps down in the context of Christianity:

“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.”  Genesis 1:27 (emphasis mine).  Appearance and genetics are just a given.

  1. NAME. To take the name “Christian,”—is that all that’s required to convince the world? Perhaps not all, but for sure the vast majority. I mean, if you say you are one, then aren’t you one?
  2. WORK. To perform good deeds, help the needy and the sick, comfort and encourage others. They are all beautiful things associated with Christianity, and if I was to do these things also, would I be a more convincing Christian than if I just take the name? Yes indeed, but is this enough for all to believe that I am one? No, because others who know the Bible would know that there is more to it.
  3. IMITATE. So I study the Bible and from it I gain all that I can know about the Truth. I put into practice its reforms, living my life by its principles, against the current of worldliness. I eat the right things, I dress the right way, I understand in greater depth what constitutes sin and I flee from it. I can see false doctrines around me and am able to discern what is right, being able to give scriptural evidence for what I believe. Indeed, anyone would be hard pressed to say that I wasn’t a Christian.

I would like to ask you a question now. Think about these three stages and give yourself an honest look over.  Is it in Christianity to practice 1, 2 or 3?

After your consideration, turn your Bible to Galatians.

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” Galatians 6:7–8 (emphasis mine)

What relevance does this text have to our choice of 1, 2 or 3?

I, having assumed to be Richard and convinced everyone around me that I am, now turn to Richard and ask him the question: “Are you convinced that I am Richard?” I will receive the answer, “No, because I am Richard and you are not.”

Why do we do the same with Christ?

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked.” It is an unfortunate reality that we, especially as Adventist Reformers, all too often practice a Christianity that is a deception to the world, but even more so to ourselves. Which number did you honestly choose? 1, 2 or 3? Which of these do you think, then, is in the most danger?  3, the one who has deceived the most.

A preacher by the name of Henry Beecher once said: “Whatever is only almost true is quite false and among the most dangerous of errors, because being so near truth, it is more likely to lead astray.”

As Adventist Reformers we sit in a privileged position when it comes to the knowledge of the Truth. We also sit in a dangerous position because of that knowledge.

We read in 2 Timothy 3 a depiction of the vileness of man in the last days; included in this list is the following:

“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” 2 Timothy 3:5 (emphasis mine)

Does the Christianity you practice disregard Christ? I, by looking back on my experience, can say there have been many times that I have disregarded Christ. I hope that the Holy Spirit will open my eyes to see the many more times that I do it, but do not realize it. It is so easy to fall into a position where you may think that because you know the Truth you are indeed a Christian. You may practice all the reforms and keep the Law and share beautiful messages of hope, but can you honestly say that all those times in your own experience it was Christ in you? Or was it just you? Do you ever feel in your experience that you are gaining more and more knowledge in regards to the Truth, but in its application you are lacking more and more? What else does 2 Timothy 3 say?

“Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 2 Timothy 3:7

“There are those who profess to serve God, while they rely upon their own efforts to obey His law, to form a right character, and secure salvation. Their hearts are not moved by any deep sense of the love of Christ, but they seek to perform the duties of the Christian life as that which God requires of them in order to gain heaven. Such religion is worth nothing.” –Steps to Christ, p. 44 (emphasis mine)

Strong words, aren’t they? And yet you may say, “Brother, I am moved by a deep appreciation of the love of Christ, it is the very reason I am a Christian. I know He died for me and for my sins, and that is the very reason I love Hm. In fact, it is the reason that I commit all my strength to do all that He requires, to do all I can for Him!” And yet you and I fall short.  Why?

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13 (emphasis mine)

Who is the power in this verse? Christ. Who provides the strength in this verse? Christ. So how many things are of our own doing? None.

As you reflect on what you are reading, does it make you question your experience? Am I really a Christian? Do I deny the power thereof? Is this all for real? There is a question that needs to be asked of you.  A question to which we must moment by moment give answer.

“Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in the day of His fierce anger.” Lamentations 1:12 (emphasis mine)

Is it nothing to you that Christ died for mine and your sin? Every moment that we leave Christ out of our Christian experience we are giving Him the answer, “Yes Lord, it is nothing to me.” What a heartache it is to me to realize that, when I have walked in my own strength, I am responding this way to a very personal question that Christ is asking me and asking you. Have I ever been a Christian? Can I ever be one? The feelings of woe that consumed me when I first realized what I was doing to Christ. What a huge hurdle to overcome. But what exactly is at the heart of the problem? Why, if I am an Adventist Reformer who has the Truth, do I do this to the Lord? The heart of the problem is your very heart.

“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” Revelation 3:17 (emphasis mine)

We often skim through this verse because we have read it or heard it so many times. We think to ourselves, “Thank God that I know the Truth now; that I don’t do the things I used to do; that I have come out of the world.” Have you ever said these things? You believe that the Bible is Truth, don’t you? So when this verse, speaking about the end-time church, says, “knowest not,” do you think that it speaks the truth? Indeed, we do not realize that we think of ourselves as “rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing.”  We don’t really like to apply this to ourselves because we think that we are rich with the knowledge of the Truth and increased with heavenly goods and have need of nothing. Are you any better of a person because you know the Truth? No, it is the Truth that is good, not you or I. Oh, how we deceive ourselves!

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9 (emphasis mine)

Is there any hope for us then?

“Many are inquiring, ‘How am I to make the surrender of myself to God?’ You desire to give yourself to Him, but you are weak in moral power, in slavery to doubt, and controlled by the habits of your life of sin. Your promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand. You cannot control your thoughts, your impulses, your affections. The knowledge of your broken promises and forfeited pledges weakens your confidence in your own sincerity, and causes you to feel that God cannot accept you; but you need not despair. What you need to understand is the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will. The power of choice God has given to men; it is theirs to exercise. You cannot change your heart, you cannot of yourself give to God its affections; but you can choose to serve Him. You can give Him your will; He will then work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure. Thus your whole nature will be brought under the control of the Spirit of Christ; your affections will be centered upon Him, your thoughts will be in harmony with Him.” –Steps to Christ, p. 47 (emphasis mine)

So all that I can do is to choose to give my will to God. How is this done?

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2:5-8 (emphasis mine)

We have a decision to make: Let this mind be in you. Bringing things back to my assumption that I am Richard Eaton—if Richard’s mind was in me and my own was no longer there, would I be Richard? I certainly would cease to be me. If Richard’s mind is in me and I ask Richard whether am I him, he can only say yes, because he is himself.

Let us looker deeper into this verse because we read before that our “hearts are not moved by any deep sense of the love of Christ.”

For us to be Christians we must make ourselves of no reputation. Can you have no reputation and still have self? Yes, I can think of myself as more knowledgeable then a minister though I hold no position in the church. For us to be Christians we must be servants. Can you be a servant and still have self? Yes, I may work for my employer and dislike him, gossip about him or hate him. For us to be Christians we must humble ourselves. Can I be humble and still have self? Yes, it is possible for me to take pride in my so-called humility; I can humiliate myself and think that I am so good for it. For us to be Christians we must be obedient. Can I obey God and still have self? Yes, I can be like the Pharisees and live out the law perfectly but do so without love. Finally, for us to be Christians we must die the death of the cross. Can I take up my cross and still have self? No, absolutely not, because at the cross, self dies. Do you wish to be moved by any deep sense of the love of Christ? Then look to the cross!

“The cross is and always has been a symbol of disgrace. To be crucified was to be subjected to the most ignominious death known. The apostle said that if he preached circumcision, that is, righteousness by works, the offense of the cross would cease. The offense of the cross is that it is a confession of human frailty and sin, and of inability to do any good thing. To take the cross of Christ means to depend solely on Him for everything, and this is the abasement of all human pride. Men love to fancy themselves independent. . . . But let the cross be preached; let it be made known that in man dwells no good thing and that all must be received as a gift, and straightway somebody is offended.” –E.J. Waggoner, The Glad Tidings, p. 211 (emphasis mine)

Are you offended? Does it make your flesh itch when you hear that you are nothing? A worm, and no man (Psalm 22:6); an unclean thing. . .  a filthy rag (Isaiah 64:6); an abomination in the sight of God (Luke 16:15). Can you feel that in your flesh? The “how dare you!” rise up in your flesh?

To appreciate what Christ has done for us, we must realize why. We know He died for our sins, but we often don’t ask why He had to die for our sins. We can do no good thing. He had to suffer the most shameful of deaths in our place because we are so horrible, so unworthy, so disgusting that we can do absolutely NOTHING to save ourselves. So why do we still try to save ourselves? If you want to appreciate Christ? Then you need, each and every moment to realize that “I can of mine own self do nothing” (John 5:30). But isn’t that a depressing thought? To see yourself as a worm, a filthy rag, each and every living moment of your life?

“Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.” Ecclesiastes 7:3 (emphasis mine)

It is a whole lot better than thinking that you are rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing. Truthfully, it may seem depressing but it really isn’t.

“When Christ dwells in the heart, the soul will be so filled with His love, with the joy of communion with Him, that it will cleave to Him; and in the contemplation of Him, self will be forgotten. Love to Christ will be the spring of action. Those who feel the constraining love of God, do not ask how little may be given to meet the requirements of God; they do not ask for the lowest standard, but aim at perfect conformity to the will of their Redeemer. With earnest desire they yield all and manifest an interest proportionate to the value of the object which they seek. A profession of Christ without this deep love is mere talk, dry formality, and heavy drudgery.” –Steps to Christ, p.44–45 (emphasis mine)

If it is still depressing after you read this, then that is just self. You may think that you are just too far gone now to be able to be this way; that your “self” is just too much, too powerful, you are too sinful. Remember that all you have is the power of decision, or of choice.

“If you feel yourself to be the greatest sinner, Christ is just what you need, the greatest Saviour. Lift up your head and look away from yourself, away from your sin, to the uplifted Saviour; away from the poisonous, venomous bite of the serpent to the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world.” –Lift Him Up, p. 256 (emphasis mine)

In 1888 the Adventist people received a most precious message, “Christ Our Righteousness.” Sister White stated that if that message had been received by the majority in 1888, then in a few short years Christ would have returned.

“I also saw that if you had accepted their message, we would have been in the kingdom in two years from that date (1888), but now we have to go back into the wilderness.” –General Conference Bulletin, May 7, (year?)

Many years have passed since the 1888 message and still Jesus has not come! Have we received Christ as our Righteousness? What caused the message to be rejected by the Adventist Church at that time?

“Many had lost sight of Jesus. They needed to have their eyes directed to His divine person, His merits, and His changeless love for the human family. All power is given into His hands, that He may dispense rich gifts unto men, imparting the priceless gift of His own righteousness to the helpless human agent.” –Testimonies to Ministers, p. 92

If you still think that you are right in any way, then how can Christ be your righteousness? Is the Christianity you practice a 1, 2 or 3? Well, it ought to be a zero.

When you hear the name Christian, remind yourself always what the name really entails: CHRIST, I Am Nothing.

God Bless,

Steven Caruana

“We look to self, as though we had power to save ourselves; but Jesus died for us because we are helpless to do this. In Him is our hope, our justification, our righteousness. We should not despond, and fear that we have no Saviour, or that He has no thoughts of mercy toward us. At this very time He is carrying on His work in our behalf, inviting us to come to Him in our helplessness, and be saved. We dishonor Him by our unbelief. It is astonishing how we treat our very best Friend, how little confidence we repose in Him who is able to save to the uttermost, and who has given us every evidence of His great love.” –Gospel Workers, 1892 edition, p. 412