What is polarity? Polarity has to do with poles, being on opposite ends of the spectrum, but connected.
The easiest example we have is that of a magnet. A magnet—one object—has two ends called poles—a north and a south pole. The north pole of one magnet will attract the south pole of another magnet. If you try to place the north pole of one magnet on the north pole of another, they will repel; it is not possible to do. If you are strong enough to hold them together, as soon as you release your hand, the magnet will quickly separate. The north will only connect to the south. A magnet will create an invisible area around itself called a magnetic field. (See Photo)
In Chemistry, when we talk about atoms or molecules, they each have an equal amount of electrons and protons, which exert a positive and negative charge. When the charges are unequally distributed in the atom, we call it a polar atom. One end is negative and the other positive, as with a magnet.
The water molecule is a polar molecule in that one end contains more electrons (the red side, on the top), and is negatively charged. The blue side (on the bottom) is positively charged, containing more protons, but in the atom as a whole, there is an equal amount of electrons and protons. When water molecules attach to each other, the negative side of one always attaches to the positive side of another. This creates a strong bond.
Some atoms or molecules have no poles, and the electrons and protons are equally distributed and not specific to one side. They are non-polar molecules.
Polarity then is the property of an atom having two opposite poles—the electrons (negative) and protons (positive) are situated at opposite sides. When they make bonds with other atoms, the positive side always connects to the negative of another atom. These opposite poles must remain so, in order for the atom to function at its peak. The tension that exists between two opposite poles are not intended to be resolved. They are not problems that need to be fixed. They are to remain as they are.
Some magnets are weak, and some are very strong. Some atoms have strong bonds, some weak.
What does this have to do with Christianity? This is science, is it not? “The Bible is God’s great lesson book, His great educator. The foundation of all true science is contained in the Bible. Every branch of knowledge may be found by searching the word of God. And above all else it contains the science of all sciences, the science of salvation. The Bible is the mine of the unsearchable riches of Christ.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 107
Now that we have established the importance of science, let us see if we can learn something in regards to our salvation from this science lesson.
Firstly, we must be at polarity with Jesus. How can this be accomplished? What could be more opposite than the wretched sinner on this sin polluted earth and the King of the Universe sitting on His holy, celestial throne? How will polarity be obtained between the sinner and the King?
If you think of mankind as the negative charge—the north pole; and Jesus as the positive charge—the south pole. Both poles must be present for a magnet to function in its truest form. One cannot exist without the other. Therefore, the life of a Christian is only as strong as their bond is with Jesus. Not just a friendship, but “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27. Jesus has to be a part of your very being. “Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you.” 1 Corinthians 6:19. It reads, “in” you, not “with” you.
The Holy Spirit is drawing all men to Him, until the sinner refuses, and cuts the connection, at which time he sins against the Holy Spirit. Yet Christ, in His love and mercy, does not have them die immediately. They still live on. He keeps them alive even though they have no hope of salvation.
We read that, “Man is not furnished with machinery, set in motion like the machinery of a clock, and then left to himself to take care of these wonderful organs. No, the agency of God is constantly at work to preserve His wonderful workmanship.” –Manuscript Releases, vol. 3, p. 335. “The beating heart, the throbbing pulse, every nerve and muscle in the living organism, is kept in order and activity by the power of an ever-present God.” –The Ministry of Healing, p. 417
Since it is God that keeps us alive every moment (every breath we breathe is from Him), when someone has sinned against the Holy Spirit, sometimes God allows them to continue living. Why? We do not know the mind of God and why He allows them to keep living. Could it be that since this life is all that these people will ever have, He is being kind and loving to them even in their hopeless state by keeping them alive a little longer to enjoy life even though they will never inherit eternal life? That is only my thought as ultimately we do not know the purposes and reasons of God.
Their bond with Jesus is very weak though; but there is always some sort of bond as long as a person is alive. Some have a strong bond with Jesus, creating a strong magnetic field, and some very weak.
When talking about the righteousness of man, Isaiah states that, “our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” Isaiah 64:6. So then Jesus tells us, “I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear.” Revelation 3:18. This is true Christian polarity.
In true Christianity, with Jesus, the polarity will never be resolved. There will never be equality between man and Jesus. He will always be the positive and we, at the extreme other end, the negative. Only as we put on the robe of Christ’s Righteousness that is offered to us to cover our negative, will we create a strong magnetic field with the positive of Christ. Yet, under that robe, we are still sinners, but now we can be sinners saved by grace. We will never be perfect on our own—without His Righteousness. His Righteousness will never be filthy rags—yet this polarity is durable. With Christ, we will be strong and have strength to overcome all sin.
In the church there is need of assembling ourselves together. “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.” Hebrews 10:25. We do need spiritual interaction with others, in order to maintain spiritual health, so we can share our individual needs and encourage each other. That connection we have is Christ living in each one of us.
If we compare ourselves to a magnet, then when we connect to other magnets (faithful people), we will be drawn by Christ living in them. Our North Pole will connect to their South Pole (Jesus in them), and thus the Christian army will grow stronger. As the atoms connect they create strong bonds—a stronger church. Only as our bond with Jesus is strong, and growing stronger, will there be a strong attraction between us (believers in Christ), because we will not see the negative in the other people, but we will be attracted by their positive side—Christ living in them also.
We will not choose which person we like and which we do not like. If we are all God’s children, we will connect by faith. Sister Maria Rolih once told us how, when she was walking on a busy street with a lot of noise around, she heard the voice of a religious person talking and her ears are immediately drawn to
the source of the voice, which could barely be heard amidst the hustle and bustle. However, her ear is tuned to hear the voice of God, and she heard that voice in the midst of the other chaos around. This is the drawing power of polarity. We are drawn to others as they have Christ living in them.
The polarity of the gospel. “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Psalm 85:10. They seem opposite—the truth (law broken), results in death. The mercy of God leads a sinner to repentance and eternal life. This is the polarity of the gospel. We cannot separate the two. There is no such thing as work-righteousness. That is the fruit of the belief in the vengeful wrath of the justice of God. Mercy is at the opposite end, but both are connected by a strong polar bond, because we have a loving God.
There is polarity seen in the discipline of the church. While the mercy of God is enduring, the church is still called to take disciplinary actions for those who are not living up to the faith or who are teaching false doctrines (Matthew 18:15–18). Paul even “shook off the dust of their feet against them.” Acts 13:51. This was against the Jews who were constantly trying to disrupt the message of the gospel from being preached.
We are told to preserve the unity of the church. While maintaining the purity of the truth, and disciplining those who are not living up to the faith any longer, we are still to show charity, and a spirit of love, grace, toleration and acceptance towards those who have left the faith. We are to fight for the unity of the people of God and also maintain love and kindness to those who are not in the faith. This is the balance of polarity in the Christian life and church.
EMOTIONAL AND SPIRITUAL POLARITY
Everyone has a polarity of feelings. We experience sadness, perplexity, anxiety, fear (negative), happiness, joy, peace, contentment (positive) etc. at different times. It is all these feelings that make a person who they are. Their feelings must be correctly balanced (polarity) for emotional health. We are not happy all the time. There is nothing wrong with being sad on occasion when things do not go well, or a tragedy has occurred. The sadness, however, should not be all consuming though, so that a person is unable to function normally in society and becomes depressed. In times of sadness, Jesus brings comfort if we would turn to Him. Every person is different. Some are always happy and bubbly, outgoing and social in public. Some are more quiet and reserved, with more of an even tenor in their emotions.
All, however, do have negative and positive emotions to one degree or another.
Some negative feelings are actually good to have, such as fear in the face of danger. Just like the atoms have a positive and negative side—which is very necessary for the correct functioning of the atom, so also the Christian has positive and negative emotions, and the reaction to these emotions is what gives strength to the Christian character. A negative and a positive create a strong bond.
When a person connects with Christ, their negative emotions will be hid in Christ and they can be content and happy people, regardless of circumstances, because they find their peace in Jesus. They have a calm peaceful trust—a polarity with Jesus. Their negative with His positive.
Here is true emotional polarity: Christians are to be happy. “We have everything to be thankful for. Never ought Christians to move along like a band of mourners in a funeral train. God does not require this of His followers. He does not ask them to spread sackcloth and ashes under them.” –The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, p. 1150
But: We are told that “The outward signs of fasting and prayer, without a broken and contrite spirit, are of no value in God’s sight.” –Ibid. We are to be broken, then Christ can fix us. We read elsewhere, “When you fall upon the Rock and are broken, you will experience the power of Christ, and others will recognize the power of the truth upon your hearts.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 317–318
This is the condition for true polarity with Jesus. We, a strong negative (recognizing ourselves as fallen and broken—crushed), is reaching out for a strong connection with the perfect and pure, positive (Jesus Christ) to have a strong magnetic field. If the negative is weak (man appears good in his own sight), then the magnetic field is weak as the connection with Jesus is weaker. Who had a greater polarity with Jesus, the Pharisee or the Publican? (Luke 18:10–14). I think we know the answer.
On the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus began with:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3
“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4
The original Greek word (Makarios), that we translate into English as “blessed” here, actually means “happy.”
We have some polarity here. We see some negative emotions that are intended to lead us closer to Jesus. The more we see our negative, the more we will seek to be connected with Jesus’ positive.
Happy and sad are opposite emotions yet the true Christian is told he will be happy if he is poor in spirit. He will be happy if he mourns. How can we reconcile these two thoughts? Blessed (happy) are the poor in spirit. Blessed (happy) are they that mourn. How can you be happy when you mourn?
In the Spirit of Prophecy we read:
“All who have a sense of their deep soul poverty, who feel that they have nothing good in themselves, may find righteousness and strength by looking unto Jesus.” –Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 8
Have you ever had feelings of guilt when you have done something wrong? They are feelings sent by the Holy Spirit to speak to our conscience, with the hopes that the sinner will recognize their true condition (negative) and repent, seeking for the strong presence of Jesus in their lives (positive). It is a frightening state of affairs to have no feelings of remorse when someone has done something wrong. This would indicate a very weak presence of Jesus in the life. They only regret being caught, if they are. If they are not caught in the act, they would gladly continue their sin.
“The mourning here brought to view is true heart sorrow for sin. . . . Such mourning ‘shall be comforted.’ God reveals to us our guilt that we may flee to Christ, and through Him be set free from the bondage of sin, and rejoice in the liberty of the sons of God. In true contrition we may come to the foot of the cross, and there leave our burdens.” –Ibid, p. 9–10. This mourning is positive.
Here is another scene of weeping. When we weep in this manner, Jesus comes with the opposite emotion of comfort. This true comfort only comes from Him. “We shall fail often in our efforts to copy the divine pattern. We shall often have to bow down to weep at the feet of Jesus, because of our shortcomings and mistakes; but we are not to be discouraged; we are to pray more fervently, believe more fully, and try again with more steadfastness to grow into the likeness of our Lord. As we distrust our own power, we shall trust the power of our Redeemer, and render praise to God, who is the health of our countenance, and our God.” –God’s Amazing Grace, p. 302
“God’s people, rescued from the fire by Jesus Christ, have a sense of their sin, and feel humbled and ashamed. God sees and recognizes their repentance and notes their sorrow for sin, which they cannot remove or cancel themselves; but as they pray, their prayers are heard.” –Christ Triumphant, p. 275
Although mourning is seen as a negative emotion, when combined with the real need for mourning—remorse for sin—it is a good thing. This negative emotion of remorse is meant to combine with the love and forgiveness that comes only from Christ. They must be combined. We can be free from guilt and remorse and have a strong Christian bond with Jesus.
When we are feeling sorrowful and down-and-out, remember these words of Jesus. “God would not have us remain pressed down by dumb sorrow, with sore and breaking hearts. He would have us look up and behold His dear face of love. The blessed Saviour stands by many whose eyes are so blinded by tears that they do not discern Him. He longs to clasp our
hands, to have us look to Him in simple faith, permitting Him to guide us. His heart is open to our griefs, our sorrows, and our trials. He has loved us with an everlasting love and with loving-kindness compassed us about. We may keep the heart stayed upon Him and meditate upon His loving-kindness all the day. He will lift the soul above the daily sorrow and perplexity, into a realm of peace.” –Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 12
The Apostle Paul wrote, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live.” Galatians 2:20. To be dead is the polar opposite of being alive. Paul continues in the verse to say, ”yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20. True polarity in Jesus only happens when we are “dead” to self, and connected to Jesus, who is life. His life, and our death makes a strong Christian bond—Christ in us.
The Apostle Paul also said, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10. Humanly speaking, people could look at Paul and state that he is a little out of his mind. Someone who takes pleasure in being sick, in being persecuted and weak, must not be in his clear mind. But Paul knew Jesus and had a strong polar bond to Him. Thus he could say, “when I am weak, then am I strong.” “When we see Jesus, a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief, working to save the lost, slighted, scorned, derided, driven from city to city till His mission was accomplished; when we behold Him in Gethsemane, sweating great drops of blood, and on the cross dying in agony–when we see this, self will no longer clamor to be recognized. Looking unto Jesus, we shall be ashamed of our coldness, our lethargy, our self-seeking. We shall be willing to be anything or nothing, so that we may do heart service for the Master. We shall rejoice to bear the cross after Jesus, to endure trial, shame, or persecution for His dear sake.” –The Faith I Live By, p. 108. We will gladly connect our weakness (negative pole), to Jesus (the positive pole) and bend all our energies to keep the bond and union strong.
These are good negative feelings that can lead to a positive result; to a stronger polarity with Jesus
IN THE WORK OF GOD
The work of God always has polarity. There will always be negative experiences, but have positive outcomes. John was exiled to the Isle of Patmos. It seems negative—He could no longer teach and preach to people. He was isolated. But it was here that he met Jesus again, and was given many visions, from which he wrote the book of Revelation. The positive would not have come without the negative. Both were needed and we have the book of Revelation today.
Ellen G. White many times could not sleep. This is a negative experience that we have all felt at one time or another. And what was the end result? Did she complain about how tired she was the next day? Did she pop another sleeping pill? No, she got up and started to write, sometimes as early as midnight, but more often around 3 a.m. This was a positive result, but the negative experience was necessary.
If the individual has a strong polar bond with Jesus, the result will show in their lives in their desire to be a blessing for others. “The completeness of Christian character is attained when the impulse to help and bless others springs constantly from within. It is the atmosphere of this love surrounding the soul of the believer that makes him a savor of life unto life and enables God to bless his work.” –The Acts of the Apostles, p. 551
Be not discouraged by negative experiences. The Lord has a positive outcome in mind. Keep your connection to Jesus strong. You have nothing to offer Jesus, but your sin-polluted heart. “There is none righteous, no, not one.” Romans 3:10. But He came to redeem you. The thief hanging on the cross was not beyond the mercy and positive love of God, and neither are you. You just need to recognize your true condition (fully negative) and accept the mercy and grace He offers—His robe of Righteousness. “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27
“The Christian is not morose, sullen, and desponding; he is the happiest man in the world. He feels secure; for he trusts in Jesus, and enjoys His presence. His ‘defense is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.’. . . . have courage in God.” –The Review and Herald, June 10, 1884. Amen.
Wendy Eaton