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Pastor's Blog April 9, 2020
"Consecration I"
{Scroll over scripture reference to read the scripture or reference.
My friends, Good Pascha! We now come to a place where every Adventist has had to "cross the Rubicon," so to speak: we are now in Ellen's chapter on consecration in her book "Steps to Christ." What you do with this chapter will make or break your understanding of what Ellen tells us about Jesus. And the reason this is true is due to the fact that what she says in here is so often misunderstood by Adventists, and those misunderstandings can follow us all through the remainder of the book.
Ellen makes a bold claim about our hearts, one with which Adventists are too superficially comfortable: "The whole heart must be yielded to God, or the change can never be wrought in us by which we are to be restored to His likeness" (27; 1977 edition). Many Adventists believe WE must yield our selves to God, because Ellen "says so" (27); and many Adventists likewise believe it is only when WE are fully yielded to God that the Holy Spirit will change and transform us, because Ellen "says so" (28). But what is assumed in this faulty interpretation of Ellen's thought is that the we must change ourselves, which she adamantly denies!
It is true that Ellen says we must be entirely yielded to God, but she points out that "by nature we are alienated from God" and simply can't give ourselves to him (27). It is also true that Ellen says we must be fully yielded to God for the Holy Spirit to work in us, but she points out that God doesn't force his way into our hearts or make us do something that we don't want to do (27-28).
What Ellen is really stressing is the fact that we must be entirely yielded to God for him to change us - because only GOD can change us! And the only way we will ever yield ourselves to God is "when Christ dwells in the heart" - which is nothing we can do, only JESUS can do that!
Friends, notice the word "when." Too often we think in terms of "if" - if I do this, maybe Jesus will dwell in my heart. But that focus on yourself only indicates that you love yourself more than you love Jesus. Ellen encourages us to think in terms of "when" - when Jesus dwells in your heart after continually wooing and drawing you into relationship with himself, then he will begin to change you from the inside out. Consecration, dear friends, is Jesus' promise that he is saving us for eternity.
(*) Steps to Christ 1977 edition; Chapter 5, “Consecration”
God Bless.
Pastor Nathaniel Gamble
