Jesus Christ is the one only example for
men to follow. To every man He commands absolutely, "Follow
Me."
Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me."
"I am the door," "he that entereth not by the door
into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is
a thief and a robber." "By Me if any man enter in, he
shall be saved."
The Lord Jesus is the one only person whom
this world ever saw who met perfectly, in the fullest measure,
every
requirement of the perfect law of God. He was
made flesh, and He in the flesh and form and nature of man, stood
in every place and met every temptation that
any man can ever meet, and in every place and in everything He
met
all the demands of the perfect law of God.
He did it from infancy to the prime of manhood, and never failed.
"He
was tempted in all points like as we are, yet
without sin." Therefore, as He is the only person whom this
world
ever saw who ever met to the full all the perfect
requirements of the law of God, it follows that He is the only
person whom the world ever saw, or ever shall see, who can be
an example for men, or whose example is worthy to be followed
by man.
Therefore, when preachers and leaders of
theological thought anywhere present before men any other example,
even though it be the example of the apostles, and seek to induce
men to follow any other example, even though
it be proposed as apostolic example, such conduct
is sin against God, and treason against our Lord Jesus Christ.
And that there are men, in this day, Protestants
too, who are doing that very thing only shows how far from
Christ the religious teachers of the day have
gone. It is time that they and all men should be told, that the
law of
God is the one perfect rule of human duty;
that the Lord Jesus Christ is the one perfect example that has
been
worked out, in this world, under that rule;
and all men who will correctly solve the problem of human destiny
must solve it by the terms of that rule as exemplified in, and
according to, that example. Whoever attempts to solve the problem
by any other rule, or according to any other example, will utterly
fail of a correct solution; and whoever teaches men to attempt
to solve it by any other rule, or according to any other example,
even though it be by "the example of the apostles,"
both sets and teaches treason against the Lord Jesus Christ.
What, then, is the example of Christ in
regard to keeping the first day of the week? There is no example
about it at
all. He never kept it. But where there is no
example of Christ there can be no example of the apostles. Therefore
there is not, and cannot be, any such thing
as the example of the apostles for keeping the first day of the
week.
What, then, is the example of Christ in
regard to keeping the seventh day? He kept the first seventh day
the world
ever saw, when He had finished His great work
of creation. When He came into the world, everybody knows that
He kept it as long as He lived in the world. And "he that
saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk
even as He walked." Therefore, those who
walk as He walked will have to keep the seventh day. His steps
led
Him to the place of worship on the seventh
day for thus "His custom was" (Luke 4:16), and He taught
the people
how to keep the seventh day, the sabbath of
the Lord (Matt. 12:1-12). And He has left "us an example
that ye
should follow His steps." And all who
follow His steps will be led by those steps to keep the seventh
day, and to
turn away their feet from the Sabbath, for
such is His example.
Paul said "Be ye followers of men,
even as I also am of Christ." Now was Paul a follower of
Christ in the matter of the seventh day? Let us see: "And
He [Christ] came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and,
as His
custom was, He went into the synagogue on the
Sabbath day, and stood up for to read." Luke 4:16. And of
Paul it
is said, by the same writer, "They came
to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews, and Paul,
as his
manner [customer] was, went in unto them, and
three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures."
Acts 17:1, 2. Paul did follow Christ in His
"custom" of keeping the sabbath day--the seventh day--therefore,
if any man will obey the Word of God by Paul, and will be a follower
of Paul as he followed Christ, it will have to be his "custom
to go to the house of God, and to worship God, on the seventh
day.
For the keeping of the seventh day we have
the commandment of God and the example of the living God (Ex.
20:8-11; Gen. 2:3), and of the Lord Jesus Christ, both in Heaven
and on earth, both as Creator and Redeemer. And there is neither
command nor example for the keeping of any other day. Will you
obey the ommandment of God, and follow the divine example in divine
things? or will you, instead, obey a human command and follow
human example in human things, and expect the divine reward for
it? Answer now as you expect to answer in the
Judgment.
