With the 1888 Message Dynamic
Lesson 6: “Expounding the Faith”
We must pause a moment and look at that word agape. It’s the Greek word for love, but it is an entirely different idea than we know naturally. The love we have by nature loves people who are nice; God’s agape loves people who are mean and bad. Our love depends on the beauty or value of the person whom we love; God’s love creates value or goodness in the one whom He loves. There’s where our hope lies! ~ Robert J. Wieland
The rebuke is directed primarily to its clergy ("the angel of the church of the Laodiceans") who feel proudly "rich and increased with goods, in need of nothing" when in God's sight they are THE one [in history] "wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked" ~Robert J. Wieland
With the 1888 Message Dynamic
"But God means what He says: no one can keep you out of heaven, except your own perverse choice." Robert J. Wieland
"Untold numbers of human hearts are “broken spirits” because they do not understand “the third angel’s message in verity”—the pure, true good news as the Lord “sent” it to us—what Christ accomplished for us personally when He died on His cross. Therefore they are not sure that the Lord has accepted them." ~Robert J. Wieland
"Elijah the prophet is often misunderstood and unappreciated. It is true that he was a humble man from the mountains of Gilead with no official endorsement. But he was a deep and keen thinker on a level far beyond that of the leadership of Israel." ~Robert J. Wieland
"Your experience is that of many thousands of sincere Christians, but it is not real Christian experience, because it is not the experience of Christ. He “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” It was not because He was of a different nature from us, for inasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and blood, “He also Himself likewise took part of the same” (Heb. 4:15; 2:14), and in all things was “made like unto His brethren” (vs. 17)." ~Robert J. Wieland
Now, we return to our question: does it make sense that we, sinful selfish people by nature can be changed, converted, purified, transformed, even "sanctified," by believing those "promises"? ~Robert J. Wieland