10. The Gospel of His Grace
Another really important day today. We read together pp. 20 & 21.
What was/is the purpose of Christ’s work?
What principles are implanted in today’s reading?
For meditation: Which character trait is Christ demonstrating in today’s reading?
Keyword
- Gospel
This reading was only second to page 17 as a defining moment for me. Here I finally “got” what medical missionary work or health ministry really is. After I read this I could read the whole book and the Bible and other EGW books with new eyes.
On page 17 we learned that Christ’s human mission, the one where He is “our Example”, was complete restoration of the individual.
We learned that this restoration looked like:
- Health of body
- Peace of mind
- Perfection of character — someone who lives like Jesus.
I could grasp the first two but struggled for a long time with perfection of character. What exactly is it ?
After lots of reading, actually after reading from the back of the book, I found the answer here on page 21.
If you haven’t guessed by now, the whole of the last chapter is simply a description of perfection of character: a medical missionary worker, with all sorts of temptations, perplexities, feeling weak, despondent and faint-hearted at times, but still keeping the mind firmly on the glorious future and Christ our high priest, and always communing with Christ (spiritual thoughts and holy communings).
That is what a restored human being is. That is the privilege of every Christian, not just medical people, we are all to engage in service for the Master by improving the health of body and peace of mind of those around us.
It becomes a virtuous cycle, the more we help others ,body and mind, the more we become like Jesus and more perfect our character is, so we become better at helping the people around us. Not by trying our best to keep commandments, but by practical help, by doing what Jesus did “going about doing good” (Acts 10:38), which is the essence of perfection (Matt 5:43–48), which is how we “work out our salvation” (Phil. 2:12).
Practical love is the greatest commandment (Mark 12:28–31) and why the good Samaritan (practical lover) is the illustration of what to DO to “inherit eternal life” (Luke 10:25–37). “Go and do likewise.”
So the last chapter of The Ministry of Healing is how to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,.. and with all your mind”. The first chapter, this chapter, is how to “Love God… with all your strength,.. and your neighbour as yourself.”
So that’s what we have learned already. Today Ellen ramps it up a notch.
Jesus didn't stop at merely helping people in body and mind, he implanted “divine principles”… that is, He actually talked to them! He said something!
But Ellen doesn't tell us (at least in the reading today) exactly what He said. But she drops a couple of real clues. He didn't talk prophecy or end-time events, not even how people are saved or how the sanctuary service works, not the Sabbath or the law, not history of Israel but “the gospel of His grace” p. 20). “With clearness and power He proclaimed the gospel message.” p. 21
So what is the “gospel of His grace”? How does He graciously work in us today?
Let’s quickly go to p. 99, this is where today’s message is driven home.
Look at the last two paragraphs.
Yes, God does want us “saved” and in heaven, but He isn't satisfied with merely that, he loves us too much to just promise us a future. He wants us “changed”, Reclaimed and Reinstated (goes with Restored — the 3 Rs). The “holy privileges” are those described in the last chapter.
So the “most offensive” can be “transformed into messengers of righteousness (right doing)” and go about dealing out health of body and peace of mind, and demonstrating that “You can win”.
That is good news!
