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I am going to start this study in a rather unusual way. It may, however, be meaningful to some who hear it, so I ask for your indulgence as I make a somewhat strange comparison. I want us to consider the idea of mental illness. There are people in the world who do things that most would describe as unusual, even “crazy,” to the degree that the things they do can be disturbing, maybe frightening, to onlookers. Some years ago I was speaking with a woman whose son had committed suicide due to severe depression. She said, “I don’t understand how someone can feel so sad that they just give up on life, so that they don’t feel like experiencing anything any longer.” I replied that it wouldn’t help her to try to figure out the mind of her son. His brain worked differently than that of what we would call a “normal” person’s. It’s a totally different mindset. The way he saw the world was different. The way he processed his thoughts was different. We can’t think like that, because even though we all know what sadness feels like, it’s entirely different when that emotion completely takes over one’s entire life.

I raise this idea to point out the great diversity of mindsets and experiences of “reality” that the human brain can generate. It can take similar bodies, with similar senses and physical characteristics, and create an entirely distinct set of experiences. Under the influence of the world and Satan’s angels, these distinct experiences are certain to be very negative. There are suicides, hallucinations, obsessive behavior, mood swings, even possession in some cases, where self-control is entirely lost. We see then that it is possible, that the mind is capable, of creating these experiences in which an individual acts entirely differently than a “regular person.”

Now, let’s look at the opposite end of the spectrum. What happens when you take a regular person, with a regular brain, and you give it over to the Holy Spirit? You can imagine an experience just as extreme as the insanity of the world, but in utter contrast – viewing the world as Yahweh would reveal it, making choices that He would have us make. In this mindset, the concept of sin is hated, seen as repulsive, so that the individual never chooses to participate. Now, as I said, this can sound rather strange – like I am comparing sanctification to mental illness. But the truth of the matter is, the world, and even (maybe especially) some Christians, see the claim of having unwavering righteousness by faith as a fringe, bizarre way of thinking. Historically, the saints were often ridiculed by the public, and holy men were thought to be insane. In our modern experience, we are most often disbelieved, called liars and hypocrites, because there are many who cannot put themselves into our shoes. They can no more imagine what it is like to think as a saint does than they can put themselves into the mindset of those who are mentally unwell.

It is ironic that some who call themselves Christians, who have studied the Bible for many years, can believe in people so mentally different from them that they believe themselves to be gods, long-dead historical figures, or even fictional characters... but they cannot imagine a mindset in which an individual would choose always to believe the promises of God, and to choose to do always those things that please Him.

Human beings are capable of entirely different ways of seeing the world, and I am not suggesting that holiness just arises spontaneously. No... the carnal nature and the enemy of souls, ensure that nobody just “develops righteousness” the way that mental illness appears to just arise from time to time, or through family history. I am comparing them merely to display the spectrum, on the one hand a complete lack of self-control, and on the other, a state of cooperation with the very Creator of the Universe, who gives us His power so that we always choose the righteous path. Both can be hard to accept, it seems, by those who observe them.

The Scriptures say, “For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the Church,” (Eph 5:29) and yet we know that there are some states of mind that lead to this very thing – the hatred of one’s own flesh, to the point of destruction in more extreme cases. There are exceptions to what we have accepted as “the rules” of human behavior. There are unusual experiences that human beings are capable of having, and the saints experience the most unusual of all experiences: a mind that is cleansed of all unrighteousness. This is unlike any experience mankind has ever had since the fall of Adam and Eve. We are restored to pre-fall Adamic strength of character. We are blessed with the ability to discern and choose truth, integrity, and love, without any exception, ever. We are given control over our emotions, so that while we may still feel anger, sadness, and frustration, they do not control us. We identify them, we identify the cause of their presence, and we work to correct whatever led to their appearance. These are our real and genuine experiences, given to us as the gift of Yahweh through Christ our Lord.

Unfortunately, the sin-sick mind can rarely distinguish between rejoicing and boasting. Here is an example of this very thing from our spiritual history: “And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, ‘What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine [Goliath], and taketh away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?’ And the people answered him after this manner, saying, ‘So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.’

“And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men, and Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, ‘Why camest thou down hither? And with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart, for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.’” (1Sam 17:26-28)

Understand the dynamic here. Eliab was a warrior, a soldier of Israel. He hears his younger brother, who had never yet been in battle, speaking great and boastful-sounding words against the enemies of Yahweh and Israel’s army. David is not boasting of his own merits, or his own strength. He is praising Yahweh, who has promised to protect His people, and to keep them safe from their enemies. But all Eliab can hear is a testimony against his own pride, and against his own cowardice.

You see, Goliath had stood before Israel’s army in his intimidating armor, with his gigantic stature, “and presented himself forty days,” (1Sam 17:16) challenging them to send out a champion to face him in solitary combat. And yet, despite having the promise of an almighty God to defend them, none of the soldiers, including Eliab, had stepped forward. And here comes David, fresh out of the fields, saying, “Why are you letting this pagan mortal frighten you?”

If David had been exalting his own military prowess, this would have been a ridiculous question, but his statement was one of faith, not of boasting. Eliab, unable to see past his flesh, projected his own failings unto the one bringing the testimony, and accused him of pride, and of taking pleasure in conflict.

This, brethren, is the dividing line between the sheep and the goats when this message of victory over sin is presented to those who should know the Scriptures, and the promises of Yahweh, for themselves. We testify, “We have overcome the world. Sin, Satan, and self are defeated foes. Because Christ dwells in us, what temptation can cause us to transgress the Law of our Father? Just as Goliath fell before David, so every cause of unrighteousness falls before us. We invite you to join us. Why do you let the world and evil angels intimidate you? Why do you let the flesh overcome you, when we have a Savior who has given us His very life to keep us from falling into the hand of the enemy?”

The nominal Christians hear this claim, and this invitation, and all that registers with them is their own failure, their failure to stand before their own giants and claim the protection of the Almighty. They cannot put themselves into this unusual mindset. They cannot “see” themselves victorious. In response to this testimony, they give the same essential response as Eliab. They reply, “I have been an elder/pastor/evangelist/church-goer for years. This isn’t the experience that I have. Who are you to tell me that you have the truth and I don’t? You must be lying. Who is so proud as to say, ‘God always keeps me from sin?’ You just want to stir up controversy.” Remember what Eliab said to David? “I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart, for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.” “You’re just here to cause trouble.” There is nothing here that is new under the sun. We teach peace, not conflict, and yet we are accused of the very thing we are trying to heal.

We teach rest, Sabbath rest, and yet many are trying to work themselves into salvation. They try to do something to force themselves to be “good,” but this is a battle of the spirit and the mind, and they cannot make their minds go from the regular to the extreme. They can no more do this than they could decide to be chronically depressed, or to hear voices in their heads. It is not something that one initiates. It is an experience that is imposed on them. In the case of mental illnesses, the sins of the world have led to a variety of factors that have cursed the human mind and body so that it is a miracle that it continues to function at all. In the case of sanctification, the unusual experience is the work of holiness on the human soul. And again, I am comparing these opposite ends of the mental spectrum for the specific purpose of showing the contrast. Both experiences are, shall we say, “non-standard” when compared to the normal human experience. That is where the similarity ends, but it is important to explain how “different” it is from the normal human mind – so different that it cannot be voluntarily created by work, study, or time. It is something that is done TO the mind, as we read, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1John 1:9) The first part, forgiveness, is what makes the experience possible, but the cleansing from all unrighteousness, that is the purpose of the forgiveness. That is the experience itself: a complete change of mindset. A healing of the mind.

I have sometimes shared a most impressive experience from my early days as a CSDA member. I had just been baptized, and I was attending my very first camp meeting. At the same time, there was a couple who had been in the Church for some years, an older couple, and they decided to revoke their membership, to leave the fellowship, over some disagreement with the brethren. Now, I had the faith of Yahshua. I had supreme confidence in the words and promises of my Father. It did not even occur to me that anyone could fall away from this beautiful message. I knew what the Scriptures said, that there would always be some who were less than truly sincere among the saints, who were deceived concerning their own conversion, and that until the end there would be some tares among the wheat, even within the genuine Church of Yahshua. I knew this theoretically, but it was altogether another thing to see the tares actually being rooted up, and that by their own sin and unwillingness to communicate with those who were trying to help them.

I was heartbroken. I began to shed many tears for this couple, these people whom I had only just met, whom I barely knew, but whom I dearly loved as a brother and a sister in Christ. When I first met them, I immediately perceived that there was something “off” about their characters, but I thought that this was either my own inexperience with spiritual discernment, or the manifestation of some defects that they didn’t yet recognize to put away, and so I was completely caught by surprise when they left.

As I stood there, feeling completely destroyed in my spirit, Pastor “Chick” came up to me and said, “Brother, be healed.” I could tell that he was feeling just as sad as I; in fact, I am sure it must have been worse for him, as he had known them much longer. And yet, He was resting in Christ, even in the midst of great sorrow. It was a new understanding of the Sabbath rest to me – not that this incident had taken place on the Sabbath day, but it was the “rest” that the Sabbath is designed to teach us. This was new light to me, and by beholding it I was changed. My mind changed, my understanding of love and righteousness grew. I did not feel the sorrow any less, but I accepted it. I let it be a part of me, just as sorrow for lost sinners is a part of my Father, but I could feel that I was thinking differently. I had been healed, just as if my legs had been lame and then given the power to walk, or my eyes had been blind and then restored to sight. I was able to function, and to rejoice in the time I was spending among my new brethren.

As we teach this message, we have some say to us, “I have been trying to give this sin up for years,” or “I have prayed for a long time, and I still don’t see a change in my behavior.” In order to truly be healed, to give up the besetting sin, you must be willing to experience a change within yourself, yes, but that doesn’t take it far enough. You must be willing to become another person, a different person, with a mind that works differently, with a mind that chooses different things. You have your memories, and you have your unique, personal individuality, but you are a new creature in Christ. This isn’t emphasized enough by those who teach the Scriptures, and if it is mentioned, it isn’t understood as extremely, or as completely, as it should be.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away – behold, all things are become new.” (2Cor 5:17)

Imagine the difference between someone who is considered fully sane, and someone with deep emotional and mental issues. Think about the distance between these states, and how hard it would be for one to think like the other, even for a little while. That is the same distance, but upward rather than downward, for the “mind of Christ.” It is super-sanity, because it always chooses the best, the most useful, the most loving, of all options, every single time. There is no self-destructive tendency, no self-sabotaging selfishness, no desire for revenge, or self-justification. It is the experience of looking at the choices before us rationally, logically, and doing what is best for as many people as possible all the time. This is not a robotic experience, without sentiment or emotions, but these are given their proper, balanced place, rather than the predominance. There is nothing more sane, nothing more reasonable, than that... but sin keeps the world in a state of mental illness, of choosing things that the soul knows is bad for itself. What is that, but insanity? What is that, but the curse of Adam playing out, and leading to generations of suffering and death?

Our loving Father in Heaven wishes to rescue us all, every man, woman, and child, from the insanity of sin.

So how is it done? How is this change of mind accomplished, this transformation as complete, and dramatic, as going from mental illness to mental wellness, this going from mental “normalcy” to the experience of the saint? We read, “And [Yahshua] said, ‘So is the Kingdom of Yahweh, as if a man should cast seed into the ground, and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself: first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.” (Mark 4:26-29)

We often use this passage to illustrate Christian growth, showing that grain grows over time, becoming more mature, but “perfect” for its intended stage at any given moment in time. So it is with the saint; he is always growing, but always living up to the light he has, so that nothing can make him more “perfectly” what he is supposed to be at that point. That’s not what I want to highlight in this study, however; it is actually this part: “and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.”

How does conversion work? What is the mechanism by which the soul begins to hate evil, and ceases to transgress the Law of Yahweh? How does a sinner forsake sin? The short answer is exactly this: we do not know. We cannot know. It is a secret of the infinite mind. We know how to have it. We know the steps that we have been given to receive it: Repentance, Faith, and Baptism. We know the messages that teach it as given by three Gospel angels: Victory, Purity, and Unity. The farmer knows now to plant a seed in the ground and water it, but he does not know how the seed comes to life in response to his actions. We do not know the mechanics of redemption; indeed, it will be our study in ceaseless ages in the world to come. Nevertheless, we are redeemed.

We examine ourselves with Yahweh’s help, with the benefit of what He reveals... and we can know what He desires us to do, but there are so many things He has not revealed, and He has shown us the Way, not necessarily the way that “the Way” works.

This is where trust comes in. Just because we do not understand how the very Holy Spirit of Christ can live in our sinful flesh and bring forth a sanctified life, that does not mean it is not ours to claim. Just because we do not know how we will survive every temptation from now until the close of probation, that does not mean that this is not exactly what our Father has promised us. Just because our senses, and our previous experiences, conspire against the acceptance of righteousness by faith, that does not make the Word of God any less effective in those who choose to believe it, and to walk in that belief. As John tells us, “if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.” (1John 3:20) In this knowledge, we may safely rest.

For those struggling to give sin up, Yahshua says to you, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Mat 11:28) Many of us have learned that verse as children; it is time to believe that verse as children. We are told to trust in the work of our Father, and we will discover that our very minds are changed – we know not how, but we will see the results of the transformation.

Here is another example of this mystery, the Tower of Babel. We read, “And Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And Yahweh said, ‘Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do, and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let Us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.’ So Yahweh scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth, and they left off to build the city.” (Gen 11:5-8)

The people at the tower did not know what had happened to them; they were “confounded.” They did not feel it when their brains were rewired, and new concepts were written over old ones, when new words, idioms, and manners of speech replaced the language that they had all been speaking just moments before. But when the transformation happened, everything was different. They didn’t know how, but it was.

In New Testament times, Yahshua healed the possessed, which today would present itself as mental illnesses of various kinds. With His Word, in a moment, the very mind was changed, and He would say to those He had restored, “Go, and sin no more.” (John 8:11) He would not instruct this were it not possible, where it not expected. For the saint, the believer, the mind has been healed of its worldiness, sin and unrighteousness; it remains resident in sinful flesh, but it now obeys the command of the Master to “Go, and sin no more.” The body is the same, the brain is physically the same, but the mind and soul are Christ’s – we have a new creature, a different person.

When I shared the Gospel with a friend of mine years ago, he said to me, “I can’t accept what you are trying to teach me. I would have to change so much to enter Heaven, it wouldn’t even be ‘me’ any longer.” I replied, “What you are saying is true, but the ‘you’ who is talking to me today is doomed to destruction anyway. The wages of sin really is death. Because you have sinned, you will surely die, but you have the opportunity to be resurrected as a new person, one who is capable of standing before the Father, and inheriting everlasting life.” It is actually a very solemn thought. The “you” who is a sinner dies, no matter what. The wages of sin is truly death. The Cross does not change that. What it does is change the manner of death. This is why it works. This is why the Father can be merciful to sinners without violating His eternal Law. The Law says every sinner must die. The death of Christ does not change that – every sinner will die. But those who die in Christ also receive His limitless life, and He sustains us; His power, strength, and love sustain us all for endless ages. This is a topic we will study in eternity; we have only glimpses of it now, but it is wonderful to consider, and as deep as you are capable of going.

How do we give up sin? In a sense, we do not. We let it kill us. We acknowledge, “I have a temper. I have an addiction. I have a work of the flesh. I am worthy of death. I won’t try to run from it. I won’t justify it. I admit it. I am guilty, and worthy of death. Let me have that death. Let it kill me, the ‘self,’ so that only Christ remains. ‘I am crucified with Christ.’” Let that thought fill your mind, if you have not yet experienced this life without sin. I am as dead as Christ was after sin slew Him on the cross... completely and totally lifeless. But by the Father’s grace, Christ rose again. By the Father’s grace, we rise with Him, with a new life, a renewed life. All that was displeasing to the Father is left on the cross or, left in the waters of baptism.

Creation Seventh Day Adventists, unlike many Churches today, do talk about the importance of Church membership. This is because baptism is not only into Christ, the divine Person, but also into His Body. (1Cor 12:13) It is an acknowledgement of this new life that has begun, this Gospel-life that is as different from the one we had before as if one who was mentally ill were to be suddenly and completely and miraculously healed. It is that different. It is that powerful a change.

We can choose it, because it is offered to us. As we believe it is offered to us, we say, “I must have this. I surrender everything I have, and everything I am, to have this,” and the Father responds. He is waiting to respond to everyone who chooses to believe His words through His servants.

We see unbelief all around us, even sometimes among those who think themselves to be teachers of righteousness. They are ready with excuses, exceptions, and contradictions. But when they are presented with the simplicity of the faith, then it is revealed, not their lack of intellect, or their lack of knowledge. No, it is their lack of faith, their lack of character. This rises up against the words of Yahweh, and they will take good verses, and good quotes, and make of them something entirely the opposite of their intended purpose. They are comfortable in their darkness, and will fight viciously rather than be torn from it and held up to the light by the simplicity of God’s truth: “Whosoever abideth in [Christ] sinneth not; whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him.” (1John 3:6) This is not a threat, nor a condemnation; it is an invitation to be honest about one’s experience. It is a call to everyone who has not yet found life, to abide in the Savior, to see Him and know Him, and then to be clothed forever in His righteousness.

As we draw near to the end of the study, we return again to the question, “How do we give up sin?” We have seen that we of ourselves cannot do it, or even understand how to do it. If we cannot understand sin, how can we understand how to free ourselves from it? We do not know how, but Yah knows all things, and He provides the transformation. The evangelist may plant the seeds, and the apostle may water the soil, but it is the invisible operation of Yahweh’s Spirit that causes the seed to spring to life and to grow. It happens, as the change in language at the Tower of Babel, without us even realizing that our brains are cured of the insanity of unrighteousness, but when we recognize it, all we can do is rejoice. We read the Scriptures to find the promises. We pray, asking in faith and confidence for the miracle. And then, believing that we have been accepted, we “rise up and walk.” We live our lives. We chop the wood, and do the laundry, and cook the meals, and go to the office, and do whatever it is that we do. But we discover, to our delight, that our language has been changed. We realize that our brains have been rewired.

It is a mistake to wait for a special feeling, or a flash of light from Heaven, to believe that one has been set free from sin. It is a mistake to try and figure out “how” to stop sinning before trusting the Biblical promises, and then receiving and claiming victory over sin in Yahshua. As it is written, as you may trust completely, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” (Mat 21:22) Let neither mortal man nor fallen angel convince you of anything contrary to this; this is the saving faith. It is in the living of Christ’s life in our mortal flesh that the blessing is revealed, and that is the life of which we testify.

Now, as soon as we notice that we have been healed from sin, Satan is going to come in, so we need to be prepared for this. He will say, “This is now insanity indeed! Nothing has changed about you except your feelings for a little while. You will soon return to your carnal habits, all the things you left behind.” But at that point, we stand in our integrity. We let our lips declare that we have gained the victory, and that our faith is invincible. We refuse to debate with the Enemy, but say to Him, “Get behind me, you defeated foe.” Do not speak to him, except to remind Him that He has been overcome in the world, and in your life, and claim this promise: “Submit yourselves therefore to Yahweh. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) The devil cannot change his mindset either, you see. He is bound by his character also, and so he becomes very predictable, even with all his great intellect and knowledge, when he is in the presence of the divine.

So, we have this warning, this preparation, and these instructions. This is how we are sanctified, how we maintain the justification given to us when we chose to believe. “The wicked one toucheth us not,” (1 John 5:18) because we do not let our minds remain under His influence. It is a mind as different from the normal as the normal is different from the obviously diseased. We have been cleansed from the insanity of unrighteousness, and from the sickness of sin. Believe that. And be amazed that there are people in the Churches of the world who think that this is a slow, uncertain process. It is not. It cannot be. Reject that falsehood; dispute it with great authority, because we know our Father, and we know our Savior, and we know how They heal. We know how They restore. We know how They create. It is with a word, and in a moment. He is not a god of the dead, of the evolutionary, of the slow. He is the God of the living, of the creative, and of the miraculously transformed.

Finally, Paul writes, “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (1Cor 15:52) Do not be deceived into thinking that this is how it is for the body alone, and not the mind and spirit. No, in the day that Christ returns, the body will finally reflect the transformation that has taken place in the mind and spirit. But it is a transformation of the same quality, of the same nature. And it takes place in just exactly the same way... in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Remember the change in Babel. Remember every healing miracle of Christ. That is how the Father and Son do Their work, and though we may not see it, though we may not notice the moment in which we are healed... we ARE healed, and we are healed completely, and we are healed forever. We praise the God of perfect creation, of perfect healing. And we invite others, who have not yet had their brains healed, to put themselves into Yah’s hands, to trust His restorative work, and to “rise up and walk.”

Because of this faith, because we do not even conceive of the idea that our Father’s promises will fail, by this very faith we are healed. By our faith we discover that we have given up sin. We did not have to work for our freedom. We did not have to practice righteousness in order to “get it right.” We did not have to force habits, like the Pharisees, who added many unnecessary rules to the Scriptures. No, it is all Sabbath. It is all by faith. By faith we have given up sin. By faith we obey the instructions of holiness. By faith we overcome. By faith we see the Father in His glory, and He places us with His Son, at His right hand now and forever more.

If you have not yet believed it, believe it. If you have not yet chosen it, choose it. If you have not yet claimed it, claim it. If you have not yet had it, have it.

David.

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