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[sky]

This statement was quoted in an article: “A storm is coming, relentless in its fury,” says God’s messenger to the remnant, "Are we prepared to meet it?” Testimonies for the Church pg 315.
 
The full statement reads thus: "A storm is coming, relentless in its fury. Are you prepared to meet it? Are you one with Christ as He is one with the Father?"
 
Unless we become one with Christ as He is one with the Father we are not prepared to meet the coming storm. The question is, How do we become one with Christ as He is one with the Father?
 
This is no little thing to be one with Christ as He is one with the Father.
 
"The only condition upon which the freedom of man is possible is that of becoming one with Christ." D.A.466.
 
"It is by receiving the life for us poured out on Calvary's cross that we may live the life of holiness. And this life we receive by receiving His word, by doing those things which He has commanded. Thus we become one with Him." D.A.660. "His power, His very life, dwells in His word. Receive the word in faith and it will give you power to obey." Mount of Blessing, p.150.
 
"As our physical life is sustained by food, so our spiritual life is sustained by the word of God. Every soul is to receive life from God's word for himself." D.A.390.
 
"In every command and in every promise of the word of God is the power, the very life of God by which the command may be fulfilled and the promise realized... The creative energy that called the worlds into existence is in His word. That word imparts power, it begets life. Accepted by the will, received into the soul, it brings with it the life of the Infinite One. It transforms the nature and re-creates the soul in the image of God. The life thus imparted is in like manner sustained, by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Christ's Object Lessons, p.38; Education, p.126.
 
These statements are priceless. They are paraphrases of John 6:63,68.
 
This is how we become one with Christ, by receiving the Scriptures as the voice of God speaking to the soul. "I will never forget Your commandments for by them You have given me life." Ps.119:93,50.
 
"My son, give attention to My words; incline your ear to My sayings;
  Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of
  your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to
  all their flesh." Proverbs 4:20-22.
 
"The reception of the word (not written merely but spoken), the bread from Heaven, is the reception of Christ Himself." Review and Herald, Vol.3, p.519; Ministry of Healing, p.122.

sky
 
 

[inga]

Thank you for that question, Sky.

There's a corollary to that one. And that is, "How do we become one with each other?"

It seems to me that we cannot become "one with Christ" without becoming one with each other. After all, Christ's prayer for His disciples down through the ages was, "
And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. ... Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.(John 17:11, 21-23)

In a similar vein, Christ said, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John 13:35)

Is it also possible that to the extent we do not have this love that makes us "one," we are not one with Christ?

Is there any other objective measurement of being "one with Christ"?

I wonder whether doctrinal correctness may, in the end, prove to be of less consequence than this "oneness" for which Christ prayed.

Thanks for providing us this food for thought.

[reddogs]

I have always believed that this is the work of the Holy Spirit, since the disciples before Pentecoast were competing with each other to see who would sit were, or how important they were or what they would do to defend Christ, etc...but afterward, they seemed transformed completely with all the pride and self gone.....

[sky]

Inga, right on! If we are one with Christ we will be one and we will see eye to eye, having the same mind, the mind of Christ, (1 Cor.2:16), and the same judgment.

The Lord Himself has given the command: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." Phil.2:5.

The matter of salvation is just as simple as ABC but many do not understand it!

Thanks for your input!

sky

[inga]

I have always believed that this [being one with another] is the work of the Holy Spirit

Is there anything for us to do?

[inga]

Inga, right on! If we are one with Christ we will be one and we will see eye to eye

On all things?

having the same mind, the mind of Christ, (1 Cor.2:16), and the same judgment.

Same judgment on all subjects? (It seems to me that's what Michael Travesser aka Wayne Bent teaches.)

The Lord Himself has given the command: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." Phil.2:5.

In what way are we to have the mind of Jesus? (Context is everything.) Again, Michael Travesser would probably agree.

Years ago, one of our popular authors (was it Marjorie Lewis Lloyd?) wrote a booklet with the title, If it's so easy, why is it so hard? That's a good question ... maybe one we should attempt to answer.

[RND]

Inga, right on! If we are one with Christ we will be one and we will see eye to eye

On all things?

having the same mind, the mind of Christ, (1 Cor.2:16), and the same judgment.

Same judgment on all subjects? (It seems to me that's what Michael Travesser aka Wayne Bent teaches.)

The Lord Himself has given the command: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." Phil.2:5.

In what way are we to have the mind of Jesus? (Context is everything.) Again, Michael Travesser would probably agree.

Years ago, one of our popular authors (was it Marjorie Lewis Lloyd?) wrote a booklet with the title, If it's so easy, why is it so hard? That's a good question ... maybe one we should attempt to answer.

Inga, you ask some pertinent questions which as part of this discussion would be helpful to explore. I wonder if sky could elaborate some for us.

While I would like to agree with all persons in Christ I don't think given the present reality we can all come to a consensus. For example, I disagree strongly with the modern dispensationalist theology and teaching regarding end times and certain teachings regarding Israel; that's not to say we can't agree on other points or come to a consensus on the divity and nature of Christ.

Maybe that's want sky was driving at.

[sky]

In 1 Corinthians 14:37 the Holy Spirit, through the apostle Paul, says, "The things which I write unto you, they are the commandments of the Lord ."

In Philippians 2:2-5, the Lord Himself has given these commands: "Fulfill My joy; be like-minded, having the same love, be of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus."

Every single one of these commandments must be received as the voice of God speaking to the soul in promise, in promise of the Spirit to fulfill God's good pleasure. "My word shall accomplish that which I please." Isa.55:11. It pleases the Lord that we fulfill His joy by being filled with the same love, that we be of one accord, of one mind. It is the good pleasure of God that the same mind which was in Christ Jesus be in us! He has willed all these things. His will is omnipotent to accomplish every jot and tittle expressed in His word if we believe His commandments. Ps.119:66. If we are willing to be as submissive to His voice as is the inanimate creation, He will perfect His will in and through us. Our part is to submit to His voice. "Submission to the word of God is restoration to one's self." E.G. White.

When we submit to His voice, we enter into rest and we cease from our own works in attempting to fulfill His will for us. His word is able to establish us, to settle us, to perfect us. Jesus is the Author of faith and He says that expecting His word to accomplish what is expressed in that word and depending upon that word and that word only to fulfill what it says, is faith, even great faith!

The Lord has spoken the word only and we must be fully convinced that what He has commanded or promised, He is able to perform. "My word shall accomplish that which I please," in the lives of those who are submissive to My voice!

Those whom God is preparing to give the last message of mercy will be of one mind and of one accord and they will see eye to eye and speak the same things. God is able to accomplish this and unless we exercise implicit belief in His word, we cannot have a part in this final work.

fair enough?

sky

[Johann]

I'm just referring to this from memory, but I know that EGW speaks clerly of how we should relate to Christian people of other denominations. She states that we are not to bring in subjects at the beginning with which we disagree. We are to dwell on where we agree, such as the relationship to Jesus Christ. Not until we have that established are we to bring in subjects where we disagree, and then only in how is shows how it ties us stronger to Jesus Christ.

Our peculiarities are important to us, and yet they have no significance to us if we are lost because we miss out in our relatiohsip with Jesus.

[Ozzie]

I'm just referring to this from memory, but I know that EGW speaks clerly of how we should relate to Christian people of other denominations. She states that we are not to bring in subjects at the beginning with which we disagree. We are to dwell on where we agree, such as the relationship to Jesus Christ. Not until we have that established are we to bring in subjects where we disagree, and then only in how is shows how it ties us stronger to Jesus Christ.

Our peculiarities are important to us, and yet they have no significance to us if we are lost because we miss out in our relatiohsip with Jesus.

So true Johann. We need to make friends with people first, so that they see Jesus through us. They don't see that if well-meaning Christians trot out all the arguments why the other person is wrong initially. That shows so much disrespect for the person, that they are not going to listen to you anyway. They have already been offended.