Christ Was Enoch's Saviour

An Excerpt from "Christian Perfection"

Manuscript 13, 1899

Mrs. E. G. White

“This is the condemnation that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light.” They will not come to the light, for fear that their deeds will be reproved. This is the position taken by many. Their names are in the church books. They observe a round of ceremonies, but they do not love the truth. They have been satisfied to stand at the door. They do not press their way into Christ’s presence, to share with Him the glory of His royal life. Their characters are not brought into harmony with the truth. They have not the faith that works by love and purifies the soul. Evil-speaking, evil-surmising, dishonest actions, cast a dark shadow athwart their pathway. Their faith sinks into this shadow of shame, and they feel that they are separated from Christ. There is a sting in the conscience, a condemnation in the life. They feel a desire to hide away from God. Light has come into the world, but they love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. {Ms13-1899.13}

Is not this the reason [for] our dwarfed spirituality? Is not this the reason why we have so little faith? We live under a sense of condemnation. The time has come when it is for our eternal interest to believe in Christ. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” He is the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. He says, “I will write my law in their hearts.” He will create in those who come to him in faith a divine principle of holiness, which shall rule in the soul, enlightening the understanding and captivating the affections. {Ms13-1899.14}

Full and free the invitation comes to us, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” What an invitation! It was this invitation that He gave to Enoch before the world was destroyed by the flood. That time was no more favorable to the development of Christlike character than is the present time, yet we read that Enoch walked with God. Christ was as verily Enoch’s Saviour as He is our Saviour, and in His power, notwithstanding the corruption of that degenerate age, Enoch perfected a Christian character. {Ms13-1899.15}

The voice saying to us, “He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness,” said the same words to Enoch, assuring him that if he followed the Saviour, he would not walk in the darkness of ignorance. {Ms13-1899.16}

The Lord instructed Enoch, and made him His watchman. He was a faithful witness for God. He warned the inhabitants of the old world not to follow the example of the Cain-worshipers, but to serve the living God. “Enoch also the seventh from Adam prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches, which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” {Ms13-1899.17}

It is our privilege to walk as did Enoch. Christ has assured us that those who walk in His steps are His disciples, His true representatives. He says, “I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” Is not this sufficient assurance? Should not these words fill us with holy peace and joy? {Ms13-1899.18}

“Herein is my Father glorified,” Christ declares, “that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you, continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” The greatest sin we can cherish is the sin of unbelief. Many say, “I do not know how to be a Bible Christian.” It is because you do not receive Christ a sin-pardoning Saviour. Therefore your experience is full of inconsistency and unbelief. No one can have joy and peace who does not receive and obey Christ’s words. {Ms13-1899.19}

We need the riches of faith and love. But we can only obtain these by surrendering the will to Christ. When we take the Saviour at his word, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight, complete unity will prevail. We shall constantly grow more like our Leader. His character has been plainly revealed, and we have been plainly told that we are to be like Him. Our watchword is, “Go forward.” Pressing onward to the Light of life means victory. Do not deplore the crookedness of your past life; for this does not bring strength but weakness. We see much in our hearts that is dark and forbidding, and there is much we do not see at all, but God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things. All unbelief is moral deformity. In bemoaning our past there is no healing balm, but only sorrow and sin, which makes the heart sick and faint. Thus we become more and more discouraged. Might we not better look to the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world? {Ms13-1899.20}

Mrs. E. G. White, Manuscript 13, 1899