The first and greatest commandment is "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." Matthew 22:37. Jesus loved His Father with His whole heart. There is a second commandment that Jesus spoke of also. "And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Some teach that these two commandments do away with all the others, but that is not so. Jesus said "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." All of the other laws come under these two great laws of love. Love to God and man are the supreme laws. We cannot keep one and break the other. Only through a change of heart can we keep them both. We must be born again, and we must maintain that conversion in order to have the power of God working through us to love as did Jesus. We can gain strength in looking at Jesus as our Savior and our example in all things.

A wonderful revelation of God's grace is seen the night before Jesus was crucified. After three and a half

They did not know the Lamb had to die

years with His disciples, they dined with Him in the upper room before going to Gethsemane. It must have been a painful experience for our Savior knowing what was coming the next day seeing that His disciples were vying for the highest place among themselves. Self was alive. It was not that they had not been converted, they all had except for Judas. We do not believe in once saved always saved, they had taken their eyes off of Jesus and thus had no power against selfishness. They did not know that they were totally dependent upon Jesus in order to do any good thing. They had been taught that Jesus was going to rule from an earthly throne. They did not know the Lamb had to die even though Jesus had told them He was going to Jerusalem and there He would be betrayed and put to death.  They did not want to believe that. They did not understand that if Jesus did not die, they could not live eternally with Him. Such a perversion of the gospel message. Imagine, after three and a half years with Jesus and they did not understand the gospel message.

When self is alive and our fallen nature is in control, what can bring about a transformation of character? We can look at Jesus as our example to see what He did to bring about a transformation in His disciples that night in the upper room. All had come to the dinner with dirty feet. It was a custom to have someone wash the feet when entering the room, but there was no one to do the lowly washing. None would stoop to wash even their Messiah's feet. What did Jesus do? He being lowly and wise understood the power of grace. He was not above doing the work of a servant. Are we above such things, or are we walking in the path of our Savior? Do we study His character that we might do as He did?

"Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;  He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you." John 13:3-15. 

Yes, we do indeed do as He did in our church service prior to the Lord's Supper. We follow His example of washing the feet of another. But, there is more involved than the washing of feet. If we are to follow more closely the example of Jesus, we would search out one who had wrong us, and wash his feet. Why? In doing so, we would be doing it for the very same reason Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, to transform their character, their spirit. It was grace that was revealed to the disciples. If they had not wronged Jesus, then it would not be grace, at least to the degree that it was. If we wash the feet of ones we love and who love us, then it is not grace. But, when they ought to have washed the Son of God's feet, but instead He washed their feet, that is grace.

 

We read that Peter knew it wrong, and he refused to allow Jesus to wash his feet. But, Jesus told him that if He did not wash his feet, then he would have no part with Him. Then Peter exclaimed to wash his

All but Judas had been converted (born again)

hands and feet. Jesus then tells Peter and us that Peter did not have to be washed all over, that he had been cleansed in the great fountain opened to all who will love God supremely. He then said that only Judas was not clean. In other words, all but Judas had been converted (born again), but because they sinned, they needed to brought to repentance. Grace entered the hearts of all except Judas. Let Jesus be our example of how we deal with those who hurt us. Stephen understood the power of grace. As he was being stoned, his last words were "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. ." Acts 7:60. This act of grace allowed the Holy Spirit to woo Saul to the point of full surrender.

If we love God with the whole heart, then we shall love our neighbor our ourselves. If we do not love God with all we have and all we are, then we are not in a born again experience any more than the disciples were that night prior to Jesus washing their feet. We are beginning to understand how the pieces fit together. How did Jesus love His enemies as we read when they nailed Him to the cross? "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." He loved His Father with all of His heart, thus He had power from above. He did not use His divine power to resist temptation. He relied upon His Father for strength.

When looking to Jesus for power, He will give us the Holy Spirit. The Spirit brings with Him, love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance which is self control. All of the fruits are manifest the life of those who are fully surrendered to Jesus. And, if we have not the Spirit, we are none of His  (Romans 8:9).

Jesus is our example in all things; but he has given us no example of such selfishness as we see manifested by many who profess to be his followers. If we abide in Christ, and his love abides in us, we

The joy of Christ consists in seeing souls redeemed

shall love those for whom Christ died; for he has commanded his followers to love one another as He has loved them. Do we who profess his name obey this injunction? If we fail in this point we shall in others also. Had Christ studied his own profit, convenience, and pleasure, the world would have been left to perish in its sin and corruption.

A strange indifference in reference to the salvation of souls seems to have taken possession of many professed Christians. Sinners may be perishing all around them, and they have no particular burden in the matter. Will Christ say to these indifferent ones, “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord”? The joy of Christ consists in seeing souls redeemed through the sacrifice he has made for them.  Review and Herald, February 21, 1878.

If Jesus were just our substitute, then we would not be walking in His footsteps, we would not be filled with love for our enemy, nor would we be reflecting His character. If He was just our substitute, then where is the witness of His power to transform sinners into saints? If He is just our substitute, then what is the object lesson that points to the lamp burning only when the lamp's cord is plugged into the power point? Why would one teach that Christ is our substitute and not teach that He is our example also? When one sins, does Jesus being our substitute forgive our sins even if we do not repent? Is it not necessary to walk in the light as He is in the light? If we confess our sins, does God cleanse us from all unrighteousness, or do we need a Substitute so that we might not die?

There is a teaching regarding the heavenly sanctuary and the work being done in the Most Holy Place which began in 1844. We are all familiar with the typical Day of Atonement and understand we are living in the anti-typical Day of Atonement. What if we make Jesus our Substitute in that judgment, what would that mean? Is there some truth in Jesus being our Substitute in the day in which we are judged? Who is being judged, is it God or the sinner? It is the one who has been converted. The question to answer "is he worthy of heaven, or did he fall away from Jesus?"

 

God knows the heart, then why the investigative judgment? To reveal to the universe the truth about the

It is my character that is being judged

sinner, was he saved or lost? How is that revealed in the judgment? If Jesus developed a perfect character, which He did, then can He stand in my place in the judgment? No, He cannot. It is my character that is being judged. What is the standard in the judgment? It is the law of God, to the degree the sinner knows it. Then why is Jesus called our Substitute? Because the requirement for life is perfect obedience in the whole life. None have that to give, for all have sinned. Christ did not sin, so He can be our substitute for past sins IF we are truly repentant when we died or are sealed by the Spirit when our name comes up in the judgment. And, we know that the law is the standard by which we are to be judged, but only to the degree we understand it. Many will be judged worthy of eternal life who broke the fourth commandment because they did not know it was still binding. Then they ought not enter heaven? Jesus is their substitute because they were truly converted when they died.

How does God reveal to the universe that one is truly converted? God could just say it, but remember that Satan has accused God of being unfair. So, it is not good enough for God to say what condition the heart was in at death. He knows the heart, so the investigation is not for Him, but for the onlooking universe. What evidence is God going to use in the judgment? Daniel tells us: "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like the pure wool: His throne was like the fiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him: thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened." Daniel 7:9,10.

What books? The books in heaven that record all who have been converted, born again of the Spirit. Will their names be retained or blotted out? This is the judgment that will decide whose names may remain written in the Book of Life. Other books contain the evidence of our words, deeds, thoughts, and our motives. Yes, all is recorded. Satan will claim all who have sinned, just as He claimed the body of Moses, but even though Moses had sinned at the end of his life, he had repented, thus Christ ignored Satan's claim. What is the most important matter written down in the books? One may have broken the fourth commandment, there it is written in the book. Or, one may have kept the Sabbath Day. Remember that Saul claimed he was faultless regarding the commandments of God. And, the rich young ruler said he had kept all the commandments from his youth. Both were guilty because they were not keeping the commandments from their hearts. Their motives were selfish. We cannot know the motives of the heart, but God does and they are all written down in the books. It is the heart God wants, 100% of it. Jesus made is clear in His sermon on the mount. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." Matthew 5:27,28. The heart must be cleansed and renewed.

Again, it is the heart that is being judged. What was the motive? Was it selfish or unselfish? Jesus tell us that we may know the false teacher by his fruits. What fruits? The fruits revealed in the Book of Galatians. The life of Jesus reveals what these fruits look like in real life. We are told that one cannot get good fruits off a bad tree, nor can bad fruit come from a good tree. Like a spring, you cannot get sweet water from a bitter spring, nor can you get bitter water from a sweet spring. Yet, so many believe you can get bad fruit from a good tree, and good fruit from a bad tree. What is the lesson for us today? Do not trust in the arm of flesh. Go to Jesus and His Word if you want truth. Ask for the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom to do what is right. He will not let you down. God wants us to know the truth that we might be set free from the law of sin and death. It is a very discouraging truth to find that we are captive to the law of sin and death until we love the Lord our God with all of the heart, mind, and soul.

What will lead us to love God supremely? Seeing His true character, seeing His love for us while we are yet sinners. In one Word, His grace. It is His love we do not deserve. There is a short story I want to share with you. Never has a more important truth been revealed to mortals nor angels. Talk about God's love and grace for a world that choses to sin....

    The story of Bethlehem is an exhaustless theme. In it is hidden "the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God." Romans 11:33. We marvel at the Saviour's sacrifice in exchanging the throne of heaven for the manger, and the companionship of adoring angels for the beasts of the stall. Human pride and self-sufficiency stand rebuked in His presence. Yet this was but the beginning of His wonderful condescension. It would have been an almost infinite humiliation for the Son of God to take man's nature, even when Adam stood in his innocence in Eden. But Jesus accepted humanity when the

To fight the battle as every child of humanity must fight it, at the risk of failure and eternal loss

race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin. Like every child of Adam He accepted the results of the working of the great law of heredity. What these results were is shown in the history of His earthly ancestors. He came with such a heredity to share our sorrows and temptations, and to give us the example of a sinless life.

     Satan in heaven had hated Christ for His position in the courts of God. He hated Him the more when he himself was dethroned. He hated Him who pledged Himself to redeem a race of sinners. Yet into the world where Satan claimed dominion God permitted His Son to come, a helpless babe, subject to the weakness of humanity. He permitted Him to meet life's peril in common with every human soul, to fight the battle as every child of humanity must fight it, at the risk of failure and eternal loss.

     The heart of the human father yearns over his son. He looks into the face of his little child, and trembles at the thought of life's peril. He longs to shield his dear one from Satan's power, to hold him back from temptation and conflict. To meet a bitterer conflict and a more fearful risk, God gave His only-begotten Son, that the path of life might be made sure for our little ones. "Herein is love." Wonder, O heavens! and be astonished, O earth! Desire of Ages, pg 49.