ONE of the greatest needs in the Seventh-day Adventist Church today is for balanced Christian living. This urgent necessity is not confined to the laity or church officers alone. It is vital that every minister of righteousness maintain a proper spiritual equilibrium if his service to God and man is to be both acceptable and productive of eternal good.
Jesus, speaking to the Jewish leaders of His day, emphasized the need of balance in these words, "Ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. . . . Ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. . . . For ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity" (Matt. 23:23, 25-28).
Two thousand years ago the religious leaders were certainly devout and zealous. The letter of the law was of deep concern and anyone found violating its rabbi-interpreted legal aspects was dealt with severely.
While we do have admiration for a people who will stand unwaveringly for their convictions, it is pathetic to witness unbalanced zeal. Take another look at the picture presented by the leaders of Jesus' day. They attempted to keep the Sabbath to the very letter but neglected the spirit of the Sabbath—love. The sick or wounded ox, with no soul to save, would receive help even on the holy day but to help a man with a withered hand was sinful. The young ruler was busy in his rounds of religious activities but had failed to share his Heaven-bestowed material blessings. Ceremonial cleanliness was of utmost importance, yet the prayer of King David, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me," was all but forgotten. Tithe, a recognition of God's ownership of material possessions, was figured to the last farthing on the least of the least—mint, anise, and cummin; but all too often the heart was not given in recognition of the Messiah who authored the law of the tithe.
The lesson is clear and simple, isn't it? Zeal, fire, and conviction in certain fields of endeavor must not be regarded as license for neglecting other equally important responsibilities. Being sincere for Christ in a few chosen lines of activity does not excuse one for failing to measure up to the divine challenge of growing "up into him in all things."
A great need of the Advent Movement in the twentieth century is that which faced the Jewish church in the days of Christ. Our urgency is for balanced Christian living. As we review the vows we took on our baptismal day, we find there the recipe for a full and consistent life. Every Seventh-day Adventist minister stands in dire need of well-balanced living in these tremendous days of stress, strain, and decision.
This certainly is the hour in earth's history when we should be "giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: but in all things approving ourselves as the minister of God" (2 Cor. 6: 3, 4). It is the hour when the laity, church officers, and ministers should be witnessing by a consistent and balanced life.
This is no time for zeal that is demonstrated by a special burden for one doctrine of the faith or one aspect of Christian living to the neglect of other equally important matters. The past decades of this movement's existence have given witness to a number of individuals and groups who have spent life and means in promoting certain phases of living or on so-called pet ideas on doctrine. The subject matter itself in many cases was noble and vital, but the method of promotion and the neglect of other important truths left the sincere soul with no choice other than to declare it not of the Lord's planting. To such our Lord would say as of old, "These ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."
Even among God's ministers, zeal in preaching the doctrines, remitting a full tithe, organizing the members for soul-winning endeavor, and participating in a host of other good things is no excuse or license to be lax on careful Sabbath observance, the food question, relationship with the opposite sex, or in self-control. Divine counsel calls not only the member but, above all, the minister to be sober, "in all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech. . . . Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things" (Titus 2:7-10).
Valuable counsel has been given to the Advent ministry through the Lord's special messenger. We share a few choice but pointed thoughts for your sincere and prayerful meditation:
"Men may be able to repeat with fluency the great truths brought out with such thoroughness and perfection in our publications; they may talk fervently and intelligently of the decline of religion in the churches; they may present the gospel standard before the people in a very able manner, while the everyday duties of the Christian life, which require action as well as feeling, are regarded by them as not among the weightier matters. . . . Practical religion asserts its claims alike over the heart, the mind, and the daily life."—Testimonies, vol. 4, p. 372.
"Any habit or practice that would lead into sin, and bring dishonor upon Christ, would better be put away, whatever the sacrifice. That which dishonors God cannot benefit the soul. The blessing of heaven cannot attend any man in violating the eternal principles of right. And one sin cherished is sufficient to work the degradation of the character, and to mislead others."—The Desire of Ages, p. 439.
Fellow ministers, would it not be well for us to make a careful examination of our lives? Are we consistent in our public and private life? Will the actions, seen and unseen by human eyes, stand the scrutiny of the heavenly Watcher? May we who preach to the souls of men that "God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil" remember that with what judgment they are judged, we too will be measured.
Zeal? Yes, may God give us more—much more of it in these climactic hours of earth's history. But may it be divinely tempered, strengthened, and balanced that eternal good will come to all. As we examine ourselves in the light of full gospel truth, may the words of Jesus, "These ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone," urge us on to a balanced ministry.
