VICTORY IN CHRISTIAN WARFARE
(Second Edition)
CHAPTER 15 The Final Battle: God Equips Us
So far, we have looked at the inward conflict between the two natures of the justified—the sinful nature and the divine nature—and how to ensure that the divine nature has the supremacy. We have also looked at God’s call to pray, which is to intercede, for others. But God’s battle plan also calls for us to help others so that they might be saved. This is the subject to which we now turn in this chapter.
Christ Equips the Labourers
Christ, when He was on earth, spoke a parable, which is a short story conveying a moral lesson, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several [individual] ability; and straightway took his journey.” Matthew 25:14, 15.
Let us first unpack the symbolism of Christ’s parable before we attempt to understand its moral lesson. In the parable, a man has servants. The subject of the parable then is that God has claims on all humanity as His servants.
But not all of humanity recognise God’s claims on them. Therefore, in the parable, it is only Christians, those who have professed to accept Christ’s service, who are represented in the parable as Christ’s own servants. In other words, the “servants” (Matthew 25:14) represent the followers of Christ.
The man in the parable who travels to a far country represents Christ, who at the time He spoke this parable, was soon to die, be resurrected, and ascend to heaven from which He originally came to the earth. The far country then is heaven.
The “talents” (Matthew 25:15) in the parable represent money. This is symbolic of all the talents, which are aptitudes, that God bestows to equip individuals. In the parable, some receive more money than others. The money is bestowed according to their individual ability, that is, by implication, according to their individual ability to put the money to use and to multiply it. So it is in the real world, some have more talents (aptitudes) than others.
Let us now try to learn the moral lesson of the parable. The lesson is that Christ, who has ascended to heaven, has claims on every Christian, who are those who profess that they have accepted God’s call to place themselves in Christ’s service.
Every Christian has received talents (aptitudes) from God, some receiving more than others, and so every Christian is called to become “labourers together with God.” 1 Corinthians 3:9. They are to use these talents (aptitudes) from God to work in cooperation with Christ for the salvation of others.
In the parable, to His own servants, the Christian, Christ commits “his goods” (Matthew 25:14)—something to be put to use for Him. Thus, Christ gives “to every man his work.” Mark 13:34. Some of these “goods” (Matthew 25:14) are intangible such as the gifts of the Holy Spirit—mental faculties, speech, influence, time, health, strength, kindly impulses and affections. Other “goods” (Matthew 25:14) are tangible such as money.
Nevertheless, all of Christ’s goods are to be put to use for Him. For God gives all these to the Christian in order to equip them for labour in His cause on earth which is the salvation of souls, that is, the saving of persons from eternal death.
So, Christ teaches that the true object of life is ministry to others so that they might be saved and have eternal life. That is, Christ’s followers have been redeemed, bought back from Satan by Christ’s blood, for service. Therefore, Christ gives to His followers the law of service—service to God and service to their fellow men.
All of this then is included in the moral lesson of the parable which Christ taught when He was on earth.
Christian Ministry
Christ, at the end of His life on earth and before He was crucified, prayed to the Father, saying, “I have glorified thee” (John 17:4), I have fully manifested your character of love, “on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. “ John 17:4. So, Christ Himself was a worker for the salvation of all.
We too then, as Christians and according to the godly example given us in the life of Christ when He was on earth, should glorify God by our lives and finish the work that God has given us to do.
We should give up our own pleasure and bend all our time and energies to sowing the gospel seed, for God is He “who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:4. If we do so, we will live in accordance with God’s law of love.
God says that as Christians we should be able to say in truth, “Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” 1 Corinthians 4:1, 2. We are to put Christ’s goods to use in blessing others with the utmost of our ability at all times as we go about our “Father’s business.” Luke 2:49. “Not slothful in business; [but] fervent in spirit” (Romans 12:11), in mental disposition; “serving the Lord.” Romans 12:11.
“The liberal [generous] soul shall be made fat [blessed]: and he that watereth [gives a drink of water] shall be watered also himself [receive a drink of water].” Proverbs 11:25. By living to minister to others, the Christian is brought in connection with Christ, for the law of service is the connecting link that binds us to God and to our fellow man. In this way, both ourselves and our fellow men are blessed by God. This then is the definition of Christian ministry.
Where to Labour
We may ask, “Where shall we labour for God?” The answer is that just as surely as Christ has said, “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2) in the heavenly “mansions” (John 14:2), so surely there is a special place on earth designated by God where each Christian is to work for God. If we daily live in close, intimate, communion with God there is no possibility of us making a mistake in identifying that special place designated by God where we are to labour.
Gifts of the Holy Spirit1
God says, “Now there are diversities [a variety] of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations [service], but the same Lord. And there are diversities [a variety] of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal [all together].” 1 Corinthians 12:4-7. The talents that Christ entrusts to His church represent especially the gifts and blessings imparted by the Holy Spirit.
“For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits” (1 Corinthians 12:8-10), discerning of either demonic spirits or the divine spirit; “to another divers kinds [a variety] of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame [same] Spirit, dividing [distributing] to every man severally [individually] as he will. 1 Corinthians 12:10, 11.
As was said before, all Christians do not receive the same gifts (talents or aptitudes), but to every servant of Christ, our Master, some gift of the Holy Spirit is promised. In this way God equips the Christian for labour in the cause of God on earth which is the salvation of all humanity, that is, the saving of souls from eternal death.
“Unto every one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ” (Ephesians 4:7), the Holy Spirit “dividing [distributing] to every man severally [individually] as He will.” 1 Corinthians 12:11. The gifts are already guaranteed us by God’s plan of redemption, the gospel, but their actual possession depends upon our reception of the Spirit of God through repentance and faith in Christ.
How do these gifts of the Holy Spirit work? The answer is that learning, talents (aptitudes), eloquence, every natural or acquired endowment may be possessed, but without the presence of the Spirit of God working with us, no heart will be touched, no sinner converted to Christ.
On the other hand, if the Christian has a connection with God through Christ, if the gifts of the Spirit of God are theirs, then the poorest and most ignorant of Christ’s disciples will have a power that will have an impact on hearts. God makes such disciples His channel for the accomplishments of the highest influence in the universe, of God Himself.
“All things are of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:18. We must submit ourselves to God’s will so that we may be justified by God and, hence, God can work through us to convert to Christ those perishing in their sins. In such a work, there is no merit in the human being so that a great work is accomplished for sinners, but it is God who does the work.
In the case of the genuine Christian, this is the “work of faith, and labour of love” (1 Thessalonians 1:3) and “this is acceptable with God.” 1 Peter 2:20.
Other Talents2
The special gifts of the Spirit are not the only talents (aptitudes) represented in the parable of the talents (money) which Christ taught. It includes all gifts and endowments, whether original or acquired, natural or spiritual. All are to be employed in Christ’s service in blessing our fellow human beings.
In the parable, one received five talents, another two talents, and yet another one talent, everyone “according to his several [individual] ability.” Matthew 25:15. God does not apportion the talents (aptitudes) unpredictably. He who has ability to use five talents receives five. He who can improve but two, receives two. He who can wisely use only one, receives one. God only expects returns “according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.” 2 Corinthians 8:12.
The question that most concerns us regarding talents (aptitudes) is not, “How much have I received from God?” Instead, the question is, “What am I doing with that which I have?” Having made a profession of faith in Christ, we have pledged ourselves to God to become all that it is possible for us to be as workers for Christ, our Master. Therefore, we should cultivate every one of our faculties to the highest degree of perfection so that we may do the greatest amount of good of which we are capable.
God says, let this be the purpose of your heart, “I press toward the mark [goal] for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14), the high calling of a life of holiness.
Mental Faculties
God requires the training of the mental faculties. He designs that His servants shall possess more intelligence and clearer discernment than the worldly-minded person. God is displeased with those who are too careless or too lazy to become efficient, well-informed workers for God.
He bids us to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” Matthew 22:37. This puts upon us the obligation of developing the intellect to its fullest capacity, that with all the mind we may know and love God, our “Creator” Ecclesiastes 12:1.
God says, “He that hearkeneth [is obedient] unto counsel” (Proverbs 12:15), from God, “is wise.” Proverbs 12:15. “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.” Proverbs 9:9.
Such a person can say in truth, “Thou [God] through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.” Psalm 119:98. Christians are not to be such that “the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light” (Luke 16:8), wiser than the children of God.
The uneducated man who is consecrated to God and who longs to bless others can be, and is, used by the Lord in His service. But those who, with the same spirit of consecration, have had the benefit of a thorough education, can do a much more extensive work for Christ. For they have an advantage over the uneducated.
Speech
God says, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” 1 Corinthians 15:33. A corrupt communication does not mean only words that are vile. It means any expression contrary to holy principles and contrary to “pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father.” James 1:27. It includes impure hints and covert insinuations of evil. Unless instantly resisted, these lead to great sin. Therefore, we should be careful of our words.
“But sanctify [regard with reverence] the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” 1 Peter 3:15. We should speak of Christ to those who know Him not. Wherever we are, we should watch for an opportunity to speak to others of Christ, our Saviour.
If we follow Christ’s example in doing good, hearts will open to us as they did to Him. We can tell them, not in an abrupt manner, but with the tact born of divine love, of Christ who is the “Chiefest among ten thousand” (Song of Solomon 5:10) and the One “altogether lovely.” Song of Solomon 5:16. This is the very highest work in which we can employ the talent of speech. It was given to us that we might present Christ as the sin-pardoning Saviour.
Influence
God says that the Christian should be able to say of themselves in truth, “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” 2 Corinthians 5:14, 15.
God has invested every person with an influence that makes it impossible for anyone to live for himself or herself. For we are, individually, connected with our fellow human being, a part of God’s great whole, and so we stand under mutual obligations. This is a responsibility from which we cannot free ourselves.
Our words, our actions, our deportment, even our facial expression, has an influence. Upon the impression made by these there hangs results for good or evil which no one can measure. If by our example we aid others in the development of good principles, we give them power to do good. In their turn, they exert the same influence upon others, and these others upon still others. Thus, by our unconscious influence thousands may be blessed.
Never should we forget that influence is no less a power for evil. To lose one’s own soul, which is to lose eternal life, is a terrible thing; but to cause the loss of other souls is still more terrible. That our influence should be a “savour of death unto death” (2 Corinthians 2:16), which is to say, the cause of the eternal death of others, is a fearful thought; yet this is possible. Therefore, we should be careful of the kind of influence that we have on others.
Time
Time is a talent that God has given to every human being. This talent, like all other talents, is to be used in the cause of God on earth which is the salvation of souls from eternal death.
Redeeming the Time
God says to all Christians, “See then that ye walk circumspectly [prudently], not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time” (Ephesians 5:15, 16), that is, rescuing the time from being lost, or in other words, improving your opportunity, “because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:16, 17.
“Walk in wisdom toward them that are without” (Colossians 4:5), that is to say, them that are outside the Christian faith, “redeeming the time.” Colossians 4:5. We may ask, “How do I redeem the time by making the best use of it?” The answer is that we have to look no further than the life of Christ when He was on earth. Christ spent all His energies and time working for the saving souls and so should we.
Our time belongs to God. Every moment is His, and we are under the most solemn obligation to improve it to His glory. Of no talent He has given will He require a stricter account than of our time.
Finding Time
God says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33. This means that we should give God first place in our lives, and God promises that if we do so, He will supply all our needs, both physical and spiritual.
Now, a key aspect of our lives which is impacted by our becoming a true Christian is the use of our time. As a Christian, we must prioritise and find time each day for “spiritual things” (1 Corinthians 2:13), which is to say, we must find time for God each day.
Otherwise our profession of faith in Christ will be only lip service and we will be Christians in name only and destined for “the second death” (Revelation 20:6) when we will cease to exist. Often, finding time for God will mean the giving up and weeding out of our lives many of the things that daily consume our time. Often our entire daily and weekly schedule will need to be reorganised.
You may ask, “How can I decide what activities can be dispensed with?” The answer is, apply this simple test. Consider your activities outside of useful labour which is work that must be done by someone, for example, the washing of clothes is useful labour. Ask yourself, “Will the activity help me in my spiritual life so that, at the end of the world as we know it, when Christ returns to the earth, I will receive ‘the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him (James 1:12)?’ “
That is, will this activity cause me to “have right to the tree of life” (Revelation 22:14) so that I may have eternal life? If the answer is, No, then dispense with this activity. Everyone can find time in a day for God. Christianity requires an intelligent faith and we must intelligently analyse our use of time and reorganise this for our own spiritual benefit.
Now, God says, “no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11. Thus, if we are faithful and diligent to make the best use of our time given our present circumstances, God will respond by reshaping our circumstances so that adequate time can be allocated to spiritual things.
In other words, God “is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrew 11:6. God’s providence may lead us in a path that is vastly different from what we had envisioned for our lives. Even then we are trust in God, for God says, “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Jeremiah 29:11.
If we do not resist God’s will for us, but instead allow God to control our lives, including our time, thereby leading us from sin to holiness, we shall be saved.
The Sabbath
God says, in the fourth of His “ten commandments” (Exodus 34:28), “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.” Exodus 20:8-10.
“For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:11), which is to say, that God made the Sabbath day holy.
Moreover, God says, “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of…[my people]: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” Isaiah 58:13, 14. If we honour God’s holy Sabbath day, He will richly bless us.
God requires that we take one-seventh of our time on the seventh day of the week, which is from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, to worship Him. We should do no secular work on the Sabbath nor cause anyone to do such work on the Sabbath. Instead we should engage in “spiritual things.” 1 Corinthians 2:13. The day is not to be spent in idleness. On the Sabbath, we may, for example, go to church, enjoy God’s created works in nature, do “good works” (Ephesians 2:10) such as visiting the sick, study the Bible, pray.
You may ask, “Which church should I attend on the Sabbath?” The answer is, as you may recall was said before, that you should join the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which I recommend to you as a member of that church. But do not join the Seventh-day Adventist Church on my recommendation only. Instead take the matter to God in prayer and let Him lead you. I am sure that God will lead you to join the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Health
God says, “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God” (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20), bring honour and glory to God, “in your body, and in your spirit [mind], which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:20.
Health is a blessing of which few appreciate the value; yet upon it the efficiency of our mental and physical powers largely depends. Anything that lessens physical strength enfeebles the mind and makes it less capable of discriminating between right and wrong. We become less capable of choosing the good and have less strength of will to do that which we know to be right.
Those who shorten their lives and unfit themselves for service by disregarding nature’s laws, are guilty of robbery toward God. And they are robbing their fellow men also. The opportunity of blessing others, the very work for which God sent them into the world, has by their own course of action been cut short. The Lord holds us guilty when by our injurious habits we thus deprive the world of good.
Transgression of physical law is transgression of the moral law; for God is as truly the author of physical laws as He is the author of the moral law. His law is written with His own finger upon every nerve, every muscle, every faculty, which has been entrusted to man. And every misuse of any part of our organism is a violation of that law. So, God requires that we maintain optimal physical health so that our life is not cut short and so that we can indeed be a blessing to the world as God intended.
Strength
We are to love God, not only “with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37), but “with all thy strength.” Mark 12:30. “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.” Ecclesiastes 9:10. This covers the full, intelligent use of the physical powers.
Christ was a true worker in temporal as well as in spiritual things, and into all His work He brought a determination to do His Father’s will, and He is humanity’s perfect Example.
All our work is to be done from love to God and in accordance with His will and “with all thy strength.” Mark 12:30. But God will not accept the greatest talents or the most splendid service unless self is dead. The spring of action must be holy, else whatever we do cannot be acceptable to God.
The case of a man named Daniel has a lesson for us. We learn of Daniel that in all his business transactions, when subjected to the closest scrutiny, “they could find none occasion [pretext] nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.” Daniel 6:4. He was a sample of what every businessman may be. His history shows what may be accomplished by one who consecrates the strength of brain and bone and muscle, of heart and life, to the service of God.
Money
“Thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth.” Deuteronomy 8:18. It is God who provides us with wealth to be used according to His purposes.
The Purpose of Money
Money has great value, because it can do great good. In the hands of God’s children, it is food for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, and clothing for the naked. It is a defence for the oppressed, and a means of help to the sick.
But money is of no more value than sand, only as it is put to use in providing for the necessities of life, in blessing others, and advancing the cause of Christ. In the use of every penny, it will be seen whether we love God supremely and our neighbour as ourselves.
“The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.” Haggai 2:8. All humanity may then say of God, “all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine” (1 Chronicles 29:11) and “all things come of thee.” 1 Chronicles 29:14.
All of mankind then and, in particular, Christians, are stewards, that is to say, managers, of that which belongs to God. Thus, mankind owns nothing in that God has only placed “his goods” (Matthew 25:14) in their hands to use wisely for themselves, and to use in such a manner that they are a blessing to others. He who realizes that his money is a talent from God will use it economically, and will feel it a duty to save that he may give.
Tithes and Offerings
Furthermore, God said to ancient Israel before the first coming of Christ, “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’S: it is holy unto the LORD.” Leviticus 27:30. “Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.” Deuteronomy 14:22. “And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.” Leviticus 27:32.
The tenth, the tithe, of all their increase was set aside as holy to the Lord and was to be used for sustenance of the priests who “ministered” (Numbers 3:4) regarding holy things. Also, when Christ was on earth, He rebuked the rulers in Israel, for He said, “Ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin [cumin], 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.” Matthew 23:23.
Thus, Christ affirmed the setting aside of a tithe as holy. This practice which God commanded Israel to do was not for them only but also for the whole world. Today, in the twenty-first century, the practice is still applicable and the tithe, a tenth, which is ten percent, as holy, is to be given to the church for support of the ministers.
For God says, “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat [food] in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. “ Malachi 3:8-10.
“And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.” Malachi 3:11, 12.
God says, we are to return to Him not only the tithe which is ten percent of our increase, but also “freewill offerings” (Leviticus 22:18), where an offering is any amount of money given to the cause of God on earth. Those who do not return to God tithes and offerings have robbed God and are cursed. Those who bring the tithes into the storehouse which is the church are blessed by God.
How do we calculate the tithe? Is it ten percent of our gross income or ten percent of our net income? God says the tithe is a tenth of all our increase, therefore, it is ten percent of our gross income. If there is no income, then there is no tithe to return to God. For God says, “It is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.” 2 Corinthians 8:12. You should return tithe on a particular increase only once and not over and over again.
Our Responsibility
We are not to transfer the large share of our money or wealth to others for God has given us money and wealth so that we may ourselves minister to the world. Our responsibility cannot be transferred to others and we still receive God’s favour. He will hold us accountable in the judgment for our individual stewardship of these resources.
Kindly Impulses and Affections
Kindly affections, generous impulses, and a quick apprehension of spiritual things are precious talents, and lay their possessor under a weighty responsibility. All are to be used in God’s service. Those who possess large affections are under obligation to God to bestow them, not merely on their friends, but on all who need their help.
Social advantages are talents, and are to be used for the benefit of all within reach of our influence. The love that gives kindness to only a few is not love, but selfishness. It will not in any way work for the good of souls or the glory of God. Such are guilty before God for misused and unimproved talents.
God and Our Talents
We will now look at the remaining moral lessons to be learned from the parable which Christ taught.
Talents Multiplied by Use
In the parable, “He that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents; and likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.” Matthew 25:16, 17.
Talents used are talents multiplied. God desires us to use every gift we have; and if we do this, we shall have greater gifts to use. By every wholehearted, earnest sacrifice for the Master’s service our powers will increase. Every effort made for Christ will react in blessing upon ourselves.
The One Talent
“But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.” Matthew 25:18. It was the one with the smallest gift who left his talent unimproved. But God says, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.” Luke 16:10.
The Lord in His distribution of gifts is testing character. The man who neglected to improve his talent proved himself an unfaithful servant. Had he received five talents, he would have buried them as he buried the one. His misuse of the one talent showed that he despised the gifts of heaven.
Talents Returned
“After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.” Matthew 25:19. To each of those who had multiplied their talents, “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” Matthew 25:21.
When the Lord takes account of His servants, the return from every talent will be scrutinized. The work done reveals the character of the worker. When the Master receives the talents, He approves and rewards the workers as though the merit were all their own. It is the faithfulness, the loyalty to God, the loving service, that wins the divine approval.
“Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed” (Matthew 25:24), not winnowed by separating the husks from the wheat: “And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.” Matthew 25:25.
The master does not deny the charge of the wicked servant, unjust as it is; but taking him on his own ground he shows that his conduct is without excuse. Ways and means had been provided whereby the talent might have been improved to the owner’s profit. “Thou oughtest,” he said, “to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury” (Matthew 25:27), with interest.
Our heavenly Father requires no more nor less than He has given us ability to do. He lays upon His servants no burdens that they are not able to bear. All that He claims from us we through divine grace can render.
The Lord measures with exactness every possibility for service. The unused capabilities are as much brought into account as are those that are improved.
The Talent Removed
Upon the slothful servant the sentence was, “Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.” Matthew 25:28. The talent is taken from the one who hid it in the earth and given to the one who had received five talents, and who by trading had gained another five, so that he had a total of ten talents.
Here, as in the reward of the faithful worker, is indicated not merely the reward at the final judgment but the gradual process of retribution in this life. As in the natural, so in the spiritual world: every power unused will weaken and decay.
“The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal [all together].” 1 Corinthians 12:7. Employed to bless others, his gifts increase. Shut up to self-serving they diminish, and are finally withdrawn. He who refuses to impart that which he has received will at last find that he has nothing to give. He is consenting to a process that surely dwarfs and finally destroys the faculties of the soul.
Giving an Account
God calls upon all humanity to “watch for your souls, as they that must give account” (Hebrews 13:17), as they that ought to work for the salvation of every human being according to God’s battle plan, the Bible. Those who have accepted God’s call and have entered His service, God equips with “spiritual gifts” (1 Corinthians 12:1) from the Holy Spirit and other talents, all of which are God’s goods, to be put to use in God’s cause.
In the end, at the day of final rewards for all humanity, God will say to each person, “Give an account of thy stewardship” (Luke 16:2) of my goods. “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:14. Thus, in the coming judgment it is God “who will render to every man according to his deeds.” Romans 2:6.
In the great judgment day those who have not worked for Christ, those who have drifted along, carrying no responsibility, thinking of themselves, pleasing themselves, will be placed by “the Judge of all the earth” (Genesis 18:25) with those who did evil. They all receive the same condemnation of God’s law of love and are sentenced to eternal death. But those who have worked willingly and faithfully for Christ will receive the reward of eternal life.
- Ellen G. White, (egwwritings.org), Christ’s Object Lessons, pages 327, 328. ↩︎
- Ellen G. White, (egwwritings.org), Christ’s Object Lessons, pages 328-365. ↩︎