Here are the quotes on the picture, followed by some context (all-caps added for emphasis):
“We shall meet with false doctrines of every kind, and UNLESS we are acquainted with what CHRIST has said, AND are following His INSTRUCTION, we shall be led astray.” (This Day With God, p. 215, by Ellen G. White)
“The direction given by THE SON OF GOD to Moses for the INSTRUCTION of the children of Israel, is just as essential now as it was then, and it should be heeded as diligently by parents today as by God’s ancient people.” (Sabbath-School Worker, April 1, 1889, “The Responsibilities of Parents and Teachers,” par. 6, by Ellen G. White)
“Where shall we find laws more noble, pure, and just, than are exhibited on the statute-books wherein is recorded INSTRUCTION given to Moses for the children of Israel? Through all time these laws are to be perpetuated …” (The Review and Herald, February 25, 1896 issue, article title: “Higher Education,” par. 4, by Ellen G. White)
“The INSTRUCTION which Moses gave to the children of Israel concerning the statutes and the precepts of God, did not originate with Moses, but with the God of heaven. We are told that CHRIST was in the pillar of the cloud by day, and in the fiery pillar at night. Men are enshrouded in darkness, and when they array CHRIST in the New Testament against CHRIST in the Old Testament, surely wisdom has departed from them.” (The Review and Herald, July 15, 1890 issue, article title: “Obedience to the Law Necessary,” par. 5, by Ellen G. White)
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“As the people sat upon the hillside, listening to the words of Christ, they could see valleys and ravines through which the mountain streams found their way to the sea. In summer these streams often wholly disappeared, leaving only a dry and dusty channel. But when the wintry storms burst upon the hills, the rivers became fierce, raging torrents, at times overspreading the valleys, and bearing everything away on their resistless flood. Often, then, the hovels reared by the peasants on the grassy plain, apparently beyond reach of danger, were swept away. But high upon the hill were houses built upon the rock. In some parts of the land were dwellings built wholly of rock, and many of them had withstood the tempests of a thousand years. These houses were reared with toil and great difficulty. They were not easy of access, and their location appeared less easy of access than the grassy plain. But they were founded upon the rock; and wind and flood and tempest beat upon them in vain.
“Those who hear and obey the words of Christ are building upon the rock, and when the tempest comes, their house will not be overthrown. They will through faith in Christ Jesus gain eternal life. Those who are hearers but not doers of His words, are building upon a foundation of uncertainty which is sand, and calamity will overtake them.
“Had Adam and Eve heeded the words that God spoke to them in the beginning, they would not have fallen from their first estate. Our Saviour met temptation in a stronger, fiercer form than it was presented to Adam, and His only weapon was one that is within the reach of all–the Word of God. When Satan came to Christ in His weakness, and told Him to satisfy His hunger by turning the stones into bread, and thus prove Himself to be the Son of God, Christ answered, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God’ (Matthew 4:4). . . .
“WE SHALL MEET WITH FALSE DOCTRINES OF EVERY KIND, AND UNLESS WE ARE ACQUAINTED WITH WHAT CHRIST HAS SAID, AND ARE FOLLOWING HIS INSTRUCTION, WE SHALL BE LED ASTRAY.–Manuscript 27, July 25, 1886, ‘Building on the Rock.’” (This Day With God, p. 215, by Ellen G. White)
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“I feel a deep interest in our Sabbath-schools throughout the land, because I believe them to be instrumentalities of God for the education of our youth in the truths of the Bible. Constant efforts should be made by both parents and teachers to interest the youth in matters of eternal importance. The Sabbath-school is a missionary field, and very much more of the missionary spirit should be manifested in this important work than has been manifested in the past. In every grade, in both primary and advanced classes, teachers need to look constantly to the great Source of light for wisdom, for grace, and for power to mould the hearts of their scholars, and that they may deal intelligently with the purchase of Christ’s blood. Each teacher should be a humble follower of Him who is meek and lowly in heart. No one should study or work that he may be considered a superior teacher, or a person of unusual ability, but that he may lead souls to Christ. There will come temptations to weave self into all that is done, but the work will be marred if this is done, for it will lead to making dry, lengthy remarks that will fail to interest or benefit the minds of the children.
“While it is essential that wise, patient efforts should be made by the teacher, the work must not be left altogether to the Sabbath-school and church worker, but it must find its foundation and support in the work of the home. Parents have a sacred responsibility and charge committed to them, and they are called upon to keep their charge, to bear their responsibility in the fear of God, watching for the souls of their children as they who must give an account.
“Home missionary work has been strangely neglected. Those who have had the greatest reason for earnest, Christlike solicitude for the salvation of their children, have been indifferent to their responsibilities, and have lightly regarded the wants of their households. The responsibility which God has given to men and women as parents, many have shifted from themselves to the Sabbath-school worker and to the church influence. But each instrumentality has its work, and parents who neglect their part will be weighed in the balances and found wanting.
“The instruction of Christ from the pillar of cloud to the children of Israel, defines the duty of parents, and is not indefinite or hard to be understood. This instruction is for our admonition and benefit. ‘Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.’ In every work of their hands, they were to remember the commandment of the Lord. It was to be bound upon their hands, not literally, but to exert an influence over every transaction of their lives. It was to be as frontlets between their eyes. Their minds were to dwell upon the truth of God’s commandments, and they were to be governed by their principles. ‘And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shall write them upon the door-posts of thine house, and upon thy gates; that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth. For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; then will the Lord drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves. Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours; from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be. There shall no man be able to stand before you; for the Lord your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you. Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; a blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, . . . and a curse, if ye will not obey.’
“‘Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me. . . . Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but teach them thy sons, and thy son’s sons.’
“THE DIRECTION GIVEN BY THE SON OF GOD TO MOSES FOR THE INSTRUCTION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, IS JUST AS ESSENTIAL NOW AS IT WAS THEN, AND IT SHOULD BE HEEDED AS DILIGENTLY BY PARENTS TODAY AS BY GOD’S ANCIENT PEOPLE. Religion must be woven into every part of the home life if we would see the results that God has designed as the fruit of following his way. Pride, self-esteem, and boldness are marked characteristics with the children of this day, and they are the curse of the age. When I see this unchristlike, unlovely manifestation on every side, and then see parents and teachers seeking to display the ability and proficiency of their children and scholars, I am pained to the heart; for I know that it is exactly the opposite course from the one that should be pursued.
“Parents and teachers who gather their knowledge from the Bible, who are governed in mind and action by its holy principles, need not go astray, and be found in by and forbidden paths. The most sacred lessons of modesty and humility are to be taught to the children, both at home and in the Sabbath-school. They are to be instructed as to the high claims of the law of God, and as to their responsibility before him. The lessons that should be presented to them should be of such a character as would qualify them for usefulness in this life, and for a place in the future, immortal kingdom.
“‘And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.’ These words plainly define the duty of parents and teachers; and if they will follow this instruction, they will not fail to see the best results. How different would have been the scriptural record of the history of Israel, a nation so highly favored of the Lord, if they had carried out the instruction given them from the pillar of cloud by the Son of the living God! But they did not diligently follow the admonitions given. They failed to teach their children the requirements of God; and the sad results are pictured before us in a nation rejected of God. They separated so far from the wisdom of God that when the great Teacher, Jesus, the world’s Redeemer, appeared, they cried, ‘Away with him!’ The tradition of men was more highly revered than the commandments of God. False practices and human inventions had taken the place of the pure teaching of God. That which was to have become a part of their being, was regarded as of small consequence and little worth.
“When Christ came into the world to exemplify true religion, and to exalt the principles that should govern the hearts and actions of men, falsehood had taken so deep a hold upon those who had had so great light, that they no longer comprehended the light, and had no inclination to yield up tradition for truth. They rejected the heavenly Teacher, they crucified the Lord of glory, that they might retain their own customs and inventions. The very same spirit is manifested in the world today. Men are averse to investigating truth, lest their traditions should be disturbed, and a new order of things should be brought in. There is with humanity a constant liability to err, and men are naturally inclined to highly exalt human ideas and knowledge, while the divine and eternal is not discerned or appreciated. To those who were unprejudiced, the words of Christ were as the light from Heaven. ‘He spake as never man spake.’ As the great Teacher presented the absorbing realities of the eternal future, the things of this perishing world were eclipsed. How eagerly did those who had been praying for light receive the truth; but the proud and self-righteous refused his message.
“How important are the lessons that may be given to the children and youth in unfolding the Scriptures in the simplicity of Christ! Let the teacher leave all his hard, high-sounding words at home, and take only the simplest words, that will be readily comprehended by the minds of the young. But in order to be a successful teacher, not only should the methods of teaching be simple, but you must take sympathy and love with you into the Sabbath-school. The children will recognize this element, and be influenced by it. Men and women are only grown-up children. Do we not respond to words and looks of real sympathy and love? Jesus, the divine Teacher, assured his disciples of his love toward them. He assumed human nature for no other purpose than to display to men the mercy, the love, and the goodness of God in providing for the salvation and happiness of his creatures. It was for this end that he died. While uttering his tenderest words of sympathy he rejoiced in the consciousness that he intended to do ‘exceedingly abundantly,’ above what they were able to ask or think. Daily he exhibited before them, in works of blessing to man, how great was his tenderness and love to the fallen race. His heart was a fountain of inexhaustible compassion, from which the longing heart could be supplied with the water of life.
“When Jesus spoke to the people they were astonished at his doctrine; for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. The scribes had labored to establish their theories, and they had to labor to sustain them, and to keep their influence over the minds of the people by endless repetition of fables and childish traditions. The loftiest models of public instruction consisted largely in going through heartless rounds of unmeaning ceremonies and in the repetition of frivolous opinions. The teaching of Jesus inculcated the weightiest ideas and the most sublime truths in the most comprehensible and simple manner, and ‘the common people heard him gladly.’ This is the kind of instruction that should be given in our Sabbath-schools, Light, Heaven’s light, must be reflected from Jesus, the wonderful Teacher, and the souls of the children and youth must be illumined with the divine glory of his character and love. Thus the children may be led in beautiful simplicity to ‘the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.’” (Sabbath-School Worker, April 1, 1889, “The Responsibilities of Parents and Teachers,” pars. 1-11, by Ellen G. White)
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“The term ‘higher education’ is to be considered in a different light from what it has been viewed by the students of the sciences. The prayer of Christ to his Father is full of eternal truth. ‘These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son may also glorify thee; as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.’ ‘For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God; for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.’ The power and soul of true education is a knowledge of God, and of Jesus Christ whom he hath sent. ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.’
“Of Jesus it is written: ‘And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon him. . . . And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.’ A knowledge of God will constitute a kind of knowledge that will be as enduring as eternity. To learn and do the works of Christ, is to obtain a true education. Although the Holy Spirit worked the mind of Christ, so that he could say to his parents, ‘How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?’ yet he worked at the carpenter’s trade as an obedient son. He revealed that he had a knowledge of his work as the Son of God, and yet he did not exalt his divine character. He did not offer as a reason why he should not bear the burden of temporal care, that he was of divine origin; but he was subject to his parents. He was the Lord of the commandments, yet he was obedient to all their requirements, thus leaving an example of obedience to childhood, youth, and manhood.
“If the mind is set to the task of studying the Bible for information, the reasoning faculties will be improved. Under study of the Scriptures the mind expands, and becomes more evenly balanced than if occupied in obtaining general information from the books that are used which have no connection with the Bible. No knowledge is so firm, so consistent and far-reaching, as that obtained from a study of the word of God. It is the foundation of all true knowledge. The Bible is like a fountain. The more you look into it, the deeper the fountain appears. The grand truths of sacred history possess amazing strength and beauty, and are as far-reaching as eternity. No science is equal to the science that reveals the character of God. Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, yet he said: ‘Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons.’
“WHERE SHALL WE FIND LAWS MORE NOBLE, PURE, AND JUST, THAN ARE EXHIBITED ON THE STATUTE-BOOKS WHEREIN IS RECORDED INSTRUCTION GIVEN TO MOSES FOR THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL? THROUGH ALL TIME THESE LAWS ARE TO BE PERPETUATED, that the character of God’s people may be formed after the divine similitude. The law is a wall of protection to those who are obedient to God’s precepts. From what other source can we gather such strength, or learn such noble science? What other book will teach men to love, fear, and obey God as does the Bible? What other book presents to students more ennobling science, more wonderful history? It clearly portrays righteousness, and foretells the consequence of disloyalty to the law of Jehovah. No one is left in darkness as to that which God approves or disapproves. In studying the Scriptures we become acquainted with God, and are led to understand our relation to Christ, who is the sin-bearer, the surety, the substitute, for our fallen race. These truths concern our present and eternal interests. The Bible stands the highest among books, and its study is valuable above the study of other literature in giving strength and expansion to the mind. Paul says: ‘Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.’ ‘But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.’ ‘For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.’
“The word of God is the most perfect educational book in our world. Yet in our colleges and schools, books produced by human intellect have been presented for the study of our students, and the Book of books, which God has given to men to be an infallible guide, has been made a secondary matter. Human productions have been used as most essential, and the word of God has been studied simply to give flavor to other studies. Isaiah describes the scenes of heaven’s glory that were presented to him, in most vivid language. All through this book he pictures glorious things that are to be revealed to others. Ezekiel writes: ‘The word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was there upon him. And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot; and they sparkled like the color of burnished brass. And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides, and they four had their faces and their wings. Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward. As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.’ The book of Ezekiel is deeply instructive.
“The Bible is designed of God to be the book by which the understanding may be disciplined, the soul guided and directed. To live in the world and yet to be not of the world, is a problem that many professed Christians have never worked out in their practical life. Enlargement of mind will come to a nation only as men return to their allegiance to God. The world is flooded with books on general information, and men apply their minds in searching uninspired histories; but they neglect the most wonderful book that can give them the most correct ideas and ample understanding.
“How hard men work to obtain knowledge! They expend time and money in seeking to find out things that are not essential to a life of purity, that will not aid them in building up a character that will fit them to become members of the royal family, children of the Heavenly King. Some make long journeys to Jerusalem to see the place where Christ lived and taught. They listen to traditions and tales that men have invented. They spend money for that which is not bread. Christ says: ‘Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you; for him hath God the Father sealed.’ To expend time and labor in finding the places where Jesus worked in Jerusalem, cannot bring any real benefit to soul or body. The money would better be expended in helping those who are perishing out of Christ. In doing this work, we may be assured that we are working in Christ’s lines. Human guides may point to this spot or that one as a place where Jesus made his abode, and travelers may cultivate feelings of awe and reverence in looking upon various localities, and yet they have no certain knowledge that Christ ever taught there, or that his feet ever trod the soil. The only advantage that we can gain is an advantage that comes by faith in knowing and understanding the work of Christ for our soul’s salvation, in knowing the will of God in our individual cases.” (The Review and Herald, February 25, 1896 issue, article title: “Higher Education,” pars. 1-7, by Ellen G. White)
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“We should seek most earnestly to have Christ abiding in our hearts by faith, that we may be kept through temptation without sin. We should be constantly looking to the Author and Finisher of our faith, so that we can attain unto righteousness. The closer we draw to Jesus, and the more clearly we see his life and character, the less we shall think of ourselves. There are a class that say that they are sanctified, they are holy, and yet they are living in transgression of God’s law. Shall we take their word as truth, or shall we compare their characters and doctrines with the word of God? ‘To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.’ But the apostle says, ‘Hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected; hereby know we that we are in him.’ Every soul must be brought to the test of God’s great standard of righteousness; and if the character is not in accordance with God’s law, it is not in a right condition before God.
“‘Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.’ This is the only definition of sin given in the Holy Scriptures, and we should seek to understand what sin is, lest any of us be found in opposition to the God of heaven. We are required to be in a position of obedience to all of God’s commandments. Our salvation cost our Lord too much for us to be found going on in uncertainty when eternal interests are involved, therefore we should open our minds and search the Scriptures, so that we may know for ourselves how we can stand under the banner of Prince Immanuel. God requires at this moment just what he required of Adam in paradise before he fell–perfect obedience to his law. The requirement that God makes in grace is just the requirement he made in paradise. We want to understand the claims of God upon us that we may reach the hearts of men, and teach them what God’s word requires of them in order that they may have eternal life. We must live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Our Saviour has told us that in these last days there would be false doctrines and false teachers who would lead the people to accept fables and customs and practices of men, instead of the commandments of God, and that our world would be flooded with heresies. Are we bringing in heresies to turn souls from the truth of God’s word? We want the truth of God’s word on every point, and we need to practice it. Those who follow the course of error and live in transgression of the law of God, will not follow that course alone; there will be others who will imitate their example.
“We must inquire what captain we are following, under whose banner we are standing. Satan was the first transgressor of the law of Jehovah. We read in the Bible how sin entered into the world. Satan was the first one who ever questioned the holy will of God, and his very first work was to transgress God’s law, and then he came to Adam and Eve in Eden, and through his temptations caused them to break the commandments of God. Satan thought to win the human family to his side that they might war against the family in heaven. It was Satan’s plan to war against the God of heaven. God has a constitution and laws to govern those whom he has created, and it would be a terrible thing if any of us should be found on the wrong side, warring against the government of Heaven. There are many deceptions to lead us away from the truth. Many think that Adam and Eve were very foolish in listening to the voice of the tempter that caused their fall from the high and holy estate, yet those who criticise do the same thing. Why do not the children of Adam who find fault with him for his sin, cease themselves to transgress?
“John brings the commandments of God to view away down this side of the crucifixion of Christ, and shows their positive, binding claims upon men. Those who have taken the position that the commandments of God were done away when Christ hung upon the cross, are in harmony with the great deceiver. God has made his constitution and his laws, and he can encircle in his arms those who are obedient, and shield them from the powerful deceptions of Satan. When the foundations of the earth were laid, then was laid the foundation of the Sabbath, and the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.
“God repeated his holy law upon Sinai, precept by precept, that his people might not be left to dishonor him in disobeying his statutes, and he declares that we shall live in them if we obey them. Yet the Christian world claims that Christ died upon Calvary’s cross to abolish the law of God. We have the types and the shadows in the ceremonial laws, and these were to last until they should meet the reality. The sacrificial offerings were continually revealing the fact that Christ was coming to our world, and when type met antitype in the death of Christ, then the sacrificial offerings, typifying Christ, were no more of any value, but the royal law of God could not be changed. Jesus addressed his disciples and the Pharisees in these words: ‘Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven.’ The words of Christ in the day of God’s retributive judgment will be sufficient to condemn the transgressor if there was not another evidence of the perpetuity of the law of Jehovah. There is no shadow in the precepts of the decalogue. The ten commandments are not a type. God gave his law, and in the fourth precept of the decalogue is his Sabbath, the very day on which we have turned aside from worldly business in order to observe it as a memorial of the creation of the heaven and the earth; and just as long as heaven and earth shall remain, just so long will this law be binding upon those who are living upon the earth. THE INSTRUCTION WHICH MOSES GAVE TO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL CONCERNING THE STATUTES AND THE PRECEPTS OF GOD, DID NOT ORIGINATE WITH MOSES, BUT WITH THE GOD OF HEAVEN. WE ARE TOLD THAT CHRIST WAS IN THE PILLAR OF THE CLOUD BY DAY, AND IN THE FIERY PILLAR AT NIGHT. MEN ARE ENSHROUDED IN DARKNESS, AND WHEN THEY ARRAY CHRIST IN THE NEW TESTAMENT AGAINST CHRIST IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, SURELY WISDOM HAS DEPARTED FROM THEM. The Israelites of old were saved by Christ as verily as we are saved by Christ in this day. We read in the word of God, ‘Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep; for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.’
“We want the sanctification that God himself gives, and that sanctification comes through doing his law. We hear the heavenly benediction pronounced upon the obedient by Christ himself: ‘Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.’ The only remedy that could be found for fallen man was the death of Christ upon the cross. Thus the penalty of transgression could be paid. Did the Father spare his Son one jot of the penalty? Behold him when he was in the garden praying, ‘If it be possible, let this cup pass from me,’ and the bloody sweat pressed through his pores, and moistened the sod of Gethsemane. Jesus carried out the plan to its very end, and on the cross cried out. ‘It is finished.’ The law finished?–No. The plan that had been proposed to rescue man from the degradation of sin, was carried out to the very letter. Could it have been possible for Jehovah to change his law to meet man in his fallen condition, then Christ need not have left his glory, his majesty. It was because the law of God was changeless as his throne, that Christ consented to take humanity, to die in man’s behalf to save him from eternal ruin. But Satan is continually at work with his devices to carry out his plan,–opposition against God’s holy law. He commenced his work in heaven in trying to deceive the angels. He blinded the eyes of the Jewish nation so that they could not discern Christ as the Messiah, and the very nation that Christ came to save cried with the murderous throng, ‘Crucify him, crucify him.’ And again the hoarse and terrible cry was raised, that called maledictions upon themselves, ‘His blood be on us, and on our children,’ and they crucified the Lord of glory.
“When Satan found that the tomb could not hold the Son of God, but that he had arisen and ascended to the Father, he came to man with another lie, and told him that the law of God that Jesus in such a wonderful manner had magnified and exalted, was done away when he died upon the cross. No greater deception could have come upon the world; but people receive it, and teach that the law of God is done away, notwithstanding the heavens and the earth which their eyes look upon speak to them every day that this is a fallacy. Hear what Christ himself says: ‘I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.’ And again, ‘Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.’” (The Review and Herald, July 15, 1890 issue, article title: “Obedience to the Law Necessary,” pars. 1-7, by Ellen G. White)
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