“And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:11

“I wish to call your attention especially to the commission which Christ gave to his disciples. He said, “Ye shall be witnesses unto me … unto the uttermost parts of the earth.” But they were not fitted to present the gospel of Jesus to the world until they received the gift of the Holy Spirit. The commission Christ gave his disciples then, is our commission today. We are to be witnesses of him to the world; but we cannot impart Heaven’s light, unless we have received it. We cannot reveal a Saviour of whom we have no knowledge.

There are many who have a legal, casual faith. They have nominally accepted Christ as the Saviour of the world, but they have no evidence in their hearts that he is their personal Saviour, that he has forgiven their sins that they have a living connection with God, the source of all light. You cannot teach others of Jesus and his righteousness, you cannot portray his matchless love, and the fullness of his grace, you cannot picture him as the Christian’s all in all, as the comforter and guide of man, unless your own heart is filled with his love. You will not be able to present God as a God of compassion and love unless you can say, “I have tasted and know that the Lord is good.

The fact that others receive blessings will not benefit your soul; unless you exercise faith in Christ on your own behalf, you will be unblessed. That others partake of food will not serve to nourish your physical strength, neither will it nourish your spiritual strength to see others rejoicing in God and his love. You yourselves must partake of the feast which your Saviour has provided. Every one of you must wash and be clean. But you say, How can I do this? Have you not told us we have no power of ourselves to cleanse our souls from one spot or stain of sin? Yes, I have told you this, and yet I say unto you, “Wash you, make you clean.” God has provided a way of salvation at an infinite cost to Heaven. A fountain for sin and uncleanness has been opened for Judah and Jerusalem.” The Signs of the Times, September 2, 1889, par. 2- 4