The Way to Salvation

[Daily Devotional]

The Way to Salvation 

I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by
me. John 14:6. 

Sorrow filled heaven, as it was realized that man was lost. . . .The whole
family of Adam must die. I saw the lovely Jesus and beheld an expression of
sympathy and sorrow upon His countenance. Soon I saw Him approach the
exceeding bright light which enshrouded the Father. Said my accompanying
angel, He is in close converse with His Father. The anxiety of the angels
seemed to be intense while Jesus was communing with His Father. Three times
He was shut in by the glorious light about the Father, and the third time He
came out from the Father, His person could be seen. His countenance was
calm, free from all perplexity and doubt, and shone with benevolence and
loveliness, such as words cannot express. 

He then made known to the angelic host that a way of escape had been made
for lost man. He told them that He had been pleading with His Father, and
had offered to give His life a ransom, to take the sentence of death upon
Himself, that through Him man might find pardon; that through the merits of
His blood, and obedience to the law of God, they could have the favor of God
and be brought into the beautiful garden and eat of the fruit of the tree of
life. 

At first the angels could not rejoice, for their Commander concealed nothing
from them, but opened to them the plan of salvation. Jesus told them that He
would stand between the wrath of His Father and guilty man, that He would
bear iniquity and scorn, and but few would receive Him as the Son of God.
Nearly all would hate and reject Him. He would leave all His glory in
heaven, appear upon earth as a man, humble Himself as a man, become
acquainted by His own experience with the various temptations with which man
would be beset, that He might know how to succor [help] those who should be
tempted. . . . The weight of the sins of the whole world would be upon Him.
He told them He would die and rise again the third day, and would ascend to
His Father to intercede for wayward, guilty man (The Story of Redemption,
pp. 42, 43). 

Obedience through Jesus Christ gives to man perfection of character and a
right to that tree of life. The conditions of again partaking of the fruit
of the tree are plainly stated in the testimony of Jesus Christ to John:
"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 SDA
Bible Commentary, Ellen G. White Comments, vol. 1, p. 1086). 

>From Lift Him Up - Page 14