2 Corinthians 2:16, commentary and pictures

The spreading of the knowledge of Christ is like the incense burned in a victorious general's triumphal procession, which announced coming death to condemned captives but coming freedom to spared captives. It brings eternal life to those who are saved through accepting, receiving and believing it, and eternal death to those who perish through rejecting it and persisting in unbelief. Whether truth becomes life or death is decided by reception, for when received by faith and acted upon it gives life, but when rejected it condemns and will witness against the rejecter in the judgment. No one is sufficient in himself for so solemn a work of life and death, and sufficiency comes only through humility, daily closeness to Christ, and dependence on God and the power of the Spirit. Faithful ministers and every believer therefore become life or death to others by character, words, and the manner of presenting truth, giving life when Christ is lived out in purity, love and meekness, and bringing death when the spirit is harsh, careless or unsanctified.

Triumphal Fragrance Imagery

The fragrance image comes from the triumphal procession of a victorious general, in which burning incense announced coming execution to captives condemned to die but coming freedom to captives whose lives were spared, so the spreading of the knowledge of Christ likewise signals life to those who accept Him and death to those who persist in unbelief. To those who receive Christ it is a savor of life unto life, and to those who reject Him it is a savor of death unto death, confirming death for unbelievers while bringing life to believers. One who had once opposed the gospel became Christ's captive and a bearer of that incense announcing Christ's victory, and all who carry the knowledge of Christ spread that victorious message.

Every successful effort to dispel darkness and diffuse the light and knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ makes the fragrance of His knowledge known in every place as a sweet fragrance to God. Those who do this work are a sweet fragrance of Christ to God both among those who are saved and among those who perish, meaning death to the one and life to the other. Every such success is carried upward and laid before the heavenly intelligences, is felt through all principalities and powers, and draws the sympathy of all heavenly beings. Those who proclaim Christ are therefore a sweet savor to God among both the saved and the perishing, bringing life to one and death to the other, so workers must represent Christ wherever they go with faithful and careful service and with words and works showing His meekness.

The life of Christ itself is fragrant, a savor of life unto life, as Restorer and great Physician whose graces were light from heaven and whose miracles were wrought to bless the neglected and despised. In every good work He sought to lead people to accept Him as their personal Saviour bringing sunshine into heart and home, so that those who came mourning left with songs of praise and glad rejoicing as He offered Himself to them that they might give Him a home in their hearts. He is a savor of life by taking a position on a level with the poor, sympathizing with them and touching their humanity to help them gain perfection of right habits and noble character. He teaches them to lay up imperishable treasure in heaven, and by representing His character in unsullied purity enables them to become partakers of the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world through lust, so that those made rich in beauty of character through His poverty become the same life-giving savor as He was. To the rich He is also life and joy by teaching them to sacrifice earthly possessions to help save souls perishing in the darkness of error.

Gospel Gives Life or Death

The gospel and the knowledge of Christ bring life to those who are saved through accepting, receiving and believing, and death to those who perish through rejecting, persisting in unbelief and refusing. The heavenly gift spreads its fragrance through those who proclaim the Saviour, who are a sweet fragrance of Christ to God among both the saved and the perishing. In Corinth workers presented Jesus clearly, plainly and decisively in words and daily lives, aware of the grave responsibility of ministering to souls. The image is of a victorious general's procession, where burning incense announced coming execution to condemned captives but coming freedom to spared captives, and one who once opposed the gospel became Christ's captive and bearer of that incense announcing Christ's victory. Every successful effort to dispel darkness and diffuse the light and knowledge of God and Jesus Christ makes that fragrance known in every place, carried upward before heavenly intelligences, felt through principalities and powers, and drawing the sympathy of heavenly beings. Confidence in proclaiming this message of death to the perishing and life to the saved is not spiritual pride but deep knowledge of Christ and the truth and assurance as God's called messenger.

The message decides eternal destiny, bringing life to acceptors and death and condemnation to rejecters. Because destinies are balancing and multitudes stand in decision and in the place of decision, attention must be arrested with a clear call to follow God fully. Ministers must therefore live the truth they preach and speak words received from God with spiritual life and power, remaining faithful to their sacred mission as God's messengers and laboring free from heavy oppression, discontent, jealousy and homesickness that grieve away the tender Spirit needed to win the decision for life.

The message carried by workers is urgent, bringing life to receivers and death to rejecters, so time-consuming unnecessary ceremonies are inappropriate since they could make it seem unimportant. Christ's light entering every home brings life to receivers and death to rejecters, and each person is responsible to God for gifts and opportunities received.

God's law though ordained for life and expressing His love becomes death to transgressors and despisers, for it reflects His perfect character and disrespect for it is disrespect for its Author. Jesus honored the law and met its claims by dying for transgressions, and through His imputed righteousness people are reconciled to God and escape the punishment due to disobedience. To transgressors it is a ministration of death with condemnation and penalty resting upon the lawbreaker, while those who know truth should honor it as life and show commandment-breakers that they regard it as life, whereas close association with unbelievers proves in time of temptation a savor of death. People who love God and keep His commandments become themselves a savor of life to those around them, their souls surrounded by a healthful atmosphere like a precious odor when hearts are purified, refined and sanctified to be vessels unto honor, loving those begotten of God and loving their brethren.

The gospel's effect is life for those who receive its transforming influence, changing heart and character. It makes the worldly-minded heavenly-minded, the selfish unselfish after Christ's character, the dishonest and scheming upright by doing to others as they would be done by until it becomes second nature, and the impure and profligate pure with correct habits. What gives life is the gospel message of God's love in giving His Son so believers should not perish but have everlasting life, joined with practical work to relieve suffering and save life. As bodies are helped hearts are softened with gratitude, God works on the heart, comforting words about Christ's work on earth and God's love bring assurance and trust as a soothing balm, opportunity opens to tell of Christ, and the soul is saved through faith and belief in Christ as remedy and antidote for sin.

The fruit has opposite outcomes of life leading to life or death leading to death, explained by sowing to the Spirit leading to life everlasting and happiness or sowing to the flesh leading to corruption and misery for eternity, with the harvest prepared now determining eternity. The last message of mercy, the warning truth requiring self-denial and lifting the cross to obey, must be carried widely to the world, to regions beyond and to large influential cities and all nations and people from all nations in close connection with God whose power alone reaches hearts and minds. Those heeding and obeying receive eternal life and those rejecting receive eternal death, and God makes the divided result certain for His word sent in preaching does not fail but accomplishes its purpose. Received unto salvation the warning about preparing for the Lord's coming is a savor of life, rejected it becomes condemnation and a savor of death, so truth must be presented attractively and in the power of the Holy Spirit with winning compelling influence, urged on the conscience with God's power through diligent forceful prayerful labor so work is not in vain, and lives and witness must show faith by works and sanctification through professed truth even when rejected and mocked, since rejection does not prevent its warning from being fulfilled.

Reception Decides Eternal Destiny

Truths sent to people — invitations of mercy, reproofs, warnings, threatenings and encouragements — are life when received by faith and acted upon, but death and judgment when rejected, with the final decision made at the Judgment. Received and acted on, the message of hope works in the heart and gives understanding and obedience, but duty understood and not performed turns light into darkness, adds new sin, writes condemnation in heaven, and brings punishment measured by the light given. Faithful speaking of faith in Christ puts every hearer between eternal life and eternal death, so that truth once heard becomes a witness in the day of God, giving life if received and condemning to death if rejected, and after hearing no one stands before God where he stood before the light came. Truth brought into the life is always reformative, working by love to purify the soul and make sin appear exceeding sinful, while God's word will not return void but becomes a deciding power, giving life to those who heed the light and death to those who grieve the Spirit, disregard light and continue to dishonor God as Eli did by sanctioning wrong and turning from light.

Truths prepared for publication and shared through the publishing office become life to receivers and death and judgment to rejecters, and are able to lead souls to be saved. When gathered testimonies correcting evil and preserving principles are published inexpensively they become life to many unaware by helping avoid mistakes and showing how the Lord directed His people. They help them learn how the Lord has directed His people and tried to save His institutions from corrupting influences and from false judgment, and God is honored as it is seen how plainly He has spoken against principles He cannot endorse and how decidedly He has exalted pure sacred principles in harmony with His Word.

Words sent to thousands give life leading to eternal life when writers are pure, elevated and sanctified in body, soul and spirit, use the pen under the Holy Spirit to sow seed for eternal life, fill papers with matter of real worth weighty with eternal interests, go into the mount to talk with God, and by faith behold Him who is invisible. Even a single Bible text when diligently searched gives life leading to eternal life to many souls past and future, opening new treasures of truth that shine as bright jewels in the mind and bringing consolation and life-giving effect in character. The same testimony is life or death according to reception, as those who read it to ridicule, distort or reject it make it death to themselves, and it will witness against them in the Judgment.

Hearing God's solemn truths, warnings, reproofs and invitations at camp-meetings brings death or life according to reception, giving life to receivers and death to refusers who would have been better staying home. There death means being abandoned to idols and cut off as unfruitful, while receivers with faith receive purifying life that ennobles them and bear heavier responsibility to hear rightly and impart to others. The message preached in God's sanctuary brings eternal life or death to all with opportunity to hear, and the way it is heard decides the outcome. Lightness, whispering, laughing, carelessness and inattention dishonor God, while sobriety, reverence and attentive listening allow it to give life, which children must be taught by leaders, ministers and parents lest provision for life become death.

Light given in rich measure with many opportunities bears directly on life; received it improves character unto life and produces intelligent experimental knowledge of God and Christ in proportion to light, rejected it testifies against the rejecter unto death. Impenitence and carelessness harm families and hinder helping others, and if life and character are not brought to meet realities it would be better to have no connection, requiring fleeing to the stronghold and laying hold of divine power by living faith. God's message is life to those hearing aright, while prejudice blocks its true meaning and hunger for divine knowledge with the Holy Spirit enables reception, and removal of selfishness and egotism puts the heart in harmony with the message. God's gracious instructions, warnings and reproofs are life to those studying and heeding them and death to those disregarding them, including the call to youth to be sober-minded with uncorrupt doctrine and sound speech, for by words especially reckless idle conversation people are justified or condemned, and neglected plain truths will rise in judgment to condemn.

Truth rejected through refusal of its sanctifying work becomes death through continued neglect and careless inattention wasting opportunities with terrible loss. One claiming to know truth but neglecting duty, not watching and praying, not making the Lord counsellor, becoming self-sufficient and failing to improve talents leaves undone the good Christ died to make possible, loses souls for which he is responsible, reaps what he sows, and every hour of inaction is eternal loss, though salvation cost the Son as much for rejecters as accepters. Truth known becomes life when obeyed and death when refused, for Jewish leaders knew the way leading to Paradise but refused to walk in it through insincere religion, hypocrisy, resistance to conviction and refusal to obey, so what should have given life brought death, while ignorant publicans and harlots who loathed themselves could receive baptism and enter before them.

Truth about Christ and the mystery of godliness concerning His work and power to save becomes life when heard with understanding and intelligent comprehension, while spiritual weakness, dullness of hearing and lack of perception prevent plain speaking and keep people from receiving clearly what would give life to those advancing by faith and obedience. Words of Scripture spoken to people in trouble can be life, bringing spiritual life and pointing toward heaven, applying to sharing Scripture rather than personal words, since promises shield from temptation and help give a reason for faith glorifying God, and God's Word received and obeyed regenerates and cleanses the sinful soul in personal purification which must not be delayed. The same message from God gave life to receivers and death to rejecters in Elijah's days when the Lord spoke to backsliding Israel by prophets with reproof of sin and warning of judgment to call to humility, faith and repentance which would have removed anger, but because they would not heed the warning offended pride and aroused hatred against the messenger, so instead of repenting they multiplied sins, increased guilt, sought to destroy Elijah, and brought terrible judgments on the land.

Plain unwelcome truth spoken to the rich young ruler would have been life if received; he had to be told however unacceptable that he lacked love to neighbor, must sell, give to the poor, take up the cross and follow, because that one lack was a vital fatal principle corrupting all good since riches were his idol, but withdrawing affection from riches, fastening it on heavenly treasure and receiving the word would have given life and made him a co-laborer in saving the lost. A message from God becomes life to those receiving it rightly and death to those misusing or rejecting it, with happiness, the Spirit's rest, and salvation depending on the course taken, bringing rest and life when obeyed with a different course, consecrated self and subjected will, but proving death when met with refusal to submit and wrong use. Truth enthroned in heart and conscience is the savor affecting the whole person and bringing salvation to many.

Truth is life to the receiver, shining into hearts and leading men and women to the Saviour as silent witnesses scattered through the world, convicting and converting souls to see the atonement, trust its power, commit souls to the Creator, and wait hoping for the Saviour to take loved ones home, making the gospel plain. The simple truths of God give life to those receiving and practicing them, and following divine directions brings life. Human explanations and calculations about truths beyond finite understanding will not prove life, for truths essential to salvation and practical life are made clear, while some revealed truths are to be received without attempting to explain what minds cannot grasp. The preached word becomes life when it falls into good soil, as when preaching on the commission or on gaining the world and losing the soul brings life when a crowded congregation hears with deep interest, the seed takes root fruitfully, hearers feel convicted and receive deeply, and are left under solemn impression toward salvation.

Scriptural Examples of Division

The same message divides all who hear it, giving life to those who accept it and condemnation to those who reject it, and the worldwide solemn warning must therefore be given as a witness to all cities, villages, nations, kindreds, tongues and people so that all have opportunity to accept unto life or reject unto condemnation without excuse. This division was illustrated when Noah preached one hundred and twenty years before the Flood as a probationary opportunity with light given so that men might believe, and only eight souls, Noah and his family, received the message and entered the ark, so that the preaching that saved the few condemned the world and rejection of the light proved the ruin of the rest. The same pattern appeared when the Redeemer had many hearers but few followers, and lack of immediate visible fruit should not discourage preaching even when many reject as in the corrupt antediluvian world.

Warnings that could have led Israel to life became a cause of death to them because they rejected them, grew angry with the messengers, persisted in idolatry, increased guilt and remained under divine judgment. The same truth brings life to receivers and death to resisters, as John the Baptist's preaching convicted and converted believing sinners unto life but became death to self-righteous teachers and leaders. Their stubborn hearts, refusal to obey and self-righteousness blocked what could have led them to life, though the invitation remained open and the obstacle was their own hearts.

The gospel message is life or death to its hearers, for receiving it brings life while rejecting it leaves accountability to its warning and facing judgment. Paul knew his words to Felix and Drusilla could have this decisive effect, so he spoke to awaken them to danger to their souls rather than to protect his own interests or win favor, knowing he would answer before God for what he said and for the motives and spirit behind it. Witness in the face of death was life to some who saw it, for Paul's forgiving spirit toward executioners and murderers and unwavering confidence in Christ led more than one hardened soldier to accept the Saviour preached and later die for that faith. His joyful courage, forgiveness and confidence at execution became life to witnesses who accepted the Saviour, while the same gospel is death-bearing to others.

Christ's words were life to some hearers, for He spoke about the higher life in many everyday settings and connected nature and daily events with truth. His care for the sick, the sorrowing and children drew people and held attention, and because He had healed, comforted and blessed them, hearts were drawn and attention riveted when He opened His lips. From childhood to manhood He met the careless, rude, unjust, heathen, poor and suffering with compassion to teach and alleviate rather than upbraid, His harmless life worked like leaven, and His words received and practiced bring salvation. Every word at dinners and feasts with Pharisees, publicans and sinners controlled table talk, gave lessons adapted to needs, taught disciples how to act among religious and irreligious, drew sinners to listen with subdued attention as healed and blessed hearers, and reflected the kingdom's laws in clear simple life-giving lessons unlike common feast talk.

Rulers of nations are not gods to be worshiped but are accountable to God for their course, and by governing without eternal truth they can become a cause of death to people under their jurisdiction. They must answer if through ignorance or disobedience they lead subjects toward death instead of planting feet on eternal truth. The message given to the Berkeley church has opposite results, being life for those who heed its warning. The message given in Washington would bring life for those receiving and being reconverted, which meant putting it into action including practicing health reform in families, benefiting both actors and those they influenced.

A message spoken as God directs the mind can give life to hearers, as a morning meeting message gave life to two specific hearers. God's message from Scripture gives life to hearers, and even the one most needing warning can receive life by hearing. Satan works cunningly to control circumstances and minds so it does not reach those he is deceiving on that point, urging business or hindrances to keep them from hearing a needed warning that could become life.

Human laws and arrangements unacceptable to God do not produce life, for arrangements to bring every sanitarium under one central control and man-made restrictions and kingly plans for centralized management are not acceptable and fail to impart spiritual life and strength. In contrast to God's plan where each institution stands in its own right looking directly to God as Instructor and serving wholeheartedly rather than depending on another institution, managers are to preserve each institution's distinct work. Repeatedly rejecting mercy can leave a person unmoved even by urgent appeals, showing how the gospel becomes ruin as death unto death to those who refuse it while bringing life to those who receive it.

Who Is Sufficient

The question expresses the grave, solemn and fearful responsibility of ministering to souls and bearing a message of life and death, for which no one is sufficient in himself or by personal ability. It calls for humility and fear rather than confidence in self, with daily closeness to Christ and dependence on God's power, on Christ and on the Spirit. Having heaven's commission to proclaim everywhere lays a weight no one can bear in himself, forcing the cry that is known by experience, with sufficiency only as the heart opens for blessing and moves forward by faith. Faithful ministers feel the magnitude yet do not retreat but labor earnestly and unselfishly to save souls. The work makes the fragrance of His knowledge known in every place, carried upward before heavenly intelligences, felt through principalities and powers, and drawing the sympathy of heavenly beings.

Sufficiency comes only by sincerity, by not corrupting the word of God but speaking in Christ as of God in the sight of God. The gospel work is peculiar, not appreciated or understood by the world, so each worker must stand individually in God while God makes the knowledge known through them in every place as a sweet savor unto God. That sincerity belongs especially to experienced ministers leading young men forward in successful soul-winning work.

No one is sufficient except through the gracious influence of the Spirit filling the soul, giving the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in Christ and bringing every thought into subjection to His obedience. Only ministers sanctified by the truths they preach, living examples of the mind and Spirit of Christ and living epistles known and read of all men, have life-giving power attend their word. Every man's work will be tested by the fearful realities of the judgment.

The sense of insufficiency for preaching and laboring for sinners lives in everyone who believes present truth and produces personal piety, consecration and conversion. It drives the minister to receive wisdom from Christ, study His life, learn meekness and lowliness, walk sedately and circumspectly with pure conversation free from pride, selfishness, theatrical manner, lightness, jesting and joking. Connected to Christ, it does not produce gloom but cheerful happiness praising God, with wholehearted faithful thorough labor done in His strength.

The holy fear and trembling from insufficiency for sacred responsibility, especially shepherding the flock, stands in contrast to using money, power and influence over poor ignorant people for evil and educating them in iniquity while hiding shameful secret actions. God and the heavenly universe know every unlawful thought fed in the mind and every impulse of the sinful heart, and weigh all thoughts and actions. Before the mission of Christ and the atoning sacrifice the soul bows in awe and reverence, walks with trembling for fear of belittling salvation with cheap and inefficient words, and confesses inability to speak or write in living power or make others catch heaven's light. Sufficiency requires the Holy Spirit to abide and Jesus to be with the worker in every line, giving the mind of Christ to seek and save the lost and teach truth as it is in Jesus.

In themselves nothing can be done and all are weak, but divine power gives efficiency when the entrusted talent is used to the utmost in speaking truth in season in few well-chosen words from the heart that take root and bear harvest. Those with narrow influence, limited abilities, opportunities, knowledge and small sphere may do as much good or more than the naturally efficient, especially when the efficient trust in themselves, if they let God's peace rule. Strength and talents belong to God, and sowing in dependence on His Spirit works secretly and steadily like leaven hidden in meal. Confidence in proclaiming a message of death to the perishing and life to the saved is not spiritual pride but deep knowledge of Christ and the truth and assurance as God's called messenger.

The question expresses the worker's sense of who is sufficient for arousing the world and helping fill the earth with the Lord's glory, and for a united vigorous effort to extend God's kingdom bringing salvation. Recognition of the work's demands and comparison with Christ's pure character reveals insufficiency, leading to humility, thorough training, daily effort to overcome selfishness, and close connection with Christ. Examining the heart and seeing how unlike Him, ignorant and inefficient one is leads to putting self aside, letting Him lead, and daily dependence, serving others in humility. Servants laboring for souls feel the devolving responsibility and exclaim from the heart over insufficiency for so solemn and weighty a work, which can overwhelm with many demanding duties and requires care and watchfulness in guiding people to Christ. Christ's assurance that He is always with followers strengthens faithful careful service.

The question calls for clear spiritual discernment for teachers and learners where blindness has affected Israel, and who is sufficient for being death to some and life to others calls for that discernment. Medical missionary workers showing humility over insufficiency are to consecrate themselves to God, be sanctified in body, soul and spirit, follow Christ's life and character while exalting Him, with success depending on cooperating with Christ. The canvasser's work presents the message with opposite outcomes and cannot be done in personal strength, needing God's help and angelic help. Ministers carrying Christ's message from house to house carry the fragrance of Christ's life through conversations and publications.

In the serious work of guiding others and raising children to restore God's image, remedying soul blemishes with greater tact, patience and persevering effort than healing bodily injury, and being a Christian teacher, ruler and friend bound by sanctified love, parents are not sufficient of themselves and cannot fulfill duty if they leave God out. God alone is sufficiency, sought through prayer, Bible study and earnest effort, pleased with faith taking Him at His word, listening to petitions for children's conversion, filling parents with arguments and working mightily, enabling arranging surroundings to foster character. Parents need His wisdom and help promised to those asking in faith. The question of who is adequate applies to those entrusted with examining ministry candidates, who may feel unable to perform duty well but should not shrink from it, since by faith they can rely on God as sufficiency to help His servants in every duty.

No one is adequate in self to bear God's last message of mercy, and true messengers feel the weight of the cause, worth of souls, solemnity and responsibilities so deeply they shrink back unless God has called and laid the burden on them. Eagerness to go without that weight proves God has not laid it on them. Those too light, trifling and not wholly given up to God accomplish little, and those still mixed with past errors and fanaticism, not sifted and purified, feed the flock error mixed with truth bringing sickness, distraction and death instead of life. The question calls a minister to humility about serving God, warning to examine lest he fail to work acceptably and honor truth, and recognizing that limited experience of labor, burdens and distress leaves one poorly prepared to judge another's service.

The teacher's work prompts the question through felt insufficiency when its magnitude, difficulties and possibilities are seen, for the deeper the sense of responsibility and the more earnest the self-improvement to reach highest excellence and become all pupils should become, the more clearly defects hindering usefulness are seen and regretted. The question is asked in God's work when means are limited and the work great because time is closing; allowing means to flow to unnecessary channels while God's cause is in poverty shows a perverted mind. In that need faith must be exercised with sufficiency in God, using available means with best ability and judgment, leaving the rest with God and going forward as He opens the way. Carrying God's light to souls is a work for which no one is sufficient in themselves, requiring pleading for a larger measure of the Spirit, staying close to Jesus, and prayer for guidance because there is no wisdom to go alone. The messenger who receives light dare not keep silent but must speak with trembling, knowing rejection will leave souls in denser darkness than before.

Human beings are insufficient in themselves for the sacred work of peacemaking and healing breaches between brethren, which calls for deep awareness of weakness and dependence on God leading to prayer, tears, and humble childlike pleading as God's instrument under the softening Spirit. This stands in contrast to feeling sufficient, acting on one's own authority in self-importance and pride blind to one's own heart, and pushing matters harshly. The question concerns the work of setting things in order, finishing what is left undone, and feeding and watching over needy sheep in the right spirit that produces results, which is so great that no worker is sufficient for it. Feeling that insufficiency drives him to his knees in agony, burdened and distressed, confessing himself utterly weak, ignorant, helpless and disheartened and not knowing how to work, and turning to the Lord alone who has eternal life, giving the work back to God as God's own work while taking his place as only God's weak instrument.

The question is asked by co-laborers brought into order and harmony with the work going forward in heaven as they view with solemnity, fear and trembling the sacredness and importance of the work for souls. Selfishness is put away, self is hidden in Christ, and the whole life becomes self-sacrifice to add others as agents in devoted love for souls, with every being from loftiest angel to lowliest soul having an appointed place and assigned work under the One who knows their works. Those taking hold devotedly receive the planning help of innumerable angels and by seeking deep spirituality and fervent piety become lively stones in the spiritual building. Because of the condition of things that has existed and still exists, earnest labor is needed in every conference, and the question expresses human inability to bear testimony whose result is unknown, driving to earnest prayer to God for strength to do it.

No one is sufficient in himself to assume the office of guide to youth, for which principals and teachers are held responsible, especially with youth present to be instructed and to behave as gentlemen and Christians but who do not. The insufficiency is especially felt with youth who do not know what the name Christian comprehends, do not know what it means to love God, and do not wear the yoke restraining from evil practices, so teachers must give decided commands to maintain the school's respectability and credit. A minister who seeks God for the power needed in the work can bring to hearers what gives life, as something God enables. Humble service relying on Christ rather than self makes a minister life.

Ministers Bear Life or Death

Faithful preaching joined to a pure consistent life makes ministry acceptable to God and profitable to souls, for a preacher's influence is life when he lives out what he teaches with humility and faithful practice in a lowly spirit, while preaching without that embodiment fails to exert life-giving influence. Without daily communion with God and living faith and love shaping his work, a minister cannot lead converts toward the divine pattern. The greatness of the charge prompts the question who is sufficient, expressing the overwhelming magnitude and solemn responsibility of a message with consequences of life or death.

Those who bear the solemn warning message and last message of mercy must be spiritually pure and live as examples, for conduct and manner of presenting truth affect hearers' decisions, otherwise the work can turn from blessing to curse. Professing present truth they are life or death according as faith is shown by works and life is sanctified through truth professed, especially while the warning of Christ's coming is rejected, mocked and derided as in Noah's day. Converted messengers prove they bear that message by a converted life practicing what they preach, where real conversion ends controversy and debate and plain truth is spoken by cleansed lips, while a teacher who does not live the truth labors in vain.

Ministers bear the sacred message as God's messengers and must never lose sight of mission and responsibility, maintaining a separate holy character unlike worldlings and staying connected with Heaven. If that connection ceases they are in greater danger than others and exert stronger wrong influence, since Satan constantly watches for weakness to develop and attack through and triumphs when an ambassador is off guard to secure many souls to himself. Their influence affects the destiny of souls for whom Christ died, making the work sacred and responsible, and God's people carrying the warning as witnesses in moral darkness are life to some and death to others.

Truth spoken clearly and decisively by a faithful minister with seriousness and with the Spirit and power of God awakens conscience and is life to some and death to others. The true minister does not speak smooth words crying peace and safety but, realizing dangers threatening the soul and fully believing words will prove life or death, presents truth as it is in Jesus, everlasting, refining and sanctifying, leaving no room for a selfish self-pleasing life. Canvassers likewise make words and actions a life-giving influence when daily converted to God, living as genuine Christians and depending on God, while having only theory of the work without conversion causes failure. Truth presented in humble simplicity carries life-giving influence to receivers, with Christ as sufficiency, and daily conversion makes the canvasser's words and deeds a fragrant saving influence giving light in darkness to God's glory like a fragrance bringing life.

A minister is death by turning hearers away from Christ or life by leading them to truth, and no human teacher can read hearts while Jesus knows each one's capabilities, weakness and strength, dispenses needed grace and works on the heart. He becomes life when imbued with Christ's spirit, consecrated, devotional, distrustful of self and looking to Jesus rather than self, reaching souls already convicted by the Holy Spirit and prepared by God, where implanted conviction and enlightenment by the word cooperate to arouse dormant energies. The solemn warning proclaimed to the world is life to some and death to others, and proclaiming it requires receiving the Holy Spirit, grace and power from God, which God abundantly gives to those coming in faith, since frail erring people cannot rightly speak words of everlasting life without them and truth fails to save powerfully when not preached in faith.

Ministers' words and daily lives are life or death to hearers, and daily self-examination and communion with God prepare ministers to receive and give God's words to the people. The message preached to the world is life to those receiving it, and preaching this great work requires ministers to serve with self-denial and devotion and to act under the direction of the Spirit of God. Those who believe present truth about Christ's coming exert an influence bringing life to some and death to others, so they must be sanctified through the truth they profess and show faith by works, especially because widespread unbelief, mockery and derision make faithful living essential.

Truth spoken to people decides eternal fate, giving life to receivers and death to rejecters, and it will judge every hearer in the final day whether it pleased or displeased when spoken. Therefore the minister of sacred truth must seek perfection in character and speech, receive truth in purity from the Word, present it to commend it, give as little cause as possible for criticism while expecting criticism from those turning ears from truth, make every effort to reach people, and work as one honored to labor together with God. A minister's testimony brings life or death deciding hearers' eternal life or death, with faithful work producing life while unfaithful easy unfinished self-seeking labor without burden for souls produces death. Faithfulness requires hours in prayer and Scripture study, familiarity with reasons of faith, and patience, zeal, faith and wisdom amid discouragement and Satan's opposition through discouragement and human agents.

Truth presented through consecrated workers whom the Holy Spirit can use carries life-giving influence when presented in humble simplicity, since Christ is sufficient and the truth itself bears life. Its lasting effect comes not by display or worldly advantage but through consecrated instruments. Ministers' counsel, prayers and example must bring life to those they guide, and if they do not they are unqualified to point others to the way of life. Ministers' influence has opposite effects, being life when lives are pure and holy but death when conduct is defective and fails to represent Christ, affecting others' spiritual course so unfaithful work can leave them accountable for souls.

Workers who represent Christ can be life when they have a high sense of propriety and sobriety, reverence for the truth and regard for the exalted character of their work, requiring sobriety, propriety and recognition of sacredness to represent Christ. A worker's influence can become death by causing loss of other souls, placing them in peril through wrong example; losing one's own soul is terrible but causing others' loss is still more terrible and truly possible. It happens when self is prominent, lax loose principles are held and practiced, mistakes and defections injure truth's influence which is God's power for salvation, grieve Jesus and give occasion to the synagogue of Satan watching for defects. Therefore workers must guard thoughts, words, habits, dispositions and character with holy jealousy in deep holiness, harmonize practice with teaching, and reveal God's character to cooperate in saving and make influence result in life, for a rash act, thoughtless word or character blemish may mislead and ruin a soul whose worth cannot be measured.

Truly converted men and women who in humility offer themselves to service become life when first emptied of all selfishness; as cleansed vessels unto honor and partakers of the divine nature they reflect the Sun of Righteousness to all contacts. That means not talking of others' faults but repeating divine wisdom that illuminated hearts, fearing to speak against God's messengers, and praying much. Those in ministry make influence life by working now with zeal to spread the last message to a dark world, cutting away self-indulgence and idolatry, laboring unselfishly, dying to self, pressing together in unity, and loving as brethren in kindness and courtesy with greater devotion.

Truths presented by ministers bring life to some hearers and death to others, requiring spiritual dependence and care, since the manner of teaching can either serve the flock or bring darkness upon it. Messengers too light, trifling and not wholly given up to God accomplish little, and those still mixed with past errors and fanaticism, not sifted and purified, feed the flock error mixed with truth bringing sickness, distraction and death instead of life. Sacred truth brings life to some and death to others, so ministers handling such grave truths must not treat work as a contest fostering self-importance or neglecting practical comforting care the flock needs.

Faithful testimony and service in gospel work are life, drawing people to Christ with seed sown continuing to bear fruit. Workers who share truth gained through deep experience are life, with life-giving power that impresses hearts and draws people to Jesus. Christ's workers bring life to those receiving ministry in contrast to those perishing, which requires those educated in Christ's school to deal skillfully and tenderly to heal and restore rather than harshly discourage. The gospel message ministers bear has opposite outcomes as life to some and death to others, requiring faithful delivery of this solemn warning with high calling from God in view.

The impressions a gospel worker makes on minds are ineffaceable and will be met in eternity, resulting in eternal life or death for those influenced, and because no other can correct his mistakes or supply deficiencies, he must live in close connection with God and put away errors, sins and careless manners lest neglect show in work. A minister's service brings either life or death according to character, and until the heart is humbled, complaining ceases, personal faults are seen as cause of difficulty, stubbornness is subdued, self dies, and Christ's meekness replaces harshness, rudeness, disrespect and fierce outbursts when crossed, the work hinders, shames Christ and will shut the gates. But when obedient and converted with Christ enthroned and wearing His yoke of obedience and service, it gives life.

A minister of the gospel becomes by actions either life-giving or death-dealing, and an immoral course, especially adultery and breaking God's commandments, makes influence bring death with reproach on God's cause and public scandal. When the standard-bearer falls there is no one to fight, and when those who should point souls to the cross tear it down there is no one left to believe, making nothing more dreadful than a minister breaking the commandments. Preaching is life when it gives pure spiritual food with earnestness and reverence for the sacred Word, appealing to intellect, imparting knowledge and reaching the heart, rather than merely amusing, informing, convincing intellect, or using cheap discourses, anecdotes, amusing stories and strange fire, so hearers receive life and more sheaves are gathered.

A minister becomes life by becoming personally acquainted with people and sharing joys and sorrows of rich and poor, high and low, since God is no respecter of persons. This requires the Holy Spirit every moment and a spirit of prayer so the word has force, in language plain to the simple yet refreshing to the learned. Practiced truth presented in holiness and purity gives life to hearers, and ministers preserve that power by speaking God's Word in pure, well-chosen, elevating language clothed with dignity and grace, keeping lips from common utterances, cheap words, sarcasm, cold indifference, commonness and commercial interests. Cheap and sarcastic speech lowers the speaker, destroys effect, lessens influence and opposes the sacred impression God would leave, while pure presentation preserves the holiness purchased by Christ's death by which the Spirit was purchased and sanctification comes through obedience.

The influence of true workers is life leading to life, belonging to workers who continually feed on Christ, draw fresh grace from the Scriptures daily, keep learning in Christ's school, make daily progress in goodness and are thereby fitted to labor. Such workers are spiritual-minded so they readily discern spiritual things, make the Bible their study, have no attraction to magazines, newspapers and books treating of nothing heavenly, find the Word constantly more precious, and have God draw near and speak in unmistakable language. The faithful gospel worker becomes to hearers an influence bringing life leading to life, a high standard all workers can reach by putting themselves under the great Teacher's control and learning daily in Christ's school, and power at God's command is limitless, with the minister who in great need shuts himself in with the Lord receiving what makes work life-giving, carrying solemn responsibility since if souls are lost through unfaithfulness God will hold him accountable.

Bearing witness before legislators, kings and nobles determines eternal life or death for those rulers, so witnesses must come with intelligent knowledge of the truth, having risen through connection with Christ to the highest elevation of character, and must keep going forward and upward to reach the highest standard. Ministers and people are life only through new conversion and transformed mind by thorough consecration, surrender, putting away wrong, confessing sin, and examining motives. That thorough work means entire consecration, full surrender of all, putting away every wrong, confessing every secret sin, afflicting the soul, and with humility investigating motives under the eye of God who reads all, answering the high calling in Christ by individual effort, for great privileges and great light have been given and failing to live up to them leaves them not what God designs them to be.

Character Influences Toward Life

Words, works, spirit, influence, conduct and example are a savor of life leading to life or of death leading to death, either drawing with Christ or drawing away from Him, and every person however small the sphere exerts such influence, potent beyond knowledge and multiplying like seed into harvest for eternity, with the savor of death heavy with discontent and selfishness and poisonous with cherished sin working through envy, malice and dissension where one rash act or blemish can mislead and ruin, while the opposite savor is charged with faith, courage and hope and sweet with love working through kindness, obedience and self-denial, so that becoming death is fearful yet real.
The influences set in operation by words and deeds are like many threads binding in intimate relationship either with God or with the world and connecting mind with mind and heart with heart, and God is fully acquainted with their multitudinous effects even when traits are thought unobserved.
There is no neutral influence, for as soon as influence ceases to be decidedly good it is decidedly bad, and the longer evil is exerted the greater swells the tide of evil and the number led to perdition, for which the one exerting it is responsible, whether carrying Christ's atmosphere of fragrance or Satan's poison, requiring guarded thoughts and use of every part of influence for right.
Influence is an entrusted talent from God that is a power for good or for evil and must be accounted for, and when weighted with the Spirit of truth and true to God the surrounding atmosphere becomes life to associates, making the person a colaborer with God like a branch of the living Vine vitalized by nourishment through the parent stock.
Following Christ's example at all times and places with a heart subdued by the Spirit, bitterness put away and obedient love flowing daily, doing all unto the Lord as God's servant in family, work and business, invests words and actions with heavenly dignity refining and ennobling them.

Every Christian worker carries individual responsibility for the spiritual effect of words, spirit and actions on associates toward life or death, and to be life-giving requires watching, praying, sanctification, circumspection, respect for authority, control of temper and refusal to retaliate, while recklessness, carelessness and sowing disaffection, suspicion and jealousy harms the soul and leaves a wrong death-dealing example, so strict self-guardianship at home, office and church is required because welfare of connected souls depends on it.
It is Christ's will that everyone be life to fallen humanity as a saving influence through fragrance of character obtained through His merits, for Christ imputes His righteousness to believers so they may communicate His goodness, mercy and love, reach a high standard as living epistles known and read of all men like Joseph in Egypt and Daniel in Babylon, and be recognized in heaven as laborers together with God, and its saving work belongs to Christ so all praise goes to Him.
True Christians are an influence leading others to life because Christ abides in their hearts and by reflecting His image they are children of the light, and that fragrant influence comes from faithfully doing small duties close at hand instead of neglecting them while longing for great work, being Christlike in the home and therefore in the church.
Christians who carry the love and purity of God to others and are linked to God and heaven spread purity, holiness, light and joy like fragrance of sweet flowers, and their presence and lives are life, not death, communicating heaven's purity and loveliness, and those knowing God's love and compassion become life to others.
The character by which believers represent Christ and the light they reflect becomes to beholders life or death, so believers are to grow into full stature in Christ, preserve piety and reverence, be strong in God and qualified for His work, and be prepared to be translated without seeing death as Enoch was, with eternal reward and weight of glory for the faithful obedient loyal here.

Those under Christ's rule do positive good as the world's light and the only Bible many read, through whom men see God, bear fruit to God's glory and make the gospel effective in business with the unconverted especially by receiving light from Christ as chief Cornerstone to shine as living stones, while those under the enemy's control and professed Christians not under God's control do incalculable harm, produce nothing and cannot work with the Lord, by failing to correct faults shown in the divine mirror, crucifying the Son afresh, putting Him to open shame, presenting a counterfeit turning the world away, and remaining dark stones emitting no light.
When a person's way is approved by God and heavenly light shines on it, that influence is life, and the savor of life is a valued personal influence built by aiming high, taking God's word as rule, cultivating self-respect as Christ's purchased possession and respect for influence, attaining useful experience, forming right habits and advancing in all noble, just, firm and solid, which is positive duty and pleasure, and a life so shaped becomes an influence bringing life like salt giving life.
The savor of life is the communication of a true Christian who has received Christ, is warmed by the Word and refreshed by living waters, so inward life makes speech a blessing not a curse, words help, atmosphere saves and treasure of good is brought forth, even staying guarded in divine armor among the frivolous to lead minds to God and sow seeds bearing fruit.
Loving God and holy things makes influence life, while losing first love for God and no longer loving holy things makes it death.
Teaching and living out the requirements of God's law can make God's people life to others, for to be life in the world means teaching men and women not to regard lightly one principle of law, explaining its holy requirements by precept and example.

The way people respond to truth is affected by the influence of those sharing it, for Christlike words, manners and conduct are life to those reached, and treating even bitter opponents with courtesy and respect as Christ did can keep hearts open, while influence can also close hearts and those harmed will confront the person in judgment.
A hard spirit formed when professed truth fails to sanctify character is death, while the contrasting savor of life is associated with humility joined to firmness and solidity, for a professed Christian is either life-giving or death-dealing according to character, when character is under the Spirit's molding with faith working by love purifying from hereditary and cultivated evil the life gives life, but without that molding the hard spirit brings death.
People who know truth but are not changed by its sanctifying influence become death through dishonest conduct that misrepresents truth, brings reproach and dishonors Christ who is truth, for truth professed without sanctifying the heart is death to those having light, condemned by knowledge when not walking in light, not yielding to law and not sanctified, as when professed keepers resort to prevarication or dishonesty with the Lord's goods denying Christ in action.
Holding truth without compromise becomes a life-giving fragrance through transformation where faith working by love purifies the soul, steadfast principle is maintained, truth reaches the deepest recesses to cleanse all unlike Christ, and the void is filled with His pure holy undefiled attributes, seen in kindness, courtesy, peacemaking, advanced knowledge of Christ, love for God and neighbor, heaven's sunlight in daily life and springs of the heart like fragrant flowers.
Truth as it is in Jesus held in righteousness and lived in Christ imparts life and is worth possessing, living and defending, while truth held in unrighteousness becomes the greatest curse to the world, and following it means denying self including appetite and unholy lust, standing on eternal truth and contending earnestly for the faith once delivered.

Converted messengers who voice God's solemn warning bring life to receivers and death to rejecters and prove it by a converted life practicing what they preach, for a teacher not living truth labors in vain, while upholding truth by argument and life places one on righteousness' side, and where conversion is real controversy ends and plain truth is spoken by cleansed lips.
Truth presented in Jesus is life to the person it helps toward decision for truth, calling for earnest continuous labor, tender sympathy and love for souls, where a decided stand can give others courage.
The gospel when carried by Christ's disciples and lived out in conduct is life to them and to others, for disciples are to represent Christ's character and be doers of the Word they present.
God's word received into the heart and lived out sanctifies and transforms unto life, seen in sanitarium workers in kind words, good actions, pleasant dispositions and characters that bless the sick and let truth shine as Christ's fellow workers, and managers, physicians and nurses become life when true religion lives in them by practicing the living Word, keeping Jesus' love alive, maintaining truth, holding God's law sacred despite contrary influences, and letting Christ guide and purify as wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption.
The example of a Christian physician has decisive spiritual effect, for careless words and deportment do great harm because they are death, while practicing pure gospel principles in daily life and speech shaped by Christ's teachings makes example life, applying with special force to the physician whose position is as responsible as the minister and requires full consecration, and a physician who is himself a reformer becomes life by seeking to reform others through precept and example in institutions angels watch standing between living and dead.

Men bearing responsibilities in God's institutions are life when they have a living connection with God and death when unsanctified, disobedient, selfish and self-dependent for wisdom, and the life blesses the institution while the death does great harm by influence in wrong lines and revealing true character in determination to carry out own will.
Continuing without decided reform in economy, self-denial, appetite and family training puts one on the death side, for failure to bind desires, control spending, correct indulgent eating and lax child training leads into unimagined temptations and forfeits a place among overcomers around God's throne.
God's people are life to unbelievers when visibly distinct from the worldly standard, following Jesus as Pattern without sinful conformity and mingling only after Christ's order to do good and save souls, while jesting, joking, comical remarks and witty speeches to keep the ignorant in laughter are death, not life.
The words and works of repentant believers become a life-giving influence when sprinkled with the blood of Christ, turning sluggish movements into consecrated activity that makes the burden of perishing souls their own.
A gift improved and faithfully used for God's glory can be presented to Him as a consecrated offering, fragrant before Him and life, through faithful stewardship.

A minister's wife's life and conversation should savor of life by encouraging faith and directing minds heavenward, for a complaining faithless influence weighs her husband down and works against the truth.
A Christian's influence can be life when continual connection with God shapes impressions, through the atmosphere of grace surrounding the soul and the Holy Spirit working on mind and heart enabling God to bless service, while without kindness and love influence does not do its work as it ought, and consecrated lives give an atmosphere bringing blessing and leading toward life.
Work for souls gives life when done by a converted person learning from Christ with patience, love and God's power, and a person's work for God can be a means of life to receivers, and the prayer to be life-giving expresses desire to help people be soundly converted and bring others to Christ.
A believer's love, surrounding the believer and expressed in constant help and blessing to others, makes that believer life and enables God to bless the work, and accounts of faithful ministry give life, for reports of joy and blessing encourage the church and show God works with cooperators, and sharing the gospel and testimonies including the canvasser as evangelist writing of joy spreads sweet far-reaching life-giving influence.
Evil influence spreads and adds to harm passed to others, while people guided by the Holy Spirit send out life, for criticism, suspicion, jealousy, discontent, frivolity, selfishness and indifference turn people from Christ and harden them against faith, and those causing this harm by words and conduct bear responsibility before God.

A Christian shaped by Christ is life-giving through peace, joy, praise and gratitude from pardoning love, united with Christ and submitted to His will to bear fruit to God's glory by showing His character, not depending on explaining mysteries of personal experience.
The savor of life is an atmosphere about soul and body created when one examines practices, puts away unhealthful gratification in eating and drinking causing injury and suffering, and brings daily practice into harmony with nature's laws by doing as well as believing, and life-giving influence is a pure refined health-reviving atmosphere without selfishness created by examining the heart, stopping cherishing injury, opening the door to Jesus, casting away idols, cutting unhealthful indulgence, putting self out of sight, opening heavenward to the Spirit, and entwining affections about Christ through deeper conversion, living faith, forgiveness and entire sanctification.
Teachers in whom Christ's love abides become a sweet fragrance and life to children, even those with inherited objectionable traits, binding them as living agencies to enlighten, lift, encourage, help purify from moral defilement, and lead toward purity so God's image is revealed and character transformed by grace, for love abiding in a teacher makes a sweet fragrance of life helping them grow and revealing God's image.
A Christian's influence is life to those receiving light while refusers remain on death's path, applying first in the home and extending to the world, and others' refusal does not excuse letting light shine, with the warned who reject bearing responsibility.
Every believer laboring in the Sanitarium, especially every nurse, is to be a channel of blessing with a life-bringing atmosphere from receiving light above and letting it shine, consecrating self instead of conforming to fashionable display, and asking God's presence and guidance amid temptations, and Christ's presence in rightly conducted sanitariums is a life-giving influence that can show truth, bless, uplift and lead some to conversion.

Acts of mercy and generous service for God bring spiritual life to both receiver and giver with good results to both, and acts of mercy and love by God's servants are life benefiting both and producing good fruit in each.
Being life requires spiritual discipline and training as a learner in Christ's school, without which people are unfit for useful service and careless work injures the church, for to be life requires being under discipline with whole consecration since salvation of self and others is at stake, and professing advanced truth while keeping it in the outer court without sanctifying power leaves one inefficient, surrounds the soul with harmful atmosphere, and produces hap-hazard work injuring the church.
Those in soul-saving work become life when cleansed and sanctified through Bible truth and ministering unselfishly, helping many physically, mentally and spiritually and turning them from sin to righteousness.
Christians carry the fragrance of holiness, and fruit shows whether they are in Christ, for a renewed consecrated heart bears love, thankfulness, praise, self-denial and good influence.
Openly confessing secret sins in church can be death rather than life, for hearers may conclude sins are not serious because longtime Christians committed them, and planted seeds may lead them under temptation to repeat the same sins, spreading seeds of evil, encouraging repetition and bringing reproach on Christ's cause.

A person's life and influence can be death rather than life, for continuing in error and leading souls astray brings eternal ruin, while changing course and obeying God's Word turns influence toward life.
The spiritual atmosphere surrounding people can lead toward life or death, and a training school's atmosphere should be life rather than death, helping young people remain faithful, for a school's atmosphere can bring life strengthening young people's life with God and guarding from worldly influences threatening consecration, and a spiritual atmosphere can be life in a rightly conducted home-like school leading children step by step.
Daily conversion and wisdom from God enable a person's speech to be life to his children.
Earnest labor for a soul becomes life when it brings spiritual life and forward movement, but that result can be counteracted and lost by constant critical, false and contentious talk that stands in the way, neutralizes the work, and leaves no advance in spirituality.
A message can be death to some when writing that is not inspired, though regarded as light, leads many souls astray and brings spiritual harm.

The plain God-given testimony acts upon every hearer unto life or death, cutting the fleshly heart, for those hating reproof reject it and lose eternal life while those receiving it live and triumph with the third angel's message, and it must be given whether men will hear or refuse, with God's work going forward without those who refuse.
Those who truly believe exert a life-giving influence, as Christ as Advocate walks in the midst of His churches to sanctify, elevate and ennoble followers, holding the stars in His right hand to let light shine through them to the world and prepare them for higher service above, calling believers to accurate determined work showing what truth has done for them.
Christ's truth conveyed with living power by the Holy Spirit into an obedient heart is life.
A person's course makes influence draw souls toward eternal life or drag them toward eternal death, for one who fights God's work hinders it in hearts, turns souls from truth to despise God's message, becomes a death-dealing power, will meet that work himself and will need God's pity.
A person's influence is death when it leads others into snares away from God's will, while following the Lord makes it a power for good on Christ's side.

A life becomes life or death, and influence with worldlings is no credit if it misleads, for presenting pleasing fables about God and using Scripture to uphold spiritualistic philosophical views dishonors God, unites with the prince of darkness to seduce souls to ruin, and unless there is decided change, daily Bible meditation, taking God as guide, obeying His Word, and making straight paths lest the lame be turned aside, the blood of lost souls will be charged to account.
A parent's influence in the home should be life through close connection with God and a heart sanctified by grace, representing God as an oracle of the cross with Christ teaching right words and speaking through them, for tones, words, actions and countenance leave ineffaceable impressions mingling with children's first conceptions, strengthening right purpose and leading to immortal life where parents present them saying, Here am I, and the children given me.
In Sabbath school, amusing students with anecdotes does not exert the influence that is life.
A person controlled by natural passions is death, while Christ's grace purifies thought, regulates desire and sweetens disposition, requiring daily conversion and faith to keep the heart from becoming defilement, for a person controlled by natural passions in unholy speech and unsanctified actions becomes death to others, while grace purifies heart and changes thought, desire and disposition.
Being made by Christ every hour life is living Christ and rejoicing in His riches as a fragrant life of holiness and grace, requiring yoking with brethren in harmony, putting away an impetuous self-sufficient disposition, confessing defects and injury done to a brother, walking humbly with undivided heart, and laboring in God's way as consecrated vessels so work is accepted.

Christian workers are to be life through love and service to others.
Fidelity under trial produces attributes pleasing to God that lead toward life for those labored for, lived out through speech and works by growing in grace and knowledge, imparting to others, letting light shine in clear rays, choosing words that honor Christ and help and uplift rather than hinder, harass or provoke, and showing clear separation between serving God and not serving Him.
Truth becomes life to believers and through their influence to others when they turn from self-seeking thought and work to do God's given work, for professed believers seeing no work away from self do not have truth's treasures opened, since God made them stewards who must be faithful, wearing Christ's armor as disciplined soldiers under His banner, while truth is not life to them nor through them when they see no call from self.
Christians are life when character reflects Christ, while a self-centered faultfinding spirit misrepresents Him and leaves an undesirable impression, so they must daily overcome self and cultivate a disposition fragrant and alive to God.
Lessons in the Old and New Testaments become life when brought into actual life, and when so taught and practiced they reform character.

Being life means living the gospel and maintaining its principles, expressed in intelligent medical missionary work that opens doors closed to preaching alone, where a seed of truth dropped in the mind and watered by God springs up after patience to bear fruit unto eternal life, for hearts are reached through relief of physical suffering.
Teachers are to be life by giving ideas that bring life, with the Lord as strength, teaching with illustrations, clear explanations, easy words all can understand instead of large words like justification and sanctification, speaking as to little children, with the great Teacher flooding the mind with sunshine and molding speech free from dross, for teaching the gospel should give students ideas that are life, making Scripture clear through plain illustrations and speech reaching the heart, and relying on the Lord for plain words.
The church's influence strengthened through earnest prayer and used in God's service can be life, and using God-given powers increases strength and usefulness while refusing to use them leaves inability to use them.
The savor of life is a fragrant holy influence that those in God's institutions should spread in daily business as Christ's representatives by bringing grace into service, thoughts, words and deportment, treating all with Christian courtesy instead of a surly dictatorial overbearing spirit and sour countenance, carrying religion from morning prayer into work, for revealing Christlikeness in business does more than teaching a class, and without such courtesy none is fitted for heaven, for angels record words, actions and even countenance.
Christ's influence through believers is life when His love and sanctifying power revealed in them quells passion and wins souls to Christ in the way they represent Him.

When believers count heaven worth everything and appreciate eternal life, their influence brings life to the world, calling for giving Jesus full heart service since everything is owed to Him.
Those who obey and love and fear God in every commandment give an impression that is life, helping others see the value of self-denial whether they listen or not, for such teachable, humble people acknowledge God in all ways, lead in consecration, represent truth, equity and righteousness with love purifying the soul, represent principles of harmony, and show appreciation for Christ by loving Him, keeping His requirements, and walking in His steps toward entrance to the city.
Believers are to be life now by shining as lights in darkness with urgency because only a little time remains to work, and those receiving and practicing truth shine so virtues in their lives are life to others.
Co-laborers with Christ become fragrant in good works by valuing speech as life-giving rather than deadly, seeing and feeling deeply, doing the Word, following God, walking in love as a sweet sacrifice, and being patient, kind and forbearing rather than impatient and unreasonable, and when sanctified and revealing His purity daily and contending for the faith in a Christlike way without retaliating when ridiculed, their influence leads toward life and helps seekers find the right way.
The life and character of believers make a deep life-or-death impression on unbelievers hearing preaching, and pulpit effort must be followed by personal labor in conversing, praying, example, publications and living the faith, for if such persevering effort by precept and example does not save hearers it will condemn them, so even discouraging and seemingly unimpressible cases must not be left hopeless but followed with prayer and continued effort.

A person's influence brings life by clinging close to Jesus, but it fails and becomes a snare giving wrong impressions of godliness and harming consecration when precious character qualities are corrupted by cheap words and unreliable conduct, as years of association with business associates failed to bring life to one man nor help him toward spiritual life.
People living by true principles bring life wherever they go by giving evidence of sincere faith, while the church's defects and lack of spiritual interest hinder conversions.
A man's influence over young men in his employ brings life when he feels responsibility to represent Jesus, keeps distinct in conversation and spirit, and maintains dignity, thereby helping them seek the Lord and saving many, while becoming as one of them destroys dignity and power to help and does not bring life.
The words, acts and life of every great professor of truth lead others toward eternal life or death, and those valuing earthly enterprises highly and eternal life lowly fail to see this and need arousing to truly value eternal life and let light shine to lead others to life.
A person may bring life through earnest work with God to save people, sought by prayer for help to reach people and lead them to overcome, precious because of the soul's value and dependent for success on God and the Spirit, and such labor with Christ to restore body and soul can make words and actions life-giving.

The way people act and teach can bring life or death, and discipline parents have used has not brought life, requiring repentance and reconversion to bring children up in the Lord's nurture and discipline.
Christ's character expressed through a person's influence brings life with fragrance to others, while influence opposed to Christ is poisonous as death.
Daily partnership with Christ makes a person life-giving to all connected with him, when uncertainties are overcome by faith, God's power to bind human interests with His own is talked of instead of Satan's power, and Christ's language is echoed with no impatient speech.
A person's influence can bring life as a pure healthful heavenly influence flowing through words and actions shaped by Jesus' Spirit, kindness, compassion and sympathy, refining and uplifting others with saving effect in time and eternity.
Truth bears life-giving influence through believers' lives, which Satan works to corrupt so it will not appear, and believers purified and sanctified by faith working through love and purifying the soul show truth's life-giving character, for truth appearing in the life is life to all who believe, received by wearing His yoke and learning obedience, meekness and lowliness with rest of soul, without strife, envy or suspicion, resting in holy love with pure speech from lips touched with a live coal, thus prepared to deliver God's message.

A person's words are to bring life by being sweet and fragrant, which comes from guarding thoughts to keep the heart clean from jealousy, instead of using influence to oppress and domineer, for an account will be required for such oppression.
Taking hold of Christ's divinity and of the divine power joined to His humanity and bringing it into life makes a person life-giving, connected with repentance, turning to the Lord, and cutting away wrong habits and dispositions.
To bring life requires a changed personal and family experience beginning in the home, with God first in the home and world and enthroned in each heart, every rival influence of husband, wife or child given up, the citadel of the soul guarded from earthly affections, children brought up with careful restraint and proper training, truth professed with lips also practiced, and the soul daily fed on the flesh and blood of the Son which is His Word, while without this home mismanagement and unpracticed profession darken others and injure other mothers and children, and God lays no unbearable burden but waits to give everlasting strength to every asking soul.
Merely providing temporal food does not bring life, and service that aims to benefit people must also offer the bread of life and warn of spiritual danger.
Work done for others with health reform and instruction can bring life to soul as well as body when done by the right man in the right place with patience, kindness and amiable character built through grace, representing truth, blessing lives, reaching businessmen and unbelievers, removing prejudice, reflecting light, and with a timely word counterworking the influence that brought health reform into disrepute.

Truth lived out in daily life becomes an influence bringing life to others, as truth is the balm for sin and a working power in the wise believer, and when believed and obeyed it changes the whole life, coming by claiming the Spirit by faith in every circumstance, with more grace in necessity, planting truth in mind, heart and soul and controlling mind and affections and impressing Christ's words on the soul, and pure truth when shared as a living influence for good is a fragrance of life leading to life.
The testimony of sacred truth borne to the world either saves or condemns, and when precious, pure, elevating truth is cherished and received into the heart it sanctifies, transforms character and life, makes believers representatives of Christ who are Christlike in spirit as well as doctrine with pure, refined, elevated influence, and is the power of God unto salvation to believers and to an unbelieving world.
Those who lack Christ's fragrance do not bring life and need conversion to bring the spirit of truth into work instead of self-righteous and overbearing ways, with those seeing God's glory becoming humble and contrite, and a person's works and conduct have opposite effects bringing life or death to others, while continuing in a self-important spirit misrepresents Christ and fails to give the life-giving influence that comes from being changed by Him.
Keeping in God's love surrounds the soul with an influence that brings life to others, belonging to workmen approved unto God who watch for souls as those who must give account, mold minds for heaven without human mold, speak carefully considered words, repent of passion and impatience that gave unworthy example, and cultivate fervent piety to represent Christ, with neglect of that piety working away from Christ.
A life bearing grace and godliness has a saving influence as life that may work unseen yet is felt by others, and gratitude expressed through praise and thanksgiving helps maintain the connection with God from which it flows, while cultivating the graces of the Spirit makes a person such a life-giving influence to everyone met in this short life, shown in word and deed done in the Lord's name, especially speaking sympathy to those in sorrow so their burden is lighter.

Those who serve God and carry truth to others bring life when their influence leads people to salvation, and converted believers emptied of selfishness and partakers of the divine nature become light-bearers in a dark world.
Everyone in whose heart grace works daily becomes life-giving to all under his watchcare, especially those in responsible positions relying wholly on Christ's merits, making them successful in bringing perishing souls to the Chief Shepherd who alone saves to the uttermost.
The lives and speech of messengers' companions exert serious influence and should exemplify life rather than death, counting either for or against the truth and either gathering with Christ or scattering.
A life joined to Christ by living faith, with self crucified and the Spirit attending efforts, exerts life-giving influence through Christ's mediation and the new life of those crucified, buried and risen with Him.
Blind parental affection that sympathizes with and encourages one in wrongdoing brings death, keeping truth and warnings from the heart and shielding a ruinous course, and though appearing tender and merciful it is disguised cruelty bringing great loss and divine disfavor.

Workers give life by practicing Christ's meekness, with words and conduct drawing people to Christ and building them up rather than provoking, criticizing, condemning or discouraging them, learning His humility and avoiding harshness that drives souls away.
Those who receive God's Word in faith and live by it become a life-bringing influence to others, with works and sharing holding forth the message of life.
Christ's people are to give life through influence among others, not by needlessly provoking hostility or treating people as worthless, but by remaining among them as a wholesome, saving influence.
Christians who daily learn spiritual lessons and model them for others give life, with lives bearing the divine impress and life-giving influence on those around.
Words and actions exert influence toward either life or death, and every worker in any capacity must seek wisdom from God to represent Christ's character in all of life, because conduct always makes a favorable or unfavorable impression on others regarding professed truth.

A person's influence can give life or fail to do so, and critical, divisive conduct does not give the church life-giving influence but hinders Christ's message and work, showing how conduct affects others.
Christian workers can see clearly whether they give life when they bring faith into practical life, which requires full consecration, self hidden in Christ, growth in grace and knowledge of deep truths, Christ's sanctifying power in the heart, deep experience, deeper piety and unselfish devotion, presenting Christ as center and author and finisher of redemption, forming new habits, restraining propensities, coming into personal contact with people, and knowing God to rightly represent Him, without which preaching fails to reach people and communicate correct principles.
A warning received and heeded can give life, and those who open their hearts to hear have God's Spirit with them.
The influence a person carries can give life to others when a soul burdened with truth that works by love and purifies gives off a heavenly atmosphere benefiting those around.
The words and deeds of those who keep the Sabbath in truth are to bring others life, coming from grace and genuine faith expressed in practical righteousness, not merely legal observance.

A person's influence in sharing the gospel can give life, as seen in faithful testimony and work sharing truth that draws people to Christ and contributes to salvation.
Believers give life when they have simplicity, true modesty, humility and meekness, and without these they act in self-confidence, lose ability to distinguish light from darkness, may unknowingly support evil, and fail to recognize faithful messengers.
Those who have accepted the Sabbath and been placed as lights are to those around them life or death depending on whether they live up to light received, by doing assigned work, improving entrusted talents in their own place, and letting good works lead souls to salvation and to glorify the Father.
Christians are life by unreserved surrender of time, substance and influence to the Lord who gave Himself to save to the uttermost all who come to Him, and when sincere earnest efforts to win souls are made in this way God's salvation is seen.
Those who do not carry Christ's spirit do not give life, and the absence of Christ's fragrance in conduct means failure to bring life to others.

The influence of one who studies the Word with sincere desire for knowledge is life, for God fills such a soul with light, makes heaven's mysteries the mind's treasures and approves the work, so that even amid sin, crime and pressure for want of means the worker does not complain, utter perverseness or talk darkness because appearances are against them.
Practicing the truth is life for those receiving it, while worldly-wise people blind to truth's loveliness, or whose selfishness and fixed opinions make them reject it, do not relish it, and truth conflicting with their opinions instead exposes the self-seeking spirit that produces strife and oppression.
A person's influence among others can be life, tested by unselfish helpful conduct, and the brother addressed had failed to be life-giving because he used associates' defects for his own recognition and influence instead of healing and restoring them.
Giving life means cooperating with God to save souls by becoming a living influence, especially in the family, to rescue them from deceptive snares, including Christless amusements, and guide them to God and to the Lamb who takes away sin, exercising every lent power strenuously on Christ's side, and this requires an undivided heart steadfast and rooted and grounded in truth under the Word's hallowed power, without which self-delusion leaves a person where God cannot use them as an honorable vessel.
Sanctified affection is life, and noble elevated affection that lasts brings life, while affection appearing abundantly only now and again does not have that lasting life-giving quality.

Practical religion flowing from a pure heart in which Christ abides spreads a life-giving influence.
The truth committed to God's people to proclaim will prove life or death to hearers, and the Lord looks with displeasure on those entrusted with it when through speculation, selfish interest and a world-loving spirit marring its sacredness they are untrue to their trust, cannot keep God's commandments in sincerity and truth, and their reproofs and warnings please but do not convict and convert because hearers see the same world-loving spirit in the minister claiming to believe the last warning as in themselves.
Those who have Christ abiding in their hearts by faith, whose faith works through love and purifies the soul, become life-giving to the people for whom Christ died, and their loving influence is part of Christ's reconciliation drawing people toward God and showing the gospel's life-giving effect.
The way Christians speak and live can give life to others, with their words and righteous conduct blessing people and leading them toward life.
A worker's influence should give life, and neglecting rest and relaxation can bring sickness of body, mind and soul harming that life-giving influence.

Christ's messengers give life to those they benefit when they represent Christ in character, but without true knowledge of God and Christ they can instead harm the church, and the image describes the effect of their witness as a call to conversion and Christlike character.
A husband's influence over his young wife is either life or death, for with God's glory in view in marriage he will not hinder her in spiritual things, with life helping her keep serving God as before and death giving her the impression that her time and strength are now bound to her husband's life and happiness and she is no longer to serve as she did, spoiling her life and his own by yielding to worldly ambition.
Formal dry lifeless prayers do not bring life's influence to those who pray or anyone else, for true Christian influence including prayer gives life to oneself and others, carrying good, while prayers lacking a living beneficial influence do not give that life and do no good to the one praying nor anybody else.
A heart humbled by awareness of its need for God becomes life-giving.
Godly influence is a life-giving power that heals souls, and those with the spirit of the Great Medical Missionary encourage those who have erred instead of joining to expose their errors, cutting them off from work and pushing them into discouragement, with failure to encourage proving lack of this influence and failure as a soul-healer.

God's words and spoken counsel acted upon become to the soul life-giving, giving life and keeping one faithful.
The counsel of fellow believers can bring life leading to life, and despising it rejects that life, while receiving and appreciating it preserves Christian influence and keeps the door of usefulness open to counsel others, requiring carrying work in simplicity of true godliness, receiving the Holy Spirit's mold on mind, voice and character, and refusing self-sufficient separation and variance which no one can cherish and still retain influence as a Christian.
Christ's followers become life-giving when they receive His righteousness and grace and partake of His Spirit, and then their lives have saving influence restraining evil as salt preserves from corruption, while profession without Christ's love has no power for good, and the love making their influence life-giving seeks not its own good but others' good.
Actions lacking pure love, even when appearing generous, humble, affectionate or religious, lack life-giving character and true holiness's fruits because they do not spring from pure love, and pure love gives actions their life-giving character as applied to motives, for outward generosity, humility, affection or blameless life cannot replace the principle of pure love.
Believers are to give life by letting peace, righteousness and love fill the heart, letting truth work by sanctifying power, refusing to war against and find fault with fellow believers, criticizing self closely and severely instead, and seeking more and more knowledge of Christ to exert life-giving influence.

Short simple direct prayer of faith in the sickroom is life to the hopeless soul, preparing the way for grace to speak, encouraging the sick to believe in compassionate regard, letting light penetrate hopelessness to bring soul-healing with Jesus present and new strength and fresh grace to the fainting and perplexed, and even unbelievers feel the strange new influence and realize prayer is heard, though those praying cannot know in this life all that is accomplished.
Believers converted by the Holy Spirit who recognize God's leading have an influence that is life, sustaining fellow workers, bringing peace, contentment and rest of soul, and helping God's work advance in cities, and this requires faith to make centers of influence in many places, much praying, laying aside disunion, envy and accusation against those doing advanced work, and helping instead of hindering, without which believers fail the test.
This working is the Holy Spirit upon human minds, joined to liberty where the Spirit is and to beholding the Lord's glory and being changed into the same image from glory to glory, while those obedient to God's law are not under condemnation but free from sin, yet salvation demands entire submission under Christ's rule, since to save man in rebellion would be cruel.
The Lord Jesus is to each person individually a present help and sufficiency in every emergency, and when truth influences the human heart and is acted out in the life in keeping all His commandments and following His leading, its influence is life.
Being life means reaching souls so they successfully overcome and are saved, which flows from love for souls and a sense of the great value of the soul, is given when God works through the messenger, and is something to ask God for in prayer with gratitude when hearts are reached.

Truth spoken by a converted teacher who longs to lead people to Christ is life for those receiving it, and spiritual instruction is such a savor when received as teaching from the Lord, giving life and leading to life.
An example that should bring life through the gospel can instead be death to others when the life fails to show sincere Christianity and adds to the bitterness of those weighed down by sin and guilt instead of bringing saving influence, like poisoned springs rather than a well of water leading to everlasting life.
The influence of those who believe in Christ is life in the world, as Christ uses His followers to let His light shine and to show through their lives what divine grace can do for humanity.
A person's influence is life when it does good but death when it fails to do good, and those who bear Christ's name yet do not follow His instruction or carry out His work cause incalculable harm through their influence.
Truth received gives spiritual blessing and life, but the same truth rejected hardens the heart, and when met with suspicion and jealousy toward God's advancing work such as jealousy over the success of medical missionary work, it causes loss of the blessing that might have been had and brings divine judgment unless the rejecter is baptized with the Holy Spirit.

The gospel work is a peculiar work that the world cannot appreciate because it is not understood by the world, so each worker must stand individually in God while God makes the knowledge known through them.
When a person casts the helpless soul on Jesus, presses close to the Redeemer, keeps hold of His hand, holds the mind in captivity to Christ and the whole being in subjection to Him, God causes triumph in Christ and manifestation of the savor of His knowledge in every place through talents of influence used in the family to bless others and help souls away from temptation as one led and taught of God.
The influence of Christ's people can be life when their hearts and tongues are sanctified and they are made humble and Christlike by the Holy Spirit so their Gospel work brings life, which requires daily spiritual renewal and crucifixion of unconsecrated self.
A Christian must be a life-giving influence by being Christlike in practical life, practicing self-denial and overcoming appetite and lust instead of conforming to the world, while those claiming to be Christians yet clinging in blindness of passion to defiling indulgence that harms body, soul and spirit and destroys brain nerve power and physical health misrepresent Christ and become a death-dealing influence drawing many into lustful fellowship, where numbers will neither excuse iniquity nor lessen condemnation, and when judgment sits they will be judged personally according to deeds done in the body.
A Christian's influence can be life or death, and by living the truth with Christ's spirit and showing love for it through good works a believer may lead an unbelieving spouse toward obedience to God's commandments, where otherwise that influence may result in death.

A Christian life constantly reproduces itself through personal influence, because business dealings involve differently organized minds and reach the soul, touching lines that vibrate back to God, and being life means leaving lasting impressions on other minds through unseen attractions while in constant connection with God, with words and actions tracing themselves on others, which requires being Christlike in the highest sense, free from selfishness, self-exaltation and worldliness regardless of position, experience or knowledge, having the law of kindness on the lips and the sweet fragrance of love springing from the heart, coming close to hearts with heartiness and valuing people as those God valued so highly as to give His own life so they might live with Him through eternal ages.
Every believer gives off a spiritual influence leading others either toward life or toward death, and no person can bear sin for self or others since Christ alone bears it, so gratitude for His sacrifice must appear as fragrance of His character in life and words, with the love of Christ pervading the life making speech sweet like fragrant flowers and fitly spoken like apples of gold in pictures of silver.
Every word and action either draws others toward eternal life or pushes them toward eternal death, and God notices everything done and said while believers live as a spectacle before the world, angels and men, with what is in the heart revealed in character and spreading influence to every associate, so those in daily connection with God with a living interest in saving souls will help others into right, safe paths by choice words and counsel, but in the judgment they will be brought face to face with those they might have helped and failed to help.
The savor of life is the fragrant influence flowing from the springs of the heart when truth transforms character, as truth reaches the deepest recesses of the soul to cleanse away everything unlike the spirit of Christ and fills the vacuum with His pure and holy and undefiled attributes, producing faith that works by love and purifies the soul, steadfast principle with no compromise of truth, far-advanced knowledge of Jesus Christ, reception of His love for God and neighbor, the sunlight of heaven shining in daily life, and revelation of the fruits of truth in words and character as kind and courteous peace lovers and peacemakers called the children of God.
Helping one under temptation decides eternal life or death, so words and actions toward the tempted must be wise.

Co-workers with Christ are life through gentleness without harshness or self-sufficiency, since bruising Christ's purchased ones can destroy souls for which they must meet in judgment.
Becoming life unto life requires breaking wrong associations, coming into the light, and yielding to the Holy Spirit to mold the whole experience, without which one remains ensnared, shipwrecks faith, and loses eternal life.
Christlike conduct and witness bring life to receivers through patient faith, humble trust, and sanctified effort leading to the crown of life from Christ.
God's people bring life when prayers, good works, virtuous character, and godly lives preserve the world, while profession without godly character harms like salt without savor.

Words Give Life or Death

Words that should carry life turn to death when the spirit accompanying them is wrong, so carefulness in speech makes teaching ten times more effective, and if even one soul is shut out by spirit or words, that soul will meet the one who closed the door in the judgment.
Reproof and counsel that correct or reform others are life or death according to how they are spoken, for reproof spoken in love under all circumstances heals the wounded soul and reforms without exasperating, while sharp, severe, ill-advised words wound, chafe the spirit and stir the erring to rebellion. Christ by the Holy Spirit supplies the force and power that makes such words life-giving, and all who advocate truth need the heavenly oil of love emptied from the two olive branches into the heart. Quick, severe, harsh, ill-adapted words not fitted to win and heal are of self, and one drop of gall poisons, chafes, stirs rebellion and multiplies evil as others copy it, while words spoken as Christ would speak, truth spoken in love, reform without exasperating and receive force from Jesus to become life. To be life, speech must be cleansed of natural habits with the precious separated from the vile, spoken with meekness, gentleness, patience, forbearance and love, for mingling common fire makes the word offensive, causes some to discard truth and others to imitate harshness.

Through the Holy Spirit the tongue becomes life, and this victory comes through Christ as believers refuse hasty unchristlike words and refuse to voice Satan's suggestions. Lips must be converted and made holy so words encourage others and strengthen them to do God's will rather than bring spiritual harm. Talking about Satan, his power and his working through people makes words death, making the mind gloomy and sour and disagreeable, bringing no sunshine to any heart and making the speaker a channel for gloomy thoughts, while refusing that talk and choosing words that bring sunshine and spiritual life makes words life.

Words of hope and courage to the oppressed are life, while harsh or thoughtless words wound a struggling soul, hinder it, drive it toward Satan and turn it from listening to Christ, bringing death by wounding and turning away. Human speech with voice and tongue is a precious gift from God and a power for good or evil that gives life leading to life or death leading to death, to be used to glorify His name. Words reveal the heart, expressing either love, devotion, praise and melody to God or hatred and revenge, making the tongue either a world of blessing or of iniquity, so speech must be converted and sanctified and believers need education in the science of conversation because the faculty has been much abused and perverted.

Words are either right or wrong with one of two effects, giving life leading to life or bringing death leading to death, and surrounding the soul with a wrong atmosphere is spiritual malaria carrying serious moral responsibility. Beholding others' defects and talking about them and criticizing brethren is forbidden work that creates that malarious atmosphere in the home, and that influence is death. Words sowing discord, suspicion and strife are death, bringing spiritual harm rather than life. Words spoken without Christlike patience and gentleness cannot convert but harden hearts and become death. Dictatorial commands that misrepresent truth and destroy instead of save are a message of death rather than life.

Harmful careless conversation makes influence death, for gossip, tale-bearing, exposing others' faults and dissecting character separate the soul from God, damage spiritual life, weaken the church and turn friendly association into a source of evil. Pleasant, cheery, helping words with peaceable example and unselfish deeds in daily contact are life, costing no more than moody ones, while harsh words sting. Amid universal difficulties Christians are to bring sunshine not gloom, speaking words that help those wrestling with difficulty, blessing speaker as much as hearer and sowing seeds in word and deed that spring up to bear fruit unto eternal life.

Words about Christ's goodness and mercy spoken in faith, encouragement, peace, righteousness, thanksgiving and praise bring hope and cheer unto life, while gloomy faithless talk magnifying Satan or others' failures darkens hearts and does not glorify God, so words must be chosen to lift toward Christ and strengthen spiritual life. A believer's words spoken sincerely from a heart constrained by Christ's love and made alive by grace are life, giving spiritual nourishment and lifting and strengthening others, while lifeless commonplace talk about the gospel wearies rather than edifies. Knowledge of divine truth shared through speech is life, and the highest use of speech is to impart that truth plainly and extend Christ's grace, as the truly converted speak the good news of salvation and stand openly as Christ's witness declaring the Redeemer's character. Christ-loving words sharing truth with family and neighbors are life, carrying the fragrance of Christ's love through those who let received light shine.

Words and actions have opposite effects according to spirit and motives, not outward deeds which may look the same, for a Christian's are life while a hypocritical church member's are death. Words in friendly social life give life when fitted to hearers' needs, as Christ accepting invitations from Pharisee or publican and mingling in friendly intercourse used the dinner hour for precious lessons, teaching disciples how to act with religious and non-religious at any public gathering by not joining the usual conversation but speaking teaching, helping words. Words meant to carry truth become death when spoken in a hostile or antagonistic spirit, turning people against truth and possibly closing a soul's way to salvation with grave accountability in the judgment, while manner accompanied by Christlike love and patience turns souls toward truth instead of making them bitter against it.

Words of truth spoken by a converted teacher whose heart longs to lead people to Christ are life, and words spoken by a speaker controlled by the Spirit become a life-giving influence with lasting cleansing edifying impression. This happens in orderly tent meetings and church services where God brings strangers, the curious, critics and regular attenders under conviction, when the word is spoken in love with sacred dignity and the Spirit impresses minds, without unsuitable illustrations or anecdotes, helping edify hearers including convicted visitors. Christ's words in the gathering of believers are meant to bring life, but foolish and corrupt speech counteracts the Spirit's influence and hinders grace from reaching the heart. Words are to be life by being sweet and fragrant, which comes from guarding thoughts with holy jealousy to keep the heart clean from jealousy instead of using influence to oppress and domineer, for an account will be required for such oppression.

Words from a corrupt heart bring death, while words from a heart sanctified by truth bring life, so the heart must be cleansed from moral and spiritual defilement which Christ is ready to cleanse when welcomed. Victories in God's work are life when glory is given to God, but when pride and self-exaltation over success are nourished they are tarnished by self-glory and contaminated. Even small unnoticed self-glory turns qualities grace would have made a blessing into a curse, proves spiritual death shown by spiritual pride and crippled experience, keeps the worker on losing ground unless pride is put away and the Spirit's guidance submitted to, and scatters seed bringing a sure harvest without making straight paths.

Counsels and words among God's people are either life working toward life or death working toward death, and without the Holy Spirit cleansing defiling talk, gossip, accusation and judgment, even counsel hurts souls and spoils God's work, so lips must be cleansed as with a living coal from self-assured conversation for speech to give life instead of death. Human speech carries either life-giving or death-dealing influence, a great power for good when rightly used and equally great for evil when poisonous words come from a misused heart, so carefulness and modesty are needed because words reveal character. Followers of Christ can speak words that bring life to hearers when they learn from Jesus, reject a worldly spirit, pray with faith, trust God and live in connection with Him rather than speaking words marked by self, for God works through such as channels of light and grace to reach hearts.

Angry railing words against a fellow believer are death, showing the speaker is not working with God to save that person, and heaven ranks such wicked railing with common swearing. Words spoken in unholy passionate temper and passionate railing against brother or sister dishonor God, disgrace the speaker, reveal a spirit unfit for heaven that would cause rebellion if it could not rule, and cooperate with Satan not God, with calling someone empty-headed counted with swearing. Sanctified speech has spiritual effect that gives life. Criticizing, condemning and vain talking are death proving unsanctified lips uncontrolled by God and needing conversion, and reform begins with each building opposite his own house, with life shown when every member lightens burdens, encourages hearts, holds up hands and strengthens fellow believers to do God's will.

Sanctified fragrant words from a pure cleansed heart carrying Christ's righteousness are life that elevates and blesses hearers and brings them life instead of wounding them, with a clean heart free from jealousy. Teaching and writing not moved upon by the Holy Spirit becomes death to some and leads many souls astray even when its author regards it as light. Complaining of brethren, speaking evil of them, planting evil suspicions and hatred in weak hearts, placing stumbling blocks and fastening souls in unbelief is death confirming souls in a sinful course and possibly placing them beyond reach where no human help can arrest the downward course to loss of heaven.

The influence of one who studies the Word with sincere desire for knowledge is life, for God fills such a soul with light, makes heaven's mysteries the mind's treasures and approves the work, so that even amid sin, crime and pressure for want of means the worker does not complain, utter perverseness or talk darkness because appearances are against them. Words and prayers are death or life to hearers, for words dwelling on Satan's power and spreading gloomy disagreeable thoughts bring death, while words giving a living uplifting testimony give life. People cannot impart spiritual life unless they possess it, and faith in God's word, humble fellowship with God and the spirit of Christ enable life-giving words and laying burdens on God. Dwelling on others' faults and criticizing them makes a person death-bringing rather than life-giving, for faultfinding perverts powers under Satan's influence and unfits for doing good, and the Spirit must enlighten the eyes to prevent this.

Presenting Truth Faithfully

How truth is presented can decide a soul's destiny, for when attention is arrested and a favorable impression is made the messenger's influence and the truth itself become life to that soul. One enlightened by the truth may then enlighten many others, so careless work in dealing with minds is dangerous and every worker carries individual responsibility. Words spoken in evangelistic work can be life to hearers, calling for speaking truth wisely by God's grace so hearers may be saved.

Presenting truth in new places involves weighty responsibility because eternal interests are at stake and preaching becomes life or death to hearers, and the manner of presentation decides the result. Truth presented with power and clearness that stirs conscience and shows the speaker believes it to be terrible earnest reality calling for immediate action leads to life, while the same solemn truth with conclusive arguments presented in a tame spiritless manner making no impression leads to death. When minds are aroused to investigate unpopular truth but the speaker lacks essential qualifications to represent it in its beauty and force, minds balance in opposition, hearts close so interest can hardly be raised again, Satan triumphs with sophistry and darkness and pleasing fables, and truth gains nothing. If work is left until a thorough effort can fairly represent truth and bring minds along gradually with testing and proving, many will decide for life who under unqualified labor would decide against it and meet death.

Being life is what gives influence and success to God's work and enables God to bless it, and this comes not from large expensive buildings, rich furniture, tables loaded with delicacies, impressive buildings or costly comforts. It comes from the Holy Spirit working upon mind and heart, from faith that works by love and purifies the soul, from a gracious spirit and practical godliness, and from the atmosphere of grace surrounding the believer. That life-giving influence helps others see that the truth is real to those who teach it. Success in seeking and saving the lost requires abiding in Christ, having the mind of Christ, and teaching the truth as it is in Jesus in order to convey beams of heavenly light with living power, for in self no one knows how to speak or write with living power equal to the atoning sacrifice and great plan of salvation without belittling it by cheap words.

Preaching the word has life-giving effect when it reaches hearts, teaching and convincing and also strengthening those facing temptation and doubt, not amusing them with stories. Teaching is life when it presents vital points connected to the subject, while irrelevant ideas have no life-giving effect and weaken what came before. Preaching is life when Christ is uplifted and only a few vital points are presented with mind concentrated on the text, keeping to straight lines and to what is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness. Bringing unimportant ideas, wandering from the subject, and bringing foreign disconnected reproofs and matters with no real connection to the solemn sacred truth is not life, for it calls the mind off, weakens all previously said, causes loss of bearings, and makes precious ideas of none effect.

God's love lived out with softening subduing influence leaves an impression that is life, while a harsh denunciatory spirit can make truth unpalatable, turn people from it, stigmatize it and make it ineffective. Patience and pitying tenderness toward the tempted are therefore essential, and patience with the tempted requires contending with self. Influence should be fragrant, pure, undefiled and free from selfishness. The Spirit and Word become life only when presenters have learned from Jesus to preserve His fragrance by meekness, humility and contrition of heart. If self is mingled with the work even while pure doctrines are presented, truth is depreciated and the offering becomes strange fire, unbelievers judge doctrines by advocates' words and works, prejudice is strengthened, souls turn from light and evidence and receive wrong ideas, and many are lost who might have been saved but for misrepresentation by unpurified traits and spirit.

A canvasser's manner of presenting truth may decide a soul's destiny, for if he works with tact in a humble prayerful spirit and makes a favorable impression, his influence becomes life-giving and enlightens that person to enlighten many others, so because eternal destiny turns on this influence careless work with minds is dangerous. Those called to the canvassing field can through earnest prayer surround their souls with an atmosphere that brings life to others, and then angels walk and commune with them, impress hearts, give right words at the right time, and God gives success if they pray and believe, with school preparation providentially fitting them for that service. The gospel message is life to those receiving it, and books carrying that life-giving truth lead readers to Christ and the way of salvation.

Christian teaching exerts life leading to eternal life when it gives students the education they truly need, and that life-giving influence can be exerted only by one in a right spiritual state of mind, while one in a wrong spiritual condition cannot exert it in educating the young or even in sanitarium work. The words and example of educators, especially leaders in institutions, are life or death to believers and unbelievers, for their lessons sow seed blossoming and bearing fruit in others. They give life when words and works are wrought in God, pure and untainted with earthliness, sensualism, coarseness and trifling, and bring death when influence is corrupting, so leaders sowing seeds through example and instruction carry solemn responsibility, where coarse or trivial conduct can contribute to spiritual death while work done faithfully for God gives life-giving influence.

A Christian physician's words and conduct have opposite effects, for careless speech and behavior are death while daily life shaped by pure gospel principles is life, with Christ's teachings remaining on the lips when cherished in the heart. Sanitarium workers are to receive light from God and let it shine through humble pure Christ-centered character, showing what knowing truth has done for them and becoming a blessing and life to others. The Word preached should come to hearers as life, giving full benefit of every sentence with distinct lasting impression, which happens when ministers overcome defects of voice and manner lessening influence, not speaking in a high key or so low as scarcely to be heard or hurriedly rushing words together so half is lost, not appearing excited, but speaking slowly yet earnestly and solemnly with the assurance the Word gives. What people bring from the heart through thoughts and conversation affects those around them, and earthly corruptible thoughts do not produce life for others, while the image of life belongs to the influence of a mind trained on sacred things.