Held Responsible-2 quotes

1) "But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan...took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel....

"Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed..." Joshua 7:1, 11-12.

2) "God's command had been disregarded by one of those appointed to execute His judgments. And the nation was held accountable for the guilt of the transgressor...

"Achan's sin brought disaster upon the whole nation. For one man's sin, the displeasure of God will rest upon the church till the transgression is sought out and put away." Patriarchs and Prophets, p 494 & 497 (see also Testimonies, vol 3, p 265, 269, 517, vol 4, p 491, vol 5, p 676; Manuscript Release #449, p 1-2).

"Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin?" Genesis 20:9.

5) "Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city..." Jeremiah 26:11.

6) "But know ye for certain, that if ye [the church leadership] put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof..." Jeremiah 26:15.

7) "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." Acts 2:36.

9) "Hear ye this, O priests [or ministers]; and hearken, ye house of Israel [or church body]; and give ye ear, O house of the king [or the highest leadership]; for judgment is toward you...

"They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord; but they shall not find Him; He hath withdrawn Himself from them. They have dealt treacherously against the Lord: for they have begotten strange children..." Hosea 5:1, 6-7.

10) "Plead with your mother [church], plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts..." Hosea 2:2.

11) "And I will not have mercy upon her children [church members]; for they be the children of whoredoms. For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully..." Hosea 2:4-5.

"I saw our Instructor pointing to the garments of so-called righteousness. Stripping them off He laid bare the defilement beneath, then He said to me, 'Can you not see how they have pretentiously covered up their defilement and rottenness of character? How is the faithful city become an harlot. My Father's house is made a house of merchandise, a place whence the divine presence and glory has departed.'" Testimonies, vol 8, p 250.

13) "Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? Know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? For two, saith He, shall be one flesh." 1 Corinthians 6:15-16.

15) "And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had...and all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones." Joshua 7:24-25.

"He that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools [those who depart from God and His wisdom] shall be destroyed." Proverbs 13:20.

16) "Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in My fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in Mine anger, and great hailstones in My fury to consume it. So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the Lord....

"To wit, the prophets [church leaders and ministers] of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem [the church], and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord God." Ezekiel 13:13-14 & 16.

17) "How is the faithful city [Jerusalem--see verse 1] become an harlot! It was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers." Isaiah 1:21.

"It was by departure from the Lord, and alliance with the heathen, that the Jewish church became a harlot; and Rome, corrupting herself in like manner by seeking the support of worldly powers, receives a like condemnation." Great Controversy, p 382.

"After speaking of the end of the world, Jesus come back to Jerusalem, the city then sitting in pride and arrogance, and saying, 'I sit a queen, and shall see no sorrow' (see Rev. 18:7)." Selected Messages, book 3, p 417.

18) "If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these [touch anything], shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean. Then said Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before Me, saith the Lord; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean." Haggai 2:13-14.

19) "And He cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto Him, and besought Him to touch him. And He took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when He had spit on his eyes, and put His hands upon him, He asked him if he saw aught. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.

"After that He put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. And He sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town..." Mark 8:22-26.

20) "Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee." Genesis 12:1.

21) "When God bade Abraham to leave his country and friends, he might have reasoned and questioned the purposes of God in this. But he showed that he had perfect confidence that God was leading him...He went at God's bidding. This is a lesson to everyone of us. When duty seems to lead us contrary to our inclinations, we are to have faith in God." Manuscript Releases, vol 10, p 118 (Manuscript #19, March 13, 1886).

22) "God selected Abraham as His messenger through whom to communicate light to the world. The word of God came to him, not with the presentation of flattering prospects in this life of large salary, of great appreciation and worldly honor. 'Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee,' was the divine message to Abraham. The patriarch obeyed, and 'went out, not knowing whither he went,' as God's light bearer, to keep His name alive in the earth. He forsook his country, his home, his relatives, and all pleasant associations connected with his early life, to become a pilgrim and a stranger....

"Before God can use him, Abraham must be separated from his former associations, that he may not be controlled by human influence or rely upon human aid. Now that he has become connected with God, this man must henceforth dwell among strangers. His character must be peculiar, differing form all the world. He could not even explain his course of action so as to be understood by his friends, for they were idolaters. Spiritual things must be spiritually discerned; therefore his motives and his actions were beyond the comprehension of his kindred and friends.

"Abrahams unquestioning obedience was one of the most striking instances of faith and reliance upon God to be found in the Sacred Record. With only the naked promise that his descendants should possess Canaan, without the least outward evidence, he followed on where God should lead, fully and sincerely complying with the conditions on his part, and confident that the Lord would faithfully perform His word. The patriarch went wherever God indicated his duty; he passed through wildernesses without terror; he went among idolatrous nations, with the one thought: 'God has spoken; I am obeying His voice; He will guide, He will protect me.'

"Just such faith and confidence as Abraham had the messengers of God need today. But many whom the Lord could use will not move onward, hearing and obeying the one Voice above all others. The connection with kindred and friends, the former habits and associations, too often have so great an influence upon God's servants that He can give them but little instruction, can communicate to them but little knowledge of His purposes; and often after a time He sets them aside and calls others in their place, whom he proves and tests in the same manner. The Lord would do much more for His servants if they were wholly consecrated to Him, esteeming His service above the ties of kindred and all others earthly associations." Testimonies, vol 4, p 523-524.

23) "Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem...and say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth My sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked." Ezekiel 21:1-3.


	"LET THERE BE LIGHT" Ministries home \| Sermon Quotes CAN WE BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SINS OF OTHERS -- INCLUDING CHURCHES? Part 2 - quotes 1) "But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan...took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel.... "Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed..." Joshua 7:1, 11-12. 2) "God's command had been disregarded by one of those appointed to execute His judgments. And the nation was held accountable for the guilt of the transgressor... "Achan's sin brought disaster upon the whole nation. For one man's sin, the displeasure of God will rest upon the church till the transgression is sought out and put away." Patriarchs and Prophets, p 494 & 497 (see also Testimonies, vol 3, p 265, 269, 517, vol 4, p 491, vol 5, p 676; Manuscript Release #449, p 1-2). 3) "...neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you." Joshua 7:12. 4) "The Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues..." Genesis 12:17. "Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin?" Genesis 20:9. 5) "Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city..." Jeremiah 26:11. 6) "But know ye for certain, that if ye [the church leadership] put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof..." Jeremiah 26:15. 7) "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." Acts 2:36. 8) "A nation's sin and a nation's ruin were due to the religious leaders." Christ's Object Lessons, p 305 (see also Desire of Ages, p 738). 9) "Hear ye this, O priests [or ministers]; and hearken, ye house of Israel [or church body]; and give ye ear, O house of the king [or the highest leadership]; for judgment is toward you... "They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord; but they shall not find Him; He hath withdrawn Himself from them. They have dealt treacherously against the Lord: for they have begotten strange children..." Hosea 5:1, 6-7. 10) "Plead with your mother [church], plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts..." Hosea 2:2. 11) "And I will not have mercy upon her children [church members]; for they be the children of whoredoms. For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully..." Hosea 2:4-5. 12) "Who can truthfully say our gold is tried in the fire, our garments are unspotted by the world. "I saw our Instructor pointing to the garments of so-called righteousness. Stripping them off He laid bare the defilement beneath, then He said to me, 'Can you not see how they have pretentiously covered up their defilement and rottenness of character? How is the faithful city become an harlot. My Father's house is made a house of merchandise, a place whence the divine presence and glory has departed.'" Testimonies, vol 8, p 250. 13) "Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? Know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? For two, saith He, shall be one flesh." 1 Corinthians 6:15-16. 14) "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" Amos 3:3. 15) "And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had...and all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones." Joshua 7:24-25. "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools [those who depart from God and His wisdom] shall be destroyed." Proverbs 13:20. 16) "Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in My fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in Mine anger, and great hailstones in My fury to consume it. So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.... "To wit, the prophets [church leaders and ministers] of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem [the church], and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord God." Ezekiel 13:13-14 & 16. 17) "How is the faithful city [Jerusalem--see verse 1] become an harlot! It was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers." Isaiah 1:21. "It was by departure from the Lord, and alliance with the heathen, that the Jewish church became a harlot; and Rome, corrupting herself in like manner by seeking the support of worldly powers, receives a like condemnation." Great Controversy, p 382. "After speaking of the end of the world, Jesus come back to Jerusalem, the city then sitting in pride and arrogance, and saying, 'I sit a queen, and shall see no sorrow' (see Rev. 18:7)." Selected Messages, book 3, p 417. 18) "If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these [touch anything], shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean. Then said Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before Me, saith the Lord; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean." Haggai 2:13-14. 19) "And He cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto Him, and besought Him to touch him. And He took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when He had spit on his eyes, and put His hands upon him, He asked him if he saw aught. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. "After that He put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. And He sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town..." Mark 8:22-26. 20) "Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee." Genesis 12:1. 21) "When God bade Abraham to leave his country and friends, he might have reasoned and questioned the purposes of God in this. But he showed that he had perfect confidence that God was leading him...He went at God's bidding. This is a lesson to everyone of us. When duty seems to lead us contrary to our inclinations, we are to have faith in God." Manuscript Releases, vol 10, p 118 (Manuscript #19, March 13, 1886). 22) "God selected Abraham as His messenger through whom to communicate light to the world. The word of God came to him, not with the presentation of flattering prospects in this life of large salary, of great appreciation and worldly honor. 'Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee,' was the divine message to Abraham. The patriarch obeyed, and 'went out, not knowing whither he went,' as God's light bearer, to keep His name alive in the earth. He forsook his country, his home, his relatives, and all pleasant associations connected with his early life, to become a pilgrim and a stranger.... "Before God can use him, Abraham must be separated from his former associations, that he may not be controlled by human influence or rely upon human aid. Now that he has become connected with God, this man must henceforth dwell among strangers. His character must be peculiar, differing form all the world. He could not even explain his course of action so as to be understood by his friends, for they were idolaters. Spiritual things must be spiritually discerned; therefore his motives and his actions were beyond the comprehension of his kindred and friends. "Abrahams unquestioning obedience was one of the most striking instances of faith and reliance upon God to be found in the Sacred Record. With only the naked promise that his descendants should possess Canaan, without the least outward evidence, he followed on where God should lead, fully and sincerely complying with the conditions on his part, and confident that the Lord would faithfully perform His word. The patriarch went wherever God indicated his duty; he passed through wildernesses without terror; he went among idolatrous nations, with the one thought: 'God has spoken; I am obeying His voice; He will guide, He will protect me.' "Just such faith and confidence as Abraham had the messengers of God need today. But many whom the Lord could use will not move onward, hearing and obeying the one Voice above all others. The connection with kindred and friends, the former habits and associations, too often have so great an influence upon God's servants that He can give them but little instruction, can communicate to them but little knowledge of His purposes; and often after a time He sets them aside and calls others in their place, whom he proves and tests in the same manner. The Lord would do much more for His servants if they were wholly consecrated to Him, esteeming His service above the ties of kindred and all others earthly associations." Testimonies, vol 4, p 523-524. 23) "Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem...and say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth My sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked." Ezekiel 21:1-3.