"The government under which Jesus lived was corrupt and oppressive; on every hand were crying abuses, - extortion, intolerance, and grinding pride. Yet the Saviour attempted no civil reforms. He attacked no national abuses, nor condemned the national enemies. He did not interfere with the authority or administration of those in power. He who was our example kept aloof from earthly governments. Not because He was indifferent to the woes of men, but because the remedy did not lie in merely human and external measures. To be efficient, the cure must reach men individually, and must regenerate the heart." (EGW DA 509)

Our world is full of injustice:

"But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;" (2 Timothy 3:12-13)

God permits the sin to reveal its real nature completely in order that it be destroyed on His Day forever, without any question of the justification of such an act.

To accept the world as such, means to accept evil as its constituent element. Facing the evil represents the temptation to many. A man himself feels responsible to take a negative attitude toward evil and sin, whether just with an inner attitude or with some action. However, to a man, the temptation is to response to evil by evil as well. (The feeling of anger represents the temptation to us to fall into the sin of anger and hatred.)

A man cannot realize higher spiritual contents than those he devotes his spirit to. If we permit the evil to occupy our mind regardless of how positive intentions we have, we will become evil, too. An old Russian proverb says:

"Who fights against a dragon for hundred years becomes a dragon himself!"

Therefore we meet much more persons today who hate injustice than those who love justice. We meet many of those who love mankind much but not man as well. Without voluntary efforts directed toward understanding God, the beauty of His character, a man is left to the fanatic motives of his sinful nature. Somebody said: "We will fight until the last man lest genocide be done on us!"

A man can have an expressed zeal and sincere readiness to sacrifice even his life in the fight against evil. However, should such a man find himself in the atmosphere of Heaven, he would himself feel a stranger. The atmosphere of Heaven would not find an echo in his heart, thoughts and motives. Jesus' spirit is different:

"But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?" (Matthew 5:39-47)

A girl got ready and started off to a birthday party but her father stopped her at the door, shouting: "Wash the dishes first and then go to the party!" The girl obeyed her father's order. She tried to wash the dishes carefully and be as quiet in doing so as possible. And then she heard the voice of her father: "Be more quiet! Don't bang so much!" She continued to wash the dishes even more quietly. When she finished, her father forbade her, without any rationale, to go to the party. She went to her room without a word of comment. She prayed on her knees for her father and then went to sleep.

In the morning, mother awakened her and said: "Listen what has happened! Last night, about half past one, your father got up, sat at the table and began to cry. He was sorry for having been so bad toward you!"

When on the same day he returned from job, he asked his daughter to forgive him for his behavior toward her. Then they hugged and kissed one another.

Had this Christian girl reprimanded her father for his unrighteous behavior, she could have stirred the justified feeling of his guilt but she would have, just by that, hindered the action of the Holy Spirit and He could not have later produced the real penitence moved by love.

The penitence moved by guilt or fear is not the real penitence. Love cannot be extorted by force (Proverbs 27:22).

"And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, patient, correcting opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth, and that they may escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will." (2 Timothy 2:24-26)

Only love can arouse love. Humiliation raises humiliation and forgiving - forgiving. Only a heart healed from the poisonous sources of this world can reveal the love for others.

"Even John, the beloved disciple, the one who most fully reflected the likeness of the Saviour, did not naturally possess that loveliness of character. He was not only self-assertive and ambitious for honor, but impetuous, and resentful under injuries. But as the character of the Divine One was manifested to him, he saw his own deficiency and was humbled by the knowledge. The strength and patience, the power and tenderness, the majesty and meekness, that he beheld in the daily life of the Son of God, fi lled his soul with admiration and love. Day by day his heart was drawn out toward Christ, until he lost sight of self in love for his Master. His resentful, ambitious temper was yielded to the molding power of Christ. The regenerating influence of the Holy Spirit renewed his heart. The power of the love of Christ wrought a transformation of character." (EGW Steps to Christ 73)