CHRIST OUR
RIGHTEOUSNESS
Part 3
Christ Our Righteousness
Part 3
By Ellen White
I have attended the closing meeting of the
ministerial Bible school--a school composed of conference delegates and those who
have been attending the ministerial institute. At this meeting several were
called upon to say something. Remarks appropriate for the occasion were made by
Elders Olsen, Waggoner, Prescott, and Smith; also by
Elder Haskell, who has been mercifully preserved during his tour around the
world. {9MR 293.1}
I spoke in regard to
matters that were deeply impressing my mind. I referred to the fear that had
been expressed by some who were not members of the ministerial institute, and
who had not been present at all the Bible classes of the school--a fear that
there was danger of carrying the subject of justification by faith altogether
too far, and of not dwelling enough on the law. {9MR 293.2}
Judging from the meetings that I had been
privileged to attend, I could see no cause for alarm; and so I felt called upon
to say that this fear was cherished by those who had not heard all the precious
lessons given, and that therefore they were not warranted in coming to such a
conclusion. None of the members of the class who had been studying the Word to
learn "What saith the Scriptures?" entertained any such fear. The
Bible, and the Bible alone, has been the subject of investigation in this
school. Every lesson has been based, not on the ideas and the opinions of men,
but on a plain "Thus saith the Lord." {9MR 293.3}
Many remarks have been made to the effect
that in our camp meetings the speakers have dwelt upon the law, the law, and
not on Jesus. This statement is not strictly true, but have not the people had some reason for making these remarks? Have not there
stood in the desk, as mouthpieces for God, men who had not a genuine experience
in heavenly things, men who had not received the righteousness of Christ Jesus?
Many of our ministers have merely sermonized, presenting subjects in an
argumentative way and scarcely mentioning the saving power of the Redeemer. Not
having themselves partaken of the living bread from heaven, their testimony was
destitute of nourishment, destitute of the saving blood of Jesus Christ, which cleanseth from all sin. Their offering resembled the
offering of Cain. He brought to the Lord the fruit of the ground, which, in itself, was acceptable in God's sight. Very good,
indeed, was the fruit, but the virtue of the offering, the blood of Christ,
represented by the blood of the slain lamb, was lacking. So
it is in Christless sermons. Men are not pricked in
the heart; they do not inquire, "What shall I do to be saved?" {9MR
293.4}
In His sacrificial character, Christ
reveals Himself as the Bread of Life. "Whoso eateth
My flesh," He declared to His disciples, "and drinketh
My blood, hath eternal life" (John 6:54). Why is not He presented to the
people as the Living Bread? Because He is not abiding in the hearts of many of
those who think it their duty to preach the law. Christ is left out of their
sermonizing, and from east to west, from north to south, the church has been
starving for the bread of life. {9MR 294.1}
Of all professed Christians, Seventh-day
Adventists should be foremost in uplifting Christ before the world. Our
ministers should ever be able to direct men and women to Christ, to the One who
Himself declared, "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35). Let those who
minister to the spiritual necessities of the people read to them the words of
Christ: "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat
of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is My
flesh, which I will give for the life of the
world" (John 6:51). {9MR
294.2}
The Jews, unable to understand this
declaration, "strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us
His flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily I say unto you,
Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life
in you" (Verses 52, 53). {9MR 295.1}
Often there are delivered to the people
discourses destitute of the bread of life, the food essential for spiritual
growth. Those who have been appropriating for themselves the bread of life,
will be able to break it to others. {9MR 295.2}
Christ further declares: "Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My
blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh
is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth
My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and
I in him" (Verses 54 - 56). These words are very similar to those He used
in representing Himself as the Vine, and His followers as the branches:
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the
vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and
I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do
nothing" (John 15: 4, 5). {9MR 295.3}
How
can our people be better helped than by being given the bread of life? And this
bread is God's Word; for Christ has said: "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth
nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life"
(John 6:63). {9MR 295.4}
The law and the gospel, revealed in the
Word, are to be preached to the people; for the law and the gospel, blended,
will convict of sin. God's law, while condemning sin, points to the gospel,
revealing Jesus Christ, in whom "dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead
bodily." The glory of the gospel reflects light upon the Jewish age,
giving significance to the whole Jewish economy of types and shadows. Thus both the law and the gospel are blended. In no
discourse are they to be divorced. {9MR 295.5}
Over the spiritual eyes of altogether too
many there has been hanging a veil. Many have been teaching the binding claims
of God's law, but have not been able to see to the end
of that which was abolished. They have not seen that Jesus Christ is the glory
of the law. The bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness are to be reflected
from His messengers upon the minds of sinners, in order that they may be led to
say, with one of old, "Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous
things out of Thy law" (Psalm 119:18). {9MR 296.1}
Many of our brethren and sisters do not
discern the wondrous things that are to be seen in God's law. They have not
beheld that which was revealed to Moses when he prayed, "I beseech Thee,
show me Thy glory" (Exodus 33:18). To Moses was revealed God's character.
"The Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed
the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The
Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in
goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and
transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty" (Exodus
34: 5-7). {9MR 296.2}
The
apostle John, in his first Epistle, gives the definition of sin. He declares:
"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth
also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3: 4). {9MR
296.3}
To Moses, the character of God was revealed
as His glory. In like manner, we behold the glory of Christ by beholding His
character. Paul says: "We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the
glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory [from
character to character] even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians
3:18). {9MR 296.4}
Why, then, is there manifested in the
church so great a lack of love, of true, elevated, sanctified, ennobling
sympathy, of tender pity and loving forbearance? It is because Christ is not
constantly brought before the people. His attributes of character are not
brought into the practical life. Men and women are not eating of the Bread that
cometh down from heaven. {9MR 297.1}
I have felt very sad as I have seen
ministers walking and working in the light of the sparks of their own kindling;
ministers who were not obtaining spiritual nourishment from Christ, the Bread
of Life. Their own souls were as destitute of the heavenly manna as the hills
of Gilboa were destitute of dew and rain. In their hearts Christ was not an
abiding presence. How could they speak intelligently of Him whom they had never
known by experimental knowledge? {9MR 297.2}
We must see Christ as He is. By the eye of
faith we must discern the glory of the Only Begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth. By failing to cherish the Spirit of
Christ, by taking wrong positions in the controversy over the law in Galatians
--a question that many have not fully understood before taking a wrong position
--the church has sustained a sad loss. The spiritual condition of the church,
generally, is represented by the words of the True Witness:
"Nevertheless," saith the One who loves the souls for whom He has
died, "I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first
love." The position taken by many during the Minneapolis General
Conference testifies to their Christless condition.
The admonition to every such an one is: "Remember therefore from whence
thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto
thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou
repent." {9MR 297.3}
Have not many in this ministerial school
seen their mistake of not abiding in Christ? Cannot they have the privilege of
repenting, and of doing their first works? Who shall condemn this work of
repentance, of confession, of baptism? If some conscientiously feel that their
first duty is to repent of their sins, confess them, and be baptized, is not
this the first work that they must do? {9MR 297.4}
When precious rays of light from the Sun
of Righteousness have shone upon our pathway, some have opened wide the door of
the heart, welcoming the Heaven-sent light into the chambers of the soul. They
receive the words of Christ Jesus gladly. Others have needed the divine
anointing to improve their spiritual eyesight, in order that they may
distinguish the light of truth from the darkness of error. Because of their
blindness, they have lost an experience that would have been more precious to them
than silver and gold. Some, I fear, will never recover that which they have
lost. {9MR 298.1}
When strong-minded men once set their will
against God's will, it is not easy for them to admit that they have erred in
judgment. It is very difficult for such men to come fully into the light by
honestly confessing their sins; for Satan has great power over the minds of
many to whom God has granted evidence sufficient to
encourage faith and inspire confidence. Many will not be convinced, because
they are not inclined to confess. To resist and reject even one ray of light
from Heaven because of pride and stubbornness of heart, makes it easier to
refuse light the second time. Thus men form the habit
of rejecting light. {9MR 298.2}
So long had the Jews refused to walk in
the light of truth, that they rejected their Saviour. Jesus said of the Jews:
"Ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life" (John 5:40). He,
the Light of life, came to enlighten every man that comes into the world, so that
no man need walk in darkness. The light of truth is constantly shining, but
many men and women comprehend it not. And why?--Because selfishness, egotism,
pride, blinds their spiritual eyesight. Standing between them and the true
light, is the idol of their own opinion. They can see very readily that which
they wish to see. Saith the True Witness: "He that hath an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh
will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise
of God" (Revelation 2:7). "The secret of the Lord is with them that
fear Him" (Psalm 25: 14). {9MR 298.3}
My brethren in the ministry, we need Jesus
every moment. To lose His love from our hearts means much. Yet He Himself says:
"I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love"
(Revelation 2:4). There is danger of presenting the truth in such a way that
the intellect is exalted, leaving the souls of the hearers unsatisfied. A
correct theory of the truth may be presented, and yet there may not be
manifested the warmth of affection that the God of truth requires every one of
His messengers to cherish and manifest. {9MR 299.1}
The religion of many is very much like an
icicle--freezingly cold. The hearts of not a few are still unmelted,
unsubdued. They cannot touch the hearts of others, because their own hearts are
not surcharged with the blessed love that flows from the heart of Christ. There
are others who speak of religion as a matter of the will. They dwell upon stern
duty as if it were a master ruling with a scepter of iron--a master, stern,
inflexible, all powerful--devoid of the sweet, melting love and tender
compassion of Christ. Still others go to the opposite extreme, making religious
emotions prominent, and on special occasions manifesting intense zeal. Their
religion seems to be more of the nature of a stimulus rather than an abiding
faith in Christ. {9MR 299.2}
True ministers know the value of the
inward working of the Holy Spirit upon human hearts. They are content with
simplicity in religious services. Instead of making much of popular singing,
they give their principal attention to the study of the Word,
and render praise to God from the heart. Above the outward adorning they
regard the inward adorning, the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. In their
mouths is found no guile. In the lives of many more ministers there should be
revealed the eternal verity of the kingdom of God. Those who practice the truth
in daily life are represented as trees of righteousness, bearing the fruits of
the Spirit. {9MR 299.3}
Genuine religion is based upon a belief in
the Scriptures. God's Word is to be believed without question. No part of it is
to be cut and carved to fit certain theories. Men are not to exalt human wisdom
by sitting in judgment upon God's Word. The Bible was written by holy men of
old, as they were moved upon by the Holy Spirit, and this Book contains all
that we know for certain and all that we can ever hope to learn in regard to
God and Christ, unless, like Paul, we are taken to the third heaven to hear
"unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter" (2
Corinthians 12:4). This revelation to the apostle did not spoil his humility.
{9MR 300.1}
The life of a Christian is a life
regulated by the Word of God just as it reads. All the truths of the Old and
the New Testaments form a complete whole. These truths we are to cherish,
believe, and obey. To the true disciple, faith in God's Word is a living,
active principle; for "with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:10). By
faith man believes that he receives the righteousness of Christ. {9MR 300.2}
Faith, in itself, is
an act of the mind. Jesus Himself is the Author and the Finisher of our faith.
He gave His life for us, and His blood speaks in our behalf better things than
spoke the blood of Abel, which cried unto God against Cain the murderer.
Christ's blood was shed to remit our sins. {9MR 300.3}
Many commit the error of trying to define
minutely the fine points of distinction between justification and
sanctification. Into the definitions of these two terms they often bring their
own ideas and speculations. Why try to be more minute than is Inspiration on
the vital question of righteousness by faith? Why try to work out every minute
point, as if the salvation of the soul depended upon all having exactly your
understanding of this matter? All cannot see in the same line of vision. You
are in danger of making a world of an atom, and an atom of a world. {9MR 300.4}
As the penitent sinner, contrite before
God, discerns Christ's atonement in his behalf, and accepts this atonement as
his only hope in this life and the future life, his sins are pardoned. This is
justification by faith. Every believing soul is to conform his will entirely to
God's will, and keep in a state of repentance and contrition, exercising faith
in the atoning merits of the Redeemer, and advancing from strength to strength,
from glory to glory. {9MR 301.1}
Pardon and justification are one and the
same thing. Through faith, the believer passes from the position of a rebel, a
child of sin and Satan, to the position of a loyal subject of Christ Jesus, not
because of an inherent goodness, but because Christ receives him as His child
by adoption. The sinner receives the forgiveness of his sins, because these
sins are borne by his Substitute and Surety. The Lord speaks to His heavenly
Father, saying: "This is My child. I reprieve him from the condemnation of
death, giving him My life-insurance policy--eternal life--because I have taken
his place and have suffered for his sins. He is even My beloved son." Thus
man, pardoned, and clothed with the beautiful garments of Christ's
righteousness, stands faultless before God. {9MR 301.2}
The sinner may err, but he is not cast off
without mercy. His only hope, however, is repentance toward God and faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the Father's prerogative to forgive our
transgressions and sins, because Christ has taken upon Himself our guilt and
reprieved us, imputing to us His own righteousness. His sacrifice satisfies
fully the demands of justice. {9MR 301.3}
Justification is the opposite of condemnation.
God's boundless mercy is exercised toward those who are wholly undeserving. He
forgives transgressions and sins for the sake of Jesus, who has become the
propitiation for our sins. Through faith in Christ, the guilty transgressor is
brought into favor with God and into the strong hope of life eternal. {9MR
302.1}
David was pardoned of his transgression
because he humbled his heart before God in repentance and contrition of soul, and believed that God's promise to forgive would be
fulfilled. He confessed his sin, repented, and was reconverted. In the rapture
of the assurance of forgiveness, he exclaimed, "Blessed is he whose
transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom
the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile." The blessing comes because
of pardon; pardon comes through faith that the sin, confessed and repented of,
is borne by the great Sin-bearer. Thus from Christ
cometh all our blessings. His death is an atoning sacrifice for our sins. He is
the great medium through whom we receive the mercy and favor of God. He, then,
is indeed the Originator, the Author, as well as the Finisher, of our
faith.--Manuscript 21, 1891, pp. 1-11. ("Christ our Righteousness,"
February 27,1891.)
White Estate Washington, D. C.
November 29, 1979 {9MR 302.2}