Justification
by Faith After 1888 by Ellen G. White
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Dear Reader, Many seem confused as to the conditions
of salvation and justification. Many think that Ellen White changed her mind
on the conditions after 1888. This article by Ellen White, appearing in 1893,
demonstrates that she did not change her mind one iota. Chap.
62 - Justified by Faith [THIS
When God pardons the sinner, remits the punishment he deserves, and
treats him as though he had not sinned, He receives him into divine favor,
and justifies him through the merits of Christ's righteousness. The sinner
can be justified only through faith in the atonement made through God's dear
Son, who became a sacrifice for the sins of the guilty world. No one can be
justified by any works of his own. He can be delivered from the guilt of sin,
from the condemnation of the law, from the penalty of transgression, only by
virtue of the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ. Faith is the only
condition upon which justification can be obtained, and faith includes not
only belief but trust. {1SM 389.1}
Many have a nominal faith in Christ, but they know nothing of that
vital dependence upon Him which appropriates the merits of a crucified and
risen Saviour. Of this nominal faith James says: "Thou believest that there is one
God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou
know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? (James 2:19, 20). Many
concede that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world, but at the same
390 time they hold themselves away from Him, and
fail to repent of their sins, fail to accept of Jesus as their personal
Saviour. Their faith is simply the assent of the mind and judgment to the
truth; but the truth is not brought into the heart, that it might sanctify
the soul and transform the character. "For whom he did foreknow, he also
did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be
the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he
also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he
justified, them he also glorified" (Rom. 8:29, 30). Calling and
justification are not one
and the same thing. Calling is the drawing of the sinner to Christ, and it is
a work wrought by the Holy Spirit upon the heart, convicting of sin, and
inviting to repentance. {1SM 389.2}
Many are confused as to what constitutes the first steps in the work
of salvation. Repentance is thought to be a work the sinner must do for
himself in order that he may come to Christ. They think that the sinner must
procure for himself a fitness in order to obtain the blessing of God's grace.
But while it is true that repentance must precede forgiveness, for it is only
the broken and contrite heart that is acceptable to God, yet the sinner
cannot bring himself to repentance, or prepare himself to come to Christ.
Except the sinner repent, he cannot be forgiven; but the question to be
decided is as to whether repentance is the work of the sinner or the gift of
Christ. Must the sinner wait until he is filled with remorse for his sin
before he can come to Christ? The very first step to Christ is taken through
the drawing of the Spirit of God; as man responds to this drawing, he
advances toward Christ in order that he may repent. {1SM 390.1}
The sinner is represented as a lost sheep, and a lost sheep never
returns to the fold unless he is sought after and brought back to the fold by
the shepherd. No man of himself can repent, and make himself worthy of the
blessing of justification. The Lord Jesus is constantly seeking to impress
the sinner's mind and attract him to behold Himself, the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sins of the world.
391 We cannot take a step toward spiritual
life save as Jesus draws and strengthens the soul, and leads us to experience
that repentance which needeth not to be repented of. {1SM 390.2}
When before the high priests and Sadducees, Peter clearly presented
the fact that repentance is the gift of God. Speaking of Christ, he said,
"Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour,
for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins" (Acts 5: 31).
Repentance is no less the gift of God than are pardon and justification, and
it cannot be experienced except as it is given to the soul by Christ. If we
are drawn to Christ, it is through His power and virtue. The grace of
contrition comes through Him, and from Him comes justification. {1SM 391.1} The Meaning of Faith
Paul writes: "But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on
this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend
into heaven? (that is, to
bring Christ down from above:) or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again
from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth,
and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou
shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart
that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the
heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation" (Rom. 10:6-10). {1SM 391.2} The faith that is unto salvation is not a
casual faith, it is not the mere consent of the intellect, it is belief
rooted in the heart, that embraces Christ as a personal Saviour, assured that
He can save unto the uttermost all that come unto God by Him. To believe that
He will save others, but will not save you is not genuine faith; but when the
soul lays hold upon Christ as the only hope of salvation, then genuine faith
is manifested. This faith leads its possessor to place all the affections of
the soul upon Christ; his understanding is under the control of the Holy
Spirit, and his character is molded after the divine likeness. His faith is
not a dead faith, but a faith that works by love, and
392 leads him to behold the beauty of Christ, and
to become assimilated to the divine character. {Deut. 30:11-14 quoted.}
"And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy
seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul,
that thou mayest live" (Deut. 30:6). {1SM 391.3}
It is God that circumcises the heart. The whole work is the Lord's
from the beginning to the end. The perishing sinner may say: "I am a
lost sinner; but Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost. He
says, 'I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance' (Mark
2:17). I am a sinner, and He died upon Calvary's cross to save me. I need not
remain a moment longer unsaved. He died and rose again for my justification,
and He will save me now. I accept the forgiveness He has promised." {1SM
392.1} Imputed Righteousness
Christ is a risen Saviour; for, though He was dead, He has risen
again, and ever liveth to make intercession for us. We are to believe with
the heart unto righteousness, and with the mouth make confession unto
salvation. Those who are justified by faith will make confession of Christ.
"He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath
everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from
death unto life" (John 5:24). The great work that is wrought for the
sinner who is spotted and stained by evil is the work of justification. By
Him who speaketh truth he is declared righteous. The Lord imputes unto the
believer the righteousness of Christ and pronounces him righteous before the
universe. He transfers his sins to Jesus, the sinner's representative,
substitute, and surety. Upon Christ He lays the iniquity of every soul that
believeth. "He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we
might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Cor. 5:21). {1SM 392.2}
Christ made satisfaction for the guilt of the whole world, and all who
will come to God in faith, will receive the righteousness of Christ,
"who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we,
being dead to
393 sins, should live unto righteousness: by
whose stripes ye were healed" (1 Peter 2:24). Our sin has been expiated,
put away, cast into the depths of the sea. Through repentance and faith we
are rid of sin, and look unto the Lord our righteousness. Jesus suffered, the
just for the unjust. {1SM 392.3}
Although as sinners we are under the condemnation of the law, yet
Christ by His obedience rendered to the law, claims for the repentant soul
the merit of His own righteousness. In order to obtain the righteousness of
Christ, it is necessary for the sinner to know what that repentance is which
works a radical change of mind and spirit and action. The work of
transformation must begin in the heart, and manifest its power through every
faculty of the being; but man is not capable of originating such a repentance as this, and can
experience it alone through Christ, who ascended up on high, led captivity
captive, and gave gifts unto men. {1SM 393.1}
Who is desirous of becoming truly repentant? What must he do?--He must
come to Jesus, just as he is, without delay. He must believe that the word of
Christ is true, and, believing the promise, ask, that he may receive. When
sincere desire prompts men to pray, they will not pray in vain. The Lord will
fulfill His word, and will give the Holy Spirit to lead to repentance toward
God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. He will pray and watch, and put
away his sins, making manifest his sincerity by the vigor of his endeavor to
obey the commandments of God. With prayer he will mingle faith, and not only
believe in but obey the precepts of the law. He will announce himself as on
Christ's side of the question. He will renounce all habits and associations
that tend to draw the heart from God. {1SM 393.2}
He who would become a child of God must receive the truth that
repentance and forgiveness are to be obtained through nothing less than the
atonement of Christ. Assured of this the sinner must put forth an effort in
harmony with the work done for him, and with unwearied entreaty he must
supplicate the throne of grace, that the renovating power of God may come
into his soul. Christ
394 pardons none but the penitent, but whom He
pardons He first makes penitent. The provision made is complete, and the
eternal righteousness of Christ is placed to the account of every believing
soul. The costly, spotless robe, woven in the loom of heaven, has been
provided for the repenting, believing sinner, and he may say: "I will
greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath
clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe
of righteousness" (Isa. 61:10). {1SM 393.3}
Abundant grace has been provided that the believing soul may be kept free
from sin; for all heaven, with its limitless resources, has been placed at
our command. We are to draw from the well of salvation. Christ is the end of
law for righteousness to everyone who believeth. In ourselves we are sinners;
but in Christ we are righteous. Having made us righteous through the imputed
righteousness of Christ, God pronounces us just, and treats us as just. He
looks upon us as His dear children. Christ works against the power of sin,
and where sin abounded, grace much more abounds. "Therefore being
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by
whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and
rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Rom. 5:1, 2). {1SM 394.1}
"Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that
is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through
faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins
that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this
time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which
believeth in Jesus" (Rom. 3:24-26). "For by grace are ye saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" (Eph.
2:8). {John 1:14-16 quoted.} {1SM 394.2}
The Promise of the Spirit
The Lord would have His people sound in the faith-- not ignorant of
the great salvation so abundantly provided for them. They are not to look
forward, thinking 395 that at some future time a great work is to
be done for them; for the work is now complete. The believer is not called
upon to make his peace with God; he never has nor ever can do this. He is to
accept Christ as his peace, for with Christ is God and peace. Christ made an
end of sin, bearing its heavy curse in His own body on the tree, and He hath
taken away the curse from all those who believe in Him as a personal Saviour.
He makes an end of the controlling power of sin in the heart, and the life
and character of the believer testify to the genuine character of the grace
of Christ. To those that ask Him, Jesus imparts the Holy Spirit; for it is
necessary that every believer should be delivered from pollution, as well as
from the curse and condemnation of the law. Through the work of the Holy
Spirit, the sanctification of the truth, the believer becomes fitted for the
courts of heaven; for Christ works within us, and His righteousness is upon
us. Without this no soul will be entitled to heaven. We would not enjoy
heaven unless qualified for its holy atmosphere by the influence of the
Spirit and the righteousness of Christ. {1SM 394.3}
In order to be candidates for heaven we must meet the requirement of
the law: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself"
(Luke 10:27). We can do this only as we grasp by faith the righteousness of
Christ. By beholding Jesus we receive a living, expanding principle in the
heart, and the Holy Spirit carries on the work, and the believer advances
from grace to grace, from strength to strength, from character to character.
He conforms to the image of Christ, until in spiritual growth he attains unto
the measure of the full stature in Christ Jesus. Thus Christ makes an end of
the curse of sin, and sets the believing soul free from its action and
effect. {1SM 395.1}
Christ alone is able to do this, for "in all things it behoved him to be made like
unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in
things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
For in that he himself hath suffered being 396 tempted, he is able to succour them that are
tempted" (Heb. 2:17, 18). Reconciliation means that every barrier
between the soul and God is removed, and that the sinner realizes what the
pardoning love of God means. By reason of the sacrifice made by Christ for
fallen men, God can justly pardon the transgressor who accepts the merits of
Christ. Christ was the channel through which the mercy, love, and
righteousness might flow from the heart of God to the heart of the sinner.
"He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). {1SM 395.2}
In the prophecy of Daniel it was recorded of Christ that He shall
"make reconciliation for iniquity, and . . . bring in everlasting
righteousness" (Dan. 9:24). Every soul may say: "By His perfect
obedience He has satisfied the claims of the law, and my only hope is found
in looking to Him as my substitute and surety, who obeyed the law perfectly
for me. By faith in His merits I am free from the condemnation of the law. He
clothes me with His righteousness, which answers all the demands of the law.
I am complete in Him who brings in everlasting righteousness. He presents me
to God in the spotless garment of which no thread was woven by any human
agent. All is of Christ, and all the glory, honor, and majesty are to be
given to the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world." {1SM
396.1}
Many think that they must wait for a special impulse in order that they
may come to Christ; but it is necessary only to come in sincerity of purpose,
deciding to accept the offers of mercy and grace that have been extended to
us. We are to say: "Christ died to save me. The Lord's desire is that I
should be saved, and I will come to Jesus just as I am without delay. I will
venture upon the promise. As Christ draws me, I will respond." The
apostle says, "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness"
(Rom. 10:10). No one can believe with the heart unto
righteousness, and obtain justification by faith, while continuing the
practice of those things which the Word of God forbids, or while neglecting
any known duty.
397 {1SM 396.2}
Good Works the Fruit of Faith
Genuine faith will be manifested in good works; for good works are the
fruits of faith. As God works in the heart, and man surrenders his will to
God, and cooperates with God, he works out in the life what God works in by
the Holy Spirit, and there is harmony between the purpose of the heart and
the practice of the life. Every sin must be renounced as the hateful thing
that crucified the Lord of life and glory, and the believer must have a
progressive experience by continually doing the works of Christ. It is by
continual surrender of the will, by continual obedience, that the blessing of
justification is retained. {1SM 397.1}
Those who are justified by faith must have a heart to keep the way of
the Lord. It is an evidence
that a man is not justified by faith when his works do not correspond to his
profession. James says, "Seest thou how faith wrought with his works,
and by works was his faith made perfect?" (James 2:22). {1SM 397.2}
The faith that does not produce good works does not justify the soul.
"Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith
only" (James 2:24). "Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto
him for righteousness" (Rom. 4:3). {1SM 397.3}
Imputation of the righteousness of Christ comes through justifying
faith, and is the justification for which Paul so earnestly contends. He
says: "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be
justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the
righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the
law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of
Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no
difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being
justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to
declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through
the forbearance of God. . . . Do we then make
398 void the law through faith? God forbid: yea,
we establish the law" (Rom. 3:20-31). {1SM 397.4}
Grace is unmerited favor, and the believer is justified without any
merit of his own, without any claim to offer to God. He is justified through
the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, who stands in the courts of heaven as
the sinner's substitute and surety. But while he is justified because of the
merit of Christ, he is not free to work unrighteousness. Faith works by love
and purifies the soul. Faith buds and blossoms and bears a harvest of
precious fruit. Where faith is, good works appear. The sick are visited, the
poor are cared for, the fatherless and the widows are not neglected, the
naked are clothed, the destitute are fed. Christ went about doing good, and
when men are united with Him, they love the children of God, and meekness and
truth guide their footsteps. The expression of the countenance reveals their
experience, and men take knowledge of them that they have been with Jesus and
learned of Him. Christ and the believer become one, and His beauty of
character is revealed in those who are vitally connected with the Source of
power and love. Christ is the great depositary of justifying righteousness
and sanctifying grace. {1SM 398.1}
All may come to Him, and receive of His fullness. He says, "Come
unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest"
(Matt. 11:28). Then why not cast aside all unbelief and heed the words of
Jesus? You want rest; you long for peace. Then say from the heart, "Lord
Jesus, I come, because Thou hast given me this invitation." Believe in
Him with steadfast faith, and He will save you. Have you been looking unto
Jesus, who is the author and finisher of your faith? Have you been beholding
Him who is full of truth and grace? Have you accepted the peace which Christ
alone can give? If you have not, then yield to Him, and through His grace
seek for a character that will be noble and elevated. Seek for a constant,
resolute, cheerful spirit. Feed on Christ, who is the bread of life, and you
will manifest His loveliness of character and spirit. {1SM 398.2} End of Article |