God’s Requirements in Grace
the Same as in Paradise
By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to
the faith among all nations, for his name: Romans 1:5
“They must have His grace, the Spirit of
Christ, to help their infirmities, or they cannot form a Christian
character. Jesus loves to have us come to Him, just as we are—sinful, helpless,
dependent.” Faith
and Works, p. 38.
May 12, 1890 God's
Requirements in Grace, the Same as
in Paradise
By Mrs. E. G. White.
“When our first parents were placed in the
beautiful garden of Eden, they were tested in regard
to their loyalty to God. They were free to choose the service of God, or by
disobedience to ally themselves with the enemy of God and man. If they would
abstain from that which God had forbidden, they might keep possession of their
beautiful Eden home, and remain in the favor of God, but if they disregarded
God's commands, and listened to the voice of Satan, as he spoke through the
serpent, they would not only forfeit their claim to Eden, but to life itself.
The penalty for sin had been set before them, and they were informed as to the
tremendous issues depending on their action in obeying or disobeying the
requirements of God. {ST, May 12, 1890 par. 1}
With what intense interest the whole
universe watched the conflict that was to decide the position of Adam and Eve.
How attentively the angels listened to the words of Satan, the originator of
sin, as he placed his own ideas above the commands of God, and sought to make
of none effect the law of God through his deceptive reasoning! How anxiously they
waited to see if the holy pair would be deluded by the tempter, and yield to
his arts. They asked themselves, Will the holy pair transfer their faith and
love from the Father and Son to Satan? Will they accept his falsehoods as
truth? They knew that they might refrain from taking the fruit, and obey the
positive injunction of God, or they might violate the express command of their
Creator. {ST, May 12, 1890 par. 2}
The
mildest test was given them that could be given; for there was no need of
their eating of the forbidden tree; everything that their wants required had
been provided. The special work of Satan was to misrepresent the character of God, and
in the first effort at man's overthrow he impeached the veracity of God. God
had said to them of the forbidden tree, "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die;" but the enemy
of all righteousness declared: "Ye shall not surely die; for God doth know
that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be
as gods, knowing good and evil." Satan represented God as a deceiver, as one
who would debar his creatures from the benefit of his highest gift. The
angels heard with sorrow and amazement this statement in regard to the
character of God, as Satan represented him as possessing his own miserable attributes;
but Eve was not horror-stricken to hear the holy and supreme God thus falsely
accused. If she had turned her thoughts toward God, if she had looked upon
beautiful Eden and remembered all the tokens of his love, if she had fled to
her husband, she might have been saved from the subtile
temptation of the evil one. One word of repulse would have brought to her the aid that God could
give. One word in vindication of her Creator would have caused the accuser to
flee, and her integrity would have been untarnished. If she had resisted the
first temptation, she would have stood on higher, holier ground than ever
before; but she yielded to the flatteries of her enemy, and became a captive to
his will. {ST, May 12, 1890 par. 3}
Our first parents fell through
disobedience to God's express command, and this is where thousands fall today.
The Lord says, "Thou shalt not," but Satan persuades that it is for
man's interest to disobey God. There are many who even claim to be sanctified, who do not yield
obedience to God's expressed command, and these cannot be sanctified through
the truth. They seek to climb up to heaven some other way than the way which
has been appointed. They say,
"Believe, only believe," and they make a great boast of their faith, but
the faith they claim to possess is simply presumption, and they have no
knowledge of what constitutes genuine faith. The Jews cast aside Christ,
and rejected the idea that faith in him would be efficacious in saving their
souls; but they trusted in their works as a means of salvation. Genuine
faith in Christ works by love and purifies the soul. Faith and works go hand in
hand, for faith without works is dead. God requires of every soul today what he required
of our first parents in Eden,--perfect obedience to his law.
There must be found in the life unswerving allegiance to God, righteousness without a
flaw in the character. We must be clothed with the righteousness of Christ, and stand without
blemish before God. The requirement that God has made in grace is the requirement that God
made in Paradise. {ST, May 12, 1890 par. 4}
It is a dangerous theory that leads men to
declare that all that is necessary to salvation is to simply believe in Christ,
while disregarding his plain commands. The gospel is not the Old Testament standard lowered, it requires faith that works righteousness, that
keeps the commandments of God. Says the apostle, "This is the love of God that we keep his commandments, and his
commandments are not grievous. "When men claim to
be saved while living in violation of God's law, they claim that to which they
have no right. Their salvation is not assured, but they are deceived by the
falsehood of the evil one. The same sophistry is indulged, the same lie repeated by men, as was
first spoken in Eden through the mediumship of the
serpent. Though the medium is changed, the sentiment is the same. {ST,
May 12, 1890 par. 5}
God's law appeals to man as an intelligent being;
he possesses a mind to understand its demands, a conscience to feel the power
of its claims, a heart to
love its requirement of perfect righteousness, a will to render prompt and
implicit obedience. God does not compel men to render obedience to his law. If man purposes
to defy God, and transgress his law, as did Adam, he may do so, but he must
suffer the terrible consequences. If he chooses to obey God, he may attain to the experience of the
psalmist when he says, "I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above
fine gold.” {ST, May 12, 1890 par. 6}
Addendum:
“They must have His grace, the Spirit of
Christ, to help their infirmities, or they cannot form a Christian
character. Jesus loves to have us come to Him, just as we are—sinful, helpless,
dependent.” Faith
and Works, p. 38.
“There must be a power working from within, a new life
from above, before man can be changed from sin to holiness. That power is Christ. His grace [the
Spirit of Christ] alone can quicken the lifeless faculties of the soul, and
attract it to God, to holiness.” (ST, May 28, 1902, par. 3).
Our Dispositions Unchanged
If you would be a
saint in heaven you must first be a saint on earth. The traits of character you
cherish in life will not be changed by death or by the resurrection. You will
come up from the grave with the same disposition you manifested in your home
and in society. Jesus does not change the character at His coming.
The work of transformation must be done now. Our daily lives are determining
our destiny. Defects of character must be repented of and overcome
through the grace of Christ, and a symmetrical character must be formed
while in this probationary state, that we may be fitted for the mansions
above.--13MR 82 (1891). {LDE 295.1}
The Glory that the Father gave to Christ is
given to us: “Jesus is waiting to breathe upon all his disciples, and give them
the inspiration of his sanctifying spirit, and transfuse the vital influence
from himself to his people . . . Christ
is to live in his human agents, and work through their faculties, and act
through their capabilities. Their will must be submitted to His will, they must act
with His Spirit, that it may be no more they that live, but Christ that liveth in them. Jesus is
seeking to impress upon them the thought that in giving His Holy Spirit He is
giving to them the glory which the Father has given Him, that He and
His people may be one in God.” Signs of the Times, October 3, 1892, par. 4.
The Glory that the Father gave to Christ is
given to us: “Jesus is waiting to breathe upon all his disciples, and give them
the inspiration of his sanctifying spirit, and transfuse the vital influence
from himself to his people . . . Christ
is to live in his human agents, and work through their faculties, and act
through their capabilities. Their will must be submitted to His will, they must act
with His Spirit, that it may be no more they that live, but Christ that liveth in them. Jesus is
seeking to impress upon them the thought that in giving His Holy Spirit He is
giving to them the glory which the Father has given Him, that He and
His people may be one in God.” Signs of the Times, October 3, 1892, par. 4.
“Christ gives them the breath of His own Spirit, the life of His own Life.” Desire of Ages, p. 827, par. 3.
“The Holy Spirit is the breath of life in the
soul. The impartation of the Spirit is the impartation of the life of Christ.
It imbues the receiver with the attributes of Christ.” Desire of Ages, p. 805.
“They have one God and one Saviour; and one
Spirit—the Spirit of Christ—is to bring unity into their ranks.” Testimonies, Vol. 9, p. 189.
Our Security: “Christ has made every
provision for us to be strong. He has given us His Holy Spirit, whose office is to bring to our remembrance all
the promises that Christ has made, that we may have peace and a sweet sense of
forgiveness. If we will but keep our eyes fixed on the Saviour and trust in His
power, we shall be filled with a sense
of security; for the righteousness of Christ will become our
righteousness.” My Life Today, p. 45.
"Christ has
plainly taught that those who persist in open sin must be separated from the
church..." Christ's Object Lessons,
71.