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Laval Picard believes that he and some others have been called
out of the professing new movement SDA church to do the work of John the
Baptist in the spirit of Elijah. That is clear from his original post below
this one. In light of that belief, we have to test his credentials. I do not
accept his belief that he is the forerunner of the second coming of Jesus
Christ for the following reasons:
- Laval made the charge
that I threw away a document he gave me about 20 years ago. That was a
lie. He has not repented of that publicly cited lie. Would the Holy
Spirit do that? The document is entitled "Receiving the Power of God's Word." I still have
the document. Laval can quiz me on it if he wishes. Lynn MacDonald, a
member of my home church group since its inception, proved that I have it.
Lynn proved to Laval that we have all of Jones’ and Waggoner’s writings
as well, and that I gave them to all the members of my group at my cost.
- Laval said that I
instructed my church group not to read the materials of Jones and
Waggoner and that I told them to discard them and throw them away. He
said a third source told him I did that. In the mid 1980's, I personally
purchased all the sermons of Jones and Waggoner from Leaves of Autumn Books, in Payson
Arizona, for all of my group members from my own pocket. Lynn told Laval
that this is true. He still did not apologize for his publicly stated
lie about me. Would the Holy Spirit do that?
- Laval said that I
claim to be Elijah. Lynn MacDonald proved that I have never made such a
claim. I believe that God offered that position to two men who refused,
and then Ellen White fulfilled that mission in the Spirit of Elijah.
Elijah was also a prophet, prophesying no rain for 3 1/2 years. Laval
Picard is not a prophet. He has prophesied nothing but some very
erroneous lies about me that he refuses to repent of. Would the Holy
Spirit do that or invest Himself in one who does such uncomely and sinful things?
- I personally have all
the writings of Jones and Waggoner and believe the sermons they gave at
the 1888 General Conference Session. Later, they both fell into
Kellogg's pantheism and I don't accept some things they wrote then.
Laval seems to think if one does not accept and teach all
that Jones and Waggoner wrote, he/she is errant. I don't accept
their later pantheism.
- In the Alpha of
Apostasy, Ellen White told Elder Haskell to take the youth as far from
the church as possible that they might not be wrongly influenced by that
manifestation of apostasy. Laval claims that the only one justified in
leaving the apostasy in the omega manifestation is himself.
- Ellen White said that
true reformers have left the churches of their fathers in every
succeeding generation, Desire of Ages, 232, for ONE REASON: the
ecclesiastical leaders would not tolerate light. SDA new movement
leaders today will not tolerate light. They have even removed the
credentials of such faithful men as Dr. Ralph Larson, and Dr. John Grosboll, and many other faithful SDA ministers.
Ellen White said that faithful ministers (PLURAL) would be removed if
the church leaders continued to cherish error. That has occurred. Laval
believes himself to be the only one called out so as not to be tainted
by the error. He thus believes error in light of these and other
counsels of Ellen White. For example, she said that faithful Jews
worshipped at home in Eli's time because of the recreant priests.
Laval's counsel countermand's this teaching of Ellen White and Desire
of Ages, 231. Further, Laval's counsel countermands Jeremiah
11:9-15, wherein God Almighty asks the question in verse 15: "15 What hath my beloved [bride] to do in
mine house [tabernacle--church], seeing she hath wrought
lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest." The prophesied omega
heresy new movement, 1SM 204-5, has done evil since 1957, then it joined
Satan's celebration movement emanating from Pentecostalism and Vatican
II, and began to rejoice that they had gone to Babylon and found the
Holy Spirit. That act in itself "removed
God," from the apostate church, but Laval says keep going and
expose your children to the evil. That is contrary to the Holy
Spirit's instruction in the Alpha! What, pray tell, would Ellen White
say of the omega which is far worse in scope.
- I should be very clear
that Laval is not speaking according to the law or the testimony. Isaiah
8:20.
- Just because one
copiously repeats what Jones and Waggoner and Ellen White said about
righteousness by faith DOES NOT qualify them as coming in the spirit of
John the Baptist, Elijah or Ellen White. If the counsel of anyone flies
in the face of important counsel in Scripture
and the Spirit of Prophecy, that person is leading God's people down the
path to perdition just as surely as the leaders mentioned in Isaiah
9:16. They are just as surely wolves in Sheep's clothing as God defined
them in Ezekiel 22:17 and on. A Jesuit would use a similar tactic to
mislead God's people. Satan would use similar tactics to mislead God's
people, allthewhile "appearing" as
pious. But be not deceived, if they speak not according to all the Word
and the Testimonies, they are wolves in sheep's clothing, and one Laval
Picard is leading directly against the counsel of both in some very
serious areas, notwithstanding all of the quoting of Scripture and
Spirit of Prophecy he might cite.
- Ulicia Unruh has cited
Laval for teaching some elements of Kellogg's pantheism. It seems she is
correct.
- I have reproved Laval
Picard for teaching an "easy religion." Ellen White said that
no servant of God will do that. He has since laid off that violation
some, but it is still in his teachings.
- There
were two calls to the Jews in Matthew 22. Laval misinterprets these
verses to teach that we are not to come out until after the second call
of Matthew 22. The first call in Scripture was made by the OT prophets.
That is what the SDA Bible
Commentary says in its comments on Matthew 22. In Jeremiah 11:9-15,
there was a call out centuries before the stoning of Stephen in
A.D. 34. Then there was the call of Jesus. Then, there was the call of the
disciples who formed home churches all over Judea. That call was after
the stoning of Stephen. There has been a counterpart to the stoning of
Stephen in our very day. Dr. Paul Tulla, an
ex-seminary Professor at SDA seminaries, has informed me that two Africans
have been killed for teaching the pure truth in Africa. Do these souls
count? God says that He will make the least first? Does the death of
these souls count, and I mean least ONLY by their poverty and station
because of that poverty. Jesus came to preach the gospel to the poor
because they were the only ones who would listen. The rest were busy
building their own empires on this earth. So
the killing of the faithful has already taken place. The second call out
of apostasy is NOW taking place, and Laval Picard denounces this call
out and says that it does not occur until the final loud cry. This is
another horrendous error of Picard. Why? Because the final third call is
to the world! Read it for yourself in Matthew 22:1-10, WHICH ELLEN WHITE
REAPPLIES IN SERMONS AND TALKS, VOL. 1, PP.
4-9. She quotes verses 1-10 and reapplies them to our time, and
this is essential since she said that Ezekiel 9 will be literally
fulfilled, and the fact that Matthew 22:7 is the very same event as
Ezekiel 9:6. This is a most startling message, but it is pure truth
based on and fully substantiated by Scripture and the Spirit of
Prophecy. Laval is directly countermanding this pure and present truth. No Jesuit
could be any more sinister by appearing to teach righteousness by faith,
while teaching against the second call to come out of apostasy in a new
movement that has removed God. Laval Picard and Dennis Fortin were
friends. They are both playing an evil role that works against
professing Seventh-day Adventists. Dennis is a professor at Andrews
University. Are they both Jesuits? at least in
spirit and the damage they are doing? Time will tell. And if you think
any Trojan Horse Jesuit would not profess the piety that both Laval and
Dennis try to emulate, better think again friend. Dr. Tulla has branded Laval Picard as a Jesuit in our midst’s and he may well be correct, because both
Picard and Fortin are former Catholics. Whether or not they are,
they are employing Jesuit-like tactics to deceive God’s people.
- Dennis
Fortin, whom
Laval “persuaded” to go to Canadian Union College for the ministry, is
now a Professor of Religion at Andrews University. He defends pulpit
swapping with Rome and the other leaders of fallen Babylon. Dennis said
that he “hopes” that this course is not wrong! There should be no doubt!
Would Jesus do that? Would Ellen White defend that?
- Laval
Picard told me that he would never forsake the Trinity Doctrine.
That is another area where Laval directly contradicts Ellen White's
clear definition of the Holy Spirit. This is serious friends! This is
serious! I am not a hater of Laval Picard. He rather hates me because I
can expose his gross errors. The Trinity Doctrine is the central
doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, and Laval Picard was never weaned
from that doctrine. In the Catholic church,
anathema is pronounced on anyone who rejects their central doctrine, the
Trinity Doctrine. Picard has vowed to me that he will never forsake that
doctrine which teaches totally contrary to Ellen White's definition of
the Holy Spirit.
- Laval seems to think
that he is the only person who understands righteousness by faith. He
indicts the rest of us as not knowing our left hand from our right in
that endeavor. He portrays the notion that he is the only one who has
dug as for hidden treasure and found it. I suggest that his errors ARE
NOT the result of digging in the mines of God's pure truth.
- If one does not accept
every word Laval teaches, he/she is accused of rejecting and/or standing
in the way of the proclamation of ALL the truth. It should be clear that
one Laval Picard is himself standing in the way of some very important
clear and present truth by his erroneous response to the omega of
apostasy and a new movement that has removed God, 1SM, 204-5, and which
Ellen White said would wax stronger until Jesus comes.
- Laval, like any Jesuit
would be, is clever. He has admixed beautiful truth will all of the
above cited serious errors. Foolish virgins like Teresa Quintero, are
readily sucked right in to Laval's errors, because she has not dug deep
enough into the mines of truth herself to see all of the above cited
errors. Such will be the case of all who do not dig deep in the mines of
truth to see the errors for what they are--the pure deceptions of Satan,
packaged with some of the pure truth on the final message--righteousness
by faith and the love of the character of Christ to the church and the
world.
- Ellen White said that
all who depart from the Midnight Cry lighted path find it IMPOSSIBLE to
get on the path again, Word to the
Little Flock, p. 14. New movement Adventism has done just that by
coming into strictly forbidden liaison with Babylon. All who do this
knowingly will find it impossible to get on the pathway to heaven again.
This is serious. All who know of the liaison and do not leave will
imbibe unpardonable sin. This would be the serious result of following
the teachings of Laval Picard.
- Laval thinks that I
hate him. That is another of his lies. I don't hate Laval. I hate his
deceptions and I am able to separate the two. The truth is that Laval
Picard hates me because I can expose his errors. I have not lied about
Laval. He has tried by many devious means to defame me by circulating
atrocious fabrications about me which I have proven as lies. He refuses
to repent of those abominable lies. This should be a deciding factor as
well concerning his veracity. If you are even tempted to think that my
differences with Laval Picard and his friend Dennis Fortin are a
“catfight” involving mere personal differences, you had better think
again and pray long and hard.
Sincerely in the Lord Jesus Christ,
Ron Beaulieu
The pious appearing testimony of Laval Picard. This is the
good part. This is the bait and hook part (below):
----- Original Message -----
From: Laval Picard
To: sdaissues@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 12:53 PM
Subject: [SDAIssues]
preparing to give the last message (revisited)
|
Before
the Holy Spirit is poured out in latter rain power, what are we to expect?
Can we find a clear answer to this question? The answer is found in the
book Selected Messages ,Vol.1,p.410 and 411. In
these two pages Mrs. White draws a parallel between the work of John the Baptist
and the work of those who will be called to prepare the way of the Lord in
these last days, how they are to give the last message of mercy to the
church first, and then to the world:
"John the Baptist was called to do a special work; he was to
prepare
the way of the Lord, to make straight His paths. God took him away
from the assemblies of men to the desert, that he
might learn of
nature and nature's God. God did not desire him to have
the mold of
the priests and rulers. He was called to do a special work. The Lord
gave him His message. Did he go to the priests and rulers and ask if
he might proclaim his message? No, God put him away from them that he might
not be influenced by their spirit and teaching. He was the voice crying in
the wilderness, 'Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make
straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the
crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain; and the
glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it
together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.'
Then Mrs. White says, "This is the very message
that must be given to
our people; we are near the end of time, and the message is, Clear
the King's highway; gather out the stones; raise
up a standard for
the people. The people must be awakened. It is no time now to cry
peace and safety. We are exhorted to 'cry aloud, spare not, lift up
your voice like a trumpet, and shew My people their transgression,
and the house of Jacob theirs sins.' (Isa.5:1)
The statement after that tells us how this work is to be
accomplished:
"The light
of the glory of God must fall upon us. We need the holy
unction from on high. However intelligent, however learned a man may be, he
is not qualified to teach unless he has a firm hold on the God of Israel.
He who is connected with Heaven will do the works of Christ. By faith in
God he will have power to move upon humanity. He will seek for the lost
sheep of Israel. If divine power does not combine with human effort, I
would not give a straw for all that the greatest man could do. The Holy
Spirit is wanting in our work. Nothing frightens me more than to see the
spirit of variance
manifested by our brethren. We are on dangerous ground when we cannot meet
together like Christians, and courteously examine controverted
points. I feel like fleeing from the place lest I receive the mold of those
who cannot candidly investigate the doctrines of the Bible. Those who
cannot impartially examine the evidences of a position that differs from theirs, are not fit to teach in any department of God's cause.
What we need is the baptism of the Holy Spirit...
"Without this we are no more fitted to go forth to the world
than
were the disciples after the crucifixion of their Lord... When the
Spirit of God rests upon you, there will be no feeling of envy or
jealousy in examining another's position; there will be no spirit of
accusation and criticism, such as Satan inspired in the hearts of the
Jewish leaders against Christ... You must have the divine mold before
you can discern the sacred claims of the truth. Unless the teacher is
a learner in the school of Christ, he is not fitted to teach others."
1 S.M.410-412.
From this we learn that history will be repeated. First of all, John
represents a company of people whom the Lord is calling to do a special
work. These individuals are to prepare the way of the Lord, to make
straight His paths. Anymore than John was called to call people out of the
Jewish church, their message does not consist in calling people out of the
church even if that church has become so much like the world that no
difference can be seen, even if that church has gone over to the world in
transgression of the law
when
the world should have come over to the church in obedience to
the law, and yes, even if the religion of many among us is
the religion
of apostate Israel, when Baal is the choice, as in the days of Elijah!
First of all, God takes these chosen ones away from the assemblies of
men to the "desert" to teach them His message. Do you see the
difference? True the Lord removes them from assemblies of men but
only so that He may teach them His message. There is a vast difference!
When the Lord deems them ready, He will fill
them with the Holy Ghost and send them to the church with His
message.
There in the "desert" (school of Christ) they are to learn of
nature
and of nature's God. Did you ever ask yourself what that meant? What does
it mean to learn of nature and of nature's God? The devil knows this truth
and when the subject is brought up, he raises a false warning calling
it a species of Pantheism to prevent the people from
receiving the precious truth. I do not intend to go into all the details of
this study but suffice it to say that "Nature is not God, nor was it ever God." 1 S.M.293.
However "Those who have a true knowledge of God will not become so infatuated with the laws of matter or the operations
of nature as to overlook, or refuse to acknowledge, the continual working
of God in nature."
1 S.M.293.
In other words, like John the Baptist, those whom God is preparing to give
the last message to the church and to the world, will be made to discern
that "Wherever they turn, in the physical, the mental, or the
spiritual realm, in whatever they behold, apart from the blight of sin, they
are brought in touch with the unseen, mighty Intelligence that is working
in and through all. The mind of man is brought into communion with the
mind of God, the finite with the Infinite." Education, p.14.
Thus, they are taught that "Nature in her work testifies of the
intelligent presence and active Agency of a Being who moves in all
things according to His will." Ministry of Healing, p.416.
This intelligent presence or active Agency that is moving in all
things is none other than God's immediate Agency, the
Holy Spirit. On the next page, we read, "By His
Spirit He is
everywhere present."
p.417.
Allow me to share an excellent quote on this subject of nature and
nature's God which cannot possibly be controverted:
"The Lord puts His own Spirit into the seed, causing it to
spring
into life. Under His care the germ breaks through the
case enclosing
it and springs up to develop and bear fruit." Testimonies,
Vol.8,
p.326.
On the next page, Mrs. White states that "Rightly
understood, these
lessons lead to the Creator, teaching those simple, holy truths that
bring the heart into close touch with God." p.327.
Now we can better appreciate the next two statements: "The only key
to understand the mysteries that surround us is to acknowledge in
them all the presence and power of God."
Desire of Ages, p.606.
"The divine Spirit that the world's Redeemer promised to send
is the
presence and power of God."
Signs of the Times, Nov.23, 1891.
These statements are not the spurious theories of a pantheist.
Far
from it! They are the teachings of the greatest and wisest Teacher there
ever was and ever will be and unless we receive these holy truths with the
simple faith of a
little child we cannot know God because this is the true knowledge of
God as taught in the book Education, p.14.
Much more can be said on this most wonderful subject of nature and
nature's God but already there is sufficient evidence to show what it
is that God's servants must learn in the school of Christ before the
message of the merits and righteousness of Christ goes in
demonstration of the Spirit and power of God. All who are willing to see
and understand will be enabled to see that it is God's
righteousness that is at work in nature and in man, for "Righteousness
is right doing."
C.O.L.312; Rom.1:20.
These chosen ones will prepare the way of the Lord, to
make straight His paths. Everything that is crooked is to be made
plain. In other words, the matter of salvation, the way to
righteousness and life everlasting, will be shown to be just as
simple as ABC. What is crooked will be made plain, simple. Why, because,
"To a great degree, theology, as studied and taught, is but a
record
of human speculation, serving only to darken counsel by words without
knowledge. Too often the motive for accumulating many books is not so
much a desire to obtain food for mind and soul, as it is an ambition
to become acquainted with philosophers and theologians, a desire to
present Christianity to the people in learned terms and
propositions. " Ministry of Healing, p.442.
Is it any wonder that the multitudes today cannot appreciate the
simple truths of the Gospel? "We do not understand the matter of
salvation. It is just as simple as ABC. But we don't understand it."
E.G. White, Manuscript 1, 1889.
Earlier, we read that, like John the Baptist, today the bearers of
the message will "seek for the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
1
S.M.411. Therefore, the message must go to all professed Seventh-day
Adventists (including the independent ministries and offshoots) before
going to the world! It is the rejection of that message that will cause the
shaking among the professed people of God today. See Early Writings, p.270,271.
Here, in a few words, is the message of salvation, as God sent it, as
He said it, and as He meant it. It is to be repeated with the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit in large measure:
"Oh, be so full of the message that it is like fire shut up
in your
bones, that you cannot hold your peace. It is true, men will
say, 'You are too excited; you are making too much of this
matter,
and you do not think enough of the law; now, you are to think more of
the law; don't be all the time reaching for this righteousness of
Christ, but build up the law.' Let the law take care of itself. We
have been at work on the law until we get as dry as the hills of
Gilboa, without dew or rain. Let us trust in
the merits of Jesus
Christ of Nazareth. May God help us that our eyes may be anointed
with eyesalve that we may see." E.G. White, 1888 Materials, Vol.2,
p.557.
"You want to be like little children, hanging upon the
merits of a
crucified and risen Saviour, and then you will be fortified. How? The
angels of God will be around you as a wall of fire; the righteousness
of Christ, which you claim, goes before you, and the glory of the
Lord is your rearward." E.G. White, Our Father Cares, p.122.
These two statements are crystal clear. All that we need to do in
order for the requirements of the law of God to be fulfilled in us,
in order to have the angels of God around us as a wall of fire, in
order for the righteousness of Christ to go before us and for the
glory of the Lord to be our rearward, is to daily hang our helpless
souls upon the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour with the
simple faith of a little child.
Could the matter of salvation be more simple than
doing that? We must do something in order to be saved. We must, moment by
moment, present ourselves before God as we are, sinful, helpless,
dependent, hanging our helpless souls upon the all-sufficient merits
of the Redeemer. This is to be our lifebusiness.
When we receive, believe, and act upon this most precious truth, everything
else will fall into place. God has promised! He will accomplish everything.
He will do for us that which it is not in our power to do for ourselves:
"What is justification by faith? It is the work of God in
laying the
glory of man in the dust, and doing for man that which it is not in
his power to do for himself." Testimonies to Ministers, p.456.
"Some seem to feel that they must be on probation and must
prove to
the Lord that they are reformed, before they can claim His blessing.
But these dear souls may claim the blessing even now. 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."
His blessing = His grace = The Spirit of Christ.
"Looking unto Jesus and trusting in His merits, we receive
the
blessings of light and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
Testimonies, Vol.5, p.744.
So "We must daily apply to the merits of Christ that we may
become
vessels fit for the Master's use." Faith and Works, p.86.
There is much more on this subject of the merits and grace of God but I
believe the above is sufficient to show what we must do to become fit
vessels for the Master's use, in these last days. To all who make it their lifebusiness to rely solely upon the merits of Christ
for
their salvation, with meekness will receive the law of ten
precepts as the voice of God from Heaven speaking to them in
promise of the Spirit.
This is "the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the commandment
of the everlasting God for obedience to the faith."
Romans 16:24-27.
For "He speaks and it is done; He commands and it stands fast." Psalm
33:9.
Thus "We have access by faith into this grace in which we stand,
and
rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." Romans 5:2.
Soon this message will go forth with the outpouring of the Holy
Spirit in large measure! May the Lord hasten that day for we have
come to the fullness of time!
laval
|
----- Original Message -----
From: Ron Beaulieu
To: SDAIssues@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, June 08, 2008 5:21 PM
Subject: Re: [SDAIssues]
Re: to serve God because we love Him
Jesus Himself said that if we would enter, keep the
commandments. That shows that obedience to God's commands is a requisite to
being saved. The Laodicean message teaches the same that we are saved by
faith that works by the indwelling self-sacrificing love of Christ. When we
obey out of love for Christ, such obedience is imputed unto us as
righteousness. James of Scripture says that we are justified (saved) by faith
and works. The Laodicean message demands the same. When Paul said that we are
saved by grace and not of works, he was speaking to Jews who believed that
their OWN works, not motivated by faith and love for God, could save them.
Such works are as filthy rages. But works motivated by love for and faith in
Christ, are imputed (accounted) unto us for righteousness. Isaiah 62:1, 2,
says that the whole world will see the righteousness of Zion, the bride
of Christ, who is married, verse 5.
Ellen White warned Jones for saying that works amounted to
nothing as regards salvation. She used the example of the rich young ruler
who was told by Christ that in order to enter the kingdom, he must keep the
commandments, and Ellen White said that no one will enter who does not keep
them out of a motive of faith in and love for Christ. This is God's very
personal proof as to whether or not we love Him.
If we are not saved without works, obviously they have some
merit because Christ imputes works motivated by faith in and love for Him as
righteousness. Ellen White said it all in the following statement:
"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....As God works in the heart, and man
surrenders his will to God, and co-operates 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....It is by continual surrender of the will, by continual obedience,
that the blessing of justification is retained." E.G. White, Selected
Messages, Vol. 1, pp. 396-397.
Reconcile the above
statement with your favorite Laval! I'm fair! I'll provide your favorite EGW
statement below which directly contradicts the one above is:
"In His divine
arrangement, through His unmerited favor, the Lord has ordained that good
works shall be rewarded. We are accepted through Christ's merits alone; and
the acts of mercy, the deeds of charity, which we perform, are the fruits of
faith; and they become a blessing to us for men are to be rewarded according
to their works. It is the fragrance of the merit of Christ that makes our
good works acceptable to God, and it is grace that enables us to do the works
for which He rewards us. Our works ( the works His
grace enables us to do), in and of themselves have no merit. When we have
done all that it is possible for us to do (through the grace of God that
enables us), we are to count ourselves as unprofitable servants. We deserve
no thanks from God. We have only done what it was our duty to do and our
works (the works that grace enabled us to do) could not have been performed
in the strength of our own sinful natures." E.G. White, Bible
Commentary, Vol.5, p.1122.
When the essence and
substance of two E.G. White statement directly
contradict, as the two above do, I must defer to Scripture for that is what
Ellen White said to do as well. Scripture says that we are justified by faith
and works. The Laodicean Message says that and the following text by James
attests to the same:
Gal 2:16
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law,
but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus
Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and
not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall
no flesh be justified.
Jam 2:24 Ye
see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith
only.
We have two
statements that contradict. Two by Ellen White and two by Scripture. Paul
wrote Galatians 2:15 above. He appeared to disagree with James 2:24 (above).
But Paul said elsewhere that God is the author of salvation unto all who
obey. He said that we are chosen for salvation THROUGH sanctification and
belief (faith). So I have to conclude that Paul meant in Galatians 2:16 JUST
WHAT HE SAYS, that we are not justified by works of the law. He meant OUR OWN
POWERED works of the law. That is what the Jews believed in. That is who he
was trying to convince! Works empowered by faith in and love for Christ, are
an entire different matter. Paul said that those works are imputed unto us
for righteousness just as He said Abraham's work of sacrificing his son was
imputed to him.
Rom 4:22 And
therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Rom 4:11 And
he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the
faith which [he had yet] being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of
all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might
be imputed unto them also:
Jam 2:23 And
the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed
unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
Rom 4:22 And
therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Rom 4:23 Now
it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
Rom 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up
Jesus our Lord from the dead;
The words "believe on him
(above) mean faith that works by the indwelling self-sacrificing love of
Christ, because any other type of faith is "mental assent" only and
such faith without works is dead faith and no faith at all.
Ron
Note by Ron: All of the above was my response to Laval
Picard’s response to (Name Withheld), below.
----- Original Message -----
From: Laval
Picard
To: SDAIssues@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, June 08, 2008 10:05 AM
Subject: Re: [SDAIssues] Re: to serve God because we love Him
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Confidential,
the Bible clearly says that without sanctification no one can see the Lord
but the point is that the works that are wrought by the Holy Spirit to
achieve our sanctification have no merits toward our salvation.
If we believe and teach that these works are meritorious for our salvation
we will be accused of "treason" at the bar of God's tribunal.
"If you
would gather together everything that is good and holy and noble and lovely
in man and then present the subject to the angels of God as acting a
part in the salvation of the human soul or in merit, the
proposition would be rejected as treason." E.G.
White, Faith and Works, p.24.
This
statement is crystal clear. Nothing that the Holy Spirit does in and
through us can act a part in the salvation of the soul or in merit.
Sanctification is the fruit of salvation obtained solely through faith in
the merits of Christ, that is, by appropriating to ourselves the merits of
His infinite sacrifice.
laval
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