In order to for Christ's righteousness to be established in the believer on a continual basis, "he must daily apply to the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour that he may become a vessel fit for the Master's use." E.G.White, Faith and Works, p.86.

"Righteousness is obedience to the law. The law demands righteousness. This the sinner owes to the law but he is incapable of rendering it. The only way he can attain to righteousness is through faith; by faith he can bring to God the merits of Christ." Faith and Works, p.101.

This is righteousness by faith according to God's idea of it. This teaching has in it not one thread of human devising.

How does this idea square with what the Spirit of prophecy...?

There are those who take the last line to mean that we do nothing and Christ did it all on the cross 2000 years ago.

Do nothing? I think not. We must accept and believe that Christ did it all on the cross 2000 years ago. That there is nothing we do or say that can add anything to our Salvation. Salvation is based totally on the merits of Jesus. Done end of story.

"It is made manifest in obedience to all the commandments of God." Faith and Works, p.65,66,27; Testimonies to Ministers, p.92.

The first one includes salvation. The second one is not referring to salvation. The second one is talking about AFTER being saved.

He says, “This do, and thou shalt live.” But to the disobedient He says, “Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them.” [Ellen White]

Why would Ellen White demand OC terms?

Rob

I am not sure why the constant reference to the SoP ...

Rob and I get in trouble when we quote SoP so why not you?

Faith without works is dead.

But the Gospel of Red ... would say that there does not exist such an animal.
For it is simply not possible to have Faith and yet no works. But those works do not add anything to our saved status.

I would much rather ask 'What does the Bible say?'

The first one includes salvation. The second one is not referring to salvation. The second one is talking about AFTER being saved.

But is there no such thing as false faith? Or false claims to faith? Surely those things exist, don't they?

2 Cor 5:19 "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation."

"Christ's righteousness accomplishes everything" and "It is made manifest in obedience to all the commandments of God." Faith and Works, p.65,66,27; Testimonies to Ministers, p.92.

Could you tell what both statements mean, that is, what is Ellen White saying here?

And what does the second statement mean to you personally?

Am I seeing double?

Is it possible you are misunderstanding either Ellen White or the Bible on this point?

to all:

"The sinner is justified through the merits of Christ." "We are to be transformed through the merits of Christ." Faith and Works, p.107; Our Father Cares, p.143. Thus "Through the merits of Christ we may find the approval of God." Our Father Cares, p.122.

The works of true obedience that the grace of the Holy Spirit enables us to do DO NOT play a part in the salvation of the soul or in merit. God will reward the good works that His grace enables us to do but in and of themselves these works have no merit toward our salvation.

Anyone who clings to the idea that "good works" have any merit to earn our salvation need to take the following statement very seriously:

"If you would gather 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 soul or in merit, the proposition would be rejected as treason." Faith and Works, p.24.

There is this statement found in Bible Commentary, Vol.5, p.1122, which gives us the whole counsel of God on the matter of faith, works, and merits. Here it is:

"In His divine arrangement, through His unmerited favour, the Lord has ordained that good works shall be rewarded. However 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 MERITS 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. These works, in and of themselves, have no merit. When we have done all that is possible for us to do, we are to count ourselves as unprofitable servants. Luke 17:10. We deserve no thanks from God. We have only done what it was our duty to do, and our works could not have been performed in the strength of our own sinful natures."

"Works without faith are dead, and faith without works is dead. Works will never save us; IT IS ONLY THE MERITS OF CHRIST THAT WILL AVAIL IN OUR BEHALF." Faith and Works, p.48.

Christ was obedient to every requirement of the law. He said of Himself, "I delight to do Thy will, O My God; yea, Thy law is within My heart." Ps. 40:8. When on earth, He said to His disciples, "I have kept My Father's commandments." John 15:10. By His perfect obedience He has made it possible for every human being to obey God's commandments. When we submit ourselves to Christ, the heart is united with His heart, the will is merged in His will, the mind becomes one with His mind, the thoughts are brought into captivity to Him; we live His life. This is what it means to be clothed with the garment of His righteousness. Then as the Lord looks upon us He sees, not the fig-leaf garment, not the nakedness and deformity of sin, but His own robe of righteousness, which is perfect obedience to the law of Jehovah.
The guests at the marriage feast were inspected by the king. Only those were accepted who had obeyed his requirements and put on the wedding garment. So it is with the guests at the gospel feast. All must pass the scrutiny of the great King, and only those are received who have put on the robe of Christ's righteousness.

Righteousness is right doing, and it is by their deeds that all will be judged. Our characters are revealed by what we do. The works show whether the faith is genuine.

It is not enough for us to believe that Jesus is not an impostor, and that the religion of the Bible is no cunningly devised fable. We may believe that the name of Jesus is the only name under heaven whereby man may be saved, and yet we may not through faith make Him our personal Saviour. It is not enough to believe the theory of truth. It is not enough to make a profession of faith in Christ and have our names registered on the church roll. "He that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us." "Hereby we do know that we know Him if we keep His commandments." 1 John 3:24; 2:3. This is the genuine evidence of conversion. Whatever our profession, it amounts to nothing unless Christ is revealed in works of righteousness. The truth is to be planted in the heart. It is to control the mind and regulate the affections. The whole character must be stamped with the divine utterances. Every jot and tittle of the word of God is to be brought into the daily practice.

He who becomes a partaker of the divine nature will be in harmony with God's great standard of righteousness, His holy law. This is the rule by which God measures the actions of men. This will be the test of character in the judgment.

There are many who claim that by the death of Christ the law was abrogated; but in this they contradict Christ's own words, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. . . . Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law." Matt. 5:17, 18. It was to atone for man's transgression of the law that Christ laid down His life. Could the law have been changed or set aside, then Christ need not have died. By His life on earth He honored the law of God. By His death He established it. He gave His life as a sacrifice, not to destroy God's law, not to create a lower standard, but that justice might be maintained, that the law might be shown to be immutable, that it might stand fast forever.

Satan had claimed that it was impossible for man to obey God's commandments; and in our own strength it is true that we cannot obey them. But Christ came in the form of humanity, and by His perfect obedience He proved that humanity and divinity combined can obey every one of God's precepts.

"As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." John 1:12. This power is not in the human agent. It is the power of God. When a soul receives Christ, he receives power to live the life of Christ. God requires perfection of His children. His law is a transcript of His own character, and it is the standard of all character. This infinite standard is presented to all that there may be no mistake in regard to the kind of people whom God will have to compose His kingdom. The life of Christ on earth was a perfect expression of God's law, and when those who claim to be children of God become Christlike in character, they will be obedient to God's commandments. Then the Lord can trust them to be of the number who shall compose the family of heaven. Clothed in the glorious apparel of Christ's righteousness, they have a place at the King's feast. They have a right to join the blood-washed throng.

The man who came to the feast without a wedding garment represents the condition of many in our world today. They profess to be Christians, and lay claim to the blessings and privileges of the gospel; yet they feel no need of a transformation of character. They have never felt true repentance for sin. They do not realize their need of Christ or exercise faith in Him. They have not overcome their hereditary or cultivated tendencies to wrongdoing. Yet they think that they are good enough in themselves, and they rest upon their own merits instead of trusting in Christ. Hearers of the word, they come to the banquet, but they have not put on the robe of Christ's righteousness.

Many who call themselves Christians are mere human moralists. They have refused the gift which alone could enable them to honor Christ by representing Him to the world. The work of the Holy Spirit is to them a strange work. They are not doers of the world. The heavenly principles that distinguish those who are one with Christ from those who are one with the world have become almost indistinguishable. The professed followers of Christ are no longer a separate and peculiar people. The line of demarcation is indistinct. The people are subordinating themselves to the world, to its practices, its customs, its selfishness. The 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. Daily the church is being converted to the world.

All these expect to be saved by Christ's death, while they refuse to live His self-sacrificing life. They extol the riches of free grace, and attempt to cover themselves with an appearance of righteousness, hoping to screen their defects of character; but their efforts will be of no avail in the day of God.

The righteousness of Christ will not cover one cherished sin. A man may be a law-breaker in heart; yet if he commits no outward act of transgression, he may be regarded by the world as possessing great integrity. But God's law looks into the secrets of the heart. Every act is judged by the motives that prompt it. Only that which is in accord with the principles of God's law will stand in the judgment.

I am arguing that people cannot be saved if they don't completely turn to Jesus Christ, repent of their sins and depart from iniquity.

"Good works will never save us." F.W.48.

John, you and I or the other person will not be saved because of having turned to Christ or because we repented or whatever it might be that we did. Even the works that the Holy Spirit does in and through us are accepted only through the merits of Christ.

"The righteousness of Christ accomplishes everything" (F.W.27) and "We are accepted only through the merits of Christ." (5 B.C.1122) Obedience is not the ground of our salvation but the fruit of faith. "Good works will never save us." F.W.48.

John317,

"While true faith trusts wholly in Christ for salvation, it will lead to perfect conformity to the law of God." F.W. 52

I totally agree with this statement but the redeemed, when standing at the gates of the New Jerusalem, will not trust in their obedience to the law or their good works wrought through the grace of God for their right to enter through the gates. If the angels were to ask them what they believe gives them the right to enter the City, they would say, We have no right to enter except the merits of Jesus Christ. And yet they will be rewarded for the good works that the grace of God will have wrought through them and again these works are accepted only through the all-sufficient merits of Christ.

sky

The religious services, the prayers, the praise, the penitent confession of sin ascend from true believers as incense to the heavenly sanctuary, but passing through the corrupt channels of humanity, they are so defiled that unless purified by blood, they can never be of value to God.....Oh, that all may see that everything in obedience...must be placed upon the glowing fire of the righteousness of Christ.

it is being said that Seventh-day Adventists are legalistic to preach the keeping of the Sabbath on the basis that the Sabbath as a memorial of God's creation of the world. It is claimed that the Sabbath is only to be preached in the future as a sign of righteousness by faith, and that any teaching of it at this time-- before the restoration of the gospel-- is harmful and legalistic.

Has the Sabbath commandment been changed

Failure to realize this leads to legalism.

I don't know if you guys understand the implication above, but Ellen is saying that even our obedience must be placed on the glowing fire of Christ' righteousness! That's because we are not fully free of selfishness.

Proof:

"We may have flattered ourselves, as did Nicodemus, that our life has been upright, that our moral character is correct, and think that we need not humble the heart before God, like the common sinner: but when the light from Christ shines into our souls, we shall see how impure we are; we shall discern the selfishness of motive, the enmity against God, that has defiled every act of life." [SC 28,29]

So what defiles even our good works is the love of self. I didn't say all our good works....Nevertheless, even our fruit can be imperfect is Ellen's point.

"stay the way you are and that is ok with me."

I just think that we are saved by grace alone but that Christ does give victory over sin.

The day hasn't been changed, but what it symbolizes is dynamic! It is changing....At creation it stood for a perfect & sinless creation. At the cross it became a symbol of Christ's perfect redemption in Himself. This will be better understood as the gospel is restored. In the future the Sabbath will symbolize a perfect re-creation! So the Sabbath is always God's 7th day, but what it symbolizes is changing. Failure to realize this leads to legalism.