So what are the "Merits" of Christ?

[Woody]

Quote:

"His character will be reproduced in our nature, thus shall we bring forth fruits of the Holy Spirit - some thirty and some sixty and some an hundred." COL 60-61

There can be no growth or fruitfulness in the life that is centered in self. If you have accepted Christ as a personal Saviour, you are to forget yourself, and try to help others. Talk of the love of Christ, tell of His goodness. Do every duty that presents itself. Carry the burden of souls upon your heart, and by every means in your power seek to save the lost. As you receive the Spirit of Christ--the Spirit of unselfish love and labor for others--you will grow and bring forth fruit. The graces of the Spirit will ripen in your character. Your faith will increase, your convictions deepen, your love be made perfect. More and more you will reflect the likeness of Christ in all that is pure, noble, and lovely.

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." Galatians 5:22, 23. This fruit can never perish, but will produce after its kind a harvest unto eternal life. - COL 68-69.

[Woody]

Quote:

"So I will be your representative in heaven. The Father beholds not your faulty character, but He sees you as clothed in My perfection." DA 357

[Woody]

Quote:

"If you give yourself to Him, and accept Him as your Saviour, then, sinful as your life may have been, for His sake you are accounted righteous. Christ’s character stands in place of your character, and you are accepted before God just as if you had not sinned." CSA 30

[Woody]

Quote:

"The only way in which he can attain to righteousness is through faith. By faith he can bring to God the merits of Christ, and the Lord places the obedience of His Son to the sinner's account. Christ's righteousness is accepted in place of man's failure, and God receives, pardons, justifies, the repentant, believing soul, treats him as though he were righteous, and loves him as He loves His Son. This is how faith is accounted righteousness" 1 SM 367

"The tempter stands by to accuse them, as he stood by to resist Joshua. He points to their filthy garments, their defective characters. He presents their weakness and folly, their sins of ingratitude, their unlikeness to Christ, which has dishonored their Redeemer. He endeavors to affright [scare] them with the thought that their case is hopeless, that the stain of their defilement will never be washed away. He hopes so to destroy their faith that they will yield to his temptations, and turn from their allegiance to God." CCh 352

Romans 5:18 "So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men."

[Lutz13]

I do not understand this theology. Since one sin is just as bad as any other. Then also saying that we cannot overcome sin completely(You limit God with that statement.), not in this life. So why bother with this walk at all? Why not just follow everyone else and just say, I believe in Christ. Then go do as I wish because "I'm saved". "But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity."(Luke 13:27) God makes it clear what He wants us to do. "Come now, and let us reason together,' Says the Lord. 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool"(Isaiah 1:18) We will never feel perfect in this life, NEVER! The moment you think you are... "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."(1 John 1:8) The moment we would claim that we are sinless, we begin to glorify ourselves. Pride then takes over. God wants us to be without sin, but if we do sin: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."(1 John 1:8)

Will I become perfect in this life? I do not know because I cannot see the future. I will accept that I will become what God makes of me. "But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand."(Isaiah 64:8) It is a walk that may take a lifetime.

[Woody]

Ellen White IS our prophet. So, I take her at her words. I know it is difficult for us to understand. It is natural for us to feel that our works will save us. It has always been that way. And it is predicted in the end times ... that this will be especially hard. Accepting salvation as a gift is foretold to be the end time issue. It will be rejected by many. But, why is it SO hard to accept a gift? I don't get it.

[Lutz13]

Ellen White IS our prophet. So, I take her at her words. I know it is difficult for us to understand. It is natural for us to feel that our works will save us. It has always been that way. And it is predicted in the end times ... that this will be especially hard.

The moment I think that my works will save me, I begin to glorify myself instead of our Heavenly Father. My works are nothing but a testament of my faith in God. "But someone will say, 'You have faith, and I have works.' Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works."(James 2:18)

[Woody]

Yes. And we will always fall short in that testament of faith.

[skyblue888]

Quote:

Perfection through our own good works we can never attain. The soul who sees Jesus by faith, repudiates his own righteousness. He sees himself as incomplete, his repentance insufficient, his strongest faith but feebleness, his most costly sacrifice as meager, and he sinks in humility at the foot of the cross. But a voice speaks to him from the oracles of God's word. In amazement he hears the message, "Ye are complete in him". Now all is at rest in his soul. No longer must he strive to find some worthiness in himself, some meritorious deed by which to gain the favor of God. {ST, July 4, 1892 par. 8}

The paragraph just before says, "Jesus stands in the holy of holies, now to appear in the presence of God for us. There He ceases not to present His people moment by moment, complete in Himself. But because we are thus represented before the Father, we are not to imagine that we are to presume upon His mercy and become careless, indifferent, and self-indulgent. Christ is not the minister of sin. We are complete in Him, accpeted in the beloved, only as we abide in Him by faith." F.W.107.

"Here is the true test. If we abide in Christ, if the love of God dwells in us, our feelings, our thoughts, our purposes, our actions, will be in harmony with the will of God as expressed in the precepts of His holy law.'Little children, let no man deceive you; he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous.' 1 John 3:7. Righteousness is defined by the standard of God's holy law, as expressed in the ten precepts given on Sinai." Steps to Christ, 61.

"Righteousness is obedience to the law." F.W.101.

The paragraph you quoted describes one who was trying to attain to righteousness through His own best efforts and merits until He sees Jesus by faity, His merits, His love and now he is seeking to attain to righteousness, to obedience to the law, by relying solely upon the merits of the Saviour. That man is complete in Christ for he abides in Him.

"No man can merit for him the pardoning love of God, but the love of God pervading the soul will lead him to do those things which were always required of God and that he should do with pleasure." F.W.23

"God will accept every one that comes to Him trusting wholly in the merits of a crucified Saviour. Love springs up in the heart. There may be no ectasy of feeling but there is an abiding, peaceful trust. Evey burden is light; for the yoke which Christ imposes is easy. Duty becomes a delight, and sacrifice a pleasure. The path that before seemed shrouded in darkness becomes bright with beams from the Sun of Righteousness. This is walking in the light as Christ is in the light." 1 S.M.354.

"Love is the fulfillment of the law." Rom.13:10.

sky

[Robert]

We are not under law

[Woody]

We are not under law

Good Point Rob.

[skyblue888]

We are not under law

Christians are under grace, meaning, they have the grace of God, the Spirit of Christ, to help their infirmities, to form a Christian character in harmony with the will of God as expressed in the precepts of His holy law.

You and Red do not believe this and therefore you are under the condemnation of the law!

sky

[Woody]

Quote:

"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." Ellen White 1893 in NL p. 27

[skyblue888]

It does say that He brings in "everlasting righteousness." Righteousness is obedience to the law!

sky

[John317]

Quote:

"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." Ellen White 1893 in NL p. 27

That's a great quote, Redwood, but if you read nothing else, you could get the idea that you can be covered by His righteousness while you keep on deliberately practicing sin. But this would be a dangerous error.

Study COL on the Robe of Christ's Righteousness, pp. 307-319. There you find statements that clearly show Christ's robe of righteousness does not cover willful, deliberate, practice of sin. Genuine trust in Christ's merits never leads us to excuse sin or attempt to cover it up while we continue to commit it. The robe of Christ's righteousness changes us.

Quote:

"The righteousness of Christ will not cover one cherished sin." p. 316.

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. COL 312, 313

[Woody]

Quote:

Study COL on the Robe of Christ's Righteousness, pp. 307-319. There you find statements that clearly show Christ's robe of righteousness does not cover willful, deliberate, practice of sin.

We've been down this rabbit trail one to many times.

Please refer to my previous volumes of writings on this particular topic. I think you will find them enlightening.

(Rob refers to Jack ... I refer to Redwood)

BTW ... I think you will find that Redwood is in complete agreement with the correct interpretation of scripture and Ellen White.

[Robert]

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.

No sir...this is heresy....You and I are not living his life! Don't even say you are because that's BS! Yes, we are becoming "less self-seeking" (as EGW states), but we aren't living His life. If, according to this terrible statement, we aren't living His life that we must conclude that we aren't clothed in His righteousness.

That's the problem I have with Traditional/Historic Adventism....This stuff comes from the devil....It's equivalent to the Judaizers in Paul's time....It must be opposed!

[Woody]

You are right Rob that none of us are righteous. At least I think you are saying that. We are righteous only when the life of Jesus is placed to our account to cover our sinfulness. Right?

[Musicman1228]

Redwood,

Did Jesus Christ Himself teach His disciples that it was His righteousness that would be substituted for our unrighteousness, so that we could be saved?

[Twilight]

Originally Posted By: skyblue888

Justification is 100% imputed and sanctification is 100% imparted.

That would be 200%....That's bad math on your behalf!

You are 100% righteous "in Christ"....You can't add to that....

Sanctification is a biblical doctrine and teaching.

There is nowhere in the bible that teaches justification alone.

Are you trying to present the view that sanctification is not necessary?

Mark :-)

[Twilight]

You guys are always talking "if", but it never happens....Why even bring it up if you are not perfect?

So, the reason you bring it up is because you are waiting on some future manifestation of obedience. Sometime in the future you'll be perfect, as God is perfect...But, what if you never arrive?

You guys are under law....You have no peace...you have no assurance. You are under a yoke of bondage....

How do you know these things are true?

Abiding in Christ is something that those that have learned, do not boast about.

They may boast in their Lord, but not in themselves.

---------------------------------------------

Some, on the other hand, accept sin in their own lives, then they refuse to even admit that Gods promise of total victory is a reality.

Not satisfied with their own unbelief, they wish to transfer it to everyone else.

Mark

[Twilight]

Quote:

"If you give yourself to Him, and accept Him as your Saviour, then, sinful as your life may have been, for His sake you are accounted righteous. Christ’s character stands in place of your character, and you are accepted before God just as if you had not sinned." CSA 30

You have taken commentary on "justification" and presented it as commentary on "sanctification".

Mark

[Just*]

Originally Posted By: John317

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.

No sir...this is heresy....You and I are not living his life! Don't even say you are because that's BS! Yes, we are becoming "less self-seeking" (as EGW states), but we aren't living His life. If, according to this terrible statement, we aren't living His life that we must conclude that we aren't clothed in His righteousness.

That's the problem I have with Traditional/Historic Adventism....This stuff comes from the devil....It's equivalent to the Judaizers in Paul's time....It must be opposed!

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Gal 2:20

That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Eph 3:16-20

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"Getting into Christ is only the beginning, not the end, of Christian life. It is the entrance to the school where we are to learn of him. He takes the ungodly man with all his evil habits and forgives all his sins, so that he is counted as though he never had sinned. Then he continues to him his own life, by which he may overcome his evil habits.

Association with Christ will more and more reveal to us our failings, just as association with a learned man will make us conscious of our ignorance. As a faithful witness, he tells us of our failings. But it is not to condemn us. We receive sympathy, not condemnation, from him. It is this sympathy that gives us courage, and enables us to overcome.

When the Lord points our a defect in our characters, it is the same as saying to us, "There is something that you are in need of, and I have it for you." When we learn to look at reproof in this way, we shall rejoice in it, instead of being discouraged.

Law of Life in Christ. The law without Christ is death. The law in Christ is life. His life is the law of God; for out of the heart are the issues of life, and the law was in his heart. The law of sin and death works in our members. But the law of the Spirit of life in Christ gives us freedom from this. Mark that it is the life in Christ that does this. It does not give us freedom from obedience to the law, for we had that before, and that was bondage, and not freedom. What he gives us freedom from is the transgression of the law."

The things of the Spirit are the commandments of God, because the law is spiritual. The flesh serves the law of sin (see the preceding chapter, and Galatians 5:19-21, where the works of the flesh are described). But Christ came in the same flesh, to show the power of the Spirit over the flesh. "They that are in the flesh can not please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of Christ dwell in you."

Now no one will claim that the flesh of a man is any different after his conversion from what it was before. Least of all will the converted man himself say so; for he has continual evidence of its perversity. But if he is really converted, and the Spirit of Christ dwells in him, he is no more in the power of the flesh. Even so Christ came in the same sinful flesh, yet he was without sin, because he was always led by the Spirit.

The Enmity. "The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." The flesh never becomes converted. It is enmity against God; and that enmity consists in opposition to his law. Therefore, whoever opposes the law of God is fighting against him. But Christ is our Peace, and he came preaching peace. "You, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight." Col. 1:21, 22. In his own flesh he abolishes the enmity, so that all who are crucified with him are at peace with God; that is, they are subject to his law, which is in their hearts."

E.J. Waggoner

[Guest]

Just, Where did you get this writing by E.J. Waggoner? Is it online somewhere? I have some Jones and Waggoner books here somewhere but I can't find them.

[John317]

Originally Posted By: John317

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.

No sir...this is heresy....You and I are not living his life! Don't even say you are because that's BS! Yes, we are becoming "less self-seeking" (as EGW states), but we aren't living His life. If, according to this terrible statement, we aren't living His life that we must conclude that we aren't clothed in His righteousness.

That's the problem I have with Traditional/Historic Adventism....This stuff comes from the devil....It's equivalent to the Judaizers in Paul's time....It must be opposed!

This shows that you have some misunderstandings of what Ellen White is saying and also about the doctrine of righteousness by faith.

The robe of His righteousness is both imputed AND imparted to us. You evidently don't accept the part about its being imparted. RBF is dynamic, not static. Being clothed with His righteousness actually changes us. If it's not changing us, it's not genuine. See A.T. Jones and E.J. Waggoner's 1888 Message.