In The Plan of Salvation:

Says Ellen G. White: "Sorrow filled heaven, as it was realized that man was lost, and that the world which God had created was to be filled with mortals doomed to misery, sickness, and death, and there was no way of escape for the offender. The whole family of Adam must die. I saw the lovely Jesus and beheld an expression of sympathy and sorrow upon His countenance. Soon I saw Him approach the exceeding bright light which enshrouded the Father. Said my accompanying angel, He is in close converse with His Father. The anxiety of the angels seemed to be intense while Jesus was communing with His Father. Three times He was shut in by the glorious light about the Father, and the third time He came from the Father, His person could be seen. His countenance was calm, free from all perplexity and doubt, and shone with benevolence and loveliness, such as words cannot express. He then made known to the angelic host that a way of escape had been made for lost man. He told them that He had been pleading with His Father, and had offered to give His life a ransom, to take the sentence of death upon Himself, that through Him man might find pardon; that through the merits of His blood, and obedience to the law of God, they could have the favor of God, and be brought into the beautiful garden, and eat of the fruit of the tree of life." EW 149 cf. PP 63-70.

This position has been declared "primitive" [12] and is rejected on the grounds that Christ was to stand between the wrath of His Father and guilty man (EW 150) and how could this be. The Father loves us as much as His Son. This objection completely overlooks the fact that a similar struggle occurred in God when Christ, in the garden of Gethsemane, began to suffer a superhuman agony for the sins of the world. Recall the setting:

Christ's mission as a teacher in our cold and thankless world was accomplished. He was about to be delivered into the hands of blind, bigoted, faithless priests and elders, to endure almost every cruelty and suffering that Satan and his angels could inspire wicked men to inflict; He was about to suffer dreadful hours of agony on a cross to be mocked with vulgar jests and insulting derision. He was to die the cruelest and most horrible of deaths. He was to die our death, pay our penalty. This was the Father's will. [Now the roles are reversed]: Three times the Son of God pleaded for a way of escape. Three times the Father said no.

So what does this struggle in God mean? There are two answers:

(A). It says that our salvation, unlike all other gifts, truly is a free gift. All gifts are free; this one is a "free free" (Ro 5:15,16 KJV)! So Christ need not have died but He did so to save us. The struggle then is between God letting man reap the just punishment for his sins, a real option, and the love of God and His willingness to die for us and to pay the infinite price required for our salvation. It says that the price paid for our redemption was of infinite weight; Hence God loves us in infinite measure. We are of infinite worth!

The Second Choice.
Option B. God must forgive sin because it is in His very nature to do so. He has no choice. Salvation, therefore, is not really a gift and a struggle in God can only reflect a difficulty God has in overcoming His reluctance to do what He must do! God's nature therefore is like our own. He was only compelled to die for us because it was the loving thing to do; He really didn't want to.

Option B is clearly false if one rethinks Gethsemane: "The awful moment had come — that moment which was to decide the destiny of the world. The fate of humanity trembled in the balance. Christ might even now refuse to drink the cup apportioned to guilty man. It was not yet too late. He might wipe the bloody sweat from His brow, and leave man to perish in his iniquity. He might say, Let the transgressor receive the penalty of his sin, and I will go back to My Father. Will the Son of God drink the bitter cup of humiliation and agony? Will the innocent suffer the consequences of the curse of sin, to save the guilty? ... "Now the history of the human race comes up before the world's Redeemer. He sees that the transgressors of the law, if left to themselves, must perish. He sees the helplessness of man. He sees the power of sin. The woes and lamentations of a doomed world rise before Him. He beholds its impending fate, and His decision is made. He will save man at any cost to Himself. He accepts His baptism of blood... He will not turn from His mission. He will become the propitiation [13] of a race that has willed to sin. His prayer now breathes only submission: 'If this cup may not pass away from Me, except I drink it, Thy will be done.'" DA 690-691.

"Voluntarily our divine Substitute bared His soul to the sword of justice, that we might not perish but have everlasting life." 1SM 322. "The Lord could have cut off the sinner, and utterly destroyed him; but the costlier plan was chosen." 1SM 323. "The grace of Christ and the law of God are inseparable" 1SM 349.

Law and Gospel

Please be taking note of how the grace of Christ and the law of God are perfectly interconnected. Ask yourself these questions:

Do these quotations enforce the Reformation concept of Christ's substitutionary death?

Do they reflect the plan of salvation for the human race as perceived in the vision of Ellen G. White?

Or do they suggest that the gospel has nothing to do with law but is all about God wanting us to be friends with Him? [14].

WHAT IS RECONCILIATION?

"Christ was crucified, but in wondrous power and glory He rose from the tomb. He took in His grasp the world over which Satan claimed to preside, and restored the human race to favor with God." Y.I. April 16, 1903.

For it pleased the Father "to reconcile all things unto Himself." ..."And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He [Christ] has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach" (Col 1:19-22).

"Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ" ... "in whom we have boldness and confident access [to God] through faith in Him" (Eph 2:13, 3:12).

"While we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son" (Ro 5:10). "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God" (1 Pe 3:18).

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly" (Ro 5:6). "We have now been justified by His blood" (Ro 5:9). "We were reconciled to God through the death of His Son ... through whom we have now received reconciliation" (Ro 5:10-11).

"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" (Ro 5:18).

"Thus, through the crucifixion of Christ, human beings are reconciled to God. Christ adopts the outcasts, and they become His special care, members of the family of God, because they have accepted His Son as their Saviour." QOD 670.

Conclusions:

(1) Our pardon for sin is so perfect that Paul used the word "justification" to explain it. (2) "Justification is the opposite of condemnation" (6BC 1070). (3) It is a status conferred on men by God on the grounds of the atoning work of Christ. (4) Our standing before God changed because of what Christ did for us, outside of us, — not because of any change in us. (5) This was accomplished "while we were enemies." (6) Our reconciliation to God was of great joy to Paul. His presentations of the gospel were intertwined with praises to God for the glorious grace freely given us in Christ. He spoke of the riches of God's grace that were lavished on us — redemption through Christ's blood, the forgiveness of sins. See Eph 1:6-8. So I guess that there's something about a mere legal act that we should be excited about.

REJECTING THE UNFATHOMABLE

Those who hold to m.i.th are unable to imagine that sin is so exceedingly sinful to the infinitely pure and holy God that God's infinite righteousness requires the life of the transgressor. Scripture does say, "the wages of sin is death" (Ro 6:23) but those in the school of moral influence infer that God can easily excuse violators of divine law. They scoff at claims of Scripture which imply that "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Heb 9:22). They sarcastically ask: "Why can't God just forgive?" and "How can one person die for another?" Thus, in preferring myth to Scripture, they refuse to accept the gift of God as a true gift!

The Parable of the Two Debtors

Two men were equally in debt to a certain moneylender. The sums owed were enormous. Now the moneylender was not very well respected in his town and the two debtors were completely broke. Because of the moneylender's great love, he canceled the debts of both. The first man was elated with the news. He was very thankful for the generous gift and understood that his large debt was paid in his behalf — at great personal sacrifice to the moneylender. Now the second man was just as joyous as the first, but not because his debt was canceled. His joy was over an explanation. He was enraptured by a theory. He thought the moneylender cancels debts because money is offensive to him: that he hates legal tender.

Wishing his benevolent gesture would be appreciated, the moneylender tried to explain: "You are a debtor given a gift and money is a really nice thing to have. This world can't run without it since some people owe more than others; it's just a good way to keep track of things." "That's nonsense" the man replied. "What kind of a moneylender would demand payment?" At this the moneylender was speechless and went away sorrowful for the man could not be reasoned with. "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1 Cor 1:18). "The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God" (1 Cor 3:19).

O foolish mortals, "You are not your own; you were bought at a price" (1 Cor 6:19,20 cf. 7:23). "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" (1 Pe 1:18,19). You were "purchased with His own blood" (Acts 20:28 cf. Rev 5:9). "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (Jn 3:16).

Belief in Christ is a belief in Him as a savior. In Scripture, that meant, chiefly, as a savior from sin. Said the angel, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" (Mt 1:20-21).

"All who comprehend the spirituality of the law, all who realize its power as a detector of sin, are in just as helpless a condition as is Satan himself, unless they accept the atonement." 6BC 1077.

"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." 1 SM 393.

Jesus said: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me" (Jn 14:6). "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all" (1 Tim 2:5,6 cf. Mt 20:28, Mk 10:45).

"A full, complete ransom has been paid by Jesus, by virtue of which the sinner is pardoned and the justice of the law is maintained. All who believe that Christ is the atoning sacrifice may come and receive pardon for their sins; for through the merit of Christ, communication has been opened between God and man." F&W 93.

"Christ has satisfied Justice; He has proffered Himself as an atonement. His gushing blood, His broken body, satisfy the claims of the broken law, and thus He bridges the gulf which sin has made. He suffered in the flesh, that with His bruised and broken body He might cover the defenseless sinner." 1SM 341.

Postscript:

"For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf" (2 Cor 5:14,15).

"All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. For God had made Him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor 5:18-21).

THE FINISHED WORK

There is a finished work and a Sabbath rest for the people of God. See Heb 4:1-13. He that believes has entered into that rest. Undisputed texts of Scripture, like Luke 18:14; 16:15; 10:29; 7:29 and Matthew 12:37, show clearly that 'to justify' is 'to declare righteous'. God has declared us 'righteous'. Beware of antichrist. To justify never means to rehabilitate, set right, or make righteous [!]. It never has that meaning in the Greek nor does the cognate Hebrew word sadaq ever have that shade of meaning in all the Hebrew of the OT. Facts are that all the variations of sadaq point to a finished act and completeness, never to an unfinished process in action. The accuracy of these statements will be clear after a review of, say, Young's Analytical Concordance, and a careful reading of every form of the word sadaq listed there [15].

[!] Antichrist doesn't want you to have any rest. He wants you to work seven days a week so that you might forget the finished work of God.

WHAT IS JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH?

"The knowledge of the law would condemn the sinner, and crush hope from his breast, if he did not see Jesus as his substitute and surety, ready to pardon his transgression, and to forgive his sin. When, through faith in Jesus Christ, man does according to the very best of his ability, and seeks to keep the way of the Lord by obedience to the ten commandments, the perfection of Christ is imputed to cover the transgression of the repentant and obedient soul." FCE 135.

"Knowing himself to be a sinner, a transgressor of the holy law of God, he [the sinner] looks to the perfect obedience of Christ, to His death upon Calvary for the sins of the world; and he has the assurance that he is justified by faith in the merit and sacrifice of Christ. He realizes that the law was obeyed in his behalf by the Son of God, and that the penalty of transgression cannot fall upon the believing sinner. The active obedience of Christ clothes the believing sinner with the righteousness that meets the demands of the law." SD 240.

"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.

"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." 1SM 394.

"By reason of the sacrifice made by Christ for fallen men, God can justly pardon the transgressor who accepts the merits of Christ." 1SM 396.

"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.

"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." 1SM 389.

"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 394.

"The Lord made a full and complete sacrifice upon the cross, the shameful cross, that men might be complete in the great and precious gift of His righteousness." Letter 148, 1897.

"When we seek to gain heaven through the merits of Christ, the soul makes progress. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, we may go on from strength to strength, from victory to victory; for through Christ the grace of God has worked out our complete salvation." 1SM 364.

"Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God." ... "By one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." Heb 10:11-14. N.I.V.

"'Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness' (Ro 4:3-5). Righteousness is obedience to the law. The law demands righteousness, and this the sinner owes to the law; but he is incapable of rendering it. 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; and the pardoned soul goes on from grace to grace, from light to a greater light." 1SM 367.

"Those who are indeed purifying their souls by obeying the truth will have a most humble opinion of themselves. The more closely they view the spotless character of Christ, the stronger will be their desire to be conformed to His image, and the less will they see of purity or holiness in themselves. But while we should realize our sinful condition, we are to rely upon Christ as our righteousness, our sanctification, and our redemption. We cannot answer the charges of Satan against us. Christ alone can make an effectual plea in our behalf. He is able to silence the accuser with arguments founded not upon our merits, but on His own." 5T 471-472.

"After we have done all that we are capable of doing, we are then to say: We have done no more than our duty, and at best are unprofitable servants, unworthy of the smallest favor from God. Christ must be our righteousness and the crown of our rejoicing." 3T 526.

"Christ looks at the spirit, and when He sees us carrying our burden with faith, His perfect holiness atones for our shortcomings. When we do our best, He becomes our righteousness." 1SM 368.

"When it is in the heart to obey God, when efforts are put forth to this end, Jesus accepts this disposition and effort as man's best service, and He makes up for the deficiency with His own divine merit." 1SM 382.

"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 with God." 1SM 344.

"Through faith, the believer passes from the position of a rebel, a child of sin and Satan, to the position of a loyal subject of Christ Jesus, not because of an inherent goodness, but because Christ receives him as His child by adoption. The sinner receives the forgiveness of his sins, because these sins are borne by his Substitute and Surety. ... Thus man, pardoned, and clothed with the beautiful garments of Christ's righteousness, stands faultless before God." 6BC 1070-1071.

"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' (Col. 2:10). Now all is at rest in his soul. No longer must be strive to find some worthiness in himself, some meritorious deed by which to gain the favor of God." F&W 107-108.

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." Ro 5:1,2.

Faith Lays Hold of Christ's Righteousness

"Faith is the condition upon which God has seen fit to promise pardon to sinners; not that there is any virtue in faith whereby salvation is merited, but because faith can lay hold of the merits of Christ, the remedy provided for sin. Faith can present Christ's perfect obedience instead of the sinner's transgression and defection. When the sinner believes that Christ is his personal Saviour, then according to His unfailing promises, God pardons his sin and justifies him freely. The repentant soul realizes that his justification comes because Christ, as his substitute and surety, has died for him, is his atonement and righteousness." 6BC 1073.

Other Opinions

The great antichrist hates the truth that Christ is our righteousness. He says: "If you can be set right with God and kept right with God, would you ask for anything more?"

In other words, "If you can be perfect, then who needs the imputation of Christ's righteousness?"

That's a stupid question. We are justified by imputed righteousness.

"The Righteousness by which we are justified is imputed; the righteousness by which we are sanctified is imparted. The first is our title to heaven, the second is our fitness for heaven." R&H June 4, 1895.

You can't be fit for heaven if you despise your title to heaven!

Some want to go to heaven through their own merits; but you can't go up to the gates of heaven and say, "Look at how perfect I am, let me in."

Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber." ... "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep." And again: "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved." John 10:1,7,9.

Paul said: "A man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Christ Jesus" (Gal 2:16).

"For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law" (Ro 3:28): "justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Ro 3:24).

"By the works of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight" (Ro 3:20).

"That no one is justified by the law before God is evident; for 'the righteous man shall live by faith.'" (Gal 3:11).

"I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing" (Gal 2:21).

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast" (Eph 2:8).

"He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior." Titus 3:5-6.

Conclusions

"As the penitent sinner, contrite before God, discerns Christ's atonement in his behalf and accepts this atonement as his only hope in this life and the future life, his sins are pardoned. This is justification by faith." F&W 103.

Sinless perfection is not ours until glorification. Paul could say: "We through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness" (Gal 5:5). Until then, God's grace is sufficient for us.

"Soon there appears in the east a small black cloud, about half the size of a man's hand. It is the cloud which surrounds the Saviour and which seems in the distance to be shrouded in darkness. The people of God know this to be the sign of the Son of man. In solemn silence they gaze upon it as it draws nearer the earth, becoming lighter and more glorious, until it is a great white cloud, its base a glory like consuming fire.... Every eye beholds the Prince of life. Before His presence 'all faces are turned into paleness' (Jer 30:6). The righteous cry with trembling: 'Who shall be able to stand?' The angels' song is hushed, and there is a period of awful silence. Then the voice of Jesus is heard, saying: 'My grace is sufficient for you.' The faces of the righteous are lighted up, and joy fills every heart." GC 640-1.

ELLEN G. WHITE COMMENTS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH

"If we would have the spirit and power of the third angel's message, we must present the law and the gospel together, for they go hand in hand. As a power from beneath is stirring up the children of disobedience to make void the law of God, and to trample upon the truth that Christ is our righteousness, a power from above is moving upon the hearts of those who are loyal, to exalt the law, and to lift up Jesus as a complete Saviour. Unless divine power is brought into the experience of the people of God, false theories and ideas will take minds captive, Christ and His righteousness will be dropped out of the experience of many, and their faith will be without power or life.

"Ministers are to present Christ in His fullness both in the churches and in new fields, that the hearers may have an intelligent faith. The people must be instructed that Christ is unto them salvation and righteousness. It is Satan's studied purpose to keep souls from believing in Christ as their only hope; for the blood of Christ that cleanseth from all sin is efficacious in behalf of those only who believe in its merit, and who present it before the Father as did Abel in his offering.

"The offering of Cain was an offense to God, because it was a Christless offering. The burden of our message is not only the commandments of God, but the faith of Jesus." GW 161-162.

"The third angel's message is the proclamation of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus Christ. The commandments of God have been proclaimed, but the faith of Jesus Christ has not been proclaimed by Seventh-day Adventists as of equal importance, the law and the gospel going hand in hand. I cannot find language to express this subject in its fullness.

"'The faith of Jesus.' It is talked of, but not understood. What constitutes the faith of Jesus, that belongs to the third angel's message? Jesus becoming our sin-bearer that He might become our sin-pardoning Saviour. He was treated as we deserve to be treated. He came to our world and took our sins that we might take His righteousness. And faith in the ability of Christ to save us amply and fully and entirely is the faith of Jesus Christ.

"The only safety for the Israelites was blood upon the doorposts. God said, 'When I see the blood, I will pass over you' (Ex 12:13). All other devices for safety would be without avail. Nothing but the blood on the doorposts would bar the way that the angel of death should not enter. There is salvation for the sinner in the blood of Jesus Christ alone, which cleanseth us from all sin. The man with a cultivated intellect may have vast stores of knowledge, he may engage in theological speculations, he may be great and honored of men and be considered the repository of knowledge, but unless he has a saving knowledge of Christ crucified for him, and by faith lays hold of the righteousness of Christ, he is lost. Christ 'was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed' (Isa 53:5). 'Saved by the blood of Jesus Christ,' will be our only hope for time and our song throughout eternity." 3SM 172-173.

"In his epistle to the Romans, Paul set forth the great principles of the gospel. ...With great clearness and power the apostle presented the doctrine of justification by faith in Christ. He hoped that other churches also might be helped by the instruction sent to the Christians at Rome; but how dimly could he foresee the far-reaching influence of his words! Through all the ages the great truth of justification by faith has stood as a mighty beacon to guide repentant sinners into the way of life. It was this light that scattered the darkness which enveloped Luther's mind and revealed to him the power of the blood of Christ to cleanse from sin. The same light has guided thousands of sin-burdened souls to the true Source of pardon and peace. For the epistle to the church at Rome, every Christian has reason to thank God." AA 373.

"The present message — justification by faith — is a message from God; it bears the divine credentials, for its fruit is unto holiness." 1SM 359.

"The enemy of man and Christ is not willing that this truth should be clearly presented; for he knows that if the people receive it fully, his power will be broken." R&H Sept 3, 1889.

"A great work is to be accomplished in setting before men the saving truths of the gospel. This is the means ordained by God to stem the tide of moral corruption. This is His means of restoring His moral image in man. It is His remedy for universal disorganization. It is the power that draws men together in unity. To present these truths is the work of the third angel's message. The Lord designs that the presentation of this message shall be the highest, greatest work carried on in the world at this time." 6T 11.

"There is great need that Christ should be preached as the only hope and salvation. When the doctrine of justification by faith was presented ... it came to many as water comes to the thirsty traveler. The thought that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us, not because of any merit on our part, but as a free gift from God, seemed a precious thought." 1SM 360.

"We thank the Lord with all the heart that we have precious light to present before the people, and we rejoice that we have a message for this time which is present truth. The tidings that Christ is our righteousness has brought relief to many, many souls, and God says to His people, 'Go forward'." Ev 192.

"Justification by faith and the righteousness of Christ are the themes to be presented to a perishing world." 7BC 964.

"Several have written to me, inquiring if the message of justification by faith is the third angel's message, and I have answered, 'It is the third angel's message in verity.'" 1SM 372.

"The third angel's message must be presented as the only hope for the salvation of a perishing world." Ev 196.

"The time of test is just upon us, for the loud cry of the third angel has already begun in the revelation of the righteousness of Christ, the sin-pardoning Redeemer. This is the beginning of the light of the angel whose glory shall fill the whole earth." 1SM 363.

"It is Satan's object to divert the attention from the third angel's message to side issues, that minds and hearts that should be growing in grace and in the knowledge of the truth, may be dwarfed and enfeebled, so that God may not be glorified by them." 2SM 320.

"The sacrifice of Christ as an atonement for sin is the great truth around which all other truths cluster. In order to be rightly understood and appreciated, every truth in the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation must be studied in the light that streams from the cross of Calvary. I present before you the great, grand monument of mercy and regeneration, salvation and redemption — the Son of God uplifted on the cross. This is to be the foundation of every discourse given by our ministers." GW 315.

"The point which has been urged upon my mind for years is the imputed righteousness of Christ. I have wondered that this matter was not made the subject of discourses in our churches throughout the land, when the matter has been kept so constantly urged upon me, and I have made it the subject of nearly every discourse and talk that I have given to the people." 1888, p. 810-811.

"Our hope is to be constantly strengthened by the knowledge that Christ is our righteousness. Let our faith rest upon this foundation, for it will stand fast forever." 5T 742.

"The foundation of Christianity is Christ our righteousness." 5T 725.

"Christ and His righteousness — let this be our platform, the very life of our faith." Ev 190.

THE PATH TOWARD PERDITION

Rejecting justification by faith. Please read Testimonies To Ministers, p. 89-98.

Justification by faith, and the righteousness of Christ are, as Ellen White said, "the sweetest melodies that come from God through human lips" (6T p. 426). Great men have dedicated their lives to the preaching of this grand truth (GC pp. 125, 140, 212, 213, 253, 254, 256): men like Hus, Wesley and Luther, not to mention Paul who received it by revelation directly from God (Gal 1:12). But then there is the leading exponent of m.i.th and semi-Socinian theology at Loma Linda. He and those who parrot him reject the imputed righteousness of Christ and argue that it is simply "primitive theology"; "an emergency measure" given at a time when men could not really understand the truth about God. But to deny vicarious substitution, justification and imputation is to affirm Satan's denial of God's justice. The denials are equivalent [16]. So is the theology at Loma Linda an echo of Satan's work? "Jesus did not really die for the sins of the world: God's mercy simply cancelled the debt." Satan agrees. And the very justice of God demonstrated on the cross [that Jesus paid the penalty for our sins] they declare unjust. Satan agrees. They protest: "What kind of a God would declare someone righteous if he wasn't?" Satan laughs. TM 409.

This group is so charmed by brilliant sophistry that what the Bible has to say doesn't matter; 1 Cor 1:17—2:16 makes no lasting impression — they have a better picture of the true God. There's nothing to it. That their God is so wonderful is easy to understand. Everything revolves around their own preconceived view of what God is like. The God they admire, therefore, is their own wisdom.

Professing to be wise, they have become fools. That is the subject of the next chapter: The increasing irrationality of one circle of standard Adventist m.i.th as it moves further and further away from the revealed Word of God.

THE DENIAL OF JUSTICE AND THE MAN OF LAWLESSNESS Part 3

is forthcoming.