What shall i do to inherit eternal life-Margaret Davis

What Shall I Do To Inherit Eternal Life?
A Biblical and Spirit of Prophecy Compilation
with Comments by
Margaret Davis
CONTENTS
WHAT SHALL I DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE?
Allow God’s Love to Come into Your Heart .. 7
Be Born Again . 13
Have Oil in Your Vessel ...16
Put On the Wedding Garment 18
Be a Hot Christian .. 20
Invite Jesus into Your Heart ...22
COOPERATE WITH GOD IN YOUR SALVATION
He Will Draw You ...... 25
Do Not Resist His Drawing .... 27
He Will Reprove of Sin, of Righteousness, of Judgment ... 28
Acknowledge Your Guilt and Need of His Righteousness . 28
He Will Give You Repentance .. 32
Confess and Forsake Your Sins
and Give Him Your Heart ..... 32
He Will Forgive, Cleanse, Regenerate,
and Free You to Live the Sanctified Life.. 35
Believe He Can Do It and Accept . 39
He Will Live in You and Empower You .. 43
Abide in Him and Bear Much Fruit . 45
Fight the Good Fight of Faith ... 49
He Will Help You When Tempted
and Make a Way of Escape .... 53
Take God’s Way of Escape and Submit to Him . 55
He Is Able to Keep You from Falling ... 56
All Will Be Tempted - Temptation Is Not Sin . 57
Walk By the Spirit - Do Not Gratify the Desires of the Flesh 60
He Will Be Your Advocate if You Fall . 63
Repent and Confess and Turn Back to Him ... 65
Forgive One Another . 67
Help to Restore the Fallen .. 68
Make Your Calling and Election Sure .. 70
Grow in Grace Continually ... 72
Bring Your Children to Jesus ... 74
Discipline Your Children in Love . 76
He Will Direct You and Teach You His Will .. 82
His Angels Will Guard You .. 84
Trust God and Endure the Trial of Your Faith . 85
EXPERIENCE THE THREE ANGELS’ MESSAGES 87
The First Angel Brings the Gospel .. 88
He Bids Us to Fear God and Give Him Glory . .. 90
For the Hour of His Judgment Is Come .. 90
The Second Angel Warns About the Wine of Babylon . 93
Test All Teachings . 94
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God’s Love Does Not Cover or Justify or Excuse Sins
but Empowers Us to Live His Life 98
Jesus Had No Advantage Over the Sanctified Ones ... 105
Through Faith We Can Obey God’s Holy Law ... 111
Keep His Commandments . .. 114
Sincerity Is Not Enough .... 119
All, Not Only the 144,000 Must Overcome
and Have Moral Perfection . 122
The 1888 Message Was a Revival of True Righteousness 139
The Third Angel Warns About the Mark . 141
God Will Seal His People 142
He Will Separate the Wheat from the Tares 143
Prepare for the Latter Rain 144
Give the Loud Cry ... 145
The Fourth Angel Calls to Come Out of Babylon . 146
Satan Will Make War on God’s People . 148
Probation Will End . 150
There Will Be a Time of Trouble . 152
God Will Deliver His People 153
He Will Reward Us .. 155
He Will Make a Full End 158
He Is Coming Soon - Be Ready .. 159
All Scriptures quoted in this book
are from the King James Version
unless otherwise indicated.
He draws us through His love and kindness; we respond by learning to know Him
through study and prayer.
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He convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment, producing guilt; we acknowledge
our guiltiness without blaming others.
He gives us repentance, producing true heart sorrow for sin; we confess with
contrite hearts, surrendering all rights to self and sin.
He forgives and cleanses from all sin and creates a new heart and mind; we believe
and experience cleansing and renewal.
He dwells in us through the Holy Spirit, energizing us to do His will; we act out
what He works in, which results in fruit to His glory.
He alerts us when tempted, and empowers us to resist the tempter; we submit to
Him and resist through His power, gaining the victory.
He will be our Advocate and plead for us if we should fall; we repent and turn back
to Him so He can restore us to Himself.
Through Christ God has worked out our complete salvation.
WHAT SHALL I DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE?
Allow God’s Love to Come into Your Heart
“A certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit
eternal life?” Luke 18:18
This is the most important question we need to ask, and then find our answer
from the Word of God.
“If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which?
Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not
steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
“The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up,
what lack I yet?” Matt. 19:17-20
“Christ was drawn to this young man. He knew him to be sincere in his assertion,
‘All these things have I kept from my youth.’” DA 519
He was a good, obedient young man. He did not murder, steal, lie or commit
adultery. But he did have a problem!
“His conception of the law was external and superficial. Judged by a human
standard, he had preserved an unblemished character. To a great degree his outward life
had been free from guilt; he verily thought that his obedience had been without a flaw. Yet
he had a secret fear that all was not right between his soul and God. This prompted the
question, ‘What lack I yet?’” COL 391
“Christ read the ruler’s heart. Only one thing he lacked, but that was a vital
principle. He needed the love of God in the soul. This lack, unless supplied, would
prove fatal to him.” DA 519
What does “vital” mean? It is absolutely essential for life. What was essential for
life? He needed the love of God in his soul, not just human love. Human love can be very
selfish.
“That he might receive the love of God, his supreme love of self must be
surrendered.” DA 519
“Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go sell that thou hast, and give to the
poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the
young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.” Matt.
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19:21, 22
And Jesus was very sorrowful to see him go.
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways
of death.” Prov. 14:12
The young man had been on the road to death, and chose to stay on that road.
He was a very selfish young man, coveting all his riches for himself and not sharing
with others. He did not have God’s love in his heart.
“Whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up
his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” 1 John 3:16-18
“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is
born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” 1
John 4:7, 8
“Unless you accept in your own life the principle of self-sacrificing love, which is the
principle of His character, you cannot know God.” MB 25
“Love is the basis of godliness. Whatever the profession, no man has pure love to
God unless he has unselfish love for his brother. But we can never come into possession of
this spirit by trying to love others. What is needed is the love of Christ in the heart. When
self is merged in Christ, true love springs forth spontaneously. The completeness of
Christian character is attained when the impulse to help and bless others springs
constantly from within.” COL 384
“By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one
another.” John 13:35
“It is not possible for the heart in which Christ abides to be destitute of love. If we
love God because He first loved us, we shall love all for whom Christ died.” COL 384
“Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”
Rom. 13:10
Your neighbor is a person who needs your help. Your neighbor is your wife. Your
neighbor is your child. How do we treat our neighbors in our own family? Do we really
love them with God’s love? What is God’s love like?
“Love is patient and kind; [even when your children are disobedient, love is still
patient and kind even though you have to discipline them] love is not jealous or
boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; [There would
be no quarrelling in families if we had that kind of love. We would patiently discuss the
problem, pray about it, and find a solution] it is not irritable or resentful; [even when
others do not agree with us, or even do things that hurt us] it does not rejoice at wrong,
but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
endures all things.” [with patience and kindness, and without irritation or resentment]
1 Cor. 13:4-7
“Love not only bears with other’s faults, but cheerfully submits to whatever
suffering or inconvenience such forbearance makes necessary.” 5T 169
“For the love of Christ controls us.” 2 Cor. 5:14
As I share these things, people often say, “But we are only human! How can we
have that kind of love?” If we are only human, we are not Christians. Christians are
partakers of the divine nature. They have Christ in them, the hope of glory. They are
connected to the Vine and are filled with the Holy Spirit, therefore they are filled with
God’s love, which is the first fruit of the Holy Spirit.
“God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has
been given us.” Rom. 5:5
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“Many are deceiving themselves; for the principle of love does not dwell in their
hearts.” SD 49
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy
gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all
mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but
have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all that I have, and if I deliver my body to
be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” 1 Cor. 13:1-3
I grew up in a supposedly Christian home. I was the second of eleven children.
My father was very firm in training his children to be obedient to parents and to God.
But he could not control himself. If anyone failed to cooperate he would easily get
impatient and often very angry. And then he had to find an excuse for his failures and
so he blamed his children or his wife or whoever had provoked him. God’s love did not
control him!
My father would have stood for the truths he believed in even to becoming a
martyr if necessary, but he would have gained nothing! And one may give ten Bible
studies a day and go home and fight with the family and still believe himself to be a
worker for God. How sad!
“We may be active, we may do much work; but without love, such love as dwelt in
the heart of Christ, we can never be numbered with the family of heaven.” COL 158
I liked to obey and so managed to get along well with my parents as I was
growing up, truly thinking I was on the road to heaven. I gladly helped them with all the
children and the farm work. But after I was married and had my own children I did not
find it so easy. My husband and I did not always see things the same way in training
the children and often argued about it, insisting on our way. I felt I knew more about
training children since I had been the one who had always looked after all my younger
brothers and sisters. My husband had no experience with children and when he was
selfish or harsh with the children, I resented him. When the children were disobedient
and we would get impatient and irritated, we also felt we could blame the children! And
as I share with others, they acknowledge that they have done it too. How sad! The
children carry their own guilt when they fail and also the parent’s guilt. But we kept
trying to be good parents, not realizing that we were just depending on our human love.
In 1970 we came home from our mission appointment in India and I went to visit
my parents. During my stay there, several of my brothers and sisters, who were also
visiting, brought up the subject of righteousness by faith. Some of them had been
studying the concept for some time. While discussing it with father, they had expressed
some ideas that seemed different from his understanding of salvation. With me there, he
hoped to get to the bottom of the matter. I was a minister’s wife! I had been a
missionary! I would have the answers, father thought. So, as my brothers and sisters
described their new insights, father would ask me, “Margaret, are they right?” Each
time all I could answer was, “Father, I don’t know.” I had been a worker for God but not
really a student of His Word. Oh yes, I read my Bible, but I did not understand how to
feed on the Word so it would become a power in my life. I was a surface reader!
As the discussion continued, father became more and more concerned. Was his
hope of heaven built on quicksand? His belief was, simply, believe in Jesus, do your
best to obey, and gradually you will overcome your sins. After all, isn’t sanctification the
work of a lifetime? And doesn’t Jesus cover our sins while we are trying to overcome
them as many teach? So, during much of his life, he had tried to overcome his sins of
temper, resentment, irritation, impatience, strife, and lust, believing that he was always
in a saving relationship, covered by Christ’s righteousness, even while knowingly
sinning. Now he was hearing of the necessity of a heart-cleansing and then the power of
God to keep him from sinning, and that Christ’s righteousness does not cover sin!
As the discussion went on, my father was not the only one who became troubled.
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I did also, because I had to admit I knew nothing of righteousness by faith. My religion
was much like my father’s. Do your best to obey God! And since my besetting sins were
minor in comparison with his, it seemed as though I was having victory.
Father was 78-years-old at the time, and had a heart condition that could bring
death at any moment. He knew that only the overcomer would be in heaven, and he
was not overcoming!!! He still had a 17-year-old boy at home, born twelve years after
the other children, who was aggravating him more than all the other ten children put
together. Now, weighed down by the realization of his problem, he cried out, “Margaret,
help me!”
“Everywhere there are hearts crying out for something which they have not. They
long for a power that will give them mastery over sin, a power that will deliver them from
the bondage of evil, a power that will give health and life and peace.” MH 143
As I looked into my Father’s pleading eyes, it suddenly dawned on me that I had
nothing to offer a sinner. I could have said, “Try a little harder, Dad!” But he had been
trying all his life, and in that moment I knew it was not the right answer. So I said
nothing. I went home, determined to do something to help my father. I started to search
diligently to discover what it really meant to be a Christian. At first this was boring, but
I kept on and gradually the Bible became living water and living bread to my soul.
“As they feed upon His word, they find that it is spirit and life. The word destroys
the natural, earthly nature, and imparts a new life in Christ Jesus.” DA 391
As I studied, I found answers, and for the first time I realized I had only a form
of godliness, but not the power of the gospel. I could seemingly keep the outward law
but I had not known how to yield my spirit to be controlled by God’s Spirit so that I
could have the obedience of faith.
“Many who call themselves Christians are mere human moralists. The work of
the Holy Spirit is to them a strange work.” COL 315
Because I was naturally inclined to be cooperative, and because I was taught by
my parents to obey them and also God, I came unwittingly to trust in my obedience. I
thought I was a successful Christian.
“The people are more ignorant in regard to the plan of salvation and need more
instruction upon this all-important subject than upon any other.” 4T 394
“I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own
righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God.” Rom.
10:2, 3
“Genuine faith appropriates the righteousness of Christ, and the sinner is made an
overcomer with Christ; for he is made a partaker of the divine nature, and thus divinity
and humanity are combined.
“He who is trying to reach heaven by his own works in keeping the law, is
attempting an impossibility. Man cannot be saved without obedience, but his works should
not be of himself; Christ should work in him to will and to do of His good pleasure.” 1SM
363, 364
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in
them.” Eph. 2:8-10
When I began to share my discoveries with my husband, he joined me in the
search. He had been a minister for twenty years, but he had not understood the
experience of the gospel either.
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“We need to be enlightened in regard to the plan of salvation. There is not one
in one hundred who understands for himself the Bible truth on this subject that is so
necessary to our present and eternal welfare.
“The enemy of man and God 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.”
RH 9-3-1889
As we studied and both of us discovered how to surrender our hearts to God
daily, our lives changed. Soon our children realized that Mom and Dad were
experiencing something real in their lives, and they also wanted to find spiritual life for
themselves. Our son, Arlen, was twenty-three, our daughter, Cheryl, was twenty-two,
and married, and our youngest, Lorna, was fourteen.
When Cheryl came home for a visit, we shared with her our new-found
experience and understanding of salvation. She exclaimed, “That’s what I’ve been
looking for all my life! How do I find that experience?” We encouraged her to spend time
with Jesus, truly getting to know Him by reading His word and getting to understand
His teachings. Several weeks later she called me and said,”Mom, it’s no use! I’m just
reading words. They seem meaningless.” She had also been a surface reader. I
encouraged her to keep on until the words became living water and living bread.
Our youngest daughter, Lorna, decided to stay home from school a year and just
study the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy writings. She made her decision to follow God at
that time, and it was such a blessing.
“In the struggle for eternal life, we cannot lean upon another. The bread of life must
be eaten by each one. Individually we must partake of it, that soul, body, and mind may be
revived and strengthened by its transforming power.” TM 385
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to
every one who has faith, . . . For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith
for faith; as it is written, He who through faith is righteous shall live.” Rom. 1:16, 17
RSV
After I experienced for myself the power of the gospel, I prayed that the Lord
would send me back to my father and all my family. I longed to share with them the
wonderful truths of salvation I had found.
“In order to convince others of the power of Christ’s grace, we must know its power
in our own hearts and lives.” MH 469
“The gospel is to be presented, not as a lifeless theory, but as a living force to
change the life. God would have His servants bear testimony to the fact that through His
grace men may possess Christlikeness of character and may rejoice in the assurance of His
great love.” MH 99
As I shared my testimony with my family, I was very grateful that my father and
mother responded to the saving message of the gospel. Some of my brothers and sisters
told me, “This will change our whole lives. You cannot keep this to yourself. Would you
share it with our friends? Would you speak in our church?”
“Me? Speak in the church?” I had only done work for children, and I had never
given talks in church, but I knew I had found something real in my Christian experience.
So I prayed and asked God to take away my fear and give me freedom to speak.
The very next morning I had the church service. No fear! Then the people wanted
another meeting in the afternoon and also in the evening. Afterward the minister came
to me and said, “I have studied and studied and tried to understand righteousness by
faith, but I couldn’t quite grasp it. Now I understand, and now I too, can surrender
myself to God.
“I wish you to distinctly understand this point, that souls are kept from
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obeying the truth by a confusion of ideas, and also because they do not know how to
surrender their wills and their minds to Jesus. They want special instruction how to
become Christians.” Ev 152
“Do not allow anything to draw your attention from the question, ‘What shall I do to
inherit eternal life?’ This is a life and death question, which we must settle for eternity.”
1SM 171
“Search, oh search the precious Bible with hungry hearts.” COL 111
“A supposed hope, and nothing more, will prove your ruin.” 1T 163
“Many are sensible of their great deficiency, and they read, and pray, and resolve,
and yet make no progress. They seem powerless to resist temptation. The reason is, they
do not go deep enough. They do not seek for a thorough conversion of the soul, that the
streams which issue from it may be pure, and the deportment may testify that Christ
reigns within. All defects of character originate in the heart. Pride, vanity, evil temper, and
covetousness proceed from the carnal heart unrenewed by the grace of Christ.” OHC 336
The carnal heart and mind cannot obey the spiritual law, it can only obey the
letter of the law. This was Paul’s experience also before his conversion. Are there others
who were as ignorant of righteousness as we were? Let’s think of Nicodemus. What did
Jesus tell him?
Be Born Again
“There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The
same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher
come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with
him.” John 3:1, 2
“Jesus bent his eyes upon the speaker, as if reading his very soul. In his infinite
wisdom He saw before Him a seeker after truth.” DA 168
“Jesus . . . said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3
“He was a strict Pharisee, and prided himself on his good works. He was widely
esteemed for his benevolence and his liberality in sustaining the temple service, and he felt
secure of the favor of God. He was startled at the thought of a kingdom too pure for him
to see in his present state. . . . By virtue of his birth as an Israelite he regarded himself as
sure of a place in the kingdom of God. He felt that he needed no change. Hence his
surprise at the Saviour’s words.” DA 171
“Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter
the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the
flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee,
Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound
thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is
born of the Spirit.
“Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus
answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?”
John 3:4-10
I also had not known what the new birth was or the necessity of it. In my natural
nature I, just like Nicodemus, had been trying to obey God.
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“By nature the heart is evil, and ‘who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?
Not one.’ Job 14:4. No human invention can find a remedy for the sinning soul. ‘The carnal
mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.’
Rom. 8:7. ‘Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts,
false witness, blasphemies.’ Math. 15:19. The fountain of the heart must be purified
before the streams can become pure. He who is trying to reach heaven by his own works
in keeping the law is attempting an impossibility. There is no safety for one who has
merely a legal religion, a form of godliness. The Christian’s life is not a modification or
improvement of the old, but a transformation of nature. There is a death to self and
sin, and a new life altogether. This change can be brought about only by the effectual
working of the Holy Spirit.” DA 172
I also had not known the need of a death to self and sin and the need of the Holy
Spirit to regenerate the heart.
“The new birth is a rare experience in this age of the world. This is the reason
why there are so many perplexities in the churches. Many, so many, who assume the name
of Christ are unsanctified and unholy. They have been baptized, but they are buried alive.
Self did not die, and therefore they did not rise to newness of life in Christ.” 6BC 1075
How sad! There are so many problems in churches and homes because people
don’t know how to die to self and be born again. They do not know how to let God’s love
control them.
Think a moment; were you taught, before your baptism, to leave the sins of the
world? Smoking, drinking, adultery, stealing, and so on? When I ask this question in our
churches, usually almost every hand goes up. But when I ask: How many of you,
before your baptism, were taught how to die to self and give up the right to all the
heart sins - hatred, anger, bitterness, resentment, impatience, irritation, jealousy, and
selfishness? few, if any, hands go up. This is our problem! So few have understood
how to surrender the heart with all the heart sins. I was not taught these things either,
and as long as I did not commit exterior sins, I thought I was a good Christian. I made
excuses for my defects of character; resentment, impatience, and irritation. But when I
surrendered my whole heart to God, then He could cleanse me from all my heart sins.
“The blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
“For ‘if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away;
behold, all things are become new.’ 2 Cor. 5:17. That which was objectionable in the
character is purified from the soul by the love of Jesus. All selfishness is expelled, all envy,
all evil-speaking, is rooted out, and a radical transformation is wrought in the heart.” RH
7-22-1890
“Many who profess to follow Christ have not genuine religion. They do not reveal in
their lives the fruit of true conversion. They are controlled by the same habits, the same
spirit of faultfinding and selfishness, which controlled them before they accepted Christ.
“No one can enter the city of God who has not a knowledge of genuine conversion.
In true conversion the soul is born again. A new spirit takes possession of the temple of the
soul. A new life begins. Christ is revealed in the character.” RH 7-30-1901
“For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending
his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the
righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit.” Rom. 8:3, 4
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“While the law is holy, the Jews could not attain righteousness by their own efforts
to keep the law. The disciples of Christ must obtain righteousness of a different character
from that of the Pharisees, if they would enter the kingdom of heaven. God offered them, in
His Son, the perfect righteousness of the law. If they would open their hearts fully to
receive Christ, then the very life of God, His love, would dwell in them, transforming them
into His own likeness; and thus through God’s free gift they would possess the
righteousness which the law requires. . . . a reproduction in themselves of the character
of Christ.” MB 54, 55
“Nicodemus . . . searched the Scriptures in a new way, not for the discussion of a
theory, but in order to receive life for the soul. He began to see the kingdom of heaven as
he submitted himself to the leading of the Holy Spirit.” DA 175
“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 discern the selfishness of motive, the enmity against God, that has defiled every act of
life. Then we shall know that our righteousness is indeed as filthy rags, and that the blood
of Christ alone can cleanse us from the defilement of sin, and renew our hearts in His own
likeness.” SC 28
“The great burden of every soul should be, Is my heart renewed? Is my soul
transformed? Are my sins pardoned through faith in Christ? Have I been born again?”
2SM 117
Did Jesus tell us about others who had the same misunderstanding? What were
the foolish virgins needing?
Have Oil in Your Vessel
“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their
lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were
foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: but the wise
took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
“While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there
was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those
virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your
oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not
enough for us and you: but go rather to them that sell and buy for yourselves.
“And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went
in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other
virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I
know you not.” Matt. 25:1-12
What is the meaning of this very important parable?
“The two classes of watchers represent the two classes who profess to be waiting
for their Lord. They are called virgins because they profess a pure faith. By the lamps is
represented the word of God. . . . The oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. . . . In the
parable all the ten virgins went out to meet the bridegroom. All had lamps and vessels for
oil. . . . But five have neglected to fill their flasks with oil. . . .
“For a time there was seen no difference between them. So with the church that
lives just before Christ’s second coming. All have a knowledge of the Scriptures. All have
heard the message of Christ’s near approach, and confidently expect His appearing. . . .
‘Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.’ many are unready. They have no
oil in their vessels with their lamps. They are destitute of the Holy Spirit.” COL 406, 408
“All had lamps, that is, an outward semblance of religion; but only five of them
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had the inward piety. Five of them were wanting in the oil of grace. The Spirit of life in
Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit, was not abiding in their hearts.” SD 118
All had lamps with oil. All were studying the Word of God and asking the Holy
Spirit to guide them, but only five had invited the Holy Spirit into the life, which is
represented by the vessels.
“Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” Rom. 8:9
“Here is the greatest deception that can affect the human mind; these persons
believe that they are right when they are wrong. . . . They are found wanting when it is
forever too late to have their wants supplied.” 1T 417
I had been one of those foolish virgins. I was sincerely living and working for
God, but had not realized that I had no oil in the vessel.
“The class represented by the foolish virgins are not hypocrites. They have a
regard for the truth, they have advocated the truth, they are attracted to those who believe
the truth; but they have not yielded themselves to the Holy Spirit’s working. They
have not fallen upon the Rock, Christ Jesus, and permitted their old nature to be
broken up. . . . The Spirit works upon man’s heart, according to his desire and consent
implanting in him a new nature; but the class represented by the foolish virgins have been
content with a superficial work. They do not know God. They have not studied His
character; they have not held communion with Him; therefore they do not know how to
trust, how to look and live.” COL 411
Sometimes people say, “You make us feel so lost!” Praise God, because there is
still time to be purified from sin and receive the Holy Spirit into the life. Can you
imagine how these sincere people, represented by the five foolish virgins, will feel when
Jesus comes and it is forever too late? I am so thankful my father cried for help and
woke me up before it was too late to get the oil into my vessel.
“Now is the time to entreat that souls shall not only hear the word of God, but
without delay secure oil in their vessels with their lamps. That oil is the righteousness of
Christ. It represents character, and character is not transferable. No man can secure it
for another. Each must obtain for himself a character purified from every stain of sin.” TM
233, 234
“Purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of the Lord.” Isa. 52:11
“All heaven is waiting for channels through which can be poured the holy oil to be a
joy and blessing to human hearts. . . . If all were willing to receive, all would become filled
with His Spirit.” COL 419
“The religion of Christ means more than the forgiveness of sin; it means taking
away our sins, and filling the vacuum with the graces of the Holy Spirit.” COL 419, 420
“By implanting in their hearts the principles of His word, the Holy Spirit develops
in men the attributes of God. The light of His glory - His character - is to shine forth in His
followers. Thus they are to glorify God, to lighten the path to the Bridegroom’s home, to
the city of God, to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” COL 414
What else do we need to be prepared for the marriage supper?
Put On the Wedding Garment
“The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his
son, . . . And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not
on a wedding garment: and he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not
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having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants,
Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall
be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.” Matt. 22:2,
11-14
“Calling and justification are not one and the same thing. Calling is the drawing of
the sinner to Christ, and it is a work wrought by the Holy Spirit upon the heart, convicting
of sin, and inviting to repentance.” 1SM 390
We are all called, but only those who have put on the wedding garment will be
chosen. What is the wedding garment?
“The parable of the wedding garment opens before us a lesson of the highest
consequence. By the marriage is represented the union of humanity with divinity; the
wedding garment represents the character all must possess who shall be accounted fit
guests for the wedding.” COL 307
“To the church it is given ‘that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white,’
‘not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.’ The fine linen, says the Scripture, ‘is the
righteousness of saints.’ Rev. 19:8; Eph. 5:27. It is the righteousness of Christ, His own
unblemished character, that through faith is imparted to all who receive Him as their
personal Saviour.” COL 310
How do we get this imparted character, which is the righteousness of saints?
“By His perfect obedience He 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.” COL 312
Many do not want to believe this. They believe that the wedding garment is just
a covering Christ gives us when He comes, but they are deceived. The garment is the
character which God works in us.
“The righteousness of Christ is not a cloak to cover unconfessed and unforsaken
sin; it is a principle of life that transforms the character and controls the conduct.
Holiness is wholeness for God; it is the entire surrender of heart and life to the
indwelling of the principles of heaven.” DA 555, 556
“Even your thoughts must be brought into subjection to the will of God and your
feelings under the control of reason and religion. Your imagination was not given you to be
allowed to run riot and have its own way without any effort at restraint or discipline. If the
thoughts are wrong the feelings will be wrong, and the thoughts and the feelings
combined make up the moral character.” 5T 310
“Moral perfection is required of all. Never should we lower the standard of
righteousness in order to accommodate inherited and cultivated tendencies to wrong-
doing. We need to understand that imperfection of character is sin.” COL 330
“Men may now excuse their defects of character, but in that day they will offer no
excuse.” COL 317
“God will accept nothing but purity and holiness; one spot, one wrinkle, one defect
in the character, will forever debar them from heaven, with all its glories and treasures.”
2T 453
What are spots and defects of character? Since the “thoughts and the feelings
combined make up the moral character,” defects must be wrong thoughts and feelings,
or wrong attitudes. How could God allow us into heaven with hearts having resentment,
bitterness, envy, jealousy, hatred, evil surmising, or any other defects of character? The
character will not be changed when Jesus comes.
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“Many are deceiving themselves by thinking that the character will be transformed
at the coming of Christ, but there will be no conversion of heart at His appearing. Our
defects of character must here be repented of, and through the grace of Christ we must
overcome them while probation shall last.” AH 319
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
Today our hearts may be clean. Today we may have a right attitude. If we will
come to Jesus and give Him all our wrong thoughts and feelings, our wrong attitudes,
the blood of Jesus will cleanse us from all sin. He can change our hearts and fill us with
His love today.
“Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and
cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a
glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy
and without blemish.” Eph. 5:25-27
“It is only the blessed and holy who will be ready for the first resurrection; for
when Christ comes, He will not change the character. . . .The Word of God declares that we
must be found blameless, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.” ST 2-9-1891
“It is the spiritual and moral character that is of value in the sight of Heaven,
and that will survive the grave and be made glorious with immortality for the endless
ages of eternity.” 1SM 259
“Be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” 2
Peter 3:14
“The grace of Christ must be woven into every phase of the character.” CH 633
“In his efforts to reach God’s ideal for him, the Christian is to despair of nothing.
Moral and spiritual perfection, through the grace and power of Christ, is promised to
all. Jesus is the source of power, the fountain of life. . . . At every step we touch His
living power.” AA 478
We will look at one more example of people who thought they were true followers
of Jesus but then discovered that they were deceived. What were the Laodiceans
needing?
Be a Hot Christian
“Unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; these things saith the Amen,
the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that
thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art
lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” Rev. 3:14-16
“The Laodicean message applies to the people of God who profess to believe
present truth. The greater part are lukewarm professors.” 4T 87
Laodicea does not mean “lukewarm” but “a people judged.” We are living in the
time of the judgment and as the Lord looks at His church, He finds that the majority are
lukewarm, and He wants them to understand their true condition.
The following diagram illustrates the three kinds of people mentioned in the
message to Laodicea.
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The hot have experienced the new birth and know the necessity of daily allowing
the Holy Spirit to control their spirit. If they fail, they do not excuse their sins, but
quickly ask forgiveness and cleansing. The cold know they are not in a saving
relationship with God. But the lukewarm think they are right with God, not knowing
that they are in a lost condition.
“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of
nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and
naked.” Rev. 3:17
“How plainly is pictured the position of those who think they have all the truth, who
take pride in their knowledge of the word of God, while its sanctifying power has not been
felt in their lives.” 1SM 357
“If the inner life of many who profess the truth were presented before them, they
would not claim to be Christians.” 5T 161
“They may be crying, ‘The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are we,’ while
. . . the courts of the soul temple may be the haunt of envy, pride, passion, evil surmising,
bitterness, and hollow formalism. Christ looks mournfully upon His professed people who
feel rich and increased in the knowledge of the truth, and who are yet destitute of the truth
in life and character.” OHC 349
“The internal work of grace is wanting in their hearts.” 4T 88
“What greater deception can come upon human minds than a confidence that they
are right when they are all wrong! The message of the True Witness finds the people of God
in a sad deception, yet honest in that deception.” 3T 252, 253
I was honest in my deception also. I thought lukewarmness meant we were not
working hard enough for God, but that is not the meaning. I was busy working for God,
but did not know that I was wretched, poor, blind and naked. When I realized my
condition, Jesus had the remedy.
“I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and
white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not
appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” Rev. 3:18
“The gold tried in the fire is faith that works by love. Only this can bring us into
harmony with God.” COL 158
“For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision;
but faith which worketh by love.” Gal. 5:6
“Man needs a power out of and above himself to restore him to the likeness of God;
but because he needs divine aid, it does not make human activity unessential. Faith on the
part of man is required; for faith works by love and purifies the soul.” 1SM 375
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“The white raiment is the righteousness of Christ that may be wrought into the
character. Purity of heart, purity of motive, will characterize every one who is washing his
robe, and making it white in the blood of the Lamb.” 7BC 965
“It is in this life that we are to put on the robe of Christ’s righteousness. This is our
only opportunity to form characters for the home which Christ has made ready for those
who obey His commandments.” COL 319
“The eye is the sensitive conscience, the inner light, of the mind. Upon its correct
view of things the spiritual healthfulness of the whole soul and being depends. The
‘eyesalve,’ the word of God, makes the conscience smart under its application; for it
convicts of sin. But the smarting is necessary that the healing may follow, and the eye be
single to the glory of God.” 7BC 965
“If one sin is cherished in the soul, or one wrong practice retained in the life, the
whole being is contaminated. The man becomes an instrument of unrighteousness.” DA
313
What must we do?
Invite Jesus into Your Heart
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the
door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Rev. 3:20
“How willing is Christ to take possession of the soul temple if we will let Him! He is
represented as waiting and knocking at the door of the heart. Then why does He not
enter? It is because the love of sin has closed the door of the heart. As soon as we consent
to give sin up, to acknowledge our guilt, the barrier is removed between the soul and the
Saviour.” 1SM 325
“I saw that many have so much rubbish piled up at the door of their heart that they
cannot get the door open. Some have difficulties between themselves and their brethren to
remove. Others have evil tempers, selfish covetousness, to remove before they can open the
door. Others have rolled the world before the door of their heart, which bars the door. All
this rubbish must be taken away, and then they can open the door and welcome the
Saviour in.” 1T 143
“The expulsion of sin is the act of the soul itself. True, we have no power to free
ourselves from Satan’s control; but when we desire to be set free from sin, and in our great
need cry out for a power out of and above ourselves, the powers of the soul are imbued
with the divine energy of the Holy Spirit, and they obey the dictates of the will in fulfilling
the will of God.” DA 466
“Humble yourselves before God, and make an earnest effort to empty the soul
temple of all rubbish - all envyings, all jealousies, all suspicions, all faultfindings.
‘Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded.’ James 4:8.”
5T 163
How do I do this? Pray, Lord, here is my heart, with all my heart sins, - my
resentment, my bitterness, my hatred, my blaming others for my sins of irritation and
impatience - or whatever is in your heart. Take my heart and cleanse me from all sin
and create in me a new heart and come into my life and empower me by your Holy
Spirit. Jesus can do it today if we will surrender all to Him.
“If we ask Him, the Lord will give us the Holy Spirit to cleanse the habitation of the
soul; for every room of the temple of God must be entered and purified.” RH 9-10-1895
“When one is fully emptied of self, when every false god is cast out of the soul, the
vacuum is filled by the inflowing of the Spirit of Christ. Such a one has the faith that
purifies the soul from defilement. He is conformed to the Spirit, and he minds the things of
the Spirit. He has no confidence in self. Christ is all and in all.” GW 287
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If we realize our lost condition there is no need to feel discouraged. God has a
wonderful plan to save us and to give us power to live the sanctified life. We must
discover His plan and then cooperate with Him.
“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which
worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Phil. 2:12, 13
“To make God’s grace our own, we must act our part. The Lord does not propose
to perform for us either the willing or the doing. His grace is given to work in us to will and
to do, but never as a substitute for our effort. Our souls are to be aroused to cooperate.
The Holy Spirit works in us, that we may work out our own salvation.” MYP 147
The following is an outline of how we can cooperate with God.
God’s Part
1. He Will Draw You
2. He Will Convict You of Sin,
Righteousness, and Judgment
3. He Will Give You Repentance
4. He Will Forgive, Cleanse, Regenerate, and
Free You to Live the Sanctified Life
5. He Will Live in You and Empower You
6. He Will Make a Way of Escape When You
Are Tempted
7. He will Be Your Advocate if You Fall
Our Part
1. Do not Resist His Drawing
2. Acknowledge Your Guilt and Need of His
Righteousness
3. Confess and Forsake Your Sins and Give
Him Your Heart
4. Believe and Accept
5. Live by His Power and Bear Much Fruit
6. Take God’s Way of Escape and Submit to
Him
7. Repent and Turn Back to Him
As you may have noticed, all of God’s part has to do with working in our hearts
while our part is to cooperate and work out what He works in. I had not understood this
and so I had been trying on my own to keep my heart right. What is the first work that
Jesus does to help us?
He Will Draw You
Jesus said, “I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” John
12:32
“The very first and the most important thing is to melt and subdue the soul by
presenting our Lord Jesus Christ as the sinbearer, the sin-pardoning Saviour, making the
gospel as clear as possible.” EV 264
Jesus was lifted up on the cross to die for our sins, so He can forgive and cleanse
us and restore us to Himself. This is the most important truth in the word of God.
“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. For God sent not his Son into
the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John
3:16, 17
“And thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their
sins.” Matt. 1:21
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and
the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isa. 53:6
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“Hating sin with a perfect hatred, He yet gathered to His soul the sins of the whole
world. Guiltless, He bore the punishment of the guilty. Innocent, yet offering Himself as a
substitute for the transgressor. The guilt of every sin pressed its weight upon the divine
soul of the world’s Redeemer. The evil thoughts, the evil words, the evil deeds of every
son and daughter of Adam, called for retribution upon Himself; for He had become man’s
substitute. Though the guilt of sin was not His, His spirit was torn and bruised by the
transgressions of men, and He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might be made
the righteousness of God in Him.” 1SM 322
Jesus really felt all our sins and experienced the guilt of them, and He truly
wants to make us righteous in Him.
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be
made the righteousness of God in him.” 2Cor. 5:21
“As soon as Christ entered the wilderness of temptation, His visage changed. . . .
The weight of the sins of the world was pressing His soul, . . . He realized the strength of
indulged appetite and of unholy passion that controlled the world, which had brought
upon man inexpressible suffering.” 1SM 271
“What God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer,
he thus fulfilled.” Acts 3:18 RSV
“Could Satan have induced Christ to yield to a single temptation, could he have led
Him by one act or even thought to stain His perfect purity, the prince of darkness would
have triumphed over man’s Surety, and would have gained the whole human family to
himself. But while Satan could distress, he could not contaminate. He could cause agony,
but not defilement. He made the life of Christ one long scene of conflict and trial.” PK 701
“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is
brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he
openeth not his mouth.” Isa. 53:7
“In His closing hours, while hanging upon the cross, He experienced to the fullest
extent what man must experience when striving against sin. He realized how bad a man
may become by yielding to sin. He realized the terrible consequences of the transgression
of God’s law; for the iniquity of the whole world was upon Him.” 5BC 1082
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and
live to righteousness.” 1 Peter 2:24
“While the sinner is yet far from the Father’s house, wasting his substance in a
strange country, the Father’s heart is yearning over him; and every longing awakened in the
soul to return to God is but the tender pleading of His Spirit, wooing, entreating, drawing
the wanderer to His Father's heart of love.” SC 54
“I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have
I drawn thee.” Jer. 31:3
Many children have not experienced a father’s love. They have been rejected and
abused and therefore they find it difficult to believe that God truly loves them and
wants to save them. When our son was growing up, I sensed that he felt he could not be
saved. I did not understand why until much later.
When he started school he seemed unable to learn to read, so the teachers
thought he was either dumb or lazy. I did my best to teach him, but it was very difficult.
We did not know he had a condition called dyslexia until I read about it when he was
twenty-two years old. We discovered that he could see only two letters at a time, and he
saw them backwards. As I shared with him his problem, he said, “Oh mom, everybody
thought I was dumb or lazy, but inside me I knew it was not true, and you were the only
one who still had faith in me.”
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I then encouraged him to read The Desire of Ages, a book on the life of Christ.
When he finished reading it he exclaimed, “Isn’t it wonderful that God loves me!” Then
he could surrender himself to God because he finally understood that God had always
loved him and would not reject him as people had done.
“The very first step in approaching God is to know and believe the love that He
has to us; for it is through the drawing of His love that we are led to come to Him.”
MB 104, 105
“By an agency as unseen as the wind, Christ is constantly working upon the heart.
Little by little, perhaps unconsciously to the receiver, impressions are made that tend to
draw the soul to Christ. These may be received through meditating upon Him, through
reading the Scriptures, or through hearing the word of the living preacher. Suddenly, as
the Spirit comes with more direct appeal, the soul gladly surrenders itself to Jesus. By
many this is called sudden conversion; but it is the result of long wooing by the Spirit of
God, - a patient, protracted process.” DA 172
Do Not Resist His Drawing
“Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live.” Isa. 55:3
“The light shining from the cross reveals the love of God. His love is drawing us to
Himself. If we do not resist this drawing, we shall be led to the foot of the cross in
repentance for the sins that have crucified the Saviour. Then the Spirit of God through
faith produces a new life in the soul. The thoughts and desires are brought into obedience
to the will of Christ. The heart, the mind, are created anew in the image of him who works
in us to subdue all things to Himself.” DA 175, 176
“Every one that will submit to be ransomed, Christ will rescue from the pit of
corruption and from the briers of sin.” COL 188
“The way has been made clear for all those who choose to hear, repent, and believe.
All heaven is waiting the sinner’s cooperation, and the only barrier that stands in his way is
one which he alone can remove, his own will. He must submit to the will of God, and
through repentance and faith, come unto God for salvation. No one will be forced against
his will; Christ draws, but never compels.” RH 3-24-1896
“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” Heb. 2:3 If we do not
realize our lost condition, it is easy to neglect that great salvation. The foolish virgins,
Nicodemus, the lukewarm, and I, all thought we were in a saving relationship and
therefore neglected to study so we could understand our true condition. God knew I was
a foolish virgin and so He tried to get my attention. Year after year my conscience
would prompt me to study! study!! study!!! God knew if I would just sit down and do
some serious searching to understand the plan of salvation, I would realize my lost
condition. But it was only when my father cried for help that I finally took the time to do
that and discovered my situation.
“In one way only can a true knowledge of self be obtained. We must behold Christ!
It is ignorance of Him that makes men so uplifted in their own righteousness. When we
contemplate His purity and excellence, we shall see ourselves lost and hopeless, clad
in garments of self-righteousness, like every other sinner. We shall see that if we are
ever saved, it will not be through our own goodness, but through God’s infinite grace.” COL
159
What can He do when we realize our need?
He Will Reprove of Sin, of Righteousness, and of Judgment
“And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and
of judgment.” John 16:8
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If in any way I had done something wrong, such as cheating or telling a little lie,
I would be strongly convicted of having sinned, and I knew I had to confess and correct
it. Those sins were easy to see. But what about heart sins? When my father got angry
with his children, he blamed the children, and so could excuse himself. And when I had
children, I did the same. If I became impatient and irritated, it was someone else who
was to blame, because they had done something I did not like or did not want them to
do. When my husband was selfish or harsh with the children, I resented him and argued
with him. In my mind I blamed him for my resentment. So I excused my heart sins until
I started to study. Then God was able to convict me that I did not have righteousness,
and that I was not ready for the judgment. I did not have the fruit of the Holy Spirit,
which is the character of Christ.
“It is through the influence of the Holy Spirit that we are convicted of sin; and feel
our need of pardon. None but the contrite are forgiven; but it is the grace of God that
makes the heart penitent. He is acquainted with all our weaknesses and infirmities, and He
will help us.” 1SM 353
“To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power
of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among
them which are sanctified by faith in me.” Acts 26:18
“God does not send messengers to flatter the sinner. He delivers no message of
peace to lull the unsanctified into fatal security. He lays heavy burdens upon the
conscience of the wrongdoer, and pierces the soul with arrows of conviction. The
ministering angels present to him the fearful judgments of God to deepen the sense of
need, and prompt the cry, ‘What must I do to be saved?’” DA 104
Acknowledge Your Guilt and Need of His Righteousness
“Return, faithless Israel, says the Lord. I will not look on you in anger, for I am
merciful, says the Lord; I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt, that
you rebelled against the Lord your God.” Jer. 3:12, 13
While I was visiting with my family after coming home from India, and we were
discussing righteousness by faith, someone suggested that we kneel in a circle and
confess any problems between us. As we were kneeling, one of my sisters looked up at
father, hoping he would acknowledge how deeply he had wronged her! He couldn’t do it,
but got up and went outside. I followed, thinking to protect him from himself, because I
remembered from my childhood that if dad had to take the blame, he would threaten to
kill himself. I put my arms around his neck and held him tight! He was no taller than I.
Then I prayed, “Lord, what shall I say to my father?” God impressed me to say, “Dad,
the reason you get so tense when all your children come home for a visit, is that you are
so afraid we are going to talk about our childhood. You have so deeply wronged your
children! The only one you have not wronged is me.” He thought for a moment, then
said, “Margaret, I have wronged you too!” What was he doing? Acknowledging his
guilt!
Then he took me into his bedroom and the guilt just poured out, even sins of his
youth. The burden of guilt was crushing him and he did not know what to do.
“Men professing to be followers of Christ fall to a low level, always mourning over
their shortcomings, but never overcoming and bruising Satan under their feet. Guilt and
condemnation constantly burden the soul, and the cry of such might well be: ‘O wretched
man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?’” 6T 52, 53
He had been rebaptized two years before, hoping the guilt would lift, but it only
got heavier. No one had taught him how to come to the cross, and lay down his burden
at the feet of Jesus. He did not understand the plan of salvation. Then he cried,
“Margaret, help me!” But I did not know how to help him! I could have told him, “Try a
little harder,” but in that moment I knew it was not the right answer. So I said nothing! I
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had to leave him in that condition. But I went home and began to search to help my
father. As I searched, I discovered my own lost condition. Then I studied to find answers
for my own need, and I found them. Later the Lord sent me back to my father and my
whole family.
“God reveals to us our guilt that we may flee to Christ, and through Him be set free
from the bondage of sin.” MB 10
“The guilty know just what sins to confess that their souls may be clean before
God. Jesus is now giving them opportunity to confess, to repent in deep humility.” 1T
156
“Those who have not humbled their souls before God in acknowledging their
guilt, have not yet fulfilled the first condition of acceptance.” SC 37, 38
If you become impatient or irritated with someone, do not blame them, although
they may have done wrong. Acknowledge your guilt, that you did not represent Christ
to them. If your children are disobedient, they do not need an angry parent, they need
help and prayers. God’s power cannot work in your discipline if you do not use His
methods. Often parents blame the children when they get angry with them, so the
children carry their own guilt and that of the parents. How sad! Then the parents punish
the children but do not pray with them and bring them to Jesus for forgiveness and
healing. How unfortunate! That is how roots of bitterness develop.
When my husband and I began to understand the gospel, we were brought to
deep repentance and acknowledged how we had failed each other and our children by
not knowing how to let God’s love control us in our relationships with each other. If you
are not ready to acknowledge your guilt, but do want to be saved, you can come to Him
anyway and He will help you.
“Come to Christ just as you are, and contemplate His love until your hard
heart is broken. . . . It is the virtue that goes forth from Jesus which strengthens the
purposes of the heart to turn away from sin and to cleave to that which is truth. It is
Christ’s virtue that makes repentance sincere and genuine.” RH 9-3-1901
As I was preparing to go back to my father, I was praying that God would have
my family call me and offer to pay my travel expenses to come and share with them. I
wanted to be sure God was sending me. About two months later one of my sisters
called, “Margaret, help me!” “What is wrong?” “My daughter has run away from home.
She is on drugs. She is with a man. I don’t know what to do?” I answered, “Tom and I
have just found an experience with the Lord a few months ago. We feel for the first time
we could help a sinner. Would she come and visit us?” “I don’t know where she is,” my
sister answered. I said, “Never mind. We will pray, and if we can help her God will send
her to us.”
In a few days she was at our place. The man she had been staying with had left
her and not knowing where to go, she went home. Her mother told her that I wanted her
to come for a visit. So, here she was. As we were trying to make conversation that
evening, I was praying, “Lord, how do I approach this girl? What can I say to her? I don’t
know how to do it! Lord, you must open the door to her heart.”
Just then there was a knock at the door. When I opened it, there stood a
minister’s wife from right next door to us. We had just moved there and had not really
become acquainted. She said, “I sense that you and your husband are finding
something real in Christianity. I want it, too. Will you share with me? Will you teach
me?”
Well, it was easy to share with her what I had discovered about the plan of
salvation and the power of the gospel. We had a good study together, and she was very
thankful, and the whole time my niece had been in the room, listening to the
conversation.
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After the lady left, she said, “If there is that much power in the gospel, there’s
hope for me!” I asked, “Why do you say that?” She answered, “You know how stubborn
I am! I watched my parents. They did not have victory. [Her father was a church school
teacher] I watched my friends’ parents. They did not have victory. I watched my
teachers. They did not have victory. So I decided, if they have been trying all those
years and they cannot find victory, I, with my stubborn nature, might as well give up
now. I might as well enjoy the things of this world. And that’s what I am doing. I love sin
and my conscience doesn’t even bother me anymore. But if what you are saying is
true, then there is hope for me!”
We had a good discussion and then it was time for bed. I thanked God for
opening the door and I expected to be able to continue studying with her and helping
her to find a living connection with God. But the next day the door was closed! She
found a job at a restaurant and we seldom saw her.
One day I was on the phone with a friend who had just left her husband and
young sons and run off with another man. I expressed sorrow and disappointment, and
pleaded with her to reconsider, but she would not. As I hung up the phone, I realized my
niece had come in and had listened to my pleas. She said, “Didn’t you invite me here to
try to bring me to Christ? Aren’t you disappointed?” I realized here was another
opportunity and quickly prayed that God would give me the right words. “No, I’m not
disappointed,” I said. “God has long range plans for you, and I am trusting Him.” She
gave a sigh of relief. I was not going to push her to make a decision.
Many of us have pushed and pushed our children, and they may have decided to
be baptized, but did they know God? Did they really surrender the heart? Did they
really experience the power of the gospel? We had another good conversation, but the
next day she was unavailable again. About a week later she came in with a man, and
asked me to share the gospel with him. Of course I did, but after he had left, I said to
her, “What are you doing? You are leading him into sin, and then you bring him to me to
teach him the gospel!” “Yes, I know,” she answered. ’I believe now that anyone can be
saved - except me!” Why did she still think it was impossible for her to be saved? What
was the barrier?
I asked God to show me what the barrier was that still stood in her way. A few
days later, as she was leaving to go home, God gave me the answer. I told her, “If you
ever want to follow Jesus, don’t start by trying to give up your sins. Start by getting to
know Jesus. Spend hours sitting at His feet, reading the Bible and the Desire of Ages.
Get to know Him. Immerse yourself in the things of God.” She did not say that she
would do it, and she left. But we kept on praying for her.
Two months later she phoned us. “I have been doing what you said to do,” she
told me. “For two months I have immersed myself in God’s word. I have spent hours
reading about Jesus. I can hardly believe what is happening! My whole heart and mind
are being drawn to Jesus, and I don’t even care about sin any more!”
Who had done it? Who had brought her to repentance? Who had changed her
thinking? The Holy Spirit. Why? Because she gave Him a chance. She learned of Christ
and allowed Him to impress her heart, and bring her to repentance. When her mother
saw the change in her daughter, she called me and asked me to come and teach her
also and she offered to pay my way! Now I was free to go to all my family and share
with them and help them also to find true heart repentance.
He Will Give You Repentance
“Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give
repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” Acts 5:31
“By the manifestation of His love, by the entreating of His Spirit, He woos men to
repentance; for repentance is the gift of God, and whom He pardons He first makes
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penitent.” 1SM 324
“Repentance includes sorrow for sin, and a turning away from it. We shall not
renounce sin unless we see its sinfulness; until we turn away from it in heart, there will be
no real change in the life.” SC 23
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray,
and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and I will
forgive their sin.” 2 Chron. 7:14
“True repentance will lead a man to bear his guilt himself and acknowledge it
without deception or hypocrisy.” SC 40
When God brings us to repentance it is not difficult to confess and forsake our
sins and surrender to Him.
Confess and Forsake Your Sins and Give Him Your Heart
“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh
them shall have mercy.” Prov. 28:13
“Christ is able to save to the uttermost all who come to Him in faith. He will cleanse
them from all defilement if they will let Him. But if they cling to their sins, they cannot
possibly be saved; for Christ’s righteousness covers no sin unrepented of.” 7BC 931
Jesus never covers any sins in us. He wants to cleanse us from all sins. But how
can He cleanse us if we do not give Him our sins? How can He create in us new hearts if
we do not give Him our old hearts?
“There are many who try to reform by correcting this or that bad habit, and they
hope in this way to become Christians, but they are beginning in the wrong place. Our first
work is with the heart.” COL 97
“My son, give me thine heart.” Prov. 23:26
“The whole heart must be yielded to God, or the change can never be wrought
in us by which we are to be restored to His likeness. By nature we are alienated from
God. . . . We are held fast in the snare of Satan; ‘taken captive by him at his will.’ 2 Tim.
2:26. God desires to heal us, to set us free. But since this requires an entire
transformation, a renewing of our whole nature, we must yield ourselves wholly to Him.
“The warfare against self is the greatest battle that was ever fought. The yielding of
self, surrendering all to the will of God, requires a struggle; but the soul must submit to
God before it can be renewed in holiness.” SC 43
“Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt
through deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new
nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Eph. 4:22-
24 RSV
“The Christian’s life is not a modification or improvement of the old, but a
transformation of nature. There is a death to self and sin, and a new life altogether.”
DA 172
“So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ
Jesus.” Rom. 6:11 RSV
What does it mean to be dead to self and sin and to be alive to God? If we are
dead to self and sin, we have given up our rights to selfishness and worldly pleasures.
We have also given up our rights to use Satan’s methods to fight our battles. He wants
to work in us impatience, irritation, resentment, anger, envy, jealousy, lust, hatred,
bitterness, and rebellion. But when we are yielded to God, He can work in us His love so
that we can deal patiently and kindly with others, forgiving them and praying for them
22

when they wrong us. This is God’s way of relating to people who do not treat us kindly.
They need our prayers! They do not need anger or impatience or irritation. Why should
we also allow Satan to control us in our response to them?
So I went to God and said, “I want to die to self! I give up my rights to act by the
promptings of the lower sinful nature. I give up my right to resent my husband no
matter what he does. I give up my right to be impatient or irritated with the children
when they are having a hard time with their own problems. I will rather pray for them
and help them. I give up my right to allow Satan to work in me his methods of
disciplining the children. I give up my rights to be agitated when others do not do it my
way. I want to die to self and allow the Holy Spirit to control my spirit.
“Put your whole being into the Lord’s hands soul, body, and spirit, and resolve
to be His loving, consecrated agency, moved by His will, controlled by His mind,
infused by His Spirit.” SD 105
“There are those who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ who have never died
to self. They have never fallen on the Rock and been broken.Until this shall be, they will
live unto self, and if they die as they are, it is forever too late for their wrongs to be
righted.” FE 284
“Humble yourselves before God, and make an earnest effort to empty the soul
temple of all rubbish - all envyings, all jealousies, all suspicions, all fault-findings. ‘Cleanse
your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded.’” 5T 163
“We cannot be half the Lord’s and half the world’s. We are not God’s children
unless we are such entirely.” SC 44
“God will not be trifled with; Christ accepts no divided service. He asks for all.” 4T
214
“Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my
disciple.” Luke 14:33
God will continue to love us and draw us, and do whatever He can to bring us to
a full surrender. But He cannot save us unless we go all the way with Christ.
“God will not occupy a divided heart or reign from a divided throne. Every idol that
holds the affections and diverts them from the God of love must be dethroned.” KH 63
“Let no one think that Christ can be satisfied with one little corner of our hearts,
while we allow Satan to erect his throne within, and fill our moral atmosphere with
defilement. Christ will abide in the soul only when the whole heart is given up to Him.” YI
1-9-1896
We are to be the bride of Christ. But can He accept us if we also want to share
our hearts with Satan and allow his spirit to control us instead of the Holy Spirit?
“A partial surrender to truth gives Satan free opportunity to work. Until the soul-
temple is fully surrendered to God, it is the stronghold of the enemy.” RH 11-28-1899
“Satan does not want anyone to see the necessity of an entire surrender to God.
When the soul fails to make this surrender, sin is not forsaken; the appetites and passions
are striving for the mastery; temptations confuse the conscience, so that true conversion
does not take place.” 6T 92
“The Lord cannot purify the soul until the entire being is surrendered to the
working of the Holy Spirit.” RH 2-27-1900
“He demands all. When we are brought to yield to His claims, and give up all, then,
and not till then, will He throw around us His arms of mercy. But what do we give up when
we give up all? A sin-polluted soul for Jesus to purify, to cleanse by His mercy, and to save
from death by His matchless love.” 1T 160
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“Repent and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be
your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and
make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die?” Eze.18:30, 31
What will Jesus do when we surrender all?
He Will Forgive, Cleanse, Regenerate and Free You to Live the
Sanctified Life
How much unrighteousness will He cleanse? All. All anger and jealousy and
hatred and lust and resentment and bitterness and love of the world.
“The precious blood of Jesus is the fountain prepared to cleanse the soul from the
defilement of sin.” 4T 625
“When the soldier pierced the side of Jesus as He hung upon the cross, there came
out two distinct streams, one of blood, and the other of water. The blood was to wash
away the sins of those who should believe in His name, and the water was to represent that
living water which is obtained from Jesus to give life to the believer.” EW 209
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he
saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he
shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his
grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful
saying.” Titus 3:5-8
The blood cleanses from all sin and the water gives us a new birth through the
Holy Spirit. This is what Jesus explained to Nicodemus. “Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel
not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” John 3:5-7
“Without regeneration through faith in His blood, there is no remission of sins,
no treasure for any perishing soul.” COL 113
“That life-cleansing, life-sustaining blood, appropriated by living faith, is our hope.”
7BC 948
“God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners Christ
died for us. Much more then, being now justified through his blood, we shall be saved
from wrath through him.” Rom. 5:8, 9
“In him we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” Col.
1:14
“Forgiveness has a broader meaning than many suppose. . . . God’s forgiveness
is not merely a judicial act by which He sets us free from condemnation. It is not only
forgiveness for sin, but reclaiming from sin. It is the outflow of redeeming love that
transforms the heart. David had the true conception of forgiveness when he prayed,
‘Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.’” MB 114
Justification is not only declaring us righteous, but cleansing us from all sin and
creating in us a new heart, a new attitude. This happens when we surrender ourselves
wholly to God and believe that He can do it.
“None but God can subdue the pride of man’s heart. We cannot save ourselves. We
cannot regenerate 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
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do for himself.” TM 456
“As the sinner, drawn by the power of Christ, approaches the uplifted cross, and
prostrates himself before it, there is a new creation. A new heart is given him. He
becomes a new creature in Christ Jesus. Holiness finds that it has nothing more to
require. God Himself is ‘the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.’ Rom. 3:26.” COL
163
“The grace of Christ purifies while it pardons, and fits men for a holy heaven.” KH
336
“Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your
filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a
new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I
will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in
my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” Eze. 36:25-27
When the thief on the cross surrendered to Jesus, he experienced pardon,
cleansing, and the new birth. He was saved the same way all sinners are saved, and
was fit for heaven. His mind was changed.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed
away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Cor. 5:17
“That which was objectionable in the character is purified from the soul by the love
of Jesus. All selfishness is expelled, all envy, all evil-speaking, is rooted out, and a
radical transformation is wrought in the heart.” RH 7-22-1890
“For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; and, having made
peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself.” Col.
1:19, 20
Now that we are reconciled to God, we may enter the Holy Place experience,
which is called sanctification.
“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood
of Jesus, by the new and living way which he opened for us through the curtain, that is
through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near
with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil
conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Heb. 10:19-22
Many people have a misunderstanding of the meaning of justification and
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sanctification. They think that sanctification is a life-time of trying to give up their sins
while all the time they are justified, but this is not true. Justification cleanses from sin
and creates a new heart, and then empowers us to live the sanctified life - a life of daily
abiding and growing in Christ and bearing the fruits of holiness.
“Now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the
return you get is sanctification and its end, eternal life.” Rom. 6:22 RSV
You are no longer slaves of Satan, you are now voluntary slaves, or sons of God,
living by His power. And that is the work of a lifetime!
“What is sanctification? It is to give one’s self wholly and without reserve - soul,
body and spirit - to God; to deal justly; to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God; to
know and to do the will of God without regard to self or self-interest; to be heavenly-
minded, pure, unselfish, holy, and without spot or stain.” OHC 212.
“Many who profess to follow Christ have not genuine religion. They do not reveal in
their lives the fruit of true conversion. They are controlled by the same habits, the same
spirit of faultfinding and selfishness, which controlled them before they accepted Christ.
“No one can enter the city of God who has not a knowledge of genuine conversion.
In true conversion the soul is born again. A new spirit takes possession of the temple of the
soul. A new life begins. Christ is revealed in the character.” RH 7-30-1901
“Now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your
fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” Rom. 6:22
“Sanctification is a state of holiness, without and within, being holy and without
reserve the Lord’s, not in form, but in truth. Every impurity of thought, every lustful
passion, separates the soul from God; for Christ can never put His robe of righteousness
upon a sinner, to hide his deformity.” OHC 214
“The righteousness of Christ is not a cloak to cover unconfessed and
unforsaken sin; it is a principle of life that transforms the character and controls the
conduct. Holiness is wholeness for God; it is the entire surrender of heart and life to
the indwelling of the principles of heaven.” DA 555, 556
“As servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.” Eph. 6:6
“All true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart work with Christ. And if
we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts
and minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out
our own impulses. The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing His
service. When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of
continual obedience.” DA 668
“Thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient
from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and having been
set from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.” Rom. 6:17
“Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the
preaching of Jesus Christ, . . . according to the command of the eternal God, to bring
about the obedience of faith.” Rom. 16:25, 26
I had been taught the obedience of law, but I had not understood the obedience
of faith.
“True obedience is the outworking of a principle within.” COL 97
“If our hearts are renewed in the likeness of God, if the divine love is implanted in
the soul, will not the law of God be carried out in the life? . . . Instead of releasing man
from obedience, it is faith, and faith only, that makes us partakers of the grace of Christ,
which enables us to render obedience.” SC 60, 61
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“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk
in them.” Eph. 2:8-10
“Through the grace of Christ we shall live in obedience to the law of God written
upon our hearts. Having the Spirit of Christ, we shall walk even as He walked.” PP 372.
“As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in
your ignorance: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of
conversation.” 1 Peter 1:14, 15
“Holiness is not rapture: it is the entire surrender of the will to God; it is living
by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God; it is doing the will of our
heavenly Father; it is trusting God in trial, in darkness as well as in light; it is walking
by faith and not by sight; it is relying on God with unquestioning confidence, and
resting in His love.” AA 51
This is the work of a lifetime, keeping ourselves wholly surrendered to God and
walking in His will.
“True sanctification is nothing more or less than to love God with all the heart, to
walk in His commandments and ordinances blameless. Sanctification is not an emotion
but a heaven-born principle that brings all the passions and desires under the control of
the Spirit of God; and this work is done through our Lord and Saviour.” FW 87
“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit
and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” 1 Thess. 5:23, 24
Believe He Can Do It and Accept
“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be
lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John
3:14, 15
“You have confessed your sins, and in heart put them away. You have resolved to
give yourself to God. Now go to Him, and ask that He will wash away your sins and give
you a new heart. Then believe that He does this because He has promised.” SC 49
“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world
through him might be saved.” John 3:17
“The fatal effects of sin can be removed only by the provision that God has made.
The Israelites saved their lives by looking upon the uplifted serpent. That look implied
faith. They lived because they believed God’s word, and trusted in the means provided for
their recovery. So the sinner may look to Christ and live.” PP 431
“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29
“Through the cross the sinner was drawn from the stronghold of sin, from the
confederacy of evil, and at every approach to the cross his heart relents and in penitence
he cries, ‘It was my sins that crucified the Son of God.’ At the cross he leaves his sins,
and through the grace of Christ his character is transformed. The Redeemer raises the
sinner from the dust, and places him under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. As the sinner
looks upon the Redeemer, he finds hope, assurance, and joy. Faith takes hold of Christ in
love. Faith works by love and purifies the soul.” 1SM 349
“God’s supply of grace is waiting the demand of every sinsick soul. It will heal every
spiritual disease. By it hearts may be cleansed from all defilement. It is the gospel remedy
for every one who believes.” HP 34
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“Many of the Israelites saw no help in the remedy which Heaven had appointed.
The dead and dying were all around them, and they knew that without divine aid, their
own fate was certain; but they continued to lament their wounds, their pains, their sure
death, until their strength was gone, and their eyes were glazed, when they might have had
instant healing.” PP 432
“Jesus loves to have us come to Him just as we are, sinful, helpless, dependent.
We may come with all our weakness, our folly, our sinfulness, and fall at His feet in
penitence. It is His glory to encircle us in the arms of His love, and to bind up our wounds,
to cleanse us from all impurity.
“Here is where thousands fail; they do not believe that Jesus pardons them
personally, individually. They do not take God at His word. . . None are so sinful that
they cannot find strength, purity, and righteousness in Jesus, who died for them. He is
waiting to strip them of their garments stained and polluted with sin, and to put upon
them the white robes of righteousness; He bids them live and not die.” SC 52, 53
Why is it that so many people do not believe that Jesus can cleanse them and
give them a new heart and mind today? Because they have the idea that it takes a
lifetime to give up their sins. They have believed a lie. Today is the day of salvation.
Today you can be cleansed from all your sins. Today you can be in a right relationship
with God. You may not be living tomorrow. Come today! The thief on the cross believed
and he was immediately saved to the uttermost.
“Through all ages and in every nation those that believe that Jesus can and will
save them personally from sin, are the elect and chosen of God; they are His peculiar
treasure. They obey His will, and come out of the world and separate themselves from
every unclean thought and unholy practice. . . . It is a sad fact that the great proportion
of God’s professed people have not had faith in Christ as their personal Saviour.” RH
8-1-1893
“Without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must
believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Heb. 11:6
“Be not faithless, but believing.” John 20:27
“All things are possible to him that believeth.” Mark 9:23
“The same power that turned the water to wine at the marriage feast ofCana is able
to eradicate all evil from our nature, and to make us partakers of the divine nature. The
very same power that made the leper clean can make the heart pure, fit for the society of
God, of angels, and of the redeemed host.” ST 8-10-1891
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth.” Rom. 1:16
“According to your faith be it unto you.” Matt. 9:29
“Faith is simple in its operation and powerful in its results. Many professed
Christians, who have a knowledge of the sacred word, and believe its truth, fail in the
childlike trust that is essential to the religion of Jesus. They do not reach out with that
peculiar touch that brings the virtue of healing to the soul.” 6BC 1074
If you don’t have this faith that brings spiritual healing, what can you do? Spend
more time with Jesus, learning of Him.
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Rom. 10:17
When you hear the word of God and act on what you hear, God can perform His
saving miracle for you.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Heb. 11:1
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“Do not wait to feel that you are made whole. Believe His word, and it will be
fulfilled. Put your will on the side of Christ. Will to serve Him, and in acting upon His word
you will receive strength. Whatever may be the evil practice, the master passion which
through long indulgence binds both soul and body, Christ is able and longs to deliver. He
will impart life to the soul that is ‘dead in trespasses.’ Eph. 2:1. He will set free the captive
that is held by weakness and misfortune and the chains of sin.” DA 203
It is wonderful to be free from attitudes of anger, resentment, bitterness,
irritation, hatred, selfishness, or any other sin, and to allow God’s love to control us.
“God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the
heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye
became the servants of righteousness.” Rom. 6:17
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who
walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Rom. 8:1, 2
“Christ came to break the shackles of sin-slavery from the soul. ‘If the Son
therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.’” DA 466
“True conversion is a radical change. The very drift of the mind and the bent of
the heart should be turned and life become new again in Christ.” 4T 17
“For it is as the Spirit of God touches the soul that the powers of the soul are
quickened, and man becomes a new creature in Christ Jesus.” RH 11-22-1892
“And you he made alive, when you were dead through the trespasses and sins in
which you once walked. . . . Among these we all once lived in the passions of our flesh,
following the desires of body and mind, and so we were by nature children of wrath, like
the rest of mankind. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he
loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with
Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with him.” Eph. 2:1- 6
“To arouse those spiritually dead, to create new tastes, new motives, requires as
great an outlay of power as to raise one from physical death.” RH 3-12-1901
“God has redeemed us from the slavery of sin, and has made it possible for us to
live regenerated, transformed lives of service.” MYP 69
“When the Spirit of God takes possession of the heart, it transforms the life. Sinful
thoughts are put away, evil deeds are renounced; love, humility, and peace take the place
of anger, envy, and strife. Joy takes the place of sadness, and the countenance reflects the
light of heaven. No one sees the hand that lifts the burden, or beholds the light descend
from the courts above. The blessing comes when by faith the soul surrenders itself to God.
Then that power which no human eye can see creates a new being in the image of
God.” DA 173
This is what the thief on the cross experienced when he surrendered in faith to
Jesus and he even saw the light descend to show his acceptance with God.
“As He (Jesus) spoke the words of promise, the dark cloud that seemed to
enshroud the cross was pierced by a bright and living light. To the penitent thief came the
perfect peace of acceptance with God. Christ in His humiliation was glorified. . . . It is His
royal right to save unto the uttermost all who come unto God by Him.” DA 751
“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let
him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will
abundantly pardon.” Isa. 55:7
“To be pardoned in the way that Christ pardons, is not only to be forgiven, but to
be renewed in the spirit of our mind. The Lord says, ‘A new heart will I give unto thee.’ The
image of Christ is to be stamped upon the very mind, heart, and soul.” 3SM 190
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“Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt
through deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new
nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Eph. 4:22-24
“When a man is converted to God, a new moral taste is supplied, a new motive
power is given, and he loves the things that God loves.” 1SM 336
“The faculties of the soul, paralyzed by sin, the darkened mind, the perverted will,
He has power to invigorate and to restore.” Ed 29
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed
away; behold all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath
reconciled us to himself.” 2 Cor. 5:17, 18
“Those who receive the Saviour become sons of God. They are His spiritual
children, born again, renewed in righteousness and true holiness. Their minds are
changed.” ST 12-17-1902
“We must learn of Christ. We must know what He is to those He has ransomed.
We must realize that through belief in Him it is our privilege to be partakers of the divine
nature, and so escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. Then we are
cleansed from all sin, all defects of character. We need not retain one sinful
propensity. Christ is the sinbearer; John pointed the people to Him, saying, ‘Behold, the
Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.’” RH 4-24-1900
“If you are right with God today, you are ready if Christ should come today. What
we need is Christ formed within, the hope of glory.” HP 227
“Those who see Christ in His true character, and receive Him into the heart, have
everlasting life. It is through the Spirit that Christ dwells in us; and the Spirit of God,
received into the heart by faith; is the beginning of life eternal.” DA 388
He Will Live in You and Empower You
salvation to every one that believeth.” Rom. 1:16
‘“As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even
to them that believe in 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.” COL 314
“When the sinner accepts Christ and lives in Him, Jesus takes his sins and
weaknesses and then grafts the repentant soul into Himself, so that he sustains the
relation to Christ that the branch does to the vine. We have nothing, we are nothing, unless
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we receive virtue from Jesus Christ.” KH 100
“I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the
same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” John 15:5
I had not understood the importance of the vine and the branches parable, yet it
is essential to understand the lesson it has for us.
“There is no other way for man’s salvation. ‘Without me,’ says Christ, ‘ye can do
nothing.’ Through Christ, and Christ alone, the springs of life can vitalize man’s nature,
transform his tastes, and set his affections flowing toward heaven.” 1SM 341
“His divine power hath given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.” 2
Peter 1:3
“The inexhaustible supplies of heaven are at their command. Christ gives them the
breath of His own spirit, the life of His own life. The Holy Spirit puts forth its highest
energies to work in heart and mind.” 6T 306
“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, . . . might be filled with all the fulness of God.”
Eph. 3:16-19
“And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.” John 1:16
“As the life of the vine circulates through stem and cluster, descends into the lower
fibres, and reaches the topmost leaf, so will the grace and love of Christ burn and abound
in the soul, sending its virtues to every part of the being, pervading every exercise of body
and mind.” SD 76
“Gospel religion is Christ in the life - a living, active principle. It is the grace of
Christ revealed in character and wrought out in good works.” COL 384
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in
me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and
gave himself for me.” Gal. 2:20
“When his words of instruction have been received, and have taken possession of
us, Jesus is to us an abiding presence, controlling our thoughts and ideas and actions. . . .
It is no more we that live, but Christ that lives in us, and He is the hope of glory. Self
is dead, but Christ is a living Saviour.” TM 389
“Now the God of peace . . . make you perfect in every good work to do his will,
working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ.” Heb. 13:20,
21
“All must obtain a living experience for themselves; they must have Christ
enshrined in the heart, His Spirit controlling the affections, or their profession of faith is of
no value, and their condition will be even worse than if they had never heard the truth.” 5T
619
“May the Lord help us to die to self and be born again, that Christ may live in us, a
living, active principle, a power that will keep us holy.” 9T 188
“The life of God in the soul is man’s only hope.” MH 115
“To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of
the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Col. 1:27
Jesus wants us to allow Him to live in us daily so that we will be able to have
the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives and represent His character to others.
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Abide in Him and Bear Much Fruit
“Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide
in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: he
that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye
can do nothing.” John 15:4, 5
“Our life must come from the parent vine. It is only by personal union with Christ,
by communion with Him daily, hourly, that we can bear the fruits of the Spirit.” 5T 47, 48
“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall
be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so prove to
be my disciples.” John 15:7, 8 RSV
“Christ abiding in the soul exerts a transforming power, and the outward aspect
bears witness to the peace and joy that reign within. We drink in the love of Christ, as the
branch draws nourishment from the vine. If we are grafted in Christ, if fiber by fiber we
have been united with the Living Vine, we shall give evidence of the fact by bearing rich
clusters of living fruit.” 1SM 337
“Ye shall know them by their fruits.” Matt. 7:16
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” Gal. 5:22, 23 RSV
“When we live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen
in our life; not one will be missing. . . . The life of Christ in you produces the same fruits
as in Him.” DA 676
“Are you in a position where you do not possess these graces? Just as soon as
anyone crosses you, or offends you, does there arise in your heart a feeling of bitterness, a
spirit of rebellion? If this is the spirit you have, bear in mind that you have not the spirit of
Christ. It is another spirit.” RH 12-21-1886
“The Spirit of Christ will be revealed in all who are born of God. Strife and
contention cannot arise among those who are controlled by His Spirit.” 5T 227
‘“By their fruits ye shall know them.’ Either God or Satan controls the mind; and
the life shows so clearly that none need mistake to which power you yield allegiance.” FE
89
“When we give way to impatience, we drive the Spirit of God out of the heart, and
give place to the attributes of Satan.” 2SM 236
‘“To whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye
obey.’ If we indulge anger, lust, covetousness, hatred, selfishness, or any other sin, we
become servants of sin. ‘No man can serve two masters.’ If we serve sin, we cannot serve
Christ.” MYP 114
“Christ does not say that man will not or shall not serve two masters, but that
he cannot.” MB 93
Think of it this way. If I get angry with my child, where are love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control? They are not there. You
cannot serve two masters, when you test yourself by the fruit of the Spirit. You could do
much work and think you are really a good Christian, but if in your home you are
irritated and unkind to your family, something is wrong. You may not know how to
submit the heart to be controlled by God, or you may not want to.
“We cannot be fretful and impatient, and still be Christians, for a fretful, impatient
spirit is not the Spirit of Christ.” RH 8-14-1888
“Impatience brings the enemy of God and man into your family and drives out the
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angels of God. If you are abiding in Christ, and Christ in you, you cannot speak angry
words.” HP 99
“For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.” Eph. 5:9
“But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against
the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For
where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to
be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And
the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” James 4:14-18
“You cannot indulge your own temper, and have your own way, and still remain the
children of God. We shall have to struggle with our hereditary tendencies, that we may not
yield to temptation, and become angry under provocation.” RH 10-11-1892
“The man who yields to impatience is serving Satan. ‘To whom ye yield yourselves
servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey.’” 4T 607
“Satan takes the control of every mind that is not decidedly under the control of the
Spirit of God.” TM 79
“Let no one deceive his own soul in this matter. If you harbor pride, self-esteem, a
love for the supremacy, vainglory, unholy ambition, murmuring, discontent, bitterness,
evil-speaking, lying, deception, slandering, you have not Christ abiding in your heart,
and the evidence shows that you have the mind and character of Satan, not of Jesus
Christ, who was meek and lowly of heart.” TM 441
“Pride and selfishness can find no place in the character without crowding out Him
who is meek and lowly of heart.” RH 11-24-1885
“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are holding to your faith. Test
yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed you fail to
meet the test!” 2 Cor. 13:5
“But you will say, How am I to know that Christ is in my heart? If, when you are
criticised or corrected in your way, and things do not go just as you think they ought to go,
- if then you let your passion arise instead of bearing the correction and being patient and
kind, Christ is not abiding in the heart.” RH 7-12-1887
“This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that
God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with
him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as
he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his
Son cleanseth us from all sin.”1 John 1:5-7
“What is lying against the truth? It is claiming to believe the truth while the spirit,
the words, the deportment, represent not Christ but Satan. To surmise evil, to be
impatient and unforgiving, is lying against the truth, but love, patience, and long
forbearance are in accordance with the principles of truth. Truth is ever pure, ever kind,
breathing a heavenly fragrance unmingled with selfishness.” KH 185
“Selfishness can no more live in the heart that is exercising faith in Christ than
light and darkness can exist together.” 5T 48
“God is light and in him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5
“While pride, variance, and strife for the supremacy are cherished, the heart
cannot enter into fellowship with Christ.” DA 650
“Only as they were willing to be purged from sin could they enter into fellowship
with Him. Only the pure in heart could abide in His presence.” DA 108
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“Our Lord is put to shame by those who claim to serve Him, but who misrepresent
His character; and multitudes are deceived, and led into false paths.” DA 439
“Little children, let no one deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous,
even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from
the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the
works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth
in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are
manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God,
neither he that loveth not his brother.” 1 John 3:7-10
“The greatest insult we can inflict upon Him, is to pretend to be His disciples while
manifesting the spirit of Satan in our words, our dispositions and our actions.” 3BC 1160
“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is
born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” 1
John 4:7, 8
“Unless you accept in your own life the principle of self-sacrificing love, which is the
principle of His character, you cannot know God.” MB 25
“Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfulling of the law.”
Rom. 13:10
“And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He
that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not
in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby we
know that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk,
even as he walked.” 1 John 2:3-6
‘“O’ you may say. ‘I do keep the commandments.’ Do you? . . . Do you carry out the
principles of God’s commandments in your home, in your family? Do you never manifest
rudeness, unkindness, and impoliteness in the family circle? If you do manifest
unkindness at your home, no matter how high your profession, you are breaking God’s
commandments. No matter how much you may preach the commandments to others, if
you fail to manifest the love of Christ in your home life, you are a transgressor of the law.”
RH 3-29-1892
“Men and women, children and youth, are measured in the scales of heaven in
accordance with that which they reveal in their home life. A Christian in the home is a
Christian anywhere.” 5BC 1085
“The meekness of Christ, manifested in the home, will make the inmates happy; it
provokes no quarrel, gives back no angry answer, but soothes the irritated temper and
diffuses a gentleness that is felt by all within its charmed circle. Wherever cherished, it
makes the families of earth a part of the one great family above.” MB 16
“Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of
his Spirit.” 1 John 4:13
“If we have the love of Christ in our souls, it will be a natural consequence for us to
have all the other graces: joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,
temperance.” ML 50
“There are many who have never felt the necessity of subduing self, and overcoming
wicked tempers. They cherish bitterness and wrath in their hearts, and these evil traits
defile the soul. They thus deny Christ, and darken the pathway of others. None will be
excused for the exhibition of uncontrollable tempers; thousands will miss of Heaven
through their want of self-control.” ST 12-17-1885
“When persons profess to be Christians, and their religion does not make them
better men and better women in all the relations of life – living representatives of Christ in
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disposition and character - they are none of His.” ML 257
But many people tell me, even if we disobey our parents and do wrong, we are
still their children! Yes, physically, but not spiritually! There is a big difference.
“He who is united to the Lord is one spirit with him.” 1 Cor. 6:17
“A spirit contrary to the spirit of Christ would deny Him, whatever the profession.
Men may deny Christ by evil speaking, by foolish talking, by words that are untruthful or
unkind. They may deny Him by shunning life’s burdens, by the pursuit of sinful pleasures.
They may deny Him by conforming to the world, by uncourteous behaviour, by the love of
their opinions, by justifying self, by cherishing doubt, borrowing trouble, and dwelling in
darkness. In all these ways they declare that Christ is not in them.” DA 357
“Jesus came not to save men in their sins, but from their sins. ‘Sin is the
transgression of the law,’ and if we fail to obey the law, we do not accept our Saviour. The
only hope we have of salvation is through Christ. If His Spirit abides in the heart, sin
cannot dwell there.” RH 3-16-1886
What must we do to keep sin out?
Fight the Good Fight of Faith
“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also
called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. I give thee charge in
the sight of God, . . . that thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until
the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1Tim. 6:12, 13
“When souls are converted, their salvation is not yet accomplished. They then have
the race to run; the arduous struggle is before them to ‘fight the good fight of faith.’ . . .
The battle is lifelong.” OHC 163
“Wherefore . . . let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily
beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the
author and finisher of our faith.” Heb. 12:1, 2
“The weights . . . are the evil habits and practices we have formed by following
our own natural dispositions.” 7BC 934
When we come to the foot of the cross, we lay down all our old sinful habits and
practices. How do we do it? We give up our rights to live by our old ways and decide to
live only for God through His power.
“Each soul inherits certain un-Christlike traits of character. It is the grand and
noble work of a lifetime to keep under control these tendencies to wrong. It is the little
things that cross our path that are likely to cause us to lose our power of self-control.” HP
231
“Each day he must renew his consecration, each day do battle with evil. Old habits,
hereditary tendencies to wrong, will strive for the mastery, and against these he is to be
ever on guard, striving in Christ’s strength for victory.” AA 477
“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts
thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but
yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as
instruments of righteousness to God.” Rom. 6:12, 13
“As soon as we incline our will to harmonize with God’s will, the grace of God
stands ready to cooperate with the human agent.” HP 27
“Let us not be in the position of those for whom the Saviour died in vain. In Christ
is sufficient grace to overcome all our evil traits of character, and strength is found alone in
Him.” RH 3-17-1891
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“Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of
God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against
flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the
darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Eph. 6:10-12
“Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion,
seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith.” 1Peter 5:8, 9
“Every Christian must stand on guard continually, watching every avenue of the
soul where Satan might find access. He must pray for divine help and at the same time
resolutely resist every inclination to sin. By courage, by faith, by persevering toil, he can
conquer. But let him remember that to gain the victory Christ must abide in him and he in
Christ. . . .
“It is only by personal union with Christ, by communion with Him daily,
hourly, that we can bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit.” 5T 47, 48
“Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep
alert with all perseverance.” Eph. 6:18 RSV
“When it becomes the habit of the soul to converse with God, the power of the evil
one is broken; for Satan cannot abide near the soul that draws nigh unto God.” RH 12-3-
1889
“Never can we safely put confidence in self or feel, this side of heaven, that we are
secure against temptation.” COL 155
“Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all you do
be done in love.” 1 Cor. 16:13 RSV
“Watch the stealthy approach of the enemy, watch against old habits and natural
inclinations lest they exert themselves; . . . Watch the thoughts, watch the plans, lest they
become selfish and self-centered.” KH 351
“Watch, lest you should speak hastily, fretfully, and impatiently. Watch, lest pride
should find a place in your heart. Watch, lest evil passions should overcome you, instead
of your subduing them.” FL 224
“Some have asked the question, Must I be on my guard and feel a restraint upon
me continually? I have been shown that we have a great work before us to search our own
hearts, and watch ourselves with jealous care. We should learn wherein we fail, and then
guard ourselves upon that point. We must have perfect control over our own spirit.” 1T
308
“There is not an impulse of our nature, not a faculty of the mind or an inclination
of the heart, but needs to be, moment by moment under the control of the Spirit of God.”
PP 421
“If you will only watch, continually watch unto prayer, if you will do everything as if
you were in the immediate presence of God, you will be saved from yielding to temptation,
and may hope to be kept pure, spotless, and undefiled till the last.” GW 128
“Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort, they must be conquerors
in the battle with evil.” GC 425
“But you must remember that your will is the spring of all your actions. This will,
that forms so important a factor in the character of man, was at the Fall given into the
control of Satan; and he has ever since been working in man to will and to do of his own
pleasure, but to the utter ruin and misery of man. But the infinite sacrifice of God in giving
Jesus, His beloved Son, to become a sacrifice for sin, enables Him to say, without violating
one principle of His government: ‘Yield yourself up to Me; give Me that will; take it from the
control of Satan, and I will take possession of it; then I can work in you to will and to do of
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My good pleasure!” 5T 515
“It is through the will that sin retains its hold upon us.” MB 61
“The tempted one needs to understand the true force of the will. This is the
governing power in the nature of man, - the power of decision, of choice. Everything
depends on the right action of the will. Desires for goodness and purity are right, so far
as they go; but if they stop here, they avail nothing. Many will go down to ruin while hoping
and desiring to overcome their evil propensities. They do not yield the will to God. They
do not choose to serve Him.
“God has given us the power of choice; it is ours to exercise. We cannot change
our hearts, we cannot control our thoughts, our impulses, our affections. We cannot
make ourselves pure, fit for God’s service. But we can choose to serve God, we can give
Him our will; then He will work in us to will and to do according to His good pleasure.
Thus our whole nature will be brought under the control of Christ.
“Through the right exercise of the will, an entire change may be made in the
life. By yielding up the will to Christ, we ally ourselves with divine power. We receive
strength from above to hold us steadfast. A pure and noble life, a life of victory over
appetite and lust, is possible to every one who will unite his weak, wavering human will to
the omnipotent, unwavering will of God.” MH 176
“The heavenly intelligences will work with the human agent who seeks with
determined faith that perfection of character which will reach out to perfection in action.
To every one engaged in this work Christ says, I am at your right hand to help you.
“As the will of man cooperates with the will of God, it becomes omnipotent.
Whatever is to be done at His command may be accomplished in His strength. All His
biddings are enablings.” COL 333
“I can do all things in him who strengthens me.” Phil. 4:13
“Apart from divine power, no genuine reform can be effected. Human barriers
against natural and cultivated tendencies are but as the sandbank against the torrent. Not
until the life of Christ becomes a vitalizing power in our lives can we resist the
temptations that assail us from within and from without.” MH 140
“When the soul surrenders itself to Christ, a new power takes possession of the
new heart. A change is wrought which man can never accomplish for himself. It is a
supernatural work, bringing a supernatural element into human nature. The soul that is
yielded to Christ becomes His own fortress, which He holds in a revolted world, and He
intends that no authority shall be known in it but His own. A soul thus kept in
possession by the heavenly agencies is impregnable to the assaults of Satan. But
unless we do yield ourselves to the control of Christ, we shall be dominated by the
wicked one. We must inevitably be under the control of one or the other of the two great
powers that are contending for the supremacy of the world. It is not necessary for us
deliberately to choose the service of the kingdom of darkness in order to come under its
dominion. We have only to neglect to ally ourselves with the kingdom of light. If we do not
cooperate with the heavenly agencies, Satan will take possession of the heart, and will
make it his abiding place. The only defence against evil is the indwelling of Christ in
the heart through faith in His righteousness. Unless we become vitally connected with
God, we can never resist the unhallowed effects of self-love, self-indulgence, and temptation
to sin. We may leave off many bad habits, for the time we may part company with Satan;
but without a vital connection with God, through the surrender of ourselves to Him
moment by moment, we shall be overcome. Without a personal acquaintance with Christ,
and a continual communion, we are at the mercy of the enemy, and shall do his bidding in
the end.” DA 324
What has Jesus promised so that we need not be overcome by Satan?
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He Will Help You When Tempted and Make a Way of Escape
“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God
is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with
the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” 1 Cor. 10:13
“Our heavenly Father measures and weighs every trial before He permits it to come
upon the believer. He considers the circumstances and the strength of the one who is to
stand under the proving and test of God, and He never permits the temptations to be
greater than the capacity of resistance. If the soul is overborne, the person over-
powered, this can never be charged to God, . . . but the one tempted was not vigilant and
prayerful and did not appropriate by faith the provisions God had abundantly in store
for him. Christ never failed a believer in his hour of combat. The believer must claim the
promise and meet the foe in the name of the Lord.” OHC 323
When you are a true believer, you will not be tempted beyond what you can
bear, and He also will make a way of escape, but we must take His way of escape,
otherwise He cannot help us. When I first understood what it really meant to be a
Christian, I surrendered all my heart to God, with all of my heart sins. I told God, “I give
up my right to become impatient or irritated with my children. I especially give up my
right to resent my husband, no matter what he does. He may not do things
according to my way of thinking, but I have no right to resent him. Why should I yield to
Satan’s spirit to correct others. I want to yield to your Holy Spirit and allow God to work
in me His love for my children and my husband, and pray for them instead of allowing
Satan to use me to bring his spirit into our home.
When I surrendered fully to God, I believed that He would take away my
resentment, and give me an understanding attitude toward my husband and children.
And He did! I also believed that He could then keep me from falling as He had promised.
The next day as I went about my work, I don’t remember any temptation coming
to me until the evening. We were having worship and I was reading from a book on
prayer. Suddenly my husband, who was an editor, corrected a sentence problem in the
book. There is nothing wrong with doing that, but I did not like it when he did it while
we were having worship, because it distracted us. And so I would reprove him in a
wrong spirit and worship would be spoiled. But I would blame him for spoiling worship!
This evening, as he corrected a sentence problem, I immediately reacted.
Immediately the Holy Spirit strongly convicted me that I had sinned, and immediately I
exclaimed, “I have sinned!” The family was surprised at my confession. Later, when I
shared the story with someone, my son, who was present, remarked, “O Mom, how well
I remember that night! That was the first time I heard you take the blame!”
You see, I had learned from my father always to blame others when I got upset
with them, even though it was my spirit that was wrong. It is so easy to blame others
when we allow ourselves to become irritated by something they do or say. But there is
no excuse for sin!
That evening I again asked God to forgive and cleanse me, and to restore me to
Himself. Then I pleaded with Him to show me the way of escape so that I would not
react again in a wrong way. I believed He would teach me how to keep from falling,
because He had promised that He was able to do that.
The next day I went about my work and again I don’t remember any temptation
until the evening. As we were again having family worship I was reading from the same
book. Again my husband corrected a sentence problem. Instantly I felt the temptation to
react.
We read that the Christian will feel the prompting to sin. Here is where Christ’s
help is needed. Instantly the Holy Spirit reminded me, in my conscience, “You gave up
the right to resent your husband no matter what he does, don’t you remember?”
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Instantly I responded, “Yes, and I really meant it!” Immediately the Holy Spirit so
controlled my spirit, that I did not say a word. No one even knew that I was tempted!
And I knew I had found the way of escape!
When we are tempted the Holy Spirit will try to alert us, and if we quickly
submit to God, He will then have the right to control our spirit and give us the victory.
Later I found these quotes.
“And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, ‘This is the way, walk ye in
it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.’” Isa. 30:21
“Voices inspired by God are crying, ‘This is the way, walk ye in it.’ If men will
hear the voice of warning, if they will trust to God’s guidance and not to finite
judgment, they will be safe.” HP 103
At the moment of temptation, quickly submit to God. He always leaves you free
to choose.
“As soon as we incline our will to harmonize with God’s will, the grace of Christ
“If the voice of Jesus is not heeded at once, it becomes confused in the mind with a
multitude of other voices.” 7BC 967
“We want to become so sensitive to holy influences that the lightest whisper of
Jesus will move our souls.” KH 361
“Allow no taunts, no threats, no sneering remarks, to induce you to violate your
conscience in the least particular, and thus open a door whereby Satan can come in and
control the mind.” SD 211
“Conscience is the voice of God, heard amid the conflict of human passions;
when it is resisted, the Spirit of God is grieved.” 5T 120
“Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God.” Eph. 4:30
“The Holy Spirit will not compel men to take a certain course of action. We are free
moral agents; and when sufficient evidence has been given us as to our duty, it is left with
us to decide our course.” FE 124
Take God’s Way of Escape and Submit to Him
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from
you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” James 4:7, 8
“Jesus gained the victory through submission and faith in God, and by the
apostle He says to us, ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee
from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.’ We cannot save ourselves from
the tempter’s power; he has conquered humanity, and when we try to stand in our own
strength, we shall become a prey to his devices; but ‘the name of the Lord is a strong
tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.’ Satan trembles and flees before the
weakest soul who finds refuge in that mighty name.” DA 131
“The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations.” 2 Peter 2:9
“Human effort of itself is not sufficient. Without the aid of divine power it avails
nothing. God works and man works. Resistance of temptation must come from man, who
must draw his power from God. . . . God wishes us to have the mastery over ourselves.
But He cannot help us without our consent and cooperation. The divine Spirit works
through the powers and faculties given to man.” AA 482
How can He work in us if we are not allowing Him to do it?
“As soon as we incline our will to harmonize with God’s will, the grace of God
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“In the whole Satanic force there is not power to overcome one soul who in simple
trust casts himself on Christ.” COL 157
When we sense a temptation, we should quickly submit ourselves to God. He will
then work in us whatever is needed for us to have the victory. Angels of God will
surround us and the temptation will lose its power.
“Around every tempted soul there are angels of God, ready to lift up the standard of
righteousness, if the tempted one will only show a spirit of resistance to evil.” RH 8-8-1907
“By faith and prayer all may meet the requirements of the gospel. No man can be
forced to transgress. His own consent must first be gained; the soul must purpose the
sinful act, before passion can dominate over reason, or iniquity triumph over conscience.
Temptation, however strong, is never an excuse for sin. ‘The eyes of the Lord are over the
righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers.’ Cry unto the Lord, tempted soul.
Cast yourself, helpless, unworthy, upon Jesus, and claim His very promise. The Lord
will hear. He knows how strong are the inclinations of the natural heart, and He will
help in every time of temptation.” 5T 177
“For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that
are tempted.” Heb. 2:18
Every time I have taken God’s way of escape by immediately submitting to Him
when I am being tempted, He works in me the right attitude and whatever I need to
keep me from falling.
He Is Able to Keep You from Falling
“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless
before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.” Jude 24
“For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I
will help thee.” Isa. 41:13
“To go forward without stumbling, we must have the assurance that a hand all-
powerful will hold us up, and an infinite pity be exercised toward us if we fall.” SD 154
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our
infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore
come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in
time of need.” Heb. 4:15, 16
“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
2 Cor. 12:9
“As thy days, so shall thy strength be.” Deut. 33:25
“We are to live only one day at a time. We do not have to do the work of a lifetime
in a few hours. We need not look into the future with anxiety; for God has made it possible
for us to be overcomers every day.” FL 249
“Are you overcoming? or are you being overcome by your own lusts and
appetites and passions.” 5T 511
“The only hope for us if we would overcome is to unite our will to God’s will and
work in cooperation with Him, hour by hour and day by day.” MB 143
“The Christian life is one of daily surrender, submission and continual
overcoming.” 4BC 1154
Even if we had many wrong habits before we surrendered to Jesus, as we take
one step at a time, one moment at a time, victory over those habits can be ours
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continually if we stay submitted to Him, depending on His power.
“I can do all things in him who strengthens me.” Phil. 4:13
“It is His grace that gives man power to obey the laws of God. It is this that enables
him to break the bondage of evil habit. This is the only power that can make him and keep
him steadfast in the right path.” MH 115
“Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Tim. 2:1
“Christ always separates the contrite soul from sin. He came to destroy the works
of the devil, and He has made provision that the Holy Spirit shall be imparted to every
repentant soul, to keep him from sinning.” DA 311
“He who has not sufficient faith in Christ to believe that He can keep him from
sinning, has not the faith that will give him an entrance into the kingdom of God.” RH
3-10-1904
“We can overcome. Yes; fully, entirely. Jesus died to make a way of escape for us,
that we might overcome every evil temper, every sin, every temptation, and sit down at last
with Him.” 1T 144
All Will Be Tempted - Temptation Is Not Sin
“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be
tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one; but each person is tempted when he is
lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to
sin.” James 1:13-15 RSV
“Temptations will pour in upon us, for by them we are to be tried during our
probation upon earth. This is the proving of God, a revelation of our own hearts. There
is no sin in having temptations; but sin comes in when temptation is yielded to.” 4T 358
What does it mean, temptation is “a revelation of our own hearts?” When we
are faced by temptation it shows us what we could or would do if we did not quickly
submit to God. It shows us the potential of the sinful fleshly nature which we have
to deal with as long as we are in this world. That is why Jesus also took the sinful
fleshly nature, so He could feel our temptations.
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our
infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Heb. 4:15
“Temptation is not sin. Jesus was holy and pure; yet He was tempted in all points
as we are, but with a strength and power that man will never be called upon to endure. In
His successful resistance He has left us a bright example, that we should follow His steps.
If we are self-confident or selfrighteous we shall be left to fall under the power of
temptation; but if we look to Jesus and trust in Him we call to our aid a power that has
conquered the foe on the field of battle, and with every temptation He will make a way of
escape. When Satan comes in like a flood, we must meet his temptations with the sword of
the Spirit, and Jesus will be our helper and will lift up for us a standard against him.” 5T
426
“The Elder Brother of our race is by the eternal throne. He looks upon every soul
who is turning his face toward Him as the Saviour. He knows by experience what are the
weaknesses of humanity, what are our wants, and where lies the strength of our
temptations; for He was ‘in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.’ Heb. 4:15.
He is watching over you, trembling child of God. Are you tempted? He will deliver. Are you
weak? He will strengthen. Are you ignorant? He will enlighten. Are you wounded? He will
heal.” MH 71
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy,
and find grace to help in time of need.” Heb. 4:15, 16
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‘“The prince of this world cometh,’ said Jesus, ‘and hath nothing in Me.’ John
14:30. There was in Him nothing that responded to Satan’s sophistry. He did not consent
to sin. Not even by a thought did He yield to temptation. So it may be with us.” DA 123
“There are thoughts and feelings suggested and aroused by Satan that annoy even
the best of men; but if they are not cherished, if they are repulsed as hateful, the soul
is not contaminated with guilt, and no other is defiled by their influence.” RH 3-27-1888
“Satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain a foothold; some
sinful desire is cherished, by means of which his temptations assert their power.” GC
623
“Without hesitation or argument, we must close and guard the avenues of the soul
against evil.” 3T 324
“An impure thought tolerated, an unholy desire cherished, and the soul is
contaminated, its integrity compromised. . . .
“If we would not commit sin, we must shun its very beginnings. Every emotion and
desire must be held in subjection to reason and conscience. Every unholy thought must
be instantly repelled.” 5T 177
“Give no opportunity to the devil.” Eph. 4:27 RSV
“Do not for a moment acknowledge Satan’s temptations as being in harmony with
your own mind. Turn from them as you would from Satan himself.” OHC 85
Do not try to concentrate on your wrong thoughts to bring them into subjection,
but rather turn your mind into a heavenly channel and concentrate on God’s thoughts.
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the
pulling down of strong holds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth
itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ.” 2 Cor. 10:4, 5
“Your thoughts must be brought into subjection to the will of God and your feelings
under the control of reason and religion. Your imagination was not given you to be allowed
to run riot and have its own way without any effort at restraint or discipline. If the
thoughts are wrong the feelings will be wrong, and the thoughts and the feelings
combined make up the moral character. When you decide that as Christians you are not
required to restrain your thoughts and feelings you are brought under the influence of evil
angels and invite their presence and their control.” 5T 310
“We cannot allow ourselves to act from impulse. We cannot be off guard for a
moment. Beset with temptations without number, we must resist firmly or be conquered.”
MH 452
“Satan takes the control of every mind that is not decidedly under the control of the
Spirit of God.” TM 79
“Those who would not fall a prey to Satan’s devices must guard well the avenues of
the soul; they must avoid reading, seeing, or hearing that which will suggest impure
thoughts.” MYP 285
“I will set no wicked thing before my eyes.” Ps. 101:3
“He who finds pleasure in dwelling upon scenes of impurity, who indulges the evil
thought, the lustful look, may behold in the open sin, with its burden of shame and heart-
breaking grief, the true nature of the evil which he has hidden in the chambers of the soul.”
MB 60
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Prov. 23:7
“When the first suggestion of wrong is heard, dart a prayer to heaven, and then
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firmly resist the temptation.” 3BC 1155
“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.” James 1:6
“The beginning of yielding to temptation is in the sin of permitting the mind to
waver, to be inconsistent in your trust in God. The wicked one is ever watching for a
chance to misrepresent God, and to attract the mind to that which is forbidden. If he can,
he will fasten the mind upon things of the world. He will endeavor to excite the
emotions, to arouse the passions, to fasten the affections on that which is not for your
good; but it is for you to hold every emotion and passion under control, in calm
subjection to reason and conscience. Then Satan loses his power to control the
mind.” OHC 87
“Therefore gird up your minds, be sober, set your hope fully upon the grace that is
coming to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed
to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, be holy
yourselves in all your conduct; since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter
1:13-16
“The tempter’s agency is not to be accounted an excuse for one wrong act. Satan is
jubilant when he hears the professed followers of Christ making excuses for their
deformity of character. It is these excuses that lead to sin. There is no excuse for
sinning. A holy temper, a Christlike life, is accessible to every repenting, believing child of
God.” DA 311
“Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Eph. 6:10
“Lean upon Him; and through His power you may quench all the fiery darts of the
adversary and come off more than conqueror.” 4T 213
“When assailed by temptation, look not to circumstances or to the weakness of self,
but to the power of the word. All its strength is yours. ‘Thy word,’ says the psalmist, ‘have I
hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.’ ‘By the word of Thy lips I have kept
me from the paths of the destroyer.’ Ps. 119:11; 17:4.” DA 123
“The father of lies quakes and trembles when the truth of God, in burning power, is
thrown in his face.” 5T 426
Walk by the Spirit Do Not Gratify the Desires of the Flesh
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires
of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for
these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would.” Gal. 5:16, 17
RSV
We must remember that when we have been cleansed and renewed in the spirit
of our minds, and have put on the new nature, created in true righteousness and
holiness, that this does not mean the sinful, fleshly nature. This will be made holy when
Jesus comes again. Jesus took the sinful fleshly nature so He could be tempted as we
are, but temptation is not sin. The prompting to selfishness, resentment, irritation,
impatience, or any other temptation, does not have to be yielded to. God is able to keep
us from falling if we submit to Him.
“The Christian will feel the promptings of sin, for the flesh lusteth against the
Spirit; but the Spirit striveth against the flesh, keeping up a constant warfare. Here is
where Christ’s help is needed. Human weakness becomes united to divine strength, and
faith exclaims, ‘Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ!’” MYP 114
“The greatest triumph given us by the religion of Christ is control over
ourselves. Our natural propensities must be controlled, or we can never overcome as
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Christ overcame.” 4T 235
“He ‘was in all points tempted like as we are.’ Satan stood ready to assail Him at
every step, hurling at Him his fiercest temptations; yet He ‘did no sin, neither was guile
found in his mouth.’ ‘He . . . suffered being tempted,’ suffered in proportion to the
perfection of His holiness. But the prince of darkness found nothing in Him; not a single
thought or feeling responded to temptation.” 4T 422
“Sorely as He was tried on the point of hasty and angry speech, He never once
sinned with His lips. With patient calmness He met the sneers, the taunts, and the ridicule
of His fellow workers.” 7BC 936
“Jesus did not contend for His rights. Often His work was made unnecessarily
severe because He was willing and uncomplaining. Yet He did not fail nor become
discouraged. He lived above these difficulties, as if in the light of God’s countenance. He
did not retaliate when roughly used, but bore insult patiently.” DA 89
“So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh --
for if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the
deeds of the body you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. . .
. and fellow heirs with Christ provided we suffer with him.” Rom. 8:12-17
“Christ suffered keenly under abuse and insult. At the hands of the beings whom
He had created, and for whom He was making an infinite sacrifice, He received every
indignity.” DA 700
“But while Satan could distress, he could not contaminate. He could cause agony,
but not defilement. He made the life of Christ one long scene of conflict and trial.” PK 701
“You have not a difficulty that did not press with equal weight upon Him, not a
sorrow that His heart has not experienced. His feelings could be hurt with neglect, with
indifference of professed friends, as easily as yours. Is your path thorny? Christ’s was so in
a ten-fold sense. Are you distressed? So was He. How well fitted was Christ to be an
example.” OHC 59
“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us
an example, that ye should follow in his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in
his mouth: who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened
not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.” 1 Peter 2:21-23
“Though He had all the strength of passion of humanity, never did He yield to
temptation to do one single act which was not pure and elevating and ennobling.” HP 155
The term passion is itself neutral, simply referring to strong feelings and
emotions, good or bad. Christ never allowed His passions to be wrong.
“And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the
truth.” John 17:19
“Sanctification is not an emotion but a heaven-born principle that brings all the
passions and desires under the control of the Spirit of God; and this work is done through
our Lord and Saviour.” FW 87
“In our own strength it is impossible for us to deny the clamors of our fallen
nature. Through this channel Satan will bring temptation upon us. Christ knew that the
enemy would come to every human being, to take advantage of hereditary weakness, and
by his false insinuations to ensnare all whose trust is not in God. And by passing over the
ground which man must travel, our Lord has prepared the way for us to overcome.” DA
122
“His example declares that our only hope of eternal life is through bringing the
appetites and passions into subjection to the will of God.” DA 122
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“Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same thought,
for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the
time in the flesh no longer by human passions, but by the will of God.” 1 Peter 4:1, 2 RSV
“Strength of character consists of two things - power of will and power of self-
control. Many youth mistake strong, uncontrolled passion for strength of character; but
the truth is that he who is mastered by his passions is a weak man. The real greatness and
nobility of the man is measured by his powers to subdue his feelings, not by the power of
his feelings to subdue him. The strongest man is he who, while sensitive to abuse, will yet
restrain passion and forgive his enemies.” CG 161, 162
“The lower passions have their seat in the body and work through it. The words
‘flesh’ or ‘fleshly’ or ‘carnal lusts’ embrace the lower, corrupt nature; the flesh of itself
cannot act contrary to the will of God. We are commanded to crucify the flesh with the
affections and lusts. How shall we do it? Shall we inflict pain on the body? No; but put
to death the temptation to sin. The corrupt thought is to be expelled. Every thought is to
be brought into captivity to Jesus Christ. All animal propensities are to be subjected to the
higher powers of the soul. The love of God must reign supreme; Christ must occupy an
undivided throne. Our bodies are to be regarded as His purchased possession. The
members of the body are to become instruments of righteousness.” AH 127, 128
“And those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and
desires.” Gal. 5:24 RSV
“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts
thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin; but
yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as
instruments of righteousness unto God.” Rom. 6:12, 13
“The human agent is to cooperate with God, and keep under those passions which
should be held in subjection. To do this he must be unwearied in his prayers to God, ever
obtaining grace to control his spirit, temper, and actions.” 1SM 380, 381
“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former
ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct.” 1 Peter
1:14-16 RSV
“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to
death the deeds of the body you will live.” Rom. 8:13
“Put your whole being into the Lord’s hands, soul, body, and spirit, and resolve to
be His loving, consecrated agency, moved by His will, controlled by His mind, infused by
His Spirit.” SD 105
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he
may exalt you. Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you. Be sober, be
watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to
devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is
required of your brotherhood throughout the world.” 1 Peter 5:6-9
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the
world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh,
and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And
the world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he that does the will of God abides for
ever.” 1John 2:15-17
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who
promised is faithful.” Heb. 10:23
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He Will Be Your Advocate if You Fall
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man
sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 2:1
“The instant man accepted the temptations of Satan, and did the very things God
had said he should not do, Christ, the Son of God, stood between the living and the dead,
saying, ‘Let the punishment fall on Me. I will stand in man’s place. He shall have another
chance.’” 1BC 1085
What does the Advocate do? He gives us another chance.
“How careful is the Lord Jesus to give no occasion for the soul to despair. How He
fences about the soul from Satan’s fierce attacks. If through manifold temptations we are
surprised or deceived into sin, He does not turn from us and leave us to perish. No, no,
that is not our Saviour. Christ prayed for us.” 7BC 948
“Christ . . . is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”
Rom. 8:34
When Peter was denying his Lord, Jesus was praying for him and longing to help
him.
“And the same compassion that reached out to rescue Peter is extended to every
soul who has fallen under temptation. It is Satan’s special device to lead man into sin, and
then leave him, helpless and trembling, fearing to seek for pardon. But why should we
fear, when God has said, ‘Let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with
me; and he shall make peace with me.’ Isa. 27:5. Every provision has been made for our
infirmities, every encouragement offered to come to Christ.” COL 156
“To go forward without stumbling, we must have the assurance that a hand all-
powerful will hold us up, and an infinite pity be exercised toward us if we fall. God alone
can at all times hear our cry for help.” SD 154
Often when children fail, the parents scold them and punish them and
discourage them, but Jesus is not like that.
“The Lord . . . is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but
that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
“The Lord bears long with the waywardness of men, and to all He grants
opportunity to see and forsake their sins.” PP 626
“A silent witness guards every soul that lives, seeking to win and draw him to
Christ. The angels never leave the tempted one a prey to the enemy who would destroy the
souls of men if permitted to do so. As long as there is hope, until they resist the Holy
Spirit to their eternal ruin, men are guarded by heavenly intelligences.” OHC 23
“The divine Teacher bears with the erring through all their perversity. His love does
not grow cold; His efforts to win them do not cease. With outstretched arms He waits to
welcome again and again the erring, the rebellious, and even the apostate. His heart is
touched with the helplessness of the little child subject to rough usage. The cry of human
suffering never reaches His ear in vain. Though all are precious in His sight, the rough,
sullen, stubborn dispositions draw most heavily upon His sympathy and love; for He
traces from cause to effect. The one who is most easily tempted, and is most inclined to
err, is the special object of His solicitude.” Ed 294
“Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.
For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” Ps. 103:13, 14
“We shall often have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus because of our
shortcomings and mistakes; but we are not to be discouraged. Even if we are overcome
by the enemy, we are not cast off, not forsaken and rejected of God. No; Christ is at the
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right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Says the beloved John, ‘These
things write I unto you, that you sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.’ And do not forget the words of Christ, ‘The Father
himself loveth you.’ He desires to restore you to Himself, to see His own purity and
holiness reflected in you. And if you will but yield yourself to Him, He that hath begun a
good work in you will carry it forward to the day of Jesus Christ. Pray more fervently;
believe more fully.” SC 64
“All are fallible, all make mistakes and fall into sin; but if the wrongdoer is willing
to see his errors, as they are made plain by the convicting Spirit of God, and in humility of
heart will confess them, . . . then he may be restored.” KH 238
“Have you fallen into sin? Then without delay seek God for mercy and pardon.
. . . Mercy is still extended to the sinner. The Lord is calling to us in all our wanderings:
‘Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings.’ The blessing of God
may be ours if we will heed the pleading voice of His Spirit.” 5T 177
“Remember this. If you have made mistakes, you certainly gain a victory if you see
these mistakes, and regard them as beacons of warning. Thus you turn defeat into victory,
disappointing the enemy, and honoring your Redeemer.” COL 332
“For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face
from you, if you return to him.” 2 Chron. 30:9
Repent and Confess and Turn Back to Him
“Repent and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be
your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and
make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have
no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves,
and live.” Eze. 18:30
“If we are overcome let us not delay to repent, and to accept the pardon that will
place us on vantage ground. If we repent and believe, the cleansing power from God will be
ours. His saving grace is freely offered. . . . Not one sinner need be lost. Full and free is the
gift of saving grace.” GAG 179
“The Lord . . . is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish,
but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
“God does not give us up because of our sins. We may make mistakes and grieve
His Spirit, but when we repent and come to Him with contrite hearts, He will not turn us
away. There are hindrances to be removed. Wrong feelings have been cherished, and there
have been pride, self-sufficiency, impatience, and murmurings. All these separate us from
God. Sins must be confessed; there must be a deeper work of grace in the heart.” FW 35
“There is no safety nor repose nor justification in transgression of the law. Man
cannot hope to stand innocent before God, and at peace with Him through the merits of
Christ, while he continues in sin. He must cease to transgress, and become loyal and true.”
1SM 213
“Every day that you remain in sin, you are in Satan’s ranks; and should you sicken
and die without repentance, you would be lost.” RH 12-24-1889
“One sin unrepented of is enough to close the gates of heaven against you. It was
because man could not be saved with one stain of sin upon him, that Jesus came to die on
Calvary’s cross.” ST 3-17-1890
“Your only safety is in coming to Christ, and ceasing from sin this very moment.
The sweet voice of mercy is sounding in your ears today, but who can tell if it will sound
tomorrow?” ST 8-29-1892
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“Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Let the
wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto
the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly
pardon.” Isa. 55:6, 7
“The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a
contrite spirit.” Ps. 34:18
“When man has sinned against a holy and merciful God, he can pursue no course
so noble as to sincerely repent and confess his errors in tears and bitterness of soul. This
God requires of him; He will accept of nothing less than a broken and a contrite heart.” 4T
178, 179
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray,
and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will
forgive their sin.” 2 Chron. 7:14
“The people of God must move understandingly. They should not be satisfied
until every known sin is confessed; then it is their privilege and duty to believe that
Jesus accepts them.” 1T 167
God always deals with known sins, but we must remember that all secret sins
are known sins. They are not unconscious sins, but only you and God know what
they are. These must all be surrendered, confessed and forgiven.
“The law of God takes note of the jealousy, envy, hatred, malignity, revenge, lust,
and ambition that surge through the soul, but have not found expression in outward
action, because the opportunity, not the will, has been wanting. And these sinful emotions
will be brought into the account in the day when ‘God shall bring every work into
judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” 1SM 217
There may be sins of ignorance, but God takes care of those.
“Jesus stands before the ark, making His final intercession for all those for whom
mercy still lingers and for those who have ignorantly broken the law of God. This
atonement is made for the righteous dead as well as for the righteous living. It
includes all who died trusting in Christ, but who, not having received the light upon God’s
commandments, had sinned ignorantly in transgressing its precepts.” EW 254
“Jesus has made atonement for all sins of ignorance, but there is no provision
made for willful blindness.” 5BC 1145
“God’s eye does not slumber. He knows every sin that is hidden from mortal eye.
The guilty know just what sins to confess that their souls may be clean before God.
Jesus is now giving them opportunity to confess, to repent in deep humility, and purify
their lives by obeying and living out the truth.” 1T 156
“True confession is always of a specific character, and acknowledges particular
sins. They may be of such a nature as to be brought before God only; they may be wrongs
that should be confessed to individuals who have suffered injury through them; or they
may be of a public character, and should then be as publicly confessed. But all confession
should be definite and to the point, acknowledging the very sins of which you are
guilty.” SC 38
“There is only one provision made for the transgressor. Faithful repentance and
confession of sin, and faith in the cleansing blood of Christ, will bring forgiveness, and
pardon will be written against his name.” 2T 293
“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the
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man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.” Ps.
32:1, 2
Forgive One Another
“Take heed to yourselves: if thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if
he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven
times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.” Luke 17:3, 4
“If a brother errs, forgive him if he asks you. If he is not humble enough to ask,
forgive him in your heart, and express your forgiveness in word and action. Then the
weight of his sin will not in any degree rest on you. ‘Considering thyself, lest thou also
be tempted.’ . . . And we are not only to forgive seven times, but seventy times seven. Just
as often as God forgives us, we are to forgive another.
“One man is never to say to another, ‘When I see that you have reformed, then I will
forgive you.’ This is not God’s plan. This is in accordance with the promptings of human
nature. By showing that you do not desire fellowship with your brother, you not only hurt
his soul and your own, but you also wound and bruise the heart of Christ.” RH 4-8-1902
“Forgive your brother from your heart.” Matt. 18:35 RSV
“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put
away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Eph. 4:31
“But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your
trespasses.” Mark 11:26
“He who refuses to forgive is thereby casting away his own hope of pardon.”
COL 247
“It is true that he may once have received forgiveness; but his unmerciful spirit
shows that he now rejects God’s pardoning love. He has separated himself from God, and
is in the same condition as before he was forgiven. He has denied his repentance, and his
sins are upon him as if he had not repented.” COL 251
Help to Restore the Fallen
“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an
one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” Gal. 6:1, 2
“It is always humiliating to have one’s errors pointed out. Do not make the
experience more bitter by needless censure. Unkind criticism brings discouragement,
making life sunless and unhappy.
“My brethren, prevail by love rather than severity. When one at fault becomes
conscious of his error, be careful not to destroy his self-respect. Do not seek to bruise and
wound, but rather to bind up and heal.” 7T 265
“As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest
may stand in fear.” 1 Tim. 5:20 RSV
“Christ has plainly taught that those who persist in open sin must be separated
from the church, but He has not committed to us the work of judging character and
motive.” COL 71
‘“Judge not, that ye be not judged.’ Do not think yourself better than other men,
and set yourself up as their judge. Since you cannot discern motive you are incapable of
judging another.” DA 314
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“He that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the
Lord come, who both will bring to light hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest
the counsels of the heart.” 1 Cor. 4:4, 5
“Judging and reproving are two different things. God has laid upon His servants
the work of reproving in love those who err; but He has forbidden and denounced the
thoughtless judging so common among professed believers.” RH 10-29-1901
“Talk courage to the people; lift them up to God in prayer. Many who have been
overcome by temptation are humiliated by their failures, and they feel that it is in vain for
them to approach unto God; but this thought is of the enemy’s suggestion. When they have
sinned, and feel that they cannot pray, tell them that it is then the time to pray. Ashamed
they may be, and deeply humbled; but as they confess their sins, He who is faithful and
just will forgive their sins and cleanse them from all unrighteousness.” MH 181
“If he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; if the wicked restore
the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing
iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.” Eze. 33:14, 15
“It is not now too late for wrongs to be righted. Show your repentance for past
wrongs by redeeming the time. Where you have wronged anyone, make restitution as it
comes to your mind. This is your only hope of the pardoning love of God.” 3T 549, 550
“Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance.” Luke 3:8
“If we have injured others through any unjust business transaction, . . .we should
confess our wrong, and make restitution as far as lies in our power.” DA 556
“You cannot make every case right, for some whom you have injured have gone into
their graves, and the account stands registered against you. In these cases the best you can
do is to bring a trespass offering to the altar of the Lord, and He will accept and pardon
you. But where you can, make reparation to the wronged ones.” 5T 339
“When a man is guilty, . . . he shall confess the sin he has committed.” Lev. 5:5
“The guilty know just what sins to confess that their souls may be clean before
God.” 1T 156
“If there have been difficulties, . . . if envy, malice, bitterness, evil surmisings, have
existed, confess these sins, not in a general way, but go to your brethren and sisters
personally. Be definite. If you have committed one wrong and they twenty, confess that one
as though you were the chief offender. Take them by the hand, let your heart soften under
the influence of the Spirit of God, and say, ‘Will you forgive me?’” OHC 370
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness,
lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint
against another, forgiving each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must
forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect
harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called
in the one body.” Col. 3:12-15
Make Your Calling and Election Sure
“Give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye
shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the
everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:10, 11
“Calling and justification are not one and the same thing. Calling is the drawing of
the sinner to Christ, and it is a work wrought by the Holy Spirit upon the heart, convicting
of sin, and inviting to repentance.” 1SM 390
“Many are called, but few are chosen.” Matt. 22:14
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“Many hear the invitation of mercy, are tested and proved; but few are sealed with
the seal of the living God. Few will humble themselves as a little child, that they may enter
the kingdom of heaven.” 5T 50
“The Lord has shown me the danger of letting our minds be filled with worldly
thoughts and cares. . . . for if the mind is filled with other things, present truth is shut out,
and there is no place in our foreheads for the seal of the living God.” EW 58
“It is not any seal or mark that can be seen, but a settling into truth, both
intellectually and spiritually, so they cannot be moved.” 4BC 1161
“Not one of us will ever receive the seal of God while our characters have one spot
or stain upon them. It is left with us to remedy the defects in our characters, to cleanse the
soul temple of every defilement.” 5T 214
“When the soul has been cleansed, it is the duty of the Christian to keep it
undefiled.” SD 99
“Moral perfection is required of all.” COL 330
“Be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless.” 2
Peter 3:14
“It is only the blessed and holy who will be ready for the first resurrection; for
when Christ comes, He will not change the character.” ST 2-9-1891
“It is the spiritual and moral character that is of value in the sight of Heaven, and
that will survive the grave, and be made glorious with immortality for the endless ages of
eternity.” 1SM 259
“Christ Himself will decide who are worthy to dwell with the family of heaven. He
will judge every man according to his words and his works. Profession is as nothing in the
scale. It is character that decides destiny.” COL 74
“I . . . beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with
all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, eager to
maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Eph. 4:1-3
“Do all things without murmurings and disputings: that ye may be blameless and
harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation,
among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life.” Phil. 2:14-16
“For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.” 1 Thess. 4:7
“That ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness
into his marvellous light.” 1 Peter 2:9
“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto
godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby
are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through
lust.” 2 Peter 1:3, 4
“None of us need excuse our hasty temper, our misshapen characters, our
selfishness, envy, jealousy, or any impurity of soul, body, or spirit. God has called us to
glory and virtue. We are to obey the call.” RH 4-24-1900
“Through all ages and in every nation those that believe that Jesus can and will
save them personally from sin, are the elect and chosen of God: they are His peculiar
treasure. They obey His call, and come out of the world and separate themselves from
every unclean thought and unholy practice. . . . It is a sad fact that the great proportion
of God’s professed people have not had faith in Christ as a personal Saviour. If they
had believed the promises of God on record for them, they would have been daily receivers
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of the grace of God, and would have overcome through the merits of a crucified and risen
Saviour.” RH 8-1-1893
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness,
lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint
against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must
forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect
harmony.” Col. 3:12-15
“And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and
in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and
without offence till the day of Christ: being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are
by Jesus Christ.” Phil. 1:9-11
“Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another
with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Never flag in zeal, be aglow
with the Spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant
in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality. . . . If possible, so far
as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all.” Rom. 12:9-18 RSV
“Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love of the brethren, a tender
heart and a humble mind. Do not return evil for evil or reviling for reviling; but on the
contrary bless, for to this you have been called, that you may obtain a blessing.” 1 Peter
3:8, 9 RSV
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Prov. 4:23
“Diligent heart-keeping is essential to a healthy growth in grace.” SD 99
Grow in Grace Continually
“Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2
Peter 3:18
“Jesus, considered as a man, was perfect, yet He grew in grace. ‘And Jesus
increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.’ Even the most perfect
Christian may increase continually in the knowledge and love of God.” 1T 339, 340
“First the blade, then the ear, after the full corn in the ear.” Mark 4:28
“At every stage of development our life may be perfect; yet if God’s purpose for
us is fulfilled, there will be continual advancement. Sanctification is the work of a
lifetime. As our opportunities multiply, our experience will enlarge, and our knowledge
increase. We shall become strong to bear responsibility, and our maturity will be in
proportion to our privileges.” COL 65, 66
“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.”
COL 68
“We are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” Eph. 4:15
“Our work is to strive to attain in our sphere of action the perfection that Christ in
His life on the earth attained in every phase of character.” KH 130
“Christ is seeking to reproduce Himself in the hearts of men; and He does this
through those who believe in Him. The object of the Christian life is fruit bearing - the
reproduction of Christ’s character in the believer, that it may be reproduced in others.”
COL 67
“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also
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hath loved us.” Eph. 5:1
“None are living Christians unless they have a daily experience in the things of God
and daily practice self-denial, cheerfully bearing the cross and following Christ. Every
Christian will advance daily in the divine life.” 2T 505
“Sanctification is not the work of a moment, an hour, or a day. It is a continual
growth in grace. We know not one day how strong will be our conflict the next. Satan
lives, and is active, and every day we need to cry earnestly to God for help and strength to
resist him. As long as Satan reigns we shall have self to subdue, besetments to overcome,
and there is no stopping place, there is no point to which we can come and say we have
fully attained.” 1T 340
Besetments are situations and temptations that will come to you, but you can
keep self yielded to God and have victory every day. This is our testing time.
“So long as we are in this world, we shall meet with adverse influences. There
will be provocations to test the temper; and it is in meeting these in a right spirit that the
Christian graces are developed. If Christ dwells in us, we shall be patient, kind, and
forbearing, cheerful amid frets and irritations. Day by day and year by year we shall
conquer self, and grow into a noble heroism. This is our allotted task; but it cannot be
accomplished without help from Jesus, resolute decision, unwavering purpose, continual
watchfulness, and unceasing prayer.” MH 487
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy,
and find grace to help in time of need.” Heb. 4:16
“The grace of Christ is essential every day, every hour. Unless it is with us
continually, the inconsistencies of the natural heart will appear and the life will
present a divided service.” 6BC 1117
“Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Tim. 2:1
“He will give you grace to be patient, He will give you grace to be trustful. He will
give you grace to overcome restlessness, He will warm your heart with His own sweet
Spirit, He will revive your soul in its weakness.” 2SM 231, 232
“My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
2 Cor.12:9
“Abundant grace has been provided that the believing soul may be kept free from
sin, for all heaven, with its limitless resources, has been placed at our command.” 1SM
394
“In the matchless gift of His Son, God has encircled the whole world with an
atmosphere of grace as real as the air which circulates around the globe. All who choose to
breathe this life-giving atmosphere will live and grow up to the stature of men and women
in Christ Jesus.” SC 68
“Let a living faith run like threads of gold through the performance of even the
smallest duties. Then all the daily work will promote Christian growth. There will be a
continual looking unto Jesus. Love for Him will give vital force to everything that is
undertaken. This is true sanctification, for sanctification consists in the cheerful
performance of daily duties in perfect obedience to the will of God.” COL 360
“May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul
and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who
calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” 1Thess. 5:23
Bring Your Children to Jesus
“And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his
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disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much
displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid
them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. . . . And he took them up in his arms, put his
hands upon them, and blessed them.” Mark 10:13-16
“Children are the lawful prey of the enemy, because they are not subjects of
grace, have not experienced the cleansing power of Jesus, and the evil angels have
access to these children; and some parents are careless and suffer them to work with
but little restraint. Parents have a great work to do in this matter, by correcting and
subduing their children, and then bringing them to God and claiming His blessing upon
them. By the faithful and untiring efforts of the parents, and the blessing and grace
entreated of God upon the children, the power of the evil angels will be broken, a
sanctifying influence is shed upon the children, and the powers of darkness must give
back.” RH 3-28-1893
“Let mothers come to Jesus with their perplexities. They will find grace sufficient to
aid them in the management of their children. The gates are open for every mother who
would lay her burdens at the Saviour’s feet. He who said, ‘Suffer the little children to come
unto me, and forbid them not,’ still invites the mothers to lead up their little ones to be
blessed by Him. Even the babe in its mother’s arms may dwell as under the shadow of the
Almighty through the faith of the praying mother. John the Baptist was filled with the Holy
Spirit from his birth. If we will live in communion with God, we too may expect the
divine Spirit to mold our little ones, even from their earliest moments.” DA 512
“On fathers and mothers, God has placed the responsibility of saving their children
from the power of the enemy. This is their work, a work that they should on no account
neglect. Those parents who have a living connection with Christ will not rest until they see
their children safe in the fold. They will make this the burden of their life.” 7T 10
“Come in humility with a heart full of tenderness and with a sense of the
temptations and dangers before yourselves and your children; by faith bind them upon the
altar, entreating for them the care of the Lord. Ministering angels will guard children
who are thus dedicated to God. It is the duty of Christian parents, morning and evening,
by earnest prayer and persevering faith, to make a hedge about their children. They should
patiently instruct them, kindly and untiringly teach them how to live in order to please
God.” 1T 397, 398
If you have failed to train your children in the right way, there is still an
opportunity to do so. Our children were 22, 21, and 13 when we finally experienced
true Christianity. We went to our children and acknowledged how we had failed them in
so many ways, and asked their forgiveness. Then the Lord could work to help our
children!
“If parents would see a different state of things in their family, let them consecrate
themselves wholly to God, and the Lord will devise ways and means whereby a
transformation may take place in their households.” CG 172
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and
dreadful day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the
heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” Mal.
4:5, 6
“Prepare for the coming of the Lord. This is the preparation day. Set your own
hearts in order, and work earnestly for your children. An unreserved surrender to God will
sweep away the barriers that have so long defied the approaches of heavenly grace. When
you take up the cross and follow Christ, when you bring your lives into conformity to
the will of God, your children will be converted.” RH 7-15-1902
“Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? But thus
saith the Lord, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the
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terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will
save thy children.” Isa. 49:24, 25
“His ‘hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot
hear;’ and if Christian parents seek Him earnestly, He will fill their mouths with
arguments, and for His name’s sake will work mightily in their behalf in the
conversion of their children.” 5T 323
“If you have failed in your duty to your families, confess your sins before God.
Gather your children about you and acknowledge your neglect. Tell them that you desire to
bring about a reformation in the home, and ask them to help you to make the home what it
ought to be. Read to them the directions found in the word of God. Pray with them; and
ask God to spare their lives, and to help them to prepare for a home in His kingdom. In
this way you may begin a work of reformation; and then continue to keep the way of the
Lord.” CG 557, 558
“Read to them the teaching of the Bible in regard to conversion. Show what is the
fruit of conversion, the evidence that they love God. Show that true conversion is a change
of heart, of thoughts and purposes. Evil habits are to be given up. The sins of evil-
speaking, of jealousy, of disobedience, are to be put away. A warfare must be waged against
every evil trait of character.” 6T 95
“Deal honestly and faithfully with your children. Work bravely and patiently. Fear
no crosses, spare no time or labor, burden or suffering. The future of your children will
testify the character of your work. Fidelity to Christ on your part can be better expressed
in the symmetrical character of your children than in any other way.” 5T 40
“One well-ordered, well-disciplined family tells more in behalf of Christianity
than all the sermons that can be preached.” AH 32
“The measure of your Christianity is gauged by the character of your home life. The
grace of Christ enables its possessors to make the home a happy place, full of peace and
rest.” CG 481
“God desires you to consecrate yourself wholly to Him and represent His character
in the home circle.” CG 481
“Be . . . an example . . . in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in
purity.” 1 Tim. 4:12
“There are few parents who realize how important it is to give to their children the
influence of a godly example. . . . No other means is so effective in training them in
right lines.” RH 10-12-1911
“Let parents live in the home the life of Christ, and the transformation in the lives
of their children will testify to God’s miracle-working power.” RH 7-8-1902
“Just as you conduct yourself in your home life, you are registered in the books of
heaven. He who would become a saint in heaven must first become a saint in his own
family.” AH 317
Discipline Your Children in Love
“Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord.” Eph. 6:4
“The father, as priest of the household, should deal gently and patiently with his
children. He should be careful not to arouse in them a combative disposition. He must not
allow transgression to go uncorrected, and yet there is a way to correct without stirring up
the worst passions in the human heart. Let him in love talk with his children, telling them
how grieved the Saviour is over their course; and then let him kneel with them before
the mercy seat and present them to Christ, praying that He will have compassion on
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them and lead them to repent and ask forgiveness. Such disciplining will nearly always
break the most stubborn heart.” CG 286, 287
“Never should parents cause their children pain by harshness or unreasonable
exactions. Harshness drives souls into Satan's net.” AH 308
“Some children will soon forget a wrong that is done to them by father and mother;
but other children who are differently constituted cannot forget severe, unreasonable
punishment which they did not deserve. Thus their souls are injured, and their minds
bewildered.” CG 249
“Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in
heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father in heaven.” Matt. 18:10
“When children lose their self-control, and speak passionate words, the parents
should for a time keep silent, neither reproving nor condemning. At such times silence is
golden, and will do more to bring repentance than any words that can be uttered. Satan is
well pleased when parents irritate their children by speaking harsh, angry words. Paul has
given a caution on this point: ‘Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be
discouraged.’ They may be very wrong, but you cannot lead them to the right by losing
patience with them. Let your calmness help to restore them to a proper frame of mind.”
RH 1-24-1907
“Love breaks down all barriers. Let there be no scolding, no loud-voiced, angry
commands.” RH 7-8-1902
“Be so calm, so free of anger, that they will be convinced that you love them,
even though you punish them.” CG 249
“Love is patient and kind; . . . it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its
own way; it is not irritable or resentful.” 1 Cor. 13:4, 5
“Let not one word of fretfulness, harshness, or passion escape your lips. The grace
of Christ awaits your demand. His Spirit will take control of your heart and conscience,
presiding over your words and deeds. Never forfeit your self-respect by hasty, thoughtless
words. See that your words are pure, your conversation holy. Give your children an
example of that which you wish them to be.” CG 219
“Fathers and mothers, if cross words fall from your lips, you are teaching your
children to speak in the same way, and the refining influence of the Holy Spirit is made of
none effect.” CG 219
“The largest share of the annoyances of life, its daily corroding cares, its
heartaches, its irritation, is the result of a temper uncontrolled. The harmony of the
domestic circle is often broken by a hasty word and abusive language. How much better
were it left unsaid.” 4T 348
“Never should we lose control of ourselves. Let us ever keep before us the perfect
Pattern. It is a sin to speak impatiently and fretfully or to feel angry - even though we do
not speak. We are to walk worthy, giving a right representation of Christ. The speaking of
an angry word is like flint striking flint; it at once kindles wrathful feelings.” CG 95
“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Prov. 15:1
“Impatience brings the enemy of God and man into your family and drives out the
angels of God. If you are abiding in Christ, and Christ in you, you cannot speak angry
words. Fathers and mothers, I beseech you, for Christ’s sake, to be kind, tender, and
patient in your homes.” HP 99
“We have much to learn in regard to child training. When teaching the little ones to
do things, we must not scold them. Never should we say, ‘Why did you not do this?’ Say,
‘Children, help mother do this;’ or, ‘Come, children, let us do this.’ Be their companion in
doing these things. When they finish their work, praise them.” RH 6-23-1903
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“An approving glance, a word of encouragement or commendation, will be like
sunshine in their hearts.” ML 173
“The father should enforce in his family the sterner virtues - energy, integrity,
honesty, patience, courage, diligence, and practical usefulness. And what he requires of his
children he himself should practice, illustrating these virtues in his own manly being.
“But, fathers, do not discourage your children. Combine affection with authority,
kindness and sympathy with firm restraint.” MH 391
“Lead the youth to feel that they are trusted, and there are few who will not seek to
prove themselves worthy of the trust.
“On the same principle it is better to request than to command; the one thus
addressed has opportunity to prove himself loyal to right principles. His obedience is the
result of choice rather than compulsion.” Ed 290
“The object of discipline is the training of the child for self-government. He should
be taught self-reliance and self-control. Therefore as soon as he is capable of
understanding, his reason should be enlisted on the side of obedience. Let all dealing with
him be such as to show obedience to be just and reasonable. Help him to see that all things
are under law, and that disobedience leads, in the end, to disaster and suffering.” Ed 287
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart
from it.” Prov. 22:6
“Unless parents shall make it the first business of their lives to guide their
children’s feet into the path of righteousness from their earliest years, the wrong path will
be chosen before the right.” ML 261
“The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his
mother.” Prov. 29:15
“The earlier the will is made to yield to the will of the parents and the more
complete the submission, the less difficult it will be to yield to the requirements of God.
And none can hope for the love and blessing of God who do not learn obedience to His
commandments, and stand up firmly against temptation.” SD 130
“Mothers, be sure that you properly discipline your children during the first three
years of their lives. Do not allow them to form their wishes and desires. The mother must
be mind for her child. The first three years is the time in which to bend the tiny twig.
Mothers should understand the importance attaching to this period. It is then that the
foundation is laid. If these first lessons have been defective, as they very often are, for
Christ's sake, for the sake of your children's future and eternal good, seek to repair the
wrong you have done. If you have waited until your children were three years old to begin
to teach them self-control and obedience, seek to do it now, even though it will be much
harder.” CG 194
“Many parents will have to render an awful account at last for their neglect of their
children. They have fostered and cherished their evil tempers by bending to their wishes
and will, when the wishes and will of the children should bend to them. They have brought
God’s frown upon them and their children by these things. Parents, have you forgotten that
which is written in the holy word: ‘He that spareth the rod hateth his son’? Children are
left to come up instead of being trained up. The poor little children are thought not to
know or understand a correction at ten or twelve months old, and they begin to show
stubborness very young. Parents suffer them to indulge in evil tempers and passions
without subduing or correcting them, and by so doing they cherish and nourish these evil
passions until they grow with their growth and strengthen with their strength.” RH 3-28-
1893
“You should correct your children in love. Do not let them have their own way
until you get angry, and then punish them. Such correction only helps on the evil, instead
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of remedying it. After you have done your duty faithfully to your children, then carry them
to God, and ask Him to help you. Tell Him that you have done your part, and then in faith
ask God to do His part, that which you cannot do. Ask Him to temper their dispositions, to
make them mild and gentle by His Holy Spirit. He will hear you pray. He will love to
answer your prayers.” RH 3-28-1893
“Children should be brought to the point of submission and obedience.
Disobedience must not be allowed. Sin lies at the door of the parents who allow their
children to disobey.” CG 85, 86
“Rules should be few and well considered; and when once made, they should be
enforced. Whatever it is found impossible to change, the mind learns to recognize and
adapt itself to; but the possibility of indulgence induces desires, hope, and uncertainty, and
the results are restlessness, irritability, and insubordination.” Ed 290
“Give them nothing for which they cry, even if your tender heart desires ever so
much to do this; for if they gain the victory once by crying they will expect to do it again.”
CG 92
“I never allowed my children to think that they could plague me in their childhood.
I also brought up in my family others from other families, but I never allowed those
children to think that they could plague their mother. Never did I allow myself to say a
harsh word or to become impatient or fretful over the children. They never got the better of
me once - not once, to provoke me to anger. When my spirit was stirred, or when I felt
anything like being provoked, I would say, ‘Children, we shall let this rest now; we shall
not say anything more about it now. Before we shall retire, we shall talk it over.’ Having all
this time to reflect, by evening they had cooled off, and I could handle them very nicely. . . .
“There is a right way, and there is a wrong way. I never lifted my hand to my
children, before I talked with them; and if they broke down, and if they saw their mistake
(and they always did when I brought it before them and prayed with them), and if they
were subdued (and they always were when I did this), then I had them under my control. I
never found them otherwise. When I prayed with them, they would break all to pieces, and
they would throw their arms around my neck and cry.” CG 253
“Children have sensitive, loving natures. They are easily pleased and easily made
unhappy. By gentle discipline, in loving words and acts, mothers may bind their children
to their hearts. To manifest severity and tobe exacting with children are great mistakes.
Uniform firmness and unimpassioned control are necessary to the discipline of every
family. Say what you mean calmly, move with consideration and carry out what you say
without deviation.” 3T 532
“Some parents are in subjection to their children. They fear to cross the will of
their children, and therefore yield to them. But just as long as children are under the roof
of the parents, dependent upon them, they should be subject to their control. Parents
should move with decision, requiring that their views of right be followed out.” 1T 216,
217
“Let them mingle kindness and affection and love with their family
government, and yet let them be as firm as a rock to right principles.” CG 263
“Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy
soul.” Prov. 29:17
“There is no greater curse upon households than to allow the youth to have their
own way. When parents regard every wish of their children and indulge them in what they
know is not for their good, the children soon lose all respect for their parents, all regard
for the authority of God or man, and are led captive at the will of Satan.” PP 579
“Eli was cursed of God because he did not promptly and decidedly restrain his
wicked sons.” 4T 651
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“The Lord will not vindicate the misrule of parents. Today hundreds of children
swell the ranks of the enemy, living and working apart from the purpose of God. They are
disobedient, unthankful, unholy; but the sin lies at the door of their parents. Christian
parents, thousands of children are perishing in their sins because of the failure of their
parents to rule the home wisely.” CG 182
“Not a particle of variance should be shown by parents in the management of their
children. Parents are to work together as a unit. There must be no division. But many
parents work at cross-purposes, and thus the children are spoiled by mismanagement. If
parents do not agree, let them absent themselves from the presence of their children until
an understanding can be arrived at.” RH 3-30-1897
“No house divided against itself will stand.” Matt. 12:25
“Patiently, lovingly, as faithful stewards of the manifold grace of God, parents are to
do their appointed work. . . . Everything is to be done in faith. Constantly they must pray
that God will impart His grace to their children. Never must they become weary, impatient,
or fretful in their work. They must cling closely to their children and to God.” 3BC 1154
“We should pray to God much more than we do. There is great strength and
blessing in praying together in our families, with and for our children. When my children
have done wrong, and I have talked with them kindly and then prayed with them, I have
never found it necessary after that to punish them. Their hearts would melt in tenderness
before the Holy Spirit that came in answer to prayer.” CG 525
“Do not become impatient with your children when they err. When you correct
them, do not speak abruptly and harshly. This confuses them, making them afraid to tell
the truth.” CG 151
“When children have done wrong, they themselves are convicted of their sin and
feel humiliated and distressed. To scold them for their faults will often result in making
them stubborn and secretive.” CG 248
“The lesson to be taught the children is that their errors and mistakes are to be
brought to Jesus in their very childhood of life. Teach them to ask His forgiveness daily for
any wrong that they have done, and that Jesus does hear the simple prayer of the penitent
heart, and will pardon, and receive them.” CG 494
“Never let your child hear you say, ‘I cannot do anything with you.’ As long as we
may have access to the throne of God, we as parents should be ashamed to utter such a
word. Cry unto Jesus, and He will help you to bring your little ones to Him.” CG 238
“When an emergency arises, ask, Lord, what shall I do now? If you refuse to fret or
scold, the Lord will show you the way. He will help you to use the talent of speech in so
Christlike a way that peace and love will reign in the home.” CT 156
“Fathers and mothers, when you can control yourselves, you will gain great
victories in controlling your children.” CG 217
“If you lose your temper, you forfeit that which no mother or father can afford to
lose - the respect of your children. Never scold, nor permit scolding, in the home. Never
give your child a passionate blow, unless you wish him to learn to quarrel and fight. As
parents, you stand in the place of God to your children, and you are to be on guard.
“Parents, never act from impulse. Never correct your child when you are angry; for
if you do this, you will mold him after your image - to be impulsive, passionate, and
unreasonable. You can be firm without violent threatenings or scoldings.” RH 7-28-1910
“However provoking your children may be in their ignorance, do not give way to
impatience. Teach them patiently and lovingly. Be firm with them. Do not let Satan control
them. Discipline them only when you are under the discipline of God. Christ will be the
victor in the lives of your children if you will learn of Him who is meek and lowly, pure and
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undefiled.” CG 245
“And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the praise of thy
children. In righteousness shalt thou be established.” Isa. 54:13 “Parents may lay for their
children the foundation for a healthy, happy life. They may send them forth from their
homes with moral stamina to resist temptation, and courage and strength to wrestle
successfully with life’s problems. They may inspire in them the purpose and develop the
power to make their lives an honor to God and a blessing to the world.” MH 352
“This is your day of trust, your day of responsibility and opportunity. Soon will
come your day of reckoning. Take up your work with earnest prayer and faithful endeavor.
Teach your children that it is their privilege to receive every day the baptism of the Holy
Spirit. By prayer you may gain an experience that will make your ministry a perfect
success.” CT 131
“If the youth would become strong in mind, pure in morals, firm in spiritual power,
let them follow the example of Jesus in His simplicity, in His submission to parental
restraint.” SD 132
He Will Direct You and Teach You His Will
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own
eyes: fear the Lord and depart from evil.” Prov. 3:5-7
“God does not force the will of any; hence He cannot lead those who are too proud
to be taught, who are bent upon having their own way. Of the double-minded man - he who
seeks to follow his own will, while professing to do the will of God - it is written, ‘Let not
that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.’ James 1:7.” PP 384
“Christ in His life on earth made no plans for Himself. He accepted God’s plans for
Him, and day by day the Father unfolded His plans. So should we depend upon God, that
our lives may be the simple outworking of His will. As we commit our ways to Him, He will
direct our steps.” MH 479
“The meek will he guide in judgment, and the meek will he teach his way.” Ps. 25:9
“There are three ways in which the Lord reveals His will to us, to guide us, and to
fit us to guide others. How may we know His voice from that of a stranger? How shall we
distinguish it from the voice of a false shepherd? God reveals His will to us in His word,
the Holy Scriptures. His voice is also revealed in His providential workings; and it will be
recognized if we do not separate our souls from Him by walking in our own ways, doing
according to our own wills, and following the promptings of an unsanctified heart, until the
senses have become so confused that eternal things are not discerned, and the voice of
Satan is so disguised that it is accepted as the voice of God.
“Another way in which God’s voice is heard is through the appeals of His Holy
Spirit, making impressions upon the heart, which will be wrought out in the character. If
you are in doubt upon any subject you must first consult the Scriptures. If you have truly
begun the life of faith you have given yourself to the Lord to be wholly His, and He has
taken you to mold and fashion according to His purpose, that you may be a vessel unto
honor. You should have an earnest desire to be pliable in His hands and to follow
whithersoever He may lead you. . . . You ought to be able to distinguish His voice.” 5T 512
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to thy word.
With my whole heart I seek thee; let me not wander from thy commandments! I have laid
up thy word in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Ps. 119:11 RSV
“Those who decide to do nothing in any line that will displease God, will know,
after presenting their case before Him, just what course to pursue. And they will receive
not only wisdom, but strength. Power for obedience, for service, will be imparted to them,
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as Christ has promised.” DA 668
“Be strong and of good courage. . . . It is the Lord who goes before you; he will be
with you, he will not fail you or forsake you; do not fear or be dismayed.” Deut. 31:7, 8
“As a little child, trust to the guidance of Him who will ‘keep the feet of his saints.’
God never leads His children otherwise than they would choose to be led, if they could see
the end from the beginning and discern the glory of the purpose which they are fulfilling as
co-workers with Him.” MH 479
“Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7
“We try too hard to take care of self ourselves. We are uneasy and greatly lack a
firm trust in God. Many worry and work, contrive and plan, fearing they may suffer need.
They cannot afford time to pray or to attend religious meetings and, in their care for
themselves, leave no chance for God to care for them. And the Lord does not do much for
them, for they give Him no opportunity.” 2T 196
“Worry is blind, and cannot discern the future; but Jesus sees the end from the
beginning. In every difficulty He has His way prepared to bring relief. ‘No good thing will he
withhold from them that walk uprightly.’
“Our heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for us of which we know
nothing. Those who accept the one principle of making the service of God supreme, will
find perplexities vanish, and a plain path before their feet.” MH 481
“Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the
righteous to be moved.” Ps. 55:22
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he
trusteth in thee.” Isa. 26:3
His Angels Will Guard You
“For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They
shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.” Ps. 91:11, 12
“The guardianship of the heavenly host is granted to all who will work in God’s
ways and follow His plans.” 1SM 97
“The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth
them.” Ps. 34:7
“Could our eyes be opened, we should see forms of evil angels around us, trying to
invent some new way to annoy and destroy us. And we should also see angels of God
guarding us from their power; for God’s watchful eye is over Israel for good, and He will
protect and save His people, if they put their trust in Him.” EW 60
“Angels are ever present where they are most needed, with those who have the
hardest battle with self to fight, and whose surroundings are the most discouraging.” DA
440
“He has not left us to grapple with the power of the enemy in our finite strength.
Heavenly angels fight our battles for us; and cooperating with them, we may be victorious
over the powers of evil.” GAG 10
“If we realize our helplessness and our need of divine power, we shall not trust to
ourselves. We know not what results a day, an hour, or a moment may determine, and
never should we begin the day without committing our ways to our heavenly Father. His
angels are appointed to watch over us, and if we put ourselves under their guardianship,
then in every time of danger they will be at our right hand. When unconsciously we are in
danger of exerting a wrong influence, the angels will be by our side, prompting us to a
better course, choosing our words for us, and influencing our actions.” COL 341, 342
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“Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be
heirs of salvation?” Heb. 1:14
“The angels of glory find their joy in giving, - giving love and tireless watchcare to
souls that are fallen and unholy. Heavenly beings woo the hearts of men; they bring to this
dark world light from the courts above; by gentle and patient ministry they move upon the
human spirit, to bring the lost into a fellowship with Christ which is even closer than they
themselves can know.” DA 21
“Heavenly angels are acquainted with our words and actions, and even with
the thoughts and intents of the heart.” 1T 544
“But it is not the work of good angels to control the minds of men against their will.
If they yield to the enemy, and make no effort to resist him, then the angels of God can do
but little more than hold in check the host of Satan, that they shall not destroy, until
further light be given to those in peril, to move them to arouse and look to heaven for help.
Jesus will not commission holy angels to extricate those who make no effort to help
themselves.” 1T 345
“The work of these heavenly beings is to prepare the inhabitants of this world to
become children of God, pure, holy, undefiled. But men, though professing to be followers
of Christ, do not place themselves in a position where they can understand this ministry,
and thus the work of the heavenly messengers is made hard.” 7BC 923
“I have been shown angels of God all ready to impart grace and power to those who
feel their need of divine strength. But these heavenly messengers will not bestow blessings
unless solicited. They have waited for the cry from souls hungering and thirsting for the
blessing of God; often they have waited in vain. There were, indeed, casual prayers, but not
the earnest supplication from humble, contrite hearts.” OHC 129
“If our eyes could be opened to discern the fallen angels at work with those who feel
at ease and consider themselves safe, we would not feel so secure. Evil angels are upon our
track every moment.” 1T 302
“The adversary of souls is not permitted to read the thoughts of men; but he is
a keen observer, and he marks the words; he takes account of actions, and skillfully
adapts his temptations to meet the cases of those who place themselves in his power.” 1SM
122
“A silent witness guards every soul that lives, seeking to win and draw him to
Christ. The angels never leave the tempted one a prey to the enemy who would destroy the
souls of men if permitted to do so. As long as there is hope, until they resist the Holy Spirit
to their eternal ruin, men are guarded by heavenly intelligences.” OHC 23
Trust God and Endure the Trial of Your Faith
“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as
though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers
of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory is revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding
joy.” 1 Peter 4:12, 13
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a
sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, . . . but be thou
partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.” 2 Tim. 1:7, 8
“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: rather
fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matt. 10:28
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you
in due time: casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant;
because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may
devour: whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are
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accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath
called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make
you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” 1 Peter 5:6-10
“Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him.” Ps. 37:5
“We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are the called according to his purpose.” Rom. 8:28
“All our sufferings and sorrows, all our temptations and trials, all our sadness and
griefs, all our persecutions and privations, in short, all things work together for our
good. All experiences and circumstances are God’s workmen whereby good is brought to
us.” MH 489
“Have faith in God.” Mark 11:22
“Trust in Him at all times.” Ps. 62:8
“The Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.” 2 Thess. 3:3
“The Father's presence encircled Christ, and nothing befell Him but that which
infinite love permitted for the blessing of the world. Here was His source of comfort, and it
is for us. He who is imbued with the Spirit of Christ abides in Christ. The blow that is
aimed at him falls upon the Saviour, who surrounds him with His presence. Whatever
comes to him comes from Christ. He has no need to resist evil, for Christ is his defense.
Nothing can touch him except by our Lord’s permission, and ‘all things’ that are permitted,
‘work together for good to them that love God.’” MB 71
“May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all
endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share
in the inheritance of the saints in light.” Col. 1:11, 12 RSV
UNDERSTAND AND EXPERIENCE AND PREACH THE THREE
ANGELS’ MESSAGES
“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to
preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue,
and people, saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his
judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the
fountains of waters.’
“And there followed another angel, saying, ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great
city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.’
“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If any man worship
the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same
shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the
cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence
of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: and the smoke of their torment
ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast
and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.’
“Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments
of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Rev. 14:6-12
“I was shown three steps - the first, second, and third angels’ messages. Said my
accompanying angel, ‘Woe to him who shall move a block or stir a pin of these messages.
The true understanding of these messages is of vital importance. The destiny of souls
hangs upon the manner in which they are received.’” EW 258, 259
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“Those who have had no experience in the first and second angels’ messages must
receive them from others who had an experience and followed down through the
messages. As Jesus was rejected, so I saw that these messages have been rejected. As the
disciples declared that there is salvation in no other name under heaven, given among
men, so also should the servants of God faithfully and fearlessly warn those who embrace
but a part of the truths connected with the third message, that they must gladly receive
all the messages as God has given them, or have no part in the matter.” EW 188, 189
What are the truths in the third message which we are most likely to embrace?
That we will receive the mark of the beast if we do not keep the commandments of God,
especially the Sabbath. Having the faith of Jesus is often overlooked, and yet without
that faith we have not experienced even the first angel’s message, which is the
everlasting gospel, making it possible for us to obey God’s law in the heart.
“Many who embraced the third message had not had an experience in the two
former messages. Satan understood this, and his evil eye was upon them to overthrow
them; but the third angel was pointing them to the most holy place, and those who
had had an experience in the past messages were pointing them the way to the
heavenly sanctuary. Many saw the perfect chain of truth in the angels’ messages, and
gladly received them in their order, and followed Jesus by faith into the heavenly
sanctuary. These messages were represented to me as an anchor to the people of God.
Those who understand and receive them will be kept from being swept away by the many
delusions of Satan.” EW 256
The third angel was pointing them to the most holy place where the law is under
the mercy seat. Those who had experienced the gospel could show them how to enter
the sanctuary through repentance, surrender, cleansing by the blood and regeneration
by water and the Spirit. Then through the ministry of Christ in the holy place they would
receive the Holy Spirit in the life, they would be fed with the spiritual bread, and
through Christ working in them His righteousness they could live His character, thus
fulfilling the just requirements of the law which is in the most holy place, by which they
will be judged.
“All should understand the truths contained in these messages and demonstrate
them in daily life, for this is essential to salvation.” Ev.196
Now we will examine the messages in the order and manner in which they are
given.
The First Angel Brings the Gospel
“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel
to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue,
and people.” Rev. 14:6
“We have been commissioned to go forth and preach the gospel to every creature.
We are to bring to the lost the tidings that Christ can forgive sin, can renew the nature, can
clothe the soul in the garments of His righteousness, bring the sinner to His right mind,
and teach him and fit him up to be a laborer together with God.” FE 199
“The gospel is to be presented, not as a lifeless theory, but as a living force to
change the life. God desires that the receivers of His grace shall be witnesses to its
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power.” DA 826
salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is
the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by
faith.” Rom. 1:16, 17
“In ourselves we are incapable of doing any good thing; but that which we cannot
do will be wrought by the power of God in every submissive and believing soul. It was
through faith that the child of promise was given. It is through faith that spiritual life is
begotten, and we are enabled to do the works of righteousness.” DA 98
“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, . . . might be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Eph. 3:16-19
“The inexhaustible supplies of heaven are at their command. Christ gives them the
breath of His own Spirit, the life of His own life. The Holy Spirit puts forth its highest
energies to work in heart and mind.” 6T 306
“When His words of instruction have been received, and have taken possession of
us, Jesus is to us an abiding presence, controlling our thoughts and ideas and actions. . . .
It is no more we that live, but Christ that liveth in us, and He is the hope of glory. Self is
dead, but Christ is a living Saviour.” TM 389
“Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and generations, but now is
made manifest to his saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the
glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Col.
1:26, 27
“Souls that have borne the likeness of Satan, have been transformed into the image
of God. This change is itself the miracle of miracles. A change wrought by the word, it is
one of the deepest mysteries of the word. We cannot understand it; we can only believe, as
declared by the Scriptures, it is ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory.’ Col. 1:27
“A knowledge of this mystery furnishes a key to every other.” Ed 172
preaching of Jesus Christ, . . . to bring about the obedience of faith.” Rom. 16:25, 26 RSV
“If you are right with God today, you are ready if Christ should come today. What
you need is Christ formed within, the hope of glory.” HP 227
“That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every
good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according
to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.” Col. 1:10, 11
“And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and
in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and
without offence till the day of Jesus Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness
which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God.” Phil. 1:9-11
When we are experiencing the gospel, we can then give glory to God by living his
character.
He Bids Us to Fear God and Give Him Glory
“Saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to him.’” Rev. 14:7
“To give glory to God is to reveal His character in our own, and thus make Him
known.” 7BC 979
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“You cannot hallow His name, you cannot represent Him to the world, unless in life
and character you represent the very life and character of God. This you can do only
through the acceptance of the grace and righteousness of Christ.” MB 107
“The religion of Christ means more than the forgiveness of sin; it means taking
away our sins, and filling the vacuum with the graces of the Holy Spirit. . . . It means a
heart emptied of self, and blessed with the abiding presence of Christ. When Christ reigns
in the soul, there is purity, freedom from sin.” COL 419
“Those who wait for the Bridegroom’s coming are to say to the people, ‘Behold your
God.’ The last rays of merciful light, the last message of mercy to be given to the world, is a
revelation of His character of love.” COL 415
“By implanting in their hearts the principles of His word, the Holy Spirit develops
in men the attributes of God. The light of His glory – His character - is to shine forth in
His followers. Thus they are to glorify God, to lighten the path to the Bridegroom’s home,
to the city of God, to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” COL 414
“We are nearing the judgment, and those who bear the message of warning to the
world must have clean hands and pure hearts. They must have a living connection with
God. The thoughts must be pure and holy, the soul untainted, the body, soul, and spirit be
a pure, clean offering to God, or He will not accept it.” TM 426
“Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.” Isa. 52:11
For the Hour of His Judgment Is Come
“Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and
worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Rev.
14:7
“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first
begin at us, What shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” 1 Peter 4:17,
18
“Profession alone is nothing. Names are registered upon the church books
upon earth, but not in the book of life.” 1T 504
“As the books of record are opened in the judgment, the lives of all who have
believed on Jesus come in review before God. Beginning with those who first lived upon
the earth, our Advocate presents the cases of each successive generation, and closes with
the living. Every name is mentioned, every case closely investigated. Names are accepted,
names are rejected. When any have sins remaining upon the books of record, unrepented
of and unforgiven, their names will be blotted out of the book of God’s remembrance. The
Lord declared to Moses: ‘Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my
book.’ Ex.32:33. And says the prophet Ezekiel: ‘When the righteous turneth away from his
righteousness, and committeth iniquity, . . . all his righteousness that he hath done shall
not be mentioned.’ Eze. 18:24
“All who have truly repented of sin, and by faith claimed the blood of Christ as
their atoning sacrifice, have had pardon entered against their names in the books of
heaven; as they have become partakers of the righteousness of Christ, and their
characters are found to be in harmony with the law of God, their sins will be blotted
out, and they themselves will be accounted worthy of eternal life.” GC 483
“I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will
not remember thy sins.” Isa. 43: 25
"Now is the time when we are to confess and forsake our sins that they may go
beforehand to judgment and be blotted out. Now is the time to ‘cleanse ourselves from all
filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.’ 2 Cor. 7:1” HP 348
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“The grand judgment is taking place, and has been going on for some time.
Now the Lord says, Measure the temple and the worshipers thereof. Remember when you
are walking the streets about your business, God is measuring you; when you are attending
your household duties, when you engage in conversation, God is measuring you. . . .
“Here is the work going on, measuring the temple and its worshipers to see who
will stand in the last day. Those who stand fast shall have an abundant entrance into the
kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. When we are doing our work remember
there is One that is watching the spirit in which we are doing it.” 7BC 972
“All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirit.”
Prov. 16:2
Every day God is watching you to help you to stand, to keep you in the right
spirit. He alerts you and helps you to repent if you fail. He wants you to learn to let His
Spirit control you at all times.
“Let us, as Christ's followers, search our hearts as with a lighted candle to see what
manner of spirit we are of. For our present and eternal good, let us criticize our actions,
to see how they stand in the light of the law of God. For this law is our standard.” 7BC 986
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter; Fear God, and keep his
commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into
judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Ecc. 12:13, 14
“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.” COL 316
“God’s law reaches the feelings and motives, as well as the outward acts. It reveals
the secrets of the heart, flashing light upon things before buried in darkness. God knows
every thought, every purpose, every plan, every motive. The books of heaven record the
sins that would have been committed had there been opportunity. God will bring every
work into judgment, with every secret thing. By His law He measures the character of every
man.” 5BC 1085
Secret sins are not unconscious sins. They are sins you have in your heart and
mind, but you have not acted on them outwardly.
“The law of God takes note of the jealousy, envy, hatred, malignity, revenge, lust,
and ambition that surge through the soul, but have not found expression in outward
action, because the opportunity, not the will, has been wanting. And these sinful emotions
will be brought into the account in the day when ‘God shall bring every work into
judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’ Ecc. 12:14.”
1SM 217
“For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest.” Luke 8:17
“God reads purposes and motives. Every work and every secret thing is open to His
all-seeing eye. No thought, word, or action escapes His notice. He knows whether we love
and glorify Him or please and exalt ourselves. He knows whether we set our affections
upon things above . . . or upon things earthly, sensual, and devilish.” 4T 646
“He who finds pleasure in dwelling upon scenes of impurity, who indulges the evil
thought, the lustful look, may behold in the open sin, with its burdens of shame and heart-
breaking grief, the true nature of the evil which he has hidden in the chambers of the soul.”
MB 60
“God’s eye does not slumber. He knows every sin that is hidden from mortal eyes.
The guilty know just what sins to confess that their souls may be clean before God.
Jesus is now giving them opportunity to confess, to repent in deep humility, and purify
their lives by obeying and living out the truth.” 1T 156
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“The law requires that the soul itself be pure and the mind holy, that the thoughts
and feelings may be in accordance with the standard of love and righteousness.” 1SM 211
“If the thoughts are wrong, the feelings will be wrong; and the thoughts and
feelings combined make up the moral character.” HP 164
“Moral perfection is required of all.” COL 330
“It is the spiritual and moral character that is of value in the sight of heaven,
and that will survive the grave and be made glorious with immortality for the endless
ages of eternity.” 1SM 259
“As we near the judgment, all will manifest their true character, and it will be made
plain to what company they belong.” 1T 100
“All who would have their names retained in the book of life should now, in the few
remaining days of their probation, afflict their souls before God by sorrow for sin and true
repentance. There must be deep, faithful searching of heart.” GC 490
“I saw that many would fall this side of the kingdom. God is testing and proving His
people, and many will not endure the test of character, the measurement of God. Many
will have close work to overcome their peculiar traits of character and be without spot or
wrinkle or any such thing, unrebukable before God and man.” 1T 533
The Second Angel Warns About the Wine of Babylon
“And there followed another angel, saying, ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that
great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her
fornication.’” Rev. 14:8
“Babylon is said to be ‘the mother of harlots.’ By her daughters must be
symbolized churches that cling to her doctrines and traditions, and follow her example
of sacrificing the truth and approval of God, in order to form an unlawful alliance with
the world. The message of Revelation 14, announcing the fall of Babylon must apply to
religious bodies that were once pure and have become corrupt.” GC 382, 383
“What is that wine? - Her false doctrines. She has given to the world a
false Sabbath instead of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, and has repeated
the falsehood that Satan first told to Eve in Eden - the natural immortality of the soul.
Many kindred errors she has spread far and wide, ‘teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men.’” 2SM 118
“If we turn from the testimony of God’s word, and accept false doctrines
because our fathers taught them, we fall under the condemnation pronounced
upon Babylon; we are drinking of the wine of her abomination.” GC 536, 537
Individually we could be holding on to false traditions which could leave
us in an unsaved condition. We must examine everything we have been taught,
especially on the plan of salvation.
“Let all who accept human authority, the customs of the church, or the
traditions of the fathers, take heed to the warning conveyed in the words of Christ, ‘In
vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.’ Matt.
15:9.” DA 398
“We should not allow any argument of man’s to turn us away from a
thorough investigation of Bible truth. The opinions and customs of men are not to be
received as of divine authority. God has revealed in His word what is the whole duty of
man, and we are not to be swayed from the great standard of righteousness. He sent
his only-begotten Son to be our example, and bade us to hear and follow Him. We
must not be influenced from the truth as it is in Jesus, because great and
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professedly good men urge their ideas above the plain statements of the word of
God.” FE 128
Test All Teachings
“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word; it
is because there is no light in them.” Isa. 8:20
“It is not enough to do what a man thinks is right or what the minister tells
him is right. His soul’s salvation is at stake, and he should search the Scriptures for
himself.” GC 598
“As we near the end of time, falsehood will be so mingled with truth, that
only those who have the guidance of the Holy Spirit will be able to distinguish truth
from error. We need to make every effort to keep the way of the Lord. We must in no
case turn from His guidance to put our trust in man.” 7BC 907
“Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast
that which is good.” 1 Thess. 5:19-21
“When a message is presented to God’s people, they should not rise up in
opposition to it; they should go to the Bible, comparing it with the law and the
testimony, and if it does not bear this test, it is not true.” TM 119
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of
God.” 1 John 4:1
“God’s Spirit has illuminated every page of Holy Writ, but there are those
upon whom it makes little impression, because it is imperfectly understood. When the
shaking comes, by the introduction of false theories, these surface readers,
anchored nowhere, are like shifting sand.” TM 112
“There will be some terrible falls by those who think they stand firm
because they have the truth, but they have it not as it is in Jesus.” 5T 540
“They were living on a low level, dwelling on the surface truths which call for
no thought, no deep research.” 6BC 1086
“God will arouse His people; if other means fail, heresies will come in
among them, which will sift them, separating the chaff from the wheat.” 5T 707
“For I know this, that after my departure shall grievous wolves enter in
among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking
perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch.” Acts 20:29-31
“Every wind of doctrine will be blowing. Everything that can be shaken
will be shaken, and only those things that cannot be shaken will remain. Satan is
making the most desperate efforts to induce souls to range under his banner, and all
who yield to his deceptions will wage war against the servants of Prince Immanuel.
Watchfulness and prayer must be our safe-guards in these days of peril.” RH 11-6-
1883
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall
depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” 1
Tim.4:1
“The multitudes do not want Bible truth, because it interferes with the
desires of the sinful, world-loving heart; and Satan supplies the deceptions which they
love. . . .
“He leads the people to look to bishops, to pastors, to professors of
theology, as their guides, instead of searching the Scriptures to learn their duty for
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themselves. Then, by controlling the minds of these leaders, he can influence the
multitudes according to his will.” GC 595
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after
their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they
shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned to fables.” 2 Tim. 4:3, 4
“In order to sustain erroneous doctrines or unchristian practices, some
will seize upon passages of Scripture separated from the context, perhaps quoting
half of a single verse as proving their point, when the remaining portion would
show the meaning to be quite the opposite.” GC 521
“There be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.”
Gal. 1:7
“They prefer their own reasoning to divine revelation, their own plans and
human wisdom to the admonitions and commands of God. The piety and
conscientiousness of others are called fanaticism, and those who practice truth and
holiness are watched and criticized. They deride those who teach and believe the
mystery of godliness, ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory.’ The principles underlying
these things are not discerned by them; and they go on in wrong-doing, leaving the bars
open for Satan to find ready access to the soul.” 4BC 1138
“All must obtain a living experience for themselves; they must have Christ
enshrined in the heart, His Spirit controlling the affections, or their profession of faith
is of no value, and their condition will be even worse than if they had never heard the
truth.” 5T 619
“Gospel religion is Christ in the life - a living, active principle. It is the
grace of Christ revealed in character and wrought out in good works.” COL 384
“If the truth sanctifies the soul, sin is hated and shunned, because Christ is
accepted as an honored guest. But Christ cannot share a divided heart; sin and Jesus
are never in copartnership.” TM 160
“Satan deceives many with the plausible theory that God’s love for His
people is so great that He will excuse sin in them.” PP 522
“Love is dwelt upon as the chief attribute of God, but it is degraded to a
weak sentimentalism, making little distinction between good and evil. God’s justice,
His denunciations of sin, the requirements of His law, are all kept out of sight.” GC 558
“That religion which makes of sin a light matter, dwelling upon the love of
God to the sinner regardless of his actions, only encourages the sinner to believe that
God will receive him while he continues in that which he knows to be sin. This is what
some are doing who profess to believe present truth. The truth is kept apart from the
life, and that is the reason it has no power to convict and convert the soul.” 5T 540
“Multitudes eagerly accept teachings that leave them at liberty to obey the
promptings of the carnal heart. . . . Satan exultingly sweeps into his net thousands who
profess to be followers of Christ.” GC 556
“‘Believe, believe, believe in Jesus,’ is the soothing fallacy that is lulling
many to sleep in the cradle of carnal security, and we need to be alarmed.” RH 6-10-
1890
“Where there is not only a belief in God’s word, but a submission of the will
to Him; where the heart is yielded to Him, the affections fixed upon Him, there is faith -
faith that works by love and purifies the soul. Through this faith the heart is renewed
in the image of God.” SC 63
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every one who has faith, . . . He who through faith is righteous shall live.” Rom. 1:16,
17
“The world is perishing for want of the gospel. There is a famine for the
word of God. There are few who preach the word unmixed with human tradition.
Though men have the Bible in their hands, they do not receive the blessing that God
has placed in it for them. The Lord calls upon His servants to carry His message to the
people. The word of everlasting life must be given to those who are perishing in their
sins.” COL 228, 229
“Spurious doctrines, spurious faith, much that is fair in appearance,
abound all around us. Teachers will come clothed as angels of light; and if possible,
they will deceive the very elect.” Ev. 364
“Without the enlightenment of the Spirit, men will not be able to distinguish
truth from error, and they will fall under the masterful temptations of Satan.” COL
408, 409
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,
walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8
“He will work with all deceivableness of unrighteousness to mingle
errors and incorrect views with the work of God and push men into false
positions.” 5T 644, 645
“Do not forget that the most dangerous snares which Satan has prepared for
the church will come through its own members.” 5T 477
“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false
teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies.” 2 Peter 2:1 RSV
“It may be that the destroyers are already training under the hand of
Satan and only wait the departure of a few more standard-bearers to take their
places, and with the voice of the false prophet cry, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no
peace.” 5T 77
“The enemies of Christ are many, who, while they claim to be righteous,
have not the righteousness of Christ. They disguise themselves as angels of light, but
they are ministers of sin.” TM 236
“For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly,
saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.” Jer. 8:11
“God will not be trifled with. . . . God is a sin-hating God; and those who will
encourage the sinner, saying, It is well with thee, God will curse.” RH 6-8-1886
“Many tell us, ‘You are too particular. God does not expect us to be
constantly on guard lest we make mistakes. He is too good to hold us accountable for
our course of action day by day.’ But we are to remember that the way to destruction is
broad, while the way to eternal life is strait and narrow. Listen again to the words of
the great Teacher: ‘Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but
inwardly they are ravening wolves.’ Matt. 7:15.” ST 10-29-1885
“They talk of God’s love, claiming that He is not severe and exacting, but
long-suffering and lenient; at the same time, they echo the suggestion of Satan, . . . ‘Ye
shall not surely die.’” RH 11-18-1890
“With lies ye have . . . strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should
not return from his wicked way, by promising him life.” Eze. 13:22
“God will not make the slightest compromise with sin. If He could have done
this, Christ need not have come to our world to suffer and die.” 5BC 1144
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God’s Love Does Not Cover or Justify or Excuse any Sins
but Empowers Us to Live His Life
The following is a statement which is usually quoted to defend the idea
that justification covers us even while we are sinning as long as we are trying to
overcome.
“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.” FW 50
There is also a chart that has been used to illustrate this tradition and
this idea has left many of us secure without victory today, always hoping it will
come tomorrow.
Now let us examine the statement in context and along with other
statements and texts.
“There is no excuse for sin or for indolence. Jesus has led the way, and
He wishes us to follow in His steps. He has suffered, He has sacrificed as none of us
can, that He might bring salvation within our reach. We need not be discouraged.
Jesus came to our world to bring divine power to man, that through His grace, we
might be transformed into His likeness.
“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. But He will not accept those who claim to
have faith in Him and yet are disloyal to His Father’s commandment. We hear a
great deal about faith, but we need to hear a great deal more about works. Many are
deceiving their own souls by living an easy-going, accommodating, crossless religion.”
FW 49, 50
Jesus does not cover or excuse our sins. He came to connect us to Himself,
so that He could empower us to live for Him.
“Jesus came to our world to bring divine power to man, that through His
grace, we might be transformed into His likeness.” FW 50
“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in
weakness.” 2 Cor. 12:9
“Abundant grace has been provided that the believing soul may be kept free
from sin; for all heaven, with its limitless resources, has been placed at our command.”
1SM 394
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“I can do all things through him which strengtheneth me.” Phil. 4:13
“He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom,
our righteousness and sanctification and redemption; therefore, as it is written, ‘Let
him who boasts, boast of the Lord’” 1 Cor. 1:30, 31
“In the Lord have I righteousness and strength.” Isa. 45:24
“Your hope is not in yourself; it is in Christ. Your weakness is united to His
strength, your ignorance to His wisdom, your frailty to His enduring might.” SC 70
“He is watching over you, and if you are willing to be guided by Him, He will
throw around you influences for good that will enable you to accomplish all His will for
you.” MYP 17
“His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and
godliness.” 2 Peter 13
“There are many who in their hearts murmur against God. They say, ‘We
inherit the fallen nature of Adam, and are not responsible for our natural
imperfections.’” ST 8-29-1892
“For all the natural weaknesses Jesus has made ample provision, that they
may be overcome through His grace.” RH 5-24-1887
“When we frame excuses for selfishness, for evil thinking and evil
speaking, we are educating the soul in evil, and if we continue to do this, it will
become a habit to yield to temptation.” 2SM 236
This is what many of us were doing. We thought we could excuse our
heart sins, which are actually character defects.
“God will not make the slightest compromise with sin. If He could have
done this, Christ need not have come to our world to suffer and die.” 5BC 1144
“Christ loves His church. He will give all needed help to those who call upon
Him for strength for the development of Christlike character. But His love is not
weakness. He will not serve with their sins or give them prosperity while they
continue to follow a wrong course of action. Only by faithful repentance will their sins
be forgiven; for God will never cover evil with the robe of His righteousness.” SD 13
“The halo of glory, which God had given holy Adam, covering him as a
garment, departed from him after his transgression. The light of God’s glory could not
cover disobedience and sin.” 1SM 270
“I must speak the truth to all. Those who have accepted light from God’s
Word are never, never to leave an impression upon human minds that God will serve
with their sins.” 1SM 115
“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, accepted in the Beloved, only as we abide in Him by faith.” 7BC 933
“But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found
sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the
things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.” Gal. 2:17, 18
“No one who truly loves and fears God will continue to transgress the law in
any particular. When man transgresses he is under the condemnation of the law, and it
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becomes to him a yoke of bondage. Whatever his profession may be he is not justified,
which means pardoned.” ML 250
“For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law
shall be justified.” Rom. 2:13
“While God can be just, and yet justify the sinner through the merits of
Christ, no man can cover his soul with the garments of Christ’s righteousness
while practicing known sins, or neglecting known duties. God requires the entire
surrender of the heart, before justification can take place; and in order for man to
retain justification, there must be continual obedience, through active, living faith
that works by love and purifies the soul. . . .
“In order for man to be justified by faith, faith must reach a point where
it will control the affections and impulses of the heart; and it is by obedience that
faith itself is made perfect.” 1SM 366
“The righteousness of Christ is not a cloak to cover unconfessed and
unforsaken sin; it is a principle of life that transforms the character and controls the
conduct. Holiness is wholeness for God; it is the entire surrender of heart and life to
the indwelling of the principles of heaven.” DA 555, 556
“Gospel religion is Christ in the life - a living, active principle. It is the
grace of Christ revealed in character and wrought out in good works.” COL 384
“Christ abiding in the soul exerts a transforming power, and the outward
aspect bears witness to the peace and joy that reign within. We drink in the love of
Christ, as the branch draws nourishment from the vine. If we are grafted in Christ, if
fiber by fiber we have been united with the Living Vine, we shall give evidence of the
fact by bearing rich clusters of living fruit.” 1SM 337
“Ye shall know them by their fruits.” Matt. 7:16
“Inward grace will be revealed in the outward actions.” 5T 568
“Righteousness within is testified to by righteousness without. He who is
righteous within is not hard-hearted and unsympathetic, but day by day he grows into
the image of Christ, going on from strength to strength. He who is being sanctified by
the truth will be self-controlled, and will follow in the footsteps of Christ until grace is
lost in glory. 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.” MYP 35
Receiving Christ into the life is the first righteousness, our title to heaven.
Living by His power is the second righteousness, our fitness for heaven.
“Through faith in His name he imputes unto us His righteousness, and it
becomes a living principle in our life.” KH 302
“His imputed grace and power He gives to all who receive Him by faith.”
7BC 929
“By receiving His imputed righteousness, through the transforming power
of the Holy Spirit, we become like him.” 6BC 1098
Christ living in us (the imputed righteousness) produces the fruits of the
Spirit (the imparted righteousness). The vine and the branch illustration is the
diagram which Jesus gave us of His relationship with His followers.
“As the life of the vine circulates through stem and cluster, descends into the
lower fibers, and reaches to the topmost leaf, so will the grace and love of Christ burn
and abound in the soul, sending its virtues to every part of the being, and pervading
every exercise of body and mind.” SD 76
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“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, . . . might be filled with all
the fulness of God.” Eph. 3:16-19
“The inexhaustible supplies of heaven are at their command. Christ gives
them the breath of His own spirit, the life of His own life. The Holy Spirit puts forth its
highest energies to work in heart and mind.” 6T 306
“Then with Christ working in you, you will manifest the same spirit and do
the same good works - works of righteousness, obedience.
“So we have nothing in ourselves of which to boast. We have no ground for
self-exaltation. Our only ground of hope is in the righteousness of Christ imputed
to us, and in that wrought by His Spirit working in and through us.” SC 63
“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.
“Genuine faith will be manifested in good works; for good works are the
fruits of faith. As God works in the heart, and man surrenders his will to God, and
cooperates 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, and the believer must have a progressive experience by continually doing the
works of Christ. It is by continual surrender of the will, by continual obedience,
that the blessing of justification is retained.
“Those who are justified by faith must have a heart to keep the way of the
Lord. It is an evidence that a man is not justified by faith when his works do not
correspond to his profession. James says, ‘Seest thou how faith wrought with his
works, and by works was his faith made perfect?’ James 2:22. The faith that does not
produce good works does not justify the soul. ‘Ye see then how that by works a man is
justified, and not by faith only.’ James 2:24.” 1 SM 396, 397
“Genuine faith does a genuine work in the believer. . . . The so-called faith
that does not work by love and purify the soul will not justify any man.” 7BC 936
“The danger has been presented to me again and again of entertaining, as a
people, false ideas of justification by faith. I have been shown for years that Satan
would work in a special manner to confuse the mind on this point.” FW 18
“Keep thee far from a false matter; . . . for I will not justify the wicked.” Ex.
23:7
“There is no safety nor repose nor justification in transgression of the
law. Man cannot hope to stand innocent before God, and at peace with Him through
the merits of Christ, while he continues in sin. He must cease to transgress and
become loyal and true.” 1SM 213
“Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for
the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient
children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but
as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.” 1
Peter 1:13-15
“Let none deceive themselves with the thought that God, in His great love
and mercy, will yet save even the rejecters of His grace. The exceeding sinfulness of sin
can be estimated only in the light of the cross. When men urge that God is too good
to cast off the sinner, let them look to Calvary. . . . The love and suffering and death
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of the Son of God all testify to the terrible enormity of sin, and declare that there is no
escape from its power, no hope of the higher life, but through the submission of the
soul to Christ.” SC 31, 32
“Whenever men choose their own way, they place themselves in controversy
with God. They will have no place in the kingdom of heaven, for they are at war with
the very principles of heaven.” MB 52
“The transgression of God’s law in a single instance, in the smallest
particular, is a sin. And the non-execution of the penalty of that sin would be a crime in
the divine administration. . . .
“What is the justice of God? It is the holiness of God in relation to sin.
Christ bore the sins of the world in man’s behalf that the sinner might have another
trial.” 7BC 951
“Do you not know that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”
Rom. 2:4
“God bears long with the perversity of men, giving them ample opportunity
for repentance; but He marks all their devices to resist the authority of His just and
holy law.” PP 123
“If men cling to sin, they become identified with it. Then the glory of God,
which destroys sin, must destroy them.” DA 107
“And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord
God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that
will by no means clear the guilty.” Ex. 34:6, 7
“Men may now excuse their defects of character, but in that day they will
offer no excuse.” COL 317
“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?” 1
Cor. 6:9
“Christ will have nothing to do with pretense. He will welcome to the
heavenly courts those only whose Christianity is genuine. The lives of professing
Christians who do not live the life of Christ are a mockery to religion.” HP 318
“Our Lord is put to shame by those who claim to serve Him, but who
misrepresent His character; and multitudes are deceived, and led into false paths.” DA
439
“Skeptics have assailed Christianity, and ridiculed the Bible, because David
gave them occasion. They bring up to Christians the case of David, his sin in the case
of Uriah and Bathsheba, his polygamy, and then assert that David is called a man after
God’s own heart, and that if the Bible record is correct, God justified David in his
crimes.
“I was shown that it was when David was pure, and walking in the counsel
of God, that God called him a man after His own heart. When David departed from
God, and stained his virtuous character by his crimes, he was no longer a man
after God’s own heart. God did not in the least degree justify him in his sins, but
sent Nathan, His prophet, with dreadful denunciations to David because he had
transgressed the commandment of the Lord. God shows his displeasure at David’s
having a plurality of wives, by visiting him with judgments, and permitting evils to rise
up against him from his own house. The terrible calamity that God permitted to come
upon David; who, for his integrity, was once called a man after God’s own heart, is
evidence to after generations that God would not justify any one in transgressing His
commandments; but that He would surely punish the guilty, however righteous and
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favored of God they might once have been while they followed the Lord in purity of
heart.” 1SP 379
“As he departed from God and yielded himself to the wicked one, he became
for the time the agent of Satan.” PP 719
“When the righteous turn from their righteousness and do evil, their past
righteousness will not save them from the wrath of a just and holy God.”
1SP 379
“Jesus died, not to save man in his sins, but from his sins.” 4T 251
“One sin unrepented of is enough to close the gates of heaven against you. It
was because man could not be saved with one stain of sin upon him, that Jesus came
to die on Calvary’s cross.” ST 3-17-1890
“Only for those who return to their allegiance to God, only for those who
obey the law that they have violated, will the blood of Christ avail. Christ will never
become a party to sin. Bearing the penalty of the law, He gives the sinner another
chance, a second trial. He opens a way whereby the sinner can be reinstated in God’s
favor.” 6BC 1092
“Have you fallen into sin? Then without delay seek God for mercy and
pardon. . . . Mercy is still extended to the sinner.” 5T 177
“It is Satan's special device to lead man into sin, and then leave him,
helpless and trembling, fearing to seek for pardon.” COL 156
“If we are overcome let us not delay to repent, and to accept the pardon that
will place us on vantage ground. If we repent and believe, the cleansing power from
God will be ours. His saving grace is freely offered. His pardon is given to all who will
receive it.” HP 50
“Justification is a full, complete pardon of sin. The moment a sinner
accepts Christ by faith, that moment he is pardoned. The righteousness of Christ is
imputed to him, and he is no more to doubt God’s forgiving grace.” 6BC 1071
“David was pardoned of his transgression because he humbled his heart
before God in repentance and contrition of soul, and believed that God’s promise to
forgive would be fulfilled. He confessed his sin, repented, and was reconverted. In
the rapture of the assurance of forgiveness, he ex-claimed, ‘Blessed is he whose
transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the
Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.’ The blessing comes
because of pardon; pardon comes through faith that the sin, confessed and repented
of, is borne by the great Sin-bearer.” 3BC 1146
“Whoever under the reproof of God will humble the soul with confession
and repentance, as did David, may be sure that there is hope for him. Whoever will in
faith accept God’s promises, will find pardon. The Lord will never cast away one truly
repentant soul. He has given this promise: . . . ‘Let the wicked forsake his way, and the
unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have
mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’” PP 726
“Pardon and justification are one and the same thing.” 6BC 1070
“To be pardoned in the way that Christ pardons, is not only to be forgiven,
but to be renewed in the spirit of the mind.” 3SM 190
“David had the true conception of forgiveness when he prayed, ‘Create in me
a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.’” MB 114
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Jesus Had No Advantage Over the Sanctified
“We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering
of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste
death for every man.
“For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in
bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through
sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one:
for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.” Heb. 2:9-11
“Jesus Christ is our example in all things. He began life, passed through
its experiences, and ended its record, with a sanctified human will. He was
tempted in all points like as we are, and yet because He kept His will surrendered and
sanctified, He never bent in the slightest degree toward the doing of evil, or toward
manifesting rebellion against God.” ST 10-19-1894
“For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him
that sent me.” John 6:38
“Of His own life the Saviour said: ‘I have kept my Father’s commandments.’
‘The Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.’ As
Jesus was in human nature, so God means His followers to be. In His strength we
are to live the life of purity and nobility which the Saviour lived.” 8T 289
“For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through
the truth.” John 17:19
“What is sanctification? It is to give one’s self wholly and without reserve -
soul, body, and spirit - to God; to deal justly; to love mercy, and to walk humbly with
God; to know and to do the will of God without regard to self or self-interest; to be
heavenly-minded, pure, unselfish, holy, and without spot or stain.” OHC 212
“The true Christian, . . . is a living representative of the truth which he
professes. Of these true-hearted followers, Jesus declares that He is not ashamed to
call them brethren.” ST 3-9-1882
“For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same
is my brother, and sister, and mother.” Matt. 12:50
“All who would receive Christ by faith were united to Him by a tie closer
than that of human kinship. They would become one with Him, as He was one with the
Father.” DA 325
“As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of
God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the
will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12
“Through Jesus the fallen sons of Adam become ‘sons of God.’ ‘Both he
that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one; for which cause he is
not ashamed to call them brethren.’ Heb. 2:11.” GC 477
children, born again, renewed in righteousness and true holiness.” ST 12-17-1902
“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of
you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor
Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all
one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then ye are Abraham’s seed, and heirs
according to the promise.” Gal. 3:26-29
“This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children
of God, but the children of the promise are reckoned as descendants.” Rom. 9:8
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“They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto
them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. . . . Ye are of
your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.” John 8:39, 44
“A mere lineal descent from Abraham was of no value. Without a spiritual
connection with him, which would be manifested in possessing the same spirit, and
doing the same works, they were not his children.” DA 467
“Their standing before God was to be decided by their character and life.
Profession was worthless. If their life and character were not in harmony with God’s
law, they were not His people.” DA 107
“The old nature, born of blood and the will of the flesh, cannot inherit the
kingdom of God. The old ways, the hereditary tendencies, the former habits, must be
given up; for grace is not inherited. The new birth consists in having new motives, new
tastes, new tendencies. Those who are begotten unto a new life by the Holy Spirit, have
become partakers of the divine nature, and in all their habits and practices they will
give evidence of their relationship to Christ.” 6BC 1101
“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also
himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that
had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death
were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of
angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved
him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high
priest in all things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.”
Heb. 2:14-18
“Christ did not make-believe take human nature; He did verily take it. He
did in reality possess human nature. ‘As the children are partakers of flesh and
blood, he himself likewise took part of the same.’ He was the son of Mary; He was of
the seed of David according to human descent. He is declared to be a man, even the
Man Christ Jesus.” 1SM 247
“When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a
woman, made under the law. To redeem them that were under the law, that we might
receive the adoption of sons.” Gal. 4:4, 5
“He was to take His position at the head of humanity by taking the nature
but not the sinfulness of man.” ST 5-29-1901
“And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come
upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore that holy
thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:35
“He was born without a taint of sin, but came into the world in like
manner as the human family. He did not have a mere semblance of a body, but He took
human nature, participating in the life of humanity.” 7BC 925
“He was made like unto His brethren, with the same susceptibilities,
mental and physical.” RH 2-10-1885
“He became flesh, even as we are. He was hungry and thirsty and weary. He
was sustained by food and refreshed by sleep. He shared the lot of man; yet He was the
blameless Son of God. He was God in the flesh.” DA 311
“Christ, who knew not the least taint of sin or defilement, took our nature in
its deteriorated condition.” 1SM 253
“It would have been an almost infinite humiliation for the Son of God to take
man’s nature, even when Adam stood in his innocence in Eden. But Jesus accepted
humanity when the race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin. Like every
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child of Adam He accepted the results of the working of the great law of heredity.
What these results were is shown in the history of His earthly ancestors. He came with
such a heredity to share our sorrows and temptations, and to give us the example of a
sinless life.” DA 49
“Jesus was placed where His character would be tested. It was necessary for
Him to be constantly on guard in order to preserve His purity. He was subject to all
the conflicts which we have to meet, that He might be an example to us in childhood,
youth, and manhood.
“Satan was unwearied in his efforts to overcome the Child of Nazareth.
From his earliest years Jesus was guarded by heavenly angels, yet His life was one
long struggle against the powers of darkness. That there should be upon the earth one
life free from the defilement of evil was an offense and a perplexity to the prince of
darkness. He left no means untried to ensnare Jesus. No child of humanity will ever be
called to live a holy life amid so fierce a conflict with temptations as was our Saviour.”
DA 71
“The Saviour took upon Himself the infirmities of humanity, and lived a
sinless life, that men might have no fear that because of the weakness of human nature
they could not overcome. Christ came to make us ‘partakers of the divine nature,’
and His life declares that humanity combined with divinity does not commit sin.”
MH 180
“Men and women frame many excuses for their proneness to sin. Sin is
represented as a necessity, an evil that cannot be overcome. But sin is not a necessity.
Christ lived in this world from infancy to manhood, and during that time He met and
resisted all the temptations by which man is beset. He is a perfect pattern of childhood,
of youth, of manhood.” FL 219
“He took our nature and overcame, that we through taking His nature might
overcome. Made ‘in the likeness of sinful flesh,’ He lived a sinless life. Now by His
divinity He lays hold upon the throne of heaven, while by His humanity He reaches us.
He bids us by faith in Him attain to the glory of the character of God. Therefore are we
to be perfect, even as our ‘Father which is in heaven is perfect.’” DA 311, 312
“Christ’s life represents a perfect manhood. Just that which you may be, He
was in human nature. He took our infirmities. He was not only made flesh, but He was
made in the likeness of sinful flesh.” 5BC 1124
“Jesus revealed no qualities, and exercised no powers, that men may
not have through faith in Him. His perfect humanity is that which all His followers
may possess, if they will be in subjection to God as He was.” DA 664
“To Jesus, who emptied Himself for the salvation of lost humanity, the Holy
Spirit was given without measure. So it will be given to every follower of Christ when
the whole heart is surrendered for His indwelling. Our Lord Himself has given the
command, ‘Be filled with the Spirit.’ Eph. 5:18. And this command is also a promise of
its fulfillment.” MB 21
“For this reason I bow my knees unto the Father . . . 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 might be filled
with all the fulness of God.” Eph. 3:14-19
“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are
complete in him.” Col. 2:9, 10
“In Christ dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily. This is why,
although He was tempted in all points like as we are, He stood before the world,
from His first entrance into it, untainted by corruption, though surrounded by it.
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Are we not also to become partakers of that fullness, and is it not thus, and thus
only, that we can overcome as He overcame? We lose much by not dwelling
constantly upon the character of Christ.” 7BC 907
“He came to this world and lived a sinless life, that in His power His people
might also live lives of sinlessness. He desires them by practicing the principles of
truth to show to the world that God’s grace has power to sanctify the heart.” RH 4-1-
1902
godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye
might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the
world through lust.” 2 Peter 1:3, 4
“Through being partakers of the divine nature we may stand pure and
holy and undefiled.” 3SM 131
selfishness, envy, jealousy, or any impurity of soul, body, or spirit. God has called us
to glory and virtue. We are to obey the call.” RH 4-24-1900
“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth.
For you have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life
appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you; fornication, impurity, passion,
evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God
is coming. In these you once walked, when you lived in them. But now put them all
away; anger, wrath, malice, slander, and foul talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one
another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its practices and have put on
the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”
Col. 3:1-10
“Break off your sins by practicing righteousness.” Dan. 4:27 RSV
“I saw that the Lord had given you light and experience, that you might see
the sinfulness of a hasty spirit and control your passions. So surely as you fail to do
this, just so surely you will fail of everlasting life. . . .
“You have repeatedly said: ‘I can’t keep my temper. I have to speak.’ You
lack a meek, humble spirit. Self is all alive, and you stand guard continually to
preserve it from mortification or insult. Says the apostle: ‘For ye are dead, and your life
is hid with Christ in God.’ Those who are dead to self will not feel so readily and will
not be prepared to resist everything which may irritate. Dead men cannot feel. You
are not dead. If you were, and your life were hid in Christ, a thousand things which
you now notice, and which afflict you, would be passed by as unworthy of notice, you
would then be grasping the eternal and would be above the petty trials of this life.
Jesus, when reviled, abused, and insulted, did not retaliate. . . . ‘Who, when he was
reviled, reviled not again.’ When the cruelty of man caused Him to suffer painful stripes
and wounds, He threatened not, but committed Himself to Him who judgeth
righteously. . . . ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.’ . . . Christ
has given us His life as a pattern, and we dishonor Him when we become jealous of
every slight, and are ready to resent every injury, supposed or real. It is not an
evidence of a noble mind to be prepared to defend self, to preserve our own dignity. We
would better suffer wrong-fully a hundred times than wound the soul by a spirit of
retaliation, or by giving vent to wrath.” 2T 424-427
Often people say, “But Jesus was angry!” Did Jesus have righteous
indignation or unrighteous anger?
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“He saith unto them, ‘Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do
evil? To save life or to kill?’ But they held their peace. And when he had looked round
about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto
the man, stretch forth thine hand.” Mark 3:4, 5
“He fearlessly denounced hypocrisy, unbelief, and iniquity, but tears were in
His voice as He uttered His scathing rebukes.” DA 353
“It is a righteous indignation against sin, which springs from zeal for the
glory of God, not that anger prompted by self-love or wounded ambition, which is
referred to in the Scriptures, ‘Be ye angry, and sin not.’” TM 100
“When they see that God is dishonored, and His service brought into
disrepute, when they see the innocent oppressed, a righteous indignation stirs the soul.
Such anger, born of sensitive morals, is not sin. But those who at any supposed
provocation feel at liberty to indulge anger or resentment are opening the heart to
Satan. Bitterness and animosity must be banished from the soul if we would be in
harmony with heaven.” DA 310
“Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath
of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” James 1:19, 20
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to
sin and live to righteousness.” 1 Peter 2:24
Through Faith We Can Obey God’s Holy Law
every one who has faith, . . . ‘He who through faith is righteous shall live.” Rom.1:16,
17
“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.” COL 314
“The condition of eternal life is now just what it always has been, just what it
was in Paradise before the fall of our first parents, perfect obedience to the law of God,
perfect righteousness. If eternal life were granted on any condition short of this, then
the happiness of the whole universe would be imperiled. The way would be open for
sin, with all its train of woe and misery, to be immortalized.
“It was possible for Adam, before the fall, to form a righteous character by
obedience to God’s law. But he failed to do this, and because of his sin our natures are
fallen and we cannot make ourselves righteous. Since we are sinful, unholy, we cannot
perfectly obey the holy law. We have no righteous-ness of our own with which to meet
the claims of the law of God. But Christ has made a way of escape for us. He lived on
earth amid trials and temptations such as we have to meet. He lived a sinless life. He
died for us, and now He offers to take our sins and give us His righteousness. 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.
“More than this, Christ changes the heart. He abides in your heart by
faith. You are to maintain this connection with Christ by faith and the continual
surrender of your will to Him; and so long as you do this, he will work in you to
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will and to do according to His good pleasure. So you may say, ‘The life which I now
live in the flesh I live by faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for
me.’. . . Then with Christ working in you, you will manifest the same spirit and do the
same good works - works of righteousness, obedience.” SC 62, 63
about the obedience of faith.” Rom. 16:17, 18 RSV
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ
Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life
in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law
could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh; that the
righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but
after the Spirit.” Rom. 8:1-4
“The disciples of Christ must obtain righteousness of a different character
from that of the Pharisees, if they would enter the kingdom of heaven. God offered
them, in His Son, the perfect righteousness of the law. If they would open their hearts
fully to receive Christ, then the very life of God, His love, would dwell in them,
transforming them into His own likeness; and thus through God’s free gift they
would possess the righteousness which the law requires . . . a reproduction in
themselves of the character of Christ.” MB 54, 55
“There are two errors against which the children of God - particularly those
who have just come to trust in His grace - especially need to guard. The first, already
dwelt upon, is that of looking to their own works, trusting to anything they can do, to
bring themselves into harmony with God. He who is trying to become holy by his own
works in keeping the law, is attempting an impossibility. All that man can do without
Christ is polluted with selfishness and sin. It is the grace of Christ alone, through
faith, that can make us holy.
“The opposite and no less dangerous error is that belief in Christ releases
men from keeping the law of God; that since by faith alone we become partakers of the
grace of Christ, our works have nothing to do with our redemption.
“But notice here that obedience is not a mere outward compliance, but the
service of love. . . . When the principle of love is implanted in the heart, when man is
renewed after the image of Him that created him, the new covenant promise is fulfilled,
‘I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.’ Heb. 10:16.
And if the law is written in the heart, will it not shape the life? . . . Instead of releasing
man from obedience, it is faith, and faith only, that makes us partakers of the
grace of Christ, which enables us to render obedience.” SC 59-61
about the obedience of faith.” Rom. 16:25, 26 RSV
“It is not the work of the gospel to weaken the claims of God’s holy law, but
to bring men up where they can keep its precepts.
“The faith in Christ which saves the soul is not what it is represented to be
by many. ‘Believe, believe,’ is their cry; ‘only believe in Christ, and you will be saved. It
is all you have to do.’ While true faith trusts wholly in Christ for salvation, it will lead to
perfect conformity to the law of God. Faith is manifested by works.” 6BC 1073
“And by this we may be sure that we know him, if we keep his
commandments. He who says ‘I know him’ but disobeys his commandments is a liar,
and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps his word, in him truly love for God is
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perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him; he who says he abides in him
ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” 1 John 2:3-6 RSV
“We must beware of the pretended holiness that permits transgression of
the law of God.” 2SM 51
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For
if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who observes his
natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself and goes away and at once forgets
what he was like. But he who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and
perseveres, being no hearer that forgets but a doer that acts, he shall be blessed in his
doing.” James 1:22-25 RSV
“Here is a work for man to do. He must face the mirror, God’s law, discern
the defects in his moral character, and put away his sins, washing his robe of character
in the blood of the Lamb.” 4T 294
“Without the law, men have no just conception of the purity and holiness of
God or of their own guilt and uncleanness. They have no true conviction of sin and feel
no need of repentance. Not seeing their lost condition as violators of God’s law, they do
not realize their need of the atoning blood of Christ. The hope of salvation is accepted
without a radical change of heart or reformation of life. Thus superficial conversions
abound, and multitudes are joined to the church who have never been united to
Christ.” GC 468
“Love is dwelt upon as the chief attribute of God, but it is degraded to a
weak sentimentalism, making little distinction between good and evil. God’s justice,
His denunciations of sin, the requirements of His Holy Law, are kept out of sight.” GC
558
“If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” Matt. 19:17
“There are only two classes in the world today, and only two classes will be
recognized in the judgment - those who violate God’s law and those who obey it. Christ
gives the test by which to prove our loyalty or disloyalty. ‘If ye love me,’ He says, ‘keep
my commandments.’” DA 309
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom
of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Matt. 7:21
Keep His Commandments
“Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be
good, or whether it be evil.” Ecc. 12:13, 14
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul,
and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like
unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all
the law and the prophets.” Matt. 22:37-40
“I am the Lord thy God, . . . Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”
Ex. 20:2, 3
“Whatever we cherish that tends to lessen our love for God or to interfere
with the service due Him, of that do we make a god.” SD 56
“Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” 1 John 5:21
“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of
anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the
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water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them:
for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon
the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and
shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my
commandments.” Ex. 20:4-6
“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord
will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” Ex. 20:7
“This commandment not only prohibits false oaths and common swearing,
but it forbids us to use the name of God in a light or careless manner. . . . By the
thoughtless mention of God in common conversation, by appeals to Him in trivial
matters, and by the frequent and thoughtless repetition of His name, we dishonor
Him.” PP 306
“To pray in Christ’s name means much. It means that we are to accept His
character, manifest His spirit, and work His works.” DA 668
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days thou shalt labour,
and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it
thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant,
nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in
six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and
rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed
it.” Ex. 20:8-11
“God has given men six days wherein to labor, and He requires that their
own work be done in six working days. Acts of necessity and mercy are permitted on
the Sabbath, the sick and suffering are at all times to be cared for; but unnecessary
labor is to be strictly avoided.” PP 307
“Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the Son of man that layeth hold on
it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing evil.”
Isa. 56:2
“There is need of Sabbath reform among us, who profess to observe God’s
holy rest day. Some discuss their business matters and lay plans on the Sabbath, and
God looks upon this in the same light as though they engaged in the actual transaction
of business.” Ev. 245
“If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my
holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt
honor him, not doing thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt
thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the
earth, and will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the
Lord hath spoken it.” Isa. 58:13, 14
“We should jealously guard the edges of the Sabbath. Remember that every
moment is consecrated, holy time.” 6T 356
“But in order to keep the Sabbath holy, men must themselves be holy.
Through faith they must become partakers of the righteousness of Christ.” DA 283
“Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the
land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” Ex. 20:12
“The fifth commandment requires children not only to yield respect,
submission, and obedience to their parents, but also to give them love and tenderness,
to lighten their cares, to guard their reputation, and to succor and comfort them in old
age. It also enjoins respect for ministers and rulers and for all others to whom God has
delegated authority.” PP 308
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“Thou shalt not kill.” Ex. 20:13
“Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no
murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” 1 John 3:15
“All acts of injustice that tend to shorten life; the spirit of hatred or revenge,
or the indulgence of any passion that leads to injurious acts toward others, or causes
us even to wish them harm; a selfish neglect of caring for the needy or suffering; all
self-indulgence or unnecessary deprivation or excessive labor that tends to injure
health - all these are, to a greater or less degree, violations of the sixth commandment.”
PP 308
“Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Ex. 20:14
“This commandment forbids not only acts of impurity, but sensual thoughts
and desires, or any practice that tends to excite them. Purity is demanded not only in
the outward life but in the secret intents and emotions of the heart. Christ, who taught
the far-reaching obligation of the law of God, declared the evil thought or look to be as
truly sin as is the unlawful deed.” PP 308
“If we would not commit sin, we must shun its very beginnings. Every
emotion and desire must be held in subjection to reason and conscience. Every unholy
thought must be instantly repelled.” 5T 177
“When impure thoughts are cherished, they need not be expressed by word
or act to consummate the sin and bring the soul into condemnation.” 4T 623
“Thou shalt not steal.” Ex. 20:15
“The eighth commandment condemns theft and robbery. It demands strict
integrity in the minutest details of the affairs of life. It forbids over-reaching in trade,
and requires the payment of just debts or wages. It declares that every attempt to
advantage oneself by the ignorance, weakness, or mis-fortune of another is registered
as fraud in the books of heaven.” PP 309
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” Ex. 20:16
“False speaking in any matter, every attempt or purpose to deceive our
neighbor, is here included. An intention to deceive is what constitutes falsehood. By a
glance of the eye, a motion of the hand, an expression of the countenance, a falsehood
may be told as effectually as by words. All intentional overstatement, every hint or
insinuation calculated to convey an erroneous or exaggerated impression, even the
statement of facts in such a manner as to mislead, is falsehood. This precept forbids
every effort to injure our neighbor’s reputation by misrepresentation or evil surmising,
by slander or tale bearing. Even the intentional suppression of truth, by which injury
may result to others, is a violation of the ninth commandment.” PP 309
“Wherefore lay aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies,
and all evil speakings.” 1 Peter 2:1
“Let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more
than these cometh of evil.” Matt. 5:37
“These words condemn all those meaningless phrases and expletives that
border on profanity. They condemn the deceptive compliments, the evasion of truth,
the flattering phrases, the exaggerations, the misrepresentations in trade, that are
current in society and in the business world. They teach that no one who tries to
appear what he is not, or whose words do not convey the real sentiment of his heart,
can be called truthful. . . .
“Everything that Christians do should be as transparent as the sunlight.
Truth is of God; deception, in every one of its myriad forms is of Satan; and whoever in
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any way departs from the straight line of truth is betraying himself into the power of
the wicked one.” MB 68
“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy
neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass,
nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.” Ex. 20:17
“The tenth commandment strikes at the very root of all sins, prohibiting the
selfish desire, from which springs the sinful act.” PP 309
“To live for self is to perish. Covetousness, the desire of benefit for self’s
sake, cuts the soul off from life. It is the spirit of Satan to get, to draw to self. It is the
spirit of Christ to give, to sacrifice self for the good of others.” COL 259
“For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt
not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any
other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is
the fulfilling of the law.” Rom. 13:9, 10
“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and
Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
“You have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘you shall not kill; and
whoever kills shall be liable to the judgment.’ But I say to you that every one who is
angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; . . . So if you are offering your gift
at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave
your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then
come and offer your gift. . . .
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say
to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed
adultery with her in his heart. . . .
“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of
divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the
ground of unchastity, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced
woman commits adultery.
“Again you have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not
swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you,
Do not swear at all, . . . Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than
this comes from evil.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right
cheek, turn to him the other also; and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let
him have your cloak as well; and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two
miles. Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from
you.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate
your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute
you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun
rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if
you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do
the same? And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others?
Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You, therefore, must be perfect, as your
heavenly Father is perfect.”
Matt. 5:20-48 RSV
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“The disciples of Christ must obtain righteousness of a different character
from that of the Pharisees, if they would enter the kingdom of heaven. God offered
them, in His Son, the perfect righteousness of the law. If they would open their hearts
fully to receive Christ, then the very life of God, His love, would dwell in them,
transforming them into His own likeness; and thus through God’s free gift they would
possess the righteousness which the law requires . . . a reproduction in themselves of
the character of Christ.” MB 54, 55
“The law of God, as presented in the Scriptures, is broad in its
requirements. Every principle is holy, just, and good. The law lays men under
obligation to God; it reaches to the thoughts and feelings; and it will produce
conviction of sin in every one who is sensible of having transgressed its requirements.
If the law extended to the outward conduct only, men would not be guilty in their
wrong thoughts, desires, and designs. But the law requires that the soul itself be pure
and the mind holy, that the thoughts and feelings be in accordance with the standard of
love and righteousness.
“In His teachings, Christ showed how far-reaching are the principles of the
law spoken from Sinai. He made a living application of that law whose principles
remain forever the great standard of righteousness; the standard by which all shall be
judged in that great day when the judgment shall sit, and the books shall be opened.
He came to fulfill all righteousness, and, as the head of humanity, to show man that he
can do the same work, meeting every specification of the requirements of God.
Through the measure of His grace furnished to the human agent, not one need miss
heaven. Perfection of character is attainable by every one who strives for it. This is
made the very foundation of the new covenant of the gospel.” 1SM 211, 212
“For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do;
sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the
flesh, in order that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk
not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Rom. 8:3,4 RSV
“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his
commandments are not grievous.” 1 John 5:3
“The Jews had so perverted the law that they made it a yoke of bondage.
Their meaningless requirements had become a byword among other nations.” DA 204
“For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on
men’s shoulders.” Matt. 23:4
“It is the desire and plan of Satan to bring in among us those who will go to
great extremes. . . . They will be exacting, and will seek to enforce rigorous duties, and
go to great lengths in matters of minor importance, while they neglect the weightier
matters of the law: judgment and mercy and the love of God.” Ev. 212
“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require
of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Micah
6:8
The important thing is to know that your heart is fully surrendered and
then learn what God would want you to do in following the reforms.
“Closely examine your own hearts, and in your lives imitate the unerring
Pattern, and all will be well with you.” 2T 71
“In matters of conscience the soul must be left untrammeled. No one is to
control another’s mind, to judge for another, or to prescribe his duty. God gives to
every soul freedom to think, and to follow his own convictions. ‘Every one of us shall
give account of himself to God.’ No one has the right to merge his own individuality in
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that of another. In all matters where principle is involved, ‘let every man be fully
persuaded in his own mind.’ Rom. 14:12, 5.” DA 550
“And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence
toward God, and toward men.” Acts 24:16
“Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he allows.”
Rom.14:22
“It is the privilege of every one to so live that God will approve and bless
him. You may be hourly in communion with Heaven; it is not the will of your heavenly
Father that you should ever be under condemnation and darkness. . . . You should
cultivate self-respect by living so that you will be approved by your own conscience,
and before men and angels.” KH 140
“Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord!
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who
also do no wrong, but walk in his ways?” Ps. 119:1-3
Sincerity Is Not Enough
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the
ways of death.” Prov. 14:12
We must remember that the rich young ruler, Nicodemus, the foolish
virgins, the man without a wedding garment, and the lukewarm were all sincere,
and thinking they were on the right road to heaven!
“Ignorance is no excuse for error or sin, when there is every opportunity to
know the will of God. A man is traveling and comes to a place where there are several
roads and a guide board indicating where each one leads. If he disregards the
guideboard, and takes whichever road seems to him to be right, he may be ever so
sincere, but will in all probability find himself on the wrong road.” GC 597, 598
“There are not many ways to heaven. Each one may not choose his own way.
Christ says, ‘I am the way.’” DA 663
“Those who are saved must travel the same road over which Christ journeyed.
He says, ‘Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow me.’” 5BC 1095
“The cross stands where two roads diverge. One is the path of obedience
leading to heaven. The other leads into the broad road, where man can easily go with
his burden of sin and corruption, but it leads to perdition.” 5BC 1095
“I beg of you, my brother, to search your heart diligently and inquire: ‘What
road am I traveling, and where will it end?’” 2T 295
“Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way
of death.” Jer. 21:8
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“Christ calls upon us to enter the narrow pathway, where every step means
a denial of self.” OHC 172
“In order to go in the path that leads to destruction, there is no need of
searching for the way; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad, and the feet naturally
turn into the path that ends in death.
“But the way to life is narrow and the entrance strait. If you cling to any
besetting sin you will find the way too narrow for you to enter. Your own ways, your
own will, your evil habits and practices, must be given up if you would keep the way of
the Lord.” MB 138, 139
“Regeneration is the only path by which we can enter the city of God. It is
narrow, and the gate by which we enter is strait; but along it we are to lead men and
women and children, teaching them that, in order to be saved, they must have a new
heart and a new spirit. The old hereditary traits of character must be overcome. The
natural desires of the soul must be changed. All deception, all falsifying, all evil
speaking, must be put away. The new life, which makes men and women Christlike, is
to be lived.” 9T 23
“Many who profess to follow Christ have not genuine religion. They do
not reveal in their lives the fruit of true conversion. They are controlled by the same
habits, the same spirit of faultfinding and selfishness, which controlled them before
they accepted Christ. We should know what we must do to be saved. We must meet the
conditions laid down in the word of God or die in our sins. We must know what
moral changes are essential to be made in our characters, through the grace of
Christ, in order to be fitted for the mansions above.” 5T 535
“Let no one take up with the delusion so pleasant to the natural heart, that
God will accept of sincerity, no matter what may be the faith, no matter how imperfect
the life. God requires of His child perfect obedience.
“In order to meet the requirements of the law, our faith must grasp the
righteousness of Christ, accepting it as our righteousness. Through union with Christ,
through acceptance of His righteousness by faith, we may be qualified to work the
works of God, to be co-laborers with Christ.” 1SM 37
“In the judgment men will not be condemned because they conscientiously
believed a lie, but because they did not believe the truth, because they neglected
the opportunity of learning what is truth.” PP 55
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Hosea 4:6
“I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to
knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to
establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness
of God.” Rom. 10:2, 3
“Those who have an opportunity to hear the truth, yet take no pains to hear
or understand it, thinking that if they do not hear, they will not be accountable, will be
judged guilty before God the same as if they had heard and rejected. There will be no
excuse for those who choose to go in error when they might understand what is truth.
In His sufferings and death Jesus has made atonement for all sins of ignorance, but
there is no provision made for willful blindness.” 5BC 1145
“If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now
they have no cloke for their sin.” John 15:22
“Jesus stands before the ark, making His final intercession for all those for
whom mercy still lingers and for those who have ignorantly broken the law of God.
This atonement is made for the righteous dead as well as for the righteous living. It
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includes all who died trusting in Christ, but who, not having received the light upon
God’s commandments, had sinned ignorantly in transgressing its precepts.” EW 254
“Said the angel: ‘If light come, and that light is set aside or rejected, then
comes condemnation and the frown of God; but before the light comes, there is no sin,
for there is no light for them to reject.” 1T 116
“Men will not be judged for light they have never had. But those who have
kept Sunday, whose attention has been called to this error, but who would not open
their eyes to behold wondrous things out of the law, will be judged according to the
light that has come to them.” 5BC 1145
“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is
sin.” James 4:17
All, Not Only the 144,000 Must Overcome and Have Moral Perfection
If perfection is understood to be required only of the 144,000, many
professed Christians could remain in a lukewarm condition because they might
think the same spiritual experience is not required of them.
In the following pages we will examine what those requirements are.
Without Holiness No Man Shall See God
“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see
the Lord.” Heb. 12:14
“Holiness is wholeness for God; it is the entire surrender of heart and life to
the indwelling of the principles of heaven.” DA 556
“We are looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great
God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ. We may not be living when Christ shall come in
power and great glory, for all are subject to death at any time, but if we are righteous,
in harmony with the law of God, we shall respond to the voice that will call the people
of God from their graves, and shall come forth to receive immortality. It is only the
blessed and holy who will be ready for the first resurrection; for when Christ
comes, He will not change the character. . . . The Word of God declares that we must
be found blameless, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.” ST 2-9-1891
“Christ came to this earth and lived a life of perfect obedience, that men and
women, through His grace, might also live lives of perfect obedience. This is necessary
to their salvation. Without holiness no man shall see the Lord.” RH 3-15-1906
“The holiness that God’s word declares he must have before he can be
saved is the result of the working of divine grace as he bows in submission to the
discipline and restraining influences of the Spirit of truth.” AA 531
“The Lord reproves and corrects the people who profess to keep His law. He
points out their sins and lays open their iniquity because He wishes to separate all sin
and wickedness from them, that they may perfect holiness in His fear and be
prepared to die in the Lord or to be translated to heaven. God rebukes, reproves,
and corrects them, that they may be refined, sanctified, elevated, and finally exalted to
His throne. . . .
“God will accept nothing but purity and holiness; one spot, one wrinkle,
one defect in the character, will forever debar them from heaven, with all its glories
and treasures.” 2T 453
“If you have become estranged and have failed to be Bible Christians, be
converted; for the character you bear in probationary time will be the character you
will have at the coming of Christ. If you would be a saint in heaven, you must first be a
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saint on earth. The traits of character you cherish in life will not be changed by
death or by the resurrection. You will come up from the grave with the same
disposition you manifested in your home and in society. Jesus does not change the
character at His coming. The work of transformation must be done now. Our daily
lives are determining our destiny.” AH 16
“All have sufficient light to see their sins and errors, if they desired to do so,
and earnestly wished to put them away, and to perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord.
God is too pure to behold iniquity. A sin is just as grievous in His sight in one case as
in another. No exception will be made by an im-partial God.” RH 5-5-1885
“What does the Lord require of His blood-bought heritage? - The
sanctification of the whole being, - purity like the purity of Christ, perfect conformity to
the will of God. . . . Into the holy city there can enter nothing that defileth, or
maketh a lie.” SD 348
“Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy
place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart.” Ps. 24:3-5
“No one can be omnipotent, but all can cleanse themselves from filthiness of
the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord. God requires every
soul to be pure and holy. We have hereditary tendencies to wrong. This is a part of
self that no one need carry about. It is a weakness of humanity to pet selfishness,
because it is a natural trait of character. But unless all selfishness is put away, unless
self is crucified, we can never be holy as God is holy.” FL 140
“The only character that is of value in the sight of God is that character
which is free from every taint of selfishness.” ST 9-24-1894
“You need to die daily, to experience a daily crucifixion of self.” 3T 324
Every day you can yield yourselves fully to God and let His Spirit control
your spirit.
“There is need of a decided, daily conversion to God.” 6BC 1115
“When Christ shall come, our vile bodies are to be changed, and made like
His glorious body, but the vile character will not be made holy then. The
transformation of character must take place before His coming. Our natures must be
pure and holy; we must have the mind of Christ, that He may behold with pleasure
His image reflected upon our souls.” RH 9-1-1885
“Work while the day lasts, for the night cometh when no man can work. The
mandate will go forth: He that is holy, let him be holy still: and he that is filthy, let him
be filthy still. The destiny of all will be decided. A few, yes, only a few, of the vast
number who people the earth will be saved unto life eternal, while the masses who
have not perfected their souls in obeying the truth will be appointed to the second
death.” 2T 401
“When Christ comes, He takes those who have purified their souls by
obeying the truth. . . . This mortal shall put on immortality, and these corruptible
bodies, subject to disease, will be changed from mortal to immortal. We shall then be
gifted with a higher nature. The bodies of all who purify their souls by obeying the
truth shall be glorified.” 3SM 427
All Will Be Glorified Together
“The same power that raised Christ from the dead will raise His church, and
glorify it with Christ, as His bride. . . . The victory of the sleeping saints will be
glorious on the morning of the resurrection. . . . The lifegiver will crown with
immortality all who come forth from the grave.” 1SM 305
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“And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the
promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should
not be made perfect.” Heb. 11:39, 40
All those who have died in faith through the years have been waiting in
their graves, not having received the promise of the heavenly home and immortality,
because God’s plan was that all the righteous should receive the promise of
immortality and heaven at the same time.
“For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive,
who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen
asleep.
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thess.
4:16, 17
“The living righteous are changed ‘in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.’
At the voice of God they were glorified; now they are made immortal and with the risen
saints are caught up to meet their Lord in the air.” GC 645
“Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye
may be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless.” 2 Peter 3:14
All the Saved Are the Bride Having the Name of God in Their
Foreheads and Clothed with the Wedding Garment
“Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and
cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a
glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be
holy and without blemish.” Eph. 5:25-27
“The church is the bride, the Lamb’s wife. . . . Every true believer is a
part of the body of Christ.” 7BC 985
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the
Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she
should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness
of saints.” Rev. 19:7, 8
“It is the righteousness of Christ, His own unblemished character, that
through faith is imparted to all who receive Him as their personal Saviour.” COL 310
“The only hope of any man lies through Jesus Christ who brought the robe
of His righteousness to put upon the sinner who would lay off his filthy garments.
There are very many who cling to their filthy garments, which Christ stands ready to
remove, choosing the spots and stains of sin rather than the pure robe of Christ’s
righteousness. The pure and holy garments are not prepared to be put on by any one
after he has entered the gate of the city. All who enter will have on the robe of
Christ’s righteousness and the name of God will be seen in their foreheads. This
name is the symbol which the apostle saw in vision, and signifies the yielding of the
mind to intelligent and loyal obedience to all of God’s commandments. There will be
no covering up of sins and faults to hide the deformity of character; no robes will be
half washed; but all will be pure and spotless.” YI 8-18-1886
“God requires perfection of His children. His law is a transcript of His
character, and it is the standard of all character. 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
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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.” COL 315
All Must Be Cleansed in the Fountain
“In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to
the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and uncleanness.” Zech. 13:1
Some say that the fountain is just for the final generation, but that is a
deception. The fountain was available as soon as sin entered. The blood of Jesus
must cleanse all sinners who will be saved.
“A remedy has been provided for the sinner. A fountain has been opened
for uncleanness, . . . Jesus draws us to Himself through the agency of His divine
Spirit; and through faith in His blood we are cleansed from sin; ‘for the blood of Jesus
Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.’ ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’” RH 3-1-1892
“Christ is able to save to the uttermost all who come to Him in faith. He will
cleanse them from all defilement if they will let Him. But if they cling to their sins,
they cannot possibly be saved; for Christ’s righteousness covers no sin unrepented of.”
7BC 931
“The robe of your character must be washed till it is spotless, in the
fountain opened for all uncleanness. Your moral worth will be weighed in the balances
of the sanctuary, and if you are found wanting, you will be at an eternal loss. . . .
“If you have not laid aside your envy, your jealousies, your hatred one
against another, you cannot enter into the kingdom of God. You would only carry the
same disposition with you; but there will be nothing of this character in the world to
come. Nothing will exist there but love and joy and harmony.” 3SM 155
All Must Have True Repentance
“Repent ye therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.”
Acts 3:19
“True repentance will lead a man to bear his guilt himself and acknowledge
it without deception or hypocrisy.” SC 40
“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but
the sorrow of the world worketh death.” 2 Cor. 7:9, 10
“Those who have not humbled their souls before God in acknowledging their
guilt, have not yet fulfilled the first condition of acceptance. If we have not experienced
that repentance which is not to be repented of, and have not with true humiliation of
soul and brokenness of spirit confessed our sins, abhorring our iniquity, we have never
truly sought for forgiveness of sin; and if we have never sought, we have never found
the peace of God. The only reason why we do not have remission of sins that are past
is that we are not willing to humble our hearts and comply with the conditions of the
word of truth.” SC 37
“I cannot make preparation for you. I cannot repent for you. This is a work
between God and your soul. If you are defiled in heart, you must go to Him who can
cleanse you from all unrighteousness. You must seek God. You must have the soul
temple purified, if you would have the blessing of the Father rest upon you.” ST 6-10-
1889
All Must Open the Heart’s Door and Be Cleansed of All Sin
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open
the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Rev. 3:20
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“Jesus invites us to accept His presence; we are to open the door of the
heart, and let Him in. But He will not share a divided heart. If it be given to the
service of mammon, if selfishness and pride fill its chambers, there will be no room for
the heavenly Guest; He will not take up His abode with us until the soul-temple has
been emptied and cleansed. Yet there is no need of making a failure in the Christian
life. Jesus is waiting to do a great work for us, and all heaven is interested in our
salvation.” OHC 55
“I saw that many were fair in their profession, while within is corruption.
Deceive not yourselves, . . . God looks at the heart.” 1T 159
“The heart in its natural state is a habitation for unholy thoughts and
sinful passions. When brought into subjection to Christ, it must be cleansed by
the Holy Spirit from all defilement. This cannot be done without the consent of
the individual.” OHC 161
“If we ask Him, the Lord will give us the Holy Spirit to cleanse the habitation
of the soul; for every room of the temple of God must be entered and purified.” RH 9-
10-1895
“Not one nook or corner of the soul is to be a hiding place for selfishness.”
8T 139
“Humble yourselves before God, and make an earnest effort to empty
the soul temple of all rubbish - all envyings, all jealousies, all suspicions, all
faultfindings.” 5T 163
“With fasting and earnest prayer, with deep heart-searching, stern self-
examination, lay bare the soul.” 2T 158
“Professors of religion are not willing to closely examine themselves to see
whether they are in the faith; and it is a sad fact that many are leaning on a false hope.”
1T 188
“The unsanctified heart is ‘deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked.’ I was shown that many are flattering themselves that they are good Christians,
who have not a ray of light from Jesus. They have not a living experience for
themselves in the divine life.” 3T 253
“One ray of the glory of God, one gleam of the purity of Christ, penetrating
the soul, makes every spot of defilement painfully distinct, and lays bare the deformity
and defects of the human character.” SC 29
“God’s eye does not slumber. He knows every sin that is hidden from mortal
eye. The guilty know just what sins to confess that their souls may be clean before
God. Jesus is now giving them opportunity to confess, to repent in deep humility, and
purify their lives by obeying and living out the truth. Now is the time for wrongs to be
righted and sins to be confessed, or they will appear before the sinner in the day of
God’s wrath.” 1T 156
“For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither anything hid,
that shall not be known.” Luke 8:17
“All your acts, however secret you may think they have been, are open to
your heavenly Father. Nothing is hidden, nothing covered. All your acts and the
motives which prompt them are open to His sight.” 3T 82
“The law penetrates to the thoughts and intents of the heart. It searches out
the dark passions indulged in secret, the jealousies, envyings, theft, murder, malignity,
ambition, and evil that lurk hidden from the eyes of men. How often do men exalt those
in whose hearts are dark things that for want of opportunity to display themselves are
kept from sight. But God’s law registers all hidden evil.” ST 11-3-1890
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“That which Satan plants in the heart - envy, jealousy, evil-surmising, evil
speaking, impatience, prejudice, selfishness, covetousness, and vanity - must be
uprooted. If these evil things are allowed to remain in the soul, they will bear fruit by
which many shall be defiled.” ML 179
“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and
forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Prov. 28:13
“All would have sufficient light to see their sins and errors, if they
desired to do so, and earnestly wished to put them away, and to perfect holiness in the
fear of the Lord. . . . God is too pure to behold iniquity. A sin is just as grievous in His
sight in one case as in another. No exception will be made by an impartial God.” 2T
447
“When one is fully emptied of self, when every false god is cast out of the
soul, the vacuum is filled by the inflowing of the Spirit of Christ. Such a one has the
faith that purifies the soul from defilement. He is conformed to the Spirit, and he
minds the things of the Spirit. He has no confidence in self. Christ is all and in all.” GW
287
“When the soul has been cleansed, it is the duty of the Christian to keep
it undefiled.” OHC 161
“For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in
them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves
from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2 Cor.
6:16; 7:1
All Must Meet the Judge Face to Face
“Every individual has a soul to save or to lose. Each has a case pending at
the bar of God. Each must meet the great Judge face to face. How important, then,
that every mind contemplate often the solemn scene when the judgment shall sit and
the books shall be opened.” GC 488
“Secret sins will then be laid open to the view of all. Motives and intentions
which have been hidden in the dark chambers of the heart will be revealed.” RH 1-1-
1884
“For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither anything hid,
that shall not be known.” Luke 8:17
“You may now close the book of your remembrance, in order to escape
confessing your sins; but when the judgment shall sit, and the books shall be opened,
you cannot close them. The recording angel has testified that which is true. All that you
have tried to conceal and forget is registered, and will be read to you when it is too late
for wrongs to be righted.” RH 12-16-1890
“What we make of ourselves in probationary time, that we must remain to
all eternity. Death brings dissolution to the body, but makes no change in the
character.” 5T 466
“When the voice of God awakes the dead, he will come from the grave with
the same appetites and passions, the same likes and dislikes, that he cherished when
living. God works no miracle to re-create a man who would not be re-created when he
was granted every opportunity and provided with every facility.” COL 270
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All Must Have a New Birth Experience
“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the
Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is
flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye
must be born again.” John 3:5-7
“Without regeneration through faith in His blood, there is no remission of
sins, no treasure for any perishing soul.” COL 113
“Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is
corrupt through deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put
on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and
holiness.” Eph. 4:22-24 RSV
children, born again, renewed in righteousness and true holiness. Their minds are
changed.” ST 12-17-1902
“That which was objectionable in the character is purified from the soul by
the love of Jesus. All selfishness is expelled, all envy, all evil-speaking, is rooted out,
and a radical transformation is wrought in the heart.” RH 7-22-1890
“The great burden of every soul should be, Is my heart renewed? Is my
soul transformed? Are my sins pardoned through faith in Christ? Have I been
born again?” 2SM 117
“The new birth is a rare experience in this age of the world. This is the
reason why there are so many perplexities in the churches. Many, so many, who
assume the name of Christ are unsanctified and unholy. They have been baptized, but
they are buried alive. Self did not die, and therefore they did not rise to newness of life
in Christ.” 6BC 1075
“May the Lord help us to die to self and be born again, that Christ may live
in us, a living, active principle, a power that will keep us holy.” 9T 188
All Must Have Christ in Them the Hope of Glory
“Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but
now is made manifest to his saints; to whom God would make known what is the
riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope
of glory.” Col. 1:26, 27
“Christ became one flesh with us, in order that we might become one spirit
with Him. It is by virtue of this union that we are to come forth from the grave, -
not merely as a manifestation of the power of Christ, but because, through faith, His
life has become ours. Those who see Christ in His true character, and receive Him into
the heart, have everlasting life. It is through the Spirit that Christ dwells in us; and the
Spirit of God, received into the heart by faith, is the beginning of life eternal.” DA 388
“If you are right with God today, you are ready if Christ should come
today. What we need is Christ formed within, the hope of glory.
“Are you individually daily preparing that you can unite with the family of
heaven? Are you quarrelsome here? Are you finding fault with your house-hold here? If
you are, you will find fault with them in heaven. Your character is being tested and
proved in this life, whether you will make a peaceable subject of God’s kingdom in
heaven.” HP 227
“All must obtain a living experience for themselves; they must have
Christ enshrined in the heart, His Spirit controlling the affections, or their profession
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of faith is of no value, and their condition will be even worse than if they had never
heard the truth.” 5T 619
All Must Have the Mind of Christ
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who . . . became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Phil. 2:5-8
“Jesus became a man that He might mediate between man and God. . . .
That He might restore to man the original mind which he lost in Eden. . . .
Disobedience is not in accordance with the nature which God gave to man in Eden.”
7BC 926
“What a victory is gained when the carnal life ceases, and the spiritual life
begins.” RH 12-2-1875
“The carnal heart, that ‘is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can
be,’ is made spiritual, and exclaims with Christ, ‘I delight to do thy will, O my God:
yea, thy law is within my heart.’
“There are many who say they believe in Christ; but do they? Have they the
spiritual mind, the mind of Christ, that delights in the law of God?” ST 11-24-1887
“To be a Christian is not merely to take the name of Christ, but to have the
mind of Christ, to submit to the will of God in all things.” MH 174
All Must Be Saved From Sin, Not In Sin.
“Thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their
sins.” Matt. 1:21
“Through all ages and in every nation those that believe that Jesus can
and will save them personally from sin, are the elect and chosen of God; they are His
peculiar treasure. They obey His call, and come out of the world and separate
themselves from every unclean thought and unholy practice. . . .
“It is a sad fact that the great proportion of God’s professed people have not
had faith in Christ as their personal Saviour.” RH 8-1-1893
“Jesus came not to save men in their sins, but from their sins. ‘Sin is the
transgression of the law,’ and if we fail to obey the law, we do not accept our Saviour.
The only hope we have of salvation is through Christ. If His Spirit abides in the
heart, sin cannot dwell there.” RH 3-16-1886
“And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is
no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: Whosoever sinneth hath not seen him,
neither known him. Little children, let no one deceive you: he that doeth righteousness
is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil
sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he
might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:5-8
“Christ always separates the contrite soul from sin. He came to destroy
the works of the devil, and He has made provision that the Holy Spirit shall be
imparted to every repentant soul, to keep him from sinning.
“The tempter’s agency is not to be accounted an excuse for one wrong act.
Satan is jubilant when he hears the professed followers of Christ making excuses for
their deformity of character. It is these excuses that lead to sin. There is no excuse for
sinning. A holy temper, a Christlike life, is accessible to every repenting, believing child
of God.” DA 311
weakness.” 2Cor. 12:9
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“Abundant grace has been provided that the believing soul may be kept free
from sin; for all heaven, with its limitless resources, has been placed at our command.”
1SM 394
“He who has not sufficient faith in Christ to believe that He can keep
him from sinning, has not the faith that will give him an entrance into the
kingdom of God.” RH 3-10-1904
All Must Have Moral Perfection
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
Matt. 5:48
“Moral perfection is required of all. Never should we lower the standard of
righteousness in order to accommodate inherited or cultivated tendencies to wrong-
doing. We need to understand that imperfection of character is sin. All righteous
attributes dwell in God as a perfect, harmonious whole, and every one who receives
Christ as a personal Saviour is privileged to possess these attributes.” COL 330
“It is the spiritual and moral character that is of value in the sight of
Heaven, and that will survive the grave, and be made glorious with immortality for
the endless ages of eternity.” 1SM 259
“God designs that every one of us shall be perfect in Him, so that we may
represent to the world the perfection of His character. He wants us to be free from sin,
that we may not disappoint Heaven, that we may not grieve our divine Redeemer. He
does not desire us to profess Christianity, and yet not avail ourselves of that grace
which is able to make us perfect, that we may be found wanting in nothing.” ML 15
“Moral and spiritual perfection, through the grace and power of Christ,
is promised to all. Jesus is the source of power, the fountain of life. . . . At every
step we touch His living power.” AA 478
“Having therefore these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness
of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2 Cor. 7:1
“No one can be omnipotent, but all can cleanse themselves from filthiness of
the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord. God requires every soul
to be pure and holy. We have hereditary tendencies to wrong. This is a part of self that
no one need carry about. It is a weakness of humanity to pet selfishness, because it
is a natural trait of character. But unless all selfishness is put away, unless self is
crucified, we can never be holy as God is holy.” FL 140
“God will accept nothing but purity and holiness; one spot, one wrinkle, one
defect in the character, will forever debar them from heaven, with all its glories and
treasures.” 2T 453
“Even the thoughts must be brought into subjection to the will of God, and
the feelings under the control of reason and religion. Our imagination was not given us
to be allowed to run riot and have its own way, without any effort at restraint and
discipline. If the thoughts are wrong, the feelings will be wrong; and the thoughts
and feelings combined make up the moral character.” HP 164
“The Lord in His providence brings men where He can test their moral
powers and reveal their motives of action, that they may improve what is right in
themselves and put away that which is wrong. God would have His servants become
acquainted with the moral machinery of their own hearts.” 4T 85
“As a man ‘thinketh in his heart, so is he.’ Many thoughts make up the
unwritten history of a single day; and these thoughts have much to do with the
formation of character.” MYP 144
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“But Christ has given us no assurance that to attain perfection of character
is an easy matter. A noble, all-round character is not inherited. It does not come to us
by accident. A noble character is earned by individual effort through the merits and
grace of Christ. God gives the talents, the powers of the mind; we form the
character.” COL 331
“The mental and moral powers which God has given us do not constitute
character. They are talents which we are to improve, and which, if properly improved,
will form a right character. . . .The mind is the garden; the character is the fruit.
God has given us our faculties to cultivate and develop. Our own course determines
our character. In training these powers so that they shall harmonize and form a
valuable character, we have a work which no one but ourselves can do.” 4T 606
“Mental ability and genius are not character, for these are often possessed
by those who have the very opposite of a good character. Reputation is not character.
True character is a quality of the soul, revealing itself in the conduct.” CG 161
“In the lives of those who are ransomed by the blood of Christ, self-sacrifice
will constantly appear. Goodness and righteousness will be seen. The quiet, inward
experience will make the life full of godliness, faith, meekness, patience. This is to be
our daily experience. We are to form characters free from sin - characters made
righteous in and by the grace of Christ.” CH 633, 634
Every day as we let the love of God control our thoughts and feelings, our
characters can be pure and holy, and then our acts will be right.
“It is . . . by a repetition of acts that habits are established and
character confirmed.” CG 199
“What does the Lord require of His blood-bought heritage? - The
sanctification of the whole being, - purity like the purity of Christ, perfect conformity to
the will of God.” SD 348
“He tells us to be perfect as He is, in the same manner. We are to be centers
of light and blessing to our little circle, even as He is to the universe. We have nothing
of ourselves, but the light of His love shines upon us, and we are to reflect its
brightness. ‘In His borrowed goodness good,’ we may be perfect in our sphere, even as
God is perfect in His.” MB 77
“Would Christ tantalize us by requiring of us an impossibility? Never, never!
What an honor He confers upon us in urging us to be holy in our sphere, as the Father
is holy in His sphere! He can enable us to do this, for He declares, ‘All power is
given unto me in heaven and in earth.’ This unlimited power it is our privilege to
claim.” KH 131
All Must Overcome Their Defects of Character
“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I
also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” Rev. 3:21
“None but those who have been overcoming by the blood of the Lamb and
the word of their testimony will be found with the loyal and true, without spot or stain
of sin, without guile in their mouths.” 2SM 380
“Many are deceiving themselves by thinking that the character will be
transformed at the coming of Christ, but there will be no conversion of heart at His
appearing. Our defects of character must here be repented of, and through the
grace of Christ we must overcome them while probation shall last.” GAG 243
“In order to accomplish this work, we must die daily to self. Said Paul: ‘I die
daily.’” 4T 67
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“Some, indeed, are naturally more passionate than others; but this spirit
can never harmonize with the Spirit of God. The natural man must die, and the new
man, Christ Jesus, take possession of the soul, so that the follower of Jesus may say in
verity and truth: ‘I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.’
“Self is difficult to conquer. Human depravity in every form is not easily
brought into subjection to the Spirit of Christ. But all should be impressed with the
fact that unless this victory is gained through Christ, there is no hope for them.
The victory can be gained; for nothing is impossible with God. By His assisting grace,
all evil temper, all human depravity, may be overcome.” 4T 348, 349
godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” 2
Peter 1:3
selfishness, envy, jealousy, or any impurity of soul, body, or spirit. God has called us
to glory and virtue. We are to obey the call.” RH 4-24-1900
“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former
ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct.” 1
Peter 1:14, 15
“Each soul inherits certain unChristlike traits of character. It is the
grand and noble work of a lifetime to keep under control these tendencies to wrong. It
is the little things that cross our path that are likely to cause us to lose our power of
self-control.” HP 231
“Each day he must renew his consecration, each day do battle with evil. Old
habits, hereditary tendencies to wrong, will strive for the mastery, but against
these he is to be ever on guard, striving in Christ’s strength for victory.” AA 477
weakness.” 2 Cor. 12:9
“In Christ, God has provided means for subduing every sinful trait, and
resisting every temptation, however strong. . . . Look not to self, but to Christ.” DA 429
“Christ is our tower of strength, and Satan can have no power over the soul
that walks with God in humility of mind. . . . Dangers beset every path, but the whole
universe of heaven is standing on guard, that none may be tempted above that which
he is able to bear. Some have strong traits of character, that will need to be constantly
repressed. If kept under the control of the Spirit of God, these traits will be a blessing;
but if not, they will prove a curse.” ML 316
“Are you overcoming? or are you being overcome by your own lusts and
appetites and passions.” 5T 511
“Many are sensible of their great deficiency, and they read, and pray, and
resolve, and yet make no progress. They seem powerless to resist temptation. The
reason is that they do not go deep enough. They do not seek for a thorough
conversion of the soul, that the streams which issue from it may be pure, and the
deportment may testify that Christ reigns within.
“All defects of character originate in the heart. Pride, vanity, evil temper,
and covetousness proceed from the carnal heart unrenewed by the grace of Christ. If
the heart is refined, softened, and ennobled, the words and actions will testify to the
fact. When the soul has been entirely surrendered to God, there will be a firm reliance
upon His promises, and earnest prayer and determined effort to control the words and
actions.” RH 9-1-1885
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“Conflict after conflict must be waged against hereditary tendencies. We
shall have to criticize ourselves closely, and allow not one unfavorable trait to remain
uncorrected.
“Let no one say, I cannot remedy my defects of character. If you come to this
decision, you will certainly fail of obtaining everlasting life. The im-possibility lies in
your own will. If you will not, then you can not overcome. The real difficulty arises from
the corruption of an unsanctified heart, and an unwillingness to submit to the control
of God.” COL 331
“All who finally have a seat with Christ upon His throne will be those who
have overcome. All selfishness must be rooted from the heart. The apostle says, ‘Let
this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.’ . . .
“Who of us are copying the pattern? Through the grace of Christ are we
mastering pride of heart? have we uprooted selfishness? have we opened wide the door
of the heart and let in the precious love of Jesus? Or are we cherishing sins that will
ruin us at last? We cannot meet Christ in peace with one sin unrepented of,
unconfessed, and unforsaken. But John writes, ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ . . .
“We shall either overcome our evil traits of character, and become like
Christ, or we shall cherish our defects, and fail of the divine standard. . . .
“Let us not be in the position of those for whom the Saviour died in vain. In
Christ is sufficient grace to overcome all our evil traits of character, and strength
is found alone in Him.” RH 3-17-1891
“One defect, cultivated instead of being overcome, makes the man imperfect,
and closes against him the gate of the Holy City. He who enters must have a character
that is without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Naught that defileth can ever enter
there. In all the redeemed host not one defect will be seen.” MYP 144
How could God allow bitterness, resentment, hatred, envy, pride, deceit,
selfishness, lust and revenge, or any other defect into heaven?
“Men may now excuse their defects of character, but in that day they will
offer no excuse. . . .
“He gave all heaven, from which we may draw strength and efficiency; that
we be not repulsed or overcome by our great adversary. But the love of God does not
lead Him to excuse sin. He did not excuse it in Satan; He did not excuse it in Adam or
in Cain; nor will He excuse it in any other of the children of men. He will not connive at
our sins or overlook our defects of character. He expects us to overcome in His name.”
COL 315, 316
“The only hope for us if we would overcome is to unite our will to God’s will
and work in cooperation with Him, hour by hour and day by day. We cannot retain self
and yet enter the kingdom of God. If we ever attain unto holiness, it will be through the
renunciation of self and the reception of the mind of Christ.” MB 143
“The perfection of Christian character depends wholly upon the grace and
strength found alone in God. Without the power of grace upon the heart, assisting our
efforts and sanctifying our labors, we shall fail of saving our own souls and of saving
the souls of others.” 3T 188
“Are we Christians, - Christlike in spirit, in word, in disposition, or are we
falling continually under the temptations of the enemy, with no power to escape from
his snare?” RH 2-24-1903
“Let no one despair of gaining the victory. Victory is sure when self is
surrendered to God.” 1BC 1095
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Any time you are tempted, submit your inner being to God and let His
Holy Spirit control you.
“Whatever may be man’s besetting sin, whatever bitter and baleful passions
struggle for the mastery, he may conquer, if he will watch and war against them in the
name and strength of Israel’s Helper.” GAG 242
If you will always quickly submit yourselves to God when tempted, you
will receive the strength needed.
“As thy days, so shall thy strength be.” Deut. 33:25
“We are to live only one day at a time. We do not have to do the work of a
lifetime in a few hours. We need not look into the future with anxiety; for God has
made it possible for us to be overcomers every day.” FL 249
“Whatever may be the nature of your defects, the Spirit of the Lord will
enable you to discern them, and grace will be given you whereby they may be
overcome. Through the merits of the blood of Christ you may be a conqueror, yes more
than a conqueror.” SD 349
All May Be More Than Conquerors
“In all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved
us.” Rom. 8:37
“The human family have all the help that Christ had in their conflicts with
Satan. They need not be overcome. They may be more than conquerors through Him
who has loved them and given His life for them. ‘Ye are bought with a price.’ And what
a price! The Son of God in His humanity wrestled with the very same fierce,
apparently overwhelming temptations that assail men - temptations to indulgence of
appetite, to presumptuous venturing where God has not led them, and to the worship
of the god of this world, to sacrifice an eternity of bliss for the fascinating pleasures of
this life. Everyone will be tempted, but the Word declares that we shall not be tempted
above our ability to bear. We may resist and defeat the wily foe.” 1SM 95
“Those who fail to realize their constant dependence upon God will be
overcome by temptation. We may now suppose that our feet stand secure, and that we
shall never be moved. We may say with confidence, I know in whom I have believed;
nothing can shake my faith in God and in His word. But Satan is planning to take
advantage of our hereditary and cultivated traits of character, and to blind our eyes to
our own necessities and defects. Only through realizing our own weakness and looking
steadfastly unto Jesus can we walk securely.” DA 382
“All the followers of Christ have to meet the same malignant foe that assailed
their Master. With marvelous skill he adapts his temptations to their circumstances,
their temperament, their mental and moral bias, their strong passions. . . . We must
look to Christ; we must resist as He resisted; we must pray as He prayed; we must
agonize as He agonized, if we would conquer as He conquered.” ST 9-7-1882
“Bad habits, when opposed, will offer the most vigorous resistance; but if
the warfare is kept up with energy and perseverance, they may be conquered.” 4T 655
“To be saved, a man must gain the victory over himself, his temper, his
inclinations. His will must be brought into conformity to the will of God. The glory of
heaven is for those only who on this earth work out the righteousness of Christ. . . .
Seek to understand your individual responsibility. Move steadily forward, and the Lord
will make you more than conquerors.” 4MR 172
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All Must Be Saved to the Uttermost
“Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God
by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Heb. 7:25
“Many voices are advocating error; let your voice advocate truth. . . . Present
the truth as it is in Jesus, making plain the requirements of the law and the gospel.
Present Christ, the way, the truth, and the life, and tell of His power to save all who
come to Him. The Captain of our salvation is inter-ceding for His people, not as a
petitioner to move the Father to compassion, but as a conqueror, who claims the
trophies of His victory. He is able to save to the uttermost all who come to God by
Him. Make this fact very plain.” Ev 189
“To Jesus in His agony on the cross there came one gleam of comfort. It was
the prayer of the penitent thief. . . . This man was not a hardened criminal; . . . He had
seen and heard Jesus, and had been convicted by His teaching, but he had been turned
away from Him by the priests and rulers. Seeking to stifle conviction, he had plunged
deeper and deeper into sin, until he was arrested, tried as a criminal, and condemned
to die on the cross. In the judgment hall and on the way to Calvary he had been in
company with Jesus. . . . He had marked His godlike bearing, and His pitying
forgiveness of His tormentors. . . . The conviction comes back to him that this is the
Christ.
“The Holy Spirit illuminates his mind, and little by little the chain of
evidence is joined together. In Jesus, bruised, mocked, and hanging upon the cross, he
sees the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. Hope is mingled with
anguish in his voice as the helpless, dying soul casts himself upon a dying Saviour.
‘Lord, remember me,’ he cries, ‘when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.’
“Quickly the answer came. Soft and melodious the tone, full of love,
compassion, and power the words: Verily I say unto thee today, Thou shalt be with Me
in paradise. . . .
“As He spoke the words of promise, the dark cloud that seemed to
enshroud the cross was pierced by a bright and living light. To the penitent thief
came the perfect peace of acceptance with God. . . . His ear is not heavy that it
cannot hear, neither His arm shortened that it cannot save. It is His royal right to save
unto the uttermost all who come unto God by Him.” DA 749-751
“Christ is able to save to the uttermost all who come to Him in faith. He
will cleanse them from all defilement if they will let Him. But if they cling to their sins,
they cannot possibly be saved; for Christ’s righteousness covers no sin unrepented of.
God has declared that those who receive Christ as their Redeemer, accepting Him as
the One who takes away all sin; will receive pardon for their transgressions. These are
the terms of our election. Man’s salvation depends upon his receiving Christ by faith.
Those who will not receive Him lose eternal life because they refused to avail
themselves of the only means provided by the Father and the Son for the salvation of a
perishing world.” 7BC 931
All the Redeemed Sing the Song of Redemption
“When the earthly warfare is accomplished, and the saints are all gathered
home, our first theme will be the song of Moses, the servant of God. The second theme
will be the song of the Lamb, the song of grace and redemption. This song will be
louder, loftier, and in sublimer strains, echoing and re-echoing through the heavenly
courts. Thus the song of God’s providence is sung, connecting the varying
dispensations; for all is now seen without a veil between the legal, the prophetical, and
the gospel. The church history upon the earth and the church redeemed in heaven all
center around the cross of Calvary. This is the theme, this is the song, - Christ all and
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in all, - in anthems of praise resounding through heaven from thousands and ten
thousand times ten thousand and an innumerable company of the redeemed host. All
unite in this song of Moses and the Lamb. It is a new song, for it was never before
sung in heaven.” TM 432, 433
The 1888 Message Was a Revival of True Righteousness
“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John
1:29
“The Lord in His great mercy sent a most precious message to His people. . .
.This message was to bring more prominently before the world the uplifted Saviour,
the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. It presented justification through faith in
the Surety; it invited the people to receive the righteousness of Christ, which is made
manifest in obedience to all the commandments of God. Many had lost sight of Jesus.
They needed to have their eyes directed to His divine person, His merits, and His
change-less love for the human family. All power is given into His hands that He may
dispense rich gifts unto men, imparting the priceless gift of His own righteousness to
the helpless human agent. This is the message that God commanded to be given to
the world. It is the third angel’s message, which is to be proclaimed with a loud voice,
and attended with the outpouring of His Spirit in a large measure.” TM 91, 92
“God’s remnant people are to fill the earth with the cry of the third
angel. ‘Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the
commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.’” RH 7-16-1901
“It has been necessary to exalt the great standard of righteousness, but in
doing this, many have neglected to preach the faith of Jesus. 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.” RH 9-3-1889
“The gospel is to be presented, not as a lifeless theory, but as a living force
to change the life. God desires that the receivers of His grace shall be witnesses to its
power.” DA 826
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation
to every one who has faith, . . . ‘He who through faith is righteous shall live.’” Rom.
1:16, 17
“We need to be enlightened in regard to the plan of salvation. There is not
one in one hundred who understands for himself the Bible truth on this subject that is
so necessary to our present and eternal welfare.
“The enemy of man and God 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. . . . God’s people must have that faith which will lay hold of divine power, ‘for
by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.’”
RH 9-3-1889
“Some will not make a right use of the doctrine of justification by faith. They
will present it in a one-sided manner, making everything of faith, and belittling works.
Others will seize the points that have a leaning towards error, and will ignore works
altogether. Now genuine faith always works by love; it supplies a motive power.” RH 1-
24-1893
“Unless divine power is brought into the experience of the people of
God, false theories and erroneous 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.” RH 9-3-1889
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“The faith essential for salvation is not a mere nominal faith, but an abiding
principle, deriving vital power from Christ. It will lead the soul to feel the love of
Christ to such a degree that the character will be refined, purified, ennobled. This faith
in Christ is not merely an impulse, but a power that works by love and purifies the
soul. It accomplishes something, bringing the soul under discipline, elevating it from
defilement, and bringing it into connection with Christ, till it appropriates His virtue to
the soul’s need. This is saving faith.” RH 8-18-1891
“Take this message in all its phases and sound it forth to the people
wherever Providence opens the way. Justification by faith and the righteousness of
Christ are the themes to be presented to a perishing world.” 7BC 964
“You will meet with those who will say, ‘You are too much excited over this
matter. You are too much in earnest. You should not be reaching for the righteousness
of Christ, and making so much of that. You should preach the law.’ As a people, we
have preached the law until we are as dry as the hills of Gilboa that had neither dew
nor rain. We must preach Christ in the law, and there will be sap and nourishment in
the preaching.” RH 3-10-1890
“The law of God is to be magnified; its claims must be presented in their
true, sacred character, that the people may be brought to decide for or against the
truth. Yet the work will be cut short in righteousness. The message of Christ's
righteousness is to sound from one end of the earth to the other to prepare the
way of the Lord. This is the glory of God, which closes the work of the third
angel.” 6T 19
The Third Angel Warns About the Mark
“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If any man
worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without
mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and
brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: and the
smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor
night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his
name.’
“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the
commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Rev. 14:9-12
“In the issue of the contest all Christendom will be divided into two great
classes - those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and those
who worship the beast and his image and receive his mark.” GC 450
“The Lord has shown me clearly that the image of the beast will be formed
before probation closes; for it is to be the great test for the people of God, by which
their eternal destiny will be decided.” 7BC 976
“When the leading churches of the United States, uniting upon such points
of doctrine as are held by them in common, shall influence the state to enforce their
decrees and to sustain their institutions, then Protestant America will have formed an
image to the Roman hierarchy, and the infliction of civil penalties upon dissenters will
inevitably result.” GC 445
“And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth
the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound
was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from
heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by
the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying
to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which
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had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image
of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as
would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both
small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or
in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or
the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Rev. 13:12-17
“As America, the land of religious liberty, shall unite with the papacy in
forcing the conscience and compelling men to honor the false sabbath, the people of
every country on the globe will be led to follow her example.” 6T 18
“Every man will be tested. Obedience or disobedience is the question to be
decided by the whole world. All will be called to choose between the law of God and the
laws of men. Here the dividing line will be drawn. There will be but two classes. Every
character will be fully developed; and all will show whether they have chosen the side
of loyalty or that of rebellion.” DA 763
“The Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty, for it is the point of truth
especially controverted. When the final test shall be brought to bear upon men, then
the line of distinction will be drawn between those who serve God and those who serve
Him not. . . . While one class, by accepting the sign of submission to earthly powers,
receive the mark of the beast, the other, choosing the token of allegiance to divine
authority, receive the seal of God.” GC 605
God Will Seal His People
“And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the
living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to
hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till
we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.” Rev. 7:2, 3
“The living righteous will receive the seal of God prior to the close of
probation.” 1SM 66
“Now is the time to prepare. The seal of God will never be placed upon the
forehead of an impure man of woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of the
ambitious, world-loving man or woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of
men or women of false tongues or deceitful hearts. All who receive the seal must be
without spot before God.” 5T 216
“The pure and holy garments are not prepared to be put on by any one after
he has entered the gate of the city. All who enter will have on the robe of Christ’s
righteousness, and the name of God will be seen in their foreheads. This name is the
symbol which the apostle saw in vision, and signifies the yielding of the mind to
intelligent and loyal obedience to all of God’s commandments.” SD 370
“The Lord has shown me the danger of letting our minds be filled with
worldly thoughts and cares. . . . for if the mind is filled with other things, present truth
is shut out, and there is no place in our foreheads for the seal of the living God. . . .
“The sealing time is very short, and will soon be over. Now is the time,
while the four angels are holding the four winds, to make our calling and election
sure.” EW 58
‘“Many are called, but few are chosen.’ Many hear the invitation of mercy,
are tested and proved; but few are sealed with the seal of the living God. Few will
humble themselves as a little child, that they may enter the kingdom of heaven.” 5T 50
“The seal of the living God will be placed upon those only who bear a
likeness to Christ in character.” 7BC 970
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“As wax takes the impression of the seal, so the soul is to take the
impression of the Spirit of God and retain the image of Christ.” 7BC 970
“The great mass of professing Christians will meet with bitter dis-
appointment in the day of God. They have not upon their foreheads the seal of the
living God.” 7BC 970
“Just as soon as the people of God are sealed in their foreheads - it is not
any seal or mark that can be seen, but a settling into truth, both intellectually and
spiritually, so they cannot be moved - just as soon as God’s people are sealed and
prepared for the shaking, it will come. Indeed, it has begun already; the judgments of
God are now upon the land, to give us warning, that we may know what is coming.”
4BC 1161
He Will Separate the Wheat from the Tares
“I then saw the third angel. Said my accompanying angel, ‘Fearful is his
work. Awful is his mission. He is the angel that is to select the wheat from the tares,
and seal, or bind, the wheat for the heavenly garner.’ These things should engross the
whole mind, the whole attention.” EW 118
“The time is not far distant when the test will come to every soul. The mark
of the beast will be urged upon us. Those who have step by step yielded to worldly
demands and conformed to worldly customs will not find it a hard matter to yield to
the powers that be, rather than subject themselves to derision, insult, threatened
imprisonment or death. The contest is be-tween the commandments of God and the
commandments of men. In this time the gold will be separated from the dross in the
church. True godliness will be clearly distinguished from the appearance and tinsel of
it. Many a star that we have admired for its brilliancy will then go out in darkness.
Chaff like a cloud will be borne away on the wind, even from places where we see
only floors of rich wheat.” 5T 81
“As we near the judgement, all will manifest their true character, and it
will be made plain to what company they belong.” 1T 100
“God will have a people pure and true. In the mighty sifting soon to take
place we shall be better able to measure the strength of Israel.” 5T 80
“The church may appear as about to fall, but it does not fall. It remains,
while the sinners in Zion will be sifted out - the chaff separated from the precious
wheat. This is a terrible ordeal, but nevertheless it must take place. None but those
who have been overcoming by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their
testimony will be found with the loyal and true, without spot or stain of sin, without
guile in their mouths.” 2SM 380
“As the storm approaches, a large class who have professed faith in the
third angel’s message, but have not been sanctified through obedience to the truth,
abandon their position and join the ranks of the opposition. By uniting with the world
and partaking of its spirit, they have come to view matters in nearly the same light; and
when the test is brought, they are prepared to choose the easy, popular side. Men of
talent and pleasing address, who once rejoiced in the truth, employ their powers to
deceive and mislead souls. They become the most bitter enemies of their former
brethren.” GC 608
“Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye
shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and
shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall
rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall
wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall saved. And this gospel
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of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and
then shall the end come.” Matt. 24:9-14
Prepare for the Latter Rain
“Break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come
and rain righteousness upon you.” Hosea 10:12
“Before the work is closed up and the sealing of God’s people is finished, we
shall receive the outpouring of the Spirit of God.” 1SM 111
“I saw that none could share the ‘refreshing’ unless they obtain the victory
over every besetment, over pride, selfishness, love of the world, and over every wrong
word and action.” EW 71
“Not one of us will ever receive the seal of God while our characters have
one spot or stain upon them. It is left with us to remedy the defects in our characters,
to cleanse the soul temple of every defilement. Then the latter rain will fall upon us.”
5T 214
“We now have the invitations of mercy to become vessels unto honor, and
then we need not worry about the latter rain; all we have to do is to keep the vessel
clean and prepared and right side up for the reception of the heavenly rain.” Ms 35,
1891
“Today you are to give yourself to God, that you may be emptied of self,
emptied of envy, jealousy, evil surmising, strife, everything that shall be dishonoring to
God. Today you are to have your vessel purified that it may be ready for the heavenly
dew, ready for the showers of the latter rain; for the latter rain will come, and the
blessing of God will fill every soul that is purified from every defilement. It is our work
today to yield our souls to Christ, that we may be fitted for the time of refreshing from
the presence of the Lord - fitted for the baptism of the Holy Spirit.” 1SM 191
“And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out my
Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your
young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.” Acts 2:17, 18
“Under the showers of the latter rain the inventions of man, the human
machinery, will at times be swept away, the boundary of man’s authority will be as
broken reeds, and the Holy Spirit will speak through the living, human agent, with
convincing power.” 2SM 58, 59
“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.”
Zech. 4:6
Give the Loud Cry
“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon
thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people:
but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the
Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” Isa. 60:1-3
“The message of Christ’s righteousness is to sound from one end of the
earth to the other to prepare the way of the Lord. This is the glory of God, which closes
the work of the third angel.” 6T 19
“As God’s people approach the final crisis, they must with increasing power
proclaim the message He has given them. The warning must be given to the churches.
God’s requirements must be laid before those who are transgressing His law. They
must be made to understand that this is a life and death question. God’s remnant
people are to fill the earth with the cry of the third angel. ‘Here is the patience of
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the saints, here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of
Jesus.’” RH 7-16-1901
“Those who wait for the Bridegroom’s coming are to say to the people,
‘Behold your God.’ The last rays of merciful light, the last message of mercy to be given
to the world, is a revelation of His character of love. The children of God are to
manifest His glory. In their own life and character they are to reveal what the grace
of God has done for them.” COL 415
“The very image of God is to be reproduced in humanity. The honor of God,
the honor of Christ, is involved in the perfection of the character of His people.” DA
671
“By implanting in their hearts the principles of His word, the Holy Spirit
develops in men the attributes of God. The light of His glory - His character - is to
shine forth in His followers. Thus they are to glorify God, to lighten the path to the
Bridegroom’s home.” COL 414
“Servants of God, with their faces lighted up and shining with holy
consecration, will hasten from place to place to proclaim the message from heaven. By
thousands of voices, all over the earth, the warning will be given. Miracles will be
wrought, the sick will be healed, and signs and wonders will follow the believers. Satan
also works with lying wonders, even bringing down fire from heaven in the sight of
men. Thus the inhabitants of the earth will be brought to take their stand.” GC 612
The Fourth Angel Calls to Come Out of Babylon
“And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having
great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried with a strong
voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of
devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of
the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are
waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my
people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For
her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.” Rev.
18:1-5
“She has filled up the measure of her guilt, and destruction is about to fall
upon her. But God still has a people in Babylon; and before the visitation of His
judgments these faithful ones must be called out, that they partake not of her sins and
‘receive not of her plagues.’ . . . These announcements, uniting with the third angel’s
message, constitute the final warning to be given to the inhabitants of the earth.” GC
604
“The work of this angel comes in at the right time to join in the last
great work of the third angel’s message as it swells to a loud cry. And the people of
God are thus prepared to stand in the hour of temptation, which they are soon to meet.
I saw a great light resting upon them, and they united to fearlessly proclaim the third
angel’s message.” EW 277
“In the great closing work we shall meet with perplexities that we know not
how to deal with; but let us not forget that the three great powers of heaven are
working, that a divine hand is on the wheel, and that God will bring His promises to
pass. He will gather from the world a people who will serve Him in righteousness.” 8T
254
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“For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a
short work will the Lord make upon the earth.” Rom. 9:28
“Thus the message of the third angel will be proclaimed. As the time comes
for it to be given with greatest power, the Lord will work through humble instruments,
leading the minds of those who consecrate themselves to His service. The laborers will
be qualified rather by the unction of His Spirit than by the training of literary
institutions. Men of faith and prayer will be constrained to go forth with holy zeal,
declaring the words which God gives them. The sins of Babylon will be laid open. The
fearful results of enforcing the observances of the church by civil authority, the inroads
of spiritualism, the stealthy but rapid progress of the papal power, - all will be
unmasked. By these solemn warnings the people will be stirred. Thousands upon
thousands will listen who have never heard words like these.” GC 606
“The time of God’s destructive judgments is the time of mercy for those who
have no opportunity to learn what is truth. Tenderly will the Lord look upon them. His
heart of mercy is touched; His hand is still stretched out to save, while the door is
closed to those who would not enter. Large numbers will be admitted who in these last
days hear the truth for the first time.” 7BC 979
“And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring,
and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” John
10:16
“I saw that God had children who do not see and keep the Sabbath. They
have not rejected the light upon it. And at the commencement of the time of trouble, we
were filled with the Holy Ghost as we went forth and proclaimed the Sabbath more
fully. This enraged the churches and nominal Adventists, as they could not refute the
Sabbath truth. And at this time God’s chosen all saw clearly that we had the truth, and
they came out and endured the persecution with us.” EW 33
“These conversions to truth will be made with a rapidity that will surprise
the church, and God’s name alone will be glorified.” 2SM 16
“I have no specific time of which to speak when the outpouring of the Holy
Spirit will take place - when the mighty angel will come down from heaven, and unite
with the third angel in closing up the work for this world; my message is that our only
safety is in being ready for the heavenly refreshing, having our lamps trimmed and
burning.” 1SM 192
Satan Will Make War on God’s People
“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the
remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony
of Jesus Christ.” Rev. 12:17
“Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down
unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” Rev.
12:12
“Fearful are the scenes which call forth this exclamation from the heavenly
voice. The wrath of Satan increases as his time grows short, and his work of deceit and
destruction will reach its culmination in the time of trouble.” GC 623
“The world is filled with storm and war, and variance. Yet under one head -
the papal power - the people will unite to oppose God in the Person of His witnesses.
This union is cemented by the great apostate.” 7T 182
“As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan himself will
personate Christ. The church has long professed to look to the Savior’s advent as the
consummation of her hopes. Now the great deceiver will make it appear that Christ has
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come. In different parts of the earth, Satan will manifest himself among men as a
majestic being of dazzling brightness, resembling the description of the Son of God
given by John in the Revelation. 1:13-15. The glory that surrounds him is unsurpassed
by any-thing that mortal eyes have yet beheld. The shout of triumph rings out upon the
air: ‘Christ has come! Christ has come!’ The people prostrate themselves in adoration
before him, while he lifts up his hands and pronounces a blessing upon them, as
Christ blessed His disciples when He was upon the earth. His voice is soft and
subdued, yet full of melody. In gentle, compassionate tones he presents some of the
same gracious, heavenly truths which the Saviour uttered; he heals the diseases of the
people, and then, in his assumed character of Christ, he claims to have changed the
Sabbath to Sunday, and commands all to hallow the day which he has blessed. He
declares that those who persist in keeping holy the seventh day are blas-pheming his
name by refusing to listen to his angels sent to them with light and truth. This is the
strong, almost overwhelming delusion.” GC 624
“We shall be commanded to worship this being, whom the world will glorify
as Christ.” 6BC 1105
“Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it
not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs
and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the
desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the
lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the
coming of the Son of man be.” Matt. 24:23-27
“Only those who have been diligent students of the Scriptures and who have
received the love of the truth will be shielded from the powerful delusion that takes the
world captive. By the Bible testimony these will detect the deceiver in his disguise. To
all the testing will come. By the sifting of temptation the genuine Christian will be
revealed. Are the people of God now so firmly established upon His word that they
would not yield to the evidence of their senses?” GC 625
“Some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and
doctrines of devils.” 1 Tim. 4:1
“The apostles, as personated by these lying spirits, are made to contradict
what they wrote at the dictation of the Holy Spirit when on earth. They deny the divine
origin of the Bible, and thus tear away the foundation of the Christian’s hope and put
out the light that reveals the way to heaven.” GC 557
“All who have not the spirit of truth will unite under the leadership of
satanic agencies.” 7BC 967
“We are warned that in the last days he will work with signs and lying
wonders. And he will continue these wonders until the close of probation, that he
may point to them as evidence that he is an angel of light and not of darkness.” 2SM 51
“Good words will be spoken by him, and good deeds performed. Christ will
be personified, but on one point there will be a marked distinction. Satan will turn
the people from the law of God. Notwithstanding this, so well will he counterfeit
righteousness, that if it were possible, he would deceive the very elect. Crowned heads,
presidents, rulers in high places, will bow to his false theories.” FE 471, 472
“These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the
beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he
is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen,
and faithful.” Rev. 17:13, 14
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“The powers of evil will not yield up the conflict without a struggle. But
Providence has a part to act in the Battle of Armageddon. When the earth is lighted
with the glory of the angel of Revelation eighteen, the religious elements, good and evil,
will awake from slumber, and the armies of the living God will take the field.” 7BC 983
“Soon God’s people will be tested by fiery trials, and the great proportion of
those who now appear to be genuine and true will prove to be base metal. Instead of
being strengthened and confirmed by opposition, threats, and abuse, they will
cowardly take the side of the opposers.” 5T 136
“But, on the other hand, when the storm of persecution really breaks upon
us, the true sheep will hear the true Shepherd’s voice. Self-denying efforts will be put
forth to save the lost, and many who have strayed from the fold will come back to
follow the great Shepherd. The people of God will draw together and present to the
enemy a united front.” 6T 401
“Be wachful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all you
do be done in love.” 1 Cor. 16:13 RSV
Probation Will End
“Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye
think not.” Luke 12:40
“When the work of the investigative judgment closes, the destiny of all will
have been decided for life or death. Probation is ended a short time before the
appearing of the Lord in the clouds of heaven.” GC 490
“I saw angels hurrying to and fro in heaven. An angel with a writer’s inkhorn
by his side returned from the earth and reported to Jesus that his work was done, and
the saints were numbered and sealed. Then I saw Jesus, who had been ministering
before the ark containing the Ten Commandments, throw down the censer. He raised
His hands, and with a loud voice said, ‘It is done.’
“Every case had been decided for life or death. While Jesus had been
ministering in the sanctuary, the judgment had been going on for the righteous dead,
and then for the righteous living. Christ had received His kingdom, having made the
atonement for His people and blotted out their sins. The subjects of the kingdom were
made up. The marriage of the Lamb was consummated.” EW 279,280
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the
Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she
should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness
of saints.
“And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the
marriage supper of the Lamb.” Rev. 19:7-9
“When probation ends, it will come suddenly, unexpectedly - at a time when
we are least expecting it. But we can have a clear record in heaven today, and know
that God accepts us; and finally, if faithful, we shall be gathered into the kingdom of
heaven.” 7BC 989
“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his
garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” Rev. 16:15
“If you have become estranged and have failed to be Bible Christians, be
converted; for the character you bear in probationary time will be the character you
will have at the coming of Christ. If you would be a saint in heaven, you must first be a
saint on earth. The traits of character you cherish in life will not be changed by death
or by the resurrection. You will come up from the grave with the same disposition you
manifested in your home and in society. Jesus does not change the character at His
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coming. The work of transformation must be done now. Our daily lives are
determining our destiny.” AH 16
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count
slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that
all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night;
in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall
melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned
up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought
ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness.” 2 Peter 3:9-11
“Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for
the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient
children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but
as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.” 1
Peter 1:13-16
“Those who receive the seal of the living God and are protected in the time
of trouble must reflect the image of Jesus fully.
“I saw that many were neglecting the preparation so needful and were
looking to the time of ‘refreshing’ and the ‘latter rain’ to fit them to stand in the day of
the Lord and to live in His sight. Oh, how many I saw in the time of trouble without a
shelter.” EW 71
“Many are deceiving themselves by thinking that the character will be
transformed at the coming of Christ, but there will be no conversion of heart at His
appearing. Our defects of character must here be repented of, and through the grace of
Christ we must overcome them while probation shall last. This is the place for fitting
up for the family above.” AH 319
“When He comes He is not to cleanse us of our sins, to remove from us the
defects in our characters, or to cure us of the infirmities of our tempers and
dispositions. If wrought for us at all, this work will all be accomplished before that
time. When the Lord comes, those who are holy will be holy still. Those who have
preserved their bodies and spirits in holiness, in sanctification and honor, will then
receive the finishing touch of immortality. But those who are unjust, unsanctified, and
filthy will remain so for ever. No work will then be done for them to remove their
defects and give them holy characters. The Refiner does not then sit to pursue His
refining process and remove their sins and their corruption. This is all to be done in
these hours of probation. It is now that this work is to be accomplished for us.” 2T
355
“What we make of ourselves in probationary time, that we must remain to
all eternity. Death brings dissolution to the body, but makes no change in the
character. The coming of Christ does not change our characters; it only fixes them
forever beyond all change.” 5T 466
“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be
filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let
him be holy still.” Rev. 22:11
“When the voice of God awakes the dead, he will come from the grave
with the same appetites and passions, the same likes and dislikes, that he
cherished when living. God works no miracle to re-create a man who would not be re-
created when he was granted every opportunity and provided with every facility. During
his lifetime he took no delight in God, nor found pleasure in His service. His character
is not in harmony with God, and he could not be happy in the heavenly family.” COL
270
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“Sad will be the retrospect in that day when men stand face to face with
eternity. The whole life will present itself just as it has been. The world’s pleasures,
riches, and honors will not then seem so important. Men will then see that the
righteousness they despised is alone of value. . . .
“There will be no future probation in which to prepare for eternity. It is in
this life that we are to put on the robe of Christ's righteousness. This is our only
opportunity to form characters for the home which Christ has made ready for those
who obey His commandments. The days of our probation are fast closing. The end
is near.” COL 318, 319
“Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with
surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you
unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole
earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape
all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” Luke
21:34-36
There Will Be a Time of Trouble
“At that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the
children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since
there was a nation.” Dan. 12:1
“I saw that the four angels would hold the four winds until Jesus’ work was
done in the sanctuary, and then will come the seven last plagues. These plagues
enraged the wicked against the righteous; they thought that we had brought the
judgments of God upon them, and that if they could rid the earth of us, the plagues
would then be stayed. A decree went forth to slay the saints, which caused them to cry
day and night for deliverance. This was the time of Jacob’s trouble.” EW 36, 37
“Except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but
for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” Matt. 24:22
“Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death and mourning, and
famine.” Rev. 18:8
“These plagues are not universal, or the inhabitants of the earth would be
wholly cut off. Yet they will be the most awful scourges that have ever been known to
mortals. All the judgments upon men, prior to the close of probation, have been
mingled with mercy. The pleading blood of Christ has shielded the sinner from
receiving the full measure of his guilt; but in the final judgment, wrath is poured out
unmixed with mercy.” GC 628, 629
“The people of God will not be free from suffering; but while persecuted and
distressed, while they endure privation and suffer for want of food they will not be left
to perish. That God who cared for Elijah will not pass by one of His self-sacrificing
children. He who numbers the hairs of their head will care for them, and in time of
famine they shall be satisfied. While the wicked are dying from hunger and pestilence,
angels will shield the righteous and supply their wants. To him that ‘walketh
righteously’ is the promise: ‘Bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.’” GC
629
“Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about
thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For,
behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the in-habitants of the earth for
their iniquity.” Isa. 26:20, 21
“What are the chambers in which they are to hide? They are the protection
of Christ and holy angels. The people of God are not at this time all in one place. They
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are in different companies and in all parts of the earth, and they will be tried singly,
not in groups. Everyone must stand the test for himself.” HP 264
“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from
the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell
upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man
take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and
he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name
of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem.” Rev. 3:10-12
God Will Deliver His People
“At that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found
written in the book.” Dan. 12:1
“As the time appointed in the decree draws near, the people will conspire to
root out the hated sect. It will be determined to strike in one night a decisive blow,
which shall utterly silence the voice of dissent and reproof.
“The people of God - some in prison cells, some hidden in solitary retreats
in the forests and the mountains - still plead for divine protection, while in every
quarter companies of armed men, urged on by hosts of evil angels, are preparing for
the work of death. . . .
“It is at midnight that God manifests His power for the deliverance of His
people. The sun appears, shining in its strength. Signs and wonders follow in quick
succession. The wicked look with terror and amazement upon the scene, while the
righteous behold with solemn joy the tokens of their deliverance. Everything in nature
seems turned out of its course. The streams cease to flow. Dark, heavy clouds come up
and clash against each other. In the midst of the angry heavens is one clear space of
indescribable glory, whence comes the voice of God like the sound of many waters,
saying: ‘It is done.’ Rev. 16:17
“That voice shakes the heavens and the earth. There is a mighty earth-
quake, ‘such as was not since men were upon the earth,’. . . Prison walls are rent
asunder, and God’s people, who have been held in bondage for their faith, are set free.
“Graves are opened, and ‘many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth . .
. awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.’ All who
have died in the faith of the third angel’s message come forth from the tomb glorified,
to hear God’s covenant of peace with those who have kept His law. ‘They also which
pierced him,’ those that mocked and derided Christ’s dying agonies, and the most
violent opposers of His truth and His people, are raised to behold Him in His glory and
to see the honor placed upon the loyal and obedient.” GC 635-637
“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also
which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.” Rev. 1:7
“And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his
temple the ark of his testament.” Rev. 11:19
“When God’s temple in heaven is opened, what a triumphant time that will
be for all who have been faithful and true! In the temple will be seen the ark of the
testament in which were placed the two tables of stone, on which are written God’s law.
These tables of stone will be brought forth from their hiding place, and on them will be
seen the Ten commandments engraved by the finger of God. These tables of stone now
lying in the ark of the testament will be a convincing testimony to the truth and binding
claims of God’s law.” 7BC 972
“Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of
reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might
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receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will
not tarry.” Heb. 10:35, 36
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thess.
4:16, 17
“Amid the reeling of the earth, the flash of lightning, and the roar of
thunder, the voice of the Son of God calls forth the sleeping saints. He looks upon the
graves of the righteous, then, raising His hands to heaven, He cries: ‘Awake, awake,
awake, ye that sleep in the dust, and arise!’ Throughout the length and breadth of the
earth the dead shall hear that voice, and they that hear shall live. And the whole earth
shall ring with the tread of the exceeding great army of every nation, kindred, tongue,
and people. From the prison house of death they come, clothed with immortal glory,
crying: ‘O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?’ The living righteous
and the risen saints unite their voices in a long, glad shout of victory.” GC 644
“And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him,
and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and
rejoice in his salvation.” Isa. 25:9
“The living righteous are changed ‘in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.’
At the voice of God they were glorified; now they are made immortal and with the risen
saints are caught up to meet their Lord in the air. Angels gather together his elect from
the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Little children are borne by holy
angels to their mother’s arms. Friends long separated by death are united, nevermore
to part, and with songs of gladness ascend together to the City of God.” GC 645
“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number,
of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and
before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a
loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the
Lamb. . . . And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and
have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Rev. 7:9-14
He Will Reward Us
“Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man
according as his work shall be.” Rev. 22:12
“We are accepted through Christ’s merit 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.” 5BC 1122
“Whatever is done from love, however small it may appear in the estimation
of men, is accepted and rewarded of God.” GC 487
“Faithfulness and integrity in little things, the performances of little duties
and little deeds of kindness, will cheer and gladden the pathway of life; and when our
work on earth is ended, every one of the little duties performed with fidelity, will be
treasured as a precious gem before God.” 4T 591
“No act of unselfish service, however small or simple, is ever lost. Through
the merits of Christ's imputed righteousness, the fragrance of such words and deeds is
forever preserved.” SD 270
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“The reward, the glories of heaven, bestowed upon the overcomers, will be
proportionate to the degree in which they have represented the character of Christ to
the world. . . . The crown of life will be bright or dim, will glitter with many stars or be
lighted by a few gems, in accordance with our own course of action.
“Day by day we may be laying up a good foundation against the time to
come. By self-denial, by the service of the missionary spirit, by crowding all the good
works possible into our life, by seeking so to represent Christ in character that we
shall win many souls to the truth, we shall have respect unto the recompense of
reward.” 6BC 1104, 1105
“And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and
they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever.” Dan. 12:3
“Everyone they have been the means of saving, adds stars to their crown in
glory, and increases their eternal reward.” 1T 198
“A soul saved in your own family circle or in your own neighborhood, by
your patient, painstaking labor, will bring as much honor to the name of Christ, and
will shine as brightly in your crown as if you had found that soul in China or India.” SD
252
“With joy unutterable parents see the crown, the robe, the harp, given to
their children. The days of hope and fear are ended. . . . Their children have been
redeemed.” ML 352
“Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from
tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come again from
the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children
shall come again to their own border.” Jer. 31:16
“We are not parted forever, but shall meet the loved ones who sleep in
Jesus. They shall come again from the land of the enemy. The Life-giver is coming.
Myriads of holy angels escort Him on His way. He bursts the bands of death, breaks
the fetters of the tomb, the precious captives come forth in health and immortal
beauty.
“As the little infants come forth immortal from their dusty beds, they
immediately wing their way to their mother's arms. They meet again nevermore to part.
But many of the little ones have no mother there. The angels receive the motherless
infants and conduct them to the tree of life.
“Jesus places the golden ring of light, the crown upon their little heads.
God grant that the dear mother of ‘Eva’ may be there, that her little wings may be
folded upon the glad bosom of her mother.” 2SM 260
“The Lord has often instructed me that many little ones are to be laid away
before the time of trouble. We shall see our little children again. We shall meet them
and know them in the heavenly courts. Put your trust in the Lord, and be not afraid.”
2SM 259
“The seal, or mark, of believing parents will cover their children, if they
are trained up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” RH 3-28-1893
“Some parents allow Satan to control their children, and their children are
not restrained, but are allowed to have wicked tempers, to be passionate, selfish, and
disobedient. Should they die these children would not be taken to heaven. . . for the
same disposition would be revealed in them.” 3SM 314
“When the Lord makes up His jewels, the true, the frank, the honest, will be
looked upon with pleasure. Angels are employed in making crowns for such ones, and
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upon these star-gemmed crowns will be reflected . . . the light which radiates from the
throne of God.” 5T 96
“Some will have brighter crowns than others, but there will be no jealous
thoughts in any heart among the redeemed. Each one will be perfectly satisfied, for all
will be rewarded according to their work.” 3SM 155
“In the kingdom of God, position is not gained through favoritism. It is not
earned, nor is it received through an arbitrary bestowal. It is the result of character.
The crown and the throne are the tokens of a condition attained - tokens of self-
conquest through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.” AA 543
“Every victory gained is a gem in the crown of life.” 6BC 1088
“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall
receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” James
1:12
“It is Christ formed within that makes a man worthy of receiving the
crown of life, that fadeth not away.” Ma 98
“A character formed according to the divine likeness is the only treasure
that we can take from this world to the next. Those who are under the instruction of
Christ in this world will take every divine attainment with them to the heavenly
mansions. And in heaven we are continually to improve. How important, then, is the
development of character in this life.” COL 332
“It is the spiritual and moral character that is of value in the sight of
heaven, and that will survive the grave and be made glorious with im-mortality for
the endless ages of eternity.” 1SM 259
He Will Make a Full End
“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his
prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the
earth,. . . to gather them together to battle: . . . And they went up on the breadth of the
earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came
down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” Rev. 20:7-9
“At the close of the thousand years, Christ again returns to the earth. . . . As
He descends in terrific majesty he bids the wicked dead arise to receive their doom.”
GC 662
“For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the
valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act,
his strange act.” Isa. 28:21
“This is not an act of arbitrary power on the part of God. The rejecters of
His mercy reap that which they have sown. God is the fountain of life; and when one
chooses the service of sin, he separates from God, and thus cuts himself off from life.
He is ‘alienated from the life of God.’ Christ says, ‘All they that hate me love death.’
Eph. 4:18; Prov. 8:36. God gives them existence for a time that they may develop their
character and reveal their principles. This accomplished, they receive the results of
their own choice. By a life of rebellion, Satan and all who unite with him place
themselves so out of harmony with God that His very presence is to them a consuming
fire. The glory of Him who is love will destroy them.” DA 764
“To sin, wherever found, ‘our God is a consuming fire.’ Heb. 12:29. In all
who submit to His power the Spirit of God will consume sin. But if men cling to sin,
they become identified with it. Then the glory of God, which destroys sin, must destroy
them.” DA 107
119

“For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud,
yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn
them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” Mal.
4:1
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first
earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new
Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her
husband. . . . He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself
shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there
be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Rev. 21:1-4
He is Coming Soon - Be Ready
“Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons
ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness. Looking for and hasting unto the
coming of the day of God, . . . Be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace,
without spot, and blameless.” 2 Peter 3:11-14
“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his
garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” Rev. 16:15
“Not one of us should dare be off guard for a moment; for ‘in such an hour
as ye think not, the Son of man cometh.’” 5T 12
“Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord
Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” Jude 21
“The great crisis is just before us. To meet its trials and temptations, and to
perform its duties, will require persevering faith. But we may triumph gloriously; not
one watching, praying, believing soul will be ensnared by the enemy.” 6T 404
“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is
faithful that promised;) and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to
good works; not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of
some is; but exhorting one another; and so much the more as ye see the day
approaching.
“For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth,
there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment
and fiery indignation.” Heb. 10:23-26
Many people have a hard time understanding this text, thinking they
cannot come back to God if they have willfully sinned. It is not that God would not
forgive, but that they are willfully keeping on doing it.
“The wrath of God is not declared against unrepentant sinners merely
because of the sins they have committed, but because, when called to repent, they
chose to continue in resistance, repeating the sins of the past in defiance of the light
given. If the Jewish leaders had submitted to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit,
they would have been pardoned; but they were determined not to yield. In the same
way, the sinner, by continued resistance, places himself where the Holy Spirit cannot
influence him.” AA 62
“When Saul turned away from the reproof sent by God’s Holy Spirit, and
persisted in his stubborn self-justification, he rejected the only means by which God
could work to save him from himself. He had willfully separated himself from God.
He could not receive divine help or guidance until he should return to God by
confession of his sin.” PP 633
120

121
“Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we
have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. . . . How shall we escape, if we
neglect so great salvation.” Heb. 2:1-3
“Neglect this great salvation, kept before you for years, despise this glorious
offer of justification through the blood of Christ and sanctification through the
cleansing power of the Holy Spirit, and there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but
a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation. I entreat you now to
humble yourselves and cease your stubborn resistance of light and evidence. Say unto
the Lord, Mine iniquities have separated between me and my God. O Lord, pardon my
transgressions. Blot out my sins from the book of Thy remembrance. Praise His holy
name, there is forgiveness with Him, and you can be converted, transformed.” TM 97
KEY TO ABBREVIATIONS OF ELLEN G. WHITE BOOK TITLES
AA The Acts of the Apostles MB Mount of Blessing
AH The Adventist Home MH Ministry of Healing
BC 7A of the Commentary ML My Life Today
CG Child Guidance MYP Messages to Young People
COL Christ’s Object Lessons OHC Our High Calling
CT Counsels to Teachers PK Prophets and Kings
DA The Desire of Ages PP Patriarchs and Prophets
Ed Education RH Review and Herald
Ev Evangelism SC Steps to Christ
EW Early Writings SD Sons and Daughters of God
FE Fundamentals of Christian Ed. SL The Sanctified Life
FL The Faith I Live By SM Selected Messages
FW Faith and Works SP Spirit of Prophecy
GAG God’s Amazing Grace ST Signs of the Times
GC The Great Controversy T Testimonies for the Church
GW Gospel Workers TD This Day With God
HP In Heavenly Places TM Testimonies to Ministers
KH That I May Know Him UL The Upward Look
Ma Maranatha KH That I May Know Him
www.whatshallido.org

What shall i do to inherit eternal life-Margaret Davis

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