• "I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you...how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures: and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures." 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

 

• “Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God's curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!” Galatians 1:7-9

 

Justification 

 

Scripture:

Sinners are given Jesus' righteousness through their repentance and faith, not through their good deeds which are "filthy rags". 

• “But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.” Romans 3:21-28

 

• If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1John 1:9

 

• “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out” Acts 3:19

 

• “But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Luke 13:3

 

• “Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:14-15

 

• “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.” John 5:24-25

 

• “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the boundless riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:4-9

 

• “...but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been revealed to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Hebrews 9:26

 

• “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the world.” 1 John: 1-2

 

Ellen G. White:

Salvation is obtained with a combination of Christ’s righteousness and ours. 

• “Faith is not the certainty of knowledge; it 'is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen,’ To obey the commandments of God is the only way to obtain his favor.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol 4, p. 27

 

• "Will man take hold of divine power, and with determination and perseverance resist Satan, as Christ has given him example in his conflict with the foe in the wilderness of temptation? God cannot save man against his will from the power of Satan’s artifices. Man must work with his human power, aided by the divine power of Christ, to resist and conquer at any cost to himself. In short, man must overcome as Christ overcame. And then, through the victory that it is his privilege to gain by the all-powerful name of Jesus, he may become an heir of God and joint-heir with Jesus Christ. This could not be the case if Christ alone did all the overcoming. Man must do his part; he must be victor on his own account, through the strength and grace that Christ gives him. Man must be a co-worker with Christ in the labor of overcoming, and then he will be partaker with Christ in His glory.” Sons and Daughters of God, p. 156

 

God's Judgement of The Righteous

 

Scripture: 

• “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them; and they were judged, each one of them according to their deeds. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:11-15
  • “The books” containing each person’s deeds will be opened alongside “the book of life”. Anyone who is not written in the book of life will be judged by their deeds, which condemn them before God because they are still filthy rags. Anyone whose name is found written in the book of life will be saved because they are not being judged by their own deeds, but by the deeds of Jesus who walked a perfect life and took the death penalty for unrighteousness.

 

• “But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.” Isaiah 64:6

 

• “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8

 

• “But Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.” Mark 10:18

 

• “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their wrong doings against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

 

Ellen G. White:

Ellen claims that it is possible and expected for people to obtain a sinless life with perfect obedience. 

• “Not to see the marked contrast between Christ and ourselves is not to know ourselves. He who does not abhor himself cannot understand the meaning of redemption. To be redeemed means to cease from sin. No heart that is stirred to rebellion against the law of God has any union with Christ, who died to vindicate the law and exalt it before all nations, tongues, and peoples.” The Watchman, April 23, 1907

 

• “Many accept the theory of Christ, but they make it manifest by their works that they do not know him as the Savior who died for the sins of men, who bore the penalty of their transgression, in order that they might be brought back to their loyalty to God, and through the merits of a crucified and risen Savior, might find acceptance with God in their obedience to his law. Christ died to make it possible for you to cease to sin, and sin is transgression of the law.” Review and Herald, Aug 28, 1894

 

• “‘If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword.’ These words are true. Exact obedience is required, and those who say that it is not possible to live a perfect life throw upon God the imputation of injustice and untruth.” The Review and Herald, Feb 7, 1957

 

• “The Lord requires no less of man now than he required of Adam,—perfect obedience to his law, unblemished righteousness. The requirement under the covenant of grace is just as broad as that made in paradise,—harmony with his law, which is holy, and just, and good. The gospel does not weaken the claims of the law; it exalts the law and makes it honorable. Under the New Testament no less is required than was required under the Old Testament. Let no one take up with the delusion, so pleasant to the human heart, that God will accept of sincerity, no matter what may be the faith or how imperfect the life. God requires of his children perfect obedience.” The Review and Herald, November 1, 1892 / Selected Messages, Book 1, ch. 59

 

• “That which God required of Adam before his fall was perfect obedience to His law. God requires now what He required of Adam, perfect obedience, righteousness without a flaw, without shortcoming in His sight. God help us to render to Him all His law requires. We cannot do this without that faith that brings Christ’s righteousness into daily practice.” Selected Messages, Book 2, p. 380–381 (1958)

 

• Ellen also claims the righteous will undergo an investigative judgment where God, starting in 1844, is now looking at the deeds and works of those who claim Jesus as their savior, and he will judge the righteous based on their deeds (not Christ’s deeds) to see if they will actually be saved. She claims that believers must meet a certain standard of righteousness on their own merit in order to enter eternal life, meaning that Jesus’ sacrifice does not actually cover all of humanity’s sin. If Jesus’ life does not completely take the place of sinners, then everyone is condemned because no one is without sin. Even if someone was eventually perfected in character as she expects them to be in the time of Jacob’s trouble, their past sin still condemns them and separates them from God’s presence. If the investigative judgment is true, and the righteous are judged by any of their deeds, not one person can enter heaven because their righteousness is still filthy rags before God. Below is an excerpt from chapter 28 of The Great Controversy (1888 ed.), where Ellen explains her vision of the investigative judgment.

 

“I Beheld,” says the prophet Daniel, “till thrones were placed, and One that was ancient of days did sit. His raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, and the wheels thereof burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him; thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the Judgment was set, and the books were opened.” [Daniel 7:9-10] Thus was presented to the prophet’s vision the great and solemn day when the characters and the lives of men should pass in review before the Judge of all the earth, and to every man should be rendered “according to his works.” 

…“And, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away.” [Daniel 7:13, 14.] The coming of Christ here described is not his second coming to the earth. He comes to the Ancient of days in Heaven to receive dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, which will be given him at the close of his work as a mediator. It is this coming, and not his second advent to the earth, that was foretold in prophecy to take place at the termination of the 2300 days, in 1844. Attended by heavenly angels, our great High Priest enters the holy of holies, and there appears in the presence of God, to engage in the last acts of his ministration in behalf of man,—to perform the work of investigative Judgment, and to make an atonement for all who are shown to be entitled to its benefits. In the typical service, only those who had come before God with confession and repentance, and whose sins, through the blood of the sin-offering, were transferred to the sanctuary, had a part in the service of the day of atonement. So in the great day of final atonement and investigative Judgment, the only cases considered are those of the professed people of God. The judgment of the wicked is a distinct and separate work, and takes place at a later period. “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?” [1 Peter 4:17.] The books of record in Heaven, in which the names and the deeds of men are registered, are to determine the decisions of the Judgment. Says the prophet Daniel, “The Judgment was set, and the books were opened.” The Revelator, describing the same scene, adds, “Another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” [Revelation 20:12.] The book of life contains the names of all who have ever entered the service of God. Jesus bade his disciples, “Rejoice, because your names are written in Heaven.” [Luke 10:20.] Paul speaks of his faithful fellow-workers, “whose names are in the book of life.” [Philippians 4:3.] Daniel, looking down to “a time of trouble, such as never was,” declares that God’s people shall be delivered, “everyone that shall be found written in the book.” [Daniel 12:1.] And the Revelator says that those only shall enter the city of God whose names “are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” [Revelation 21:27.] “A book of remembrance” is written before God, in which are recorded the good deeds of “them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.” [Malachi 3:16.] (In Malachi 3:16, the book of remembrance contains the names of those who remained faithful to Him in the midst of a rebellious nation. “Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in His presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored His name.” Ellen’s use of this text is taken severely out of context). Their words of faith, their acts of love, are registered in Heaven. Nehemiah refers to this when he says, “Remember me, O my God, ... and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God.” [Nehemiah 13:14.] In the book of God’s remembrance every deed of righteousness is immortalized. There every temptation resisted, every evil overcome, every word of tender pity expressed, is faithfully chronicled. And every act of sacrifice, every suffering and sorrow endured for Christ’s sake, is recorded. Says the psalmist. “Thou tellest my wanderings. Put thou my tears into thy bottle; are they not in thy book?” [Psalm 56:8.] There is a record also of the sins of men. “For God shall bring every work into Judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” [Ecclesiastes 12:14.] “Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of Judgment.” Said the Saviour, “By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” [Matthew 13:36, 37.] The secret purposes and motives appears in the unerring register; for God “will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.” [1 Corinthians 4:5.] “Behold, it is written before me, ... your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the Lord.” [Isaiah 65:6, 7.] Every man’s work passes in review before God, and is registered for faithfulness or unfaithfulness. Opposite each name in the books of Heaven is entered, with terrible exactness, every wrong word, every selfish act, every unfulfilled duty, and every secret sin, with every artful dissembling. Heaven-sent warnings or reproofs neglected, wasted moments, unimproved opportunities, the influence exerted for good or for evil, with its far-reaching results, all are chronicled by the recording angel. The law of God is the standard by which the characters and the lives of men will be tested in the Judgment. Says the wise man: “Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into Judgment.” [Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14.] The apostle James admonishes his brethren, “So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” [James 2:12.] Those who in the Judgment are “accounted worthy,” will have a part in the resurrection of the just. Jesus said, “They which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, ... are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.” [Luke 20:35, 36.] And again he declares that “they that have done good” shall come forth “unto the resurrection of life.” [John 5:29.] The righteous dead will not be raised until after the Judgment at which they are accounted worthy of “the resurrection of life.” Hence they will not be present in person at the tribunal when their records are examined, and their cases decided. Jesus will appear as their advocate, to plead in their behalf before God. “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” [1 John 2:1.] “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into Heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” “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.” [Hebrews 9:24; 7:25.] 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 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 life, and the record of their good deeds will be erased from the book of God’s remembrance. The Lord declared to Moses, “Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.” [Exodus 32:33.] (In Exodus 32:33, Moses was pleading with God to forgive the Israelites for worship of the golden calf; he then offered himself as an atonement, and asked God to blot his name out of the book of life if God would not forgive Israel. God replied to Moses in the text above, expressing that Moses could not make atonement, but that God would punish the individual for their sin. God then struck the people with a plague because of their worship of the golden calf. This example reinforces that only Christ would be an acceptable atonement sacrifice at His coming, and Moses would never be able to fulfill that purpose. Ellen took this verse out of context, and applied it to the Investigative Judgement). 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.” [Ezekiel 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. The Lord declares, by the prophet Isaiah, “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” [Isaiah 43:25.] Said Jesus, “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in Heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in Heaven.” [Revelation 3:5; Matthew 10:32, 33.]  The deepest interest manifested among men in the decisions of earthly tribunals but faintly represents the interest evinced in the heavenly courts when the names entered in the book of life come up in review before the Judge of all the earth. The divine Intercessor presents the plea that all who have overcome through faith in his blood be forgiven their transgressions, that they be restored to their Eden home, and crowned as joint-heirs with himself to the “first dominion.” [Micah 4:8.] 

…Jesus does not excuse their sins, but shows their penitence and faith, and, claiming for them forgiveness, he lifts his wounded hands before the Father and the holy angels, saying, “I know them by name. I have graven them on the palms of my hands. ‘The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” [Psalm 51:17.] And to the accuser of his people he declares, “The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee. Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?’ [Zechariah 3:2.] Christ will clothe his faithful ones with his own righteousness, that he may present them to his Father “a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.” [Ephesians 5:27.] Their names stand enrolled in the book of life, and concerning them it is written, “They shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy.” [Revelation 3:4.] 

…The work of the investigative Judgment and the blotting out of sins is to be accomplished before the second advent of the Lord. Since the dead are to be judged out of the things written in the books, it is impossible that the sins of men should be blotted out until after the Judgment at which their cases are to be investigated. But the apostle Peter distinctly states that the sins of believers will be blotted out, “when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ.” [Acts 3:19, 20.] When the investigative Judgment closes, Christ will come, and his reward is with him to give to every man as his work shall be. 

…At the time appointed for the Judgment—the close of the 2300 days, in 1844—began the work of investigation and blotting out of sins. All who have ever taken upon themselves the name of Christ must pass its searching scrutiny. Both the living and the dead are to be judged “out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” Sins that have not been repented of and forsaken will not be pardoned, and blotted out of the books of record, but will stand to witness against the sinner in the day of God. 

…How solemn is the thought! Day after day, passing into eternity, bears its burden of records for the books of Heaven. Words once spoken, deeds once done, can never be recalled. Angels have registered both the good and the evil. The mightiest conqueror upon the earth cannot call back the record of even a single day. Our acts, our words, even our most secret motives, all have their weight in deciding our destiny for weal or woe. Though they may be forgotten by us, they will bear their testimony to justify or to condemn. 

…In the Judgment, the use made of every talent will be scrutinized. How have we employed the capital lent us of Heaven? …God has made us the depositary of his holy Word; what have we done with the light and truth given us to make men wise unto salvation? No value is attached to a mere profession of faith in Christ; only the love which is shown by works is counted genuine. 

…Those who would share the benefits of the Saviour’s mediation should permit nothing to interfere with their duty to perfect holiness in the fear of God. The precious hours, instead of being given to pleasure, to display, or to gain-seeking, should be devoted to an earnest, prayerful study of the Word of truth. The subject of the sanctuary and the investigative Judgment should be clearly understood by the people of God. All need a knowledge for themselves of the position and work of their great High Priest. Otherwise, it will be impossible for them to exercise the faith which is essential at this time, or to occupy the position which God designs them to fill. 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, when, with Daniel, every individual must stand in his lot, at the end of the days. 

…Through defects in the character, Satan works to gain control of the whole mind, and he knows that if these defects are cherished, he will succeed. Therefore he is constantly seeking to deceive the followers of Christ with his fatal sophistry that it is impossible for them to overcome. But Jesus pleads in their behalf his wounded hands, his bruised body; and he declares to all who would follow him, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” [2 Corinthians 12:9.] “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” [Matthew 11:29, 30.] Let none, then, regard their defects as incurable. God will give faith and grace to overcome them. We are now living in the great day of atonement. In the typical service, while the high priest was making the atonement for Israel, all were required to afflict their souls by repentance of sin and humiliation before the Lord, lest they be cut off from among the people. In like manner, 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. The light, frivolous spirit indulged by so many of professed Christians must be put away. There is earnest warfare before all who would subdue the evil tendencies that strive for the mastery. The work of preparation is an individual work. We are not saved in groups. The purity and devotion of one will not offset the want of these qualities in another. Though all nations are to pass in judgment before God, yet he will examine the case of each individual with as close and searching scrutiny as if there were not another being upon the earth. Every one must be tested, and found without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Solemn are the scenes connected with the closing work of the atonement. Momentous are the interests involved therein. The Judgment is now passing in the sanctuary above. For more than forty years this work has been in progress. Soon—none know how soon—it will pass to the cases of the living. In the awful presence of God our lives are to come up in review. At this time above all others it behooves every soul to heed the Saviour’s admonition, “Watch and pray; for ye know not when the time is.” [Mark 13:33.] “If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” [Revelation 3:3.] 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. Christ in the Revelation, looking forward to that time, declares: “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. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” [Revelation 22:11, 12.] The righteous and the wicked will still be living upon the earth in their mortal state—men will be planting and building, eating and drinking, all unconscious that the final, irrevocable decision has been pronounced in the sanctuary above. Before the flood, after Noah entered the ark, God shut him in, and shut the ungodly out; but for seven days the people, knowing not that their doom was fixed, continued their careless, pleasure-loving life, and mocked the warnings of impending judgment. “So,” says the Saviour, “shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” [Matthew 24:39.] Silently, unnoticed as the midnight thief, will come the decisive hour which marks the fixing of every man’s destiny, the final withdrawal of mercy’s offer to guilty men. “Watch ye therefore; ... lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping.” [Mark 13:35, 36.] Perilous is the condition of those who, growing weary of their watch, turn to the attractions of the world. While the man of business is absorbed in the pursuit of gain, while the pleasure-lover is seeking indulgence, while the daughter of fashion is arranging her adornments,—it may be in that hour the Judge of all the earth will pronounce the sentence, “Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.” [Daniel 5:27]. The Great Controversy (1888 ed), ch. 28

 

Forgotten Sins

 

Scripture:

Man is so sinful that it is impossible for him to remember all of his transgressions.

• “But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.” Psalm 19:12-13

 

• “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” Romans 8:26

 

Ellen G. White:

Ellen claimed that we must repent of every sin in order to be forgiven, and if we have forgotten about any sins we have committed, those forgotten sins could condemn us at the judgment.  

• "Sins that have not been repented of and forsaken will not be pardoned, and blotted out of the books of record, but will stand to witness against the sinner in the day of God. …How solemn is the thought! Day after day, passing into eternity, bears its burden of records for the books of Heaven. Words once spoken, deeds once done, can never be recalled. Angels have registered both the good and the evil. The mightiest conqueror upon the earth cannot call back the record of even a single day. Our acts, our words, even our most secret motives, all have their weight in deciding our destiny for weal or woe. Though they may be forgotten by us, they will bear their testimony to justify or to condemn. …Could the veil which separates the visible from the invisible world be swept back, and the children of men behold an angel recording every word and deed, which they must meet again in the Judgment, how many words that are daily uttered would remain unspoken; how many deeds would remain undone. " The Great Controversy, ch 28

 

Mediation and Intercession of Jesus

 

Scripture:

Jesus is mediating for mankind continuously and forever, as a permanent high priest. We can never stand before God without a mediator.

• “Who will bring charges against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, but rather, was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.” Romans 8:33-34

 

• “The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing; Jesus, on the other hand, because he continues forever, he holds his priesthood permanently. Therefore He is also able to save forever those who come to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens; who has no daily need, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because he did this once for all time when He offered up Himself. For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, who has been made perfect forever.” Hebrews 7:23-28

 

Ellen G. White:

Before he returns, Jesus’ intercession for sinners will stop for the last of God’s people on earth, he will discontinue his role as high priesthood mediator, and they will have to stand perfect and blameless before God by their own effort, without Jesus as their mediator. 

• “Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above are to stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator. Their robes must be spotless, their characters must be purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling. Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort they must be conquerors in the battle with evil. While the investigative judgment is going forward in heaven, while the sins of penitent believers are being removed from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of putting away sin, among God's people upon earth. This work is more clearly presented in the messages of Revelation 14. When this work shall have been accomplished, the followers of Christ will be ready for his appearing. “Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.” Malachi 3:4. Then the church which our Lord at His coming is to receive to Himself will be a “glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.” Great controversy ch. 24, par. 6-7

 

• “Now, while our great High Priest is making the atonement for us, we should seek to become perfect in Christ. Not even by a thought could our Savior be brought to yield to the power of temptation. 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. But Christ declared of Himself: “The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me.” John 14:30. Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to gain the victory. He had kept His Father's commandments, and there was no sin in him that Satan could use to his advantage. This is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble.” The Great Controversy, ch 39, par. 27

 

• “None but the hundred and forty-four thousand can learn that song; for it is the song of their experience—an experience such as no other company have ever had. “These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.” These, having been translated from the earth, from among the living, are counted as “the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb.” Revelation 15:2, 3; 14:1-5. “These are they which came out of great tribulation;” they have passed through the time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation; they have endured the anguish of the time of Jacob's trouble; they have stood without an intercessor through the final outpouring of God's judgments. But they have been delivered, for they have “washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” “In their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault” before God. “Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple: and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.” The Great Controversy, Ch 40, par. 38

 

Why Has Jesus Not Yet Returned?

 

Scripture:

Scripture says Jesus is waiting to come back once his gospel is preached into all the world and for as many people to come to repentance as possible. Scripture does not teach that Jesus is waiting for his people to reflect his sinless character perfectly before he returns. He did not come for the righteous, but only came for the repentant sinners. 

• "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world as a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." Matthew 24:14

 

• "I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners, to repentance." Luke 5:32

 

• "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6

 

Ellen G. White:

Ellen claims Jesus will not return until his people perfectly reflect his sinless character.

• “When the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.” Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of himself in his church, when the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in his people, then he will come to claim them as His own.” Christ's Object Lessons, ch. 3, par. 15

 

• "It is true that time has continued longer than we expected...our Savior did not appear as we had hoped. But has the word of the Lord failed? Never! it should be remembered that the promises and the threatenings of God are alike conditional. God had committed to His people a work to be accomplished on earth. The third angel's message was to be given...sabbath reform was to be carried forward...The people of God must purify their souls through obedience to the truth and be prepared to stand without fault before Him at His coming. Had Adventists, after the great disappointment in 1844, held fast their faith and followed on unitedly in the opening providence of God, receiving the message of the third angel and in the power of the Holy Spirit proclaiming it to the world, they would have seen the salvation of God...and Christ would have come ere this to receive His people to their reward...Had the whole Adventist body united upon the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, how widely different would have been our history! It was not the will of God that the coming of Christ should be thus delayed." Manuscript 4 (1883)