The perfection that White says the sinner needs is not a self-fabricated perfection but the perfection of Christ’s sinless life covering our sinful lives. By faith he can bring to God the merits of Christ, and the Lord places the obedience of His Son to the sinner’s account.” With quotes such as these in mind, it is clear that the same tension that exists in the Bible with regards to faith and works exist in Ellen Whites writings as well. The only way in which he can attain to righteousness is through faith. Ye are accepted in the Beloved.” Again White wrote: “The law demands righteousness, and this the sinner owes to the law but he is incapable of rendering it. In Selected Messages, White says, “We are not to be anxious about what Christ and God think of us, but about what God thinks of Christ, our Substitute. While the quoted statements may seem legalistic when viewed in light of other statements and her ministry as a whole it becomes apparent that Ellen White never promoted a works based salvation. However, when we balance these statements with those on righteousness by faith we discover what these verses truly mean and that none of them advocate a performance based salvation. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” Later on He said, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” The apostle James writes, “Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?” And the apostle John wrote, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.” Each of these statements can be taken out of context to say that the Bible teaches righteousness by works. Then come, follow me.’” Jesus also said, “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. Matthew records a story in which Jesus was approached by a young man and asked, “What must I do to be saved?” It is interesting to note that Jesus did not tell him, “accept me as your personal savior and you will be saved” but instead told him, “‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. However, what critics and Adventists who point out these statements fail to see is that any statement taken out of its context can be made to say anything.īefore concluding on Ellen White and the pre-Advent judgment let us turn to the Bible. Every one must be tested, and found without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.” With this in mind, it appears that Ellen White has completely undone everything said in the above section on righteousness by faith. It is a time to reach perfection.” And indeed White says, “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. Teresa Beem points out the legalistic language in some of Whites statements with reference to the pre-Advent judgment when she says, “The time of Atonement is especially scary for the believer. To summarize everything just quoted would be to say that in order to enter heaven we must be perfect. Those who receive the seal of the living God and are protected in the time of trouble must reflect the image of Jesus fully.” These statements appear to be the epitome of legalism, and rightly so. This is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble.” A similar thought can be found in Early Writings when White writes, “I also saw that many do not realize what they must be in order to live in the sight of the Lord without a high priest in the sanctuary through the time of trouble. He had kept His Father’s commandments, and there was no sin in Him that Satan could use to his advantage. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own.” Again she writes in Our High Calling, “Are we striving with all our power to attain to the stature of men and women in Christ? Are we seeking for His fullness, ever pressing toward the mark set before us-the perfection of His character? When the Lord’s people reach this mark, they will be sealed in their foreheads.” In her highly esteemed book The Great Controversy, White once again deals a “devastating blow” to righteousness by faith when she says, “Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to gain the victory. In her book, Christ Object Lessons, White says, “Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church.
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