| |
|
"The
Lord Jesus imparts all the powers, all the grace,
all the penitence, all the inclination, all the
pardon of sins ... for man to grasp by living faith - which
is also the gift of God. If you would gather together
everything that is good and holy and noble and lovely in man, and
then present the subject to angels of God as acting a part in the
salvation of the human soul ... the proposition would be rejected as
treason ... Any works that man can render to God will be far
less than nothingness ... The idea of doing anything to merit
the grace of pardon is fallacy from beginning to end. "Lord, in my
hand no price I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling ... Men are
educated to think that if a man repents he shall be pardoned,
supposing that repentance is the way, the door, into heaven; that
there is a certain assured value in repentance to buy for him
forgiveness. Can man repent of himself? No more than he can
pardon himself. Where is the merit in the man to earn his
salvation or to place before God something which is valuable and
excellent? Can an offering of money, houses, lands, place yourself
on the deserving list? Impossible! There is a danger in
regarding justification by faith as placing merit on faith.
When you take the righteousness of Christ as a free gift, you are
justified freely through the redemption of Christ. What is
faith? It is an assent of the understanding to God's words which
binds the heart in willing consecration and service to God,
who gave the understanding, who moved on the heart, who first
drew the mind to view the Christ. When men learn they cannot
earn righteousness...they look with firm and entire reliance upon
Jesus Christ as their only hope ... Souls and bodies are
defiled and polluted by sin, the heart is estranged from God, yet
many are struggling in their own finite strength to win
salvation by good works ... The need [is] to see by faith the
righteousness of Christ as their only hope for time and for
eternity." |
| - Faith and Works, pgs. 24-26 |
| "Though the rulers of this world know it not, yet
often in their councils angels have been spokesmen. Human
eyes have looked upon them. Human ears have listened to their
appeals. In the council hall and the court of justice, heavenly
messengers have pleaded the cause of the persecuted and oppressed.
They have defeated purposes and arrested evils that would
have brought wrong and suffering to God's children ... Where to us
have appeared only confusion and disappointment, broke
purposes and thwarted plans, will be seen a grand, overruling,
victorious purpose, a divine harmony." |
| "They (the Christian) will not be deterred from honoring God
however dark the way may seem. Adversity and trial will only give
them an opportunity to show the sincerity of their faith and love.
When depression settles upon the soul, it is no evidence that
God has changed. He is the same yesterday and to day, and for
ever. You are sure of the favor of God when you are sensible of the
beams of the Sun of Righteousness; but if the clouds sweep over your
soul, you must not feel that you are forsaken. Your faith must
pierce the gloom ... The riches of the grace of Christ must be kept
before the mind. Treasure up the lessons that His love provides. Let
your faith be like Job's, that you may declare, Though he slay me,
yet will I trust in him. Lay hold on the promises of your heavenly
Father and remember His former dealing with you and with His
servants, for all things work together for good to them that love
God. The most trying experiences in the Christian's life may be the
most blessed. The special providences of the dark hours may
encourage the soul in future attacks of Satan, and equip the servant
of God to stand in fiery trials. The trial of your faith is more
precious than gold. You must have that abiding confidence in God
that is not disturbed by the temptations and arguments of the
deceiver. Take the Lord at His word ... It is faith that
familiarizes the soul with the existence and presence of God, and
when we live with an eye single to His glory we discern more and
more the beauty of His character." |
| - That I May Know Him,
pg. 257 |
| "When the mind dwells upon self, it is turned away from
Christ, the source of strength, and life. Hence it is Satan's
constant effort to keep the attentions diverted from the Saviour and
thus prevent the union and communion of the soul with Christ.
The pleasures of the world, life's cares and perplexities, the
faults of others, or your own faults and imperfections - to any or
all of these he will seek to divert the mind ... Many ... who
desires to live for God he too often leads to dwell upon their
own faults and weaknesses, and thus by separating them from
Christ, he hopes to gain the victory. We should not make self the
center and indulge anxiety and fear as to whether we shall be saved.
All this turns the soul away from the Source of our strength. Commit
the keeping of your soul to God, and trust in Him. Talk and think of
Jesus. Let self be lost in Him. Put away all doubt; dismiss your
fears ... Rest in God. He is able to keep that which you have
committed to Him. If you will leave yourself in His hands, He
will bring you off more than conqueror through Him that has
loved you." |
| - Steps to Christ, pgs.
71-72 |
| "When through the influence of the Holy Spirit the truth is
received into the mind and heart, it will have a transforming
power upon the character." |
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pg. 41 |
| "There are those who press to serve God, while they rely upon
their own efforts to obey His law, to form a right character, and
secure salvation. Their hearts are not moved by any deep sense of
the love of Christ, but they seek to perform the duties of the
Christian life as that which God requires of them in order to
gain heaven. Such religion is worth nothing. When Christ
dwells in the heart, the soul will be so filled with His love, with
the joy of communion with Him, that it will cleave to Him, and in
contemplation of Him, self will be forgotten. Love to Christ
will be the spring of action ... A profession of Christ without this
deep love is mere talk, dry formality, and heavy drudgery."
|
| - Steps to Christ, pg2.
44-45 |
| "What you need to understand is the true force of the will.
This is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of
decision, or of choice. Everything depends on the right action
of the will. The power of choice God has given to men; it is
theirs to exercise. You cannot change your heart, you cannot of
yourself give to God its affections, but you can choose to serve
Him. You can give him your will: He will then work in you to
will and to do according to His good pleasure."
|
| - Steps to Christs, pg.
47 |
| "Talk and act as if your faith was invincible."
|
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pg. 42 |
| "The
less we see to esteem in ourselves, the more we shall
see to esteem in the infinite purity and loveliness of our Saviour
... when the soul, realizing its helplessness, reaches out
after Christ, He will reveal Himself in power. The more our
sense of need drives us to Him and to the word of God ... the more
fully we shall reflect His image." |
| - Steps to Christ, pg.
65 |
| "He
who turns the hearts of men as the rivers of water are turned, can
bring the most selfish, sin-hardened soul to Christ. Is anything
too hard for God?" |
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pg. 42 |
| "...
We claim this righteousness of Christ, we believe it, and it is
our righteousness. He is our Saviour. He saves us
because He said He would ... Do we have the goodness in ourselves
that will make us better and cleanse us from the spots and stains of
sin, enabling us then to come to God? We simply cannot do
it." |
| - Faith and Works, pg.
70 |
| "As
the sinner looks to the law, his guilt is made plain to him and
pressed home to his conscience, and he is condemned. His only
comfort and hope is found in looking to the cross of Calvary.
As he ventures upon the promises, taking God at his word,
relief and peace come to his soul. He cries, "Lord Thou hast
promised to save all who come unto Thee in the name of Thy Son. I am
a lost, helpless, hopeless soul. Lord, save, or I perish!" His faith
lays hold on Christ, and he is justified before God ...
Through divine grace, supernatural power is imparted to the
man and works in mind and heart and character. It is through
the impartation of the grace of Christ that sin is discerned
in its hateful nature and finally driven from the soul temple."
|
| - Faith and Works, pg.
99-100 |
| "
'... to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of
debt. But to him that worketh not but believeth on Him that
justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness'.
Romans 4:3-5. Righteousness is obedience to the law. The law demands
righteousness ... but he is incapable of rendering it. By faith he
can bring to God the merits of Christ, and the Lord places the
obedience of His Son to the sinner's account. Christ's righteousness
is accepted in place of man's failure, and God receives,
pardons, justifies, the repentant, believing soul, treats him
as though he were righteous, and loves him as He loves His
Son. This is how faith is accounted righteousness."
|
| - Faith and Works, pg.
101 |
| "All
true obedience comes from the heart ... 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 ... Through an appreciation of the character of Christ,
through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us."
|
| - Desire of Ages, pg.
668 |
| "The
Holy Spirit puts forth its highest energies to work in heart and
mind ... In their human weaknesses they are enabled to do the deeds
of the Omnipotence." |
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pg. 43 |
| "If
they will hold the beginning of their confidence steadfast unto the
end He will make their way clear."
|
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pg. 87 |
| "It
is not our efforts that bring victory; it is seeing
God behind the promise, and believing and trusting
Him. Grasp by faith the hand of infinite power. The Lord is faithful
who has promised." |
| - Review & Herald, Dec.
29, 1910 |
| "...
it is your privilege to have Christ abiding in your heart by faith,
and He can overcome sin in you, when you cooperate with His
efforts." |
| - Our High Calling, pg.
76 |
| "By
your fervent prayers of faith you can move the arm that moves the
world." |
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pg. 95 |
| "If
you go to God with a humble, believing, heart to seek for guidance
in your perplexity, then it is your privilege to rest your case with
Him." |
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pg. 101 |
| "It
is only he who knows himself to be a sinner that Christ can save."
|
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pg. 116 |
| "I
trust not to my own merit, but to the precious blood of Jesus, which
cleanses me. Christ takes the sinner from the lowest degradation,
and purifies, refines, and ennobles him."
|
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pg. 119 |
| "He
has the most tender pity for those who are called to bear life's
heaviest burdens ... for all that the world neglects to bestow, God
Himself will make up to them in the best of favors."
|
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pg. 26 |
| "By
beholding Jesus as He is, the sinner is transformed
and elevated to the very summit of dignity, even to a seat with
Christ upon His throne." |
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pg. 119 |
| "...
it is not possible ... in our standing before God or in the gift of
God to us to effect anything through creature merit. If man cannot,
by any of his good works, merit salvation, then it must be
wholly of grace, received by man as sinner because he
receives and believes in Jesus. It is wholly a free gift ... the
merit of fallen man in his good works can never procure eternal life
for him ... Justification is wholly of grace and not procured by any
works that fallen man can do ... the satisfaction of creature merit
cannot be in returning to the Lord His own, for it was always His
own property to be uses as He in His providence should direct ...
The moment the workmanship of God refused obedience to the laws of
God's kingdom, that moment he became disloyal to the government of
God and he made himself entirely unworthy of all the blessings
wherewith God had favored him ... he was no longer entitled to a
breath of air, a ray of sunshine, or a particle of food. And the
reason why man was not annihilated was because God so loved him that
He made the gift of His dear Son that He should suffer the penalty
of his transgression. Christ proposed to become man's surety and
substitute, that man, through His matchless grace, should have
another trial - a second probation ... Man broke God's law, and
through the Redeemer new and fresh promises were made on a
different basis. All blessing must come through a mediator. Now
every member of the human family is given wholly into the hands of
Christ, and whatever we possess - whether it is the gift of money
... in this present life and the blessings of the future life, are
placed in our possession as God's treasures to be faithfully
expended for the benefit of man. Every gift is stamped with the
cross and bears the image and superscription of Jesus Christ. All
things come of God. From the smallest benefits up to the largest
blessing, all flow through the one channel - a superhuman mediation
sprinkled with the blood that is of value beyond estimate because it
was the life of God in His Son ... we possess nothing, can offer
nothing in value, in work, in faith, which we have not first
received of God ... I entrusted to you, not to enrich yourself, but
for wise improvement to benefit the world ... The Lord could,
by neglecting man, stop his breath at once ... It is all His gift to
be returned back to God in helping to cultivate the heart of man ...
No work of man can merit for him the pardoning love of God, but
the love of God pervading the soul will lead him to do those
things which were always required of God and that he should do
with pleasure ... There may be a fervor of labor and
an intense affection, high and noble achievement of
intellect, a breadth of understanding, and the
humblest self-abasement, laid at the feet of our Redeemer,
but there is not one jot more than the grace and talent given of
God ... All must be laid upon the fire of Christ's
righteousness to cleanse it from its earthly odor before it
rises in a cloud of fragrant incense to the great Jehovah and is
accepted as a sweet savor ... The Lord Jesus imparts all the
powers, all the grace, all the penitence, all
the inclination, all the pardon of sins in presenting
His righteousness for man to grasp by living faith, which is
all the faith of God ... There can be no true conversion
without the giving up of sin ... Faith is rendering to God
the intellectual powers, abandonment of the mind and will to God,
and making Christ the only door to enter the kingdom of heaven. When
men learn they cannot earn righteousness by their own merit of
works, and they look with firm and entire reliance upon
Jesus Christ as their only hope, there will not be so much of
self and so little of Jesus. Souls and bodies are defiled and
polluted by sin, the heart is estranged from God, yet many are
struggling in their own finite strength to win salvation by good
works. Jesus, they think will do some of the saving, they must do
the rest. They need to see by faith the righteousness of
Christ as their only hope for time and for eternity."
|
| - Faith and Works, pgs.
19-23 |
| "The
strength acquired in prayer to God will prepare us for our daily
duties ... The Christian whose heart is thus stayed upon God
cannot be overcome." |
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pgs. 59-60 |
| "Scarcely can the human mind comprehend ... the spiritual
attainments that can be reached by becoming partakers of the
divine nature." |
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pg. 153 |
| "Give me thine heart: I will keep it pure; I
will satisfy its longings with true happiness."
|
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pg. 152 |
| "...
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 ... What leisure time we have should be spent in searching the
Bible." |
| "...
the learning of the world was powerless to move the hearts of men,
but the gospel was the power of God to salvation."
|
| - Bible Commentary, Vol.
7-A, pg. 286 |
| "God
makes no requirement without making provision for its
fulfillment. Through the grace of Christ we may accomplish
everything that God requires." |
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pg. 155 |
| "The
most difficult and humiliating lesson that man has to learn is his
own inefficiency in depending upon human wisdom. Those who have a
true knowledge of God will not become so infatuated with the laws of
matter or the operations of nature as to overlook, or refuse to
acknowledge, the continual working of God in nature. The ancient
philosophers prided themselves on their superior knowledge ...
changed the truth of God into a lie. In its human wisdom the
world cannot know God. Those who think they can obtain a
knowledge of God aside from His Representative, whom the Word
declares ... will need to become fools in their own estimation
before they can be wise." |
| - Bible Commentary, Vol.
7-A, pg. 292 |
| "We
may be 'filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and
spiritual understanding,' walking 'worthy of the Lord' 'being
fruitful in every good work, increasing in the knowledge of God;
strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power,
unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; giving thanks
unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of
the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us
from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the
kingdom of His dear Son: in whom we have redemption through
His blood, even the forgiveness of sins.' - Colossians 1:9-14"
|
| - That I May Know Him,
pg. 54 |
| "Let
your mind grasp the promises and hold to them ... 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 ... Roll all your burdens upon
Him ... Ask God to do for you those things that you cannot do for
yourselves ... When you have asked for the things that are necessary
for your soul's good, believe that you receive them, and you shall
have them ... Jesus has died that you might have the precious things
of heaven as your own, and at last find a home with the heavenly
angels in the kingdom of God ... Prayer moves the arm of Omnipotence
... I asked the angel why there was no more faith and power in
Israel. He said, "Ye let go of the arm of the Lord too soon.
Press your petitions to the throne, and hold on by strong
faith. The promises are sure. Believe ye receive the things
ye ask for and ye shall have them ... In the secret place of prayer,
where no eye but God's can see, no ear but His can hear, we
may pour out our most hidden desires and longings to the Father of
infinite pity ... He would have us understand how earnestly
and tenderly His heart yearns over us ... Never has one been
disappointed who came to Him." |
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pgs. 13-16 |
| "...
in the darkest hour there is light beyond ... He gives the Holy
Spirit to help in every strait, to strengthen our hopes and
assurance, to illuminate our minds and purify our hearts ... We have
nothing to fear for the future except as we shall forget the way the
Lord has led us." |
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pgs. 69-70 |
| "Have faith in God. He knows your need. He has all power. His
infinite love and compassion never weary. Fear not that He will
fail of fulfilling His promise. He is eternal truth. Never will He
change the covenant He has made with those who love Him ... Through
reliance on the ... mighty General of the Armies of heaven,
every true soldier of the cross may receive strength and courage to
overcome the obstacles that seem insurmountable."
|
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pg. 73-75 |
| "Angels are our companions. The Comforter that Christ
promised to send in His name abides with us ... There
is not a sorrow, not a grievance, not a human weakness, for
which He has not provided a remedy ... To those who ... acquaint
themselves with Christ, the Earth will ... be their Father's house,
filled with the presence of Him ... Wherever we are, wherever we may
go, He is always at our right hand to support, sustain, uphold, and
cheer. Never feel that Christ is far away. He is always near. His
loving presence surrounds you. Seek Him as One who desires to
be found of you. He desires you ... to walk with Him in
constant communion. Many are suffering from maladies of the soul far
more than from diseases of the body, and they will find no relief
until they shall come to Christ ... Complaints of weariness,
loneliness, and dissatisfaction will then cease. Satisfying joys
will give vigor to the mind and health and vital energy to the
body ... The cross of Calvary testified that He takes a deep
interest in your welfare ... you are the subject of many prayers ...
If you will find heart and voice to pray, He will be sure to hear,
and an arm will be reached down to save you ... we are never
to be left to battle alone." |
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pg. 77-79 |
| "Prayer is the breath of the soul. It is the secret to
spiritual power ... The perfection of Christian character
depends wholly upon the grace and strength found alone in
God. Without the power of grace upon the heart ... we shall fail
of saving our own souls and of saving the souls of others."
|
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pgs. 85-86 |
| "We
can never of ourselves obtain the victory over temptation. But those
who have genuine faith in Christ will be worked by the
Holy Spirit. The soul in whose heart faith abides will grow into
a beautiful temple for the Lord ... Just in proportion as he
depends on the Holy Spirit's teaching he will grow ... Those
who know the indwelling of the Spirit reveal the fruit of the Spirit
- love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith." |
| - That I May Know Him,
pg. 57 |
| "The
Lord is able to render futile every agency that works for the defeat
of His chosen ones; in His strength they may overcome every
temptation, conquer every difficulty. God will honor and
uphold every true-hearted, earnest soul who is seeking to walk
before Him in the perfection of Christ's grace. He will never leave
nor forsake one humble, trembling soul." |
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pg. 98 |
| "The
earnest prayer of contrite souls will be lodged by the
throne, and God will answer these prayer in his own time
if we cling to His arm by faith. Let self be merged in Christ, and
Christ in God, and there will be such a display of His power
as will melt and subdue hearts." |
| - Testimonies to the Church,
Vol. 6, pg. 153 |
| "Take time to pray, and as you pray, believe that God hears
you. Have faith mixed with your prayers. You may not at all times
feel the immediate answer; but then it is that faith is tried. You
are proved to see whether you will trust in God, whether you have
living, abiding faith ... Trust all on the promises of the
Lord. Trust God in darkness. That is the time to have faith ... Only
believe, and we shall see the workings of God."
|
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pg. 144 |
| "If
you feel at liberty to moan and groan over bereavements, things that
are past, out of your keeping, things you cannot change or alter,
you will neglect the present duties lying directly in your pathway.
Look unto Jesus, who is the Author and Finisher of your
faith. Turn your attention from subjects which make you gloomy and
sad, for you become an agent in the hands of the enemy to multiply
gloom and darkness ... Although severe afflictions may come upon
you, it is your business to look up, and to see light in Jesus."
|
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pg. 145 |
| "There are many who become restless when they cannot know the
definite outcome of affairs. They cannot endure uncertainty, and
in their impatience they refuse to wait to see the
salvation of God. Apprehended evils drive them nearly
distracted. They give way to their rebellious feelings, and run
hither and thither in passionate grief, seeking intelligence
concerning that which has not been revealed. If they would but trust
in God, and watch unto prayer, they would find divine consolation.
Their spirit would be calmed by communion with God. The weary and
the heavy-laden would find rest unto their souls if they would only
go to Jesus." |
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pgs. 145-146 |
| "Whatever spiritual blessing we need, it is our privilege
to claim through Jesus. We may tell the Lord exactly what we
need ... asking Him for bread and raiment as well as for the bread
of life and the robe of Christ's righteousness ... You are invited
to ask Him concerning them. It is through the name of Jesus that
every favor is received. God will honor that name."
|
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pg. 146 |
| "Jesus loves to have us come just as we are, sinful,
helpless, dependent. We may come with all our weakness, our
folly, our sinfulness, and fall at the feet in penitence. It
is His glory to encircle us in the arms of His love ... to cleanse
us from all impurity. If you give yourself to Him, and accept Him as
your Saviour 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. If through manifold temptations
we are surprised or deceived into sin, He does not turn from us and
leave us to perish ... That is not our Saviour. We are to have
free access to the atoning blood of Christ. This we must
regard as the most precious privilege ... If one who daily communes
with God errs from the path, if he turns a moment from
looking steadfastly unto Jesus, it is not because he sins
willfully: for when he sees his mistake, he turns again
and fastens his eyes upon Jesus, and the fact that he has erred does
not make him less dear to the heart of God. We shall often have to
bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus because of our shortcomings.
We are not to be discouraged. Even if we are overcome by the enemy,
we are not cast off. The Lord does not require us to do some
grievous thing in order that we may have forgiveness of sin ...
He that confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall have mercy."
|
| - Promises for the Last
Days, pg. 116-118 |
| "The
preoccupation of the mind with good is worth more than unnumbered
barriers of law and discipline ... Give me your heart: I will keep
it pure; I will satisfy its longings with true happiness."
|
| - Adventist Home, pgs.
495, 497 |
| "God
has a heaven full of blessings that He wants to bestow on
those who earnestly seek for that help which the Lord alone can
give." |
| - Bible Commentary, Vol.
7-A, pg. 19 |
| "...
it is faith, and faith only ... which enables us to render
obedience." |
| - Steps to Christ, pg.
60-61 |
| "The
ten commandments ... are ten promises ... ten precepts of the
greatest love that can be presented to man ... There is not a
negative in that law." |
| - Bible Commentary, Vol.
7-A, pg. 37 |
| "He
whose eyes are fixed on Jesus will leave all. He will
die to selfishness. He will believe in all the Word of God.
As the sinner sees Jesus as He is ... hope and assurance take
possession of his soul. The helpless soul is cast without any
reservation upon Jesus ... Jesus crucified a lingering doubt.
Unbelief is gone ... If the cross does not find an influence in
its favor, it creates an influence." |
| - Bible Commentary, Vol.
7-A, pg. 337 |
| "...
Omnipotence cannot resist their plea for the salvation of any tried,
tempted member of Christ's body." |
| - In Heavenly Places, pg.
284 |
| "Justice and Mercy stood apart, in opposition to one another
... Justice moved from its exalted throne, and with all the armies
of heaven approached the cross. There it saw One equal with God
bearing the penalty for all injustice and sin. With perfect
satisfaction Justice bowed in reverence at the cross, saying, 'It is
enough!'" |
| - Bible Commentary, Vol.
7-A, pg. 673 |
| "He
[God] knows what human beings do not know, - the future results
of every movement, and therefore our eyes should be directed to
Him!" |
| - Bible Commentary, Vol.
7-A, pg. 15 |
| "The
same law that was engraved upon tables of stone is written by the
Holy Spirit upon the tables of the heart. Instead of going about to
establish our own righteousness we accept the righteousness of
Christ. His blood atones for our sins. His obedience is accepted for
us. Then the heart renewed by the Holy Spirit will bring
forth 'the fruits of the Spirit.' Through the grace of Christ
we shall live in obedience to the law of God written upon our
hearts." |
| - Patriarchs and
Prophets, pg. 372 |
| "...
our gifts cannot recommend us to God or earn His favor, they are an
evidence that we have received the grace of Christ."
|
| - Bible Commentary, Vol.
7-A, pg. 283 |
| "Jesus became a man ... that He might restore to man
the original mind which he lost in Eden through Satan's
alluring temptations." |
| - Bible Commentary, Vol.
7-A, pg. 691 |
| "Righteousness is love ... The righteousness of God is
embodied in Christ. We receive righteousness by receiving Him. Not
by painful struggles or wearisome toil, not by gift or sacrifice, is
righteousness obtained; but it is freely given to every soul
who hungers and thirsts to receive it ... Their righteousness is of
Me, saith the Lord ... This is His name whereby He shall be called,
The Lord Our Righteousness. As we need food to sustain our physical
strength, so do we need Christ ... to sustain spiritual life and
impart strength to work the works of God ... A divine element
combined with the human when the soul reaches out after God and the
longing heart can say, 'My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my
expectation is from Him.' Psalm 62:5." |
| - Thoughts from the Mount of
Blessings, pg. 18-19 |
| "The
weakness of humanity is in the Lord's purpose to help us to
look to Him and in no case put our trust in man."
|
| - That I May Know Him,
pg. 182 |
| "[The gospel] bear testimony to the fact that He [God]
cannot be satisfied until the human race are reclaimed and
reinstated in their holy privileges as His sons and daughters."
|
| - God's Amazing Love, pg.
148 |
| "By
pledging His own life, Christ has made Himself responsible for
every man and woman on the Earth. He stands in the presence of
God, saying, 'Father, I take upon Myself the guilt of that soul. It
means death to him if he is left to bear it. If he repents, he shall
be forgiven. My blood cleanses him from all sin. I gave My life for
the sins of the world.'" |
| - Bible Commentary, Vol.
7-A, pg. 684 |
| "Pointing to the palms of His hands, pierced by the fury and
prejudice of wicked men, He says of us, 'I have graven thee upon the
palms of my hands.' Isaiah 49:16. The Father bows in
recognition of the price paid for humanity and the angels approach
the cross of Calvary with reverence." |
| - Bible Commentary, Vol.
7-A, pg. 685 |
| "Through the sacrifice made on Calvary is offered to everyone
the sanctification of grace, the divine influence upon the
heart ... Our sins were laid on Christ, punished in Christ,
put away by Christ, in order that His righteousness might be
imputed to us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
|
| - Bible Commentary, Vol.
7-A, pg. 672 |
| "He
did not indignantly spurn her [Mary Magdalene] as one whose sins
were too great to be forgiven ... He did not show that He
realized she had fallen ... God's Son must act in God's way,
with compassion, tenderness, and mercy ... Mary had
been looked upon as a great sinner, but Christ knew the
circumstances that had shaped her soul ... When to human eyes
her case appeared hopeless, Christ saw in Mary capabilities for
good. He saw the better traits of her character ... she became a
partaker of the divine nature." |
| - Desire of Ages, pg.
566, 568 |
| "[Angels] guard the subjects of grace [you and me] from the
power of evil angels and from the darkness constantly thrown around
them by Satan." |
| - Patriarchs and
Prophets, pg. 65 |
| "Faith in the atonement [payment for our sins] and
intercession of Christ will keep us steadfast and immovable amid the
temptations that press upon us in the church militant."
|
| - Bible Commentary, Vol.
7-A, pg. 688 |
| "We
must become exponents of the efficacy of the blood of Christ, by
which our own sins have been forgiven ... The blood of Christ that
cleanseth from all sin is efficacious in behalf of those only who
believe in its merit." |
| - Bible Commentary, Vol.
7-A, pg. 459 |
Note: In layman's terms, We must become living testimonies of
the power of God to produce effects in the heart, by the blood of Christ,
by which our own sins have been forgiven ... The blood of Christ that
cleanseth from all sin is power to produce the intended effect in behalf
of those only who believe in its merits.
| "The atonement of Christ is not a mere skillful way to
have our sins pardoned; it is a divine remedy for the cure of
transgression and the restoration of spiritual health. It is the
heaven-ordained means by which the righteousness of Christ may
be not only upon us, but in our hearts and
characters. |
| - Bible Commentary, Vol.
7-A, pg. 464 |
Note: Did you get that? "The atonement of Christ is...the cure
of transgression...by which the righteousness of Christ may be...in our
hearts and characters." Did I say that of myself? No, who said it? The
prophet of God said that.
| "While we confess our sins and plead the efficacy of Christ's
atoning blood, our prayers are to ascend to heaven, fragrant with
the merits of our Saviour's character ... with His own blood He paid
the penalty for all wrong-doers ... that through His blood
all might gain eternal life ... Those who ¹believe in
Christ, those who ²realize that they are sinners, and
³confess their sins, will receive pardon full and
free." |
| - Bible Commentary, Vol.
7-A, pg. 465 |
In other words, While we confess our sins and plead the power of God to
produce effects in our hearts, by Christ's healing blood, our prayers are
to ascend to heaven, fragrant with the deserved reward of our Saviour's
character ... with His blood He paid the penalty for all
wrong-doers...that through His blood all might gain eternal life. Those
who in Christ, realize that they are sinners, and confess their sins, will
receive pardon full and free.
| "It
is not because the mechanism that has once been set in motion
continues to act by its own inherent energy that the pulse beats and
breath follows breath; but every breath, every pulsation of the
heart, is a evidence of the all-pervading care of Him in
whom 'we live, and move, and have our being.'"
|
| - Patriarchs and
Prophets, pg. 115 |
Note: In high school I was taught that things like breathing
were involuntary, that no one was behind it. But God is behind all those
breaths you take. Satan is behind every evil thought and disaster and God
is behind every good thought and deed. It does not come from ourselves as
we may have thought but from an outside source. Every good deed we do not
carry out is because we agree with Satan to be selfish. Every evil deed
not carried out is because we agree with God that is wrong and we let
God deliver us from our evil thoughts and deeds.
| "Pardon and justification are one and the same thing ... The
sinner receives the forgiveness of his sins, because these sins are
borne by his Substitute and Surety. The Lord speaks to His heavenly
Father, saying: "This is My child. I reprieve [cancel the punishment
of] him from the condemnation of death, giving him My life insurance
policy - eternal life - because I have taken his place and have
suffered for his sins ... Thus man, pardoned, and clothed with the
beautiful garment of Christ's righteousness, stands faultless before
God ... It is the Father's prerogative to forgive our transgressions
and sins, because Christ has taken upon Himself our guilt and
reprieved [cancelled the punishment of] us, imputing [laying] to us
His own righteousness. His sacrifice satisfies fully the demands of
justice ... God's boundless mercy is exercised toward those who are
wholly undeserving. He forgives transgressions and sins for
the sake of Jesus ... Through faith in Christ, the guilty
transgressor is brought into favor with God and into strong hope of
life eternal." |
| - Bible Commentary, Vol.
7-A, pg. 294-295 |
| "The
law has no power to pardon the transgressor, but it points him to
Christ Jesus, who says to him, I will take your sin and bear it
Myself, if you will accept Me as your substitute and surety. Return
to your allegiance, and I will impute to you My righteousness ...
The law of ten commandments ... as received in Christ ... works in
us the purity of character that will bring joy to us through eternal
ages ... The law ... when we receive it in Christ ... it lifts us
above the power of natural desires and tendencies, above
temptation that lead to sin ... Christ the Only Remedy ... Why
did He die? In consequence of sin. What is sin? The transgression of
the law. Then the eyes are open to see the character of sin. The law
is broken but cannot pardon the transgressor. It is our
schoolmaster, condemning to punishment. Where is the remedy? The law
drives us to Christ, who was hanged upon the cross that He
might be able to impart [bestow a share of] His righteousness to
fallen, sinful man and thus present men to His Father in His
righteous character." |
| - Bible Commentary, Vol.
7-A, pg. 333-334 |
| "As
Adam's transgression had brought wretchedness and death, so the
sacrifice of Christ would bring life and immortality."
|
| - Patriarchs and
Prophets, pg. 67 |
| "...
the image of God ... through the merits and power of Jesus it
may be renewed. Man may stand with the moral image of God is his
character; for Jesus will give it to him."
|
| - Bible Commentary, Vol.
7-A, pg. 302 |
| "It
is a law of the human mind that by beholding we become
changed. Man will rise no higher than his conceptions of truth,
purity, and holiness. If the mind is never exalted above the level
of humanity, if it is not uplifted by faith, to contemplate
infinite wisdom and love, the man will be constantly sinking
lower and lower." |
| - Patriarchs and
Prophets, pg. 99 |
| "Salvation is like sunshine. It belongs to the whole
world." |
| - Desire of Ages, pg.
307 |
| "The
message from God to me for you is 'Him that cometh unto me, I will
in no wise cast out' (John 6:37). If you have nothing else to plead
before God but this one promise from your Lord and Saviour, you have
the assurance that you will never, never be turned away. It may seem
to you that you are hanging upon a single promise, but appropriate
that one promise, and it will open to you the whole treasure
house of the riches of the grace of Christ ... Present this
assurance to Jesus, and you are as safe as though inside to city
of God." |
| - Manuscript Releases, Vol.
10, pg. 175 |
| "God
takes men as they are, and educates them for His service, if they
will yield themselves to Him. The Spirit of God, received into the
soul, will quicken all its faculties. Under the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, the mind that is devoted unreservedly to God develops
harmoniously, and is strengthened to comprehend and
fulfill the requirements of God. The weak, vacillating
character becomes changed to one of strength and steadfastness.
Continual devotion establishes so close a relation between Jesus and
His disciple that the Christian becomes like Him in mind and
character. Through a connection with Christ he will have clearer
and broader views. His discernment will be more penetrative, his
judgment better balanced. He who longs to be of service to Christ is
so quickened by the life-giving power of the Sun of Righteousness
that he is enabled to bear much fruit to the glory of God."
|
| - Desire of Ages, pg.
251 |
| "We
behold in the cross of Christ our efficiency [ability], our
inexhaustible source of power ... Christ ... hanged upon the cross
that He might be able to impart [bestow a share of] His
righteousness to fallen, sinful man and thus present men to His
Father in His righteous character. It is through the efficacy
[effect] of the cross that the angels of heaven are guarded from
apostasy ... That which alone can effectually restrain from sin in
this world of darkness will prevent sin in heaven ... all who wish
for security in earth or heaven must look to the Lamb of God ... Our
only hope is perfect trust in the blood of Him who can save to the
uttermost all that come unto God by Him. The death of Christ on the
cross of Calvary is our only hope in this world ... It was the
utmost that God could do to preserve the honor of His law, and still
save the transgressor ... If men would contemplate the love of
Christ, displayed in the cross, their faith would be
strengthened to appropriate the merits of His shed blood, and they
would be cleansed and saved from sin. Without the cross, man could
have no connection with the Father. On it hangs our every
hope. In view of it the Christian may advance with the steps of a
conqueror; for from it streams the light of the Saviour's love. When
the sinner reaches the cross and looks up to the One who died to
save him, he may rejoice with fullness of joy; for his sins are
pardoned. Kneeling at the cross, he has reached the highest
place to which man can attain ... the words of pardon are spoken:
Live, O ye guilty sinners, live. Your repentance is accepted ...
Through the cross we learn that our heavenly Father loves us with an
infinite and everlasting love, and draws us to Him ... It is our
privilege to give ourselves wholly to Him who gave Himself for us.
He was lifted up from the earth, to draw all to Him ... 'Behold the
Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.' There were
those who never rested until, searching the Scriptures and comparing
passage with passage, they saw the meaning of Christ's
mission. They saw that free forgiveness was provided by Him
whose tender mercy embraced the whole world. They read ... the
promises so free and full ... Those who study the Redeemer's
wonderful sacrifice grow in grace and knowledge ... the great, grand
monument of mercy and regeneration, salvation and redemption-the Son
of God uplifted on the cross of Calvary ... Jesus laid hold of the
world to take it out of the power of Satan. He came to redeem it
from the curse of sin and the penalty of transgression, that the
transgressor might be forgiven ... As the Father beheld the cross,
He was satisfied. He said, 'It is enough, the offering is complete
... Those who lived in rebellion against God, may become reconciled,
if as they see the cross, they become repentant, and accept the
great propitiation [payment] that Christ has made for their sins ...
The cross ... does not find friends, but it makes them. It
creates its own agencies. Christ proposes that men shall become
laborers together with God. He makes human beings His
instrumentalities for drawing all men unto Himself. A Divine agency
is sufficient only through its operation on human hearts with
its transforming power, making men colaborers with God ... Christ on
the cross, not only draws men to repentance toward God ... but
Christ has satisfied justice; He has proffered [presented for
acceptance] Himself as an atonement [payment]. His gushing blood,
His broken body, satisfy the claims of the broken law ... With His
bruised and broken body He might cover the defenseless sinner.
Through death ... in the very act of grasping his prey, death was
vanquished; for by dying, Christ brought to light life and
immortality through the gospel ... By becoming the sin bearer, He
lifted from the human race the curse of sin. In His own body
He paid the penalty of that on which the power of Satan
over humanity is founded - sin." |
| - Bible Commentary, Vol.
7-A, pgs. 336, 334, 252-253, 257-258, 418, 368
|
| "Shall we not, then, give to Christ that which He has died to
redeem [ourselves]? If you will do this. He will 1quicken
your conscience, 2renew your heart, 3sanctify your affections, 4purify your thoughts, and set all your powers at
work for Him. Every motive and every thought will
be brought into captivity to Jesus Christ. Those who are sons of God
will represent Christ in character ... The more completely
mind and body are yielded to the Holy Spirit, the greater will be
the fragrance of our offering to Him." |
| - Bible Commentary, Vol.
7-A, pg. 353 |
| "Man, as God created him, connected with the Father and
the Son, could obey every divine requirement ... He [Man]
overcame in human nature, relying upon God for power."
|
| - Bible Commentary, Vol.
7-A, pgs. 446-447 |
| "Let the graces of the Spirit be manifested in
kindness, meekness, forbearance, cheerfulness, and love. Let it be
seen that the love of Christ is an abiding motive ... a
principle-calm, steady, unwavering ... [Let] love to Jesus be seen
... [it] exerts a wondrous power ... rouses the dormant intellect
into new life and vigor. It makes the desponding hopeful, the gloomy
joyous ... Pure love is simple in its operations ... God considers
more with how much love we work, than the amount we do ... The
natural heart cannot originate it ... [It] only flourishes where
Christ reigns supreme. Where love exists, there is power and truth
in the life. Love does good and nothing but good."
|
| - That I May Know Him,
pg. 167 |
| "Mercy and forgiveness are the reward of all who come to
Christ trusting in His merits to take away their sins."
|
| - Bible Commentary, Vol.
7-A, pg. 375 |
| "All
who will give up their hope of paying for their salvation, or
earning it, and will come to Jesus just as they are,
unworthy, sinful, and fall upon His merits [Jesus' blood,
intercession, and righteousness], hold in their plea the pledged
word of God to pardon the transgressor of His law, confessing their
sins and seeking pardon, will find full and free salvation."
|
| - Bible Commentary, Vol.
7-A, pg. 672 |
| "...
the message to the church at Sardis ... to the church of the
present day this message is sent ... Hold fast to the
comfort, the faith, the hope, that God has given you in His word.
Never be discouraged. A discouraged man can do nothing. Satan is
seeking to discouraged you, telling you it is of no use to serve God
... The enemy never can take out of the hand of Christ the one who
is simply trusting in His promises ... for the people while they are
in connection with the world, subject to temptation and influences
which are deceiving and deluding ... These are trying to break the
bands that Satan has fastened upon them and they will not be put to
shame if by faith they will make Christ their companion."
|
| - Bible Commentary, Vol.
7-A, pg. 959-960 |
| "To
him who is content to receive without deserving, who feels
that he can never recompense such love, who lays all doubt and
unbelief aside, and comes as a little child to the feet of
Jesus, all the treasures of eternal love are a
free, everlasting gift." |
| - Manuscript Releases Vol.
8, pg. 186 |
| "Wait on the Lord and have one purpose in view, to seek
the eternal good of all those with whom you are connected,
holding fast your integrity in the strength of your God. He will
redeem His promise. Your bread shall be provided; your water
shall be sure. This means not only temporal bread and water but the
bread and water of eternal life ... Trust fully, unwaveringly,
in God. He is the wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the
everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. We may keep the conscience
unsullied and in peace and quiet rest in God."
|
| - That I May Know Him,
pg. 268 |
| "We need not try to work ourselves up into an intense
feeling, but calmly, persistently, we are to press our petitions at
the throne of grace. Our work is to humble our souls before God,
confessing our sins, and in faith drawing nigh unto God."
|
| - That I May Know Him,
pg. 272 |
| "We
are almost home. Let us speak courage to the weary soldiers of the
cross ... Let us tell the pilgrims and strangers of earth that we
shall soon reach a better country, even a heavenly."
|
| - That I May Know Him,
pg. 274 |
| "Persevere in prayer and watch thereunto without doubting,
and the Holy Spirit will work in the human agent, bringing
heart and mind into subjection to right principles."
|
| - That I May Know Him,
pg. 276 |
| "Do
not let your great need discourage you. The Saviour of sinners, the
Friend of the friendless, with compassion infinitely greater than
that of a tender mother for a loved and afflicted child, is
inviting, 'Look unto me, and be ye saved.'"
|
| - That I May Know Him,
pg. 280 |
| "Our feelings are no evidence that we are not children
of God. The enemy will tempt you to think that you have done things
that have separated you from God and that He no longer loves you,
but ... 'If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ the righteous' (1 John 2:1). '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) ... God loves you; and the
precious Saviour, who gave Himself for you, will not thrust you from
Him because you are tempted and in your weakness may have been
overcome." |
| - That I May Know Him,
pg. 285 |
| "Only he who endures the trial will receive the
crown of life." |
| - That I May Know Him, pg. 282
|
| "'Lord, I believe Thou hast died to redeem my soul. If Thou
hast placed such a value upon my soul as to give Thy life for mine,
I give my life and all its possibilities in all my weakness
into Thy keeping' ... 'Lord, I take Thee at Thy word; I receive Thy
promise. I come to Thee because I need Thee as a personal Saviour. I
must have an abiding Christ. I am dependent on Thee.'"
|
| - That I May Know Him,
pg. 293 |
| "The
blessing of the new covenant are grounded purely on mercy in
forgiving unrighteousness and sins ... 'I will be
merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their
iniquities will I remember no more' (Hebrews 8:12). All who humble
their hearts, confessing their sins, will find mercy and
grace and assurance ... In the new and better covenant Christ has
fulfilled the law for the transgressors of law if they receive Him
by faith as a personal Saviour ... Mercy and forgiveness are the
reward of all who come to Christ trusting in His merits to take away
their sins. In the better covenant we are cleansed from sin by the
blood of Christ ... The sinner is helpless to atone for one
sin. The power is in Christ's free gift, a promise appreciated by
those only who are sensible of their sins ... and cast their
helpless souls upon Christ, the sin-pardoning Saviour. He will put
into their hearts His perfect law, which is 'holy, and just, and
good' (Romans 7:12), the law of God's own nature."
|
| - That I May Know Him,
pg. 299 |
| "The
work of overcoming is in our hands, but we are not to overcome in
our own name or strength, for of ourselves we cannot keep the
commandments of God. The Spirit of God must help our
infirmities. Christ has become our sacrifice and surety. He has
become sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in
Him. Through faith in His name He imputes unto us His righteousness,
and it becomes a living principle in our life ... Christ imputes to
us His sinless character and presents us to the Father in His own
purity. We cannot provide a robe of righteousness for ourselves, for
the prophet says, 'All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags'
(Isaiah 64:6). There is nothing in us from which we can clothe the
soul so that its nakedness shall not appear. We are to receive the
robe of righteousness woven in the loom of heaven, even the spotless
robe of Christ's righteousness. We are to say, 'He died for
me. He bore your soul's disgrace, that in His name I might be an
overcomer and be exalted to His throne.' It is the privilege of the
children of God to be filled with all the fullness of God. 'Now unto
him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or
think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be
glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world
without end'. (Ephesians 3:20, 21)." |
| - That I May Know Him,
pg. 302 |
| "'Strive' - agonize - 'to enter in ... ' We must feel our
continual dependence upon God and the great weakness of our own
wisdom and our own judgment and strength, and then depend wholly
upon Him who has conquered the foe in our behalf, because He
pitied our weakness and knew we should be overcome and perish
if He did not come to our help ... Here is the battle to overcome as
Christ has overcome. His life of temptation, of trial, of toil and
conflict, is before us for us to imitate. We may make efforts in our
own strength, but not succeed. But when we fall all helpless and
suffering and needy upon the Rock of Christ, feeling in our inmost
soul that our victory depends upon His merits, that all our
efforts of themselves without the special help of the great
Conqueror will be without avail, then Christ would send every
angel out of glory to rescue us from the power of the enemy rather
than that we should fall." |
| - That I May Know Him,
pg. 304 |
| "He
exhorts all who start in the Christian race to give all diligence to
make success certain, while he presents before them for their
encouragement the crown of glory which the righteous Judge will
award to all who are faithful to the end of the race."
|
| - That I May Know Him,
pg. 315 |
| "We
are not to be anxious about what Christ and God think of us. But
about what God thinks of Christ, our Substitute. Ye are accepted in
the Beloved." |
| - Selected Messages, Book
2, pg. 32-33 |
| "Righteousness without a blemish can be obtained only
through the imputed righteousness of Christ."
|
| - Review and Herald,
September 3,1901 |
| "Divine grace is needed at the beginning, divine grace
at every step of advance, and divine grace alone can
complete the work." |
| - Testimonies to
Ministers, pg. 508 |
| "Rest yourself wholly in the hands of Jesus. Contemplate his
great love, and while you meditate upon His self-denial, His
infinite sacrifice made in our behalf in order that we should
believe in Him, your heart will be filled with holy joy, calm peace,
and indescribable love. As we talk of Jesus, as we call upon Him in
prayer, our confidence that He is our personal, loving Saviour will
strengthen, and His character will appear more and more lovely ...
We may enjoy rich feasts of love, and as we fully believe that we
are His by adoption, we may have a foretaste of heaven."
|
| "We
owe everything to grace, free grace, sovereign grace. Grace in the
covenant ordained our adoption. Grace in the Saviour affected our
redemption, our regeneration and our adoption to heirship with
Christ. Let this grace be revealed to others."
|
| - Testimonies to the Church,
Vol. 6, pg. 268 |
| "'Father, I take upon Myself the guilt of that soul. It means
death to him if he is left to bear it. If he repents, he shall be
forgiven. My blood shall cleanse him from all sin. I gave My life
for the sins of the world.'" |
| - Review and Herald, Feb.
27,1900 |
| "Our hearts are evil, and we cannot change them ...
Education, culture, the exercise of the will, human effort, all have
their proper sphere, but here they are powerless."
|
| - Steps to Christ, pg.
18 |
| "If
we abide in Christ, if the love of God dwells in us, our feelings,
our thoughts, our purposes, our actions, will be in harmony with the
will of God." |
| - Steps to Christ, pg.
61 |
| "God
will hear the earnest entreaties of His people. The prayer of faith
will move the arm of God." |
| - Signs of the Times,
September 4, 1879 |
| "The
truth, if received, is capable of constant expansion and new
developments. It will increase in brightness as we behold it, and
grow in height and depth as we aspire to grasp it. Thus it will
elevate us to the standard of perfection, and give us faith and
trust in God as our strength for the work before us. We need the
truth as it is in Jesus." |
| - That I May Know Him,
pg. 340 |
The scriptures and quotes are inexhaustible.
It is
my purpose in writing this book,
to help you see the abundance
of
support in defense of God's love and willingness to save us from ourselves
and I hope, by the things that you have learned,
that you also
will study these truths for yourself and have hope in
Jesus Christ,
Our Saviour.
Further
reading |
Let me recommend this site
