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Righteousness by Faith Quotations

Introduction

 

I try to pair up the quotes with Bible Scriptures as much as possible. Do you have a favorite quote that you wish were included? Write me.—Dan

Scriptures and Quotations

 

Faith Not Feeling

"Romans 1:16-17 (NKJV) "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.'

"Faith and feeling are distinct, one not being dependent upon the other. Faith, relying upon the naked promise, takes God at his word, not because of any special feeling, but because the Lord has said it, and will fulfill his word

Our Sin Becomes His Property

"Just as soon as we will let Him, He will take away all our sins. Just as soon as we surrender them to God, our sins become His property. We have no right to spend a single moment in perplexity over them. And just as soon as we give ourselves to God we are His property also and have no more any right or reason to live in sin. He can and will keep that which is committed unto His hands." {Ms198-1898.}

Only God Can Subdue Our Pride

"None but God can subdue the pride of man’s heart. We cannot save ourselves. We cannot regenerate ourselves. In the heavenly courts there will be no song sung, “To me that loved myself, and washed myself, redeemed myself, unto me be glory and honor, blessing and praise.” But this is the keynote of the song that is sung by many here in this world. They do not know what it means to be meek and lowly in heart, and they do not mean to know this if they can avoid it. The whole gospel is comprised in learning of Christ His meekness and lowliness." {20MR 117.2}

The Plan That Will Not Fail

"Circumstances cannot work reforms. Christianity proposes a reformation in the heart. What Christ works within, will be worked out under the dictation of a converted intellect. The plan of beginning outside and trying to work inward has always failed, and always will fail. – {20MR 112.4} God’s plan with you is to begin at the very seat of all difficulties, the heart, and then from out of the heart will issue the principles of righteousness; the reformation will be outward as well as inward. – {20MR 112.5} God’s way is to give man something he has not. But you have said, I want it not. God’s way is to make man something he is not. Man’s way is to get an easy place, and indulge appetite and selfish ambition. God’s plan is to set man to work in reformatory lines, then he will learn by experience how long he has pampered fleshly appetites, and ministered to his own temperament, bringing weakness upon himself. God’s way is to work in power. He gives the grace if the sick man realizes that he needs it. Man is too often satisfied to treat himself according to the methods of quackery, and he vindicates his manner of working as right. God proposes to purify and refine the defiled soul; then He will implant in the heart His own righteousness and peace and health, and man becomes complete in him. Then the issues of life, proceeding from the heart, are represented as a well of water, springing up into everlasting life." {20MR 112.6} 

Victory Is Certain

"[Christ] has given us evidence of his great power. He will enable those who receive him to build up characters free from all the tendencies that Satan reveals. {RH June 9, 1910, par. 1}
Our divine Lord is equal to any emergency. With him nothing is impossible. ... Come to Christ just as you are, weak, helpless, and ready to die. Cast yourself wholly on his mercy. There is no difficulty within or without that can not be surmounted in his strength. ... There is no nature so rebellious that Christ can not subdue it, no temper so stormy that he can not quell it, if the heart is surrendered to his keeping. {RH June 9, 1910, par. 2} ...
Trustful dependence on Jesus makes victory not only possible, but certain. Though multitudes are pressing on in the wrong way, though the outlook be ever so discouraging, yet we may have full assurance in our Leader; for “I am God,” he declares, “and there is none else.” {RH June 9, 1910, par. 9} (Read the full article)

All Things Become New!

Revelation 21:5 "And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful."

"Mere forgiveness of sin is not the sole result of the death of Jesus. He made the infinite sacrifice not only that sin might be removed, but that human nature might be restored, rebeautified, reconstructed from its ruins, and made fit for the presence of God...." {3SM 154.1}

Transforming Moral Power Comes Through Christ

Revelation 21:5 "Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, 'Write, for these words are true and faithful.'"
"Through Christ, moral power is brought to man that will change the entire affections, and enable man to work with a will for the cause of God. Where all the power of mind and body was before concentrated to work the works of evil, by the Spirit of God a revolution is brought about. The Holy Spirit enlightens, renews, and sanctifies the soul. Angels behold with inexpressible rapture the results of the working of the Holy Spirit in man. By the revelation of the attractive loveliness of Christ, by the knowledge of his love expressed to us while we were yet sinners, the stubborn heart is melted and subdued, and the sinner is transformed and becomes a child of God. Love is the agency which God uses to expel sin from the human soul. By it he changes pride into humility, enmity and unbelief into love and faith. He does not employ compulsory measures; Jesus is revealed to the soul, and if man will look in faith to the Lamb of God, he will live." – {ST June 9, 1890 Par. 10}

An Infinite Fund of Moral Power is Available!

John 14:16 “I will pray the Father for you.” 
"Why do you not cease from sin? You may overcome if you will co-operate with God. Christ’s promise is sure. He pledges Himself to fill the office of personal Intercessor, saying, “I will pray the Father for you.” [See John 14:16.] He who could not see human beings exposed to destruction without pouring out His soul unto death to save them from eternal ruin will look with pity and compassion upon every soul who realizes that he cannot save himself. He will see no trembling suppliant without raising him up. He who through His own atonement provided for them an infinite fund of moral power will not fail to employ this power in their behalf. He will impute to them His own righteousness." {Ms94-1899.42}

Constant Success Depends on Constant Dependence!

2 Peter 1:4 (NKJV) 4 "by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

"In order to have success in the Christian life, it is essential that we realize our continual dependence on the vital current coming from Christ. We are habitually to adhere to Him, and daily to derive from Him the nourishment that will give us spiritual strength. This is our privilege and our source of success. {ST September 7, 1904, par. 2}

The connection of the branch with the vine, Christ said to His disciples, represents the relation you are to sustain to Me. The scion is grafted into the living vine, and fibre by fibre, vein by vein, it grows into the vine-stock. The life of the vine becomes the life of the branch. So the soul, dead in trespasses and sins, receives life through connection with Christ. By faith in Him as a personal Saviour the union is formed. The sinner unites his weakness to Christ’s strength, his emptiness to Christ’s fulness, his frailty to Christ’s enduring might. Then he has the mind of Christ. The humanity of Christ has touched our humanity, and our humanity has touched Divinity. Thus, through the agency of the Holy Spirit, man becomes a partaker of the divine nature. He is accepted in the Beloved." {ST September 7, 1904, par. 3}

Experience Overflowing Mercies

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

"I wish I could present the subject as it seems to me. Justice demanded the sufferings of a man. Christ, equal with God, gave the sufferings of a God. He needed no atonement. His suffering was not for any sin he had committed; it was for man—all for man; and his free pardon is accessible to all. The suffering of Christ was in correspondence with his spotless purity; his depth of agony, proportionate to the dignity and grandeur of his character. Never can we comprehend the intense anguish of the spotless Lamb of God, until we realize how deep is the pit from which we have been rescued, how grievous is the sin of which mankind is guilty, and by faith grasp the full and entire pardon. Here is where thousands are failing. They do not really believe that Jesus pardons them personally, individually. They fail to take God at his word. He has assured us that faithful is He that hath promised to forgive us, but still he will be just to his own law. His mercy is wanting in nothing. Were one link in the chain defective, then were we hopelessly ruined in our sins. But the chain is perfect—not one flaw in any part, not one link missing. {RH September 21, 1886, par. 5} I would I might sound the glad note to earth’s remotest bounds. “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” Oh, precious redemption! How broad this great truth is—that God for Christ’s dear sake, forgives us the moment we ask him in living faith, believing that he is fully able. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Glorious truth! Just to his own law, and yet the justifier of all them that believe! Well may we exclaim with the prophet, “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy.” {RH September 21, 1886, par. 6} Those who are so gloomy and desponding, gathering clouds of darkness about them, would find strength and encouragement if they would spend one hour of each day in searching the Scriptures for these precious promises, gathering and treasuring them like precious pearls. Let them dwell especially upon the mercy of God and his willingness to forgive sins. Many who have all their lives walked under a cloud, would be filled with amazement as they view the channels overflowing with mercies instead of dark clouds heavy with wrath and denunciations." {RH September 21, 1886, par. 7}

He Must Reign With Unrivaled Authority

Philippians 2:9-11 "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

"Make daily a full and unreserved surrender of soul, body, and spirit to God. Devote your whole being, with all your energies, to His service. All your capabilities belong to God, through your entire probationary time. He claims all there is of you, all the services you can render as a mortal, judgment-bound human agent, partaker of the divine nature. You have nothing in talents or capabilities but that which you have received to be returned to Him, doubled by being used to His name’s glory. He must reign over you with unrivaled authority." {Lt147-1896.9}

How Satan Is Dethroned

"You cannot keep the law. No. It is impossible for man of himself to keep the law. He cannot do it. But what can he do? Lay hold by living faith of the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and present to the Father the righteousness of Christ; and the fragrance of His character is brought into his life. Here Satan is dethroned; he is emptied out of the house, and the vacuum is supplied by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Christ sits enthroned in the human soul. Christ never wars against Christ." {1SAT 241.2}

It is true that it is impossible for man of himself to keep the law of God. But Christ teaches the sinner to lay hold by faith of the sin-pardoning Saviour and receive the righteousness of Christ. He presents to the Father his own righteousness for the transgressions of men, and the virtue of his character (619) is accepted in the sinner’s behalf. {EA 153.8}
When Satan is dethroned, and his place supplied by the grace and righteousness of Christ, Jesus is enthroned in the heart....” {EA 154.1}

Think About What The Father Thinks Of Christ

Ephesians 1:6-7 "To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;"

"We are not to be anxious about what Christ and God think of us, but of what God thinks of Christ, our Substitute. Ye are accepted in the Beloved. The Lord shows to the repenting, believing one that Christ accepts the surrender of the soul, to be molded and fashioned after His own likeness." {Ms39-1907.6} 

We Can Possess Christ's Nature!

Galatians 2:20 (KJV) 20 "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

"You must know the living Saviour as your Saviour. Can you take in the words I now write to you? The life of the true believer in Christ is a mystery. It is something that cannot be explained. It is the privilege of every believer in Christ to possess Christ’s nature, a nature far above that which man forfeited by transgression. He who sees the Son by faith and believes in Him is obedient to the commandments of God, and in this obedience he finds everlasting life." {Lt6a-1900.6}

Christ Delights To Transform Apparently Hopeless Material

1 Timothy 1:15 "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief."

"Jesus is now sending His message to a fallen world. He delights to take apparently hopeless material, those through whom Satan has worked, and make them the subjects of His grace. He rejoices to deliver them from the wrath that is to fall upon the disobedient. He has committed Himself to the work of our redemption. He resolved that He would spare nothing, however costly, withhold nothing, however dear, which would restore the moral image of God in man. And He holds in store gift upon gift, waiting for the proper channels through which He can communicate the treasures of eternal life." {ST February 22, 1899, par. 9}

Spider Strength When Uncontrolled By The Word Of God

Psalms 119:11 "Thy word have I hid in mine heart,
that I might not sin against thee."

"Anything but the Word of God controlling the heart is as feeble to stand against hereditary and cultivated traits of character as a spider web against a storm. The Word of God alone, brought into the daily life, is life eternal through Jesus Christ. It will bring to all who believe the Word a firm reliance upon Jesus Christ, the living center. Men who have been bold in sin and iniquity will be convicted by those who hold forth the Word of life, and who at the same time eat that word and show by their daily lives that they believe it." {Lt34-1896.15}

Born Again With A New Nature

Ezekiel 36:26 "A new heart will I give you."

"Looking to Jesus, beholding His character of spotless purity, and by beholding becoming changed. Self—the old, disobedient nature—dies, and Christ lives in the heart. The man is born again with a new nature. The newborn child of God begins to have some conception of what God is. To all intents and purposes truth is truth to him. He has caught a glimpse of Christ’s glory. A keen sense of his accountability to God quenches the unholy ambition that keeps upon the soul a galling yoke of guilt. The light into which he enters is softened and subdued, tempered to suit his condition. By daily beholding Jesus and striving to practice His virtues, his spiritual perceptions grow clearer and stronger." {Ms102-1902.9}

Sacrificing Every Idol Is Necessary

Matthew 22:37-38 "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment."

"If we would be spiritual worshipers of Jesus Christ, we must sacrifice every idol and fully obey the first four commandments. Matthew 22:37, 38: “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.” The first four commandments allow no separation of the affections from God. Nor is anything allowed to divide, or share, our supreme delight in Him. Whatever divides the affections, and takes away from the soul supreme love to God, assumes the form of an idol. Our carnal hearts would cling to our idols and seek to carry them along; but we cannot advance until we put them away, for they separate us from God. The great Head of the church has chosen His people out of the world and requires them to be separate. He designs that the spirit of His commandments shall draw them to Himself and separate them from the elements of the world. To love God and keep His commandments is far from loving the world’s pleasures and friendship. There is no concord between Christ and Belial. The people of God may safely trust in Him alone and without fear press on in the way of obedience." – {1T 289.2}

Moral Power Is Brought To Man Through Christ

Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Through Christ, moral power is brought to man that will change the entire affections, and enable man to work with a will for the cause of God. Where all the power of mind and body was before concentrated to work the works of evil, by the Spirit of God a revolution is brought about. The Holy Spirit enlightens, renews, and sanctifies the soul. Angels behold with inexpressible rapture the results of the working of the Holy Spirit in man. By the revelation of the attractive loveliness of Christ, by the knowledge of his love expressed to us while we were yet sinners, the stubborn heart is melted and subdued, and the sinner is transformed and becomes a child of God. Love is the agency which God uses to expel sin from the human soul. By it he changes pride into humility, enmity and unbelief into love and faith. He does not employ compulsory measures; Jesus is revealed to the soul, and if man will look in faith to the Lamb of God, he will live. {ST June 9, 1890, par. 10}

The Truth Will Set You Free

John 8:32 "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

"Every soul that refuses to give himself to God is under the control of another power. He is not his own. He may talk of freedom, but he is in the most abject slavery. He is not allowed to see the beauty of truth, for his mind is under the control of Satan. While he flatters himself that he is following the dictates of his own judgment, he obeys the will of the prince of darkness. Christ came to break the shackles of sin-slavery from the soul. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” sets us “free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2. {DA 466.3}
In the work of redemption there is no compulsion. No external force is employed. Under the influence of the Spirit of God, man is left free to choose whom he will serve. In the change that takes place when the soul surrenders to Christ, there is the highest sense of freedom. The expulsion of sin is the act of the soul itself. True, we have no power to free ourselves from Satan’s control; but when we desire to be set free from sin, and in our great need cry out for a power out of and above ourselves, the powers of the soul are imbued with the divine energy of the Holy Spirit, and they obey the dictates of the will in fulfilling the will of God. {DA 466.4}
The only condition upon which the freedom of man is possible is that of becoming one with Christ. “The truth shall make you free;” and Christ is the truth. Sin can triumph only by enfeebling the mind, and destroying the liberty of the soul. Subjection to God is restoration to one’s self,—to the true glory and dignity of man. The divine law, to which we are brought into subjection, is “the law of liberty.” James 2:12. {DA 466.5}

There Must Be An Income Of Divinity To Humanity!

2 Peter 1:3 (NKJV) 3 "as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,"

2 Peter 1:4 (NKJV) 4 by "which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

1 Peter 1:5 (NKJV) 5 "who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

1 Corinthians 3:9 (NKJV) 9 "For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building."

2 Corinthians 6:16. “I will dwell in them, and walk in them.”

“Ye are God’s husbandry.” 1 Corinthians 3:9. The heart is to be worked, subdued, ploughed, harrowed, seeded to bring forth its harvest to God in doing works. “Ye are God’s building.” You cannot build yourself. There is a Power outside of yourself that must do the building of the church, putting brick upon brick, always cooperating with the faculties and powers given of God to man. The Redeemer must find a home in His building. God works and man works. There needs to be a continual taking in of the gifts of God, in order that there may be as free a giving out of these gifts. It is a continual receiving and then restoring. The Lord has provided that the soul shall receive nourishment from Him, to be given out again in the working out of His purposes. In order that there be an outflowing, there must be an income of divinity to humanity. “I will dwell in them, and walk in them.” 2 Corinthians 6:16. {Ms36-1890.25}

The soul temple is to be sacred, holy, pure, and undefiled. There must be a copartnership in which all the power is of God and all the glory belongs to God. The responsibility rests with us. We must receive in thoughts and in feelings, to give in expression. The law of the human and the divine action makes the receiver a laborer together with God. It brings man where he can, united with divinity, work the works of God. Humanity touches humanity. Divine power and the human agency combined will be a complete success for Christ’s righteousness accomplishes everything. {Ms36-1890.26}

The reason so many fail to be successful laborers is that they act as though God depended on them, and they are to suggest to God what He chooses to do with them, in the place of their depending on God. They lay aside the supernatural power and fail to do the supernatural work. They are all the time depending on their own and their brethren’s human powers. They are narrow in themselves and are always judging after their finite human comprehension. They need uplifting, for they have no power from on high. God gives us bodies, strength of brain, time, and opportunity in which to work. It is required that all be put to the tax. With humanity and divinity combined you can accomplish a work as enduring as eternity. When men think the Lord has made a mistake in their individual cases, and they appoint their own work, they will meet with disappointment. {Ms36-1890.27}

He Is Fully Able to Keep Every Soul!

1 Peter 1:5 "Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

"We are not able to keep ourselves; we are kept by the power of God. Our Redeemer has all power in heaven and in earth, and if we do just as Jesus tells us to, we shall be kept safe in His love. In our own strength we are perfect weakness; but when we put our whole trust in Jesus Christ, we are kept by His power, for He is fully able to keep every soul who puts his trust in Him." {Ms1-1894.7}  ...  Believe in Jesus, trust in Jesus with living, constant faith, and rely without doubt upon Jesus to keep and save you. One mighty to save has hold upon you; and as long as you will submit to be led by Him, to learn of Him, to confide in Him, He will keep you from falling; and when God engages to keep you, He is a sure defense. He is a strong fortress, and as you confide in Him, you are perfectly secure. His Word is pledged in your defense, if you will believe in Him. Simply trust in God, and obey His commandments, and you are saved by the merits and intercession of Jesus Christ. {Ms1-1894.9}

An Inexhaustible Fund Of Perfect Obedience

1 John 2:1 (NKJV) 1 "My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."

"Christ has pledged himself to be our substitute and surety, and he neglects no one. There is an inexhaustible fund of perfect obedience accruing from his obedience. In heaven his merits, his self-denial and self-sacrifice, are treasured up as incense to be offered up with the prayers of his people. As the sinner’s sincere, humble prayers ascend to the throne of God, Christ mingles with them the merits of his life of perfect obedience. Our prayers are made fragrant by this incense. Christ has pledged himself to intercede in our behalf, and the Father always hears his Son. Pray then; pray without ceasing; an answer is sure to come." {RH October 30, 1900, Art. A, par. 7}

Receive Power And Strength From God

Revelation 3:21 (NKJV) 21 "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne."

"The religion of Jesus Christ makes us better men and better women. It takes right hold of our youth and transforms them in character. Christ came to our world to reshape the deformed character of man. It was a very crooked character. God wants us to be His sons and His daughters. He wants us during the hours of probation here to be fitting up with all these graces that He has presented, “according as His divine power hath given unto us all things.” [2 Peter 1:3.] Nothing is withheld that pertains unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue. Then the rich promise is that we shall be partakers of the divine nature. Why this means everything to us, to be a partaker of the divine nature. {Ms49-1894.5}... Everything that pertains to godliness, everything that pertains to the salvation of the human soul is to be placed within the reach of every human being upon the face of the earth. There is no excuse for one of us why we should falter and fail in any respect in the work of overcoming, for Christ has said, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I overcame, and am set down with my father in his throne.” [Revelation 3:21.] Now He places Himself right upon the scale with humanity. Humanity is to overcome as He overcame. And here is the promise that humanity may become partakers of the divine nature, and that is what Christ came to our earth to do, to open a way that man shall be so united with God, that he shall be partaker of the nature of God, that he shall have the power and the strength which come from God in the work of overcoming." {Ms49-1894.8}

Becoming Entirely Safe Against The Assaults Of Satan

1 John 5:4 (NKJV) 4 "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith."

"In Christ dwelt the fullness of the God-head bodily. This is why, although tempted in all points like as we are, he stood before the world untainted by corruption, though surrounded by it. Are we not also to become partakers of that fullness? and is it not thus, and thus only, that we can overcome as Christ overcame?" {ST October 10, 1892, par. 6}]

"Why do we not cling to Jesus, and draw from him by faith the strength and perfection of his character, as the vine branch draws the sap from the living vine? We are to look to Jesus, and as temptations close us about, climb up step by step in the work of overcoming. Abiding in Christ, we become one with him. Then we are safe, entirely safe, against all the assaults of Satan. Christ living in the soul is revealed in the character. Man is nothing without Christ. But if Christ lives in us, we shall work the works of God. We shall represent Christ in our life, we shall talk of Christ because we meditate upon him. We shall grow up into Christ to the full stature of men and women in spiritual understanding." {ST October 10, 1892, par. 8}

Grasp The Divine Nature By Faith

2 Peter 1:4 (KJV) 4 "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

"Christ was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor, that we through His sacrifice and poverty might become rich and lay hold of His divine power. The unfathomable riches of heaven were bestowed when Christ, the express image of the Father, was given to the fallen race. That Christ should lay off His royal crown and robe and leave His high command in heaven to accept a lot of humiliation and poverty on earth is a mystery that angels desire to look into. The sacrifice was made that man might accept by faith the divine nature and escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. Why do God’s people manifest so little faith, why continue to work counter to God’s plan of truth and righteousness? Why do we not believe, when heaven has done all that Infinity could do for our recovery?" {Lt228-1907.10}

"Through our lives the despondent may receive an assurance that it is possible to be partakers of the divine nature, and by taking hold of this divinity, win the victory that all must win who shall enter in through the gates into the city. {Ms37-1908.15} ... He took upon Himself humanity, that He might perfect in His own life a humanity that we can lay hold of and be united with divinity. The divine nature is to be imparted to every true seeker after Jesus Christ. Divinity must be united with humanity. Thus humanity may be partakers of the divine nature, that men may be able to escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. {Ms37-1908.16} …  God helping me, I am determined to be an overcomer. Through Christ, I shall obtain the victory. Then His joy will remain in me, and my joy be full. I will talk of His goodness; I will tell of His power. Through a dependence upon the divinity of Christ, I may overcome as He overcame. {Ms37-1908.19} May we, by living faith, grasp the hand of Infinite Power. This is our privilege; and if we take Christ at His word, He is honored and glorified. Then our joy will be full, and we shall not appear as a company of mourners. Happy are the people who have laid hold of the divine nature, and escaped the corruption that is in the world." {Ms37-1908.23}

God Is In Charge Of Our Transformation

Ezekiel 36:25-27 (NKJV) 26 "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them."

“Bear in mind that you are God’s by creation, and you are His by redemption. The same Son of the only living God who created you has declared, “A new heart will I give you.” If you will surrender to Him, his grace will make of you a vessel unto honor, and will carry you forward step by step in the progress of Christian perfection, until you shall see the King in His beauty. Day by day He will work great changes in you. He who hath begun a good work in you will through His grace perform it unto the day of Christ’s appearing. The honor of Christ is not less concerned in the perfection of your individual character than is your own honor. You are a member of His body, a part of Himself. He has passed through great suffering, even unto the most cruel death, that you might have probationary time in which to form a character through His sufficiency, that His glory should become your glory, that when you shall appear among the angels of heaven, the just made perfect, you may appear unto the praise and glory of His power."—Ellen White, Letter 85-1897, October 21, 1897, par. 8,9

Victory Is God's Progressive Work In Our Lives

2 Corinthians 2:14 (NKJV) 14 "Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place."

"The work to which Christ calls us is a progressive conquest over evils that are in ourselves. Not one soul passes through the heavenly gates but goes within to be welcomed as a conqueror. Natural and cultivated tendencies, if not overcome, will strengthen until they become habit. Wrong influences are at work to obtain the ascendancy. A truly converted soul will understand clearly the evil nature that strives for the supremacy. The body is to be kept in subjection. The higher powers of the body are to rule; the lower passions are to be brought into subjection. This is self-denial, this is lifting the cross against every passion which strives for the victory. “I keep my body under,” said Paul. The evils in the spirit are to be guarded and conquered. We are to be careful not to imitate the world. The friendship of the world is enmity with God. We are commanded, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him.” {Ms150-1898.16}

The "Will Not" Is The Reason For The "Cannot"!

1 John 5:3-4 (NKJV) 3 "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith."

"Let no one say, "I cannot overcome my defects of character;" for if this is your decision, then you cannot have eternal life. The impossibility is all in your will. If you will not, that constitutes the cannot. The real difficulty is the corruption of an unsanctified heart, and an unwillingness to submit to the will of God. When there is a determined purpose born in your heart to overcome, you will have a disposition to overcome, and will cultivate those traits of character that are desirable, and will engage in the conflict with steady, persevering effort. You will exercise a ceaseless watchfulness over your defects of character; and will cultivate right practices in little things. The difficulty of overcoming will be lessened in proportion as the heart is sanctified by the grace of Christ. Earnest, persevering effort will place you on the vantage-ground of victory; for he who strives to overcome in and through the grace of Christ, will have divine enlightenment, and will understand how great truths can be brought into little things, and religion can be carried into the little as well as into the large concerns of life."  {YI, September 7, 1893 par. 10}

Look To Jesus To Overcome

Isaiah 45:22 (NKJV) 22 “Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other."

"We are not to look at ourselves. The more we dwell on our imperfections, the less strength we shall have to overcome them. Jesus says, "Look unto me, and be ye saved." It is not necessary for us to be ever stumbling and repenting, and writing bitter things against ourselves. It is our privilege to believe the promises of the word of God, and accept the blessings that Jesus loves to bestow, that our joy may be full.  {HM, November 1, 1890 par. 31}
     Put away all doubt. Dismiss your fears. Obtain the experience that Paul had when he exclaimed, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Surrender everything to Christ, and let your life be hid with Christ in God. Then you will be a power for good.  {HM, November 1, 1890 par. 32}
     The Lord did not lock the reservoir of heaven after pouring his Spirit upon the early disciples. We also may receive of the fullness of his blessing. Heaven is full of the treasures of his grace, and those who come to God in faith may claim all that he has promised."  {HM, November 1, 1890 par. 33}

God Is Equal To Any Emergency

Mark 4:39 "Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm."

"Our divine Lord is equal to any emergency. With him nothing is impossible. He has shown His great love for us by living a life of self-denial and sacrifice, and by dying a death of agony. Come to Christ just as you are, weak, helpless, and ready to die. Cast yourself wholly on His mercy. There is no difficulty within or without that can not be surmounted in His strength. Some have stormy tempers. But He who calmed the stormy sea of Galilee will say to the troubled heart, “Peace, be still.” There is no nature so rebellious that Christ can not subdue it, no temper so stormy that He can not quell it, if the heart is surrendered to His keeping." Signs of the Times, January 3, 1906, par. 2

We Must Put Ourselves Wholly In God's Hands

1 Peter 1:9 "Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls."

"We see by experience that in our own human strength, resolutions and purposes are of no avail. Must we, then, give up?--No; although our experience testifies that we cannot possibly do this work ourselves, help has been laid upon One who is mighty to do it for us. But the only way that we can secure the help of God is to put ourselves wholly in his hands, and trust him to work for us. As we lay hold of him by faith, he does the work. The believer can only trust. As God works, we can work, trusting in him and doing his will."  {PH028 8.2}

Many Are Unhappy Because They Are Unholy

Ps. 32:11 "Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!"

"Many are unhappy because they are unholy. Purity of heart, innocence of mind, only can be blessed of God. When sin is cherished, it can in the end produce nothing but unhappiness; and the sin which leads to the most unhappy results is pride of heart, the lack of Christlike sympathy and love."—Testmonies, Vol. 6, p. 53.1

We Are Under A Power Which Is Beyond Human Control

2 Sam. 22:23 "God is my strength and power, And He makes my way perfect."
 
"...we are under a power which is beyond human control, and in that power we can trust. The Lord is good to us, and if we will walk carefully before Him He will ever reveal His power in our behalf. He will save to the uttermost all who love and obey Him."—Manuscript Releases, 760, p. 18.5 

Christ's Prayer Is To Be Answered

Philippians 2:5-6 (NKJV) "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,"

"The prayer that Christ has given us, that the will of God shall be done in earth as it is in heaven, is to be answered. Wonderful is this prayer, which we are to offer to God, and then fulfil in the daily life! The science of holiness, the ethics that the gospel inculcates, acknowledges no standard but the perfection of God’s mind, God’s will. It is the character and mind of Christ which, by conversion and transformation, men are to receive. Through His Son, God has revealed the excellency to which man is capable of attaining. And before the world God is developing us as living witnesses of what man may become through the grace of Christ. Oh, why do so many grieve the heart of Infinite Love?" {Lt20-1902.13}

Put  Your Whole Trust In Jesus

1 John 5:4 "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—ourfn faith.

"Of those who led tried and tempted lives, the question was asked: "How do you deal with your difficulties? Do you harness yourself for an encounter with trial and temptation? And then do you lay hold on these temptations, as you suppose you must, while your spirit is hot within you, and wrestle with them, quite sure that this is what you ought to do? As you battle with your covetousness and uncharitableness on their own ground, do you come out victor?--No; you come out discouraged, bruised, and wounded, bound and enfeebled spiritually. {GCB, April 3, 1903 par. 6}
"What should you do? Simply put your whole trust in the One who understands your temptations and trials, the One who alone can master temptation. If you had not been premature in your efforts, you need not have fought so terrible a battle; for the Captain of your salvation was at work for you, ready to do for you that which you can not do for yourself, and to leave you free to do that which He has told you to do,--learn of Him His meekness and lowliness. He has been tempted in all points 'like as we are' and He knows how to succor those who are tempted. Had you first talked with God in prayer, by faith grasping His promises, you would have received strength for the conflict."--Unpublished Testimony. {GCB, April 3, 1903 par. 7}

Total Transformation Is Possible

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (NKJV) "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it."

"The Lord Jesus is the maker of the mind which man has debased and enfeebled by sin. The central power of the earth’s fallen subjects is a demon. He has set up his throne in the world. Christ proposes the means of recovery through the great work of redemption. “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The Lord Jesus, through sacrificing His life upon the cross, purposed by the agency of the Holy Spirit to bring man to see his position as a sinner and surrender his will to God’s will. He will sanctify every soul that will receive the gracious gift and give him power to become a son of God. He takes away the destructive tendencies of the sinful nature and brings the human agency into His service. Working through His Holy Spirit He sanctifies and cleanses the soul temple. Thus, though his whole powers had become deranged, man may be brought back, restored to his original relationship to God, and become an agent of good to every other man. In place of the diseased, soul-and-body-destroying principles of evil, he follows heavenly principles. Sanctified by the agency of the Holy Spirit, his influence upon his fellow man becomes aggressive to expel from the earth the evils produced through the satanic perversion of that which God designed should be only good. All these perverted powers the Lord Jesus will turn to His service, and man becomes the human channel to work the will of God to redeem and bring back a world that has broken away from [its] allegiance to God and to unite them to their proper center." {Ms176-1902.2}

Laying Hold Of Christ, Sins Are Removed

"Jesus is the only hope of the soul. By faith every soul may say with the Psalmist, “Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee.” The moment the sinner lays hold of Christ by faith, his sins are no longer upon him. Christ stands in the sinner’s place, and declares, “I have borne his guilt, I have been punished for his transgressions, I have taken his sins, and put My righteousness upon him.” In Christ the sinner stands guiltless before the law. But how vain is the hope of entering heaven if we have no present faith in Christ, no delight in spiritual things, no joy in anticipating the joys of heaven. The child of God finds his comfort and peace in Christ. He delights to dwell upon the holiness of his future, immortal home. The Lord commands, “Be ye holy, for I am holy.” The Christian’s constant endeavour should be to come into perfect conformity to the life of Christ; we must look away from the darkness, and face the light. Do not, by your attitude of unbelief, charge God with partiality or unfaithfulness. Your doubt casts reflections upon the verity of His promises. When in living faith you come to Jesus, and become doers of His Word, you will taste and see that the Lord is good. You will say to all, “By His stripes we are healed.” You will think of Jesus, you will talk of Jesus, as One who is willing and able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him. If you believe in Christ as your Saviour, His perfect obedience is set to your account. You are pardoned as you look to Jesus as your substitute and surety. The promise of God is, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – {PrT January 30, 1890 Par. 6}

If you fail to come to Jesus because you are sinful, you will always remain sinful, and will die in your sins. You cannot feel His cleansing power unless you rely upon Him with implicit faith. You can do nothing yourself to remove one stain of sin. Jesus alone is able to make you clean. Will you come to Christ and be made whole, or will you remain away in unbelief, and still mourn over your wretched state? Look and live. By beholding, we become changed into His image. When you look at the darkness, and talk of the darkness, you are scattering seeds of evil. Words of discouragement and complaint are like tares sown in a field. They fall into other minds, and spring up and bear a harvest after their kind; and souls may be lost through your suggestions of unbelief. Long after your period of darkness and temptation has passed, the words forgotten by yourself will live in the memory of others, and when temptation comes upon them, the fruit of the seed sown will appear." – {PrT January 30, 1890 Par. 7}

Unless otherwise stated, quotations come from the writings of Mrs. E. G. White.

 

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