Many hold to an understanding of the gospel which is tantamount to the conclusion that forgiveness or pardon means a person is ready for heaven. This understanding is why some unconsciously hold the belief that salvation comes through confession. The idea is that we keep confessing our sins, thus making certain of forgiveness and thereby maintaining a "saved" status. This idea--that mere pardon means eternal salvation--is not the idea presented in the Spirit of Prophecy or the Bible. The first phase of forgiveness, judicial pardon (charizomai), as wonderful as it is, only cancels out our bad deeds--and is thus a negative act. It involves removing or taking something away. It does not provide what is required to replace that which is taken away, although it is the true motive for obedience.
In order to enter heaven, we must also have righteousness! Therefore, we should understand that we need more than mere judicial forgiveness or pardon in order to enter heaven. We need righteousness. While we are "born forgiven," so far as the judicial pardon is concerned, we still need righteousness. This is provided in the second phase of forgiveness, aphiemi, which is also referred to as "justification by faith." In this phase of salvation the righteousness of Christ is imputed and imparted to the believer. The evidence of the experience of justification by faith is revealed in "obedience to all the commandments of God."[1]
Genuine obedience is not simply obeying the "rules." It goes much deeper than merely "doing the right thing" and "abstaining from doing the wrong things."
The eye of the Lord is upon all the work, all the plans, all the imaginings of every mind; He sees beneath the surface of things, discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart. There is not a deed of darkness, not a plan, not an imagination of the heart, not a thought of the mind, but that He reads it as an open book. Every act, every word, every motive, is faithfully chronicled in the records of the great Heart-searcher, who said, "I know thy works."[2]
Here, we are informed that more than our "works" are "chronicled in the records." Commonly understood is that everything that we "do" is written in the books of heaven. But there is something more important than what we do. The greater concern is why we do what we do. The books of heaven record "every motive." Why is that the case? "Every action of their lives is judged, not by the external appearance, but from the motive which dictated the action."[3]
Could this be why the apostle Paul wrote, "Love [agape] is the fulfilling of the law" (Romans 13:10)? Righteousness is more than "doing the right thing"--it is doing the right thing for the right reason, and the right reason is that "the love [agape] of Christ compels us" (2 Corinthians 5:14, NKJV). In other words, unless there is agape in the heart, there is no righteousness in the life. "The sinner loves Christ, because Christ has first loved him, and love is the fulfilling of the law."[4]
We need righteousness in order to enter heaven, and this can only be received when "the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost" (Romans 5:5). Righteousness is agape. The agape of God is "shed abroad in our hearts;" when we "appreciate" (i.e., have genuine faith in) the love of God which was demonstrated at the cross in the forgiveness of our sins. When we believe that He loves us and that He has forgiven us at the cross, this understanding produces love in our hearts and makes the manifestation of authentic righteousness possible.
The world's Redeemer was treated as we deserve to be treated, in order that we might be treated as He deserved to be treated. He came to our world and took our sins upon His own divine soul, that we might receive His imputed righteousness. He was condemned for our sins, in which He had no share, that we might be justified by His righteousness, in which we had no share. The world's Redeemer gave Himself for us. Who was He?--The Majesty of heaven, pouring out His blood upon the altar of justice for the sins of guilty man. We should know our relationship to Christ and His relationship to us. We are to trust God fully, and ask Him to supply the least as well as the greatest want. The Lord encourages our confidence; and the great proof of our union with Christ, and the best manifestation of our love to Him, is in yielding obedience to His claims. If you have love to Jesus Christ, which is an expression of the life of Christ in the soul, then you will do what He commands you. This is practical religion. Redeemed by the ransom money paid for your souls, you will go forth and show how much you love Jesus by obedience to His commandments. You are to bring forth fruit by doing His commandments, because you are branches of the living Vine. It is His prayer that His joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.[5]
Obedience Not Meritorious
True obedience, the "right doing" which is a manifestation of agape, constitutes true Christian life. However, we should now hasten to add that this aspect of righteousness is the "fruit of faith," and it is not meritorious. Many statements throughout Ellen White's writings emphasize the fact that the obedient, sanctified life is the "fruit of faith." "The faith that justifies always produces first true repentance, and then good works, which are the fruit of that faith. There is no saving faith that does not produce good fruit."[6] "Sanctification is the fruit of faith, whose renewing power transforms the soul into the image of Christ."[7] Note that the first statement says that "the faith that justifies" produces "the fruit of faith," which is good works, and "sanctification is the fruit of faith." Therefore, sanctification is the fruit of justification by faith. This also is the point of James 2:14. Now, please notice that these works are not meritorious.
Let the subject be made distinct and plain that it is not possible to effect anything in our standing before God or in the gift of God to us through creature merit. Should faith and works purchase the gift of salvation for anyone, then the Creator is under obligation to the creature. Here is an opportunity for falsehood to be accepted as truth. If any man can merit salvation by anything he may do, then he is in the same position as the Catholic to do penance for his sins. Salvation, then, is partly of debt, that may be earned as wages. If man cannot, by any of his good works, merit salvation, then it must be wholly of grace, received by man as a sinner because he receives and believes in Jesus. It is wholly a free gift.[8]
Please note that in this passage Ellen White does not argue against the concept of salvation by works. She is refuting the concept of salvation partly by faith and partly by works. In this passage she stresses the point that salvation is entirely a "free gift." Even the true believer, who will always do many good works, still has no merit to present before God. This "free gift" of salvation is not to be received by man as a good, righteous, or reformed person and not even a sanctified person. Rather, it is to be received by man as an undeserving "sinner!"
Ellen White's statements on this subject continue:
Although we have no merit in ourselves, in the great goodness and love of God we are rewarded as if the merit were our own. When we have done all the good we can possibly do, we are still unprofitable servants. We have done only what was our duty. What we have accomplished has been wrought solely through the grace of Christ, and no reward is due to us from God on the ground of our merit. But through the merit of our Saviour, every promise that God has made will be fulfilled, and every man will be rewarded according to his deeds. The precious rewards of the future will be proportioned to the work of faith and labor of love in the present life.[9]
The glory of the gospel of grace through the imputed righteousness of Christ, provides no other way of salvation than through obedience to the law of God in the person of Jesus Christ, the divine substitute.[10]
Please take note that the only way to salvation is through obedience to the law of God, but it is the obedience of Christ to the law of God that merits salvation, not ours.
The question of merit is directly related to the subject of corporate justification and atonement for all sin. When the redemption that was accomplished at the cross is not clearly understood, we are vulnerable to legalistic thinking. We are naturally inclined to think we get what we earn. The whole world is set up after this order. The gospel overturns this design. The gospel reveals a Saviour whose works have already delivered us from condemnation and earned the title to heaven for every human soul, including even those who "do not accept it."[11] In this redemption our works have no place at all. Charizomai brought to us the "title" to heaven; aphiemi produces the "fitness" for heaven. The "fitness" and the "title" should never be confused.[12]
When we allow the charizomai of God to enter our hearts and minds, we find that "Nothing reaches so fully down to the deepest motives of conduct as a sense of the pardoning love of Christ."[13] This is true obedience. And this reveals why the message of the latter rain is so essential.
Notes: