I have gathered these studies from the Present Truth articles written by E.J. Waggoner from 1892 to 1899 for the purpose of putting a laser-like focus on the truth that a Christian is not merely a person with new ideas, but a person with an entirely new life dwelling within the spiritual nature.
This was an issue which I had difficulty understanding when I was a member of the Seventh-day Adventist church in my early 20's. I understood from what I had read and heard that eternal life would be granted to us in the resurrection, and that the Christian life until then was simply some added power through the Holy Spirit, combined with my own effort. But the Spirit could come and go, depending on the relationship I maintained with Christ.
A few years later, when I discovered the writings of E.J. Waggoner and A. T. Jones,--the "1888 message," as it is sometimes called,--and especially as I was introduced to the ministry of F.T. Wright, whose message and experience were based on the 1888 message, I began to see how wrong I had been.
Perhaps one of the clearest booklets on this topic, which helped me greatly, is The Living and the Dead, by F.T. Wright, which is perfectly in harmony with the articles from Waggoner that I have selected here. Their message is the same, and thank God, it still has the same power!
Frank Zimmerman.