"Christ’s death proves God’s great love for man. It is our pledge of salvation. To remove the cross from the Christian would be like blotting the sun from the sky. The cross brings us near to God, reconciling us to Him. With the relenting compassion of a father’s love, Jehovah looks upon the suffering that His Son endured in order to save the race from eternal death, and accepts us in the Beloved.
Without the cross, man could have no union with the Father. On it depends our every hope. From it shines the light of the Saviour’s love, and when at the foot of the cross the sinner looks up to the One who died to save him, he may rejoice with fullness of joy, for his sins are pardoned. Kneeling in faith at the cross, he has reached the highest place to which man can attain." - Acts of the Apostles, p. 208 "Christ has provided means whereby our whole life may be an unbroken communion with himself; but the sense of Christ’s abiding presence can come only through living faith. There must be a personal consecration to him. Self must be hid with Christ in God; then the grace received will be constantly imparted as a grateful offering to God. In this union Christ identifies himself with man before God and the heavenly universe. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” Our sins are reckoned to Christ. His righteousness is imputed to us, and we are made the righteousness of God in him. Because of his atoning sacrifice, our prayers go up to the Father, laden with the fragrance of Christ’s character, and, one with Christ, we are accepted in the Beloved." - The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, September 18, 1900 "It can never be repeated too often, that under the reign of grace it is just as easy to do right, as under the reign of sin it is easy to do wrong. This must be so, for if there is not more power in grace than there is in sin, then there can be no salvation from sin. But there is salvation from sin. This no one who believes Christianity can deny. Yet salvation from sin certainly depends upon there being more power in grace than there is in sin. Then, there being more power in grace than there is in sin, it cannot possibly be otherwise than that wherever the power of grace can have control, it will be just as easy to do right as without this it is easy to do wrong….. Where the difficulty comes in, in all this, is that so many people try to serve God with the power of Satan. But that can never be done . "Either make the tree good and his fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt and his fruit corrupt." Men cannot gather grapes of thorns nor figs of thistles. The tree must be made good, root and branch. It must be made new. 'Ye must be born again.' 'In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.' Let no one ever attempt to serve God with anything but the present, living power of God that makes him a new creature, with nothing but the much more abundant grace that condemns sin in the flesh and reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Then the service of God will indeed be in 'newness of life.' Then it will be found that His yoke is indeed 'easy' and His burden 'light.' Then His service will be found indeed to be with 'joy unspeakable and full of glory.'" "Abundant grace has been provided that the believing soul may be kept free from sin; for all heaven, with its limitless resources, has been placed at our command. We are to draw from the well of salvation. Christ is the end of law for righteousness to everyone who believeth. In ourselves we are sinners; but in Christ we are righteous. Having made us righteous through the imputed righteousness of Christ, God pronounces us just, and treats us as just. He looks upon us as His dear children. Christ works against the power of sin, and where sin abounded, grace much more abounds. 'Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God'” (Romans 5:1, 2). "Nothing but the righteousness of Christ can entitle us to one of the blessings of the covenant of grace. There are many who have long desired and tried to obtain these blessings, but have not received them, because they have cherished the idea that they could do something to make themselves worthy of them. They have not looked away from self, believing that Jesus is an all-sufficient Saviour. We must not think that our own merits will save us; Christ is our only hope of salvation. 'For there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.'” Acts 4:12
- Patriarchs & Prophets, p. 431 |
Categories
All
AuthorGod has something to say to us (more than we want to hear it)! That's why there is always a WORD! Archives
September 2024
|