Oh what a tragedy! It is almost "taboo" to speak of the MERITS of Jesus Christ among adventists. In 30 years of my adventist life I have never heard a minister or a teacher speak of the necessity of appropriating to ourselves the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour and yet, from our own inspired writings, we read, "The only faith that will benefit us is that which embraces Him as a personal Saviour: which appropriates His merits to ourselves." Desire of Ages, p.347.
This is the only faith that will benefit us and yet when is this faith spoken of? We appropriate Christ's merits to ourselves simply by claiming them and we must do this every day. Just think! It is our privilege to claim the divine merits of the Son of God, for "Jesus was treated as we deserve that we might be treated as He deserves." Desire of Ages, p.25. Isn't this totally mindboggling!!! The Father's will is to treat us according to the merits of His son if we will only accept His merits and claim them. And He tells us that it is our privilege to claim them! Do we believe this? Whether we believe it or not, this is the message that is to sound throughout the length and breadth of the whole earth. "Unless he makes it his life business to behold the uplited Saviour and accept the merits which it is his privilege to claim, the sinner can no more be saved than Peter could walk upon the water unless he kept his eyes fixed steadily upon Jesus." Testimonies to Ministers, p.93.
Mrs. White wrote the above words with the 1888 message in mind, which message was resisted. See 1 S.M.234,235. This message has been lost sight of ever since. This message tells us that this is the only way the sinner can be saved: he must accept the merits of Jesus Christ and claim them, hour by hour, moment by moment. Speaking about the disciples of Christ, Mrs. White wrote, "They have learned of Jesus; they have been in His school; they have been His students and have learned the lessons of Christ in regard to the living connection that the soul has with God. That living faith is essential for our salvation, that we should lay hold upon the merits of the blood of the crucified and risen Saviour, upon Christ, our righteousness." Faith and Works, p.64.
We lay hold upon Christ by laying hold upon His merits!
We have no merit or goodness within whereby we may claim salvation. Only the merits of the spotless Lamb of God will avail with God. "Will those who set not before them the pattern, Jesus, extol your merits? You have none except as they come through Jesus Christ." R&H Sept.4,1900.
"Works without faith are dead, and faith without works is dead. Works will never save us; it is the merit of Christ that will avail in our behalf." E.G. White, Signs of the Times, June 16,1890.
This most precious message has, to a large degree, been lost sight of and it is high time that the professed people of God should pay attention to it.
This is the hope that is set before us in the Scriptures. "We can do nothing of ourselves. In all our helpless unworthiness we must trust in the merits of the crucified and risen Saviour. None will ever perish while they do this." Patriarchs and Prophets, 203.
"Our only hope is in the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour." G.C.471. If we are to have a living living connection with God we must, by faith, lay hold upon His all-sufficient merits.
But sad to say the majority of Adventists don't seem to know that Jesus Christ has merits and that it is those merits alone that we must plead before God in our behalf in order to receive the gift that brings all the other blessings in its train. Many ask, What do you mean by the "merits" of Christ? What are the "merits" of Christ? Christ is God, why should He need to have merits? Yet we read, "The merits of His sacrifice are sufficient to present to the Father in our behalf." Steps to Christ, p.36. "Habitually dwelling upon Christ and His all-sufficient merits increases faith, quickens the power of spiritual discernment, strengthens the desire to be like Him, and brings an earnestness into prayer that makes it efficacious."
Christ's infinite sacrifice has acquired Him a bank of merits, divine merits, and it is those merits that the Father desires to place upon us if we will simply accept the gift and claim it. "All His merits and holiness were open to fallen man, presented as a gift." E.G. White, Letter 12, 1892.
It is written that the whole world is drunk with the wine of Babylon. The main pillar of all false religions is that salvation must be obtained through merits. It is the right idea but the wrong merits. Instead of trusting wholly in the merits of the divine Redeemer, the people seek to gain the approval of God through their own merits, the merits of their good works.
"They need the heavenly eyesalve that they may discern with astonishment the utter worthlessness of creature merits to earn the wages of eternal life." E.G. White, Faith and Works, p.23.
When the Reformers discovered the "true light" (G.C.73) it is said that "they cast themselves wholly upon the merits of Jesus." The Great Controversy, p.74.
"Luther tried through works to obtain the favour of God; but he was not satisfied until a gleam of light from Heaven drove the darkness from his mind, and let him to trust, not in works, but in the merits of the blood of Christ." Spiritual Gifts, Vol.1, p.120.
Jon Calvin prayed, "O Father, we had devised for ourselves many useless follies, but You have placed Your Word before me like a torch, and You have touched my heart, in order that I may hold in abomination all other merits save those of Jesus." The Great Controversy, p.221.
Today, among those who profess to believe present truth, many believe that they are saved by grace and yet fail to appropriate to themselves the merits of Christ by which alone the grace of the Holy Spirit is promised to them.
"How long will you hate and despise the messengers of God's righteousness? God has given them His message. They bear the Word of the Lord: There is salvation for you but only through the merits of Jesus Christ. The grace of the Holy Spirit has been offered to you again and again." Testimonies to Ministers, p.96, 97.
"Looking unto Jesus and trusting in His merits we appropriate the blessings of light and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." Testimonies, Vol.5, p.744.
This is the "true light," the "most precious message" the Lord sent to His professed people in 1888. The light was resisted. Will we resist it again?
"The only remedy is belief in the truth, acceptance of the light." Testimonies to Ministers, p.91.
This was said in the context of the 1888 message of the merits and righteousness of Christ.
We must daily apply to the merits of Christ that we may become vessels fit for the Master's use and then He will use us as sharp sickles in the harvest field. See Signs of the Times, May 19, 1890.
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Topic: oh what a tragedy! (Read 5210 times)
