Transcript Slide 1

THE DISTINCTIVE
REFORMATION TRUTHS
THE TENETS OF THE 1888
MESSAGE OF
RIGHTEOUSNESS BY
FAITH.
BY
ELDER SAUL LEACOCK
• “The Lord in His great mercy sent a most
precious message to His people through
Elders Waggoner and Jones. This message
was to bring more prominently before the
world the uplifted Saviour, the sacrifice for
the sins of the whole world. It presented
justification through faith in the Surety; it
invited the people to receive the
righteousness of Christ, which is made
manifest in obedience to all the
commandments of God.”
• “Many had lost sight of Jesus. They needed to
have their eyes directed to His divine person,
His merits, and His changeless love for the
human family. All power is given into His
hands, that He may dispense rich gifts unto
men, imparting the priceless gift of His own
righteousness to the helpless human agent.
This is the message that God commanded to
be given to the world. It is the third angel's
message, which is to be proclaimed with a
loud voice, and attended with the outpouring
of His Spirit in a large measure.” TM 91.2
• “What is justification by faith? It is
the work of God in laying the glory
of man in the dust, and doing for
man that which it is not in his
power to do for himself. When
men see their own nothingness, they
are prepared to be clothed with the
righteousness of Christ.” Faith I
Live By page 111.2
1. THE 1888 MESSAGE REVEALS THE
TRUTH ABOUT THE TWO ADAMS.
Christ came as the second Adam to
reverse the condemnation which all men
received in the first Adam. Romans 5:1218; 1 Corinthians 15: 22, 45,47.
a) The first Adam sold out all humanity, but
the second Adam bought back/redeemed
all humanity to God. 1 Peter 1:18.
b) The first Adam separated
all humanity from God
hence making them sinners.
The second Adam through
his death plugged humanity
back into God. Romans 5:
8-10.
c) Christ bridged the gulf which sin had
caused by separating mankind from God.
d) Humanity was bought back/redeemed
when Christ paid the price in dying the
second death for them. 1 Peter 1:18,19.
HE HAS PURCHASED OUR
PRESENT LIFE and all we possess and
are: and more, He has purchased eternal
salvation for us and given the gift in
Himself. 1Tim 4:10 ; John 6:51 ; DA 660.
e) Christ, the second Adam, restored
humanity back into favour with
God. Humanity was accepted into
the Beloved. Ephesians 2. Romans
5:10.
f) Christ satisfied/met the just demands
of the law. The law demanded the
death of the transgressor. Gal.4:4-6;
Rom. 8: 2-4.
g) Christ revealed the Character of God at its
radiant best and was victorious over sin and
the power of death. He took the sting out of
death and triumphed over the grave.
“In the matchless gift of His son, God has
encircled the whole world with an
atmosphere of grace as real as the air
which circulates around the globe. All who
choose to breathe this life-giving
atmosphere will live, and grow up to the
stature of men and women in Christ
Jesus.”Amazing Grace 238.2
h) Hence, Christ as our second Adam qualified
as our High Priest to make atonement on
man’s behalf.
“For such an high priest became us, [who
is] holy, harmless, undefiled, separate
from sinners, and made higher than the
heavens;
“Wherefore he is able also to save them
to the uttermost that come unto God by
him, seeing he ever liveth to make
intercession for them.”Hebrews 7: 29,25.
• i) He longs to make a final
atonement for the sins of His
people and then to blot them from
the record books of Heaven and
from their minds forever, such
that they will remember them no
more. Leviticus 16:30.
2. The 1888 Message teaches that
Christ’s death was not merely
provisional, it was effective,
achieving all the previously
mentioned points.
In Christ, God has already forgiven
and accepted all humanity legally
even before they repent or ask for it.
John 16:26,27. Romans 5: 6-12.
• In Christ, God has already forgiven
all humanity. His substitution in our
place has already been accepted of
the Father. He did it on our behalf.
Only when we come and ask for it
personally in repentance and
contrition are we in a position and
condition to accept it. He will not
force it on anyone to receive it.
1 John 1:9. John 16:26,27..
• The Parable of the Prodigal
sons reveal the truth of God’s
character and attitude towards
sinners even when they are in
a far-away land, before they
ever consider coming back
home. Luke 15.
3. The 1888 Message of Righteousness by Faith
teaches us that
IT IS EASY TO BE SAVED AND
HARD TO BE LOST.
THAT THERE IS MORE POWER
IN GRACE THAN THERE IS IN
SIN.
(Matthew 11: 28-30; Acts 9:5; Prov.13:15)
• A.T. Jones, THE 1888 Reformer in the book
Lessons on Faith page 82 asks, “SHALL IT
BE GRACE OR SIN?” then responds,
“No man ever yet naturally found it difficult
to do wrong. His great difficulty has always
been to do right. But this is because man
naturally is enslaved to a power—the power
of sin—that is absolute in its reign. And so
long as that power has sway, it is not only
difficult but impossible to do the good that
he knows and that he would.
• “But let a mightier power than
that have sway, then is it not
plain enough that it will be just
as easy to serve the will of the
mightier power , when it
reigns, as it was to serve the
will of the other power when it
reigned?”
4. Hence the 1888 Message
reveals the MUCH MORE
ABOUNDING GRACE and the
truth that WE ARE MORE
THAN CONQUERORS
THROUGH CHRIST JESUS.
Romans 5: 9, 10, 15, 17, 20;
Rom. 8:37. THE 1888 REFORMER
continues
• “There is much more power in grace than
there is in sin. For “where sin abounded, grace
did much more abound.” And just as much
more power in grace than there is in sin, just
so much more hope and good cheer there are
for every sinner in the world.”
• “How much more power , then, is there in
grace than there is in sin? Let me think a
moment. Let me ask myself a question or two.
Whence comes grace?– From God, to be sure.
“Grace be unto you , and peace, from God our
Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.”
“Whence comes sin?—From the devil,
of course. Sin is of the devil; for the
devil sinneth from the beginning. Well,
then, how much more power is there in
grace than there is in sin? It is as plain
as A B C that there is just as much more
power in grace than there is in sin, as
there is more power in God than there
is in the devil.” Lessons on Faith page
83.
• 5. The 1888 Message teaches that
IN CHRIST ALL HUMAN BEINGS HAVE
BEEN RECONCILED TO GOD, JUSTIFIED
BY THE LAW, AND SEATED IN
HEAVENLY PLACES IN HIM.
However, no human being can experience it
unless they accept it personally by faith. When
they reckon it so by believing that what Christ
has already worked out for them is really
theirs, then they receive that deep heartfelt
appreciation of the love of God for them.
• Faith is believing that IT IS SO. That
IN CHRIST the thing is done. Our
faith does not make it so. God says it
is already so and simply asks us to
believe it. Our believing it does not
make it so, it is already so in Jesus
Christ. Faith is based on believing
facts which are already realities in
Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:20.
• “Faith is trusting God, believing that
He loves us, and knows what is for our
best good. Thus, instead of our own
way, it leads us to choose His Way. In
place of our ignorance it accepts His
wisdom; in place of our weakness, His
strength; in place of our sinfulness, His
righteousness. Our lives, ourselves, are
already His; faith acknowledges His
ownership, and accepts its blessings.”
G.W p 259.
6. The True Gospel in the 1888
Message teaches us that
WE CAN LIVE WITHOUT
SINNING IN WORD ,
THOUGHT, AND DEED IN
THIS PRESENT SINFUL EVIL
WORLD. Titus 2:11—13; Jude 24;
1John 2:1; 1Cor. 10:13; 1Cor.15:34;
Heb. 13:20,21; Mat.5:48.
• IT TEACHES US THAT PERFECTION IS
POSSIBLE IN THIS LIFE.
PERFECTION OF CHRISTIAN
CHARACTER
SINLESS LIVING
MATURITY OR COMPLETENESS IN
CHRIST
WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT ABSOLUTE
PERFECTION, NATURE PERFECTION (ADAM
BEFORE FALL), HOLY FLESH PERFECTION,
LANGUAGE PERFECTION (WITHOUT
MAKING MISTAKES) OR PERFECTIONISM.
7. This 1888 Gospel takes the position
that
JESUS CHRIST TOOK ON THE
SAME SINFUL, FALLEN, FLESH
AND BLOOD HUMAN NATURE
OF THE HUMAN RACE
AFFECTED BY 4000 YEARS OF
SIN. Heb.2: 14-18; Heb. 4:15,16;
Romans 1:2,3; Rom. 8:2-4;
Heb.13:20,21.
THAT HE WAS TEMPTED
EXACTLY AS ALL HUMAN
BEINGS ARE TEMPTED, WITH
THE POSSIBILITY OF SINNING,
BUT GAINED THE VICTORY BY
CHOOSING TO DEPEND ON HIS
FATHER TO KEEP HIM FROM
FALLING.(NOT BECAUSE OF
ANY SUPERIOR NATURE).
 THAT HE OVERCAME AS WE ALL
HAVE TO OVERCOME AND LIVED AND
DEVELOPED A PERFECT, SINLESS LIFE
IN SINFUL, FALLEN FLESH.
THAT HE IS THEREFORE BOTH OUR
SUBSTITUTE AND EXAMPLE.1Peter 2:21-23.
THAT WE CAN OVERCOME AS HE
OVERCAME THROUGH LETTING THIS
MIND OF CHRIST ‘BE’ IN US ‘WHICH
WAS ALSO IN CHRIST JESUS’. Rev.3:21;
Phil. 2:5.
8. The 1888 Message teaches us that
THE WORK OF CHRIST, AS OUR HIGH
PRIEST IN THE MOST HOLY PLACE OF
THE HEAVENLY SANCTUARY, OF
CLEANSING THE SANCTUARY FROM
THE SINS OF HIS PEOPLE, IS THE FINAL
WORK OF ATONEMENT OF
PERFECTING A PEOPLE, REMEDYING
AND BLOTTING OUT EVERY FAULT,
WEAKNESS AND DEFECT IN THEIR
CHARACTERS. Ephesians 5: 25—27.
Rev. 19: 7,8.
9. The Gospel of the 1888 Message presents
THE MATCHLESS CHARMS OF JESUS
CHRIST AND INVITES US TO
RECEIVE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF
JESUS CHRIST WHICH IS MADE
MANIFEST IN OBEDIENCE TO ALL
THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD.
TM.p. 93. John 14:15. 2 Cor. 5:14; 1 Cor.
13:7,8.
CHARM
LOVE
OBEDIENCE
LOYALTY
• This matchless charms reveals the proper
relation of the law to the Gospel. That a man
does not have to try hard to keep the
law/commandments, but when the Gospel is
experienced in the heart and life of an
individual, it is made manifest in obedience
to all the commandments of God. John
14:15,23. 1 John 2:3-6.
• THIS MESSAGE SHOWED THE RIGHT
RELATIONSHIP OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
TO THE GOSPEL ,OF GRACE AND
FAITH TO WORKS.
• WHILE WORKS CANNOT SAVE
ANYONE, IT IS THE FRUIT OF THEIR
FAITH, AND IS THE MEANS BY WHICH
THEIR FAITH IS PERFECTED. JAMES
2:17-26.
• “Righteousness is right doing, and it is
by their deeds that all will be judged.
Our characters are revealed by what
we do. The works show whether the
faith is genuine.” COL 312.2
• You don’t “HAVE TO” or “GOT
TO” keep the commandments, but
you “GET TO” NATURALLY
and SPONTANEOUSLY. It’s all
HEART WORK WHICH LEADS
TO OUTWARD ACTIONS OR
BEHAVIOUR. Luke 6:43-45.
• THAT FAR FROM ABOLISHING THE
LAW OR COMMANDMENTS, GOD
WANTS TO WRITE THEM IN THEIR
HEARTS AND IN THEIR MINDS.
Hebrews 10:16,17.
• WHEN THEY HAVE THE FAITH OF
JESUS , THEY WILL KEEP THE
COMMANDMENTS OF GOD AND
HAVE THE PATIENCE OF THE
SAINTS. Rev:12:14
THE AGAPE LOVE OF GOD HAS
THE POWER, IF WE DO NOT
RESIST, TO DRAW US INTO THE
KINGDOM OF GOD. JOHN 12: 32.
“We must have that faith which
works by love and purifies the soul,
that this belief in Christ will lead us to
put away everything that is offensive
in His sight.” IHP p. 118.
10. The true 1888 gospel reveals that
BY BEING BORN AGAIN WE
RECEIVE THE DIVINE-HUMAN
MIND OF JESUS CHRIST IN OUR
SINFUL, FALLEN FLESH, BECOME
NEW CREATURES (CREATION) IN
CHRIST , ADOPTED INTO THE
DIVINE FAMILY AS JOINT HEIRS
WITH CHRIST, AND SIT WITH
CHRIST ON HIS THRONE. Rev. 3:21.
• THUS THIS DIVINE-HUMAN FAMILY, AS
BEGOTTEN SONS OF GOD THE SON
WILL REIGN WITH CHRIST THROUGH
THE CEASELESS AGES OF ETERNITY.
THEY WILL
REFLECT THE IMAGE AND
CHARACTER OF JESUS FULLY,
VINDICATE HIS NAME AND HONOUR,
AND
BRING THE GREAT CONTROVERSY TO
A CLOSE BY PROVING GOD RIGHT AND
SATAN WRONG.
• "When the fruit is brought forth,
immediately he putteth in the
sickle, because the harvest is
come." Christ is waiting with
longing desire for the manifestation
of Himself in His church. When the
character of Christ shall be
perfectly reproduced in His people,
then He will come to claim them as
His own.” COL 69.1
• “It is the privilege of every Christian
not only to look for but to hasten the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, (2
Peter 3:12, margin). Were all who
profess His name bearing fruit to His
glory, how quickly the whole world
would be sown with the seed of the
gospel. Quickly the last great harvest
would be ripened, and Christ would
come to gather the precious grain.”
COL 69.2