The Investigative Judgment

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In His Love, Mercy & Grace,

Daryl
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John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

May I suggest that we can make this even more simple.

Ever since Jesus entered the sanctuary above He has been pleading the merits of His shed blood in behalf of sinners but especially in behalf of those who believe for "He is the Saviour of all men but especially of those who believe." 1 Tim.4:10.

"The intercession of Christ in our behalf if that of presenting His own divine merits in the offering of Himself to the Father as our substitute and surety." Faith & Works, 105.

While He is doing this, what are we to do? "Present your case before God pleading the merits of the blood shed for you upon Calvary's cross." Faith & Works, 106.

As we confess our sins and plead the merits of Christ's shed blood in our behalf for pardon and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, our sins are sent beforehand to judgment. They are not cancelled yet but they are forgiven.

So now Jesus is in the Most Holy Place still pleading the all-sufficient merits of His shed blood in our behalf. Day by day we are to come to God just as we are, sinful, helpless, dependent, hanging our helpless souls upon the merits of Christ's infinite sacrifice. This is faith, even living faith for it brings the righteousness of Christ into the life (F.W.65,66) and it accomplishes everything. (F.W.27) It imparts all the powers, all the grace, all the penitence, all the inclination and all the pardon of sin and it is made manifest in obedience to all the commandments of God. (F.W.24; T.M.92)

Being clothed with the righteousness of Christ we may go on from grace to grace and from strength to strength until the full corn of Christ's character is formed in the ear and when this is accomplished (at the end of the loud cry) we shall be ready for the great final test (death decree) and to pass the scrutiny of the judgment of the living prior to the close of probation. Only those who pass this final test can pass this scrutiny and they will receive the final seal for then Jesus will make the final atonement and transfer all our sins that had been sent beforehand to judgment upon the scapegoat. Then we shall be ready to go through the time of Jacob's trouble and be translated without seeing death.

Correct?

rainbow

Love it!!! IJ in a nutshell....

PTL!

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Mark 1:15
The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye and believe the gospel.

Thank you ECR for your enthusiasm! It's always refreshing when two brothers see eye to eye.

Now I would like to share a couple more statements from the true and faithful Witness in regard to the 1888 message, which, by the way, has everything to do with the the sanctuary message:

"You want to be like little children, hanging upon the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour, and then you will be fortified. How? The angels of God will be around you as a wall of fire; the righteousness of Christ, which you claim, goes before you, and the glory of God is your rearward. God sanctify our tongues, our thoughts, our minds, taht we may dwell upon heavenly themes, and that we may impart that knowledge to others." Ms 9, 1891.

"Oh be so full of the message that it is like fire shut up in your bones, that you cannot hold your peace. It is true, men will say, 'You are too excited; you are making too much of this matter, and you do not think enough of the law; don't be all the time reaching for this righteousness of Christ, but build up the law.' Let the law take care of itself. We have been at work on the law until we get as dry as the hills of Gilboa, without dew or rain. Let us trust in the merits of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. May God help us that our eyes may be anointed with eyesalve that we may see." E.G. White, The 1888 Materials, Vol.2, 557.

If I understand the above correctly, in order to receive the righteousness of Christ which takes care of the law, one must, day by day, moment by moment, hang his helpless soul upon the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour.

On May 11, 1889, in Ottawa, Kansas, Mrs. White spoke of "the faith that lays right hold upon the merits of the blood of a crucified and risen Saviour to bring Christ's righteousness into your life." See Faith & Works, 65,66.

And then she adds, "Clothed with the righteousness of Christ and not your own righteousness, you will not depend upon what you can do or what you will do," for "Christ's righteousness accomplishes everything." Faith & Works, 65,66,27.

Doesn't the above make it crystal clear that we must first lay hold upon the merits of Christ's sacrifice if we are to be clothed with His righteousness and be found spotless at His coming? Being clothed with the robe of His righteousness we are fortified. Then we become God's fortress which He holds in a revolted world (A.A.11) and we become impregnable to the assaults of Satan. (D.A.324) The glory of the Lord has risen upon us and we become the light of the world. (Isaiah 60:1-3) And we shall go from grace to grace and from light to a greater light and be ready for the great final test and the judgment of the living when Christ shall make the final atonement moments prior to the close of probation.

I thank the Lord for His unspeakable gift, all the merits and righteousness of Christ to be appropriated by simple faith, that we may become vessels fit for the Master's use.

God bless.

rainbow

*Of course, if we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us our sins and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness. But the aim is to overcome as Jesus overcame. "As we behold Christ, pierced for our sins, we shall see that we cannot break the law of God and remain in His favor; we shall feel that as sinners we must lay hold of the merits of Christ and cease to sin. Then we are drawing nigh to God. As soon as we have a correct view of the love of God, we shall have no disposition to abuse it." 1 Selected Messages, p.312.

Gotta love the pen of inspiration....

Have you read EJ Waggoners book 'Christ and His Righteousness'? It was this book that took adventism from prophesy and the Law to the merits of Christ for our salvation. If Adventists had of embraced this message, we are told that the preparations for Christs return would have been put in motion.

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Mark 1:15
The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye and believe the gospel.

Yes brother I have read this book. I have had it for many years. I don't know how many times I have read it. For years I read all I could get my hands on written by Jones and Waggoner.

Have you read The Consecrated Way to Christian Perfection by Jones?

rainbow

No, but thanx for the recommendation... our study group gets together online everynight and reads a chapter from a selected book. We are coming to the end of The Ministry of Healing so I am going to mention this book by Jones.

I have never read any of Jones' material... is he as easy to understand as Waggoner? I love the way EJW can simplify difficult to understand concepts...

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Mark 1:15
The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye and believe the gospel.

Brother Jones is just as easy to read if not easier. Jones has an uncanny way to simplify things and to see between the lines. But I enjoy reading Waggoner just as much. If I can recommend something else by Jones it is the lectures he gave at the 1893 and 1895 General Conferences. They can be found in those Bulletins.

In the 1893 Bulletin, p.494, it is said that these lectures are a repeat of the 1888 lectures "in special measure."

rainbow

Here is an excerpt for you from the 1893 G.C. Bulletin by brother Jones on the subjects of faith and works. Very interesting to say the very least of it.

"Don't you see then how that the works take care of themselves in him who has faith in Jesus Christ,--I do not mean that satanic belief; I mean the man who has faith. Then don't you see what those people miss who get their minds on works, more than on Christ? They miss the very incentive and the very power that alone can do the things that are good, to reach and minister to the sick in the right spirit, to visit the poor and minister to them in the right spirit. Have you not seen people that have ministered to the poor and the sick, in a way that makes those people feel worse than if they had not gone there at all? That is not the kind of ministering Jesus Christ does. No, sir. It is Christ in you. And when He goes with you and in you there stands the testimony, 'It will win even from wordlings the statement, They are like Jesus.'

Did not Paul strive, says one, and does not the Savior say, 'Strive to enter in at the strait gate'? Yes. But how can I strive when I have nothing to strive with? 'Without Me you can do nothing.'--how much? (Congregation: 'Nothing.') Is that so? (Congregation: 'Yes.') Then without Christ I want to know how you are going to strive. Paul says, "I also labor, striving according to His working, which worketh in me mightily." Col.1:29. I want you to think of that. 'Without Me ye can do nothing.' 'Dead in trespasses and sins.' Is that so? How can a dead man strive? 'When we were without strength." Rom.5:6. Were we without strength? (Congregation: 'Yes.') That is so. Then how can a man strive who has no strength? Don't you see, then, that it is an utter satanic perversion of the divine idea, to go to striving and working and wearing the life out in order to get to Christ to obtain this gift of justification. No; it is the free gift of God to every man, and every man who receives it, receives Jesus Christ Himself indeed.

Then where does the striving come in? To find the Lord? or to be used by the power which the Lord gives, which He puts into us? Which is it? 'The love of Christ constraineth us.' 2 Cor.5:14. Constrains, impels, drives on with an irresistible force. That is the idea that is in the word striving. Other translations give it, 'agonize' to enter into the strait gate. And they do really and bodily agonize and wear themselves out, doing penance, just like any other Catholic--and they will do it all in order to move the Lord, so that He will have pity on them. That is not the thought.

It is agonizing; but everybody who is acquainted with it, knows that the word is taken from the Greek games, the Greek races. One who entered the games was an agonistes. They started out to run a race. Now what does he do? He just strains every nerve to win the race; every faculty of his being is devoted to the object before him, isn't it? (Congregation: 'Yes, sir.') Now that is bodily exercise; that is bodily striving, agonizing. Is this that kind that Christ is talking about? (Congregation: 'No.') What kind is this? Spiritual. Yes, of course. Then carrying that thought from bodily exercise, that bodily straining of every nerve,--carrying that into the spiritual realm, what does it signify? Doesn't it signify that complete surrender of the will to Christ, that surrender of the heart, and the affections to Him, that makes no reserve? Then His power moving in us, His divine power urging us on, don't you see? I say again, that in all cases he who believes in Jesus Christ most fully will work most for Him.

Now let us have this word, and that will be the best close I could make to the whole thing to-night. 'Steps to Christ,' page 71. 'The heart that rests most fully upon Christ will be the most earnest and active in labor for Him.' Amen. (Congregation: 'Amen.') Do not forget that now. Do not think that the man who says that he rests wholly upon Jesus Christ is either a physical or spiritual loafer. If he shows this loafing in his life, he is not resting on Christ at all, but on his own self.

No, sir; the heart that rests most fully upon Christ will be most active in labor for Him. That is what real faith is. That is the faith that will bring to you the outpouring of the latter rain; that is the faith that will bring to you and me the teaching of righteousness according to righteousness-- the living presence of Jesus Christ--to prepare us for the loud cry and the carrying of the third angel's message in the only way in which it can be carried from this Conference." A.T. Jones, 1893 G.C. Bulletin, p.310,302.

rainbow

Thanx...

__________________
Mark 1:15
The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye and believe the gospel.