We are all familiar with the words, "he deserved it," or "they deserved it." It may be a promotion or a raise in one's wages or whatever it might be. People judge the worth of a cause by its merits. We accept or reject ideas on account of their having merits or not. In financial matters, schemes, propositions, ideas and plans are rejected or approved according to their merits or demerits.
It is a very natural thing for human beings to treat matters or other human beings according to their merits or demerits. People earn merits through hard work, dedication, bravery, or through sacrificing whatever it might be. The more merits a person has earned, the more that person is worthy of notice or honored and the more that individual becomes the object of admiration!
This is true regarding the religions of this world. Instead of resting in the divine merits of Jesus Christ alone to earn their salvation, many are trusting in the merits of the creature:
"Discussions may be entered into by mortals streneously advocating creature merit, and each man striving for the supremacy, but they simply do not know that all the time, in principle and character, they are misrepresenting the truth as it is in Jesus. They are in a fog of bewilderment. They need to heavenly eyesalve that they might discern with astonishment the utter worthlessness of creature merit to earn the waves of eternal life." E.G. White, Faith & Works,23.
But "When we seek to gain Heaven through the merits of Christ, the soul makes progress." Faith & Works,94.
Is not the humiliation and the spotless life of the Son of God of value beyond estimate and therefore full of divine merits? Is not Christ's sacrificial death most worthy of our notice and admiration? Did not Christ, by His life and death, earn infinite merits and would it not be fair to say, in the light of the infinite sacrifice that was made, that all other merits should be held in abomination save His?
One of the Reformers said, "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,221.
Our Heavenly Father is not satisfied or pleased unless we appropriate to ourselves the merits of Christ's infinite sacrifice! That's right! God the Father is not pleased unless we appropriate to ourselves the very merits that Christ earned by His infinite sacrifice! Why is that? So that we may be treated as He deserves to be treated for,
"Jesus was treated as we deserve that we might be treated as He deserves." D.A.25.
Behold what manner of love! God so loved the world!
Do we appreciate this stupendous truth? By His spotless life and sacrificial death Jesus paid the ransom price--infinite price--for each one of us that we might be saved from eternal oblivion. But this is not all. He was treated as we deserve that we might be treated as He deserves!
Notice the following words:
"Christ places His own merits upon man and thus elevates him in the scales of moral value, with God." E.G. White, Our Father Cares, p.121.
Thus "It is the privilege of every believer in Christ to possess Christ's nature, a nature far above that which Adam forfeited by transgression." E.G. White, The Upward Look,18; 1 Cor.15:45-49.
"Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift." (2 Cor.9:15)
"As we acknowledge before God our appreciation of Christ's merits, fragrance is given to our intercessions. As we approach God through the virtue of the Redeemer's merits, Christ places us close by His side, encircling us with His human arm, while with His divine arm He grasps the throne of the Infinite. He puts His merits as sweet incense in the censor in our hands, in order to encourage our petitions." E.G. White, Our Father Cares,120.
This is the "true light" (G.C.73,74) which the enemy is fighting against all the time. He knows that this is the precious light that should burn brightly into the hearts of all men to shine out in good works, in real, heartfelt service for God.
It is written that "There is not one in one hundred who understands for himself the Bible truth on this subject that is so necessary to our present and eternal welfare." E.G. White, Selected Messages, Vol.1,360; Rom.3:25; Col.1:20; Heb.10:19; Eph.1:7.
The truth remains: "The only faith that will benefit us is that which embraces Him as a personal Saviour: which appropriates His merits to ourselves." D.A. p347.
Thus "We shall come in repentance and contrition, with a despairing sense of our own finite weakness, and learn that we must daily apply to the merits of the blood of Christ that we may become vessels fit for the Master's use." E.G. White, Faith & Works,86.
This is the hope that is set before us in the Scriptures! Heb.6:18.
And what a living hope!
"Thank God for His unspeakable gift." 2 Cor.9:15.
sky
"Many have a nominal faith in Christ, but they know nothing
of that vital dependence upon Him which appropriates the
merits of a crucified and risen Saviour." E.G. White, Selected
Messages, Vol,1,389.
It is a very natural thing for human beings to treat matters or other human beings according to their merits or demerits. People earn merits through hard work, dedication, bravery, or through sacrificing whatever it might be. The more merits a person has earned, the more that person is worthy of notice or honored and the more that individual becomes the object of admiration!
This is true regarding the religions of this world. Instead of resting in the divine merits of Jesus Christ alone to earn their salvation, many are trusting in the merits of the creature:
"Discussions may be entered into by mortals streneously advocating creature merit, and each man striving for the supremacy, but they simply do not know that all the time, in principle and character, they are misrepresenting the truth as it is in Jesus. They are in a fog of bewilderment. They need to heavenly eyesalve that they might discern with astonishment the utter worthlessness of creature merit to earn the waves of eternal life." E.G. White, Faith & Works,23.
But "When we seek to gain Heaven through the merits of Christ, the soul makes progress." Faith & Works,94.
Is not the humiliation and the spotless life of the Son of God of value beyond estimate and therefore full of divine merits? Is not Christ's sacrificial death most worthy of our notice and admiration? Did not Christ, by His life and death, earn infinite merits and would it not be fair to say, in the light of the infinite sacrifice that was made, that all other merits should be held in abomination save His?
One of the Reformers said, "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,221.
Our Heavenly Father is not satisfied or pleased unless we appropriate to ourselves the merits of Christ's infinite sacrifice! That's right! God the Father is not pleased unless we appropriate to ourselves the very merits that Christ earned by His infinite sacrifice! Why is that? So that we may be treated as He deserves to be treated for,
"Jesus was treated as we deserve that we might be treated as He deserves." D.A.25.
Behold what manner of love! God so loved the world!
Do we appreciate this stupendous truth? By His spotless life and sacrificial death Jesus paid the ransom price--infinite price--for each one of us that we might be saved from eternal oblivion. But this is not all. He was treated as we deserve that we might be treated as He deserves!
Notice the following words:
"Christ places His own merits upon man and thus elevates him in the scales of moral value, with God." E.G. White, Our Father Cares, p.121.
Thus "It is the privilege of every believer in Christ to possess Christ's nature, a nature far above that which Adam forfeited by transgression." E.G. White, The Upward Look,18; 1 Cor.15:45-49.
"Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift." (2 Cor.9:15)
"As we acknowledge before God our appreciation of Christ's merits, fragrance is given to our intercessions. As we approach God through the virtue of the Redeemer's merits, Christ places us close by His side, encircling us with His human arm, while with His divine arm He grasps the throne of the Infinite. He puts His merits as sweet incense in the censor in our hands, in order to encourage our petitions." E.G. White, Our Father Cares,120.
This is the "true light" (G.C.73,74) which the enemy is fighting against all the time. He knows that this is the precious light that should burn brightly into the hearts of all men to shine out in good works, in real, heartfelt service for God.
It is written that "There is not one in one hundred who understands for himself the Bible truth on this subject that is so necessary to our present and eternal welfare." E.G. White, Selected Messages, Vol.1,360; Rom.3:25; Col.1:20; Heb.10:19; Eph.1:7.
The truth remains: "The only faith that will benefit us is that which embraces Him as a personal Saviour: which appropriates His merits to ourselves." D.A. p347.
Thus "We shall come in repentance and contrition, with a despairing sense of our own finite weakness, and learn that we must daily apply to the merits of the blood of Christ that we may become vessels fit for the Master's use." E.G. White, Faith & Works,86.
This is the hope that is set before us in the Scriptures! Heb.6:18.
And what a living hope!
"Thank God for His unspeakable gift." 2 Cor.9:15.
sky
"Many have a nominal faith in Christ, but they know nothing
of that vital dependence upon Him which appropriates the
merits of a crucified and risen Saviour." E.G. White, Selected
Messages, Vol,1,389.
