Ellen Gould White
What does Ellen White write about...
Ellen Gould White über: "A person holds the following view; how can I explain the error to them? 1. If we are led by the Spirit, we are free from the law. 2. But that does not mean we can abuse that freedom and live in sin; rather, through God's Spirit in us we are changed (clear fruits of the Spirit). 3. Romans 13:10: “So now the LOVE of the law is fulfillment.” (God's Spirit in us produces love (Romans 5:5); the first fruit of the Spirit is love). 4. The Ten Commandments deal with the relationship man‑God / man‑man -> Whoever lives in love will also live according to the law. Therefore faith upholds the law. Observing the law, however, comes from a completely different motivation: it happens out of love, not out of fear (children and not servants)."
Answer
The presented view corresponds to biblical teaching that true faith and guidance by the Spirit do not lead to lawlessness, but rather establish God's law in the heart. Obedience is not the cause of salvation, but the fruit of the Spirit and a service of love that arises from reconciliation with God. Whoever remains in Christ is enabled by divine love to live in harmony with the law, which represents the perfect standard of righteousness.
Obedience as the Fruit of Faith and Love
»The faith in Christ does not free a person from observing God's law; since we partake of Christ's grace solely through faith, our works have nothing to do with our salvation. But note here that obedience is not mere external compliance, but the service of love. God's law is an expression of His innermost nature; it is an embodiment of the great principle of love and therefore the foundation of His rule in heaven and on earth. When our hearts are renewed in the image of God, when divine love is implanted in the soul, is not God's law then enacted in life? When the principle of love is planted in the heart, when man is renewed according to the image of the One who created him, the promise of the new covenant is fulfilled: “I will give My laws into their hearts and write them on their minds.”«
Freedom from Condemnation, Not from Obedience
»“For sin will not rule over you, for you are not under the law but under grace.” What now? Should we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? That is far from the truth. ... When the sinner has come to Christ, he learns from the One whose life is the embodiment of the law’s righteousness. He is thus admonished to “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Christ says, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” He is “the way, the truth, and the life,” that is, the law in its perfection. In Christ he can do good works because he walks in freedom. Since the justified one remains in Christ and Christ in him, he is finally enabled to “grow to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”«
Harmony Between Law and Gospel
»There is perfect harmony between God's law and the gospel of Jesus Christ. ... The gospel is the good news of grace or favor, through which man is freed from the condemnation of sin and enabled to render obedient compliance acceptable to the law. The gospel points to the moral code as a rule of life. This law constantly points the sinner, by its demand for unbroken obedience, to the gospel in order to find forgiveness and peace. The great apostle says, “Do we lift up the law by faith? Far from it. Rather we uphold the law.”«
The Law as an Expression of Love
»God's law is fulfilled only when people love Him with all their heart, all their mind, all their soul, and all their strength, and love their neighbor as themselves. It is the revelation of this love that brings God honor in the heights and brings peace and goodwill among people on earth. The Lord is glorified when the great purpose of His law is achieved. It is the work of the Holy Spirit from age to age to implant love into human hearts, for love is the living principle of brotherhood.«
Christ Did Not Come to Abolish the Law
»He did not come to diminish the mortal obligations to perfect obedience. He did not destroy the validity of the Scriptures of the Old Testament. He fulfilled what God Himself had predicted. He did not come to free people from the law: He came to open a way whereby they could obey this law and teach others to do the same.«
Original Sources (English)
Stephan Krol
Founder of EGW Vision
Why I built EGW Vision
Hello, I am Stephan Krol. I started this Ellen White website to make the writings of Ellen G. White and the Adventist pioneers easier to access for everyone.
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