What does Ellen White write about...
Adventistische Schriften über: "Justification by Faith and the Law"
Answer
Justification is obtained solely through faith in the merits of Jesus Christ, because no one can be declared righteous before God by keeping the law. The law serves to reveal sin and lead the sinner to the gospel, but it cannot itself forgive sins. True faith, however, does not abolish the law, but leads to a deeper duty of obedience and fulfills the law’s righteousness in the believer through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Function of the Law in Justification
»In the first part of this statement the apostle shows the role that the law takes in the problem of justification. “Through the law comes the knowledge of sin.” The knowledge of sin; not liberation from sin. The law exposes sin. By doing so, it declares the whole world guilty before God. But the law cannot free one from sin. No effort by the sinner to obey the law can erase his guilt or bring him God’s righteousness.«
Faith as a Condition for Forgiveness
»Faith is the condition under which God has deemed it proper to promise forgiveness to sinners; not because any virtue lies in faith by which one earns salvation, but because faith can appropriate Christ’s merits, the remedy provided for sin. Faith can present Christ’s perfect obedience in place of the sinner’s transgression and inadequacy. When the sinner believes that Christ is his personal Redeemer, God, according to His infallible promises, forgives his sin and justifies him by grace.«
Harmony between Law and the Gospel
»There is perfect harmony between God’s law and the gospel of Jesus Christ. “I and my Father are one,” says the great Teacher. The gospel is the good news of grace or favor, through which man is freed from the condemnation of sin and enabled to render acceptable obedience to the law. The gospel points to the moral code as a rule of life. This law continually points the sinner, through its demands for unconditional obedience, to the gospel in order to find forgiveness and peace.«
Faith Confirms the Law
»If the apostle therefore says that we do not abolish God’s law by faith, but on the contrary uphold the law, he means that faith does not lead to violation of the law, but to obedience. No, we should not say that faith leads to obedience, but that faith itself obeys. Faith solidifies the law in the heart. “Faith is the substance of what one hopes for.” If what is hoped for is righteousness, faith solidifies it. Rather than leading to antinomianism, faith is the only thing opposed to antinomianism.«
Relationship of Faith and Works
»The desire for a simple religion that requires no striving, no self‑denial, and no separation from the scholarly pursuits of the world has made the doctrine of faith—faith alone—a popular teaching; but what does the Word of God say? The apostle James says: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but has no works? Can faith save him? … Do you want to know, you vain person, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham, our father, justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? Do you see how faith worked together with his works and faith was made complete by the works? … So you see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”«
Inability of the Law to Justify
»“No flesh will be justified before Him by the works of the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. Yet now the righteousness of God has been revealed apart from the law [the works of the law], testified [acknowledged, accepted] by the law and the prophets; namely the righteousness of God that comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”«
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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.
EGW Vision helps you find topics, statements, and quotes faster, especially when many original sources are not yet fully available in your language. The tool searches semantically, groups relevant content by topic, and presents matching results as clearly as possible in your language.
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