What does Ellen White write about...
Adventistische Schriften über: "What is the relationship between faith and works in salvation?"
Answer
Salvation occurs solely through God's grace and Christ's merit, as human works can never purchase eternal life. Nevertheless, faith and works work together harmoniously, for a living faith is necessarily revealed through obedience and good deeds. While imputed righteousness (justification) gives the claim to heaven, communicated righteousness (sanctification) is the fruit of faith that makes the believer fit for heaven.
Faith and Works Go Hand in Hand
»Faith and works go hand in hand; they work harmoniously in the work of overcoming. Works without faith are dead, and faith without works is dead. Works will never save us; it is Christ's merit that will count in our favor. Through faith in Him, Christ will make all our imperfect efforts for God acceptable. The faith we are to have is not a faith of inactivity; saving faith is the one that works through love and purifies the soul.«
Salvation as a Free Gift and the Role of Cooperation
»Salvation is a gift that is freely offered to you; under no other condition can you receive it, only as a free gift. But cooperation on your part is essential for your salvation. ... Faith and works belong together, and each on its own is dead when it stands alone. Not that works would save you; they are the fruit of faith, and living faith will be manifested in actions.«
Imputed and Communicated Righteousness
»The righteousness by which we are justified is imputed; the righteousness by which we are sanctified is communicated. The former is our claim to heaven, the latter is our fitness for heaven. ... True obedience in sincere deeds of willing obedience will be the fruit of righteousness from faith.«
The Necessity of Obedience to Maintain Justification
»God requires the complete surrender of the heart before justification can take place; and for a person to retain justification, continual obedience must be present, through an active, living faith that works through love and purifies the soul. ... In order to be justified by faith, faith must reach a point where it controls the inclinations and impulses of the heart; and through obedience the faith itself is made perfect.«
No Salvation Through Works, but Also Not Without Obedience
»Although we are to be in harmony with God's law, we are not saved by the works of the law; nevertheless we cannot be saved without obedience. The law is the standard by which character is measured. But we can never keep God's commandments without the regenerating grace of Christ. Jesus alone can cleanse us from all sin. He does not save us through the law, nor will He save us in disobedience to the law.«
Dependence on Grace
»If a person could earn salvation by anything they might do, they would be in the same position as a Catholic who makes penance for their sins. Salvation would then be partly a debt that could be earned as a reward. If a person cannot earn salvation by any of their good works, then it must be entirely of grace, received by the person as a sinner because they accept Jesus and believe in Him. It is entirely a free gift.«
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.
My hope is that this tool supports personal Bible study, strengthens trust in the original sources, and helps more people discover the message of these writings with clarity, depth, and joy.
