Good News for Seventh-Day Adventists

The Theology of Ellen G. White

Introduction
As editor of Present Truth Magazine, I have, over the last four years, written reviews on
three great sections of the Christian churchRomanism, Pentecostalism and
evangelicalism. This has been done in the light of the great central doctrine of justification
by faith. With Luther, I believe that this is the article of the standing and falling church. I
also agree with T. F. Torrance, who said that justification by faith must call all systems,
churches, creeds and practices into question.
So we have published material on justification by faith and Romanism, justification by
faith and the charismatic movement, justification by faith and the holiness movement,
justification by faith and the current religious scene, etc. It seemed inevitable, therefore,
that I should get around to justification by faith and Adventism.
Adventism stands somewhat apart from the rest of conservative Christianity. Though
numerically not very great (about three million strong), the Seventh-day Adventist Church
is nevertheless a strong body with far-flung mission stations, impressive institutions,
indeed an organizational apparatus which dwarfs that of most Protestant churches many
times larger.
Adventism is a real theological system. I feel that critics have not been as effective as
they might have wished because they have picked up a few doctrinal points here and
there while failing to get to the roots of that system.
Adventism is best represented by Ellen G. White.1 Although Mrs. White did not write a
systematic theology, there is no doubt but that she wrote in the framework of a theological
system. She herself frequently referred to Adventism as a "system of truth."
Surprisingly, no one, either apologist or critic, has heretofore published a systematic
analysis of Ellen White's theology. Apologists have defended her visions, lauded her
contributions in the field of health (which are quite considerable, too), and justified certain
predictions, etc. Critics have written on snatches of her teachings here and there. But to
date there has not been a publication which has really grappled with her theology in a
systematic way. That is the purpose of this publication.
I can claim some qualification for the task at hand. For several years I have gathered
material for this work, not only by reviewing the theology of Ellen White, but by carefully
relating every doctrinal point to the major theological controversies in the history of the

church.

Plan of Approach
The reader should be appraised of my plan of approach:
1. To begin with, if the reader is interested in cheap polemics, he will be very
disappointed. I am not interested in that sorry business.
2. Book 1 is neither a criticism nor a defense of Ellen White's theology. Our first task is to
understand the system. And may I say quite pointedly, If any person is not interested in
understanding Ellen White's theology, he should not be interested in criticizing it either!
Irresponsible criticism does more harm than good, and oftentimes it harms most the very
people we are trying to set straight.
Our first task, therefore, is to lay the entire theological system right out so that we can
really understand its problem areas. Having done that, we can attempt in Book 2 An
Evangelical Reflection.
3. Truth, justice and charity demand that we look at a person's theology in its best light.
What a lesson Hans Kung, the great Catholic theologian, gives us in his book on Karl
Barth (Justification: The Doctrine of Karl Barth and a Catholic Reflection)! In the first half
of the book Kung presents a digest of Barth's doctrine of salvation. Does he put Barth in
his very worst light? No. Rather, he presents his theology in its best light, holding up its
strongest points just as if he were in Barth's shoes. He does the task so well that Barth
himself congratulates Kung for presenting such an accurate reflection of his theology.
Should any less be expected of us? I therefore invite the readerespecially the one who
wants to be a responsible criticto come with me on an honest-to-goodness survey of
Ellen White's theology. Don't be afraid to acknowledge anything good. Don't be
disappointed if you find that she is even orthodox on some points on which you were sure
she was heterodox. (Love rejoices in the truth. It is ready to believe the best of everyone.)
Mrs. White was, after all, the most prolific woman writer of all time (about sixty books, or
thirty million words), and very few men have ever written as much. Her works even attain
a high degree of literary excellence.
Therefore my task in Book 1 is to present an outline of Ellen White's doctrinal system
from beginning to end. Utmost care has been taken not to distort. Truth demands frank
admission where the theology is orthodox or where it is heterodox. Let us not shrink the
slightest from looking the strongest points of this theology straight in the eye.

Method of Procedure
The reader should also be appraised of the intended procedure:
1. This book will not be concerned with periphery issues such as Mrs. White's personality,
charismatic phenomena, and various other things which people haggle about to no profit.
Our approach with the charismatic movement has been the same. Tongues, miracles,
spiritual giftsthese are no issue. Who is to say what the Holy Spirit might do or not do
with any human being? When Paul had problems arise in Galatia, did he waste time
arguing about ceremonies as such? Did he not go directly to the eternal verities of the
Christian faith? Therefore we must ask, Where did Mrs. White really stand on these

eternal veritiesthe Godhead, the Trinity, Christology, the blood atonement, the finished
work of Christ, and above all, justification by grace, for Christ's sake, through faith?
2. We shall survey Mrs. White's theology in a systematic way, covering epistemology
(Bible), theology (God), anthropology (man), Christology (Christ's Person and work),
soteriology (law and gospel, justification, sanctification), ecclesiology (church) and
eschatology (last things).
3. We shall frequently pause to see where Mrs. White's theology stands in the great
stream of church history. Particular note will be taken of where she stands in relation to
the great Christological and soteriological controversies in that history. How does this
point or that point compare with the teachings of Luther, Calvin, Wesley, Arminius,
Pelagius and so on?
4. I have made it my business to try to read all that Mrs. White has said about a certain
subject before attempting a digest of her viewpoint.
Any responsible critic knows the hazard of building a case on an incidental statement.
Greatest weight must always be given to passages where a particular matter is treated in
a systematic way. It is shameful to erect straw men out of isolated statements. We also
need to be aware of the fact that Mrs. White did not try to be a theologian in the classical
sense of the word. She had no formal theological education. In fact, due to a childhood
misfortune, she only obtained a third grade education. Most of her literature is of a very
practical nature, written in the context of concrete situations which arose in her own
church. These things are not pointed out so that the reader will expect to review theology
of "one candle power" mentality. Mrs. White was clearly a religious phenomenon and
literary genius in her own right. But for all that, we must make allowances for the way she
expressed theology in her own unsophisticated style. Our task is to get to the content and
not to haggle over isolated expressions.
5. The reader needs to exercise some patience, because the points of real controversy in
the Adventist system are in the last chapter (eschatology). Many make the mistake of
trying to criticize Adventist eschatology before they understand Adventist soteriology. This
is a mistake. Let us first take a little time to examine the roots of the system.
6. I have tried to be thorough in presenting the outline of the following chapters without
being too tedious. The reader will have to judge how well I have succeeded.
Book 1 simply attempts to faithfully portray The Theology of Ellen G. White. No effort is
made to defend. No effort is made to refute.
Come, let us reason together!

Mrs. Ellen G. White (1827-1915), along with her husband James, was among those who founded the
Seventh-day Adventist Church in the middle of the last century. For a period of seventy years of public
ministry, she was the authoritative spokesman of the church's aims, outlook and beliefs.
Although she led Adventists in establishing a very thorough church organization having duly appointed
leaders, Mrs. White herself held no administrative position in the church. Her overwhelming influence in the

Advent movement stemmed from her unusual gifts as a charismatic leader. Seventh-day Adventists
recognized her as "the Lord's messenger," who gave, as they believed, the Lord's counsel and guidance to
the fledgling church.

The Theology of Ellen G. White

Bible
Mrs. White does not leave her readers in doubt about her estimation of the Bible. About
3,000 direct references are made to its importance, place, value, etc. Her position is
basically the traditional position of conservative Christianity. The Bible is frequently
referred to by such terms as "the Book of God," "the inspired record," "the holy Word," "the
blessed Book," "the Supreme authority," and "the Book of books."

The Authority of the Bible

"The Holy Scriptures are to be accepted as an authoritative, infallible revelation of His
[God's) will. They are the standard of character, the revealer of doctrines, and the test of
experience."1 The entire Bible is to be accepted as infallibly reliable. By it all doctrines and
opinions must be called into questioneven the doctrines and opinions of Seventh-day
Adventists. "There is no excuse for anyone in taking the position . . . that all our
expositions of Scripture are without an error," declares Mrs. White to her own church. "The
fact that certain doctrines have been held as truth for years by our people is not a proof
that our ideas are infallible."2 "We cannot hold that a position once taken, an idea once
advocated, is not, under any circumstances, to be relinquished. There is but One who is
infallibleHe who is the way, the truth, and the life." 3 " . . . every position we take should
be critically examined and tested by the Scriptures. " 4
The authority of the Bible must stand above all human experienceeither the private
experience of the individual or the collective experience of the church. "A 'Thus saith the
Lord' is not to be set aside for a 'Thus saith the church.' . . . " 5 Since the Holy Spirit has
inspired the Bible, the Spirit and the Word must always agree. "The Spirit was not given
nor can it ever be bestowedto supersede the Bible; for the Scriptures explicitly state that
the Word of God is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested." 6

The Perspicuity (clarity) of the Bible

Some portions of the Bible are difficult to understand. There are mysteries that we will
never comprehend in this life. Yet all the truths necessary for salvation are plainly
revealed. "The Bible was not written for the scholar alone; on the contrary, it was designed
for the common people. The great truths necessary for salvation are made as clear as
noonday; and none will mistake and lose their way except those who follow their own
judgment instead of the plainly revealed will of God."* 7 ". . . the words of inspiration are so
plain that the unlearned may understand them." 8 ". . . there will be no excuse for any one
who perishes through misapprehension of the Scriptures. . . . In the word the plan of
salvation is plainly delineated."9 "Take the Bible as your study book. All can understand its
instruction."10
This does not mean that man has innate ability to comprehend saving truth. Although "God
desires man to exercise his reasoning powers," he cannot understand saving truth except

by the gracious illumination of the Holy Spirit.11

The Sufficiency of the Bible

The canon of Scripture opens with Moses and closes with the Revelation of St.
John.12 "The Bible contains all the principles that men need to understand in order to be
fitted either for this life or for the life to come." 13 Mrs. White quotes approvingly from the
illustrious Protest of the Protestant princes at the Diet of Spires in 1529, which says:
There is no true doctrine but that which conforms to the Word of God. The Lord forbids the teaching of any
other faith. The Holy Scriptures, with one text explained by other and plainer texts, are, in all things
necessary for the Christian, easy to be understood, and adapted to enlighten. We are therefore resolved by
divine grace to maintain the pure preaching of God's only Word, as it is contained in the scriptures of the Old
and New Testaments, without anything added thereto. This Word is the only truth. It is the sure rule of all
doctrine and life, and can never fail or deceive us.

Mrs. White adds, ". . . there is need of a return to the great Protestant principlethe Bible,
and the Bible only, as the rule of faith and duty." 14

The Inspiration of the Bible

Mrs. White does not subscribe to the mechanical view of verbal inspiration which is
generally held by fundamentalists. God did not dictate to men the words that appear in the
Scriptures. This is obvious from the diverse literary stylesdepending upon whether the
writer was a humble shepherd or fisherman, or a learned courtier or rabbi.
The writers of the Bible had to express their ideas in human language. It was written by human men. These
men were inspired of the Holy Spirit . . .
The Bible is not given to us in grand superhuman language. Jesus, in order to reach man where
he is, took humanity. The Bible must be given in the language of men. Everything that is human
is imperfect. Different meanings are expressed by the same word; there is not one word for
each distinct idea. The Bible was given for practical purposes . . .
The Bible is written by inspired men, but it is not God's mode of thought and expression. It is
that of humanity. God, as a writer, is not represented. Men will often say such an expression is
not like God. But God has not put Himself in words, in logic, in rhetoric, on trial in the Bible. The
writers of the Bible were God's penmen, not His pen. Look at the different writers.
It is not the words of the Bible that are inspired, but the men that were inspired Inspiration acts
not on the man's words or his expressions but on the man himself, who, under the influence of
the Holy Ghost, is imbued with thoughts. But the words receive the impress of the individual
mind. The divine mind is diffused. The divine mind and will is combined with the human mind
and will; thus the utterances of the man are the word of God. 15
The Creator of all ideas may impress different minds with the same thought, but each may
express it in a different way, yet without contradiction. 16
The Bible points to God as its author; yet it was written by human hands; and in the varied style
of its different books it presents the characteristics of the several writers. The truths revealed are
all "given by inspiration of God;" yet they are expressed in the words of man. The Infinite One by
His Holy Spirit has shed light into the minds and hearts of His servants. He has given dreams
and visions, symbols and figures; and those to whom the truth was thus revealed have
themselves embodied the thought in human language. . .
Written in different ages, by men who differed widely in rank and occupation, and in mental and
spiritual endowments, the books of the Bible present a wide contrast in style, as well as a
diversity in the nature of the subjects unfolded. Different forms of expression are employed by
different writers; often the same truth is more strikingly presented by one than by another. . . .

He [God] guided the mind in the selection of what to speak and what to write. The treasure was
entrusted to earthen vessels, yet it is, nonetheless, from Heaven. The testimony is conveyed
through the imperfect expression of human language, yet it is the testimony of God; and the
obedient, believing child of God beholds in it the glory of a divine power, full of grace and
truth.17

This view of inspiration is neither fundamentalist nor liberal/neo-orthodox. It stands

between the "right" and the "left."

The Two Testaments of the Bible

The Old and New Testaments are equally inspired and of equal value. 18 No discord or
great contrast exists between the Old and the New.19 The New does not take the place of
the Old and therefore does not present a new religion. 20 Rather, the New Testament is an
advancement and unfolding of the Old Testament. 21 The Old Testament finds its fulfillment
in the Christ of the New Testament.22"The New Testament does not present a new religion;
the Old Testament does not present a religion to be superseded by the New. The New
Testament is only the advancement and unfolding of the Old." 23
If comparison will be helpful, Mrs. White's general view seems to agree with these remarks
by Dr. John Bright:
The Old Testament is, therefore, an incomplete book. . . . It is a noble building indeedbut it lacks a roof.
That roof, by its own affirmation, the New Testament supplies. . . . It is impossible to set the New Testament
apart and to construct a purely New Testament religion without regard to the faith of Israel. The New
Testament rests on and is rooted in the Old. To ignore this fact is a serious error in method, and one that is
bound to lead to a fundamental misunderstanding of the Bible message. He who commits it has disregarded
the central affirmation of the New Testament gospel itself, namely that Christ has come to make actual what
the Old Testament hoped for, not to destroy it and replace it with a new and better faith . . . .
For if anything is clear, it is that Christ did not come to contribute a new ethic. . . . Nor was
Christ's mission to teach His people some new and loftier idea of God. . . . The New Testament,
then, does not present us with a new religion we may study for itself alone . . . .
The two Testaments are organically linked to each other. The relationship between them is
neither one of upward development nor of contrast; it is one of beginning and completion, of
hope and fulfillment. . . . The Bible is one book.24

The Theme of the Bible

Christ is the theme of the entire Bible. Concerning the Old Testament:
In every page, whether history, or precept, or prophecy, the Old Testament Scriptures are irradiated with the
glory of the Son of God. So far as it was of divine institution, the entire system of Judaism was a compacted
prophecy of the gospel. To Christ "give all the prophets witness." From the promise given to Adam, down
through the patriarchal line and the legal economy, heaven's glorious light made plain the footsteps of the
Redeemer. Seers beheld the Star of Bethlehem, the Shiloh to come, as future things swept before them in
mysterious procession. In every sacrifice Christ's death was shown. In every cloud of incense His
righteousness ascended. By every jubilee trumpet His name was sounded. In the awful mystery of the holy
of holies His glory dwelt.25

Concerning the New Testament:

In Christ is gathered all the glory of the Father. In Him is all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. He is the
brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of His person. The glory of the attributes of God are
expressed in His character. The gospel is glorious because it is made up of His righteousness. It is Christ
unfolded, and Christ is the gospel embodied. Every page of the New Testament Scriptures shines with His
light. Every text is a diamond, touched and irradiated by the divine rays.
We are not to praise the gospel, but praise Christ. We are not to worship the gospel, but the

Lord of gospel.26

Concerning the entire Bible:

Christ as manifested to the patriarchs, as symbolized in the sacrificial service, as portrayed in the law, and as
revealed by the prophets, is the riches of the Old Testament. Christ in His life, His death, and His
resurrection, Christ as He is manifested by the Holy Spirit, is the treasure of the New Testament. Our Saviour
the outshining of the Father's glory, is both the Old and the New.27

The Study of the Bible

The Word of God is an infinite treasure that a thousand years of research could not
exhaust.28 One sentence is worth more than 10,000 ideas of men. 29
The word of the living God is not merely written, but spoken. The Bible is God's voice speaking to us, just as
surely as though we could hear it with our ears. If we realized this, with what awe would we open God's
word, and with what earnestness would we search its precepts! The reading and contemplation of the
Scriptures would be regarded as an audience with the Infinite One. 30

We should not put a forced, mystical or spiritualistic interpretation on the plain words of the
Bible.31 They are to be taken literally and at their face value unless it is clear that a symbol
is being used. A symbol must not be taken literally.32 In short, Mrs. White advocates the
historical-grammatical approach.
The Bible is its own interpreter and expositor.33 We should be careful to notice the context
of texts.34 And when we want to know what the Bible teaches about a given subject, we
should bring together all that is said on that subject. 35 One text should be explained by
other and plainer texts.36
The central theme of the Bible should always be kept in view.37 Speculation should be
avoided on things not clearly revealed and matters which will not help us spiritually. 38 We
should not major on minors, but always try to keep our views and religious experience
within the bounds of the Bible.39 "Before accepting any doctrine or precept, we should
demand a plain 'Thus saith the Lord' in its support." 40
A great number of people do not search the Bible for themselves, but "accept its teachings
as interpreted by the church . . . ."41 This is a warning for allincluding Seventh-day
Adventists.42 Yet there is need to counsel with brethren of experience before receiving or
advocating new ideas.43 Mrs. White had much to say about the need for counseling
together, law and order in the church, and the need to submit to the authority of the
church. But if it comes to a crunch between individual conscience bound by the Scriptures
and the authority of the church (any church), she is decidedly Protestantthe Word of
God is above the authority of the visible church. 44

Summary
One further question may persist in view of Mrs. White's claim to the charismatic gift of
"the spirit of prophecy." Does this negate her own claim that the Scriptures are allsufficient?
There are three things which she says about her writings:
1. She saw her special work as being God's "messenger" to the Advent movement. Her
particular gift was not to be made an issue before the rest of the Christian church. 45
2. If the Adventist people had studied and obeyed the Word of God, they would not have

needed this charismatic counsel.46 One almost gets the impression that she regarded her
counsels, reproof s, and appeals for radical holiness as pedagogica sort of disciplinary
agent to lead God's people to Christ and justification by faith. If this is true, her work
stands as a reproof rather than a commendation to Seventh-day Adventists.
3. Mrs. White called her writings "a lesser light" to lead her own people back to the Bible,
because the very movement which she believed had a God-given mission to perform had
neglected the Bible.47 She emphatically disclaimed that her "testimonies" constitute any
new rule of faith. Those who are continually say, "She says, she says," while they neglect
the Bible severely reproved, as the following verbatim remarks indicate.
Lay Sister White right to one side; lay her to one side. Don't you ever quote my words again as long as you
live, until you can obey the Bible. When you take the Bible and make that your food, and your meat, and your
drink, and make that the elements of your character, when you can do that you will know better how to
receive some counsel from God. But here is the Word, the precious Word, exalted before you today. And
don't you give a rap any more what "Sister White saidSister White said this, and Sister White said that, and
Sister White said the other thing." But say, "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel," and then you do just what the
Lord God of Israel does, and what He says .48
Now God wants every soul here to sharpen up. He wants every soul here to have His
converting power. You need not refer, not once, to Sister White; I don't ask you to do it. 49
But don't you quote Sister White. I don't want you ever to quote Sister White until you get your
vantage ground where you know where you are. Quote the Bible. Talk the Bible. It is full of
meat, full of fatness. Carry it right out in your life, and you will know more Bible than you know
now. You will have fresh matterO, you will have precious matter; you won t be going over and
over the same ground, and you will see a world saved. You will see souls for whom Christ has
died. And I ask you to put on the armor, every piece of it, and be sure that your feet are shod
with the preparation of the gospel.50

It is often said that Seventh-day Adventists, in practice if not in theory, put the writings of
Mrs. White on a par with the Bible and even in place of the Bible. It is clear, however, that
she did not encourage them to do this.51

1 GC 7
2 CW 35
3 TM 105
4 Ev 69
5 AA 69 (cf. GC 204)
6 GC 7
7 SC 89 (cf. 5T 331)
8 GW 106
9 FCE 187
10 8T 299
11 SC 109, 110
12 GC 5; AA 585
13 Ed 123
14 GC 204, 205
15 1SM 19-21
16 1SM 22
17 GC 5-7
18 CW 26; COL 126
19 6BC 1061
20 SD 48; 6T 392
21 6T 392
22 AA 247
23 6T 392
24 John Bright, The Kingdom of God in the Bible and Church, pp. 195-200.

25 DA 211, 212
26 7BC 907
27 COL 126
28 FE 444
29 7T 71
30 6T 393
31 GC 598; 1SM 196; AA 474, 475; GW 147
32 GC 599; RH Nov. 25, 1884
33 CT 462; Ev 581; GC 521
34 Ev 358
35 CG 511
36 GC 203
37 Ed 125
38 GW 147
39 2SM 33
40 GC 595
41 GC 596
42 TM 106, 107
43 ST 293
44 GC 204
45 TM 34, 35
46 LS 198-201
47 Ev 257; 2T 455; ST 234, 674; 2T 605
48 Spalding-Magan Collection, p. 167.
49 Ibid., p. 170.
50 Ibid., p. 174.
51 Ev 256, 257

The Theology of Ellen G. White

God
Mrs. White's doctrine of God is generally in harmony with the three great catholic
(universal) creeds of the ancient churchthat is, the Apostles' Creed, the Athanasian
Creed and the Nicene Creed. God is Eternal, Infinite, Almighty, Creator, Divine Sovereign,
King, Lawgiver, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Immortal, Infallible, Unchanging. The Father is
God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God. Yet there are not three Gods, but one God.
"There are three living persons of the heavenly trio . . . the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit. . . ."1 Christ is one with the Father "in purpose, in mind, in character, but not in
person."2

The Knowability of God

Mrs. White has no time for any endeavors to know God from the standpoint of rationalism,
humanism or natural religion. No time is spent trying to prove the existence of God. Jesus
never tried to prove that truth was truth. Neither should we.
There is, of course, evidence for God's existence. The works of God in nature are ample
testimony to the existence of an all-wise, loving Creator. Paul's words are cited: "The
invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by
the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead." 3 But there are two

reasons why God cannot be adequately (savingly) known in the things of nature. First,
man is blinded by sin and therefore is unable to correctly read God's message in the
lesson book of nature. Second, because of man's sin even nature itself is not perfect. Evil
is also at work.4 Therefore man needs a more direct revelation of God. Man cannot
search Him out.5 The gracious God must reveal Himself to man. This revelation is given in
the Wordfirst in the written Word, and then supremely in the Word made flesh.
The right concept of God is given only in the Bible. 6 We should all speculative knowledge
and be careful not to go beyond the message revelation. 7 There is far more that is
unrevealed about God than is revealed, but He has given us sufficient evidence of His
love, justice and truth for us to gladly trust Him.8 "The greatness of God is to us
incomprehensible."9
The revelation of Himself that God has given us in His word is for our study. This we may seek
to understand. But beyond this we are not to penetrate. . . . Let not finite man attempt to
interpret Him. Let none indulge in speculation regarding His nature. Here silence is eloquence.
The Omniscient One is above discussion . . . .
As we learn more and more of what God is, and of what we ourselves are in His sight, we shall
fear and tremble before Him . . . .
Man cannot by searching find out God. Let none seek with presumptuous hand to lift the veil
that conceals His glory.10
All that man needs to know or can know of God has been revealed in the life and character of
His Son.11
Christ, the Light of the world, veiled the dazzling splendor of His divinity and came to live as a
man among men, that they might, without being consumed, become acquainted with their
Creator. No man has seen God at any time except as He is revealed through Christ. 12

God's awful majesty and transcendent glory are cause for us to come before Him with
reverent awe; yet we may know Himsavingly know Him.13 "If we keep the Lord ever
before us, allowing our hearts to go out in thanksgiving and praise to Him, we shall have a
continual freshness in our religious life. Our prayers will take the form of a conversation
with God as we would talk with a friend."14 Mrs. White continually tries to blend two
conceptsthe transcendent God before whom we come with no trace of familiarity, yet an
intimate Friend who is ever near.

The Personality of God

Mrs. White places great emphasis on the fact that God is a Person. This is a genuine
cornerstone of her entire theology and undergirds her whole spirituality. He is continually
presented as the God who sees me, knows me, loves me, and is interested in everything I
do. Yet this God sits enthroned "above the distractions of the earth" and "from His great
and calm eternity . . . . orders that which His providence sees best." 15 This sovereignty
does not roll over humanity like a great impersonalistic determinism.
God is a spirit; yet He is a personal being, for man was made in His image. As a personal
being, God has revealed Himself in His Son . . . . As a personal Saviour He came to the world.
As a personal Saviour He ascended on high. As a personal Saviour He intercedes in the
heavenly courts . . . . He has an intimate knowledge of, and a personal interest in, all the works

of His hand.16

God is not "an all-pervading principle, an activating energy." While His power brought
nature into existence, ordained the laws of nature, and sustains all life continually, that
power is not God. God does not personally dwell in the things of nature. He ordained laws
to govern the things which He has made, but He is not bound by His laws, for He is above
all law. Thus the least approach to pantheistic sentiments is stoutly resisted. 17
No intangible principle, no impersonal essence or mere abstraction, can satisfy the needs and
longings of human beings in this life of struggle with sin and sorrow and pain. It is not enough
to believe in law and force, in things that have no pity, and never hear the cry for help. We need
to know of an Almighty arm that will hold us up, of an infinite Friend that pities us. We need to
clasp a hand that is warm, to trust in a heart full of tenderness. And even so God has in His
word revealed Himself.18

The Character of God

If Mrs. White's theology has a dominant theme, it is the character of God. This was the
prevailing theme in the personal ministry of Jesus on earth. 19 It must therefore be the
dominant theme of His servants.
What makes this world dark is the misapprehension of the character of God. 20 Satan
who is regarded in the conservative Christian sense as a personal, rebel angelhas a
supreme object in his work of deception, and this is to falsify the character of God. He
seeks to clothe the just and loving Creator with his own attributes of character so that men
will hate Him. Satan has deceived men into thinking that God is selfish and oppressive,
lacking in compassion and pity, revengeful and implacable, tyrannical, stern and severe, a
harsh and exacting creditor, a vindictive taskmaster, the author of suffering, sin and
death.21
From the beginning it has been Satan's studied plan to cause men to forget God, that he might
secure them to himself. Hence he has sought to misrepresent the character of God, to lead
men to cherish a false conception of Him. The Creator has been presented to their minds as
clothed with the attributes of the prince of evil himself,as arbitrary, severe, and unforgiving,
that He might be feared, shunned, and even hated by men. Satan hoped to so confuse the
minds of those whom he had deceived that they would put God out of their knowledge. Then he
would obliterate the divine image in man and impress his own likeness upon the soul; he would
imbue men with his own spirit and make them captives according to his will.
It was by falsifying the character of God and exciting distrust of Him that Satan tempted Eve to
transgress. By sin the minds of our first parents were darkened, their natures were degraded,
and their conceptions of God were molded by their own narrowness and selfishness. 22

In this context we are directed to understand the mission of Christ to this earth.
The earth was dark through misapprehension of God. That the gloomy shadows might be
lightened, that the world might be brought back to God, Satan's deceptive power was to be
broken . . . . To know God is to love Him; His character must be manifested in contrast to the
character of Satan. This work only one Being in all the universe could do. Only He who knew
the height and depth of the love of God could make it known. Upon the world's dark night the
Sun of Righteousness must rise, "with healing in His wings." 23
Satan has represented God as selfish and oppressive, as claiming all, and giving nothing, as
requiring the service of His creatures for His own glory, and making no sacrifice for their good.
But the gift of Christ reveals the Father's heart. It testifies that the thoughts of God toward us
are "thoughts of peace, and not of evil." It declares that while God's hatred of sin is as strong as

death, His love for the sinner is stronger than death. Having undertaken our redemption, He will
spare nothing, however dear, which is necessary to the completion of His work. No truth
essential to our salvation is withheld, no miracle of mercy is neglected, no divine agency is left
unemployed. Favor is heaped upon favor, gift upon gift. The whole treasury of heaven is open
to those He seeks to save. Having collected the riches of the universe, and laid open the
resources of infinite power, He gives them all into the hands of Christ, and says, All these are
for man. Use these gifts to convince him that there is no love greater than Mine in earth or
heaven. His greatest happiness will be found in loving Me. 24

The varied aspects of God's character are often dwelt uponHis holiness, justice,
righteousness, impartiality, compassion, mercy, love, etc. All righteous attributes of
character dwell in God as a perfect whole.25 While Dr. A. H. Strong singles out holiness as
the supreme attribute of God's character (and many theologians agree), love is the
supreme attribute in Mrs. White's thinking. Any idea of a weak, sentimental feeling is
furthest from her mind. Love is a high and holy principle. The five volume Conflict of the
Ages Series (about 4,000 pages) begins with the words, ''God is love.'' Its last words are,
''. . . God is love.''
With words of deep feeling and moving eloquence, Mrs. White appeals to the people of
her own church:
Brethren, with the beloved John I call upon you to "behold, what manner of love the Father hath
bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God." What love, what matchless love,
that sinners and aliens as we are, we may be brought back to God and adopted into His family!
We may address Him by the endearing name, "Our Father," which is a sign of our affection for
Him and a pledge of His tender regard and relationship to us. And the Son of God, beholding
the heirs of grace, "is not ashamed to call them brethren." They have even a more sacred
relationship to God than have the angels who have never fallen.
All the paternal love which has come down from generation to generation through the channel
of human hearts, all the springs of tenderness which have opened in the souls of men, are but
as a tiny rill to the boundless ocean when compared with the infinite, exhaustless love of God.
Tongue cannot utter it; pen cannot portray it. You may meditate upon it every day of your life;
you may search the Scriptures diligently in order to understand it; you may summon every
power and capability that God has given you, in the endeavor to comprehend the love and
compassion of the heavenly Father; and yet there is an infinity beyond. You may study that love
for ages; yet you can never fully comprehend the length and the breadth, the depth and the
height, of the love of God in giving His Son to die for the world. Eternity itself can never fully
reveal it.26
The revelation of God's love to men centers in the cross. Its full significance tongue cannot
utter; pen cannot portray; the mind of man cannot comprehend. Looking upon the cross of
Calvary we can only say: "God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Christ crucified for our sins, Christ risen from the dead, Christ ascended on high, is the science
of salvation that we are to learn and to teach. 27

Then in a chapter describing the Passion, Mrs. White pauses at the height of her
descriptive panorama of the suffering Christ to say:
Who can comprehend the love here displayed! The angelic host beheld with wonder and with
grief Him who had been the Majesty of heaven, and who had worn the crown of glory, now
wearing the crown of thorns, a bleeding victim to the rage of an infuriated mob, fired to insane
madness by the wrath of Satan. Behold the patient Sufferer! Upon His head is the thorny
crown. His lifeblood flows from every lacerated vein. All this in consequence of sin! Nothing
could have induced Christ to leave His honor and majesty in heaven, and come to a sinful
world, to be neglected, despised, and rejected by those He came to save, and finally to suffer

upon the cross, but eternal, redeeming love, which will ever remain a mystery. . . .
Oh, what love! What amazing love! that brought the Son of God to earth to be made sin for us,
that we might be reconciled to God, and elevated to a life with Him in His mansions in glory.
Oh, what is man, that such a price should be paid for his redemption!
When men and women can more fully comprehend the magnitude of the great sacrifice which
was made by the Majesty of heaven in dying in man's stead, then will the plan of salvation be
magnified, and reflections of Calvary will awaken tender, sacred, and lively emotions in the
Christian's heart. Praises to God and the Lamb will be in their hearts and upon their lips. Pride
and self-esteem cannot flourish in the hearts that keep fresh in memory the scenes of Calvary.
This world will appear of but little value to those who appreciate the great price of man's
redemption, the precious blood of God's dear Son. All the riches of the world are not of
sufficient value to redeem one perishing soul. Who can measure the love Christ felt for a lost
world as He hung upon the cross, suffering for the sins of guilty men? This love was
immeasurable, infinite.
Christ has shown that His love was stronger than death. He was accomplishing man's
salvation; and although He had the most fearful conflict with the powers of darkness, yet, amid
it all, His love grew stronger and stronger. He endured the hiding of His Father's countenance,
until He was led to exclaim in the bitterness of His soul: "My God, My God, why hast Thou
forsaken Me?" His arm brought salvation. The price was paid to purchase the redemption of
man when, in the last soul struggle, the blessed words were uttered which seemed to resound
through creation: "It is finished."28

Whatever we may think of some of Mrs. White's theology, it would be difficult to doubt her
devotion to Christ.
Since a person's ideas of God mold his own character,29 it is important to know truth
which portrays the divine character correctly and to reject erroneous doctrines which
distort that character. ""There is nothing that more decidedly distinguishes the Christian
from the worldly man than the estimate he has of God." 30 Church members should make
the character of God their theme of contemplation. 31 This theme is the central concern of
Mrs. White's literature.

Summary
Any outline of a writer's theology would do great injustice unless it truly reflected where
the dominant accents of that theology fall. It is said that Beethoven was not too concerned
if a musician made a few mistakes in rendering his composition, but he would become
angry if the overall spirit was misinterpreted. We want to do two things in this
outline: (1) correctly present the points of the theological system under review,
and (2) correctly present a true idea of its overall tone.

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Man
Mrs. White believes that the creation account presented in the book of
Genesis is literally true. Since the philosophy of creation is a basic ingredient
of this system of theology, we shall briefly summarize it at the outset of this
chapter.
Love is the essence of God's nature. This love is power.1 It is the creative
energy which brought the world into existence. 2 God's love is life.3 It is
therefore a creative power. "Every manifestation power is an expression of
infinite love."4
Since the world was brought into existence by a great outpouring of love, all
created things were an expression of God's love. 5 Man was its crowning
manifestation.6
God's creative love was not a blind impulse, emotion or sentiment. It was a
high, holy principle of divine self-giving without any element of weakness or
irrationality.7 It was a responsible love that carefully planned man's future and
spared nothing to provide for his present and eternal well-being. The idea of
God's love bringing people into existence without complete provision for their
eternal happiness is unthinkable. "The sovereignty of God involves fullness of
blessing to all created beings.8

The Image of God in Man

"'God created man in His own image,'. . . and it was His purpose that the
longer man lived the more fully he should reveal this imagethe more fully
reflect the glory of the Creator."9 "He made Adam a partaker of His life, His
nature.10 "There were no corrupt principles in the first Adam, no corrupt
propensities or tendencies to evil. Adam was as faultless as the angels before
God's throne. "11 "God made man upright; He gave him noble traits of
character, with no bias toward evil."12
Physical resemblance is included in "the image of God." "Man was to bear
God's image, both in outward resemblance and in character." 13 "When Adam
came forth from the Creator's hand, he bore, in his physical, mental, and
spiritual nature, a likeness to his Maker."14 This high view of the body is very
un-Grecian, but it is not foreign to Hebraic thinking, even among the Jews
today.
The "image of God" therefore includes the whole man. "He [Adam] stood in
the strength of his perfection before God. All the organs and faculties of his
being were equally developed, and harmoniously balanced." 15 "His nature
was in harmony with the will of God. His mind was capable of comprehending
divine things. His affections were pure; his appetites and passions were
under the control of reason. He was holy and happy in bearing the image of
God and in perfect obedience to His will." 16
The Wholistic Man
There is no trace of Grecian dualism in Mrs. White's concept of man's nature.
The physical body is not regarded as inferior or unworthy of esteem. The
body is the only medium through which the mind and soul find
expression.17She looks at man wholistically. The soul cannot be isolated and
called a man any more than a soulless body can be isolated and called a
man. Man is the homo toto.
As for the human soul, this author says, "When God made man in His image,
the human form was perfect in all its arrangements, but it was without life.
Then a personal, self-existing God breathed into that form the breath of life,
and man became a living, breathing, intelligent being." 18
Soul is "living, breathing, intelligent being," the whole living man. Soul is a
synonym for life. In other places, however, Mrs. White does use the word soul
to designate man's individual personality, real identity, or character.19 God's

purpose in man's creation is expressed by referring to the Westminster

Catechism: "The great object of life is well defined in the old-time catechism,
'to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.' " 20
The Dependent Man
Fundamental to this doctrine of man is the concept of the creature's
dependence upon God. Just as surely as God gave life to man, He must
continually sustain life. God did not give man an endowment of life that he
could possess independently of God. Man "is not like a clock, which is set in
operation, and must go of itself. . . . In God we live and move and have our
being. "21 If God would stay His hand for a moment, man would die. His
"dependence on God is absolute."22
The Probation of Man
Quite an orthodox Reformed position is taken of man's test and trial. By way
of comparison, the view is very similar to that of the late Dr. Louis Berkhof
(Systematic Theology). Adam was righteous negatively, but not positively.
That is to say, he was innocent and without sin. But he had not yet lived a life
of positive righteousness. Placed under law, he was required to live out the
precepts of God's law in positive obedience.
Our first parents, though created innocent and holy, were not placed beyond the possibility of wrongdoing.
God made them free moral agents, capable of appreciating the wisdom and benevolence of His character
and the justice of His requirements, and with full liberty to yield or to withhold obedience. They were to enjoy
communion with God and with holy angels; but before they could be rendered eternally secure, their loyalty
must be tested. 23
Obedience, perfect and perpetual, was the condition of eternal happiness. On this condition he [man] was to
have access to the tree of life. 24

If man had proved true to the test, his destiny would have been sealed, and
he would have been granted immortality.25 Yet man will always be a
dependent creature.
The Fall of Man
Mrs. White's understanding of the test and fall of our first parents is along the
lines of the traditional orthodox view of conservative Christians. She
emphasizes three points about the fall:
1. God did not plan that Adam and Eve should sin. "Nothing is more plainly
taught in Scripture than that God was in no wise responsible for the entrance
of sin; that there was no arbitrary withdrawal of divine grace, no deficiency in
the divine government, that gave occasion for the uprising of rebellion. " 26

2. There is no reason for the existence of sin. "In the judgment of the
universe, God will stand clear of blame for the existence or continuance of
evil. It will be demonstrated that the divine decrees are not accessory to sin.
There was no defect in God's government, no cause for disaffection. " 27
3. "God did not ordain that sin should exist, but He foresaw itsexistence, and
made provision to meet the terrible emergency. " 28
Mrs. White writes extensively on the nature of sin. Although she depicts evil in
the great variety of its sinister colors, the following features are most
prominently displayed:
1. Since it was Satan who incited man to sin, sin must be seen as the spirit of
the first great apostate.29 "Satan is the originator of sin. . . . he prevailed on
Adam to sin. . . . Every sin committed awakens the echoes of the original sin.
"30
2. Unbelief is the root of all sin. This unbelief is especially related to the
character of God. "It was distrust of God's goodness, disbelief of His word,
and rejection of His authority, that made our first parents transgressors. " 31
3. Above everything else, selfishness is emphasized as the essence of sin.
"Sin originated in self-seeking."32 "Satan is the originator of sin. In heaven he
resolved to live to himself. . . . selfishness became the law of those who
placed themselves under his leadership. " 33 " . . . selfishness took the place
of love."34 "Selfishness is the essence of depravity. . . . " 35 "Under the general
heading of selfishness came every other sin."36
4. In concrete terms (referring frequently to 1 John 3:4), sin is the
transgression of the law of God. It is therefore the spirit of lawlessness and
rebellion.37 The first conflict between truth and error was over the authority of
God's law, and the final conflict on this earth will be of the same order. "From
the very beginning of the great controversy in heaven it has been Satan's
purpose to overthrow the law of God. . . . The last great conflict between truth
and error is but the final struggle of the long-standing controversy concerning
the law of God."38
The Sinful State of Man
Adam did not merely stand before God as an individual man. He was the
head and representative of mankind.39 It was therefore inevitable that Adam's
fall should involve the whole human race, which was "lost in Adam" at the
point of the fall.40 " . . . he [Satan] prevailed on Adam to sin. Thus at its very

source human nature was corrupted."41 "Through man's sin, Satan had
gained control of the human race. . . . " 42 "Having conquered Adam, the
monarch of the world, he [Satan] had gained the race as his subjects. . . . " 43
We may speak of "Adam's sin" and "man's sin as if they were
interchangeable terms. In this way Adam represents the whole of mankind.
The sin of Adam is the sin of the race.
Mrs. White subscribes to the concept of man's inherited sinfulness as taught
by Luther, Calvin, Wesley, and the mainstream of the church's great teachers.
There is no trace of Pelagianism here.
As related to the first Adam men receive from him nothing but guilt and the sentence of death." 44
Because of sin his [Adam's] posterity was born with inherent propensities of disobedience." 45
The inheritance of children is that of sin. Sin has separated them from God." 46
It was possible for Adam, before the fall, to form a righteous character by obedience to God's law. But he
failed to do this, and because of his sin our natures are fallen and we cannot make ourselves righteous.
Since we are sinful, unholy, we cannot perfectly obey the holy law." 47
The result of the eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil is manifest in every man's experience.
There is in his nature a bent to evil, a force which, unaided, he cannot resist. 48

As for the state of man:

The vileness of the human heart is not understood.

49

The natural heart is full of hatred to the truth as it is to Jesus. 50

. . . . our hearts are naturally depraved. . . . . 51
He [man] has nothing of his own but what is tainted and corrupted, polluted with sin, utterly repulsive to a
pure and holy God.52
All . . . are in just as helpless a condition as is Satan himself. . . . 53
. . . man is hopelessly ruined, . . . without strength to do any good thing.

54

There was no part of man's nature which escaped the fall. The Arminian idea that the
human will was left free in the fall is rejected. "This will, that forms so important a factor in
the character of man, was at the fall given into the control of Satan." 55 This point should be
duly noted, for in other contexts Mrs. White does speak of a certain freedom of the will.
That freedom, however, is not a freedom inherent in man's natural powers, but a freedom
that comes to him through grace on account of Christ's redemptive act. (More will be said
about this in the chapter on justification.)
No attempt is made to explain how sin is transmitted. There are no theories
about immediate or mediate imputation. Mrs. White's view of the origin of each human soul
is the traducian rather than the creational. It is nowhere stated that sin is biologically
transmitted as if it were a genetic aberration. The substance of human nature is not sinful

(as in the theology of Flacius), but sin is seen as a foreign element which has infected
human nature. "Our condition through sin has become preternatural. . . . " 56 "The fall did
not create in man new faculties, energies, and passions . . . These powers were perverted.
. . .57 At this point Mrs. White's position resembles that of the Lutheran Formula of
Concord, which declares that "original sin is not the nature itself, but . . . an accidental
defect and damage in the nature. . . . Moreover, original sin is not something by itself,
existing independently in, or apart from the nature of the corrupt man, as it neither is the
real essence, body, or soul of corrupt man, nor the man himself." 58 We draw attention to
this because it is especially relevant in trying to grasp Mrs. White's much misunderstood
teaching on the human nature of Christ.

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The Theology of Ellen G. White

Christ
Part 1: The Person of ChristIntroduction
It Christ, the great Center, from whom radiates all glory.1 These words express the
overwhelming preoccupation of Mrs. White's theology.2 Christ is declared to be the center
of all true doctrine, the center of all the promises which God has made to His people, 3 the
center of faith4 and hope5 and the great center of attraction in all evangelical preaching.
Christ is the Alpha and Omega of all truth. 6
Before election or anything else, there is Jesus Christ. Nothing is before Him, and God
does nothing before Him or without Him. From everlasting He was appointed
Redeemer.7 He is the truthwhether the truth about God or man. All that man can know
or needs to know about God has been revealed in Jesus Christ. 8 He is also the revelation
of God's purpose for man.9 "Christ . . . is the riches of the Old Testament. Christ . . is the
treasure of the New Testament."10 "Every page of the New Testament Scriptures shines
with His light. Every text is a diamond, touched and irradiated by the divine rays." 11 "In
every page, whether history, or precept, or prophecy, the Old Testament Scriptures are
irradiated with the glory of the Son of God." 12
"Hanging upon the cross Christ was the gospel. . . . This is our message, our argument,
our doctrine, our warning to the impenitent, our encouragement for the sorrowing, the
hope of every believer."13 Paul's confession, "For It me to live is Christ, is said to be "the
most perfect interpretation in a few words, in all the Scriptures, of what it means to be a
Christian. This is the whole truth of the gospel." 14
Church members are constantly urged to make Christ the theme of their evangelical
thrust. "Christ crucified for our sins, Christ risen from the dead, Christ ascended on high,

is the science of salvation that we are to learn and to teach." 15 Ministers must lift up "the
Man of Calvary, higher and still higher. There is power in the exaltation of the cross of
Christ."16
In order to be rightly understood and appreciated, every truth in the Word of God, from Genesis to
Revelation, must be studied in the light that streams from the cross of Calvary. I present before you
the great, grand monument of mercy and regeneration, salvation and redemptionthe Son of God
uplifted on the cross. This is to be the foundation of every discourse given by our ministers. 17
Christ and His righteousnesslet this be our platform, the very life of our faith. 18
Of all professing Christians, Seventh-day Adventists should be foremost in uplifting Christ before the
world. . . . O that I could command language of sufficient force to make the impression that I wish to
make upon my fellow-laborers in the gospel. My brethren, you are handling the words of life; you are
dealing with minds that are capable of the highest development. Christ crucified, Christ risen, Christ
ascended into the heavens, Christ coming again, should so soften, gladden, and fill the mind of the
minister that he will present these truths to the people in love and deep earnestness. The minister
will then be lost sight of and Jesus will be made manifest.
Lift up Jesus, you that teach the people, lift Him up in sermon, in song, in prayer. Let all your powers
be directed to pointing souls, confused, bewildered, lost, to "the Lamb of God." Lift Him up, the risen
Saviour, and say to all who hear, Come to Him who "hath loved us, and bath given Himself for us."
Let the science of salvation be the burden of every sermon, the theme of every song. Let it be
poured forth in every supplication. Bring nothing into your preaching to supplement Christ, the
wisdom and power of God. Hold forth the word of life, presenting Jesus as the hope of the penitent
and the stronghold of every believer. Reveal the way of peace to the troubled and the despondent,
and show forth the grace and completeness of the Saviour.19

In a message directed to Seventh-day Adventists, Mrs. White wrote that "the meager
views which so many have had of the exalted character and office of Christ have
narrowed their religious experience and have greatly hindered their progress in the divine
life."20

The Divinity of Christ

Christ is divine in the highest sense, "one with the eternal Fatherone in nature, in
character, in purpose.21 "He is equal with God, infinite and omnipotent.22 Christ is both the
Son of the eternal God and the eternal Son of God. 23"In Christ is life, original,
unborrowed, underived."24
"Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity,
God over all, blessed forevermore."25 Even when He assumed humanity, He did not
cease to be God.26 " . . . He was God in human flesh."27
The truth about Christ's divinity is not a mere theological tenet, but a truth of the highest
importance and practical import. It is necessary for "a true conception of the character or
the mission of Christ, or of the great plan of God for man's redemption 28 Our salvation
was an infinite work, and it could be accomplished only by an infinite Person. The life and
sacrifice to save man had to be equal to the demands of an infinite law. It was Christ's
exalted Person which gave value to His work. 29
The divinity of Christ shows the infinite value of God's gift to humanity. Christ is "the whole
treasury of heaven. At an infinite cost30 the race has been purchased.31 It is the divinity of

Christ which connects humanity with heaven and elevates man in the scale of moral worth
with God.32 "God reaches for the hand of faith in us to direct it to lay fast hold upon the
divinity of Christ.33 "The divinity of Christ is the believer's assurance of eternal life." 34
The Two Natures of Christ
Mrs. White adheres to the doctrine of the two natures of Christ which received the consent
of the early church. This doctrine was set forth by the Council of Chalcedon and
reaffirmed by the Reformation. Accordingly, Christ had two naturesdivine and human
blended in one Person. The two natures were united, yet each maintained its distinct
identity. Christ was a divine Person who took into union with His divinity a human nature
which had no pre-existence.
The author's Christology also adheres to the orthodox concepts of the communion and
transference of the attributes of the two natures. That is to say, while there was a
communion of attributes (whatever can be said of either nature may also be said of the
Person), there was no transference of the attributes (substance, essence) of one nature to
the other. Following are a selection of representative statements from the pen of Mrs.
White:
The limited capacity of man cannot define this wonderful mysterythe blending of the two natures,
the divine and the human. It can never be explained. 35
The human did not take the place of the divine, nor the divine of the human. This is the mystery of
godliness. The two expressions "human" and "divine" were, in Christ, closely and inseparably one,
and yet they had a distinct individuality. Though Christ humbled Himself to become man, the
Godhead was still His own.36
In Christ, divinity and humanity were combined. Divinity was not 37 degraded to humanity; divinity
held its place.
[His] human nature never had an existence in His preexistence. 38
Was the human nature of the Son of Mary changed into the divine nature of the Son of God? No; the
two natures were mysteriously blended in one personthe man Christ Jesus. In Him dwelt all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily. When Christ was crucified, it was His human nature that died. Deity
did not sink and die; that would have been impossible. 39
As a member of the human family, He was mortal; but as a God, He was the fountain of life to the
world.40
Christ ascended to heaven, bearing a sanctified, holy humanity. He took this humanity with Him into
the heavenly courts.41
Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally. . . . By the Spirit the Saviour
would be accessible to all.42

This last statement makes it clear that Mrs. White adopts the view of Calvin and rejects
Luther's view of the ubiquity of Christ's human nature. In a comment which appears to be
an echo of the Christology of Athanasius, Mrs. White declares, " . . . Christ wrought out a
redemption for men. This was not done by going out of Himself to another, but by taking
humanity into Himself. Thus Christ gave to humanity an existence out of Himself." 43 Like
Athanasius, she held that the human nature was taken into union with the divine nature
and dwelt in the divine naturenot the other way around. The human existed in the divine

nature, and created a capacity for suffering to endure that which resulted from the sins of
a lost world."44

The Human Nature of Christ

Mrs. White's view of the human nature of Christ is liable to be misunderstood or badly
distorted unless it is realized that equal emphasis is given to two aspects of Christ's
human nature.
1. On the one hand, Christ took the essence, or substance, of human nature ("faculties,"
or "powers," are her own words) in its weakened condition in consequence of the fall. On
occasion she even calls this "fallen human nature"words liable to be misunderstood by
many who would take this expression to include the element of original sin. We must,
however, be careful to judge a writer's meaning by the way he uses his own terms and
what they mean to him rather than by what they might mean to us. This is a fundamental
hermeneutic principle. It must be remembered, as we pointed out in the preceding
chapter, that Mrs. White viewed sin as a foreign element which has infected human
nature. It is not an essential property of the substance of human nature itself.
2. On the other hand, Christ's human nature was without a taint, inclination or propensity
to sin. Although Christ took the essential properties (substance) of human nature as it had
been weakened by the fall, He did not take that foreign element which theology generally
calls original sin. That is to say, He took the substance of human nature as it
was affected by sin, but not infected by sin.
Mrs. White's Christology is fully in harmony with this statement by Reformed theologian
Louis Berkhof: "Christ assumed human nature with all its weaknesses as it exists after the
fall, and thus became like us in all45 things, sin only excepted." Her Christology also
agrees very well with the statement from the Westminster Confession, Article 8, which
declares that Christ did "take upon Him man's nature, with all the essential properties and
common infirmities thereof, yet without sin, being conceived by the power of the Holy
Ghost in the womb of the virgin Mary, of her substance."
Some of Mrs. White's critics have affirmed that she holds an Irvingian position on the
human nature of Christ. (Irving taught that Christ's human nature had our tendencies to
sin.) Three different factors have apparently influenced these critics to make this
conclusion:
1. They have been in too great a hasteas critics sometimes areto find some heresy.
2. Some Seventh-day Adventists have taught Irving's heretical Christology.
3. There is a Docetic tendency in some evangelical thinking. A certain emphasis on
Christ's divinity tends to swallow up the reality of His humanity. Consequently, Christ
appears to be more superman than man. For this reason, any full-blooded teaching on the
reality of Christ's human nature is liable to strike some as being unorthodox.
Following are a group of statements teaching that Christ took the substance of human
nature as it was affected by the fall:
Christ did not make believe take human nature: He did verily take it. He did in reality possess
human nature. "As the children are par-takers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part

of the same. He was the son of Mary; He was of the seed of David according to human descent. 46
When Jesus took human nature, and became in fashion as a man, He possessed all the human
organism.47
He . . . clothed his divinity with humanity, thus bringing himself to the level of man's feeble
faculties.48
He is a brother in our infirmities, but not in possessing like passions. 49
Jesus accepted humanity when the race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin. Like
every child of Adam He accepted the results of the working of the great law of heredity.
God permitted His Son to come, a helpless babe, subject to the weaknesses of humanity.50
Christ, who knew not the least taint of sin or defilement, took our nature in its deteriorated
condition.51
Christ took upon Him the infirmities of degenerate humanity.52
He condescended to connect our fallen human nature with His divinity.53
Jesus was in all things made like unto His brethren. He became flesh, even as we are. He was
hungry and thirsty and weary He was sustained by food and refreshed by sleep. 54

If Mrs. White had said nothing more than this, she would have had a very one-sided view
of Christ's human nature. But although on the one hand she speaks of Christ as being our
Exemplar in the reality and weaknesses of human nature, on the other hand she
emphasizes His being our Substitute and Representative. In this context it is
the sinlessness of Christ which is emphasized. In order to be our Substitute, Christ had to
be what the rest of humanity was not.
He was born without a taint of sin.55
no trace of sin marred the image of God within Him. 56
He is a brother in our infirmities, but not in possessing like passions. As the sinless One, His nature
recoiled from evil.57
We should have no misgivings in regard to the perfect sinlessness of the human nature of
Christ. . . . This holy Substitute is able to save to the uttermost. 58
Be careful, exceedingly careful as to how you dwell upon the human nature of Christ. Do not set
Him before the people as a man with the propensities of sin. Not for one moment was there in Him
an evil propensity.59
Never, in any way, leave the slightest impression upon human minds that a taint of, or inclination to,
corruption rested upon Christ.60
Then also, in order to be our Representative (that is, to stand in Adam's place), Christ's human
nature had to be as sinless as Adam's.
Christ is called the second Adam. In purity and holiness, connected with God and beloved by God,
He began where the first Adam began.61
He vanquished Satan in the same nature over which in Eden Satan obtained the victory.62
Christ came to the earth, taking humanity and standing as man's representative, to show in the

controversy with Satan that man, as God created him, connected with the Father and the Son, could
obey every divine requirement.63
He was to take His position at the head of humanity by taking the nature but not the sinfulness of
man.64
He is the second Adam. The first Adam was created a pure, sinless being, without a taint of sin upon
him; he was in the image of God. He could fall, and he did fall through transgressing. Because of sin
his posterity was born with inherent propensities of disobedience. But Jesus Christ was the only
begotten Son of God. He took upon Himself human nature, and was tempted in all points as human
nature is tempted. He could have sinned; He could have fallen, but not for one moment was there in
Him an evil propensity.65

This brings us to one aspect of Mrs. White's Christology that is more heterodox than
orthodox. Although the point has been hotly debated in church history, most theologians in
the stream of orthodox Protestantism hold that it was impossible for Christ to sin. Mrs.
White does not hold to this majority view. She maintains that it was possible for Christ to
fall. Divine loss.66
The Father also took the "fearful risk."67 How God could foresee Christ's victory (which
she elsewhere affirms) and yet take a risk is not explained. She simply holds two
paradoxical positionsGod's sovereignty and God's risk.
Two reasons are presented to support the idea that Christ could have fallen:
1. "Unless there is a possibility of yielding, temptation is no temptation. . . . He could not
have been tempted in all points as man is tempted had there been no possibility of His
failing."68
2. "Many claim that it was impossible for Christ to be overcome by temptation. Then He
could not have been placed in Adam's position; He could not have gained the victory that
Adam failed to gain. If we have in any sense a more trying conflict than had Christ, then
He would not be able to succor us. But our Saviour took humanity, with all its liabilities. He
took the nature of man, with the possibility of yielding to temptation. We have nothing to
bear which He has not endured."69
The two natures of Christ are presented as Christ's unique qualification to be the world's
Redeemer.
These qualifications were found alone in Christ. Clothing His divinity with humanity, He came to
earth to be called the Son of man and the Son of God. He was the surety for man, the ambassador
for Godthe surety for man to satisfy by His righteousness in man's behalf the demands of the law,
and the representative of God to make manifest His character to a fallen race. 70
Being divine and human, with His long human arm He could encircle humanity, while 71 with His
divine arm He could lay hold of the throne of the Infinite.
Christ's work was to reconcile man to God through His human nature, and God to man through His
divine nature.72
Christ was without sin, else His life in human flesh and His death on the cross would have been of
no more value in procuring grace for the sinner than the death of any other man. 73

Part 2: The Redemptive Work of Christ

The Covenant of Redemption

The starting point of Mrs. White's teaching on redemption is her teaching about the
covenant made between the Father and the Son from eternity. This follows quite closely
the line of thought adopted by the covenant theologians of the Reformed faith. Whereas
some of these theologians make a distinction between the covenant of redemption
(between the Father and the Son) and the covenant of grace (between God and
believers), she does not appear to do this. Commenting on Christ's dying words, "It is
finished," Mrs. White says:
When Christ spoke these words, He addressed His Father. Christ was not alone in making this great
sacrifice. It was the fulfillment of the covenant made between the Father and the Son before the
foundation of the earth was laid. With clasped hands they entered into the solemn pledge that Christ
would become the substitute and surety for the human race if they were overcome by Satan's
sophistry. The compact was now being fully consummated. The climax was reached. Christ had the
consciousness that He had fulfilled to the letter the pledge He had made. 74

This covenant was made from eternity.75 It is called the covenant of grace76 and the
covenant of mercy. From the beginning, God and Christ knew of the apostasy of Satan,
and of the fall of man through the deceptive power of the apostate. God did not ordain that
sin should exist, but He foresaw77 its existence, and made provision to meet the terrible
emergency. "In the councils of heaven, before the world was created, the Father and the
Son covenanted together that if man proved disloyal to God, Christ, one with the Father,
would take the place of the transgressor, and suffer the penalty of justice that must fall
upon him.78 This covenant, also called an agreement or arrangement, 79 was fulfilled and
sealed by Christ's death.80
God's redemptive love is therefore seen to precede His creative love. It was a love that
carefully planned man's future and made provision for every emergency.81
Mrs. White parts company with Reformed theologians in one aspect of this plan of
redemption. The starting point of the Reformed view is election, followed by the council of
heaven appointing Christ as Redeemer of those whom God has decreed to elect. But in
her thinking the starting point is Christ and His appointment to the office of Redeemer. In
this respect her thinking is more Wesleyan than Reformed.
From everlasting He was the Mediator of the covenant. 81
[He was] set up from everlasting to be our substitute and surety.83
The salvation of the human race has ever been the object of the councils of heaven. The covenant
of mercy was made before the foundation of the world. It has existed from all eternity, and is called
the everlasting covenant. So surely as there never was a time when God was not, so surely there
never was a moment when it was not the delight of the eternal mind to manifest His grace to
humanity.84

Mrs. White sides with Wesley in rejecting the idea that God has elected 85 some men to
salvation and others to reprobation. The "sovereignty of God involves fullness of blessing
to all created beings."86 "Men fail of salvation through their own willful refusal of the gift of
life."87 Her view may be summarized as follows: From eternity God gave His Son as the
Redeemer of the whole human race. He covenanted to accept Christ's substitutionary

atonement as the basis upon which men could be saved. He decreed that this salvation
would be effective for all who would believe on Christ. "The Lord has accepted this
sacrifice [of Christ] in our behalf, as our substitute and surety, on the condition that we
receive Christ and believe on Him."88 The following statements are similar to Wesley's
position:
In the council of heaven, provision was made that men, though transgressors, should not perish in
their disobedience, but, through faith in Christ as their substitute and surety, might become the elect
of God, predestinated unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good
pleasure of His will. God wills that all men should be saved; for ample provision has been made, in
giving His only-begotten Son to pay man's ransom. Those who perish will perish because they
refuse to be adopted as children of God through Christ Jesus. 89
God has declared that those who receive Christ as their Redeemer, accepting Him as the One who
takes away all sin, will receive pardon for their transgressions. These are the terms of our election.
Man's salvation depends upon his receiving Christ by faith. Those who will not receive Him lose
eternal life because they refused to avail themselves of the only means provided by the Father and
the Son for the salvation of a perishing world.90
There is no such thing in the Word of God as unconditional election. 91

Actually, this author has written extremely little on the subject of election. Not only has she
no time for speculating about the divine decrees, but she is critical of those theologies
which do.

The Life of Christ

The life of Christ has great redemptive significance in Mrs. White's soteriology. The
Arminians focus almost exclusively on the death of Christ. They deny any significant
redemptive role in the life of Christ. Even Wesley, in opposition to the Reformed, played
down the role of Christ's active obedience in his system of soteriology.92 Mrs. White,
however, comes down very solidly on the Reformed side of this controversy. Her view may
be summarized as follows:
1. The condition of eternal life is not just absence of sin, but positive obedience to the law
of God. Adam, as God created him, was without sin; yet only by rendering perfect
obedience to the law of God could he become entitled to eternal life. 93 The law of God
cannot be modified or relaxed to meet man in his fallen condition. "He [God] demands
now as ever perfect righteousness as the only title to heaven. " 94 "Under the new
covenant, the conditions by which eternal life may be gained are the same as under the
oldperfect obedience.95
2. In order to gain a full title to eternal life, man needs more than pardon by virtue of
Christ's death. He needs to possess righteousness. "The law demands righteousness,
and this the sinner owes to the law.96
3. In his fallen state man is absolutely incapable of fulfilling the condition of perfect
obedience (or righteousness)" . . . he is incapable of rendering it." 97
4. "As representative of the fallen race, Christ passed over the same ground on which
Adam stumbled and fell. By a life of perfect obedience to God's law, Christ redeemed man
from the penalty of Adam's disgraceful fall." 98 "In the new and better covenant, Christ has

fulfilled the law for the transgressors of the law, if they receive Him by faith as a personal
Saviour."99 "He lived a sinless life. He died for us, and now He offers to take our sins and
give us His righteousness."100 "By His obedience to all the commandments of God, Christ
wrought out a redemption for men."101 "By His perfect obedience He has satisfied the
claims of the law, and my only hope is found in looking to Him as my substitute and surety,
who obeyed the law perfectly for me.102
5. This positive righteousness exhibited in the life of Christ is imputed to the
believer.103 "The active obedience of Christ clothes the believing sinneth the
righteousness that meets the demands of the law." 104 Thus the believer is counted as
righteous, and through Christ he has a free title to eternal life.
Christ's life is not only substitutionary, but exemplary. His obedience was that of a true
human being.
In our conclusions, we make many mistakes because of our erroneous views of the human nature of
our Lord. When we give to His human nature a power that it is not possible for man to have in his
conflicts with Satan, we destroy the completeness of His humanity. His imputed grace and power He
gives to all who receive Him by faith. . . . Jesus, the world's Redeemer, could only keep the
commandments of God in the same way that humanity can keep them 105 unless He met man as
man, and testified by His connection with God that divine power was not given to Him in a different
way to what it will be given to us, He could not be a perfect example for us. 106

Jesus met temptation and overcame in the strength given Him of God. He worked no
miracle on His own behalf so as to lessen the reality of the test and trial of His human
nature.107 No man will ever be so fiercely tested by temptation as was Jesus. 108 "It was
as difficult for Him to keep the level of humanity as for men to rise above the low level of
their depraved natures, and be partakers of the divine nature. " 109 "'He . . . suffered being
tempted,' suffered in proportion to the perfection of His holiness. But the prince of
darkness found nothing in Him; not a single thought or feeling responded to
temptation."110
Christ's life is often put forward as the example for believers, and they are therefore
exhorted to overcome as He did. Christ's life shows that for sin, and no grounds to say it is
impossible to over-come there is no excuse .111
The superficial reader could gather the impression that Mrs. White leaves the road of
Christian orthodoxy for the route of perfectionism. But that is not so. "We cannot equal the
example, but we should copy it,112 she declares. The life of Christ reveals "an infinitely
perfect character."113
There was an excellence of character found in Him, which never had been found, neither
could be, in another.114 The more the believer comes to understand and appreciate the
perfection of Christ's character, the more he will confess his own sinfulness. 115
The believer's contemplation of the life of Christ will therefore produce two paradoxical
reactions. Because Christ's life is our example (law), it makes radical demands upon us. It
causes conviction of sinfulness, mourning and repentanceand that not only continually,
but increasingly.116 On the other hand, because the life of Christ is the gospel and a free
gift which is imputed to the believer, he can hide his lack of perfection in Jesus and rejoice

that Christ's victory is really his victory.117 Thus Christ's perfection is an occasion for both
repentance and faith, mourning and rejoicing, at the same time. This is indeed a paradox,
but "the deepest joy of heart comes from the deepest humiliation." 118

The Death and Atonement of Christ

Mrs. White has written so much about the cross that it is difficult for us to do three things
at once: (1) We must here reduce a great volume of literature to a brief outline. (2) In this
brief outline we must preserve the main aspects of the doctrine of the cross. (3) Perhaps
most difficult, we must (if we may again refer to the illustration of Beethoven) correctly
portray the overall spirit of the composition.

Estimate: In presenting an organized outline of Mrs. White's doctrine of the cross, we

must first deal with her estimate of this subject. What place did the atonement have in her
theology? The following statements are representative:
The sacrifice of Christ as an atonement for sin is the great truth around which all other truths
cluster.119
There is one great central truth to be kept ever before the mind in the searching of the Scriptures
Christ and Him crucified. Every other truth is invested with influence and power corresponding to its
relation to this theme.120
Hanging upon the cross Christ was the gospel. . . . This is our message-- our argument, our
doctrine, our warning to the impenitent, our encouragement for the sorrowing, the hope for every
believer.121
To remove the cross from the Christian would be like blotting the sun from the sky.122

The cross is an inexhaustible theme, the vital theme of Christianity.123 It must hold the
central place, be the central theological truth, and be presented as the grand, central
theme for consideration.124
When men and women can more fully comprehend the magnitude of the great sacrifice which was
made by the Majesty of heaven in dying in man's stead, then will the plan of salvation be magnified,
and reflections of Calvary will awaken tender, sacred, and lively emotions in the Christian's heart.
Praises to God and the Lamb will be in their hearts and upon their lips. Pride and self-esteem
cannot flourish in the hearts that keep fresh in memory the scenes of Calvary. This world will appear
of but little value to those who appreciate the great price of man's redemption, the precious blood of
God's dear Son. All the riches of the world are not of sufficient value to redeem one perishing soul.
Who can measure the love of Christ felt for a lost world as He hung upon the cross, suffering for the
sins of guilty men? This was love immeasurable, in finite.125
That Christ, so excellent, so innocent, should suffer such a painful death, bearing the weight of the
sins of the world, our thoughts and imaginations can never fully comprehend. The length, the
breadth, the height, the depth, of such amazing love we cannot fathom. The contemplation of the
matchless depths of a Saviour's love should fill the mind, touch and melt the soul, refine and elevate
the affections, and completely transform the whole character. The language of the apostle is: "I
determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." We also may
look toward Calvary and exclaim:
"God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is
crucified unto me, and I unto the world."126
We should take broader and deeper views of the life, sufferings, and death of God's dear Son.

When the atonement is viewed correctly, the salvation of souls will be felt to be of infinite value. 127

Necessity: The death of Christ was an absolute necessity. It was not merely one way
that God devised to save man; it was the only way that God could do it.
He who is infinite in wisdom could devise no plan for our salvation except the sacrifice of
His Son.128 " . . . the atonement of Christ alone could span the abyss and make possible
the communication of blessing or salvation from heaven to earth." 129 " . . . through the
shedding of the blood of the Son of God alone could there be atonement for sin. " 130
Those who preach the gospel should "show the necessity for this atonement." 131 This
point is crucial. In having the gospel presented to them, men need to understand why it
was necessary for Christ to die. On this point Mrs. White follows the classical lines of
Anselm and the Reformers. Two things made the death of Christ necessarythe law of
God and the sin of man.
Mrs. White's whole approach to the atonement and soteriology is under-girded by her
concept of the law of God. "Those only who acknowledge the binding claims of the moral
law can explain the nature of the atonement," 132 she wrote. "God's law is not a new thing.
It is not holiness created, but holiness made known." 133 As a transcript of the will and
character of God, it is as sacred as God Himself. As the foundation of His righteous
government, it can no more be modified or relaxed than could God cease to be
God. 134 This holy law condemns all sinwhether it is sin of action or sin of motive, sin of
deed or sin of nature.135 Justice demands that the death penalty be executed. 136
. . . the nonexecution of the penalty of that sin would be a crime in the divine administration. God is
a judge, the avenger of justice, which is the habitation and foundation of His throne. He cannot
dispense with His law, He cannot do away with its smallest item in order to meet and pardon sin.
The rectitude and justice and moral excellence of the law must be maintained and vindicated before
the heavenly universe and the worlds unfallen.137

"The atonement of Christ is not a mere skillful way to have our sins pardoned. 138 It is not
a great divine trick to get around the law, for God is not involved in legal jugglery. Christ's
death shows with what radical seriousness God takes the claims of His law.139
As the sinner looks upon the Saviour dying on Calvary, and realizes that the sufferer is divine, he
asks why this great sacrifice was made, and the cross points to the holy law of God which has been
transgressed. The death of Christ is an unanswerable argument as to the immutability and
righteousness of the law. In prophesying of Christ, Isaiah says, "He will magnify the law, and make it
honorable." The law has no power to pardon the evildoer. Its office is to point out his defects, that he
may realize his need of One who is mighty to save, his need of One who will become his substitute,
his surety, his righteousness. Jesus meets the need of the sinner; for He has taken upon Him the
sins of the transgressor. "He was wounded for our transgression, he was bruised for our iniquities:
the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." The Lord could
have cut off the sinner, and utterly destroyed him; but the costlier plan was chosen. In His great love
He provides hope for the hopeless, giving His only begotten Son to bear the sins of the world. And
since He has poured out all heaven in that one rich gift, He will withhold from man no needed aid
that he may take the cup of salvation, and become an heir of God, joint heir with Christ. 140
There is no such thing as weakening or strengthening the law of Jehovah. As it has always been, so
it is. It cannot be repealed or changed in one principle. It is eternal, immutable as God Himself. 141

Object: The supreme object of the atonement was not the salvation of sinners--as

important as that was to God--but the vindication of God's law and government.
The object of this atonement was that the divine law and government might be maintained. 142
Through Christ's redeeming work the government of God stands justified. The Omnipotent One is
made known as the God of love. Satan's charges are refuted, and his character unveiled. Rebellion
can never again arise. Sin can never again enter the universe. Through eternal ages all are secure
from apostasy. By love's self-sacrifice, the inhabitants of earth and heaven are bound to their
Creator in bonds of indissoluble union.143
But it was not merely to accomplish the redemption of man that Christ came to the earth to suffer
and to die. He came to "magnify the law" and to "make it honorable." Not alone that the inhabitants
of this world might regard the law as it should be regarded; but it was to demonstrate to all the
worlds of the universe that God's law is unchangeable. Could its claims have been set aside, then
the Son of God need not have yielded up His life to atone for its transgression. The death of Christ
proves it immutable. And the sacrifice to which infinite love impelled the Father and the Son, that
sinners might be redeemed, demonstrates to all the universe--what nothing less than this plan of
atonement could have sufficed to do--that justice and mercy are the foundation of the law and
government of God.144
The law of God's government was to be magnified by the death of God's only-begotten Son. . . . He
secured eternal life to men, while He exalted the law, and made it honorable. 145
The work of Christ--His life, humiliation, death, and intercession for lost man--magnifies the law, and
makes it honorable.146

Isaiah's prophecy that Christ would "magnify the law and make it honorable" 147 is often
quoted. Another scripture frequently referred to is Romans 3:26, which says that Christ's
propitiation was necessary in order that God "might be just, and the justifier of him which
believeth in Jesus." God must do two thingsjustify the sinner while satisfying the
inexorable demand of justice. Calvary enables God to forgive, and forgive justly. Or to put
it another way, the object of Calvary was to reconcile the divine prerogatives of justice and
mercy. This is a point that is dwelt upon at length.148
"It is only in the light of the cross that we can discern the exalted character of the law of
God."149 "The trials and sufferings of Christ were to impress man with a sense of the great
sin in breaking the law of God. . "150 The cross shows that "sin is a tremendous
evil."151 When a sinner sees "that it was the transgression of the law that caused the
death of the Son of the infinite God, . . . he will hate the sins that wounded Jesus. " 152
The atonement does more than influence man and change his relation to God. It also
reconciles God to man. God has always loved man, but He could not forgive him on
unjust grounds. God's face was against the evildoer. Sin called forth retributive justice.
"Christ's work was to reconcile man to God through His human nature, and God to man
through His divine nature." "Through the cross, man was drawn to God, and God to
man."153

Prerequisites:The major prerequisites for the atonement are as follows:

1. Christ must be the Divine One, above all law, able to make a willing offering.
The divine Son of God was the only sacrifice of sufficient value to fully satisfy the claims of
God's perfect law. The angels were sinless, but of less value than the law of God. They were
amenable to law. They were messengers to do the will of God, and before Him to bow. They

were created beings, and probationers. Upon Christ no requirements were laid. He had power
to lay down His life, and to take it again. No obligation was laid upon Him to undertake the work
of atonement. It was a voluntary sacrifice that He made. His life was of sufficient value to
rescue man from his fallen condition." 154

2. In order to be our Substitute and Surety, He must take our human nature, bear our sins
in a human body, and die in humanity.155
3. As Mediator, He must be both God and man.
The reconciliation of man to God could be accomplished only through a medfator who was
equal with God, possessed of attributes that would dignify, and declare Him worthy to treat with
the Infinite God in man's behalf, and also represent God to a fallen world. Man's substitute and
surety must have man's nature, a connection with the human family whom He was to
represent, and, as God's ambassador, He must partake of the divine nature) have a connection
with the Infinite) in order to manifest God to the world and be a mediator between God and
man.156

4. His human nature must be without sin. "Christ was without sin, else His life in human
flesh and His death on the cross would have been of no more value in procuring grace for
the sinner than the death of any other man." 157"Christ could not have done this work had
He not been personally spotless. Only One who was Himself perfection could be at once
the sin bearer and the sin pardoner." 158

Method: Although the cross is that which reveals God's love and changes man's attitude
to God, there is much more to the atonement than that. The law occupies a central
position in the doctrine of atonement. There must be legal, juridical satisfaction:
1. The sin (or guilt of sin) of the world was imputed to Christ. "In dying upon the cross, He
[God] transferred the guilt from the person of the transgressor to that of the divine
Substitute, through faith in Him as his personal Redeemer. The sins of a guilty world,
which in figure are represented159 as red as crimson, were imputed to the divine Surety.
The holy Son of God has no sins or griefs of His own to bear: He was bearing the griefs of
others; for on Him was laid the iniquity of us all 160
2. Christ was counted as a sinner in the divine estimation.161.
Though personally sinless, Christ really felt the burden of imputed guilt. "The guilt of every
sin pressed its weight upon the divine soul of the world's Redeemer. . . . Though the guilt
of sin was not His, His spirit was torn and bruised by the transgressions of men, and He
who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in
Him.162
3. Since He was counted a sinner, justice required that Christ be treated as a sinner. " . . .
He submits to be treated as a transgressor." 163 "Christ was treated as we deserve, that
we might be treated as He deserves. He was condemned for our sins, in which He had no
share, that we might be justified by His righteousness, in which we had no share. He
suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which was His. 'With His
stripes we are healed."164
4. Justice demanded that Christ be punished. Expressions such as penalty, punishment,
suffer, satisfy, retribution, retributive justice, payment, sword of justice, etc., are used

repeatedly. The following statements are a brief sample:

The penalty must be exacted. The punishment has been endured by the sinner s substitute. . . .
[Christ would] suffer the penalty of justice.165
Christ bore the curse of the law, suffering its penalty.166
It was the righteousness of God to maintain His law by inflicting the penalty.167
Justice demanded that the penalty of transgression be paid. 168
He pledged Himself to accomplish our full salvation in a way satisfactory to the demands of God's
justice, and consistent with the exalted holiness of His law.169
On the cross of Calvary He paid the redemption price of the race. . . . Our ransom has been paid by
our Saviour.170
He bore the punishment of the guilty. . . . The evil thoughts, the evil words, the evil deeds of every
son and daughter of Adam, called for retribution upon Himself; for He had become man's
substitute. . . . our divine Substitute bared His soul to the sword of justice. 171
As a man He must endure the wrath of God against transgressors. 172 Justice demands that the
death penalty must be executed. By dying in man's stead, Christ exhausted the penalty and
provided a pardon.173
Justice and mercy stood apart, in opposition to each other, separated by a wide gulf. The Lord our
Redeemer clothed His divinity with humanity, and wrought out in behalf of man a character that was
without spot or blemish. He planted His cross midway between heaven and earth, and made it the
object of attraction which reached both ways, drawing both Justice and Mercy across the gulf.
Justice moved from its exalted throne, and with all the armies of heaven approached the cross.
There it saw One equal with God bearing the penalty for all injustice and sin. With perfect
satisfaction Justice bowed in reverence at the cross, saying, It is enough. 174

5. The suffering of Jesus Christ in His human nature was infinite.

"It was through infinite sacrifice and inexpressible suffering that our Redeemer placed
redemption within our reach. . . . His heart was wrung with inconceivable anguish." 175 Although
death on the cross was a cruel, ignominious death, "bodily pain was but a small part of the
agony of God's dear Son.176 "We can have but faint conceptions of the inexpressible anguish
of God's dear Son in Gethsemane, as He realized His separation from His Father in
consequence of bearing man's sin. . . . The Father's glory and sus-taming presence had left
Him, and despair pressed its crushing weight of darkness upon Him. 177
" . Christ's soul was filled with dread of separation from God. Satan told Him that if He became
the surety for a sinful world, the separation would be eternal. He would be identified with
Satan's kingdom, and would nevermore be one with God." 178 "The wrath of God against sin,
the terrible manifestation of His displeasure because of iniquity, filled the soul of the Son with
consternation."179

How could Christ in human nature endure such a degree of suffering? Two reasons are
offered:
a. "The suffering of Christ was in correspondence with His spotless purity; His depth of
agony, proportionate to the dignity and grandeur of His character." 180 "The human nature
of Christ was like unto ours, and suffering was more keenly felt by Him; for His spiritual
nature was free from every taint of sin. Therefore His desire for the removal of suffering
was stronger than human beings can experience. How intense was the desire of the

humanity of Christ to escape the displeasure of an offended God. 181

b. "No sorrow can bear any comparison with the sorrow of Him upon whom the wrath of
God fell with overwhelming force. Human nature can endure but a limited amount of test
and trial. The finite can only endure the finite measure, and human nature succumbs; but
the nature of Christ had a greater capacity for suffering; for the human existed in the
divine nature, and created a capacity for suffering to endure that which resulted from the
sins of a lost world."182
On the basis of 2 Corinthians 5:19, we can say that God the Father suffered with His Son.
"The angels suffered wtih Christ. God Himself was crucified with Christ; for Christ was one
with the Father."183
Pavilioned in the darkness of the cross, the Father was personally present in Christ's
dying agonies, although Christ was not to be comforted by any sense of it. 184
Two points need to be carefully guarded in the doctrine of the atonement:
1. On the one hand, Christ's death was a propitiation for sin. 185 That is to say, man has
injured and insulted the Deity. The holy wrath of an offended God is a reality. The
atonement, therefore, was not merely designed to change man's relation to God; God
must also be reconciled to man.186
2. On the other hand, Christ's death did not cause God to love us. "The Father loves us,
not because of the great propitiation, but He provided the propitiation because He loves
us. Christ was the medium through which He could pour out His infinite love upon a fallen
world. 'God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself.' God suffered with His Son,
in the agony of Gethsemane, the death of Calvary; the heart of Infinite Love paid the price
of our redemption.187 "But the sacrifice was not made in order to create in the Father's
heart a love for man) not to make Him willing to save. No, no! God so loved the world, that
He gave His only-begotten Son.188

Extent: Mrs. White rejects the Augustinian view of limited atonement. She sides with
Wesley on this point, citing Titus 2:11 and 1 Timothy 2:3-6 as evidence that Christ really
died for the sins of the whole world.189 "Christ's atonement includes the whole human
family. No one, high or low, rich or poor, free or bond, has been left out of the plan
of190 redemption.
Viewing Christ as the second Adam, she maintains that Christ's victory must be as
universal in its provision as was Adam's fall. Grace, peace and love are through the
atonement extended "to the most guilty of Adam's race." 191"Christ suffered without the
gates of Jerusalem, for Calvary was outside the city walls. This was to show that He died,
not for the Hebrews alone, but for all mankind." 192 "No sin can be committed by man for
which satisfaction has not been met on Calvary." 193
Yet surprisingly, the same author comes very close to injecting a Calvinistic element here.
God accepted the sacrifice of Christ only on condition that men would believe on
Him.194 It is the guilt of believers that195 was transferred to Christ upon the cross. The
whole race is in Christ by196 "His covenant of promise, but only believers are 'in Him by

living faith."197 In the final analysis, therefore, Christ died for believers. As both the wicked
and the righteous behold the final coronation of the Son of God, Jesus is represented as
looking upon the redeemed and declaring, "Behold the purchase of My blood! For these I
suffered, for these I died, that they might dwell in My presence throughout eternal
ages.198 Christ therefore died for all men conditionally. But in the end, however, He has
died for the believer.

Sufficiency: Mrs. White believes that Christ's death was an atonement that rendered
entire satisfaction to divine justice. As such, it does not need to be repeated or
supplemented by anything on the part of man. "His 199sacrifice satisfies fully the demands
of justice. It is "full and sufficient,"200 "full and complete,"201 "a perfect atonement . . . for
the sins of the people."202 It fulfilled "every condition" and broke down "every barrier" that
separated man from "the freest fulness of the exercise of grace, 203 mercy, peace and love
to the most guilty of Adam's race. "The atonement will never need to be
repeated.204 "Centuries, ages, can never diminish the efficacy of this atoning sacrifice." 205

Finality: How does Mrs. White stand in reference to what evangelicals often call the
finished work of Christ? Does she confess it or deny it?
Concerning Christ's present intercession in heaven, she declares, "He reverently presents
at the mercy seat His finished redemption for His people." 206 In describing the end of
Christ's suffering on Friday evening, she calls it "Christ's completed work" that parallels
the finished work on the sixth day of creation. 207 "Christ did not yield up His life till the
great work of redemption had been accomplished." 208 ". . . through Christ the grace of
God has worked out our complete salvation."209 ". . .Christ has satisfied Justice; He has
proffered Himself as an atonement. His gushing blood, His broken body, satisfy the claims
of the broken law, and thus He bridges the gulf which sin has made. He suffered in the
flesh, that with His bruised and broken body He might cover the defenseless
sinner."210 "Christ has purchased the human race."211 He has been given the deed of
possession. . . God Himself has the honor of providing a way [of salvation], and it is so
complete, so perfect, that man cannot, by any works he may do, add to its
perfection."212 "The Lord would have His people sound in the faith--not ignorant of the
great salvation so abundantly provided for them. They are not to look forward, thinking
that at some future time a great work is to be done for them; for the work is now
complete."213
Christ was crucified, but in wondrous power and glory He rose from the tomb. He took in His
grasp the world over which Satan claimed to preside, and restored the human race to favor
with God. And at this glorious completion of His work, songs of triumph echoed and re-echoed
through the unfallen worlds. Angel and archangel, cherubim and seraphim, joined in the chorus
of victory.214

Christ's finished work on the cross is viewed in terms of the covenant of redemption made
between the Father and Son from the days of eternity.
When Christ spoke these words ["It is finished"], He addressed His Father. Christ was not alone
in making this great sacrifice. It was the fulfillment of the covenant made between the Father
and the Son before the foundation of the earth was laid. With clasped hands they entered into
the solemn pledge that Christ would become the substitute and surety for the human race if
they were overcome by Satan's sophistry. The compact was now being fully consummated. The
climax was reached. Christ had the consciousness that He had fulfilled to the letter the pledge

He had made. In death He was more than conqueror. The redemption price has been paid. 215
The atonement of Christ sealed forever the everlasting covenant of grace. It was the fulfilling of
every condition upon which God suspended the free communication of grace to the human
family. Every barrier was then broken down which intercepted the freest fulness of the exercise
of grace, mercy, peace and love to the most guilty of Adam's race. 216

Christ's finished work takes on a supraterrestial sweep. "When Christ cried out, 'It is
finished,' all heaven triumphed. The controversy between Christ and Satan in regard to
the execution of the plan of salvation was ended." 217"To the angels and the unfallen
worlds the cry, 'It is finished,' had a deep significance. It was for them as well as for us that
the great work of redemption had been accomplished. They with us share the fruits of
Christ's218 victory. Christ had demonstrated "for eternal ages the question which settled
the controversy."219

Results: The results of the atonement are seen from a great variety of vantage points.
Some of these results have been touched upon already and therefore will only receive the
briefest summary here.
1. God's government stands vindicated, Satan is defeated, and the universe is secured
against rebellion's rising again.
Through Christ's redeeming work the government of God stands justified. The Omnipotent One is
made known as the God of love. Satan's charges are refuted, and his character unveiled. Rebellion
can never again arise. Sin can never again enter the universe. Through eternal ages all are secure
from apostasy. By love's self-sacrifice, the inhabitants of earth and heaven are bound to their
Creator in bonds of indissoluble union.220
This work of Christ was to confirm the beings of other worlds in their innocency and loyalty, as well
as to save the lost and perishing of this world.221

2. The cross vindicates God's law and testifies to its immutability.222

3. The cross shows the enormity of sin.223
4. The atonement satisfied the claims of the law, "paid the penalty 224 for all wrong-doers,"
and redeemed the race.
5. The cross enables God to forgive the believer without sacrificing His holiness. Yet
forgiveness is not the sole result of the death of Christ. The defaced image of God may be
restored in humanity.225
6. The death of Christ reconciled the prerogatives of justice and mercy.226
7. Christ's death reveals the character of God and draws men to repentance and faith. 227
8. The infinite price paid in the blood of Christ places an infinite value on man. 228
9. In Christ the believer has free access into God's presence. The cross removed the veil
and opened the way into the holiest of all.
The great sacrifice has been made. The way into the holiest is laid open. A new and living way is

prepared for all. No longer need sinful, sorrowing humanity await the coming of the high priest.
Henceforth the Saviour was to officiate as priest and advocate in the heaven of heavens. 229
Christ came to demolish every wall of partition, to throw open every compartment of the temple, that
every soul may have free access to God.230
Through Christ the hidden glory of the holy of holies was to stand revealed. He had suffered death
for every man, and by this offering, the sons of men were to become the sons of God With open
face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, believers in Christ were to be changed into the
same image, from glory to glory. The mercy seat, upon which the glory of God rested in the holiest
of all, is opened to all who accept Christ as the propitiation for sin, and through its medium, they are
brought into fellowship with God. The veil is rent, the partition walls are broken down, the
handwriting of ordinances is cancelled. By virtue of His blood the enmity is abolished. 231
A new and living Way, before which there hangs no veil, is offered to all. 232

This affirmation of the soteriological meaning of the rent veil should be duly noted lest
certain aspects of Mrs. White's concepts of eschatology be misunderstood.
10. The continuance of life on this sinful planet is possible only because of Christ's
atonement. The penalty of sin would have been 233 executed upon Adam immediately if
Christ had not intervened. Not one blessing could flow to earth apart from Christ's
sacrifice. "There is not an article of food upon our tables that He has not provided for our
sustenance. The stamp and superscription of God is upon it all. Everything is included in
and abundantly supplied to man, through the one unspeakable Gift, the only begotten Son
of God. He was nailed to the cross that all these bounties might flow to God's
workmanship."234 "To the death of Christ we owe even this earthly life. The water we drink
is bought by His spilled blood. Never one, saint or sinner, eats his daily food, but he is
nourished by the body and blood of Christ. The cross of Calvary is stamped on every loaf.
It is reflected in every water spring.235

The Resurrection and Ascension of Christ

Mrs. White follows the orthodox Christian doctrine of the bodily resurrection and
ascension of Jesus to the right hand of God. "The risen body of the Saviour, His
deportment, the accents of His speech, were all familiar to His followers. In like manner
will those who sleep in Jesus rise again. We shall know our friends even as the disciples
knew Jesus."236 His resurrection is a sample of the final resurrection. 237 "The same power
that raised Christ from the dead will raise His church, and glorify it with Him, 238 above all
principalities, above all powers "Christ ascended to heaven, bearing a sanctified, holy
humanity. He took this humanity with Him into the heavenly courts. 239
The three Persons of the Godhead acted in the resurrection of Jesus. God raised His
Son.240 He was raised "by the operation of the Spirit." 241 But above all, Christ arose by
the life within Himself, thus giving full proof of His deity.
. . . the Saviour came forth from the grave by the life that was in Himself. Now was proved the truth
of His words, "I lay down My life, that I might take it again. . . . I have power to lay it down, and I
have power to take it again." Now was fulfilled the prophecy He had spoken to the priests and
rulers, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.". .
Over the rent sepulcher of Joseph Christ had proclaimed in triumph, "I am the resurrection, and the
life." These words could be spoken only by the Deity. All created beings live by the will and power of
God. They are dependent recipients of the life of God. From the highest seraph to the humblest

animate being, all are replenished from the Source of life. Only He who is one with God could say, I
have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. In His divinity, Christ possessed the
power to break the bonds of death.242

Christ's resurrection is "a sure evidence of the triumph of the saints 243 of God over death
and the grave. "This same resurrection power is that which gives life to the soul 'dead in
trespasses and sins.244
God is able to take those who are dead in trespasses and sins, and by the operation of
the Spirit which raised Jesus from the dead, transform the human character, bringing back
the soul to the lost image of God."245
"Jesus ascended to the Father as a representative of the human race . . ." 246 The
ascension of Jesus is portrayed very graphically:
The Father gave all honor to His Son, seating Him at His right hand, far above all principalities and
power. He expressed His great joy and delight in receiving the Crucified One, and crowning Him
with glory and honor. And all the favors He has shown to His Son in His acceptance of the great
atonement are shown to His people. . . . His glorification is of great interest to them, because they
are accepted in Him.247
All heaven was waiting to welcome the Saviour to the celestial courts. As He ascended, He led the
way, and the multitude of captives set free at His resurrection followed. The heavenly host, with
shouts and acclamations of praise and celestial song, attended the joyous train.
As they drew near to the city of God, the challenge the escorting angels,

"Lift up your heads, O ye gates;

And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors;
And the King of glory shall come in.
Joyfully the waiting sentinels respond,
"Who is this King of Glory?"
This they say, not because they know not who He is, but because they would hear the answer
of exalted praise,
"The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle!
Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
Even lift them up, ye everlasting doors;
And the King of glory shall come in.
Again is heard the challenge, Who is this angels never weary of hearing His name exalted King
of Glory?".
"The Lord of hosts;
He is the King of glory."
Then the portals of the city of God are opened wide, and the angelic throng sweep through the
gates amid a burst of rapturous music.
There is the throne, and around it the rainbow of promise. There are cherubim and seraphim.
The commanders of the angel hosts, the sons of God, the representatives of the unf allen
worlds, are assembled. The heavenly council before which Lucifer had accused God and His
Son, the representatives of those sinless realms over which Satan had thought to establish his

dominion,--all are there to welcome the Redeemer. They are eager to celebrate His triumph
and to glorify their King.
But He waves them back. Not yet; He cannot now receive the coronet of glory and the royal
robe. He enters into the presence of His Father. He points to His wounded head, the pierced
side, the marred feet; He lifts His hands, bearing the print of nails. He points to the tokens of
His triumph; He presents to God the wave sheaf, those raised with Him as representatives of
that great multitude who shall come forth from the grave at His second coming. He approaches
the Father, with whom there is joy over one sinner that repents; who rejoices over one with
singing. Before the foundations of the earth were laid, the Father and the Son had united in a
covenant to redeem man if he should be overcome by Satan. They had clasped Their hands in
a solemn pledge that Christ should become the surety for the human race. This pledge Christ
has fulfilled. When upon the cross He cried out, "It is finished," He addressed the Father. The
compact had been fully carried out. Now He declares: Father, it is finished. I have done Thy
will, O My God. I have completed the work of redemption. If Thy justice is satisfied, "I will that
they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am." The voice of God is heard
proclaiming that justice is satisfied. Satan is vanquished. Christ's toiling, struggling ones on
earth are accepted in the Beloved." Before the heavenly angels and the representatives of
unfallen worlds, they are declared justified. Where He is, there His church shall be. "Mercy and
truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other." The Father's arms
encircle His Son, and the word is given, "Let all the angels of God worship Him."
With joy unutterable, rulers and principalities and powers acknowledge the supremacy of the
Prince of Life. The angel host prostrate themselves before Him, while the glad shout fills all the
courts of heaven, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom,
and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing."
Songs of triumph mingle with the music from angel harps, till heaven seems to overflow with joy
and praise. Love has conquered. The lost is found. Heaven rings with voices in lofty strains
proclaiming, "Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the
throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever."
From that scene of heavenly joy, there comes back to us on earth the echo of Christ's own
wonderful words, "I ascend unto My Father, and your Father; and to My God, and your God."
The family of heaven and the family of earth are one. For us our Lord ascended, and for us He
lives. "Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him,
seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them." 248

The Spirit's outpouring at Pentecost was the earthly manifestation of Christ's

enthronement at the right hand of God. It was the sharing with His people on earth all that
they could endure of the glory given Him as their Representative.
When Christ passed within the heavenly gates, He was enthroned amidst the adoration of the
angels. As soon as this ceremony was completed, the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples in
rich currents, and Christ was indeed glorified, even with the glory which He had with the Father from
all eternity. The Pentecostal outpouring was Heaven's communication that the Redeemer's
inauguration was accomplished. According to His promise He had sent the Holy Spirit from heaven
to His followers as a token that He had, as priest and king, received all authority in heaven and on
earth, and was the Anointed One over His people.249

The Intercession of Christ

No survey of Mrs. White's teaching on Christ's redemptive office would be complete
without taking note of her very great emphasis on the importance of Christ's intercession
at God's right hand. Many Christians' interest in the objective work of Christ ends at His
death and resurrection, and thereafter they concentrate on the subjective aspect of His
work in the hearts of His people. But Mrs. White places such a great emphasis on the
importance of Christ's intercession that some have even suspected her teaching of being
a denial of Christ's finished work. This has led to more misunderstanding than has any

other facet of her soteriology. Actually, her doctrine of intercession is not very dissimilar to
Louis Berkhof's treatment on Christ's intercession in his Systematic Theology.
There are perhaps three factors which have contributed to some misunder-standing about
Mrs. White's doctrine.
1. The lack of emphasis among a lot of evangelicals on the doctrine of intercession. If they
understood Christ's intercession as Dr. Berkhof has presented it, they could at least
understand what Mrs. White teaches on this matter--even if they did not agree with
everything she said about it.
2. The use of a few expressions and terminologies which often mean one thing to Mrs.
White and quite another thing to most evangelicals.
3. The poor and even inaccurate representations of Mrs. White's doctrine which have
sometimes been given by Seventh-day Adventists.
Mrs. White presents the intercession of Christas a theme of contemplation along with His
death and resurrection.250 It is by His intercession that He sheds upon His people "the
benefits of His atonement."251 Christ "reverently presents at the mercy seat His finished
redemption."252
By His spotless life, His obedience, His death on the cross of Calvary, Christ interceded for the lost
race. And now, not as a mere petitioner does the Captain of our salvation intercede for us, but as a
Conqueror claiming His victory. His offering is complete, and as our Intercessor He executes His
self-appointed work, holding before God the censer containing His own spotless merits and the
prayers, confessions, and thanksgiving of His people. Perfumed with the fragrance of His
righteousness, these ascend to God as a sweet savor. The offering is wholly acceptable, and
pardon covers all transgression.253
As our reject Him, striving by Mediator, Christ works incessantly. Whether men receive or He works
earnestly for them. He grants them life and light, His Spirit to win them from Satan's service. 254
Our great High Priest presents before the Father His own blood, claiming for the sinner who
receives Him as his personal Saviour all the traces which His covenant embraces as the reward of
His sacrifice.255
Christ, as our Mediator at the right hand of the Father, ever keeps us in view, for it is as necessary
that He should keep us by His intercessions as that He should redeem us with His blood. 256

In His intercession Christ makes application of the merits procured by His once-for-all
redemptive act. By death Christ was Testator, and by His intercession He is Executor of
the testament. Just as no one will be saved without faith in Christ's redemptive act, so no
one will be saved without the application of Christ's blood and righteousness. The
intercession of Christ teaches us that we are not left to apply these merits savingly to
ourselves. Nor can we present them savingly to God. By intercession Christ acts for us in
applying and presenting the virtue of His victory.
The intercession of Christ in man's behalf in the sanctuary above is as essential to the plan of
salvation as was His death upon the cross. By His death He began that work [of intercession] which
after His resurrection He ascended to complete in heaven. 257 We must enter by faith within the veil,
"whither the forerunner is for us entered." There the light from the cross of Calvary is reflected.
There we may gain a clearer insight into the mysteries of redemption. The salvation of man is
accomplished at an infinite expense to heaven; the sacrifice has opened the way to the Father's
throne, and through His mediation the sincere desire of all who come to Him in faith may be

presented before God.258

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the result of Christ's intercession. Of course,
repentance and faith on the part of the believer are indispensable. Yet it is not the
believer's asking that opens heaven and brings the divine anointing. It is the efficacy of
Christ's asking at God's right hand.
I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter.259
. . . the disciples offered their supplications for this gift, and in heaven Christ added His intercession.
He claimed the gift of the Spirit, that He might pour it upon His people.
The Pentecostal outpouring was Heaven's communication that the Redeemer's inauguration was
accomplished. According to His promise He had sent the Holy Spirit from heaven to His followers as
a token that He had, as priest and king, received all authority in heaven and on earth, and was the
Anointed One over His people.260

Thus the divine anointing comes to the believer through Christ's intercession in
heaven. 261 The purpose of His intercession is "to shed upon His disciples the benefits of
His atonement."262 Mrs. White takes the orthodox view of the Western Church (as
opposed to the Eastern Church in what became known as the Filioque controversy), that
the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Son as well as from the Father.263
The Holy Spirit, coming to God's people through Christ's intercession, inspires them to
penitence, praise and Christian service. This brings us to another facet of Christ's
intercession:
The religious services, the prayers, the praise, the penitent confession of sin ascend from true
believers as incense to the heavenly sanctuary, but passing through the corrupt channels of
humanity, they are so defiled that unless purified by blood, they can never be of value with God.
They ascend not in spotless purity, and unless the Intercessor, who is at God's right hand, presents
and purifies all by His righteousness, it is not acceptable to God. All incense from earthly
tabernacles must be moist with the cleansing drops of the blood of Christ. He holds before the
Father the censer of His own merits, in which there is no taint of earthly corruption. He gathers into
this censer the prayers, the praise, and the confessions of His people, and with these He puts His
own spotless righteousness. Then, perfumed with the merits of Christ's propitiation, the incense
comes up before God wholly and entirely acceptable. Then gracious answers are returned. 264

This statement reminds us of Calvin, who said that the best deeds of the saints "are foul in
God's sight unless they derive a good odor from Christ's innocence."
Mrs. White sometimes uses the expressions "atonement" and
"intercession"265 interchangeably. Some may even be amazed to read that she says that
Christ is now making atonement for His people in the sanctuary above. 266This is strange
language indeed to most evangelicals! But we must remember that words are only
vehicles to convey thoughts, and they can sometimes mean very different things to people
who come from different backgrounds and traditions than ourselves. If we are going to
correctly evaluate Mrs. White's doctrine, we must objectively seek to understand what she
means by this expression.
The English word atonement has come to mean a specific thing to most Christians
namely, the satisfaction that Christ gave to divine justice on the cross. The reader, having
looked over our survey of Mrs. White's teaching on the death of Christ, will concede that
she believes in such an atonement on the cross. But the early Adventists (including Mrs.

White) derived another connotation from the word atonement by their study of the Levitical
records of the ancient Jewish tabernacle. The Hebrew word for atonement is kaphara
difficult word to translate into English. Even the very fine English word atonement is not an
exact equivalent; and there is no Greek equivalent either. The Hebrew word kaphar is
used in a variety of ways in the Old Testament. When used in the tabernacle ritual,
the kaphar is not confined to the killing of the sacrifice. In fact, kaphar is more often used
in reference to the priest's ministering the blood within the tabernacle after the sacrifice
was slain. Kaphar is sometimes translated as forgive, purge, blot out, etc. For example,
when the sinner repented, the priest took the blood, entered the tabernacle, and
made kaphar for him. Then he was personally forgiven.
In like manner, when the repenting sinner today is covered and forgiven by the
intercession of the blood of Christ in the antitypical tabernacle in heaven, Mrs. White can
speak of Christ's making atonement for him. This is a strange expression to most of us,
but not strange in the light of Old Testament usage of the term. In such places Mrs. White
is not giving the word its commonly accepted usage, but one of its old Levitical usages.
Such Levitical expressions do not generally occur in her writings, except where she is
dealing with the sanctuary. Then, on occasion, she switches to the language of the old
sanctuary symbolism.
This emphasis on Christ's intercession at the right hand of God keeps Christian existence
from becoming swallowed up by preoccupation with the inner experience of the believer.
The Bible does have a great deal to say about the Spirit's work in the heart of the believer,
but that is not where the issues of the cosmic conflict are settled. The "shots" are being
called from the throne room of the universe. The people of God triumph, not because of
their Spirit-inspired achievements on earthas important as those arebut by the power
of Christ s intercession at God's right hand.267 It is what Christ does in heaven's court that
will bring the conflict between good and evil to an end.

1 DA 680
2 CT 453
3 DA 687
4 Ev 172
5 GW 156
6 6BC 1092
7 Ev 615
8 8T 286
9 Ed 36
10 COL 126
11 7BC 907
12 DA 211
13 6BC 1113
14 Phil. 1:21; 7BC 903
15 8T 287
16 Ev 187
17 Ev 190
18 Ev 190
19 GW 156-160
20 ST 743
21 PP 34
22 Ev 615
23 DA 112; Ev 615
24 DA 530
25 1SM 247

26 5BC 1129
27 7BC 904
28 GC 524
29 1SM 240; QD 677, 672, 673
30 DA 57
31 QD 670
32 DA 442
33 DA 123
34 DA 530
35 7BC 904
36 5BC 1129
37 1SM 408
38 5BC 1146
39 5BC 1113
40 5BC 1127
41 5BC 1125
42 DA 669
43 1SM 250, 251
44 5BC 1103
45 Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology, p. 339.
46 QD 653
47 SBC 1130
48 RH Dec. 11, 1888
49 2T 202
50 DA 49
51 1SM 253
52 DA 117
53 QD 657
54 DA 311
55 QD 657
56 DA 71
57 2T 202
58 1SM 256
59 5BC 1128 (ef. EW 150, 152)
60 5BC 1128
61 QD 650
62 QD 651
63 1SM 253
64 QD 651
65 5BC 1128
66 DA 49
67 DA 49
68 5BC 1082
69 DA 117
70 1SM 257
71 1SN 252
72 1SM 273
73 7BC 933
74 5BC 1149
75 6BC 1114
76 7BC 933, 934
77 DA 22
78 6BC 1070
79 6BC 1148; 1SM 250
80 DA 799; 7BC 933
81 See chapter on man.
82 1SM 247
83 1SM 250
84 7BC 934
85 GC 261, 262
86 PP 33
87 GC 262
88 1SM 215

89 6BC 1114
90 7BC 931
91 6BC 1114
92 See Wesley's letters to Hervey.
93 PP 48, 49, 60
94 6BC 1072
95 7BC 931 (cf. SC 62)
96 1SM 367
97 1SM 367 (cf. SC 62)
98 6BC 1092
99 7BC 931
100 SC 62
101 1SM 250
102 1SM 396
103 1SM 367
104 SD 240
105 7BC 929
106 7BC 925
107 DA 24, 119
108 Ed 78
109 7BC 930
110 5T 422
111 DA 49, 74, 311
112 2T 628
113 KH 70
114 7BC 904
115 SC 64; AA 560, 561
116 SL 79, 81, 83; AA 561
117 SD 240; SC 62; DA 486, 490; 1SM 367, 395
118 3T 459
119 GW 315
120 QD 662
121 6BC 1113
122 AA 209
123 GW 251; CT 427
124 6T 236; Ev 223; 8T 77
125 2T 212
126 2T 213
127 2T 215
128 GC 652
129 PP 67
130 SD 225
131 Ev 187
132 1SM 229
133 1BC 1104
134 1SM 371; QD 675
135 1SM 211
136 QD 674
137 7BC 951
138 6BC 1074
139 GC 503; 1SM 312
140 1SM 323
141 QD 675
142 QD 675
143 DA 26
144 GC 503
145 1SM 302
146 1SM 371
147 Is. 42:21
148 SD 239; 6BC 1071; DA 762-764
149 QD 662
150 1SM 273
151 9T 44

152 TM 220
153 1SM 273, 349
154 QD 677
155 QD 648-650, 691
156 QD 692
157 7BC 933
158 QD 665
159 QD 666
160 QD 666
161 DA 753
162 1SM 322
163 QD 666, 667
164 DA 25
165 6BC 1070
166 1SM 240
167 1SM 302
168 1SM 308
169 1SM 309
170 1SM 309
171 1SM 322
172 DA 686
173 QD 674
174 QD 673
175 1SM 322
176 2T 214
177 2T 206, 209, 210
178 DA 687
179 DA 753
180 QD 677
181 5BC 1104
182 5BC 1103
183 5BC 1108
184 DA 753, 754
185 6BC 1096; COL 128; PP 279
186 1SM 273
187 QD 676, 677
188 SC 13
189 GC 262
190 QD 668
191 QD 669
192 QD 668
193 1SM 343
194 1SM 215
195 QD 666
196 5BC 1143
197 6T 230, 231
198 GC 671
199 6BC 1070
200 5BC 1102
201 DA 819
202 7BC 913 (cf. DA 790)
203 QD 669
204 QD 680
205 TM 92
206 TM 21
207 DA 769
208 DA 758
209 1SM 364
210 1SM 341
211 QD 670
212 1SM 184
213 1SM 394, 395
214 QD 680

215 5BC 1149

216 QD 669
217 5BC 1149
218 DA 758
219 1SM 255
220 DA 26
221 QD 677
222 QD 677, 675; 1SM 302, 312
223 1SM 273
224 QD 677, 669, 674
225 QD 674, 671; ST 537
226 QD 674
227 DA 57; SC 15, 26, 27; 25M 20
228 SC 15; QD 675
229 DA 756
230 COL 386
231 SD 228
232 5BC 1109
233 1BC 1082
234 4BC 1146
235 DA 660
236 6BC 1092
237 DA 786, 787
238 DA 787
239 6BC 1125
240 DA 785
241 FE 332
242 DA 785
243 9T 286
244 DA 209
245 FE 332
246 9T 286
247 QD 671
248 DA 833-835
249 AA 38, 39
250 ST 575; Ev 187
251 EW 260
252 TM 21
253 COL 156
254 QD 688
255 QD 689
256 QD 681
257 Compare this with the words of Louis Berkhof: "He [Christ] only began His priestly work on earth, and is
completing it in heaven. . . . It is evident that this [intercessory] work of Christ may not be disassociated from
His atoning sacrifice, which forms its necessary basis. It is but the continuation of the priestly work of Christ,
carrying it to completion. Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology, pp. 400, 401.
258 GC 489
259 John 14:16
260 AA 37-39
261 QD 690
262 EW 260
263 1SM 215
264 1SM 344
265 TM 37
266 TM 37; QD 685
267 ST 575, 472-476, 749-754; GC 489, 613, 614

The Theology of Ellen G. White

Law and Gospel

Mrs. White sees the divine charter for the Advent movement in Revelation 14:12". . .
here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Here is the
apocalyptic "third angel's message," which binds law and gospel together in a perfect
whole.(1) Here are the marching orders for the Advent movement.
The clear and basic distinction between law and gospel as command and promise,
demand and gift, is recognized. The law requires just what it required of Adam in his
sinless stateperfect righteousness and unblemished obedience. (2) This demand is not
modified or relaxed to meet man in his fallen condition. (3) God "demands now as ever
perfect righteousness as the only title to heaven. (4) The gospel gives us Christ, who is the
perfect righteousness that the law demands. " . . . Christ has fulfilled the law for the
transgressors of law, if they receive Him by faith as a personal Saviour." (5) " . . . the Lord
places the obedience of His Son to the sinner's account." (6) "By His perfect obedience He
has satisfied the claims of the law, and my only hope is found in looking to Him as my
substitute and surety, who obeyed the law perfectly for me. . . ." (7) ". . . righteousness
without a blemish can be obtained only through the imputed righteousness of Christ." 8
On this point Mrs. White's soteriology sticks very closely to the classical lines of Lutheran
and Reformed theology. The demand of law always stands undiluted, even by the gospel.
She does not subscribe to the Arminian and neo-nomian views (or even Wesley's
view (9) that the condition of eternal life has been changed from the sinless obedience
which was required of Adam to the easier requirement of faith and evangelical obedience.
She affirms the Lutheran and Reformed position that the condition and ground of eternal
life are still and always will be perfect righteousness. The gospel is the good news that
Christ has fulfilled the conditions: "The atonement of Christ . . . was the fulfilling of every
condition. . . ."10
While Mrs. White recognizes this basic distinction between law and gospel, her greatest
emphasis is on the harmony of the law and gospel. The greatest harm is done when men
separate and divorce the law from the gospel as if they were opposed to each other.
(11) Whether consciously or unconsciously, she follows Augustine's famous dictum when
she says, "The law is the gospel embodied, and the gospel is the law unfolded. The law is
the root, the gospel is the fragrant blossom and fruit which it bears." (12) Both law and
gospel have God as their Author. The law is the transcript of His character, and the gospel
is the unfolding of it. The law enumerates the principle of love, and the gospel
demonstrates it. The gospel, therefore, "was an unfolding of the principles that from
eternal ages have been the foundation of God's throne." 13
Ministers should present the law and the gospel together.(14) "No man can rightly present
the law of God without the gospel, or the gospel without the law." (15) Interestingly, one of
Mrs. White's main criticisms of some of her fellow Adventists was their tendency to
present the law while failing to exalt "the great center of attraction, Christ Jesus." (16) One
of her greatest objections to a lot of popular preaching was the tendency to preach the
gospel without the law.(17) "Wesley declared the perfect harmony of the law and the

gospel." His vigorous attack on antinomianism is cited. 18

This doctrine of law and gospel is quite orthodox, agreeing well with the doctrine of the
best Christian teachers in the history of the church. It is equally opposed to legalism and
antinomianism.

The Three Uses of the Law

In the sixteenth century both the Lutheran and Reformed churches crystalized their
teaching concerning the law into what became known as "the three uses of the law."
First UseSocial, or Political. By this the Reformation church means that the law is
used as a restraint upon society and the wicked.
Second UseTheological, or Pedagogicus. By this they meant that the law was the
schoolmaster(19) to point out sin and drive us in our need to Christ.
Third UseDidactic, or Tertius Usus Legis. By this the Reformers meant that the law is
a rule of life to the regenerate to guide them in how to live in praise of grace.
Where does Mrs. White stand in relation to these concepts of law which became a vital
part of the Reformation heritage?
First Use. "Let the restraint imposed by the divine law be wholly cast aside, and human
laws would soon be disregarded. . . . The civilized world would become a horde of robbers
and assassins; and peace, rest, and happiness would be banished from the earth." 20
Second Use. "'The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be
justified by faith.' In this scripture, the Holy Spirit through the apostle is speaking
especially of the moral law. The law reveals sin to us, and causes us to feel our need of
Christ and to flee unto Him for pardon and peace by exercising repentance toward God
and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ."(21) "The sense of sin, urged home by the law,
drives the sinner to the Saviour." (22) "As you look into the Lord's great moral looking glass,
His holy law, His standard of character, do not for a moment suppose that it can cleanse
you. There are no saving properties in the law." (23) "The law has no power to pardon the
evildoer. Its office is to point out his defects, that he may realize his need of One who is
mighty to save, his need of One who will become his substitute, his surety, his
righteousness. "24
Third Use. Mrs. White championed the concept of the law's third use. Christ did not come
at infinite cost to suffer and die to give men liberty to go on breaking God's law. As we
have seen in the preceding chapter, Christ came to vindicate the honor of God's law and
to show man the unrelieved heinousness of transgressing God's commandments.
It was the righteousness of God to maintain His law by inflicting the penalty. This was the only way
in which the law could be maintained, and pronounced holy, and just, and good. It was the only way
by which sin could be made to appear exceeding sinful, and the honor and majesty of divine
authority be maintained.
The law of God's government was to be magnified by the death of God's only-begotten Son. Christ
bore the guilt of the sins of the world. Our sufficiency is found only in the incarnation and death of
the Son of God. He could suffer, because sustained by divinity. He could endure, because He was

without one taint of disloyalty or sin. Christ triumphed in man's behalf in thus bearing the justice of
punishment. He secured eternal life to men, while He exalted the law, and made it honorable. 25
The cross of Christ testifies to the immutability of the law of God--testifies that God so loved us that
He gave His Son to die for our sins; but Christ came not to destroy but to fulfill the law. Not one jot or
tittle of God's moral standard could be changed to meet man in his fallen condition. Jesus died that
He might ascribe unto the repenting sinner His own righteousness, and make it possible for man to
keep the law.26

Mrs. White relentlessly attacks the idea that faith releases men from the obligation to obey
the moral law of God.27
The gospel of good news was not to be interpreted as allowing men to live in continued rebellion
against God by transgressing His just and holy law. Why cannot those who claim to understand the
Scriptures, see that God's requirement under grace is just the same He made in Eden--perfect
obedience to His law. In the judgment, God will ask those who profess to be Christians, Why did you
claim to believe in My Son, and continue to transgress My law? Who required this at your hands--to
trample upon My rules of righteousness?28

It should be realized that this teaching is nothing new. The historic Protestant churches
consistently acknowledged the moral law as a rule of life for believers. A large part of their
catechisms was taken up with an exposition of the Ten Commandments. Mrs. White's
teaching on the law's being retained as a rule of life is no different from what is found in
the teaching of the Puritans, the Wesleys, Spurgeon, Hodge, Strong or Berkhof.
There is some difference in emphasis between the Lutheran and Reformed doctrines of
the law's three uses. The Lutheran places its greatest emphasis on the second use of the
law, while it is said that Calvin sees the third use as the law's ultimate function. Mrs.
White's emphasis is more Reformed than Lutheran. It agrees well with the
Puritans (29) and the Systematic Theologies of Hodge, Strong and Berkhof.
Luther, being a generation ahead of Calvin, found that he had to fight mainly on the front
against legalism. His commentary on Galatiansan attack on he legalism of Rome
deals mostly with the second use of the law. (Until the antinomians drew from Luther a
fuller statement of law and gospel, Luther could almost sound antinomian himself.) Calvin
lived to see a greater manifestation of the libertine element threatening the Protestant
movement, and therefore he dealt more fully than did Luther with the Christian's duty to
obey the law of God as a rule of life. For the most part, Lutheranism dealt with the law
negatively, while the Reformed dealt with it more positively.
Mrs. White's approach to law has very positive overtones too. The law is the transcript
and reflection of God's character and will. (30) As such, it is an expression of God's
glory,31 goodness,32 righteousness,33 holiness34 and love.(35) The Decalogue is "that law
of ten precepts of the greatest love that can be presented to man. . ." 36
God's law is the rule of His government, (37) the standard of judgment.(38) As the
unalterable and unchanging will of God, (39) it requires the same of man in all ages-perfect and entire obedience.40
Fallen man cannot possibly satisfy the claims of the law.(41) But Christ took man's place
and satisfied its justice.(42) This He did in life and death. In life He fulfilled the precepts of
the law for us,(43) and in death He satisfied its penalty for us.(44) All that Christ has done

and suffered is imputed to the believer.(45) Therefore he is no longer in debt to the law's
demands, for he stands as one who is without sin and who is fully in harmony with the
law.46
How should the acquitted, justified believer now relate to the law? In the light of Calvary
he sees its exalted sacredness, the terrible cost of disobedience. While being grateful for
God's love given in Christ, he has "no disposition to abuse it." (47) More than that, "The law
is an expression of God's idea. When we receive it in Christ, it becomes our idea." (48) The
believer loves what God loves, and hates what God hates. God's will (His law) becomes
his will.(49) According to the new covenant promise, the believer is not only forgiven, but
the law of God is written in his heart and mind. With the Psalmist he says, "I delight to do
Thy will, O my God: yea, Thy law is within my heart." (50)Obedience becomes a pleasure,
duty a delight. "It is not the fear of punishment, or the hope of everlasting reward, that
leads the disciples of Christ to follow Him."(51) They do right because it is right.52
Obedience to God's law is no yoke of bondage. It is the way of liberty.(53) It is also a way
of happiness and health.54
The law of ten commandments is not to be looked upon as much from the prohibitory side, as from
the mercy side. Its prohibitions are the sure guarantee of happiness in obedience. As received in
Christ, it works in us the purity of character that will bring joy to us through eternal ages. To the
obedient it is a wall of protection. We behold in it the goodness of God, who by revealing to men the
immutable principles of righteousness, seeks to shield them from the evils that result from
transgression.55

Each commandment may become a promise rather than a prohibition. The "shalt not"
becomes God's promise that the believer "will not." "The ten commandments, Thou shalt,
and Thou shalt not, are ten promises . . . There is not a negative in that law, although it
may appear thus."56
No theology is formulated or written in a vacuum. We said, for instance, that Luther found
himself arrayed against the legalism of Rome. He did have something to say about the
opposite error of antinomianism, but his main conflict was with legalism. Therefore he
chiefly emphasizes the second use of the law. Perhaps if they found themselves in a
different historical context, men today would not exaggerate the different emphases of
Luther and Calvin.
Mrs. White also wrote out of a certain contemporary context. There was a growing
contempt for Bible standards of Christian rectitude on every hand. The world and the
Christian church were on the threshold of a moral revolution that threatened to sweep
away all restraint. She saw her own nation (U.S.A.) facing the whirlwind of moral collapse,
with the church often guilty of encouraging lawlessness by teaching antinomian
sentiments.57
While the culminating sin of the Jewish nation was to "reject Christ while professing to
honor His Father's law," the culminating deception of the Christian world would be "in
professing to accept Christ while rejecting God's law." (58) This great sin in reverse would
constitute the eschatological conflict--a conflict which the people of God were already
beginning to enter.59
The final theological conflict, therefore, is seen to be over the authority of God's law. This

is not viewed as a deflection from the central issue of the cross of Christ. Calvary is the
law of God--both its unfolding and its vindication.
In the day of final judgment, every lost soul will understand the nature of his own rejection of
truth. The cross will be presented, and its real bearing will be seen by every mind that has been
blinded by transgression. Before the vision of Calvary with its mysterious Victim, sinners will
stand condemned. Every lying excuse will be swept away. Human apostasy will appear in its
heinous character. Men will see what their choice has been. Every question of truth and error in
the longstanding controversy will then have been made plain. 60

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1 TM 94
2 SC 62
3 6BC 1072; AA 425
4 6BC 1072
5 7BC 931
6 1SM 367
7 1SM 396
8 RH Sept. 3, 1901
9 See John Wesley's Sermons, sermon on "Perfection."
10 QD 669
11 6BC 1073, 1061; Ev 231
12 COL 128
13 DA 22
14 GW 161, 162
15 COL 128
16 GW 156 (cf. 1SM 371, 384)
17 GC 466
18 GC 263
19 Gal. 3:24
20 GC 585
21 1SM 234
22 1SM 241
23 6BC 1070
24 1SM 323
25 1SM 301, 302
26 1SM 312
27 SC 60; 25M 49; GC 466
28 6BC 1072
29 Thomas Watson, The Ten Commandments; Samuel Bolton, The True Bounds of Christian Freedom.
30 GC 467, 434; CT 62
31 6BC 1096
32 6BC 1085
33 MB 54
34 DA 308
35 1SM 156
36 1BC 1105
37 1SM 239
38 GC 639
39 6BC 1097; AA 190
40 6BC 1073; 1T 416; 1SM 373
41 SC 62; 1SM 367
42 1SM 309
43 1SM 396
44 1SM 309, 322

45 1SM 367, 389, 392

46 1SM 367; SC 62; SD 240
47 1SM 312
48 1SM 235
49 COL 312
50 PP 372; Ps. 40:8
51 DA 480
52 COL 98
53 Ed 291; CG 79
54 ML 163, 164; 1BC 1105
55 1SM 235
56 1BC 1105
57 GC 582-592
58 PP 476, 477
59 GC 582
60 DA 58

The Theology of Ellen G. White

Justification
Where does Mrs. White stand on the great central issue of justification by faith? Is her
emphasis essentially Lutheran, Reformed, Arminian, Wesleyan or Roman Catholic? Is her
doctrine a radical departure from historic Protestantism? Was the question of justification
by faith central in her thinking, or was it drowned out by her concern for things like the
Sabbath, health reform or other heterodox matters?
We will endeavor to answer these questions by doing two things:
(1) We will survey Mrs. White's estimate of the importance of the subject.
(2) We will then examine her actual doctrine of the sinner's justification before God.

Mrs. White's Estimate of Justification

Possessing a sensitive awareness of church history and historical theology, Mrs. White
had a profound respect for the Reformers and was a fervent believer in the divine origin of
the Protestant Reformation. She was thoroughly acquainted with J. H. Merle
D'Aubigne's History of the Reformation and suggested that Adventist families ought to
read it on long winter evenings.
For those who can procure it, D'Aubigne's History of the Reformation will be both interesting and
profitable. From this work we may gain some knowledge of what has been accomplished in the past
in the great work of reform. We can see how God poured light into the minds of those who searched
his word, how much the men ordained and sent forth by him were willing to suffer for the truth's
sake, and how hard it is for the great mass of mankind to renounce their errors and to receive and
obey the teachings of the Scriptures. During the winter evenings, when our children were young, we
read from this history with the deepest interest. 1

Mrs. White's writings reveal her tremendous admiration for Luther as God's man of the

hour.(2) The light of the Reformation was "the great doctrine of justification by faith, so
clearly taught by Luther. . ."(3) She also salutes the contributions made by Zwingli, Farel,
Bucer, Calvin and other Reformers, and writes understandingly of their work. (4) Passing to
the age of the Puritans, she shows an appreciative knowledge of some of the leading
figures and their works.
In a loathsome dungeon crowded with profligates and felons, John Bunyan breathed the very
atmosphere of heaven; and there he wrote his wonderful allegory of the pilgrim's journey from the
land of destruction to the celestial city. For over two hundred years that voice from Bedford jail has
spoken with thrilling power to the hearts of men. Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress and Grace Abounding
to the Chief of Sinners have guided many feet into the path of life.
Baxter, Flavel, Alleine, and other men of talent, education, and deep Christian experience stood up
in valiant defense of the faith which was once delivered to the saints. The work accomplished by
these men, proscribed and outlawed by the rulers of this world, can never perish. Flavel's Fountain
of Life and Method of Grace have taught thousands how to commit the keeping of their souls to
Christ. Baxter's Reformed Pastor has proved a blessing to many who desire a revival of the work of
God, and his Saints' Everlasting Rest has done its work in leading souls to the "rest" that remaineth
for the people of Cod.5

Then Mrs. White dwells on the spiritual awakening under the ministry of Whitefield and
Wesley.(6) Her high regard for Wesley is reflected not only in her biographical comments,
but in certain areas of her own theology. The power of Wesley's revival is attributed to a
rediscovery of "the great doctrine of justification by faith, so clearly taught by Luther. . . .
"(7) "Wesley's life was devoted to the preaching of the great truths which he had received
justification through faith in the atoning blood of Christ, and the renewing power of the
Holy Spirit upon the heart.8
Mrs. White's estimate of the doctrine of justification by faith as given by the Reformers is
expressed in these comments: "Christ was a Protestant. . . . Luther and his followers did
not invent the reformed religion. They simply accepted it as presented by Christ and the
apostles."(9) She therefore did not see herself as a Johnny-come-lately religious innovator.
Neither did she pass by centuries of church history without believing that the Holy Spirit
was leading and guiding the church. Rather, she felt deeply indebted to the Protestant
heritage.
What is especially interesting is Mrs. White's relation to the doctrine of justification by faith
among her own Adventist people. As a teen-age girl, she had experienced an evangelical
conversion years before a single Seventh-day Adventist existed, attributing the birth of
faith in her heart to "clear views . . . of the atonement and the work of Christ." (10) Along
with others, she also became interested in the doctrine of the second advent of Christ, the
Sabbath, and certain of the prophecies of Daniel and the Revelationmatters which in a
few years became the distinctive teachings of the fledgling Seventh-day Adventist
denomination.
It generally happens that in the atmosphere of religious controversy the distinctive and
controverted points tend to overshadow what the Bible calls "the common faith." (11) It may
be remembered that Luther ended up writing as much about his disputed view of the
supper as about justification by faith. Lutherans gave the impression of preaching "the
gospel of the sacraments." With the Reformed branch of the Reformation, Calvin's
awesome doctrine of predestination was the point of special controversy. As a result,
predestination was moved to the center, and Calvinism became noted for "the gospel of
the five points."

In the case of the Adventists, controversy set them to vigorously defending those points
before which people balked like cows at a new barn door. They were in grave danger of
heading down the road of legalism with "the gospel of sabbatarianism." As the years
passed, Mrs. White became increasingly uneasy and burdened for a genuine evangelical
revival within Adventist ranks.
Things came to a head in the year 1888 when two young ministers began a justification by
faith crusade within the church. The old guard felt uneasy about the new emphasis,
thinking that it would distract from the task of preaching "the third angel's message" (as
they called their distinctive emphasis). Preferring to keep emphasizing the Adventist
distinctives as they had done for the past forty years, they took it for granted that Mrs.
White, a fellow pioneer in the cause, would support them and check the enthusiasm of the
young preachers. But she proved that she was one of the few people who could pass
sixty years of age without becoming stereotyped and set in the old ways. In the presence
of the startled delegates at the Minneapolis Conference session, she got up and
unequivocally took her stand with the young preachers of righteousness by faith. What is
more, she lashed out at the legalism of the opposers. Her sentiments are well expressed
in her own words which were written some time later:
You will meet with those who will say, "You are too much excited over the matter. You are too much
in earnest. You should not be reaching for the righteousness of Christ, and making so much of that.
You should preach the law." As a people we have preached the law until we are as dry as the hills of
Gilboa, that had neither dew nor rain. We must preach Christ in the law, and there will be sap and
nourishment in the preaching that will be as food to the famishing flock of God. We must not trust in
our own merits at all, but in the merits of Jesus of Nazareth. 12
Christ has not been presented in connection with a law as a faithful and merciful high priest, who
was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. He has not been lifted up before the sinner
as the divine sacrifice. His work as sacrifice, substitute, and surety, has been only coldly and
casually dwelt upon; but this is what the sinner needs to know. It is Christ in His fullness as a sinpardoning Saviour, that the sinner must see; for the unparalleled love of Christ, through the agency
of the Holy Spirit, will bring conviction and conversion to the hardened heart. 13
The present messagejustification by faithis a message from God; it bears the divine credentials,
for its fruit is unto holiness.14

In another place Mrs. White calls the message of justification by faith "the sweetest
melodies that come from human lips. . . 15
Some were apparently asking, "Since when is justification by faith the third angel's
message?" (The third angel's message" had become practically synonymous with the
preaching of the Sabbath question.) In this context Mrs. White makes the most surprising
statement of all:
"Several have written to me, inquiring if the message of justification by faith is the third
angel's message, and I have answered, 'It is the third angel's message in verity. '" (16) She
also said, "The doctrine of justification by faith has been lost sight of by many who have
professed to believe the third angel's message." (17) " . . . this I do know, that our churches
are dying for the want of teaching on the subject of righteousness by faith in Christ, and
on kindred truths."18
In a revealing statement to some of her brethren, she expressed her true feelings on

justification by faith and the resistance to a genuine evangelical revival:

The danger has been presented to me again and again of entertaining, as a people, false ideas of
justification by faith. . . . The law of God has been largely dwelt upon, and has been presented to
congregations, almost as destitute of the knowledge of Jesus Christ and His relation to the law as
was the offering of Cain. I have been shown that many have been kept from the faith because of the
mixed, confused ideas of salvation, because the ministers have worked in a wrong manner to reach
hearts. The point which has been urged upon my mind for years is the imputed righteousness of
Christ. I have wondered that this matter was not made the subject of discourses in our churches
throughout the land, when the matter has been kept so constantly urged upon me, and I have made
it the subject of nearly every discourse and talk that I have given to the people. . . .
There is not a point that needs to be dwelt upon more earnestly, repeated more frequently, or
established more firmly in the minds of all, than the impossibility of fallen man meriting anything by
his own best good works. Salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ alone. . . .
Let the subject be made distinct and plain that it is not possible to effect anything in our standing
before God or in the gift of God to us through creature merit. Should faith and works purchase the
gift of salvation for anyone, then the Creator is under obligation to the creature. Here is an
opportunity for falsehood to be accepted as truth. If any man can merit salvation by anything he may
do, then he is in the same position as the Catholic to do penance for his sins. Salvation, then, is
partly of debt, that may be earned as wages. If man cannot, by any of his good works, merit
salvation, then it must be wholly of grace, received by man as a sinner because he receives and
believes in Jesus. It is wholly a free gift. Justification by faith is placed beyond controversy. And all
this controversy is ended, as soon as the matter is settled that the merits of fallen man in his good
works can never procure eternal life for him.
The light given me of God places this important subject above any question in my mind. Justification
is wholly of grace and not procured by any works that fallen man can do. . . .
There has been too little educating in clear lines upon this point. . . .
"All things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee." No work of man can merit for him
the pardoning love of God, but the love of God pervading the soul will lead him to do those things
which were always required of God and that he should do with pleasure. He has done only that
which duty ever required of him. . . .
Discussions may be entered into by mortals strenuously 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. . . .
I ask, How can I present this matter as it is? The Lord Jesus imparts all the powers, all the grace, all
the penitence, all the inclination, all the pardon of sins, in presenting His righteousness for man to
grasp by living faithwhich is also the gift of God. If you would gather together everything that is
good and holy and noble and lovely in man, and then present the subject to the angels of God as
acting a part in the salvation of the human soul or in merit, the proposition would be rejected as
treason. Standing in the presence of their Creator and looking upon the unsurpassed glory which
enshrouds His person, they are looking upon the Lamb of God given from the foundation of the
world to a life of humiliation, to be rejected of sinful men, to be despised, to be crucified. who can
measure the infinity of the sacrifice!
Christ for our sakes became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich. And any works
that man can render to God will be far less than nothingness. My requests are made acceptable
only because they are laid upon Christ's righteousness. The idea of doing anything to merit the
grace of pardon is fallacy from beginning to end.
"Lord, in my hand no price I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling. . ."
We hear so many things preached in regard to the conversion of the soul that are not the truth. Men
are educated to think that if a man repents he shall be pardoned, supposing that repentance is the
way, the door, into heaven; that there is a certain assured value in repentance to buy for himself

forgiveness. Can man repent of himself? No more than he can pardon himself. Tears, sighs,
resolutionsall these are but the proper exercise of the faculties that God has given to man, and
the turning from sin in the amendment of a life which is God's. where is the merit in the man to earn
his salvation, or to place before God something which is valuable and excellent? Can an offering of
money, houses, lands, place yourself on the deserving list? Impossible!
There is danger in regarding justification by faith as placing merit on faith. when you take the
righteousness of Christ as a free gift you are justified freely through the redemption of Christ. what is
faith? "The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. It is an assent of the
understanding to God's words which binds the heart in willing consecration and service to God, who
gave the understanding, who moved on the heart, who first drew the mind to view Christ on the
cross of Calvary. Faith is rendering to God the intellectual powers, abandonment of the mind and will
to God, and making Christ the only door to enter into the kingdom of heaven.
When men learn they cannot earn righteousness by their own merit of works, and they look with firm
and entire reliance upon Jesus Christ as their only hope, there will not be so much of self and so
little of Jesus. Souls and bodies are defiled and polluted by sin, the heart is estranged from God, yet
many are struggling in their own finite strength to win salvation by good works. Jesus, they think, will
do some of the saving; they must do the rest. They need to see by faith the righteousness of Christ
as their only hope for time and for eternity. . . .
"By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." Here is truth
that will unfold the subject to your mind if you do not close it to the rays of light. Eternal life is an
infinite gift. This places it outside the possibility of our earning it, because it is infinite. It must
necessarily be a gift. . . .
The absence of devotion, piety, and sanctification of the outer man comes through denying Jesus
Christ our righteousness. . . .
. . . . when I see my own brethren in the faith, responsible men, working in darkness, my heart
aches. .. .
While one class pervert the doctrine of justification by faith and neglect to comply with the conditions
laid down in the Word of God"If ye love Me, keep My commandments"there is fully as great an
error on the part of those who claim to believe and obey the commandments of God but who place
themselves in opposition to the precious rays of lightnew to themreflected from the cross of
Calvary. The first class do not see the wondrous things in the law of God for all who are doers of His
Word. The others cavil over trivialities, and neglect the weightier matters, mercy and the love of
God.
Many have lost very much in that they have not opened the eyes of their understanding to discern
the wondrous things in the law of God. On the one hand, religionists generally have divorced the law
and the gospel, while we have, on the other hand, almost done the same from another standpoint.
We have not held up before the people the righteousness of Christ and the full significance of His
great plan of redemption. We have left out Christ and His matchless love, brought in theories and
reasonings, and preached argumentative discourses.
Unconverted men have stood in the pulpits sermonizing. Their own hearts have never experienced,
through a living, clinging, trusting faith, the sweet evidence of the forgiveness of their sins. How then
can they preach the love, the sympathy, the forgiveness of God for all sins? How can they say,
"Look and live"? Looking at the cross of Calvary, you will have a desire to bear the cross. A world's
Redeemer hung upon the cross of Calvary. Behold the Saviour of the world, in whom dwelt all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily. Can any look, and behold the sacrifice of God's dear Son, and their
hearts not be melted and broken, ready to surrender to God heart and soul? 19

Mrs. White never waivered in her conviction that the Advent movement, of which she was
a part, had a divinely appointed role to play on the religious stage before the entire world
The "third angel's message" would yet swell to "a loud cry, arrest the attention of the
world, and become the focal point in events leading to the eschaton. But Adventism would
not fulfill this role until it took hold of the truth of justification by faith and became the
world's foremost exponent of the gospel of Christ's righteousness. In that phase of the

Advent movement "one interest will prevail, one subject will swallow up every other,
Christ our righteousness."20
Have Adventists succeeded in "out-gospeling" the Lutherans, "out-evangelizing" the
evangelicals, and "out-gracing" the Baptists as Mrs. White envisaged they should? That is
a devastating, heart-searching question that weighs heavily on the Adventist
consciousness today. Among many evangelicals the image of Adventists is still no better
than second-class evangelicals at best, or cultists at worst. In recent years they have
been forced to reappraise the painful experience of 1888 while these words of that
indefatigable little woman have returned to confront Adventism with a vengeance: "It
[justification by faith] is the third angel's message in verity." 21

Mrs. White's Doctrine of Justification

Being very conscious of what she calls "the hereditary trusts" of the Reformation, (22) Mrs.
White's doctrine of justification by faith conforms very closely to the Protestant tradition.
We know, of course, that the great Protestant teachers, like Luther, Calvin and Wesley,
expressed the message in slightly different accents. Mrs. white does not consistently
follow any of the varying streams of thought. At times her Wesleyan background shows
through in her doctrine of justification; but then she surprises the reader by taking a very
Reformed or Lutheran line on other points.

The Meaning of Justification

Although it is very characteristic of Mrs. white to avoid technical theological jargon as far
as possible, it is clear that she recognizes the judicial, declaratory nature of justification.
"Justification is the opposite of condemnation.(23)"The great work that is wrought for the
sinner who is spotted and stained by evil is the work of justification. By Him who speaketh
truth he is /declared righteous. The Lord imputes unto the believer the righteousness of
Christ andpronounces him righteous before the universe."(24) Justification means being
"accounted righteous."(25) The one whom God justifies stands right before the law.26
Like Luther before her, Mrs. White can also speak of justification as being made righteous.
But it is clear from the context that this does not mean to make righteous subjectively, but
rather judicially (or positively, as in 2 Corinthians 5:21). "Having made us righteous
through the imputed righteousness of Christ, God pronounces us just, and treats us as
just."(27) "They are justified alone through the imputed righteousness of
Christ."(28) Imputation is a transaction whereby Christ's righteousness is placed to the
believer's account.(29) Furthermore, justified sinners are treated "as if they were
righteous," "as though he were righteous. " (30) All these expressionsimputed,
accounted," "as if"make it clear that the writer does not subscribe to the Roman
Catholic idea that justification means to make righteous subjectively.
The following statement is a very representative definition of justification:
Sinners can be justified by God only when He pardons their sins, remits the punishment they
deserve, and treats them as though they were really just and had not sinned, receiving them into
divine favor and treating them as if they were righteous. 31

The Work of God

Justification is seen as "a great work that is wrought for [not in] the sinner." (32) "The whole
work is the Lord's from the beginning to the end." (33) Man is not called upon to contribute
anything. " . . . God Himself has the honor of providing a way, and it is so complete, so
perfect, that man cannot, by any works he may do, add to its perfection." (34) As for man,
"He has nothing of his own but what is tainted and corrupted, polluted with sin, utterly
repulsive to a pure and holy God."35
All human works and merits are excluded from justification. "No one can be justified by
any works of his own."(36) "Works will not buy for us an entrance into heaven." (37) "You are
not to depend on your own goodness or good works." (38) "Let no one take the limited,
narrow position that any of the works of man can help in the least possible way to
liquidate the debt of his transgression. This is a fatal deception." 39
No inwrought holiness is required before the sinner comes to Christ for justification. "My
brethren, are you expecting that your merit will recommend you to the favor of God,
thinking that you must be free from sin before you trust His power to save? If this is the
struggle going on in your mind, I fear you will gain no strength, and will finally become
discouraged."(40) "The condition upon which you may come to God is not that you shall be
holy. . . ." (4l) "Some seem to feel that they must be on probation and must prove to the
Lord that they are reformed, before they can claim His blessing. . . . Jesus loves to have
us come to Him, just as we aresinful, helpless, dependent." 42
"Salvation is God's free gift to the believer, given to him for Christ's sake alone." (43) This
sounds like the good old Lutheran slogan"by grace, for Christ's sake, through faith."
Since there are many who only superficially subscribe to an orthodox slogan, let us probe
into this understanding of justification by grace, for Christ's sake, through faith.

By Grace. Although Mrs. White can use the word grace to include the operations of
God's Holy Spirit in the heart, when dealing with justifying grace, she understands it to
mean unmerited favor in the classical Protestant sense. The grace which justifies is not a
quality within the believer, but a quality in the heart of God.
Grace is unmerited favor. The angels, who know nothing of sin, do not understand what it is to have
grace exercised toward them; but our sinfulness calls for the exercise of grace from a merciful God.
It was grace that sent our Saviour to seek us as wanderers and bring us back to the fold. 44
Grace means favor to one who is undeserving, to one who is lost. The fact that we are sinners,
instead of shutting us away from the mercy and love of God, makes the exercise of His love to us a
positive necessity in order that we may be saved. 45
Grace is unmerited favor, and the believer is justified without any merit of his own, without any claim
to offer to God.46

This grace does not search out those who are worthy, but "reaches out to embrace the
lowest, vilest sinner that will come to Christ with contrition." 47

By Christ. In this doctrine of justification the greatest accent falls on the work and merit
of Christ. Grace is presented as the impelling cause which moved God to put His saving
plan into action. But our forgiveness and acceptance do not merely rest on the general
benevolence of Godas if He good-naturedly winks at sin and says, "Let bygones be

bygones." God is too holy and too just to do that. His way of salvation shows us that he
hates sin. He can never excuse it, but must deal with It.
God must have just grounds upon which He can forgive. The basis upon which He
justifies is Christ alone.
By reason of the sacrifice made by Christ for fallen men, God can justly pardon the transgressor
who accepts the merits of Christ. Christ was the channel through which the mercy, love, and
righteousness might flow from the heart of God to the heart of the sinner.48
How is God reconciled to man?By the work and merit of Jesus Christ, who . . . put aside
everything that would interpose between man and God's pardoning love. The law that man has
transgressed is not changed to meet the sinner in his fallen condition, but is made manifest as the
transcript of Jehovah's character,the exponent of His holy will,and is exalted and magnified in
the life and character of Jesus Christ. Yet a way of salvation is provided; for the spotless Lamb of
God is revealed as the One who taketh away the sin of the world. Jesus stands in the sinner's place,
and takes the guilt of the transgressor upon Himself. Looking upon the sinner's Substitute and
Surety, the Lord Jehovah can be just, and yet be the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus. To him
who accepts Christ as his righteousness, as his only hope, pardon is pronounced; for God was in
Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. The justice, truth, and holiness of Christ, which are
approved by the law of God, form a channel through which mercy may be communicated to the
repenting, believing sinner.49

God requires perfect righteousnessthe perfect honoring of His lawas the only title to
eternal life.(50) Since fallen man could not do this, God Himself undertook to do it for him
in the Person of Jesus Christ.(51) Both the life and death of Christ (active and passive
obedience) were the necessary grounds of salvation. In life Christ fulfilled the precepts of
the law for us, and in death He satisfied its penalty.(52) His doing and dying are the
righteousness by which God saves men. "what is righteousness?It is the satisfaction
that Christ gave the divine law in our behalf." 53
If Christ aloneHis obedience and bloodis the only basis upon which God can justify
the sinner, it is the only basis upon which man can claim the blessing. In this respect Mrs.
white stands unequivocally on the principle of "Christ alone."
Christ's righteousness alone can avail for his [man's] salvation, and this is the gift of God. 55
. . . he is justified because of the merit of Christ. . We are accepted through Christ's merit alone. . . .
56

No one can be justified by any works of his own. He can be delivered from the guilt of sin, from the
condemnation of the law, from the penalty of transgression, only by virtue of the suffering, death,
and resurrection of Christ.57
The brand of sin upon the soul can be effaced only through the blood of the atoning Sacrifice. 58
The repentant soul realizes that his justification comes because Christ, as his substitute and surety,
has died for him, is his atonement and righteousness. 59
We must center our hopes of heaven upon Christ alone, because He is our substitute and surety.60
It is only through Jesus, whom the Father gave for the life of the world, that the sinner may find
access to God. Jesus alone is our Redeemer, our Advocate and Mediator; in Him is our only hope
for pardon, peace, and righteousness. It is by virtue of the blood of Christ that the sin-stricken soul
can be restored to soundness. Christ is the fragrance, the holy incense which makes your petition

acceptable to the Father. Then can you not say:

"Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bid'st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come."61

By Faith. Turning to the human side of justificationthe response to the offer of grace in
Jesusit comes by faith alone.
Faith is the only condition upon which justification can be obtained. 62
The only way in which he [the sinner] can attain to righteousness is through faith. 63
The one great Offering that has been made is ample for all who will believe. 64
. . . .justification will come alone through faith in Christ. . . . 65
We have transgressed the law of God, and by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified. The
best efforts that man in his own strength can make, are valueless to meet the holy and just law that
he has transgressed; but through faith in Christ he may claim the righteousness of the Son of God
as all-sufficient. Christ satisfied the demands of the law in His human nature. He bore the curse of
the law for the sinner, made an atonement for him that whosoever believeth in Him should not
perish, but have everlasting life.66

Of course, we should realize that a person can repeat the Reformation slogan "by faith
alone" and still be far from the Reformation meaning. All that glitters is not gold. "Faith
alone" can mean totally different things to different people. So we need to do some
probing to see what the author really means by "faith alone":
1. It is "faith alone" because all that is necessary for a man's acceptance with God has
already been done. " . . . . through Christ the grace of God has worked out our complete
salvation."(67) "All that God and Christ could do has been done to save sinners." (68) "Christ
satisfied the demands of the law in His human nature. " (69) "The atonement of Christ . . .
was the fulfilling of every condition upon which God suspended the free communication of
grace to the human family."(70) "No sin can be committed by man for which satisfaction
has not been met on Calvary." (71) "The Lord would have His people sound in the faith
not ignorant of the great salvation so abundantly provided for them. They are not to look
forward, thinking that at some future time a great work is to be done for them; for the work
is now complete."72
Since all that is necessary for acceptance has been done in God's redemptive act, how
else can man receive it but in faith alone? "All that man can possibly do toward his own
salvation is to accept the invitation. . ."73
2. Faith is in no sense man's contribution to salvation. There is no "virtue in faith whereby
salvation is merited."(74) "Faith is not the ground of our salvation, but it is the great
blessingthe eye that sees, the ear that hears, the feet that run, the hand that grasps. It
is the means, not the end. If Christ gave His life to save sinners, why shall I not take that
blessing? My faith grasps it, and thus my faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things unseen."75
Faith does not bring saving righteousness into existence, but merely confirms its

existence.(76) Neither is faith itself the righteousness which pleases God. It is not a quality
in a man's heart which causes God to accept him as righteous. "Faith alone" does not
mean that whereas God once required perfect obedience to His law, He now requires only
faith instead of (in lieu of) righteousness. In short, Arminian ideas on how faith is counted
for righteousness are clearly rejected.
3. What is affirmed is the orthodox Lutheran and Reformed position on
the instrumental nature of faith. That is to say, faith does not bring the blessing into
existence; it simply acknowledges its existence.(77) It is the eye of the soul which sees
what God has already done.(78) It not only ''appropriates the righteousness of
Christ,"(79) but it presents that righteousness to God for the sinner's acceptance. (80) The
following statements illustrate how Mrs. white carefully distinguishes between the
meritorious cause (Christ) and the instrumental means (faith) of justification:
Through faith we receive the grace of God; but faith is not our Saviour. It earns nothing. It is the
hand by which we lay hold upon Christ, and appropriate His merits, the remedy for sin. 81
Faith is the condition upon which God has seen fit to promise pardon to sinners; not that there is any
virtue in faith whereby salvation is merited, but because faith can lay hold of the merits of Christ, the
remedy provided for sin. Faith can present Christ's perfect obedience instead of the sinner's
transgression and defection. When the sinner believes that Christ is his personal Saviour, then,
according to His unfailing promises, God pardons his sin, and justifies him freely. The repentant soul
realizes that his justification comes because Christ, as his substitute and surety, has died for him, is
his atonement and righteousness.
"Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is
the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that
justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Righteousness is obedience to the law.
The law demands righteousness, and this the sinner owes to the law; but he is incapable of
rendering it. The only way in which he can attain to righteousness is through faith. By faith he can
bring to God the merits of Christ, and the Lord places the obedience of His Son to the sinner's
account. Christ's righteousness is accepted in place of man's failure, and God receives, pardons,
justifies, the repentant, believing soul, treats him as though he were righteous, and loves him as He
loves His Son. This is how faith is accounted righteousness. . . . 82

4. Justifying faith is not merely a trust in the general benevolence of God. (Some do teach
that all God requires is that men trust His love and kindness. In this scheme the cross
displays God's love and inspires man to trust.) Of course, we ought to trust God's love and
be moved to such trust by the vision of Calvary. But faith and Calvary are much more than
this. Justifying faith must have a specific object. (83) That object is the work and merit of
Christ. Faith must both see and grasp what Christ has done. The eye of faith fixes on the
cross of Christ.(84) This is the only way that the sinner can honor God and be brought into
a true relationship to His law.
When Mrs. White deals with the gospel, the law is neither out of sight nor out of mindor
vice versa. God's holy, just and good law ought to be honored. In fact, man's justification
depends on the justification of God and His law. Man must honor the law or he cannot be
saved. Christ became the Man. He did it for us, and by faith we do it in Him.
Unlike most evangelicals whose view of the redemptive act is focused almost exclusively
on Christ's act of dying, Mrs. white sees this redemptive act as both the life and death of
Christ. Her teaching is not new. It is the old Reformed doctrine of the active (life) and
passive (death) obedience of Christ. Often she combines both together, as the old
Lutheran divines did, and calls both together "the righteousness of Christ. Her doctrine of

justification rests on both aspects. In life Christ fulfilled the precepts of the law for us, and
in death He satisfied the penalty of the law for us. 85
Faith grasps both aspects of Christ's work, and both are imputed, or reckoned, to the
believer. On the one hand, justification means forgiveness, or pardon, because we have
been punished in Christ.(86) On the other hand, justification means that we are accepted
as righteous because Christ's obedience to the law is reckoned to our account. (87) Notice
how Christ's life and death are said to be involved in the transaction of justification by
faith:
By reason of the sacrifice made by Christ for fallen men, God can justly pardon the transgressor
who accepts the merits of Christ. . . . Every soul may say: "By His perfect obedience He has
satisfied the claims of the law, and my only hope is found in looking to Him as my substitute and
surety, who obeyed the law perfectly for me. By faith in His merits I am free from the condemnation
of the law. He clothes me with His righteousness, which answers all the demands of the law. I am
complete in Him who brings in everlasting righteousness. He presents me to God in the spotless
garment of which no thread was woven by any human agent. All is of Christ, and all the glory, honor,
and majesty are to be given to the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world." 88
Through the imputed righteousness of Christ, the sinner may feel that he is pardoned, and may
know that the law no more condemns him, because he is in harmony with all its precepts. It is his
privilege to count himself innocent when he reads and thinks of the retribution that will fall upon the
unbelieving and sinful. By faith he lays hold of the righteousness of Christ. . . . Knowing himself to
be a sinner, a transgressor of the holy law of God, he looks to the perfect obedience of Christ, to His
death upon Calvary for the sins of the world; and he has the assurance that he is justified by faith in
the merit and sacrifice of Christ. He realizes that the law was obeyed in his behalf by the Son of
God, and that the penalty of transgression cannot fall upon the believing sinner. The active
obedience of Christ clothes the believing sinner with the righteousness that meets the demands of
the law.89

Justification by faith is very closely linked to ethics. The greatest enemies of the gospel
are those who use "faith alone" as if it were a substitute for obedience to the law of God.
Since faith grasps Christ's honoring of the law on our behalf, it becomes fruitful in a life of
willing obedience to that law which Jesus honored. (90) Faith does not compose its
possessor for sleep in the nonperformance of duty, but it both inspires and strengthens
the soul to obey the law of God.91
Like Wesley, Mrs. White feared an indolent sola fideism. But in one respect her emphasis
was different from Wesley's. In his letters to Hervey the Calvinist, Wesley expressed his
fear that the Reformed doctrine of the imputation of Christ's active obedience would
encourage antinomianismas if men would say, "Christ kept the law for us; why then
should we bother to keep it?" Hence Wesley, at least for a time, denied the doctrine of
justification by the imputation of Christ's life of obedience to the law. Mrs. white shares
Wesley's fear of antinomianism, but embraces the Reformed view of Christ's imputed
righteousness. She evidently thinks that faith in Christ's vicarious obedience not only
inspires our obedience, but utterly rules out any pretext for disobedience.
5. Faith is spoken of as a "condition" for justification, (92) but it is not correct to take this to
mean condition in the sense of ground, foundation, or basis, of salvation. The ground,
foundation, or basis, of acceptance with God is the righteousness of ChristHis
obedience and blood.(93) If "condition" means the ground of acceptance with God, then
Christ's death on the cross "was the fulfilling of every condition. (94) Mrs. White agrees with
the Reformed doctrine which says that perfect obedience (or righteousness) is the

conditional ground of salvation.(95) And Christ alone met those conditions.

Some Lutheran theologians (e.g., Walther in The Proper Distinction Between the Law and
the Gospel) do not like to call faith a condition. Others, like Owen the Puritan expositor,
argue that it is quite proper to call faith a conditionnot a meritorious condition, but
an instrumental condition. If we put aside arguing about semantics, all sound Bible
scholars confess that faith is absolutely indispensable for salvation. Christ's death is
eternally efficacious only for those who believe. In that sense "faith is the only condition
upon which justification can be obtained." (96) "The only-begotten Son of God has died that
we might live. The Lord has accepted this sacrifice in our behalf, as our substitute and
surety, on the condition that we receive Christ and believe on Him." 97
6. Repentance is inseparable from faith.98
Repentance is associated with faith, and is urged in the gospel as essential to salvation. Paul
preached repentance. He said, "I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed
you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews and also to
the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." There is no salvation
without repentance. No impenitent sinner can believe with his heart unto righteousness. Repentance
is described by Paul as a godly sorrow for sin, that "worketh repentance to salvation not to be
repented of." This repentance has in it nothing of the nature of merit, but it prepares the heart for the
acceptance of Christ as the only Saviour, the only hope of the lost sinner.99

Although repentance and faith are inseparable, their action is different. Repentance is
"toward God because of his [the sinner's] transgression of the law." (100) Faith is directed to
Christ, who has satisfied the claims of the law on the sinner's behalf. 101
7. Faith (as well as repentance) is a gift of God. Man is unable to originate it in his heart.
(102) Faith is the result of the gracious operation of God's Spirit in the heart as Christ's
cross and the gospel are presented to sinful man. 103
The faith that is unto salvation is not a casual faith, it is not the mere consent of the intellect, it is
belief rooted in the heart, that embraces Christ as a personal Saviour, assured that He can save
unto the uttermost all that come unto God by Him. To believe that He will save others, but will not
save you is not genuine faith, but when the soul lays hold upon Christ as the only hope of salvation,
then genuine faith is manifested. This faith leads its possessor to place all the affections of the soul
upon Christ; his understanding is under the control of the Holy Spirit, and his character is molded
after the divine likeness.104

Faith, Regeneration and the Action of the Will

Mrs. White does not devote time to making fine distinctions in the ordo salutis. In fact, she
appears to be critical of too much effort to do so. The general approach, however, appears
more like the the ordo salutis found in Wesley than the the ordo salutis found among the
Calvinists or later Lutherans. For instance, most systematic Calvinists dogmatically place
regeneration before justification. However, there is no evidence that John Calvin did this.
Kuyper, the great Dutch Calvinist does not agree with this order either. Perhaps Buchanan
is wise, for he refuses to debate the order, commenting that one thing is certainno one
can be justified who is not also regenerated, and no one is regenerated who is not at the
same time justified. Wesley agrees that justification and regeneration take place at the
same moment. The sequence is not temporal, he says, only logical. In order of thinking
justification comes first. Mrs. white would agree with Wesley. God justifies the ungodly,
then regenerates them by His Spirit.

Another point: The dogmatic Calvinists (with considerable logic, too) say that God must
regenerate the soul who is dead in sin in order that the person can believe unto
justification. The choice of man does not enter into regeneration any more than the choice
of Lazarus entered into his resurrection when Christ called, "Lazarus, come forth." God
alone chooses who will be regenerated, and His grace is irresistible.
Wesley disagrees with this scheme and virtually says, No, the sinner must have faith in
order to be regenerated. And since faith is rooted in the heart, it is a the voluntary act.
Therefore the will of man must cooperate with God in regeneration. On this point Mrs.
White also believes that the will of man must cooperate with God in regeneration. Her
position is as follows:
1. Faith is (at least) a conscious, intelligent, voluntary act (105) which unites the soul to
Christ.(106) (That faith is union with Christ receives great emphasis.)
2. Union with Christ brings the double benefit of justification by imputed righteousness and
regeneration by the Holy Spirit. These are never separated. (107) There is no justification
without regeneration.(108) Sometimes Mrs. White links both together in such a way that
she does not bother to define or distinguish between the two. (109) In other places,
however, she sufficiently distinguishes them by speaking of justification as a work done for
us (imputation)(110) and regeneration as a work done in us (infusion) (111). In logical order,
she speaks of Christ's justifying the ungodly before the Holy Spirit renews. (112) And, as in
Wesley's view, regeneration is seen as the beginning of the sanctification process. In this
way of thinking it would be impossible to place regeneration before justification, for then
justification would no longer be the justification of the ungodly, but only the justification of
the sanctified.
3. Although Mrs. White sees the will of man cooperating with grace in conversion (113) (in
agreement with Melancthon's so-called synergism), she does not believe in free will after
the fashion of Arminianism. Free will is not a native ability in sinful man. (114) The will of
man was involved in the fall and man became a total captive (slave) of the devil. He is as
helpless as Satan himself.(115) Mrs. White seems to be following the thought of Wesley
when she says, "The penalty of the law fell upon Him who was equal with God, and man
was free to accept the righteousness of Christ. . . ." (116) That is to say, any freedom which
man may now have is because Christ died for the lost race. Free will is of grace, not
nature.
Even here we must not too quickly conclude that since Christ has died for all men, all men
are, ipso facto, freeas if they could come to Christ and accept salvation any time they
please. This is a fatal deception.(117) No man is free to come unless Christ actually puts
into effect the victory He has gained for man on Calvary. This He does by His
intercession. " . . . He gained the right to rescue the captive from the grasp of the great
deceiver. . . .(118 )"He holds a just claim to every human being. . . .He has been given the
deed of possession, which entitles Him to claim them as His property.(119) In His office of
Intercessor "He works earnestly for them. He grants them life and light, striving by His
Spirit to win them from Satan's service."(120) Exercising His blood-bought rights, He
interposes against this demonic control over man's will. In sending forth the gospel of His
cross in the power of His Spirit, He draws the sinner to Himself. At that very point He

offers man the freedom to accept salvation. (121) This freedom is not in man by nature, but
comes to him in the word of grace. The sinner may resist this drawing of divine grace, but
if he does not resist, he will be led to accept Christ and salvation. 122
So much for some of these finer points of theological distinction in the ordo salutis. The
reader of Mrs. White could easily get the impression that she would not be very impressed
with this attempt to dissect her ordo salutis. Certainly she is critical of those who want to
know all the whys and wherefores of the new birth. (123) Her emphasis is personal and
practical, and she has little time for abstract theology. Man needs to be impressed by
thenecessity of the new birth more than by the manner of its accomplishment.(124) "It is
not theoretical knowledge you need so much as spiritual regeneration." 125
Not through controversy and discussion is the soul enlightened. We must look and live. Nicodemus
received the lesson, and carried it with him. He searched the Scriptures in a new way, not for the
discussion of a theory, but in order to receive life for the soul. He began to see the kingdom of
heaven as he submitted himself to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
There are thousands today who need to learn the same truth that was taught to Nicodemus by the
uplifted serpent. They depend on their obedience to the law of God to commend them to His favor.
When they are bidden to look to Jesus, and believe that He saves them solely through His grace,
they exclaim, "How can these things be?"
Like Nicodemus, we must be willing to enter into life in the same way as the chief of sinners. Than
Christ, "there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
Through faith we receive the grace of God; but faith is not our Saviour. It earns nothing. It is the
hand by which we lay hold upon Christ, and appropriate His merits, the remedy for sin. And we
cannot even repent without the aid of the Spirit of God. The Scripture says of Christ, "Him hath God
exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and
forgiveness of sins. Repentance comes from Christ as truly as does pardon.
How, then, are we to be saved? "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness," so the Son of
man has been lifted up, and everyone who has been deceived and bitten by the serpent may look
and live. "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." The light shining from
the cross reveals the love of God. His love is drawing us to Himself. If we do not resist this drawing,
we shall be led to the foot of the cross in repentance for the sins that have crucified the Saviour.
Then the Spirit of God through faith produces a new life in the soul. The thoughts and desires are
brought into obedience to the will of Christ. The heart, the mind, are created anew in the image of
Him who works in us to subdue all things to Himself. Then the law of God is written in the mind and
heart and we can say with Christ, "I delight to do Thy will, O my God. " 126

We have quoted the preceding passage at length because by theological analysis (which
we must grapple with in this outline) it is so easy to lose touch with the real emphasis and
spirit of the literature under examination.

The Benefits of Justification

Mrs. White's concept of the blessings and benefits of justification is quite fully developed.
1. "Justification is a full, complete pardon of sin." 127
2. Justification means that Christ's righteous life is credited to the believer, and he stands
before God as faultless as Jesus Himself.128
3. The justified sinner receives adoption. "He becomes a member of royal family, a child of
the heavenly King, an heir of God, and joint with Christ." 129

4. He is in full harmony with the law. "Through the imputed righteousness of Christ, the
sinner may feel that he is pardoned, and may know that the law no more condemns him,
because he is in harmony with all its precepts." 130
5. He is precious in God's sight. "It is because of the imputed righteousness of Christ that
we are counted precious by God."131
6. Justification is our title to heaven.132
7. The gift of justification is equivalent to the gift of eternal life. "The righteousness of
Christ is placed on the debtor's account, and against his name on the balance sheet is
written, Pardoned. Eternal Life."133
8. Justification means that God can treat the sinner "as though he were righteous" (134)
as if he were as deserving as Christ Himself. "Christ was treated as we deserve, that we
might be treated as He deserves. He was condemned for our sins, in which He had no
share, that we might be justified by His righteousness, in which we had no share. He
suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which was His." (135) "It
would not satisfy the heart of the Infinite One to give those who love His Son a lesser
blessing than He gives His Son."136
9. Justification entitles believers to all the blessings of the covenant of grace. (137)"Can we
with keen, sanctified perception appreciate the strength of the promises of God, and
appropriate them to our individual selves, not because we are worthy, but because Christ
is worthy, not because we are righteous, but because by living faith we claim the
righteousness of Christ in our behalf?"138
10. Justification by Christ qualifies the believer to receive the Holy Spirit and to begin
living the life of holiness. "He died on the cross as a sacrifice for the world, and through
this sacrifice comes the greatest blessing that God could bestow,the gift of the Holy
Spirit. This blessing is for all who will receive Christ." (139) "Justification means pardon. It
means that the heart, purged from dead works, is prepared to receive the blessing of
sanctification."140
In short, justification is the blessing that embraces every other blessing, for in this
transaction God gives a man Christ, and with Christ He gives him absolutely everything.
"Kneeling in faith at the cross, he [the sinner] has reached the highest place to which man
can attain."141

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1 RH Dec. 26, 1882

2 GC 120-170
3 GC 253
4 GC 171-244
5 GC 252, 253

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6 CC 253-264
7 GC 253-256
8 CC 256
9 RH June 1, 1886
10 LS 40 (cf. 28-39)
11 Tit. 1:4
12 RH Mar. 11, 1890
13 RH Nov. 29, 1892
14 RH Sept. 3, 1889
15 RH Apr. 4, 1895
16 1SM 372
17 RH Aug. 13, 1889
18 GW 301
19 MS 36, 1890
20 SD 259
21 1SM 372
22 1SM 402
23 6BC 1070
24 1SM 392 (emphasis supplied)
25 SC 62
26 SD 240; 1SM 367, 396
27 1SM 394 (emphasis supplied)
28 OHC 52 (emphasis supplied)
29 OHC 53; 1SM 367
30 OHC 52; 1SM 389
31 OHC 52
32 1SM 392 (emphasis supplied)
33 1SM 392
34 1SM 184
35 1SM 342
36 1SM 389
37 1SM 388
38 1SM 328
39 1SM 343
40 1SM 351
41 1SM 332
42 1SM 353
43 1BC 1122
44 1SM 331, 332
45 1SM 347
46 1SM 398
47 1SM 313
52 SC 62; 1SM 250, 341
53 RH Aug. 21, 1894
54 1SM 331
55 1SM 398
56 5BC 1122
57 1SM 389
58 1SM 371
59 1SM 367
60 1SM 363
61 1SM 332, 333
62 1SM 389
63 1SM 367
64 1SM 388
65 1SM 330
66 1SM 363
67 1SM 364
68 QD 673
69 1SM 363
70 QD 669
71 1SM 343
72 1SM 394, 395

73 1SM 343
74 1SM 366
75 6BC 1073
76 1SM 395
77 Ed 253
78 ST 167
79 1SM 363
80 1SM 36?
81 DA 175
82 1SM 366, 367
83 DA 175; 6BC 1073
84 ST 167
85 1SM 363, 367, 396; SD 240; SC 62; 7BC 931
86 QD 672; 6BC 1070, 1071
87 1SM 367; SC 62
88 1SM 396
89 SD 240
90 6BC 1073; GC 472
91 2SM 20; PP 524; 3BC 1137
92 1SM 389
93 6BC 1073
94 QD 669
95 SC 62
96 1SM 389
97 1SM 215
98 COL 112; 1SM 324
99 1SM 365
100 1SM 324
101 1SM 396
102 1SM 393, 366, 367; Ed 253; 6BC 1080; PP 431
103 2SM 20; DA 175, 176
104 1SM 391
105 1SM 256; COL 112; GC 190
106 DA 347, 675, 676
107 GC 256; SC 62
108 COL 112, 113
109 MB 114; COL 163
110 1SM 367, 392, 394; SD 240
111 GC 256; 1SM 366
112 PP 372
113 1SM 381; ML 318; TM 518
114 ST 515 (cf. footnote 55 in the chapter on man)
115 6BC 1077
116 CC 503
117 SC 33
118 QD 672
119 QD 670
120 QD 688
121 DA 175, 176; 1SM 349; 6BC 1113
122 DA 176
123 1SM 177
124 DA 172, 173
125 DA 171
126 DA 175, 176
127 6BC 1071
128 SD 240; 1SM 367, 392; SC 62
129 1SM 215
130 SD 240
131 OHC 53
132 MYP 35
133 OHC 53
134 1SM 367
135 DA 25

136 TM 518
137 PP 431
138 1SM 108
139 SD 242
140 ST Dec. 17, 1902
141 AA 210

The Theology of Ellen G. White

Sanctification
Mrs. White's doctrine of sanctification is quite orthodox. There is certainly no pretense to
anything new. Some of the definitions given sound very much like what could be read in
Hodge, Strong, Berkhof or even the Westminster Catechism.

Definition and General Concepts

In general terms, sanctification is viewed as the process of divine grace which restores
the whole man to the image of God.(1) It begins the moment the sinner is justified(2) and is
completed at glorification.(3) It is the work of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,(4) but
especially is it the work of the Holy Spirit, who indwells believers. (5) "Divine grace is
needed at the beginning, divine grace at every step of advance, and divine grace alone
can complete the work.6
Although man is called to a life of dependence, restfulness, and reliance upon God to do
this work,(7) it must not be a one-sided quietism. The Holy Spirit's work is not
substitutionary, as was the death of Christ on the cross. He does not take the place of
human effort.(8) Man is called on to cooperate with God. God's plan is to employ the
human faculties, while man must strive, fight, watch and pray.9
The great means of sanctification is the Word of God. The Word is the "channel" for the
Spirit's work (10) "the great agency in the transformation of character." (11) God's Spirit is in
His Word and never works apart from or outside the Word.12
Sanctification is the obverse side of justification. Together they are the twofold benefit of
union with Christ. God justifies no one whom He does not also sanctify.(13) One blessing
cannot be possessed without the other. If one is absent, so is the other. Sanctification
therefore is not optional.(14) We are not saved by sanctification, yet we cannot be saved
without it. It is not our title to heaven, but it is our fitness for heaven. (15) That is to say, we
could have no enjoyment of heaven unless our hearts were changed to love the things of
heaven.(16) Sanctification and glory differ only in degree, for sanctification is the life of
heaven begun in the soul.17
So much for a "bare bones" summary of this doctrine of sanctification. Yet bare bones
have no feeling and soul. This alone would not give us a true idea of how the doctrine of
sanctification "comes through" in the pages of this author.

The amount of material which Mrs. White writes on the Christian life is vast. In it
sanctification is portrayed in a great variety of hues. In some places the concept of
sanctification sounds much like Luther. "The sum and substance of the whole matter of
Christian grace and experience is contained in believing on Christ, in knowing God and
His Son whom He hath sent."(18) Faith in Jesus, faith that works by love (a favorite
expression), faith that buds and blossoms and bears a harvest of precious fruit, (19) faith
that relies wholly on Christ's merit and through His merit fetches the Holy Spirit (20)that is
the essence of sanctification. "The sanctification of the soul is accomplished through
steadfastly beholding Him [Christ] by faith. . . ." (21) "Our faith increases by beholding
Jesus. . . ."(22) "Our greatest need is faith. . . ."(23) It would not be difficult to make a good
case for the life of faith being the dynamic of sanctification, in real Luther style.
Another could examine the literature and see the reflection of Calvin, who beheld
Christian existence as the life of self-denial. Self-denial is Christ's mission, (24) the
foundation of the very stuff of the divine economy, the essential character of God, and the
law of life for the universe.(25) "Those who would gain the blessing of sanctification must
first learn the meaning of self-sacrifice."(26) Self-denial must be the foundation of the
Christian's life, its essential character, and be woven into all experience. (27) One feels the
disciplined spirit of Geneva and the Puritans--strict self-denial it must be at that! (28) Yet it
is the image of a smiling, happy Puritan (there were some who really were such!), for selfdenial is a cheerful privilege, the secret of true happiness. (29) And so another could make
an equally good case for self-denial as being the rock-bottom element in Mrs. White's
doctrine of sanctification.
On other occasions there is no effort to disguise the Wesleyan flavor. In one place a
statement is lifted right out of John Wesley: "The righteousness by which we are justified
is imputed; the righteousness by which we are sanctified is imparted. The first is our title
to heaven, the second is our fitness for heaven." (30) Not only the formal definition, but the
pervading spirit reflects Wesley. What could be more like John Wesley than the following?
"True sanctification is nothing more or less than to love God with all the heart. . . ." (3l) "To
love God supremely and our neighbor as ourselves is genuine sanctification." 32
Walter Marshall, the Puritan (The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification), lives again in this
definition of sanctification: "Obedience to the law is sanctification." (33) "Sanctification is the
doing of all the commandments of God."34
Here is another definition for young Bill Blogsmith, who gets overwhelmed with a lot of
theological jargon: " . . . sanctification consists in the cheerful performance of daily
duties. . . .(35) "Sanctification means the culture and training of every capability for the
Lord's service.(36) But lest one would get the idea that sanctification is being Martha-like
alone, the author also says, "Sanctification is habitual communion with God." 37
Then again, one can make a good case out of union with Christ or the reception of the
Holy Spirit as being the theme of Mrs. White's concept of the Christian life. Here she is a
quietist, telling us that the Christian life is a life of trust and restfulness. There she is a fullblooded activist, urging the reader to action, telling him that the Christian life is a fight, a
battle, a march, that he must steel every nerve and fiber in what promises to be "slow,
toilsome steps" toward perfection.(38) Now she is brimming with optimism about going on
toward perfectionno talk of failure, impossibility or defeat!(39) Set the mark highhigher

yetand never suggest that overcoming this sin, that sin, or any kind of sin is an
impossibility!(40) Next we are reminded of the inevitability of continual confession of sins
and mistakes. "Let us remember that we are struggling and falling, failing in speech and
action to represent Christ, falling and rising again, despairing and hoping." (41) "Are you in
Christ? Not if you do not acknowledge yourself erring, helpless, condemned sinners. 42
Contradictions? Paradoxes? That is for the reader to judge, but he who does not
recognize (or refuses to recognize) these factors in Mrs. White is like the man who comes
to the United States, takes a look around Los Angeles, and is satisfied that America boils
down to smog and freeways.
The fact is that the amount of material which Mrs. White has written on the Christian life
and its practice is vast. This reviewer has walked among the works of the Puritans. These
take to the subject of sanctification with a disciplined thoroughness which is well-nigh
overwhelming. But the length and breadth of Mrs. White's material makes the Puritans
look like a one-stringed instrumentalist trying to compete with an orchestra.
Leaving aside the more doctrinal, devotional and exhortatory material on sanctification, let
us consider just the extent of the material of a practical nature. Since sanctification
embraces the whole man, Mrs. White writes enough on the sanctification of the body to fill
several volumes. In the days when doctors were still bloodletting and performing crude
surgery with unwashed hands, she wrote entire books on hygiene. Before nutrition
became a modern science, she wrote whole volumes on diet and food. She wrote
extensively on the care of the sick, the duties of Christian physicians, the building and
operation of Christian medical institutions, the value of exercise, the effects of smoking,
tea and coffee, the dangers of excess sugar consumption, and cautions to vegetarians
against extremes. She wrote a book on the principles of Christian temperance and called
for extensive reforms among Christians in many such areas. What do all these things
about the physical man have to do with the matter of sanctification? Mrs. White claims
that the body has more to do with sanctification than many suppose. Many Christians treat
their bodies with shameful indifference. Not only do they lessen their effectiveness in
service for God and man, but their abuse of the laws of life constitutes a great hindrance
to soul sanctification.43
Sanctification of the whole man includes the mental faculties. So there are books on the
philosophy and principles of Christian education and the founding of schools, instruction
to Christian teachers and students, articles on the Christian home, child guidance, and the
advantages of country living. Then there are books on evangelism and welfare ministry,
counsels to ministers on church polity and organization. The Testimonies to the
Church alone number nine volumes. The greatest proportion of all this material is on what
is often called "practical godliness"how a Christian is privileged to live, what manner of
man he ought to be, what it means to make God first and last and best in everything.
Christian living (holiness)this was Mrs. White's forte. Whether he agrees with most of it
or little of it, one would be hard pressed not to concede that it is an astonishing
performance for an ordinary wife and mother who, owing to extremely poor health as a
girl, had no more than a third grade education.
What does all this have to do with understanding this author's theology? To begin with, it
illustrates how easy it is to take a plunge into a mere part of the forest and come out with
either an unbalanced or distorted picture of what the whole forest looks like. This hazard
faces both the critic and the follower of Mrs. White.

Any authority on Luther will warn you how easy it is to take a quick plunge into his works
and fish out some evidence that looks like antinomian-ism, quietism, mysticism, or
something else that does not really reflect his theology. Some critics have thought that
Luther's concept of sanctification is expressed in the two words he wrote to Melancthon:
"Sin bravely!" Even John Wesley remarked that there was no one who knew less about
sanctification than Luthera fantastic claim which makes us wonder, Is there anyone who
knew less about Luther's doctrine of sanctification than John Wesley? Likewise, it is not
difficult to take a plunge into the works of Mrs. White and come up with evidence that
looks like legalism, quietism, perfectionism, or maybe anything one is determined to find.
There are hazards facing the noncritical reader toowe mean the one who believes in the
genuineness of Mrs. White's charismatic gift. The danger of distorting such a voluminous
author is obvious enough, but we refer to something else. Mrs. White believed that people
should go to the Bible and derive a sound, well-balanced theology from the Word. She did
not believe that her work was to set out any systematic theology, to write biblical
commentary, or to engage in the more formal science of scriptural exegesis. Her writings
never pretend to be the source of all theological information or the definitive and final
statement on all theological questions.(44) But there has been a tendency on the part of
some to treat them as such.(45) The result is a theology which is neither biblical nor New
Testamental. Without a sound biblical theologyespecially a theology with justification by
faith at the centerpeople treat Mrs. White as if she had a wax nose.
Without such a sound biblical perspective, Mrs. White's admirers can easily run into
another hazard. Her material on Christian living is so vast, it so uncompromisingly
demands radical holiness in everything, that the devoted reader can become lost in a
program of sanctification and inward grace. The well-meaning pursuit of inward holiness
and victory-life piety can be put in the place of the righteousness of faith. Salvation by
character takes the place of salvation by grace.
If Mrs. White believed in the centrality of justification by faith, if she longed for the day
when the Adventist people would become the foremost exponents of grace, why did she
make holiness so prominent? In fact, why did she respond to legalism and lack of
appreciation for justification by faith by laying on the demand for holiness more than ever
holiness both practical and spiritual in every thought, word and action, holiness in every
area of a man's existence until he neatly folds his very grave clothes. (46) One may climb
the alpine heights of holiness, and still this voice cries, "Holier yet!" (47) until at last one
stands before the High and Holy One, before whose glory the seraphim veil their faces.
Behold now how much holiness is required of manholiness that is high as the Eternal!
That is the only holiness which will satisfy the law. When at last the Advent people
discover this, they will fall down and afflict their souls as did Yahweh's congregation on the
Day of Yom Kippur.(48) Then they will appreciate the glory and power of that message of
justification by faith which was spurned in 1888.
That is the tack which this most unusual author appears to take. That appears to be the
self-confessed purpose of her charismatic gift.

PerfectionismYes or No?
Some critics feel that Mrs. White is guilty of the heresy of perfectionism (i.e., Douty
in Another Look at Seventh-day Adventism). Others, like Hoekema (Four Major Cults), are

satisfied that she does not teach perfectionism.

It is not difficult to present a strong case to support the contention that Mrs. White teaches
that God requires His people to be perfectfully without sin. The statements which can be
used to support this contention are legion. On the other hand, neither is it difficult to
present ample evidence that she denied the possibility of any state of sinlessness here
and now. In fact, this was one of the points upon which she dissented from the American
holiness movement in the last century.
There is in the religious world a theory of sanctification which is false in itself and dangerous in its
influence. In many cases those who profess sanctification do not possess the genuine article. Their
sanctification consists in talk and will worship. Those who are really seeking to perfect Christian
character will never indulge the thought that they are sinless. Their lives may be irreproachable, they
may be living representatives of the truth which they have accepted; but the more they discipline
their minds to dwell upon the character of Christ, and the nearer they approach to His divine image,
the more clearly will they discern its spotless perfection, and the more deeply will they feel their own
defects.49
But delights short of he who is truly seeking for holiness of heart and life in the law of God, and
mourns only that he falls so far meeting its requirements. 50
So long as Satan reigns, we shall have self to subdue, besetting sins to overcome; so long as life
shall last, there will be no stopping place, no point which we can reach and say, I have fully attained.
Sanctification is the result of lifelong obedience.
None of the apostles and prophets ever claimed to be without sin. Men who have lived the nearest
to God, men who would sacrifice life itself rather than knowingly commit a wrong act, men whom
God has honored with divine light and power, have confessed the sinfulness of their nature. They
have put no confidence in the flesh, have claimed no righteousness of their own, but have trusted
wholly in the righteousness of Christ.
So will it be with all who behold Christ. The nearer we come to Jesus, and the more clearly we
discern the purity of His character, the more clearly shall we see the exceeding sinfulness of sin,
and the less shall we feel like exalting ourselves. There will be a continual, earnest, heartbreaking
confession of sin and humbling of the heart before Him. At every advance step in our Christian
experience our repentance will deepen.51
No deep-seated love for Jesus can dwell in the heart that does not realize its own sinfulness. 52

What then shall we make of these two diverse sides of Mrs. White? Three suggestions
have been offered:
1. One suggestion concludes that we have before us a clear case of self-contradiction.
This solution would be easier to believe if one view represented an earlier stage of the
writer, and the other view a more mature stage. But both sides are presented by the same
author side by side, deliberately and persistently.
2. Another suggestion explains the statements by taking the Arminian, or what is
classically called the neo-nomian, approach. This approach tries to strike a balance. (All
wise people are balanced, are they not?) The rationale goes something like this: God
requires perfection, but it is relative perfectionrelative to man's present (sinful)
capacities and capabilities. God's grace can give us the victory over all sin, but that is
relative toorelative to what we know and are able to do in our sinful state. In this effort to
obtain a balance, God's demand is qualified (made easier), and His promise is also
qualified (made lighter).(53) The gospel therefore creates a lower standard which man is
able to reach with the assisting grace of God. In order to justify his doctrine of perfection,

John Wesley adopted these premises. Did Mrs. White, who followed Wesley on some
points, follow him on his doctrine of perfection? The answer must be, Decidedly not!
Besides being openly critical of what she calls "Methodist sanctification," (54) certain of
Mrs. White's statements on perfection do not sound relative at allat least not in the neonomian sense:
The condition of eternal life is now just what it always has been,just what it was in Paradise before
the fall of our first parents,perfect obedience to the law of God, perfect righteousness. 55
What the law demanded of Adam and Eve in Eden, and what it demanded of Christ, the second
Adam, it demands of every human being.56
The Lord requires no less of the soul now, than He required of Adam in Paradise before he fell
perfect obedience, unblemished righteousness. The requirement of God under the covenant of
grace is just as broad as the requirement He made in Paradiseharmony with His law, which is
holy, and just, and good.57
The righteousness of God is absolute. characterizes all His works, all His laws. people be. 58
This righteousness As God is, so must His. Those who receive the seal of the living God and are
protected in the time of trouble must reflect the image of Jesus fully.59
Are we striving with all our power to attain to the stature of men and women in Christ? Are we
seeking for His fullness, ever pressing toward the mark set before usthe perfection of His
character? When the Lord's people reach this mark, they will be sealed in their foreheads. 60
God requires perfection of His children. His law is a transcript of His own character, and it is the
standard of all character. This infinite standard is presented to all that there may be no mistake in
regard to the kind of people whom God will have to comprise His kingdom. 61

3. The third solution simply recognizes that Mrs. White understood the old Reformed and
Lutheran concept of law and gospel. The gospel does not dilute the demand of the law;
neither does the law weaken the promise of the gospel. Law and gospel are not
harmonized by blending 50% law with 50% gospel any more than Christology is
harmonized by proposing that Christ was half divine and half human. The paradox of law
and gospel is preserved, not destroyed.
This means that the demand for holiness is unqualified by man's fallen condition. The law
is presented in its relentless, terrifying demand. There is no compromise with sin, no
excuse for falling short. There is no place to hide under the "two-bit humpy" of relative
perfection, and there is no sop at all for the wounded ego. Even to be sick (62) or to forget
is sin!(63) To fail to praise God constantly with the whole ardor of the being (64) or with any
less fervor than the sinless seraphim is sin. God requires exactly what His justice required
of sinless Adam and of Jesus Christ.
How then can we escape the charge, "Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting"?
We are to look to Christ. At infinite cost he has covenanted to be our representative in the heavenly
courts, our advocate before God.
Weighed in the balances, and found wanting. Man, weighed against God's holy law, is found
wanting. We are enlightened by the precepts of the law, but no man can by them be justified.
Weighed and found wanting is our inscription by nature. But Christ is our Mediator, and accepting
him as our Saviour, we may claim the promise, "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ."65
But that which God required of Adam in paradise before the fall, He requires in this age of the world

from those who would follow Him,perfect obedience to His law. But righteousness without a
blemish can be obtained only through the imputed righteousness of Christ. 66
Christ died for us, and receiving His perfection, we are entitled to heaven. 67

Faith does not say, "Christ will help me satisfy the claims of the law." Faith says:
By His perfect obedience He has satisfied the claims of the law, and my only hope is found in
looking to Him as my substitute and surety, who obeyed the law perfectly for me. By faith in His
merits I am free from the condemnation of the law. He clothes me with His righteousness which
answers all the demands of the law. I am complete in Him who brings in everlasting
righteousness.68
We are not to be anxious about what Christ and God think of us, but about what God thinks of
Christ, our Substitute.69

Law and Gospel in Sanctification

Justification does not mean that the believer can bid the law goodbye as if he were to
have no further dealings with it. If the law points to Christ, Christ points back to the law,
saying, "If ye love Me, keep My commandments."(70)The justified believer, being no longer
under the law's condemnation, nor under it as a covenant of works, has a new attitude
toward the law. He delights in it after the inward man, he wants to be perfect, but he
mourns because he falls so far short of it.(71) The law thus reminds him of how he must
continue to hide his lack of perfection in Christ. (72) Thus the believer always sees himself
a sinner and counts himself vile,(73) but God sees him as righteous and counts him
precious for the sake of Christ in whom he believes. (74) "In ourselves we are sinners; but
in Christ we are righteous"(75) simil justus et peccator, as Luther would say. To be thus
strong in the knowledge of the law is to be strong in the knowledge of grace. Weaken the
law, and you weaken grace. Forget the law, and you forget grace. How else can a people
become foremost exponents of grace except by being foremost in the chastening of law?
A further word needs to be said here lest the impression is left that the law represents only
the stern, harsh element of the divine government. That is not the picture given in the
literature under review. Mrs. White feels that when the law is presented as it should be, it
reveals the love of God.76 Every effort is made to present the law in the beauty of the
character of Christ. When the law is seen in Christ, the believer is charmed by the beauty
of holiness and longs for Godlikenessharmony with God. The law becomes his idea,
(77) and like David in Psalm 119, he rejoices in the will of God as one who finds great
spoil. " . . . [he] mourns only that he falls so far short of meeting its requirements." 78
Here is the paradox of joy and sorrow. "The deepest joy of heart comes from the deepest
humiliation."(79) Sanctification therefore means progress in two directions. "The closer you
come to Jesus, the more faulty you will appear in your own eyes; for your vision will be
clearer, and your imperfections will be seen in broad and distinct contrast to His perfect
nature."(80) "At every advance step in our Christian experience our repentance will
deepen."(81) "The more our sense of need drives us to Him [Christ] and to the word of
God, the more exalted views we shall have of His character, and the more fully we shall
reflect His image."82
Law and gospel, deep repentance and joyous faith, sinful and righteous, must always be

kept together in Christian existence. It is not a matter of leaving the law behind and going
on with the gospel. It is not a matter of exchanging repentance for faith. It is not a matter
of leaving the sense of our sinfulness and going on to be righteous. It is not a matter of
either/or, but of both/and.
This leads to another concept. Christian existence is not a matter of leaving justification
behind and going on to sanctificationany more than one can leave the law and go on to
the gospel, or leave repentance and go on to faith. Justification is not a filling station that
is passed but once, or a one-time event which is followed by sanctificationwith perhaps
an occasional looking back to justification. This theology will not allow that. Justification
and sanctification must be kept together. One blessing is the obverse side of the other.
Justification feeds sanctification, and sanctification must continually return to justification.
Both blessings are received by union with the living, personal Christ. This means that
justification as well as sanctification must be a dynamic, ongoing relationship with Christ.
Not that the blessing of justification is piecemeal (for at every point it is full and complete),
(83) but as the law keeps us continually repentant, Christ's intercession keeps us
continually justified.(84) There is no such thing as going beyond repentance, beyond the
need of forgiveness and justification. To reach up in faith for acceptance with God is not
one act in a lifetime. That no point in our experience can we dispense with the assistance
of that which enables us to make the first start." 85
When law and gospel, repentance and faith, sanctification and justification are thus kept
together (but not confused), we have a soteriological concept which is neither Calvinistic
nor Arminian. The Calvinistic concept of a once-and-for-all justification lends itself to the
doctrine of "once saved, always saved." The Arminian concept of forgiveness
(justification) without the imputation of Christ's active obedience leads to the idea that final
salvation will depend on sanctification.
The soteriology of Mrs. White does not take either position, but with Luther, it stands
between. On the one hand, it is always possible to fall from grace; but on the other hand,
the one who believes (present continuous) can never perish. (86) One cannot boast that he
is finally saved,(87) although he may rejoice in the full assurance that he is forgiven and
accepted.(88) The believer has no reason to presume he is "once in grace, always in
grace." "There is no such thing in the Word of God as . once in grace, always in
grace."(89) On the other hand, those in covenant relationship with God are not in grace
and out of grace at the point of every misdeed or mistake. "Even if we are overcome by
the enemy, we are not cast off, not forsaken and rejected of God." (90) "The character is
revealed, not by occasional good deeds and occasional misdeeds, but by the tendency of
the habitual words and acts."91
Neither life nor death, height nor depth, can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ
Jesus; not because we hold Him so firmly, but because He holds us so fast. If our salvation
depended on our own efforts, we could not be saved; but it depends on the One who is behind
all the promises. Our grasp on Him may seem feeble, but His love is that of an elder brother; so
long as we maintain our union with Him, no one can pluck us out of His hand. 92
Unless His followers choose to leave Him, He will hold them fast. 93

Conclusion

In this outline we are committed to a thorough and objective analysis of the structure of
Mrs. White's theology. We must come to grips with the nitty-gritty theological points. But in
doing this it is easy to lose or even obtain the wrong idea of the real spirit, soul and feeling
in this doctrine of sanctification. We refer again to our illustration of Beethoven. He would
prefer a few wrong notes to be struck rather than to have the whole spirit of his
composition misinterpreted. We have taken meticulous care to strike the notes as given
by our author, but we do not want to neglect the spirit of her writings. We have dissected
the arrangement and looked at the varied features. We have seen how paradoxes are
everywherelaw and gospel, mourning and rejoicing, pietism and quietism, full-blooded
activism and passive resting, practicality and spirituality, the sanctification of Martha and
the sanctification of Mary. There is also profound humility blended with unbounded,
irrepressible optimism. These writings continually oscillate between imperative and
indicative. They warn and comfort, sometimes in one breath. Let us pause and listen as
these elements are blended together.
Christ does not weigh character in scales of human judgment. He says, "I, if I be lifted up from
the earth, will draw all men unto me." Every soul who responds to this drawing will turn from
iniquity. Christ is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto Him. He who comes to Jesus
is setting his feet upon a ladder that reaches from earth to heaven. Teach it by pen, by voice,
that God is above the ladder; the bright rays of His glory are shining upon every round of the
ladder. He is looking graciously upon all who are climbing painfully upward, that He may send
them help, divine help, when the hand seems to be relaxing and the foot trembling. Yes, tell it,
tell it in words that will melt the heart, that not one who shall perseveringly climb the ladder will
fail of an entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; those
who believe in Christ shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them Out of His hand.
Tell the people in clear, hopeful language how they may escape the heritage of shame which is
our deserved portion. But for Christ's sake do not present before them ideas that will
discourage them, that will make the way to heaven seem very difficult. Keep all these
overstrained ideas to yourself.
While we must often impress the mind with the fact that the Christian life is a life of warfare,
that we must watch and pray and toil, that there is peril to the soul in relaxing the spiritual
vigilance for one moment, the completeness of the salvation proffered us from Jesus who loves
us and gave Himself that we should not perish but have everlasting life, is to be the theme.
Day by day we may walk with God, day by day following on to know the Lord, entering into the
holiest by the blood of Jesus, laying hold on the hope set before us. If we reach heaven it must
be by binding the soul to the Mediator, becoming partakers of the divine nature. Leaning on
Christ, your life being hid with Christ in God and led by His Spirit, you have the genuine faith. 94
The Lord is constantly at work to open the understanding, to quicken the perceptions, that man
may have a right sense of sin and of the far-reaching claims of God's law. The unconverted
man thinks of God as unloving, as severe, and even revengeful; His presence is thought to be
a constant restraint, His character an expression of "Thou shalt not." His service is regarded as
full of gloom and hard requirements. But when Jesus is seen upon the cross, as the gift of God
because He loved man, the eyes are opened to see things in a new light. God as revealed in
Christ is not a severe judge, an avenging tyrant, but a merciful and loving Father.
As we see Jesus dying upon the cross to save lost man, the heart echoes the words of John,
"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the
sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not." There is nothing
that more decidedly distinguishes the Christian from the worldly man than the estimate he has
of God.
Some workers in the cause of God have been too ready to hurl denunciations against the
sinner; the grace and love of the Father in giving His Son to die for the sinful race have been
put in the background. The teacher needs the grace of Christ upon his own soul, in order to
make known to the sinner what God really isa Father waiting with yearning love to receive

the returning prodigal, not hurling at him accusations in wrath, but preparing a festival of joy to
welcome his return.
O that we might all learn the way of the Lord in winning souls to Christ! We should learn and
teach the precious lessons in the light that shineth from the sacrifice upon the cross of Calvary.
There is but one way that leads from ruin, and continuously ascends, faith all the time reaching
beyond the darkness into the light, until it rests upon the throne of God. All who have learned
this lesson have accepted the light which has come to their understanding. To them this upward
way is not a dark, uncertain passage; it is not the way of finite minds, not a path cut out by
human device, a path in which toll is exacted from every traveler.
You cannot gain an entrance by penance nor by any works that you can do. No, God Himself
has the honor of providing a way, and it is so complete, so perfect, that man cannot, by any
works he may do, add to its perfection. It is broad enough to receive the greatest sinner if he
repents, and it is so narrow, so holy, lifted up so high, that sin cannot be admitted there. 95
Heaven, looking down, and seeing the delusions into which men were led, knew that a divine
Instructor must come to earth. Men in ignorance and moral darkness must have light, spiritual
light; for the world knew not God, and He must be revealed to their understanding. Truth looked
down from heaven and saw not the reflection of her image; for dense clouds of moral darkness
and gloom enveloped the world, and the Lord Jesus alone was able to roll back the clouds; for
He was the Light of the world. By His presence He could dissipate the gloomy shadow that
Satan had cast between man and God. Darkness covered the earth, and gross darkness the
people. Through the accumulated misrepresentations of the enemy, many were so deceived
that they worshiped a false god, clothed with the attributes of the satanic character.
The Teacher from heaven, no less a personage than the Son of God, came to earth to reveal
the character of the Father to men, that they might worship Him in spirit and in truth. Christ
revealed to men the fact that the strictest adherence to ceremony and form would not save
them; for the kingdom of God was spiritual in its nature. Christ came to the world to sow it with
truth. He held the keys to all the treasures of wisdom, and was able to open doors to science,
and to reveal undiscovered stores of knowledge, were it essential to salvation. He presented to
men that which was exactly contrary to the representations of the enemy in regard to the
character of God, and sought to impress upon men the paternal love of the Father, who "so
loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should
not perish but have everlasting life." He urged upon men the necessity of prayer, repentance,
confession, and the abandonment of sin. He taught them honesty, forbearance, mercy, and
compassion, enjoining upon them to love not only those who loved them, but those who hated
them, who treated them despitefully. In this He was revealing to them the character of the
Father, who is long-suffering, merciful, and gracious, slow to anger, and full of goodness and
truth. Those who accepted His teaching were under the guardian care of angels, who were
commissioned to strengthen, to enlighten, that the truth might renew and sanctify the soul.
Christ declares the mission He had in coming to the earth. He says in His last public prayer, "O
righteous Father, the world hath not known Thee: but I have known Thee, and these have
known that Thou hast sent Me. And I have declared unto them Thy name, and will declare it;
that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them." When Moses
asked the Lord to show him His glory, the Lord said, "I will make all My goodness pass before
thee." "And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful
and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands,
forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty. . . . And
Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped." When we are able
to comprehend the character of God as did Moses, we too shall make haste to bow in
adoration and praise. Jesus contemplated nothing less than "that the love wherewith Thou hast
loved Me" should be in the hearts of His children, that they might impart the knowledge of God
to others.
O what an assurance is this, that the love of God may abide in the hearts of all who believe in
Him! O what salvation is provided; for He is able to save unto the uttermost all that come unto
God by Him. In wonder we exclaim, How can these things be? But Jesus will be satisfied with
nothing less than this. Those who are partakers of His sufferings here, of His humiliation,
enduring for His name's sake, are to have the love of God bestowed upon them as it was upon

the Son. One who knows, has said, "The Father himself loveth you." One who has had an
experimental knowledge of the length, and breadth, and height, and depth of that love, has
declared unto us this amazing fact. This love is ours through faith in the Son of God, therefore a
connection with Christ means everything to us. We are to be one with Him as He is one with
the Father, and then we are beloved by the infinite God as members of the body of Christ, as
branches of the living Vine. We are to be attached to the parent stock, and to receive
nourishment from the Vine. Christ is our glorified Head, and the divine love flowing from the
heart of God, rests in Christ, and is communicated to those who have been united to Him. This
divine love entering the soul inspires it with gratitude, frees it from its spiritual feebleness, from
pride, vanity, and selfishness, and from all that would deform the Christian character.
Look, O look to Jesus and live! You cannot but be charmed with the matchless attractions of
the Son of God. Christ was God manifest in the flesh, the mystery hidden for ages, and in our
acceptance or rejection of the Saviour of the world are involved eternal interests.
To save the transgressor of God's law, Christ, the one equal with the Father, came to live
heaven before men, that they might learn to know what it is to have heaven in the heart. He
illustrated what man must be to be worthy of the precious boon of the life that measures with
the life of God.
The life of Christ was a life charged with a divine message of the love of God, and He longed
intensely to impart this love to others in rich measure. Compassion beamed from His
countenance, and His conduct was characterized by grace, humility, truth, and love. Every
member of His church militant must manifest the same qualities, if he would join the church
triumphant. The love of Christ is so broad, so full of glory, that in comparison to it, everything
that men esteem as great, dwindles into insignificance. When we obtain a view of it, we
exclaim, 0 the depth of the riches of the love that God bestowed upon men in the gift of His
only-begotten Son!
When we seek for appropriate language in which to describe the love of God, we find words too
tame, too weak, too far beneath the theme, and we lay down our pen and say, "No, it cannot be
described." We can only do as did the beloved disciple, and say, "Behold, what manner of love
the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God." In attempting
any description of this love, we feel that we are as infants lisping their first words. Silently we
may adore; for silence in this matter is the only eloquence. This love is past all language to
describe. It is the mystery of God in the flesh, God in Christ, and divinity in humanity. Christ
bowed down in unparalleled humility, that in His exaltation to the throne of God, He might also
exalt those who believe in Him, to a seat with Him upon His throne. All who look upon Jesus in
faith that the wounds and bruises that sin has made will be healed in Him, shall be made
whole.
The themes of redemption are momentous themes, and only those who are spiritually minded
can discern their depth and significance. It is our safety, our life, our joy, to dwell upon the truths
of the plan of salvation. Faith and prayer are necessary in order that we may behold the deep
things of God. Our minds are so bound about with narrow ideas, that we catch but limited views
of the experience it is our privilege to have. How little do we comprehend what is meant by the
prayer of the apostle, when he says, "That He would grant you, according to the riches of His
glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your
hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all
saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ,
which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto Him that
is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that
worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world
without end. Amen."96
God has commanded us, "Be ye holy; for I am holy;" and an inspired apostle declares that
without holiness "no man shall see the Lord." Holiness is agreement with God. By sin the image
of God in man has been marred and well-nigh obliterated; it is the work of the gospel to restore
that which has been lost; and we are to co-operate with the divine agency in this work. And how
can we come into harmony with God, how shall we receive His likeness, unless we obtain a
knowledge of Him? It is this knowledge that Christ came into the world to reveal unto us.

The meager views which so many have had of the exalted character and office of Christ have
narrowed their religious experience and have greatly hindered' their progress in the divine life.
Personal religion among us as a people is at a low ebb. There is much form, much machinery,
much tongue religion; but something deeper and more solid must be brought into our religious
experience. With all our facilities our publishing houses, our schools, our sanitariums, and
many, many other advantages, we ought to be far in advance of our present position. It is the
work of the Christian in this life to represent Christ to the world, in life and character unfolding
the blessed Jesus. If God has given us light, it is that we may reveal it to others. But in
comparison with the light we have received, and the opportunities and privileges granted us to
reach the hearts of the people, the results of our work thus far have been far too small. God
designs that the truth which He has brought to our understanding shall produce more fruit than
has yet been revealed. But when our minds are filled with gloom and sadness, dwelling upon
the darkness and evil around us, how can we represent Christ to the world? How can our
testimony have power to win souls? What we need is to know God and the power of His love,
as revealed in Christ, by an experimental knowledge. We must search the Scriptures diligently,
prayerfully; our understanding must be quickened by the Holy Spirit, and our hearts must be
uplifted to God in faith and hope and continual praise.
Through the merits of Christ, through His righteousness, which by faith is imputed unto us, we
are to attain to the perfection of Christian character. Our daily and hourly work is set forth in the
words of the apostle: "Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith." While doing this
our minds become clearer and our faith stronger, and our hope is confirmed; we are so
engrossed with the view of His purity and loveliness, and the sacrifice He has made to bring us
into agreement with God, that we have no disposition to speak of doubts and discouragements.
The manifestation of God's love, His mercy and His goodness, and the work of the Holy Spirit
upon the heart to enlighten and renew it, place us, through faith, in so close connection with
Christ that, having a clear conception of His character, we are able to discern the masterly
deceptions of Satan. Looking unto Jesus and trusting in His merits we appropriate the
blessings of light, of peace, of joy in the Holy Ghost. And in view of the great things which
Christ has done for us, we are ready to exclaim: "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath
bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God."
Brethren and sisters, it is by beholding that we become changed. By dwelling upon the love of
God and our Saviour, by contemplating the perfection of the divine character and claiming the
righteousness of Christ as ours by faith, we are to be transformed into the same image. Then
let us not gather together all the unpleasant picturesthe iniquities and corruptions and
disappointments, the evidences of Satan's powerto hang in the halls of our memory, to talk
over and mourn over until our souls are filled with discouragement. A discouraged soul is a
body of darkness, not only failing himself to receive the light of God, but shutting it away from
others. Satan loves to see the effect of the pictures of his triumphs, making human beings
faithless and disheartened.
There are, thank God, brighter and more cheering pictures which the Lord has presented to us.
Let us group together the blessed assurances of His love as precious treasures, that we may
look upon them continually. The Son of God leaving His Father's throne, clothing His divinity
with humanity, that He might rescue man from the power of Satan; His triumph in our behalf,
opening heaven to man, revealing to human vision the presence chamber where Deity unveils
His glory; the fallen race uplifted from the pit of ruin into which sin had plunged them, and
brought again into connection with the infinite God, and, having endured the divine test through
faith in our Redeemer, clothed in the righteousness of Christ and exalted to His thronethese
are the pictures with which God bids us gladden the chambers of the soul. And "while we look
not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen," we shall prove it true
that our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far mare exceeding and
eternal weight of glory."
In heaven God is all in all. There holiness reigns supreme; there is nothing to mar the perfect
harmony with God. If we are indeed journeying thither, the spirit of heaven will dwell in our
hearts here. But if we find no pleasure now in the contemplation of heavenly things; if we have
no interest in seeking the knowledge of God, no delight in beholding the character of Christ; if
holiness has no attractions for us--then we may be sure that our hope of heaven is vain.
Perfect conformity to the will of God is the high aim to be constantly before the Christian. He
will love to talk of God, of Jesus, of the home of bliss and purity which Christ has prepared for

them that love Him. The contemplation of these themes, when the soul feasts upon the blessed
assurances of God, the apostle represents as tasting "the powers of the world to come." 97

1 GC 469, 470; Ed 15, 16

2 7BC 908
3 GC 645; AA 560, 561
4 QD 646
5 1SM 374, 395; TM 378
6 TM 508
7 SC 70; 1SM 353
8 TM 240
9 1SM 381; 8T 65
10 1T 336
11 COL 100
12 CT 171; 2SM 38, 39, 43, 95, 100; GC 9
13 COL 112; 1SM 395; DA 762
14 SC 59, 60; 1SM 377
15 MYP 35
16 1SM 395
17 DA 641
18 RH May 24, 1892
19 1SM 398
20 DA 175, 672
21 6BC 1117
22 HP 127
23 7T 211
24 TM 177
25 DA 20-22
26 AA 560
27 7T 297; MYP 98; 3T 481; CG 116; 1SM 116; MM 131
28 9T 70
29 2T 46, 47; TM 394; 4T 345
30 MYP 35
31 ST May 19, 1890
32 ST Feb. 24, 1890
33 ST May 19, 1890
34 ST Mar. 24, 1890
35 COL 360
36 1SM 33
37 7BC 908
38 ST 500
39 DA 490
40 DA 311; GC 489
41 9T 222
42 ST 48
43 9T 156; CT 83; 2T 414
44 Lay Sister White right to one side; lay her to one side. Don't you ever quote my words again as long as
you live, until you can obey the Bible. When you take the Bible and make that your food, and your meat, and
your drink, and make that the elements of your character, when you can do that you will know better how to
receive some counsel from God. But here is the Word, the precious Word, exalted before you today And
don't you give a rap any more what 'Sister White said--Sister White said this, and Sister White said that, and
Sister White said the other thing.' But say, 'Thus saith the Lord God of Israel,' and then you do just what the
Lord God of Israel does, and what He says. "--Spalding-Magan Collection, p. 167.
"Now God wants every soul here to sharpen up. He wants every soul here to have His converting power.
You need not refer, not once, to Sister White; I don't ask you to do it. "--Ibid., p. 170.
"But don't you quote Sister White. I don't want you ever to quote Sister White until you get your vantage
ground where you know where you are. Quote the Bible. Talk the Bible. It is full of meat, full of fatness. Carry
it right out in your life, and you will know more Bible than you know now. You will have fresh matter; you will

have precious matter; you won't be going over and over the same ground, and you will see a world saved.
You will see souls for whom Christ has died. And I ask you to put on the armor, every piece of it, and be sure
that your feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel."--Ibid., p. 174.
45 Lutherans, Calvinists, Wesleyans and many others are often not much different in their attitude toward
the writings of their founders.
46 DA 789
47 7BC 908
48 4BC 1139, 1140 (Mrs. White believed that we are living in the eschatological day of atonement [Yom
Kippur]. In ancient Israel the congregation gathered about the sacred tent and afflicted their souls in
repentance [Lev. 16:29].)
49 SL 7
50 SL 81
51 AA 560, 561
52 SC 65
53 The comments by Berkhof (Systematic Theology) on this line of reasoning are very incisive. If man's
obligation is limited by his enfeebled state, he might very well reach a point where he has no obligation at
all.
54 1T 335 (The context indicates that the holiness doctrine of the "second blessing" is what is being referred
to.)
55 SC 62
56 RH Feb. 26, 1901
57 1SM 373
58 1SM 198
59 EW 71
60 6BC 1118
61 COL 315
62 CH 37
63 COL 359
64 4BC 1140
65 RH Mar. 8, 1906
66 RH Sept. 3, 1901
67 QD 684
68 1SM 396 (emphasis supplied)
69 2SM 32, 33
70 John 14:15
71 SL 81
72 DA 519
73 AA 561
74 OHC 53
75 1SM 394
76 1SM 384
77 1SM 235
78 SL 81
79 3T 459
80 SC 64
81 AA 561
82 SC 65
83 6BC 1071
84 7BC 933; 6BC 1078
85 TM 507
86 DA 429
87 1SM 314, 315
88 SD 240; 1SM 396
89 6BC 1114
90 SC 64
91 SC 58
92 AA 553
93 DA 483
94 1SM 181, 182
95 1SM 183, 184
96 FE 176-180
97 ST 743-745

The Theology of Ellen G. White

The Church
In general terms, Mrs. White's doctrine of the church follows very much along Reformed
lines. The various features and emphases of this doctrine receive their character from the
theology we have outlined.
This point should be duly noted. Truth is seen as a connected system"a complete
system of truth, connected harmonious,"(1) "a straight chain of Bible truth, clear and
connected,(2) "a chain of evangelical truth." (3) The doctrine of the church is part of that
chain. What we are saying is this: The doctrine of the church which we will now consider
is dictated by the doctrine which we have already reviewed.

The Church of the Old Testament

The church existed in Old Testament times.(4) (This agrees with the view of most
Reformed theologians, who often cite Acts 7:38 in its support.) "From the beginning,
faithful, souls have constituted the church on earth." (5) In this respect the church was
"invisible." But it also had a visible aspect. At Sinai Israel was "incorporated as a church
and a nation under the government of God. 6
The Jews came to think that they had a monopoly on God. Were not they alone the
children of Abraham? But Isaiah's "teaching was not in harmony with the theology of his
age."(7) He declared that God numbered non-Jews "among spiritual IsraelHis church on
earth."8
In Old Testament times, therefore, God had a physical Israel and a spiritual Israela
church visible and a church invisible. Although these two were inseparably related, they
were not identical.

The Church of the New Testament

The doctrine of the New Testament church also follows the general lines of Reformed
theology. The word church is applied to local churches (often congregations gathered in
houses), groups of churches (as in Galatia), the whole body of believers or their
representatives (as in the first general council, recorded in Acts 15), or finally to all the
faithful in heaven and earthincluding angels (as in Ephesians 1:22; 3:10, 2l). (9) The
church is variously seen as the body of Christ (as in 1 Corinthians 12) or, to change the
figure, the temple of God (as in Ephesians 2:20, 22 and 1 Peter 2:5) "The Jewish
tabernacle was a type of the Christian church. . . . This tabernacle is Christ's body," and is
composed of "all who believe in Him as a personal Saviour." (10) Christ is both the Builder
of the church and the Rock upon which it is founded. 11

The Church Invisible and Visible

Mrs. White follows the great Reformation concept of the invisible church. The words of
Melancthon are quoted approvingly: "There is no other church than the assembly of those
who have the word of God, and who are purified by it." (12) Zwingliis also cited: "In every
nation whosoever believes with all his heart in the Lord Jesus is accepted of God. Here,
truly, is the church, out of which no one can be saved." 13
As it was in ancient Israel, the church must also have a visible aspect. Believers in Christ
must associate together in Christian fellowship and work together for the advancement of
God's kingdom. In order to function correctly the church must have a form, a government,
an order and a discipline.14
The roll of the visible church and the Lamb's book of life are not necessarily identical.
There are many in the visible church who do not have their names in the book of life.
(15) No one can be saved outside the invisible church, (16)but there are unusual
circumstances where men may be saved outside the visible church.( 17) (Mrs. White
herself, as Ellen Harmon, was disfellowshipped from the Methodist Church on a point of
conscience in 1843.(18) Due to the element of human ambiguity, "false brethren will be
found in the church till the close of time." 19 No one should therefore expect a perfect
church, for such perfection "exists only in our imagination." 20

The Necessity of Church Order and Government

Ideas against formal organizationadvanced by the Quakers, Darby, and some of the
sectsare repudiated and declared to be contrary to gospel order.(21) In God's plan "there
is no such thing as every man being independent." (22) According to the directions of the
Bible, believers are to be subject one to another and strive to keep the unity in the bonds
of peace.(23) The church must have a duly appointed ministry, officers, and be organized
to own property and to conduct all necessary business. 24
The type of church government that Mrs. White advocates is a representative form which
is not greatly dissimilar to the Reformed system.(25) The general assembly of the church,
represented by its elected delegates, should have supreme authority in the church,
(26) while local churches and groups of churches should have autonomy subject to those
limitations necessary to preserve unity in overall polity.

The Ordinances of the Church

The ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper are two monumental pillars, one without and one
within the church.27

The correct mode of baptism is seen to be immersion (28) "in the name of the
Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.(29) Infant baptism finds no support in
the Word of God.30
There is an objective and subjective meaning to Christian baptism.
Objectively, it points to and commemorates the death, burial and resurrection
of Jesus Christ.(31) As such, it is baptism into His death.(32) On the other

hand, it also is a witness that the believer has died to the old life, renounced
the world and entered the service of Christ. (33) Being a "mutual pledge," a
covenant between God and the believer,(34) baptism is a sign which is
worthless apart from Christ.(35) "It is only by the power of Christ, working
through faith, that they [the ordinances] have efficacy to nourish the soul." 36
Mrs. White's view of the supper appears to be very similar to Calvin's. The
bread and the wine are "emblems of His [Christ's] great sacrifice." (37) This
"sacramental meal" is a commemoration of Christ's sacrifice and a pointing
forward to His second coming. But it is more than a memorial. Through the
Holy Spirit, Christ is especially present to set His seal to His own ordinance.
(38) It is a covenant meal in which Christ pledges to the believer "every
blessing that heaven could bestow for this life and the life to come." (39) The
words in John 6 about eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Christ apply
in a special sense to the Holy Communion.(40) No exclusiveness should be
practiced at the service except in the case of open sin. 41
The ordinance of footwashing is part of this service of covenantal renewal.
When the Lord washed the disciples feet, He was not merely enjoining
hospitality. "Christ was here instituting a religious service." 42
The Authority of the Church
God invests the organized church with authority. He directs the church to
exercise it and the members to submit to it. Whoever despises the authority
of the church despises the authority of Christ. (43) The church has the
responsibility to separate from its fellowship those whose apostasy from the
faith is manifested in open sin.(44) This action must not be taken against
"tares"those thought to be unregenerate, but who practice no open
rebellion.45
Yet there is a limit to church authority. Since only God's authority is absolute,
the Word of God stands above the authority of the visible church. (46) The
church is not given authority to legislate commandments which are binding
on the conscience.(47) Its decrees are not to be made articles of faith. "The
Bible, and the Bible only, is the religion of Protestants." (48) "The Bible, and
the Bible alone, is to be our creed."(49) If there is a conflict between the
claims of God and the claims of the visible church, the believer must obey
God rather than man.(50) Luther is quoted on this point: "But when eternal
interests are concerned, God wills not that man should submit unto man. For
such submission in spiritual matters is a real worship, and ought to be

rendered solely to the Creator."(51) That the church can never err is a notion
without support in Scripture.(52) The Word of God alone is infallible.53
The Church's Relation to Ancient Israel
Mrs. White believes in the concept of one church from the beginning of time.
(54) It has been composed of faithful souls (the people of God) found among
all nations and all denominations. This concept is in harmony with the
author's view of one "everlasting gospel."(55) The gospel that was first given
to Adam and Eve in the promise of Genesis 3:15 is the same gospel that was
given to Abraham, David, the prophets, apostles and Reformers. True, there
has been a gradual unfolding of the purposes of God in His holy gospel,
(56) but it is nevertheless the one holy gospel of God's Word In the same way,
the Word of God in Old and New Testaments is one Word. The New
Testament does not present another religion, another ethic, another gospel.
The New Testament is the Old Testament unfolded. (57) In the very nature of
this scheme of things, the church of the Old Testament and the church of the
New Testament constitute one church. Or to change the terminology, the
Israel of the Old Testament and the "Israel" of the New Testament constitute
one Israel"the Israel of God."(58)
This principle of harmony and unity runs through the author's entire theology.
There may be distinction and contrast, but nevertheless, unity and harmony.
Thus there is no such thing as leaving the religion of the Old Testament and
going on to the New, or leaving law and going on with gospel. There is no
such thing as leaving repentance and going on with faith, or leaving
justification and going on with sanctification. Old and New Testament, law
and gospel, repentance and faith, justification and sanctification, must be
kept together. In the same way, the Israel of the Old Testament and the
church of the New Testament must be kept together. Just as it is proper to
speak of the church of the Old Testament,(59) so it is proper to speak of the
Israel of the New Testament.
Those Jews who accepted their Messiah were the goodly remnant of Israel.
(60) And those Gentiles who accepted the gospel were brought into the fold to
be counted as the children of Abraham.(61) This whole body of Christian
believerscomposed of believing Jews and believing Gentilesbecame
inheritors "of all the covenant promises" given to Abraham, Isaac and Israel.
(62) The nation of Israel was God's visible church to whom was entrusted the
oracles of God (especially the law) and the care of His "vineyard." (63) But
according to the words of Jesus, national Israel proved unfaithful to the trust.
They had killed the prophets, and at last they killed God's Son. The sentence
must be pronounced, "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and

given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." (64) At the crucifixion of
Christ, when the leaders of the Jewish nation made their choice to reject the
King of Israel, they divorced themselves from the theocracy.(65) As natural
branches of God's olive tree, they were broken off. (66)
This means that the privileges and responsibilities that belonged to national
Israel were transferred to the Christian church. "That which God purposed to
do for the world through Israel, the chosen nation, He will finally accomplish
through His church. . . .(67) The real church, or Israel, did not change; it was
only the form, organization, the "visible" aspect of the one church, which
changed. It was placed under a new "administration." The church organized
by Christ and the apostles took the place of the Jewish nation as the
custodian of God's truth and the instrument of carrying forward the cause of
His one everlasting gospel.
This concept of Israel and the church is not new. It is really the view of
orthodox Protestantism, going back to the Reformers, Augustine, and to the
church Fathers.
God's Purpose for His Church
It naturally follows that God's plan for His people of all ages is one. In
principle, His purpose for ancient Israel was the same as His purpose for
modern Israel.
It was the privilege of the Jewish nation to represent the character of God as it had been revealed to
Moses. In answer to the prayer of Moses, "Show me Thy glory," the Lord promised, "I will make all
My goodness pass before thee." "And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord,
the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping
mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.". . . Through the Jewish nation it
was God's purpose to impart rich blessings to all peoples. Through Israel the way was to be
prepared for the diffusion of His light to the whole world. . . God desired to make of His people Israel
a praise and a glory.68

So it is with the church, God's "holy nation," today.(69) The church is the
depository of God's saving truth, the custodian of His holy law and gospel. Its
joyful privilege and solemn responsibility is to exemplify the truth and
character of Christ in its life in this world.
Christ has given to the church a sacred charge. Every member should be a channel through which
God can communicate to the world the treasures of His grace, the unsearchable riches of Christ.
There is nothing that the world needs so much as the manifestation through humanity of the
Saviour's love. All heaven is waiting for men and women through whom God can reveal the power of
Christianity.
The church is God's agency for the proclamation of truth, empowered by Him to do a special work;
and if she is loyal to Him, obedient to all His commandments, there will dwell within her the
excellency of divine grace. If she will be true to her allegiance, if she will honor the Lord God of
Israel, there is no power that can stand against her.(70)

. . . . the Lord has a people, a chosen people, His church, to be His own, His own fortress, which He
holds in a sin-stricken, revolted world; and He intended that no authority should be known in it, no
laws be acknowledged by it, but His own.(71)
Christ designs that heaven's order, heaven's plan of government, heaven's divine harmony, shall be
represented in His church on earth. Thus in His people He is glorified. Through them the Sun of
Righteousness will shine in undimmed luster to the world. Christ has given to His church ample
facilities, that He may receive a large revenue of glory from His redeemed, purchased possession.
He has bestowed upon His people capabilities and blessings that they may represent His own
sufficiency. The church, endowed with the righteousness of Christ, is His depositary, in which the
riches of His mercy , His grace, and His love, are to appear in full and final display.(72)
. . . .[God's people are] the depositaries of His holy law and [are] to vindicate His character before
the world. (73)
Christ hungers to receive from His vineyard the fruit of holiness and unselfishness. He looks for the
principles of love and goodness. Not all the beauty of art can bear comparison with the beauty of
temper and character to be revealed in those who are Christ's representatives. . . . . God desired
that the whole life of His people [ancient Israel] should be a life of praise. Thus His way was to be
made "known upon earth," His "saving health among all nations." So it should be now.(74)

1 Ev 222
2 3T 447
3 FE 385
4 PK 16; 1T 283
5 AA 11
6 PP 303
7 PK 367
8 PK 372
9 AA 91, 92, 161, 162, 197-200; 6T 366
10 7BC 931
11 DA 413; Matt. 16:18
12 4SP 237
13 GC 181
14 ST 461; 1T 649; TM 228, 489
15 4BC 1166; COL 304
16 GC 181
17 1T215; DA 638
18 LS 52, 53
19 COL 73 (cf. TM 47)
20 RH Aug. 8, 1893
21 1T 414, 432, 433; 2SM 68
22 TM 489
23 TM 491
24 TM 26
25 ST 107
26 9T 260, 261
27 6T 91
28 LS 25
29 Ev 307 (cf.6T 91)
30 GC 238
31 5BC 1113; EW 217; DA 149; 4T 41
32 DA 148
33 Ev 315; 6T 98
34 6BC 1074, 1075
35 6T 91; DA 181
36 DA 149
37 DA 660

38 DA 656
39 DA 659
40 DA 661
41 DA 656 (1 Cor. 5:11 cited)
42 DA 650
43 ST 107, 108; AA 122, 162-164
44 DA 440-442; 3T 428; ST 617
45 COL 71, 72
46 GC 605; AA 69
47 DA 826; DA 550
48 GC 448
49 1SM 416
50 AA 69; TM 69, 70
51 GC 167
52 GC 57
53 TM 105; lSM 416
54 AA 11; lT 283
55 Rev. 14:7
56 PP 373
57 6T 392; AA 247
58 1T 283; PK 15-22
59 Acts 7:38
60 PK 22
61 Gal. 3:29
62 PP 476; PK 22
63 Is. 5:1-7; PK 17; COL 285-287
64 Matt. 21:43
65 DA 737, 738; COL 294
66 DA 620; Rom. 11:14-24
67 PK 713
68 COL 285-288
69 1 Pet. 2:9
70 AA 600
71 TM 16
72 DA 680
73 5T 746
74 COL 298, 299

The Theology of Ellen G. White

Last Things
We come now to the task of sketching Mrs. White's doctrine of eschatology (the last things). Thus
far we have
covered epistemology (Bible), theology (God), anthropology (man), Christology (Christ), soteri
ology(salvation) and ecclesiology (church). If the reader has some knowledge of historical
theology, he may have been surprised to find how well Mrs. White's doctrine on those points falls
within the mainstream of conservative Christianityespecially how closely it follows the old-time
Protestantism of Luther, Calvin and Wesley. If we have touched on any heterodox aspects so far,
they are on relatively minor points. We must remember that even the great Reformers could not
agree on everything.

There are, however, real problem areas in Mrs. White's doctrine as far as most evangelical
Christians are concerned. It is significant that all these theological bugbears arise in the area of
eschatology and exist because of Mrs. White's concept of the last things. If we had ended this
outline with the preceding chapter, many would have been left asking, "Where are all the heterodox
doctrines?" The answer is that they are all in the last chaptereschatology.
Mrs. White's concept of eschatology gives rise to a whole cluster of heterodox positions, such as
the investigative judgment, the intermediate state, the Sabbath, the Babylon/remnant concept,
the mark of the beast, thepunishment of the wicked, and even that strange looking, apendicular
idea of Satan's being the scapegoat.
Our task is neither to defend nor to refute any point. Before we can intelligently reflect on this
system of theology, we must first understand what it is. To do this we must first outline it accurately,
pointing out where it is either orthodox or heterodox, and being careful for the sake of truth and
charity not to distort the author's theology, but to present it (as we would like our own to be
presented) in its truest and most defensible light. Moreover, need we point out that if anyone is not
willing to go to the trouble of accurately understanding the author's positions, neither should he
want to go to the trouble of criticizing them.

Understanding the Development of Eschatology

We believe that Dr. Pentecost (The Shape of Things to Come) is right when he points out that a
detailed study on eschatology and the growth of a cohesive system of eschatology are very late
developments in the history of theology. Before the nineteenth century most Christians could have
written all they knew about the last things on the back of a postage stamp. Until recently
eschatology was not where the action was. (1)
In the first five centuries much of the action was in the area of developing a mature Christology. But
by the time of Chalcedon the issues had been pretty well settled. There was now such a thing as an
orthodox Christology. About the same time, the Pelagian controversy was forcing the church to a
more mature understanding of sin (hamartiology).
For many centuries the church had no teaching which clearly spelled out the doctrine of atonement.
why did Christ really have to die? what is the meaning of ransom, etc.? Anselm led the way in
setting out a systematic doctrine of the atonement, and the Reformers rounded it out.
Until the sixteenth century the church did not have any maturely stated system of soteriology. It
cannot be found in the Fathers. It cannot be found in Augustine. That system was hammered out in
the Reformation period. Today the basic distinction and relationship between justification and
sanctification is often taken for granted. We are able to think in systematic categories that were
undeveloped before the Reformation. It should be remembered that the edifice of truth has been in
construction over the ages as God has moved upon human agents to be builders in His temple. We
all build on the foundations of many generations, entering into the benefits of other men's labors.
He who ignores these things is either colossally ignorant or down-right egotistical. Hoekema (Four
Major Cults) is dead right when he castigates the sects for their arrogant notion that they can ignore
all this church history and act as if practically no one had the gospel after the passing of the
apostlesat least not until they themselves came along with their new-fangled "gospels." All such
deny the reality of Christ's pledge that His Spirit would be with the church and would lead her
throughout the whole span of time.
Returning to our illustration of the temple: We have seen the planks going into its constructionthe
doctrines of the Trinity, the deity of Christ, His two natures, the substitutionary atonement, penal

satisfaction, justification by a righteousness outside of man, and sanctification by the Spirit. But the
structure still needs a roof; our theological heritage needs a final chapter. That roof, that final
chapter, is eschatology.
Before the nineteenth century, eschatology was very embryonicjust as Christology in the time of
the early church fathers or soteriology before the Reformation was embryonic. Heretofore the
church had gotten along without a developed eschatology. The time came, however, when many
began to reflect on the last things as never before. They felt that the church's heritage in this area
was inadequate, and they saw the need to forge ahead and plow some new ground.
In the resulting eschatological (Advent) ferment of the early 1800's, two movements began to take
shape. The amount of study given to the great lines of Bible prophecy was amazing. Of course,
there were the inevitable fanatics and wild-eyed enthusiasts who clambered aboard the agitation.
There was also immaturity, even some misdirected zeal in the expectation of the arrival of the end
time. Yet we should not be too ready to fault some of these pathfinding eschatologists.
The average evangelical who thinks he gets his scheme of eschatology from his own study of the
Bible is just as naive as the Christian who imagines he obtains his nicely stated view of Christ's two
natures directly from his own biblical research. To confirm a system by private study and to actually
dig it out are two vastly different matters. If we are going to understand what modern eschatology is
all about, we will need to know something about its origins. Too many evangelicals act like
Australians who do not like to ask too many questions about their family treefor Australia was
founded by English convicts sent out to serve time among the Aborigines.
One of these two great eschatological ferments took place in England. There were flaming
preachers like Irving (a good man, but mistaken on some points), and indefatigable students like
Darby, Newton and Tregellesall diligently working to hammer out a system of eschatology. There
were fights and a lot of religious rough and tumbleincluding quite a few casualties in the battle
but out of it all an eschatological system took shape.
On the other side of the Atlantic, New England felt the first stirrings of an Advent awakening. William
Miller, a Baptist farmer from upstate New York, began to create a stir with his charts, time
prophecies, and appeals to get ready to meet the Lord. It was not long before he had 300
clergymen backing him. While prophetic conferences such as Powercourt were in full swing in
England, these Americans called their own prophetic conferences. Chronology, history, biblical
symbolsall came in for a tremendous amount of investigation. That there was immaturity is selfevident. So is the fact that, with some, enthusiasm got out of hand. There were fierce tussles,
disappointments and many casualties; but just as surely as in England, an eschatological system
was beginning to take shape.
Out of these two fermentsone in Europe and the other in Americatwo eschatological systems
finally developed. It can be safely said that within the whole Christian movement (that is, among
those who accept the fundamental verities, such as the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the blood
atonement, justification and sanctification, etc.), there are only two developed eschatological
systems.
These two eschatological movements had a number of things in common. (To realize this might
help some remember that it is not always safe to poke fun at the other fellow's ancestors!)
1. Both movementsBritish and Americanwere second advent oriented.

2. Both were premillenniala reaction against the sterile postmillennialism of the day.
3. Both movements were rather anti-establishment, and
4. Both were separatist ("Come out of her," etc.).
5. Both movements were doing some date setting for the end of the world, and
6. Both delivered the message "Behold the Bridegroom cometh" with all its apocalyptic overtones.
7. Both witnessed some charismatic activity, and
8. Both saw conflict over whether to accept a revival of "spiritual gifts" in the last days.
It took a number of years for the outlines of an eschatological system to develop in either
movement. Before we compare the main points in these systems, one other interesting fact needs
to be noted. The American Advent movement (which finally spawned the Seventh-day Adventists)
was largely discredited in America. Therefore it grew up (much like Pentecostalism) outside the fold
of the churches considered "evangelical." But the eschatology of the British movement, known
generally as "premillennialism" or "dispensational premillennialism," made its way to America and
has today practically taken over the entire church. A few Lutherans and Reformed are content to sit
on the sidelines, but they have not been able to make any dent in this eschatological scene simply
because they cannot get their heads out of Luther and Calvin long enough to make any real
contribution to eschatology.
However much the dispensational evangelicals and the Seventh-day Adventists may square off
against each other, there are some striking parallels in their respective systems of eschatology. Let
us compare them by working backwards from the last judgment.
1. Both believe that the new earth will be the eternal home of the saved.
2. Both believe in a second resurrection of the wicked and a final judgment at the end of the
millennium.
3. Both believe in a real thousand year millennium.
4. Both believe in the literal second advent of Jesus to the earth prior to the beginning of the
millennium.
5. Both believe that the second advent of Christ will be preceded by a short period of catastrophic
stress and persecution.
6. Both believe that there will be some sort of separation of the righteous and wicked just before
this great trouble.
7. Both believe that the judgment of (for) the church will take place before God's throne prior to the
second advent.
Interesting? Some of our readers may even say, "Hey, why don't the premillennial evangelicals and
the Adventists get together instead of opposing each other's eschatology?"

Now let us look at the differences in these eschatological schemes:

Dispensationalist Scheme(2)

Adventist Scheme

Final Disposition of the Wicked

Final Disposition of the Wicked

God's plan means that after the final judgment the

righteous will live on this earth in everlasting bliss,
while God will torment the wicked in hell fire
forever.

God's plan provides for the total eradication of sin

and sinners from God's universe. After appropriate
punishment sinners will be no more. Eternal
punishment means eternal exclusion from the
privilege of life.

Millennium

Millennium

The millennium will be on this earth while it is in a

flourishing state.

The millennium will be in heaven while this earth

lies desolate.

Christ and the Jews will reign over the nations.

Christ and His saints will judge the world and fallen
angels.

Men will still be living on earth in their mortal state.

The immortal saints will reign with Christ in heaven.
There will be a second chance given to sinners
after the coming of Christ.

There will be no further opportunity for salvation

after Jesus comes.

Second Advent

Second Advent

At Christ's second coming He will bring His

raptured saints back to this earth.

At Christ's second coining He will take all His saints

out of this world by resurrecting the righteous dead
and translating the righteous living.

Tribulation Period

Tribulation Period

Antichrist will make war on the Jews in the coming Antichrist will make war on the church in the coming
"time of trouble."
"tribulation."
The church will not be on earth but in heaven
during the great persecution by antichrist. Thus it
will be miraculously preserved from the fires of
persecution.

The church will be on earth and will be the object of

antichrist's assault during the time of trouble. But it
will be miraculously preserved in the fires of
persecution.

A total separation of saints from the wicked will take A mark of deliverance, or seal, will be placed on the
foreheads of the saints before the "time of Jacob's
place before the great tribulation by means of
trouble." This is a spiritual separation from the
physical removal from the earth.
wicked.

Pre-Advent Judgment

Pre-Advent Judgment

Before the second coming of Christ the church,

Before the second coming of Christ the church,
both dead and living, will be taken up to heaven both dead and living, will be judged at God's throne.
bodily to be judged in person at the throne of God. The saints will be there only in the Person of their
Representative, Jesus Christ.
The saints therefore will put on their sinless
immortal state and then be judged.
The saints will be judged, and after that, at Christ's
appearance, they will put on their sinless immortal
state.

Each of these schemes of eschatology is built on certain basic theological, soteriological and
ecclesiological premises. These differing premises lead to the differing schemes.

Premises of Dispensationalist
Scheme(3)

Premises of Adventist Scheme

Once in grace, always in grace.

In grace only "if you continue in the faith." The

necessity of perseverance.

Law and grace both have their function from the

beginning
to the end of time. Law and grace are in
The age of law has been superseded by the age of
harmony.
grace. Law is set off against grace.

Still saved if not sanctified.

The age of the Jew has been superseded by the
age of the church.
Prophetic focus is on the Jew in Palestine and
rebuilding the temple on Mt. Zion, together with
animal sacrifices.
Prophetic scheme is built on the Futurist school of
interpretation.

No salvation unless sanctified.

The church is now "the Israel of God." God's people
are one body. Christ means no distinction between
Jew and Gentile.
Prophetic focus is on Jerusalem above and
restoring worship in the temple of heavenly Zion
through faith in the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus
Christ.
Prophetic scheme is based on the historical, or the
old Protestant, school of interpretation.

If we are going to understand the development of these eschatological schemes, we must

understand the theological and soteriological premises upon which they are founded. Each scheme
is more or less consistent within its own framework. In both, the understanding of the evangel is
inseparably tied to the prophetic. There are some, of course, who will accept dispensational or
Adventist eschatology without accepting the theological premises upon which it is based. That is
possible if they keep their eschatology separate from their understanding of the gospel. But neither
a good dispensationalist nor a good Adventist will do that. Eschatology is an extension of one's
understanding of the plan of salvation. It is the roof that goes on a theological structure, and its
shape is determined by that theological structure.

Adventist Eschatology
With this background sketch, let us return specifically to our task of understanding the eschatology
of Mrs. White. She did not hammer out the Adventist scheme of eschatology. Many participated in
that, and not all were Seventh-day Adventists by any means. In fact, the American Adventists, being
historicists, built on the foundations of many generationsboth evangelically and prophetically. For

instance, they built on the basic Protestant approach to the law/gospel relationship. They built on
the old view that the Christian church was the new Israel of God. They built upon the old Protestant
school of prophetic interpretation, retaining such views as the papal antichrist and the year/day
principle. Rightly or wrongly, they carried through with premises held for centuries. (4) When it came
to fundamental premises, it was their English counterparts who were the great innovators.
Although Mrs. White did not try to write a systematic theology, she did believe in the necessity of
having a "system of truth, connected and harmonious." (5) Therefore she saw eschatology as the
logical extension of her understanding of the gospel. To miss this point is to utterly fail to understand
Mrs. White.

The Three Angel's Messages

The truths which must be given to the world in these last days are represented by the messages of
the three angels of Revelation 14.(6) These angels represent the people of God who bear earth's
last warning message.7
The angel who begins this eschatological proclamation has "the everlasting gospel." (8) This is not a
newfangled gospel, but the gospel given to Adam at the gate of Eden. (9) It was proclaimed by
Abraham, David, Isaiah, Jesus, Paul, Luther, Calvin and Wesley. God's people are those who stand
by the old paths and build on the foundations of many generations. Their gospel proclamation is not
an invention but a retention, not an innovation but a restoration. (10) They must be like Elijah, whose
mission was to restore Israel's worship from pagan corruption. 11
This everlasting gospel is justification by faith, which was clearly taught by Martin Luther.
(12) Justification by faith is earth's last warning message in verity.(13) This is what the angel, or
messenger, must bear.(14)
Those who have this everlasting gospel, or justification by faith, are represented as giving a
threefold message with distinct utterance(13) ("a loud voice"(16).
(1) They announce that "the hour of His judgment is come" and call upon men to
"worship Him that made heaven and earth."
(2) They announce the fall of Babylon.
(3) They warn men against the mark of the beast and point out that the saints are those
who "keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."(17)
Having delivered this message, the messengers prepare a people for the coming of Jesus Christ.
(18)
That is the nitty-gritty of this scheme of eschatology. It is not presented as a matter of idle interest in
things to come, but as a life and death matter(19) concerning things which have come and are
about to come.
But what do these announcements of things like judgment, worshiping God, Babylon's fall, and the
mark of the beast have to do with the everlasting gospel? They are viewed as being the
eschatological consequences of the gospel. These solemn announcements are the last day
implications of justification by faith. (20)

Mrs. White was pained to remark that many in the Advent movement do not understand the three
angels' messages. Some who even preach the message (21) do not understand that "justification
by faith . . . is the third angel's message in verity." (22) They cannot give the message with distinct
utterance because "the loud cry of the third angel" begins "in the revelation of the righteousness of
Christ, the sin-pardoning Redeemer. " (23) It is as if a man would announce the ethical implications
of Christianity without giving the gospel of Christianity. So those who fail to grasp justification by
faith cannot really give the third angel's message, but have "preached the law until [they] are as dry
as the hills of Gilboa." (24)
These distinctive tenets of the Adventist message are called "testing truths." (25) The Sabbath, for
instance, is called a "test question," "the test," "a testing truth." (26) Dr. Hoekema (Four Major Cults)
has failed to understand Mrs. White on this point. He says that she hereby means that salvation is
basically decided by a man's relation to a certain day of worship. We share Dr. Hoekema's concern
for having salvation determined by relation to Christ by faith. But he has missed Mrs. White's point.
Man is saved only by believing the everlasting gospel. Salvation is by grace, on the basis of Christ's
righteousness. (27) But God sends tests to prove whether or not men believe in the gospel. (28)
Abraham, for instance, was tested by the command to offer up Isaac. This did not make him
justified, but proved him justified. The genuineness of his faith was tested. (29) The majority of
Gideon's army were sent home, not because they failed to lap the water in their hands, but simply
because the way they lapped the water proved whether their hearts were in the cause. (30) So it is
with Mrs. White's view of the "testing truths" of the three angels. Being the
eschatological implications of justification by faith, they are given to prove whether we
really believe in justification by faith. (31)

The First Angel's Message

"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that
dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice,
Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made
heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." (32)

All Christians believe in some type of eschatological judgment. What is more, it is clear from the
New Testament that the preaching of judgment was bound up with preaching the gospel. Paul
reasoned of "judgment to come." (33) Mrs. White and the Adventists reason that "the hour of His
judgment is come," (34) and believe that it is their bounden duty to declare it.

The Pre-advent Judgment

Evangelical scholars like Martin, Hoekema, Douty, Bird and others find the Adventist doctrine of the
"investigative judgment" more objectionable than the Sabbath, the intermediate state or anything
else. Our purpose here is neither to defend nor refute, but to understand. In the interests of truth it
must be said that some of these men have done an inadequate job of understanding that which is,
after all, the only teaching of Adventism which is truly unique.(35) Consequently, their criticism has
not been sharp. There is no substitute for hitting the nail right on the head. How can we do that
unless we see exactly where the head is?
Adventists believe two things about this judgment:
1. It is seen as a special session of the judgment, involving the church of all ages. This
position is not altogether unique. All the premillennialists believe that the church will be
judged in a different session than the wicked. And many other theologiansLutheran as

well as Reformedhave reasoned that the judgment of the saints will proceed
somewhat differently than the judgment of those outside of Christ.
2. It is seen as a pre-advent judgment. Most premillennialists take the position that there
is some form of pre-advent judgment. Most say that the church is taken to heaven in
secret rapture and judged before the great white throne. To the old school of
amillennialism, however, the idea of a pre-advent judgment is quite novel.
Let us now examine the rationale behind Mrs. White's view of a pre-advent judgment. It is not within
our scope to cite all the scriptures and prophetic interpretations offered as proof, but we can lay out
the position and the basic rationale behind it. The reasoning behind the concept of a pre-advent
judgment is on four frontsprophetic, logical, typological and soteriological.

The Prophetic. Adventism is buttressed by extensive prophetic arguments.(36) The Adventist

evangelist often begins his public mission with the lines of prophecy in the book of Daniel. Mrs.
White did not hammer out the Adventist understanding of these prophetic outlines, but she
subscribed to it.(37) Daniel 2, Daniel 7, and Daniel 8 and 9 are basic. Four world empires span the
history of the world from 600 B.C. to the endBabylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. Daniel 7
fills in the picture that was outlined in Daniel 2. The four kingdoms are followed by the great reign of
the little horn (the papal antichrist), then by a description of the judgment scene, when Christ
receives His kingdom from the Father, after which the kingdom is given to the saints. The old school
Protestant commentators follow this basic outline. But the Adventist expositor draws particular
attention to the order at the climax. Following the papal reign of 1260 days (or 1260 years
according to the year/day principle, reaching from A.D. 538 to A.D. 1798), the judgment session is
seen to convene before the Ancient of Days. After the judgment the antichrist is destroyed (the
advent).
Another date is given for the commencement of the judgment hour. By comparing Daniel 7 with
Daniel 8 and 9, and using the old Protestant principle of a day for a year, the date 1844 is
established. What makes this calculation sure in the Adventist view is the exact way the first portion
of the prophecythe 70 weekswas fulfilled:

The time of the first advent and of some of the chief events clustering about the Saviour's lifework
was made known by the angel Gabriel to Daniel. "Seventy weeks," said the angel, "are determined
upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and
to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the
vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy." A day in prophecy stands for a year. See

Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6. The seventy weeks, or four hundred and ninety days, represent four
hundred and ninety years. A starting point for this period is given: "Know therefore and understand,
that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto Messiah the
Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks," sixty-nine weeks, or four hundred
and eighty-three years. The commandment to restore and build Jerusalem, as completed by the
decree of Artaxerxes Longimanus, went into effect in the autumn of 457 B.C. See Ezra 6:14; 7:1, 9.
From this time four hundred and eighty-three years extend to the autumn of A.D. 27. According to
the prophecy, this period was to reach to the Messiah, the Anointed One. In A.D. 27, Jesus at His
baptism received the anointing of the Holy Spirit and soon afterward began His ministry. Then the
message was proclaimed, "The time is fulfilled."
Then, said the angel, "He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week [seven years]." For
seven years after the Saviour entered on His ministry, the gospel was to be preached especially to
the Jews; for three and a half years by Christ Himself, and afterward by the apostles. "In the midst
of the week He shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease." In the spring of A.D. 31, Christ,
the true Sacrifice, was offered on Calvary. Then the veil of the temple was rent in twain, showing
that the sacredness and significance of the sacrificial service had departed. The time had come for
the earthly sacrifice and oblation to cease.
The one weekseven yearsended in A.D. 34. Then by the stoning of Stephen the Jews finally
sealed their rejection of the gospel; the disciples who were scattered abroad by persecution "went
everywhere preaching the word;" and shortly after, Saul the persecutor was converted and became
Paul the apostle to the Gentiles.(38)

Since the 70 weeks are "cut off"(39) from the 2300 days, the period must end in 1844.
Revelation 14 shows that the messenger who bears the everlasting gospel just prior to the return of
Christ in glory, will announce to the world, "The hour of His judgment is come."(40)

The Logical. It is considered unthinkable that either the wicked or righteous dead should enter
their reward at death and then be judged after that at the end of the world. Judgment must
necessarily precede reward.(41) When "Christ will come, . . . His reward will be with Him."(42) This
indicates a prior, everlasting verdict.
When Christ comes, He will raise the righteous dead and translate from this earth the righteous
living.(43) (The wicked dead will not be resurrected until a thousand years later.(44) Prior to His
coming, the final judgment must determine who will be raised in the first resurrection and who from
among the living will be translated.(45) It is not necessary to consider those outside the "house of
God," for they have not even presented themselves as candidates for immortality.(46) But the
guests at the marriage (a king's reception of his kingdom is called a marriage according to Oriental
custom)(47) must be examined, and those without a "wedding garment" of Christ's righteousness
must be cast out.(48) This wedding, or Christ's reception of His kingdom (as in Daniel 7:13,l4),(49)
takes place at the end of the gospel age after the gospel invitation has gone out to the highways

and hedges of the world. According to the words of Jesus, when He, as the nobleman, goes into a
far country and receives His kingdom, then He will return to reward the faithful servants and to
punish the unfaithful servants.(50)
Underlying this line of reasoning is the rationale that judgment must precede reward. Why would
God consign a man to the bliss of heaven or the fires of hell at death, and then judge him, maybe
centuries later? In reply to this some argue, "Don't Adventists know that the Lord knows those who
are His? He doesn't need an investigation to find outcertainly not one that takes a period of time."
And the Calvinist will add, "He knew them from eternity." But this observation fails to penetrate the
Adventists' rationale. They too believe that God needs no investigation to sort His people out. They
would even agree that from eternity He knew who would be saved and who would be lost. But they
insist that God has an order in His plan of salvationan order that is demonstrably just and which
can be appreciated by all intelligent creatures. Just as the Westminster Confession insists that even
those elected from eternity must be brought to faith before actual justification, and just as all
evangelicals will insist on some ordo salutis, so the Adventist scheme insists on an eschatological
order. The critic therefore needs to direct his criticism to the order, and not fall into the trap of saying
that since God knows everything, He does not need any order. If God is particular about correct
judicial order at the beginning of the soteriological process, why should He not be just as particular
at the end?

The Typological. The types and ceremonies of the Jewish economy are also appealed to by
Mrs. White to support the idea of a pre-advent judgment. The line of reasoning is as follows:
1. The judgment session brought to view in Daniel 7 takes place before the throne of
God, which is in God's temple, or sanctuary, in heaven.(51) Here Christ appears as the
great High Priest and Advocate of His people.(52)
2. Christ's great acts of intercession in heaven are prefigured by the services of the
Hebrew tabernacle.(53) How then is the final judgment of God's people prefigured in that
earthly ritual?
3. The symbolic ritual had a daily and a yearly service. In the daily service the priest went
into the first apartment with blood and incense in what was a continual service of
intercession and mediation. This typified one great phase of Christ's work in heaven
that of continual intercession on behalf of His people.
4. The Jewish round of ceremonies climaxed in a yearly service in which the high priest,
on the tenth day of the seventh month, entered the most holy apartment of the
tabernacle with blood and incense. This brought the ritual to a grand climax, for on this
day the sanctuary, the altar and the people were regarded as "cleansed." This was the
most solemn day of the year. All were required to afflict their souls at the tabernacle. The
unrepentant were "cut off" from Israel, and the faithful were numbered among Jehovah's
people. The people waited anxiously for the high priest to come out and bless them. In
short, it was a judgment day for Israel. No sinners remained in the congregation of
Yahweh. These were "cut off," and the righteous alone remained to face the new civil
year.(54)
5. It is argued that Christ will end His great work of intercession in the sanctuary, or
temple, in heaven in the same manner. There will be a work of judgment for the Israel of
God just before the High Priest returns a second time to bring salvation to those who
eagerly wait for Him.(55) As the high priest of old went in to represent Israel on Yom
Kippur, so Christ, as in Daniel 7:13, 14, will come to the Ancient of Days to represent His

people, or, as in Daniel 8:14) He will come to "cleanse" the sanctuary. Thus the
messenger who has the everlasting gospel is commissioned to announce to all the
world, "Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come."(56) The
man without a "wedding garment" will be "cut off"have his name blotted out of the book
of life.(57) Only those who keep their garments(58) will be accounted worthy of the
kingdom and ready to begin the new immortal "year" when the High Priest returns from
His temple. (59)
That is a brief sketch of Mrs. White's typological picture. Whatever the critic may think of this
typology, he should not take it to what he may think is its logical end and then charge Mrs. White
with teaching that logical end. This is a fundamental principle recognized by all responsible critics.
Mrs. White uses the two stage ritual of the ancient tabernacle to illustrate two phases of Christ's
work in heavenHis continual intercession and His final intercession. Basically, she does not press
the type any further than that, nor does she confine the meaning of the types to that. This should be
noted, for in another place she says the tabernacle was a type of the Christian church itself. (60)
Some have concluded that Mrs. White's typological scheme means that she denies the
completeness, sufficiency and finality of Christ's work on the cross. Others have concluded that she
teaches that sins cannot be fully forgiven until the end time judgment. Both these criticisms are
wide of the mark) as the documentation in earlier chapters demonstrates.
Some have also come to the conclusion that Mrs. White must teach that prior to 1844 God's people
had limited access to God and could not come into the most holy place of His presence. However,
she explicitly taught that Christ's death opened a way into the unveiled presence of God, even into
the most holy place.(61) The thoughtful reader may ask, "Does Mrs. White have two facesan
evangelical one and a legal one?" While this may seem correct, it is more accurate to realize that
she uses the temple symbolism to teach certain soteriological truths, while on other occasions she
uses the same tabernacle to illustrate eschatological points. The temple is simply seen to have
more than one lesson. When Mrs. White uses the tabernacle to illustrate eschatological concepts, it
must not be concluded that she denies the soteriological truths that the temple may teach.

The Soteriological. Thus far we have reviewed the prophetic, logical and typological reasons
given for the investigative judgment concept. The most important, however, is the soteriological
argument. We must appeal for the reader's special attention at this point, for it is this which brings
us to the real heart of the Adventist system.
Dr. Hoekema levels his most serious criticism of Mrs. White at this point.(62) He says that this
doctrine of the investigative judgment constitutes a denial of justification by faith. If, as Luther said,
justification by faith is the article upon which everything stands or falls, it could well be that here is
the fundamental issue upon which Ellen G. White stands or falls.
We have already reviewed Mrs. White's doctrine of justification by faith. We must now seek to
discover how her eschatology is related to her soteriology.
1. Justification itself is a judicial word which means that the repentant sinner has come
before the divine court. There, for the sake of Christ in whom the sinner believes, the
Judge renders His verdict: "Acquitted! This man stands righteous in My sight and in the
sight of My law." (Thus far all good Protestant theology agrees.) But Mrs. White declares
that this verdict of justification before the Judge is not final and irrevocable. The believer
is not once justified, always justified.(63) He may, by willful apostasy, fall from grace. Like
Adam when God created him, he is placed on probation to be tested and tried.(64) He

needs to continue in repentance, faith, and utter dependence on the merit of Christ his
righteousness.(65) Likewise, Christ must continue to justify him by His continual
intercession(66)
This concept of continual justification is not new to Protestantism. Luther, the greatest
Protestant of all, taught it. So did Wesley. It is not, as some have concluded, a denial of
the finished work of Christ. Christ's work on the cross was indeed finished, but the faith
which appropriates Christ's merit is no one time event. As Luther said, God has made
everything depend on faithpresent continuing faith. This is Mrs. White's doctrine.
Mrs. White sees the investigative judgment as the final and irrevocable decree of the
believer's justification.(67) Just as his daily justification is secured by Christ's continual
intercession, so his final justification (salvation) is secured by Christ's final intercession.
(68) As the Hebrew tabernacle ritual climaxed in a service of final reconciliation at the
end of the year, so Christ's continual intercession in heaven will climax in a work of
judgment and final justification for the people of God.(69) This final intercession of Christ
must precede His coming as King of kings and Lord of lords.(70)
2. This final verdict on the people of God is related to both the law and the gospel. Both
these aspects must be considered if we are to under-stand Mrs. White's doctrine of the
investigative judgment.
a. Judgment in the Light of the Law. This final judgment of the people of
God is according to works. The books of record will be opened, and all will be
judged by those things written in the books. "The law of God is the standard
by which the characters and the lives of men will be tested in the
judgment."(71) "As the books of record are opened in the judgment, the lives
of all who have believed on Jesus come in review before God."(72)
The doctrine of a final judgment according to works is quite orthodox. Calvin,
Buchanan, Hodge, Strong, Berkouwer and Pieper all subscribe to this
doctrine. True, they do not all see it in exactly the same light, but all admit that
such a judgment is perfectly biblical. The question that we need to ask here is,
What does Mrs. White make of the doctrine of a final judgment according to
works?
The answer is quite simple when one understands Mrs. White's doctrine of
salvation. While she distinguishes between gospel and law, justification and
sanctification, she will never allow for a separation of law from gospel, or of
sanctification from justification. A man who accepts the gospel will give
evidence of it by a life of obedience to the law.(73) The one who is justified will
prove it by living a sanctified life.(74) Sanctification is not optional as far as
salvation is concerned. "While good works will not save even one soul, yet it is
impossible for even one soul to be saved without good works."(75) The
doctrine of a final judgment according to works underlines the absolute
necessity of obedience, sanctification and good works in the lives of God's
people. This is a needed corrective to any antinomian tendency. Let no man
presume on grace. "There is truth in Jesus that is terrible to the ease-loving,
do-nothing ones."(76) Let there be heart searching, therefore, among all who
profess the name of Christ. Let the careless and indifferent be warned that the
"books of record" will prove whether or not their faith is genuine.(77)

Lutheran scholar Adolf Koberle follows the same line of thought:

All must appear before the judgment seat of Christ to receive the final judgment
on this earthly life. Whoever in the earthly congregation continues to serve evil
shall not inherit the Kingdom. . . . when the idea of the judgment on the entire
attitude of the one who is justified has been maintained, there will be no room for
the ancient antinomianism misunderstanding which has always accompanied
Paulinism and Lutheranism like a dark shadow. . . . If even the justified sinner
must face the judgment it is no longer a matter of indifference as to the degree in
which he has allowed himself to be purified by the Spirit from the "defilement and
evil of the flesh. (78)

b. Judgment in the Light of the Gospel. If we stopped at Mrs. White's

doctrine of a judgment according to works, we would only be considering one
side of her doctrine. This is what some of her critics have obviously done,
concluding that she believes that the believer's final salvation is grounded on
works. We have to be fair, however, and say that this is not what Mrs. White
teaches. While she insists that no one will be justified in the final judgment
without good works, she also maintains that no one will be justified by good
works.(79)
The law of God presents an infinite.(80) Nothing will satisfy its demand but
holiness as high as the Eternal. None of the good works of God's children
could abide the severity of His judgment unless covered by Christ's the merits
of perfection.(81) Even the prayers and praise of Spirit-filled believers are
defiled by the taint of human corruption and need to be cleansed by Christ's
blood.(82) In themselves none of the saints are able to stand before that bar
of divine justice. None but the Lamb can open the book and look thereon. The
divine Intercessor must appear in their behalf. (83)
It is for this reason that Mrs. White insists on a pre-advent judgment. This
means that the judgment takes place in heaven while God's people are still on
earth. They do not, indeed cannot, enter that judgment in person. Christ alone
has a righteousness with which the law is well pleased. As the Representative
of His people, He stands for them, and they enter the judgment only in Him.
Like Israel on the Day of Atonement, they afflict their souls in confession of
their utter sinfulness and helplessness. Their High Priest alone stands for
them before Jehovah's awful judgment seat.(84) God's people therefore have
nothing to depend on in the final judgment but grace alone, given for Christ's
sake alone, through faith alone.
Mrs. White seizes the parable of Joshua and the Angel in Zechariah 3 to
illustrate how God's people triumph in judgment:
Zechariah 's vision of Joshua and the Angel applies with peculiar force to the
experience of God's people in the closing up of the great day of atonement. The
remnant church will be brought into great trial and distress. Those who keep the
commandments of God and the faith of Jesus will feel the ire of the dragon and
his hosts. . . . Their only hope is in the mercy of God; their only defense will be
prayer. As Joshua was pleading before the Angel, so the remnant church, with
brokenness of heart and earnest faith, will plead for pardon and deliverance
through Jesus their Advocate. They are fully conscious of the sinfulness of their
lives, they see their weakness and unworthiness, and as they look upon
themselves they are ready to despair. The tempter stands by to accuse them, as
he stood by to resist Joshua. He points to their filthy garments, their defective

characters. He presents their weakness and folly, their sins of ingratitude, their
unlikeness to Christ, which has dishonored their Redeemer. He endeavors to
affright the soul with the thought that their case is hopeless, that the stain of their
defilement will never be washed away. He hopes to so destroy their faith that
they will yield to his temptations, turn from their allegiance to God, and receive
the mark of the beast.
As the people of God afflict their souls before Him, pleading for purity of heart,
the command is given, "Take away the filthy garments" from them, and the
encouraging words are spoken, "Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass
from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment." The spotless robe of
Christ's righteousness is placed upon the tried, tempted, yet faithful children of
God. . . . Now they are eternally secure from the tempter's devices. Their sins are
transferred to the originator of sin. And the remnant are not only pardoned and
accepted, but honored. "A fair miter" is set upon their heads. They are to be as
kings and priests unto God While Satan was urging his accusations and seeking
to destroy this company, holy angels, unseen, were passing to and fro, placing
upon them the seal of the living God.(85)

A study of the entire chapter from which this excerpt is taken shows that the
author uses Zechariah's vision of Joshua and the Angel to illustrate both
conversion and the final judgment. That is to say, Joshua is used to represent
the needy sinner who first comes to Christ to be justified. Through faith He is
forgiven, and Christ's righteousness is imputed to him. Then in the judgment
he must plead for deliverance in the same way. He must still confess himself a
sinner and rely wholly on the merits of Christ. Justification by faith is shown to
be the sinners only hope at the end as much as it is at the beginning. He
begins by confessing himself a needy sinner at the foot of the cross, and he
stands in judgment in the same way.
Mrs. White therefore insists on a pre-advent judgment in order to be
consistent with her own view of justification by faith alone. It is her confession
that however sanctified a man may be, he cannot stand in judgment in person
or on the basis of his performance. He can be accepted only in the Person of
his Representative. This means faith alone. None but Christ can appear in
person at the judgment. This means Christ alone. He lifts His wounded hands
to plead mercy.(86) This means grace alone. The best of the saints are only
"accounted worthy," "accounted fit."(87) This means salvation by imputed
righteousness alone. These are the radical implications of Mrs. White's view of
justification by faith.
To summarize: Mrs. White uses the doctrine of a final judgment according to
works to cut off antinomianism. Then she uses the doctrine of a pre-advent
judgment to cut off legalism. The first tells us that we cannot be saved without
being sanctified. The second tells us that we cannot be saved by
sanctification. The first reminds us to be careful to maintain good works. The
second reminds us to be just as careful not to trust in them.(88) The one
stresses the importance of obedience; the other the necessity of faith. Law
and gospel are thus bound together in the setting of the judgment, and the
scripture is fulfilled, " . . . here are they that keep the commandments of
God,and the faith of Jesus."(89)
3. Mrs. White's doctrine of a pre-advent judgment is consistent with her doctrine of
justification by faith. In her ordo salutis justification precedes regeneration. First God
justifies by His gracious verdict upon the fallen sinner. Then He regenerates by the

infilling of the Holy Spirit.(90)

The same sort of order is seen at the end of the soteriological process. God judges His
people, and by His final, irrevocable decree He pronounces them justified. Then follows
the final regeneration at the coming of Christ. (91)
This ordo salutis underlines an important principle of Mrs. White's doctrine of salvation. It
is not the inward work of regeneration which enables God to justify believers (He justifies
the ungodly). Neither is it their final glorification which enables them to stand in
judgment. In both casesat the beginning and at the endthe justification of the saints
is not predicated on inward grace, but on the intercession of Christ's righteousness at
God's right hand.
This author, as we have seen, has much to say about holiness and practical godliness.
But when it comes to that which secures our salvation, the emphasis is always on that
which is entirely outside of us. It was God's action in Christ which redeemed us without
any assistance on our part. It is Christ's continual intercession which justifies us. And it is
only His final intercession which can seal our destiny. These saving acts of God are
outside and above us, and upon this activity we are called to place our faith.(92)
Mrs. White's doctrine of judgment and final intercession takes on a cosmic sweep. While
the church on earth is called to hasten Christ's coming by preaching the gospel and by
adorning the doctrine of Christ with godly behavior, it is not the Christian's activity nor his
Christ-like character which, by itself, can "finish the work, and cut it short in
righteousness."(93) Above the distractions of earth Christ acts in the throne room of the
universe) brings the reign of sin to an end, vindicates the honor of God's name and
temple, and brings eternal deliverance to His people. The church is called to put its faith
in the glorious, conquering act of His final intercession.(94)

The Intermediate State

Mrs. White's doctrine of the intermediate state is directly linked to the doctrine of the investigative
judgment, for God cannot reward men with the bliss of heaven or the pain of hell before they are
judged.(95) The Bible nowhere says that rewards are given at death, but at the end of the world.
The doctrine of an end time judgment therefore settles the case of the state of the dead.
But if the dead are already enjoying the bliss of heaven or writhing in the flames of hell, what need
of a future judgment? The teachings of God's word on these important points are neither obscure
nor contradictory; they may be understood by common minds. But what candid mind can see either
wisdom or justice in the current theory? Will the righteous, after the investigation of their cases at
the judgment, receive the commendation, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: . . . enter thou
into the joy of thy Lord," when they have been dwelling in His presence, perhaps for long ages? Are
the wicked summoned from the place of torment to receive sentence from the Judge of all the
earth: "Depart from Me, ye cursed into everlasting fire"? Oh, solemn mockery! shameful
impeachment of the wisdom and justice of God! (96)
Briefly, Mrs. White's position is as follows:
1. God created man to be completely dependent upon Him for life.(97) Only God has
innate life. All lifephysical as well as spiritualis sustained by Him. Christ only has
immortality.(98) "Man is mortal, and while he feels himself too wise to accept Jesus, he
will remain only mortal."(99)

2. There is no Bible text which says that man or any part of man is innately immortal.
(100) It is the whole man who lives, the whole man who dies, and the whole man who is
resurrected. The words life and death are to be taken in their ordinary, literal meaning.
Death means the "extinction of life.(l0l)
Immortality, promised to man on condition of obedience, had been forfeited by
transgression. Adam could not transmit to his posterity that which he did not possess;
and there could have been no hope for the fallen race had not God, by the sacrifice of
His Son brought immortality within their reach. While "death passed upon all men, for
that all have sinned," Christ "hath brought life and immortality to light through the
gospel." And only through Christ can immortality be obtained. Said Jesus: "He that
believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see
life." Every man may come into possession of this priceless blessing if he will comply
with the conditions. All "who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and
honor and immortality," will receive "eternal life."(102)
Had man after his fall been allowed free access to the tree of life, he would have lived
forever, and thus sin would have been immortalized. But cherubim and a flaming sword
kept "the way of the tree of life," and not one of the family of Adam has been permitted to
pass that barrier and partake of the life-giving fruit. Therefore there is not an immortal
sinner.(103)
The theory of the immortality of the soul was one of those false doctrines that Rome,
borrowing from paganism, incorporated into the religion of Christendom. Martin Luther
classed it with the "monstrous fables that form part of the Roman dunghill of decretals."
Commenting on the words of Solomon in Ecclesiastes, that the dead know not anything,
the Reformer says: "Another place proving that the dead have no . . . feeling. There is,
saith he, no duty, no science, no knowledge, no wisdom there. Solomon judgeth that the
dead are asleep, and feel nothing at all. For the dead lie there, accounting neither days
nor years, but when they are awaked, they shall seem to have slept scarce one
minute."(104)
3. As believers, we both die and never die.(105) As touching our earthly existence, there
is an extinction of life. But our real life, like our righteousness, is hid with Christ in God,
and "when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in
glory."(106) Eternal life and righteousness are now the possession of the believer by
virtue of his union with Christ.(107)
4. The living righteous will be changed to an immortal state at Jesus' coming "in the
twinkling of an eye."(108) As for those who die in the Lord, transition from this mortal life
to the immortal state will be just as quicka mere moment.(109) From the perspective of
the believer, one moment he falls asleep in death, and the very next moment he wakes
in resurrection.(110)
5. "Our personal identity is preserved in the resurrection, though not the same particles
of matter or material substance as went into the grave. The wondrous works of God are
a mystery to man. The spirit, the character of man, is returned to God, there to be
preserved. In the resurrection every man will have his own character. God in His own
time will call forth the dead, giving again the breath of life, and bidding the dry bones live.
The same form will come forth, but it will be free from disease and every defect. It lives
again bearing the same individuality of features, so that friend will recognize friend."(111)

6. The Bible denies consciousness in death.(112) This false notion opens the door to
spiritualism.(113) Evil spirits pretend to be the departed spirits of the dead and
communicate their deceptions.(114) Spiritualism will adopt a Christian guise(115) and be
used by Satan in his program of end time deception.
Satan has long been preparing for his final effort to deceive the world. The foundation of
his work was laid by the assurance given to Eve in Eden: "Ye shall not surely die." "In the
day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods knowing
good and evil." Little by little he has prepared the way for his masterpiece of deception in
the development of spiritualism. He has not yet reached the full accomplishment of his
designs; but it will be reached in the last remnant of time. Says the prophet: "I saw three
unclean spirits like frogs. . . . They are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go
forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of
that great day of God Almighty." Except those who are kept by the power of God, through
faith in His word, the whole world will be swept into the ranks of this delusion. The people
are fast being lulled to a fatal security. . . (116)
As spiritualism more closely imitates the nominal Christianity of the day, it has greater
power to deceive and ensnare. Satan himself is converted, after the modern order of
things. He will appear in the character of an angel of light. Through the agency of
spiritualism, miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed, and many undeniable
wonders will be performed. And as the spirits will profess faith in the Bible, and manifest
respect for the institutions of the church, their work will be accepted as a manifestation of
divine power.(117)

The Sabbath
The angel, or messenger, who has the everlasting gospel not only announces the hour of God's
judgment, but he also says, " . . . worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the
fountains of waters."(118) This is a citation directly from the fourth commandment of the Decalogue.
Exodus 20:10-11 ". . . the seventh day is the sabbath, . . . for in six days the Lord made
heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is. . . ."
Revelation 14:7 " . . . worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the
fountains of waters."
Moreover, the Scripture goes on to describe those who bear this gospel and judgment hour
message as those who "keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."(119) The
Decalogue is here spoken of, because the Revelator continually refers to the sanctuary, or temple,
in heaven, which throws light on the issues of the final conflict. " . . . there was seen in His temple
the ark of His testament. . . ."(120) That ark contains the Ten Commandments.(121) It stands,
therefore, that the messenger who bears the everlasting gospel points to the Ten Commandments
in general and to the Sabbath in particular.(122)
All this is seen to fit in with the sanctuary and the judgment. God's people must now (to use the
symbolism of the sanctuary service) see with the eye of faith their High Priest standing before the
ark of the covenant. They must see how that sprinkled blood upon the mercy seat honors the claims
of the law.(123) In this solemn hour the law is the standard of judgment, even as James says: "So
speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty." "For whosoever shall keep
the whole law, and yet offend in one point, is guilty of all."(124)

The greatest objection to Mrs. White's sabbatarianism is the legalism argument. It is said that her
doctrine of Sabbath keeping is a denial of justification by faith alone. But she sees justification by
faith as the greatest reason for keeping the Sabbath. This point needs due attention, because it is
the real heart of the issue. Mrs. White can use prophetic arguments (such as that the papal
antichrist fulfilled Daniel 7:25), historical arguments and typological arguments. But her supreme
argument is soteriological. In fact, she sees Sabbath keeping as the inevitable extension of her
view of creation, the plan of salvation, and the general law/gospel relationship. Her overall line of
thought is as follows:
1. God created man and instituted the Sabbath at the end of creation week.(125)
2. The Sabbath was embodied in the Ten Commandments as the very words, or basic
conditions) of God's everlasting covenant.(126 Sin is the transgression of the covenant.
3. The condition of eternal life is perfect obedience to the law of God, whether under the
old or the new covenant.(127)
4. Under the arrangement of the covenant of grace, Christ fulfilled the conditions of the
covenant.(128) He fulfilled its precepts in His life and satisfied its penalty in His death. If
this law (conditions) could have been changed, modified or relaxed, Christ need not have
died. His atonement honored, maintained and vindicated the law.(129) Christ did two
thingsHe provided salvation while upholding the law. That is the good news. If He did
not do both, there is no good news.
5. Christ's righteous life of obedience to the law (including the Sabbath) is imputed to the
believer as a free gift. It is unthinkable that the believer who has this free gift will despise
the law as a rule of life. Any refusal to obey the law is evidence of a refusal to believe the
gospel.(130)
6. Therefore the believer will obey the fourth commandment. No one has the right to pick
and choose which commandment he will honor or dispense with. Man either submits to
obey God's law as God gave it, or he does not obey at all. (James 2:10 is cited on this
point.(131) Obedience is the test of genuine faith.(132)
It should be noted that this line of argument is not new. The Puritans and Spurgeon were quite
skillful in using it as well. But they applied these principles to the duty of keeping Sunday"the
Christian Sabbath," as it used to be called. So Mrs. White's understanding of the law/gospel
relationship is simply old time Protestantism. Those who have read the Puritans, Wesley, Spurgeon,
Hodge or Moody will know in what high regard they all held the principle of Sabbath observance.
Mrs. White was brought up as a strict Methodist in New England, where almost everybody who
made any profession of religion kept Sunday in the spirit of Sabbath observance. What is more)
they called it the Sabbath (thanks largely to the Puritan tradition and influence). Hodge or Moody
could argue for the moral obligation to keep the Sabbath as eloquently as any Seventh-day
Adventist. There was no controversy on this until the Adventists claimed that Sunday was not the
Sabbath.
The sabbatarian debate waxed hot and strong at times. In order to refute the challenge of the
Adventists) many Protestant groups began to adopt a new line of argument. They conceded that
Sunday was not the Sabbath,(133) but began to contend that Christ's death nailed this
commandment to the cross. Hence, they argued, Christians are not obligated to keep it.

If this argument failed to make a dent on the Adventists, it did not (according to Mrs. White,
anyhow) fail to make a dent on many churchgoers. Many got the message that Christ's death freed
them from the law as a rule of life, and lawlessness followed as the inevitable consequence.
Those who teach the people to regard lightly the commandments of God sow disobedience to reap
disobedience. . . . Already the doctrine that men are released from obedience to God's requirements has
weakened the force of moral obligation and opened the floodgates of iniquity upon the world. Lawlessness,
dissipation) and corruption are sweeping in upon us like an overwhelming tide. . . .
And as the claims of the fourth commandment are urged upon the people, it is found that the observance
of the seventh-day Sabbath is enjoined; and as the only way to free themselves from a duty which they are
unwilling to perform, many popular teachers declare that the law of God is no longer binding. Thus they
cast away the law and the Sabbath together. As the work of Sabbath reform extends, this rejection of the
divine law to avoid the claims of the fourth commandment will become well-nigh universal. The teachings
of religious leaders have opened the door to infidelity, to spiritualism, and to contempt for God's holy law;
and upon these leaders rests a fearful responsibility for the iniquity that exists in the Christian world.(134)

The Sabbath issue has forced the opponents of Adventism into adopting antinomian arguments and
principles. This has had terrible consequences to themselves and to society. On the principles of
law and gospel it is not the Adventists who have moved away from the fundamentals of the
Christian religion in general and of Protestantism in particular. This is the contention of Mrs. White.

Other Sabbatarian Arguments

The Sabbath was instituted in the Garden of Eden at the end of creation week.(135) Since it was
given to man before sin entered, it cannot be part of the ceremonial law. In giving it to the father and
representative of the race, God signified that the Sabbath was "given to all mankind. There was
nothing in it shadowy or of restricted application to any people." " . . . the institution was wholly
commemorative."(136)
God saw that a Sabbath was essential for man, even in Paradise. He needed to lay aside his own interests
and pursuits for one day of the seven, that he might more fully contemplate the works of God and meditate
upon His power and goodness. He needed a Sabbath to remind him more vividly of God and to awaken
gratitude because all that he enjoyed and possessed came from the beneficent hand of the Creator.(137)
Hallowed by the Creator's rest and blessing, the Sabbath was kept by Adam in his innocence in holy Eden;
by Adam, fallen yet repentant, when he was driven from his happy estate. It was kept by all the patriarchs,
from Abel to righteous Noah, to Abraham, to Jacob. When the chosen people were in bondage in Egypt,
many, in the midst of prevailing idolatry, lost their knowledge of God's law; but when the Lord delivered
Israel, He proclaimed His law in awful grandeur to the assembled multitude, that they might know His will
and fear and obey Him forever.(138)

Israel's profanation of the Sabbath was one of the reasons cited by Jeremiah for the Babylonish
captivity in the sixth century B.C.(139) After the captivity Nehemiah included the Sabbath in his
great work of reform.(140)
Coming to New Testament times, Mrs. White takes special note of the Sabbath controversies in
which Christ was involved:
The Jews had so perverted the law that they made it a yoke of bondage. Their meaningless requirements
had become a byword among other nations. Especially was the Sabbath hedged in by all manner of
senseless restrictions. It was not to them a delight, the holy of the Lord, and honorable. The scribes and
Pharisees had made its observance an intolerable burden. . . . Jesus had come to "magnify the law, and
make it honorable." He was not to lessen its dignity, but to exalt it. The scripture says, "He shall not fail nor
be discouraged, till He have set judgment in the earth." He had come to free the Sabbath from those
burdensome requirements that had made it a curse instead of a blessing.(141)

In the healing of the withered hand, Jesus condemned the custom of the Jews, and left the fourth
commandment standing as God had given it. "It is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days," He declared. By
sweeping away the senseless restrictions of the Jews, Christ honored the Sabbath, while those who
complained of Him were dishonoring God's holy day.
Those who hold that Christ abolished the law teach that He broke the Sabbath and justified His disciples in
doing the same. Thus they are really taking the same ground as did the caviling Jews. In this they
contradict the testimony of Christ Himself, who declared, "I have kept My Father's commandments, and
abide in His love." Neither the Saviour nor His followers broke the law of the Sabbath. Christ was a living
representative of the law. No violation of its holy precepts was found in His life. Looking upon a nation of
witnesses who were seeking occasion to condemn Him, He could say unchallenged, "Which of you
convicteth Me of sin?"(142)

It is significant that Christ finished His redemptive work on Friday. Jesus cried, "It is finished," as the
sun was going down on Friday evening.
At last Jesus was at rest. The long day of shame and torture was ended. As the last rays of the setting sun
ushered in the Sabbath, the Son of God lay in quietude in Joseph's tomb. His work completed, His hands
folded in peace, He rested through the sacred hours of the Sabbath day.
In the beginning the Father and the Son had rested upon the Sabbath after their work of creation. When
"the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them," the Creator and all heavenly beings
rejoiced in contemplation of the glorious scene. "The morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God
shouted for joy." Now Jesus rested from the work of redemption; and though there was grief among those
who loved Him on earth, yet there was joy in heaven. Glorious to the eyes of heavenly beings was the
promise of the future. A restored creation, a redeemed race, that having conquered sin could never fall,
this, the result to flow from Christ's completed work, God and angels saw With this scene the day upon
which Jesus rested is forever linked. For "His work is perfect;" and "whatsoever God doeth, it shall be
forever." When there shall be a restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy
prophets since the world began," the creation Sabbath, the day on which Jesus lay at rest in Joseph's
tomb, will still be a day of rest and rejoicing. Heaven and earth will unite in praise, as "from one Sabbath to
another" the nations of the saved shall bow in joyful worship to God and the Lamb.(143)

Mrs. White teaches that the change from the ancient Sabbath to Sunday came about in the
following way:
Prophecy had declared that the papacy was to "think to change times and laws." This work it was not slow
to attempt. To afford converts from heathenism a substitute for the worship of idols, and thus to promote
their nominal acceptance of Christianity, the adoration of images and relics was gradually introduced into
the Christian worship The decree of a general council finally established this system of idolatry. To
complete the sacrilegious work, Rome presumed to expunge from the law of God the second
commandment, forbidding image worship) and to divide the tenth commandment, in order to preserve the
number.
The spirit of concession to paganism opened the way for a still further disregard of Heaven's authority.
Satan, working through unconsecrated leaders of the church, tampered with the fourth commandment
also, and essayed to set aside the ancient Sabbath, the day which God had blessed and sanctified, and in
its stead to exalt the festival observed by the heathen as "the venerable day of the sun." This change was
not at first attempted openly. In the first centuries the true Sabbath had been kept by all Christians. They
were jealous for the honor of God, and, believing that His law is immutable, they zealously guarded the
sacredness of its precepts. But with great subtlety Satan worked through his agents to bring about his
object. That the attention of the people might be called to the Sunday, it was made a festival in honor of the
resurrection of Christ. Religious services were held upon it; yet it was regarded as a day of recreation, the
Sabbath being still sacredly observed.
To prepare the way for the work which he designed to accomplish, Satan had led the Jews, before the
advent of Christ, to load down the Sabbath with the most rigorous exactions, making its observance a
burden. Now taking advantage of the false light in which he had thus caused it to be regarded, he cast
contempt upon it as a Jewish institution. While Christians generally continued to observe the Sunday as a
joyous festival, he led them, in order to show their hatred of Judaism, to make the Sabbath a fast, a day of

sadness and gloom.

In the early part of the fourth century the emperor Constantine issued a decree making Sunday a public
festival throughout the Roman Empire. The day of the sun was reverenced by his pagan subjects and was
honored by Christians; it was the emperor's policy to unite the conflicting interests of heathenism and
Christianity. He was urged to do this by the bishops of the church, who, inspired by ambition and thirst for
power, perceived that if the same day was observed by both Christians and heathen, it would promote the
nominal acceptance of Christianity by pagans and thus advance the power and glory of the church. But
while many God-fearing Christians were gradually led to regard Sunday as possessing a degree of
sacredness, they still held the true Sabbath as the holy of the Lord and observed it in obedience to the
fourth commandment.
The archdeceiver had not completed his work. He was resolved to gather the Christian world under his
banner and to exercise his power through his vicegerent, the proud pontiff who claimed to be the
representative of Christ. Through half-converted pagans, ambitious prelates, and world-loving churchmen
he accomplished his purpose. Vast councils were held from time to time, in which the dignitaries of the
church were convened from all the world. In nearly every council the Sabbath which God had instituted
was pressed down a little lower, while the Sunday was correspondingly exalted. Thus the pagan festival
came finally to be honored as a divine institution, while the Bible Sabbath was pronounced a relic of
Judaism, and its observers were declared to be accursed.
The great apostate had succeeded in exalting himself "above all that is called God, or that is worshiped."
He had dared to change the only precept of the divine law that unmistakably points all mankind to the true
and living God. In the fourth commandment, God is revealed as the Creator of the heavens and the earth,
and is thereby distinguished from all false gods It was as a memorial of the work of creation that the
seventh day was sanctified as a rest day for man. It was designed to keep the living God ever before the
minds of men as the source of being and the object of reverence and worship. Satan strives to turn men
from their allegiance to God, and from rendering obedience to His law; therefore he directs his efforts
especially against that commandment which points to God as the Creator.
Protestants now urge that the resurrection of Christ on Sunday made it the Christian Sabbath. But
Scripture evidence is lacking. No such honor was given to the day by Christ or His apostles. The
observance of Sunday as a Christian institution had its origin in that "mystery of lawlessness" which, even
in Paul's day, had begun its work. Where and when did the Lord adopt this child of the papacy? What valid
reason can be given for a change which the Scriptures do not sanction?(144)

It is true that there have been a great host of God's people down through the centuries who have
not kept the Sabbath.(145) But in the last days prior to Christ's coming there is to be a work of
restoration, a work foretold by Isaiah when he says, "And they that shall be of thee shall build the
old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called,
The repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in. If thou turn away thy foot from the
Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the
Lord, honorable; and shalt honor Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure,
nor speaking thine own words. . . ."(146) This scripture applied to the restoration from Babylonish
captivity, but it "also applies in our time. The breach was made in the law of God when the Sabbath
was changed by the Roman power. But the time has come for that divine institution to be restored.
The breach is to be repaired and the foundation of many generations to be raised up."(147)
The messenger with the everlasting gospel has the divine assignment to agitate the whole world on
the Sabbath question.(148) He is divinely commissioned to present to Christians everywhere the
binding claims of the fourth commandment as a "test question."(l49) That is to say, it is to test
whether men really believe the everlasting gospel.(150)
The Sabbath is the seal of God. "The fourth commandment is the only one of all the ten in which
are found both the name and the title of the Lawgiver. It is the only one that shows by whose
authority the law is given. Thus it contains the seal of God, affixed to His law as evidence of its
authenticity and binding force."(151) The Sabbath is also a sign that God's people honor and obey
His law.(152) It stands as a memorial both of creation and redemption, and is given for the blessing

and benefit of man.(153)

Answering the contention that the Sabbath was given only to the Jews, it is pointed out that the
Sabbath and marriage were the two great institutions given to man in Eden.(154) The Bible says
that "the Sabbath was made for man," and that "woman [was made] for . . . man."(155) Evidently
Mrs. White thinks the objection that the Sabbath was only for the Jews is no more reasonable than
saying that women and marriage are only for Jewsor for that matter, saying that any of the other
Ten Commandments are only for Jews.(156)
Some argued that the Sabbath of the Decalogue was ceremonial and was therefore abrogated with
the other ceremonies by Christ's death on the cross. In answer to this it is contended that since the
Sabbath was given to man before sin entered,(157) it cannot be part of the shadowy ceremonial
law.(158)
Replying to those who say that the church honors Sunday in remembrance of the resurrection, it is
pointed out that this is an assumption without scriptural warrant or command. "It is a fact generally
admitted by Protestants that the Scriptures give no authority for the change of the Sabbath."(159)
As for those who find their authority for Sunday keeping in the custom and tradition of the church,
they are playing into the hands of Rome, which has always claimed (contrary to Protestantism) that
the church has the right to institute laws binding on the conscience. "They may claim the authority
of tradition and of the Fathers for the change; but in so doing they ignore the very principle which
separates them from Romethat 'the Bible, and the Bible only, is the religion of Protestants.'"(160)
The most vigorous refutation is reserved for those who simply say, "The law of God is no longer
binding."(161) While charity must acknowledge that there are other Christians who do not see "the
light on the Sabbath," those who reveal their crass antinomianism are not to be spared. They
despise the law of God and are enemies, therefore, of Christ and despisers of His cross. The
Sabbath is a test which exposes their spirit of rebellion toward divine authority.(162) In this case it is
not their failure to keep the seventh day which calls for such severe censure, but the antiscriptural
and anti-christian principles revealed in their excuses.

The Second Angel's Message

The Babylon/Remnant Concept
The messenger with the everlasting gospel is followed by another messenger:
And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all
nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.(163)

This scripture is a citation from Isaiah, who, in the local historical context, spoke of the fall of literal
Babylon.(164) For seventy years the Jews were in Babylonish captivity. Then Cyrus the Great (the
Lord's anointed(165) sent his servants to dry up the waters of the Euphrates and prepare the way
for Babylon's fall. When Babylon fell, the Jews were free to return to Palestine. To begin with, only a
remnant of Israel returned.(166) These engaged in a work of restoring the temple and rebuilding the
city walls. The majority of the Jews stayed down in Babylon. But more returned at a second call
some years later.(167)
In the Adventist scheme of eschatology these historical events portray another captivity in the
Christian age and another work of restoration at the end of time.(168) This idea is not new. One of

Luther's most famous works was called The Babylonish Captivity. Adventist eschatology builds on
the historical, or Protestant, school of prophetic interpretation. It merely develops this system,
carrying the principles long accepted by Protestantism to what Adventists see as their logical end.
Using the old "day for a year" principle of interpreting the time prophecies, the 1260 years of the
papal antichrist were seen to end in 1798. By then the Reformation had dried up the pope's support
and weakened it to such an extent that the French general Berthier was able to give the coup de
grace by abolishing the Vatican State and taking the pope prisoner.(169)
Shortly after this the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14 came to an end. Now the time had fully come for the
Israel of God to cooperate with heaven in "restoring the sanctuary," or to change the figure, in
rebuilding the broken-down walls of Zion.(170)
God's church on earth was as verily in captivity during this long period of relentless persecution as were
the children of Israel held captive in Babylon during the period of the exile.
But, thank God, His church is no longer in bondage. To spiritual Israel have been restored the privileges
accorded the people of God at the time of their deliverance from Babylon. In every part of the earth, men
and women are responding to the Heaven-sent message which John the revelator prophesied would be
proclaimed prior to the second coming of Christ: "Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His
judgment is come."
No longer have the hosts of evil power to keep the church captive; for "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that
great city," which hath "made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication;" and to spiritual
Israel is given the message, "Come out of her, My people) that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye
receive not of her plagues."(l7l)

The people who accept the messenger with the everlasting gospel are therefore the remnant of
Israel who return to Zion under the proclamation of the judgment hour message. The Revelator
says that this remnant "keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus
Christ."(172) The commandments are the Decalogue "in the ark of His covenant;"(173) " . . . the
testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."(174) As that ancient remnant left Babylon under
prophetic guidance, so did this remnant.
In the work of restoration from Babylonish captivity, Isaiah also spoke of the remnant's rebuilding
broken-down walls. Here he was obviously refer-ring to more than their physical activity, for he said:
And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many
generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. If thou
turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a
delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine
own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord' and I will cause
thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the
mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.(175)

This privilege was not only for the physical Jews, for Isaiah also said:
Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name of the
Lord, to be His servants, everyone that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of My
covenant; even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer: their
burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon Mine altar; for Mine house shall be called an
house of prayer for all people.(176)

It is seen as no mere coincidence, therefore, that the end time messenger who bears the
everlasting gospel and announces the fall of Babylon should begin quoting the fourth
commandment.(177) The remnant must repair the wall of God's law which has been broken down

by the papal antichrist who thought "to change times and the law."(178)
As Satan raised up Sanballat and others to hinder the work of God, so today the "dragon [is] wroth
with . . . the remnant . . . which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus.
(179) First there is ridicule ("What do these feeble Jews?"(180). Then comes persecution.
Zechariah's vision of Joshua and the Angel(181) encourages the builders to go forward. Triumph is
assured on the grounds of Christ's final intercession on behalf of His people.(182)
That is how the Advent movement sees itself. There is no question but that this eschatological
scheme (backed up by the charismatic assurances of Ellen White) has fathered an unshakeable,
unquenchable conviction among Adventists that they are a people of destiny, bearers of earth's last
message. Disappointments, delay, the reputation of legalism, and even the self-confessed
admission that they are the blind Laodiceans groping for the truth of justification by faithnot one
or all of these can kill their hope that one day this message which God has bequeathed to them will
accomplish the work of that final messenger who comes with great power and lightens the the earth
with gospel glory.(183) These are the plain, unvarnished facts of Adventist psychology, and the only
adequate comparison with it is the unconquerable hope that old Israel had in its divine origin and
destiny. Like the Israel of old, Adventists take the Sabbath as the "sign that they are the Israel of
God.(184) God's promises to the Jews they apply to themselves.
Having Abraham as their father and Messiah as their hope, the Jews nourished themselves in a
fatuous conceit. Adventists are undoubtedly tempted to make a similar mistake; but any blind,
unqualified optimism gets little comfort from some very startling warnings given by Mrs. White.(185)
It is interesting to contrast the two great systems of eschatology at this point:
1. The dispensationalist sees himself living in the end time. His eye is on Palestine. He
sees that the Jews have returned in fulfillment of prophecy, and he confidently expects
them to start restoring their temple, their worship and even their animal sacrifices on the
hill of the Lord.
2. Adventists, however, believe that the final work of restoration is now going forward as
truths long forgotten or buried under pagan and papal errors are being restored to their
rightful place in the temple of truth. And what is their work? To point to Palestine and the
reinstitution of animal sacrifices? Not according to Ellen White. They have a different
message to bear.
This message was to bring more prominently before the world the uplifted Saviour, the
sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. It presented justification through faith in the Surety; it
invited the people to receive the righteousness of Christ, which is made manifest in obedience
to all the commandments of God. Many had lost sight of Jesus. They needed to have their
eyes directed to His divine Person, His merits, and His changeless love for the human family.
All power is given into His hands, that He may dispense rich gifts unto men, imparting the
priceless gift of His own righteousness to the helpless human agent. This is the message that
God commanded to be given to the world. It is the third angel's message, which is to be
proclaimed with a loud voice and attended with the outpouring of His Spirit in a large
measure.(186)

But what of Babylon? Are other Christians to be thought of as Babylonians? No, that would be a
misunderstanding of this system of thinking. In fact, it is said that the great majority of God's people
have not yet joined the little remnant who are rebuilding the wall.
. . . . in the eighteenth chapter of the Revelation the people of God are called upon to come out of Babylon.
According to this scripture, many of God's people must still be in Babylon. And in what religious bodies are

the greater part of the followers of Christ now to be found? Without doubt, in the various churches
professing the Protestant faith.(187)
Notwithstanding the spiritual darkness and alienation from God that exist in the churches which constitute
Babylon, the great body of Christ's true followers are still to be found in their communion. There are many
of these who have never seen the special truths for this time. Not a few are dissatisfied with their present
condition and are longing for clearer light. They look in vain for the image of Christ in the churches with
which they are connected. As these bodies depart further and further from the truth, and ally themselves
more closely with the world, the difference between the two classes will widen, and it will finally result in
separation.(188)

Why have not those still in Babylon joined the remnant who are trying to rebuild the wall? The
blame, we are told, lies largely with the people who have "the three angels' messages.(189) The
problem is that, even though "justification by faith . . . is the third angel's message in verity,"(190)
few, even of Adventist ministers and educators, 'really understand what con3titutes that message.
(191) Among the laity "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."(192) This is the reason for
the delay. God is waiting for "the message of the gospel of His grace . . . to be given to the church
in clear and distinct lines, that the world should no longer say that Seventh-day Adventists talk the
law, the law, but do not teach or believe Christ. Unless the messenger really understands he
everlasting gospel, he cannot possibly give the message "with distinct utterance."(194) He may
rattle some facts, but where the gospel is missing, i.e. might just as well rattle some bones.
But things will change. As of oldand as in the Revelation(195)there will yet be another and
more impelling announcement that Babylon is fallen.(196) When is that to be given? Just as soon
as justification by faith adds power to the third angel's message. God "will not close up the period of
probation until the message [of Christ's righteousness] shall be more distinctly proclaimed."(197)

The Third Angel's Message

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image,
and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God,
which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation. . . . Here is the patience of the saints:
here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.(198)

The messenger with the everlasting gospel is joined by a third messenger who has "the most fearful
threatening ever addressed to mortals."(200) The outpouring of God's wrath and the coming of
Christ immediately follow this "final warning."(201) The Adventist understanding of "the third angel's
message" is derived from two approachesthe prophetic approach and the soteriological
approach.

The Prophetic Approach

There are three symbols in this third angel's messagethe beast, the image and the mark. It is
unthinkable that God would issue such a dire warning and leave us in the dark as to the meaning of
these symbols.(202) The symbols of beast, image and mark are introduced in Revelation 13. They
are interpreted as follows:(203)
Beast (Leopard-like Creature). In harmony with the position of most Protestant expositors prior to
the rise of nineteenth century futurism, this beast is taken to represent the union of church and state
in the system of the papal antichrist.
Image. Following the logic of the historic Protestant school of prophetic interpretation, the image is
shown to be a Protestant antichrist. This will develop in the United States as Protestants follow in

the steps of Rome by uniting church and state to enforce religious observances and the authority of
the church in defiance of the authority of God. Here will be the final showdown, the final prelude to
the eschaton. This development is seen to come about in two stages:
1. Society will be swept by an unprecedented wave of lawlessness, disorder, moral
corruption and disaster.(204) The church is largely responsible for this because she has
led the way in showing disrespect for the law of God. Because the law has a restraining
influence on society,(205) the church is called to be a preservative influence by leavening
society with the influence of divine restraint.
2. As the nation desperately looks for a way out of the crisis, Protestants will unite with
Catholics and with spiritualism (thus making a threefold union) in a plan to save the
nation and bring it back into divine favor. This will result in a union of church and state
(contrary to the principles of Protestantism) and hence in the formation of an "image to
the beast," or a likeness of the papal system. Religious coercion will inevitably result.
(206)
The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf
to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the
Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the
steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.(207)

Mark. The issue here is authority and ownership. One class are represented as having God's mark
(or seal) because they worship God and submit to His authority.(208) The opposite class possess
the "mark of the beast," which is obviously related to the worship of the creature and submission to
human authority in matters of conscience.(209) The "mark" is more specifically identified by
reasoning from contrast, as follows:(210)
1. Those who refuse the mark of the creature are represented as having the mark, or
seal, of God.(211)
2. This seal of God is associated with the Decalogue, for those who receive it are said to
"keep the commandments of God."(212)
3. These commandments are specifically identified with "the ark of the covenant."(213)
4. The words of God's covenant are the Ten Commandments.(214) The fourth
commandment bears the seal of the covenant, or the seal of the law, for it is the only part
of the covenant which bears the name, title and authority of the Lawgiver. Moreover,
Exodus 31:17, 18 says that the Sabbath is the sign (seal) of the "perpetual covenant.
(215) So closely is the Sabbath linked with the covenant that Isaiah the gospel prophet
even uses the words "My Sabbath" and "My covenant" interchangeably.(216) Ezekiel
20:12 declares that the Sabbath is the sign (seal) of the Israel of God.(217)
5. The mark of the beast is the opposite of the seal of God. The fourth commandment
was changed by church (creature) authority and sanctioned by the decrees of Rome.
(218) Sunday does not bear the name, or seal, of God, but the name, or mark, of Rome.
(219) According to Mrs. White, the threefold religious union will prevail on the state to
enforce Sunday observance on society. At that time, to keep Sundaywith the clear
knowledge that the requirement for Sunday observance rests upon human and not divine
authoritywill be to incur the mark of the beast.(220)

Three things must be said by way of clarification in order to appreciate the Adventist position:
1. Sunday-keepers are not regarded as those who have the mark of the beast. They are
regarded equally as Christians.(221)
2. The issue is to be joined on the question of religious authority. Do we stay with the
Protestant principle of "the Bible alone"? That is the question. If we grant that the church
has the right to enact laws binding on the conscience, we fall in line with the fundamental
premise of Rome.(222)
3. The principle at stake is God's sole right to control the conscience. If we give that right
to the churchany churchwe worship the creature instead of the Creator. " . . . the
conscience should not be compelled even for the observance of the genuine Sabbath,
for God will accept only willing service."(223) Luther is cited: "When eternal interests are
concerned, God wills not that man should submit unto man. For such submission in
spiritual matters is a real worship, and ought to be rendered solely to the Creator."(224)

The Soteriological Approach

Many may question the propriety of linking God's sternest denunciation(225) with what may be
termed a mere issue of keeping a certain day. This does indeed seem out of keeping with the spirit
of the New Testament. After all, Paul reserved his most fearful anathemas for those who perverted
the truth of justification by faith.(226)
According to Mrs. White, that is just the point. She clearly believes that the gospel is at stake in the
issue of the mark of the beast,(227) for does not the messenger of Revelation 14 bear "the
everlasting gospel"? She also agrees with Dr. Hoekema when he says that the great question which
determines salvation is justification by faith in Christ, not the mere keeping of days. " . . . justification
by faith . . . is the third angel's message in verity."(228) This is the light of gospel glory which adds
power and force to the third angel's message.(229)
Here is a strange situation indeed! Many look at justification by faith and conclude that obedience to
God's fourth commandment is of little moment. (Some can say, "Maybe the Adventists are right
about the Sabbath, but what does it matter anyway? Isn't salvation by grace alone?") But here is
another who looks at justification by faith and sees the law invested with such infinite importance
that she bows in awe before the sacred precepts of Jehovah.(230)
How, in Mrs. White's view, does the gospel invest the Sabbath issue with such great importance?
Whoever grapples with this point gets at last to the heart of the Adventist system. Again we look at
her law/gospel approach:
1. The needy sinner can be justified only by faith in the work and merit of Jesus Christ.
(231).
2. The work and merit of Christ not only provide salvation for sinners, but do so in a way
consistent with the honor and justice of God's law.(232)
3. In shedding the blood of the holy Son of God, the Lawgiver gave the utmost honor of
heaven to His own holy law.(233)
4. If any man is inclined to doubt whether God requires utmost, absolute and perfect
obedience, let him look to Calvary and be forever convinced that God Himself could find

no way around the terms of the covenant.(234)

5. God's way of salvation leads the sinner to gratefully submit to the authority of God.
Like the returning prodigal son, he receives the Father's best robe as a gift and finds that
true freedom is in grateful submission to His authority.(235)
6. Those who despise the authority of the law show that they despise the benefit of
grace,(236) what Christ did on the cross, and the garment of righteousness provided at
infinite cost. Whoever wears the Father's garment obeys the Father's law.(237)
7. The Sabbath is "in the very bosom" of the Father's law.(238) It bears God's seal.(239)
The third angel's message makes the Sabbath a "test question."(240) It tests whether a
man really believes the everlasting gospel or whether he is still back where Adam and
Eve startedputting human authority in the place of the divine.(241)
So this third angel's message demonstrates that those Protestant principles of grace alone, Christ
alone and faith alone lead inevitably to the other Protestant principle of Scripture alone.(242) That is
what is at stake in the issue of authoritythe authority of God's Word alone versus the authority of
ecclesiastical decrees and traditions.
Yet the issue is not just a matter of survival of the Protestant principle of the Bible alone. It is a
matter of the survival of the Protestant principle of justification by the imputed righteousness of
Jesus Christ. Mrs. White's view of imputed righteousness stands against the possibility of any
acceptable Sunday keeping. Her whole soteriology is undergirded by the doctrine that Christ's
imputed righteousness is most necessary in two areas:
1. The believer needs Christ's imputed righteousness for the acceptance of his person.
(This position is fundamental orthodoxy.)
2. The believer needs Christ's imputed righteousness for the acceptance of his worship
and acts of obedience. (This position is also fundamental orthodoxy.)
The best Christian is not only imperfect, but is a sinner by nature.(243) Although energized and led
by the Spirit to worship and obey God, he is still a "corrupt channel."(244) In this state, perfect
obedience by inward grace is not possible. Anyone who thinks Mrs. White teaches that perfect
worship and obedience are possible here and now solely by the aid of enabling grace has utterly
failed to grasp her thought. She very definitely follows the Reformers' view that none of the works of
God's children are pure in God's eyes unless (as Calvin says) "they derive a good odor from
Christ's innocence." What could be more like Luther and Calvin on this point than her emphatic
declaration that the Spirit-inspired prayers of God's children, "passing through the corrupt channels
of humanity, . . . are so defiled that unless purified by blood, they can never be of value with
God."(245) Yet God requires perfection in worship, in obedience, in service, and will accept only
that which is utterly perfect.(246) How is such worship and obedience possible? Here is Mrs.
White's answer:
Man's obedience can be made perfect only by the incense of Christ's righteousness, which fills with divine
fragrance every act of obedience.(247)
Through the merits of Christ's imputed righteousness the fragrance of such words and deeds is forever
preserved.(248)
It is the fragrance of the merit of Christ that makes our good works acceptable to God.(249)

The incense, ascending with the prayers of Israel, represents the merits and intercession of Christ, His
perfect righteousness, which through faith is imputed to His people, and which can alone make the worship
of sinful beings acceptable to God.(250)
He makes up for the deficiency [in our obedience] with His own divine merit.(251)
The believing sinner, through his divine Substitute and Surety, renders obedience to the law of God.(252)
Through His imputed righteousness, they are . . . keeping all His commandments.(253)
. . . righteousness without a blemish can be obtained only through the imputed righteousness of Christ.
(254)

The above thought is not new, but was woven into the whole fabric of Protestant religion. Anyone
who has read the great Church of England prayer book will remember how those old divines
attached the necessary phrase, "through Jesus Christ our Lord," to every act of prayer, praise and
obedience.
But what does all this have to do with Sunday keeping? The simply that Christ did not keep Sunday
for us. Therefore He has worship to impute to us.
In fulfilling the terms of the covenant, Christ kept the Sabbath of the covenant along with the whole
Decalogue. His righteousness is His perfect keeping of the law, including the Sabbath, on our
behalf. This is what is imputed to the believer. (255) In the very nature of the case, perfect Sabbathkeeping is now possible (being acceptable to God through Jesus Christ), but perfect Sunday
keeping is utterly impossible (for it cannot possibly be through Jesus Christ). Sunday keeping
therefore stands without the imputed righteousness of Christ. Since there is no Sunday keeping in
Christ, he who would keep Sunday must do so outside of Christ.(256)
The man who sees what Sunday keeping is in the light of the gospel, yet insists on keeping it to the
honor of God, dares to do so without imputed righteousness. He either must presume that his own
worship is perfect enough for God to accept apart from Christ, or he presumes that God will accept
an imperfect act of worship (and one for which no divine command has been given).
This great end time controversy over acceptable worship is no different in principle from that first
religious controversy between Cain and Abel.(257) Cain's worship was condemned on the same
points of authority and justification by faith. In the first place, Cain presumed to worship God in a
way which he, as the creature, had devised (thus rejecting the principle of the "Bible alone"). In the
second place, his offering stood without the merit of the Lamb (for which reason his act of worship
stood without imputed righteousness). Because of his disobedience Cain received a "mark" in his
forehead.(258) This illustrates why the rejecters of the third angel's message expose themselves to
the wrath of God unmixed with mercy.(259)
Scripture alone was the formal principle of the Reformation, and justification by faith alone was its
material principle.(260) It is astonishing that the Advent movement, most often criticized for being
delinquent on these two principles, should here present itself as being the foremost champion of
both.(261) It claims to be the worthy successor of the Reformers, raised up of God to complete the
Reformation.(262) The temple of divine truth must be completed, and the remnant, as portrayed by
Zechariah, are about to bring forth "the headstone [the eschatological roof](263) with shoutings,
crying, Grace, grace unto it."(264) Attended by the outpouring of God's Spirit in large measure, the
loud cry of the third angel is a revelation of the glory of grace. That glory will lighten the earth.(265)
"One interest will prevail, one subject will swallow up every other,Christ our
righteousness. . . . ."(266)

Heretofore those who presented the truths of the third angel's message have often been regarded as mere
alarmists. Their predictions that religious intolerance would gain control in the United States, that church
and state would unite to persecute those who keep the commandments of God, have been pronounced
groundless and absurd. It has been confidently declared that this land could never become other than what
it has beenthe defender of religious freedom. But as the question of enforcing Sunday observance is
widely agitated, the event so long doubted and disbelieved is seen to be approaching, and the third
message will produce an effect which it could not have had before.(267)

When the issues are thus joined and the principles at stake are clearly set before all, then those
who make the righteousness of Christ their only defense, signified by their submission to God's
authority, will receive the seal of God. Those who make their own righteousness their defense,
signified by their submission to human authority, will receive the mark of the beast. Both the loyal
and the disloyal will be thus separated and ripened for the final harvest.(268) Christ will cease His
intercession in the sanctuary above.(269) Those in Christ shall "go no more out."(270) Those
outside of Christ shall never enter in.(271) The decree will go forth, "He that is unjust, let him be
unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous
still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still."(272)
Christ's kingdom is now complete,(273) and He stands up to reign.(274) Seven plagues of God's
wrath are poured upon Babylon and the devotees of creature worship.(275) God's Spirit is
withdrawn, and the world is given up to unprecedented and unimaginable evil.(276) The righteous
are blamed for these great desolations and are threatened with destruction.(277) Then the voice of
God shakes the heavens and the earth, and Christ appears in the clouds of heaven with power and
great glory.(278)

The Millennium
Adventist eschatology is premillennial, but very different from the system generally called
premillennialism. In its basic principles it stands much closer to the amillennialism of old time
Protestantism.
When Christ comes, He resurrects the righteous dead and translates the righteous living. These all
put on immortality.(279) "At the second advent of Christ the wicked shall be consumed 'with the
Spirit of His mouth,' and destroyed 'with the brightness of His coming.' The light of the glory of God,
which imparts life to the righteous, will slay the wicked."(280)
The earth is now emptied of its inhabitants. It "appears like a desolate wilderness"(281) due to the
preceding plagues.(282)
Now the event takes place foreshadowed in the last solemn service of the Day of Atonement. When the
ministration in the holy of holies had been completed, and the sins of Israel had been removed from the
sanctuary by virtue of the blood of the sin offering, then the scapegoat was presented alive before the
Lord; and in the presence of the congregation the high priest confessed over him "all the iniquities of the
children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat." In
like manner when the work of atonement in the heavenly sanctuary has been completed then in the
presence of God and heavenly angels and the host of the redeemed the sins of God's people will be
placed upon Satan; he will be declared guilty of all the evil which he has caused them to commit. And as
the scapegoat was sent away into a land not inhabited, so Satan will be banished to the desolate earth, an
uninhabited and dreary wilderness.
The revelator foretells the banishment of Satan and the condition of chaos and desolation to which the
earth is to be reduced, and he declares that this condition will exist for a thousand years. After presenting
the scenes of the Lord's second coming and the destruction of the wicked, the prophecy continues: "I saw
an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And
he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand
years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should

deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed for
a little season."
That the expression "bottomless pit" represents the earth in a state of confusion and darkness is evident
from other scriptures. Concerning the condition of the earth "in the beginning," the Bible record says that it
"was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep." Prophecy teaches that it will be
brought back, partially at least, to this condition. Looking forward to the great day of God, the prophet
Jeremiah declares: "I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they
had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo,
there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a
wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down."
Here is to be the home of Satan with his evil angels for a thousand years. Limited to the earth, he will not
have access to other worlds to tempt and annoy those who have never fallen. It is in this sense that he is
bound: there are none remaining, upon whom he can exercise his power. He is wholly cut off from the work
of deception and ruin which for so many centuries has been his sole delight.(283)

Apart from the early Christian church, Hebrews and Adventists, with few exceptions, are the only
ones in more recent times who have identified the scapegoat (Azazel) with Satan. The charge that
Mrs. White teaches that Satan is our Saviour must be dismissed as unworthy of responsible
criticism. This is not said to defend the doctrine, for it does have some obvious difficulties. But by
way of clarification two things need to be said:
1. Mrs. White does teach that the saints are washed by Christ's blood and eternally
saved before Satan is brought into the picture. Hence, whatever Satan does, or whatever
is done with Satan, has nothing to do with saving people.
2. Mrs. White emphasizes that Satan will be charged with the crime of causing God's
people to sin. He is the instigator of sin, and the blame of instigating evil ought to be
rolled back on his head.(284) This Christ does. Of course) the saved were guilty of
following Satan. Christ died for them on account of that guilt. But Satan must still be held
accountable for causing them to sin. As for the wicked, Satan will not have to share any
responsibility in their sins. By their own choice they must bear the entire blame.(285)
During the thousand years between the first and the second resurrection the judgment of the
wicked takes place. The apostle Paul points to this judgment as an event that follows the
second advent "Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come) who both will bring to light
the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts." Daniel
declares that when the Ancient of Days came, "judgment was given to the saints of the Most
High." At this time the righteous reign as kings and priests unto God John in the Revelation
says: "I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them." "They
shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years." It is at this
time that, as foretold by Paul, "the saints shall judge the world." In union with Christ they judge
the wicked, comparing their acts with the statute book, the Bible, and deciding every case
according to the deeds done in the body. Then the portion which the wicked must suffer is
meted out, according to their works; and it is recorded against their names in the book of
death.
Satan also and evil angels are judged by Christ and His people. Says Paul: "Know ye not that
we shall judge angels?" And Jude declares that "the angels which kept not their first estate,
but left their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the
judgment of the great day."
At the close of the thousand years the second resurrection will take place. Then the wicked
will be raised from the dead and appear before God for the execution of "the judgment
written." Thus the revelator, after describing the resurrection of the righteous, says: "The rest
of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. And Isaiah declares,
concerning the wicked: "They shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit,

and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited."(286)

The Final Judgment

The last point of controversy in this eschatological scheme is the matter of the final punishment of
the wicked. Two concepts are totally rejecteduniversalism and the eternal existence of the
damned in fires of eternal torment. It is contended that the wicked, after appropriate punishment,
cease to exist. Mrs. white rests her case on several argumentsChristological, anthropological,
theological, textual, rational and soteriological.
Christological. The wicked will experience the same misery and dreadful horror that
Christ experienced on the cross. But like Him, they will eventually die.(287)
Anthropological. The doctrine of eternal torment rests on the assumption that the soul
is immortal. If this assumption falls, the doctrine of eternal torment falls with it.(288)
Theological. The doctrine is out of harmony with the overall biblical revelation of God's
character.(289)
Textual. The Bible declares that the wicked will perish, be destroyed, die, and be as
though they had not been.(290)
Rational. God never requires us to believe anything which outrages reason and man's
basic sense of justice.(291)
Soteriological. The plan of redemption and Christ's atonement provide for the complete
destruction of sin in God's universe. The Scriptures speak of a united universe where
one pulse of harmony beats throughout without one note of discord. (292) God must
destroy sin. whoever clings to sin must be destroyed with it. Thus the universe will be
completely and permanently cleansed.(293)
The following are samples of Mrs. White's estimation of the doctrine of eternal torment:
. . . . after the Fall, Satan bade his angels make a special effort to inculcate the belief in man's natural
immortality; and having induced the people to receive this error they were to lead them on to conclude that
the sinner would live in eternal misery. Now the prince of darkness, working through his agents, represents
God as a revengeful tyrant, declaring that He plunges into hell all those who do not please Him, and
causes them ever to feel His wrath; and that while they suffer unutterable anguish and writhe in the eternal
flames, their Creator looks down upon them with satisfaction.
Thus the archfiend clothes with his own attributes the Creator and Benefactor of mankind. Cruelty is
satanic. God is love; and all that He created was pure, holy, and lovely, until sin was brought in by the first
great rebel. Satan himself is the enemy who tempts man to sin, and then destroys him if he can; and when
he has made sure of his victim, then he exults in the ruin he has wrought. If permitted, he would sweep the
entire race into his net. Were it not for the interposition of divine power, not one son or daughter of Adam
would escape.
Satan is seeking to overcome men today, as he overcame our first parents, by shaking their confidence in
their Creator and leading them to doubt the wisdom of His government and the justice of His laws. Satan
and his emissaries represent God as even worse than themselves, in order to justify their own malignity
and rebellion. The great deceiver endeavors to shift his own horrible cruelty of character upon our
heavenly Father, that he may cause himself to appear as one greatly wronged by his expulsion from
heaven because he would not submit to so unjust a governor. He presents before the world the liberty
which they may enjoy under his mild sway, in contrast with the bondage imposed by the stern decrees of
Jehovah. Thus he succeeds in luring souls away from their allegiance to God.

How repugnant to every emotion of love and mercy, and even to our sense of justice, is the doctrine that
the wicked dead are tormented with fire and brimstone in an eternally burning hell; that for the sins of a
brief earthly life they are to suffer torture as long as God shall live. Yet this doctrine has been widely taught
and is still embodied in many of the creeds of Christendom. Said a learned doctor of divinity: "The sight of
hell torments will exalt the happiness of the saints forever. When they see others who are of the same
nature and born under the same circumstances, plunged in such misery, and they so distinguished, it will
make them sensible of how happy they are." Another used these words: "While the decree of reprobation
is eternally executing on the vessels of wrath, the smoke of their torment will be eternally ascending in view
of the vessels of mercy, who, instead of taking the part of these miserable objects, will say, Amen, Alleluia!
praise ye the Lord!"
Where, in the pages of God's word, is such teaching to be found? Will the redeemed in heaven be lost to
all emotions of pity and compassion, and even to feelings of common humanity? Are these to be
exchanged for the indifference of the stoic or the cruelty of the savage? No, no; such is not the teaching of
the Book of God. Those who present the views expressed in the quotations given above may be learned
and even honest men, but they are deluded by the sophistry of Satan. He leads them to misconstrue
strong expressions of Scripture, giving to the language the coloring of bitterness and malignity which
pertains to himself, but not to our Creator. "As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of
the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will
ye die?"
What would be gained to God should we admit that He delights in witnessing unceasing tortures; that He is
regaled with the groans and and shrieks and imprecations of the suffering creatures whom He holds in the
flames of hell? Can these horrid sounds be music in the ear of Infinite Love? It is urged that the infliction of
endless misery upon the wicked would show God's hatred of sin as an evil which is ruinous to the peace
and order of the universe. Oh, dreadful blasphemy! As if God's hatred of sin is the reason why it is
perpetuated. For, according to the teachings of these theologians, continued torture without hope of mercy
maddens its wretched victims, and as they pour out their rage in curses and blasphemy, they are forever
augmenting their load of guilt. God's glory is not enhanced by thus perpetuating continually increasing sin
through ceaseless ages.
It is beyond the power of the human mind to estimate the evil which has been wrought by the heresy of
eternal torment. The religion of the Bible, full of love and goodness, and abounding in compassion, is
darkened by superstition and clothed with terror. when we consider in what false colors Satan has painted
the character of God, can we wonder that our merciful Creator is feared, dreaded, and even hated? The
appalling views of God which have spread over the world from the teachings of the pulpit have made
thousands, yes, millions, of skeptics and infidels.
The theory of eternal torment is one of the false doctrines that constitute the wine of the abomination of
Babylon, of which she makes all nations drink. That ministers of Christ should have accepted this heresy
and proclaimed it from the sacred desk is indeed a mystery. They received it from Rome, as they received
the false sabbath. True, it has been taught by great and good men; but the light on this subject had not
come to them as it has come to us. They were responsible only for the light which shone in their time; we
are accountable for that which shines in our day. If we turn frOm the testimony of God's word, and accept
false doctrines because our fathers taught them, we fall under the condemnation pronounced upon
Babylon; we are drinking of the wine of her abomination.
A large class to whom the doctrine of eternal torment is revolting are driven to the opposite error. They see
that the Scriptures represent God as a being of love and compassion, and they cannot believe that He will
consign His creatures to the fires of an eternally burning hell. But holding that the soul is naturally
immortal, they see no alternative but to conclude that all mankind will finally be saved. Many regard the
threatenings of the Bible as designed merely to frighten men into obedience, and not to be literally fulfilled.
Thus the sinner can live in selfish pleasure, disregarding the requirements of God, and yet expect to be
finally received into His favor. Such a doctrine, presuming upon God's mercy, but ignoring His justice,
pleases the carnal heart and emboldens the wicked in their iniquity.(294)
The principles of kindness, mercy, and love, taught and exemplified by our Saviour, are a transcript of the
will and character of God. Christ declared that He taught nothing except that which He had received from
His Father. The principles of the divine government are in perfect harmony with the Saviour's precept,
"Love your enemies." God executes justice upon the wicked, for the good of the universe, and even for the
good of those upon whom His judgments are visited.(295)

It is in mercy to the universe that God will finally destroy the rejecters of His grace.(296)

The New Earth

After Satan and the wicked have been visited with "the full penalty of the law," this earth will be
renewed as the eternal home of the saved. It is here that the Old Testament prophecies which
speak of everlasting peace and prosperity meet their final fulfillment.(297)
The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of
harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him who created all, flow life and light and
gladness, throughout the realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all
things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love.(298)

1 One evangelical scholar has observed: "It is significant that the word 'eschatology' first occurs apparently in 1844,
where it is used in a disparaging sense."A Dictionary of Christian Theology, ed. Alan Richardson, art. "Eschatology"
(Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1969), p. 113.
2 There is some disagreement among the premillennialists about the order of the rapture. Only the majority view is
represented in this chart.
3 Not all dispensationalists follow every premise listed in this chart, but in general they do. Those who developed the
scheme believed these premises.
4 Even those who opposed the Adventist interpretations of prophecy felt constrained to admit that they were simply the
historic Protestant interpretations carried to their logical conclusions. Most Protestants, rather than accept such
consequences, soon began to abandon the Protestant method of interpretation in favor of the futurist dispensational
scheme. See The Great Controversy, Appendix, Note 5, p. 683 (1888 edition).
5 GC 423
6 GC 311
7 2SM 387
8 Rev. 14:6
9 2SM 106, 115
10 PK 677, 678
11 PK 177-189
12 GC 253
13 1SM 372
14 TM 92
15 7BC 978
16 Rev. 14:7, 9
17 Rev. 14:6-12
18 2SM 111; Rev. 14:14, 15
19 7BC 980
20 2SM 103-105; GC 603-612
21 ST 715; 6T 165
22 1SM 372 (The expression "third angel's message" embraces the first two messages [cf. CW 26, 291.)
23 1SM 363
24 RH Mar. 11, 1890
25 5T 453
26 Ev 213; 6T 60; GC 605
27 See chapter on justification.
28 5T 261, 262; 1T 167
29 PP 153, 154
30 PP 549
31 7BC 981; 4T 251-254
32 Rev. 14:6, 7
33 Acts 24:25 (cf. Acts 17:31)
34 Rev. 14:7 (cf. GC 355, 356)
35 Other Christians have shared the Adventist views on matters like the Sabbath and the intermediate state.
36 GW 148
37 PK 491-502, 547, 553, 554; Ed 173-184; GC 423-491
38 PK 698, 699

39 GC 324-329
40 Rev. 14:7 (cf. GC 355, 356)
41 GC 548, 549; COL 310
42 GC 485 (cf. Rev. 22:11-24)
43 EW 287; GC 644, 645
44 GC 653-661
45 GC 482
46 GC 480
47 EW 55
48 COL 310, 317-319; Matt. 22:1-14
49 GC 424-428
50 GC 427 (cf. Luke 12:36, 37; 19:11-27)
51 Dan. 7:9, 13, 14; Rev. 11:19; Heb. 8:1
52 Heb. 9:24
53 GC 411-417
54 GC 418-432, 479-486; PP 357, 358; Lev. 16; 23:26-32 (Since ancient times the Jews have regarded Yom Kippur as
the Day of Judgment for Israel.)
55 Heb. 9:28
56 Rev. 14:6, 7
57 GC 483
58 Rev. 16:15
59 GC 482, 483
60 7BC 931
61 DA 756; COL 386; SD 228; SBC 1109
62 Dr. Hoekema is certainly not alone in making this criticism.
63 1SM 366; 6BC 1115
64 5BC 1082; 3T 484
65 AA 561
66 7BC 933
67 GC 490, 491; 5T 216, 475
68 GC 484; 5T 475
69 PP 357, 358
70 GC 422; EW 279, 280
71 GC 482
72 GC 483
73 1SM 396
74 COL 315, 316
75 1SM 377
76 1SM 318
77 COL 312
78 Adolf Koberle, The Quest for Holiness (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1938), p. 166.
79 4T 386
80 COL 315
81 5BC 1122; AA 532; PP 353
82 1SM 344
83 GC 483, 484
84 GC 489, 490
85 ST 472-475
86 GC 484
87 GC 482; CDL 30; 4BC 1128
88 5BC 1122
89 Rev. 14:12
90 7BC 908
91 Matt. 19:28 (cf. 2T 505)
92 ST 575
93 Rom. 9:28 (cf. COL 69, 415-419)
94 ST 575, 472-475, 749-754; GC 489, 613, 614
95 GC 548
96 GC 549
97 1BC 1081
98 5BC 1113; 1SM 296
99 1SM 298
100 GC 544-547

101 GC 533 (The author does recognize that there is a spiritual life and a spiritual death. But still the
words life and death are taken to mean existence and nonexistence.)
102 GC 533
103 GC 533, 534
104 GC 549 (Luther's doctrine of immortality and the intermediate state is being hotly debated among Lutherans even
today. Most scholars agree that Luther thought in terms of resurrection rather than immortality.)
105 DA 209, 210, 606
106 Col. 3:4
107 DA 787
108 1 Cor. 15:52
109 DA 787; GC 644, 645
110 GC 549, 550
111 6BC 1093
112 Ps. 6:5; 115:17; 146:4; Eccl. 9:5, 6, 10; Is. 38:18, 19; Acts 2:29, 34; 1 Cor. 15:16-18; 1 Thess. 4:13-18 are often
cited in support of this (cf. GC 545-547).
113 GC 551
114 GC 552
115 GC 558, 588, 589
116 GC 561, 562
117 GC 588 (Many observers see this taking place in recent developments wherein Pentecostalism and spiritualism are
becoming so much alike as to be indistinguishable in many cases.)
118 Rev. 14:7; Exodus 20:10, 11
119 Rev. 14:12
120 Rev. 11:19
121 7BC 972
122 4BC 1152; EW 32, 33, 254, 255
123 PP 356
124 James 2:12, 10 (cf. GC 436, 482)
125 Gen. 2:1-3; PP 48
126 Ex. 20:8-11; 34:27, 28; 31:17, 18; PP 307, 370-373
127 7BC 931; RH Sept. 3, 1901
128 7BC 931
129 DA 762, 763
130 1SM 366-368
131 1SM 218
132 SC 57-65
133 As most Protestants do nowadays.
134 GC 585-587
135 MB 63; 7BC 979; DA 206; PP 47
136 PP 48
137 PP 48
138 GC 453
139 PK 82, 411, 412
140 PK 671-673
141 DA 204-206
142 DA 287
143 DA 769, 770
144 GC 51-54
145 GC 449
146 Is. 58:12, 13
147 GC 453
148 Ev 236, 237
149 25N 76
150 6T 60, 61; Ev 298; MM 160
151 PP 307
152 6BC 1075; 6T 349) 350; GC 640
153 DA 769, 207; 2T 583
154 Ed 250-252
155 Mark 2:27; 1 Cor. 11:9
156 MB 63; DA 207
157 Gen. 2:1-3
158 PP 48
159 GC 447

160 GC 448
161 GC 587
162 GC 583-587; SL 66
163 Rev. 14:8
164 Is. 21:9
165 Is. 45:1
166 PK 557-559
167 Zech. 2:6-8; PK 598-600
168 PK 677, 678, 713-715
169 GC 265, 266, 439
170 GC 409, 410, 424, 425
171 PK 714, 715
172 Rev. 12:17 (cf. 7BC 974)
173 Rev. 11:19 (cf. EW 252, 254, 255)
174 Rev. 19:10
175 Is. 58:12-14
176 Is. 56:6, 7
177 Rev. 14:6-8
178 Dan. 7:25 (cf. R.S.V.; 4BC 1152)
179 Rev. 12:17
180 Neh. 4:2
181 Zech. 3:1-8 (PK 582-592)
182 ST 472-475
183 Rev. 18:1; 7BC 984, 985
184 DA 288
185 ST 77-84, 461; TM 265; 4T 513
186 TM 91, 92
187 GC 383
188 GC 390
189 6T 371
190 1SM 372
191 ST 715 (cf. 6T 165; TM 89-98)
192 1SM 360
193 TM 92
194 7BC 978 (cf. Ev 191, 192; GW 161, 162)
195 Zech. 2:6-9; Rev. 14:8; 18:1-5
196 GC 389, 390, 603-612
197 6T 19
198 Rev. 14:9-12
199 GC 453, 454, 435
200 GC 449
201 GC 603 (cf. Rev. 14:14-20)
202 GC 449, 594
203 GC 203 The opposite class possess the "mark of the beast,"
204 GC 585-590
205 GC 584) 585 (The Reformers called this "the first use of the law.")
206 GC 587-592, 444-450
207 GC 588 (cf. GC 561)
208 Rev. 7:1-4; 14:1-538-450
209 Rev. 13:11-18; GC 604, 605
210 GC 445-450
211 ST 451, 473-475
212 Rev. 14:12
213 Rev. 11:19 (cf. GC 435)
214 Deut. 4:13; Ex. 34:27-29
215 Romans 4:11 shows that the words sign and seal are interchangeable.
216 Is. 56:3-6
217 Form criticism of recent years has done some valuable research in comparing the form of the ancient biblical
documents with the form of the treaty covenants of the ancient kings. These scholars have been able to show that the
Ten Commandments are written in the form of a Suzerainty Treaty Covenant. It is also confirmed that the Sabbath was
indeed the seal of Israel's king. (See Meredith Kline, The Treaty of the Great King, pp. 29-33.)
218 GC 52-54
219 GC 446-448

220 7BC 979-982

221 GC 449
222 GC 448, 604, 605; 5T 716
223 7BC 977
224 GC 167
225 GC 449
226 Gal. 1:5-9
227 1SM 362, 363
228 1SM 372
229 Mrs. White often laments that Adventists have been too slow to appreciate this, but have relied too much on
prophetic arguments (cf. GW 156-162).
230 Ev 598; 2T 200, 201; 8T 206-212
231 1SM 367
232 CD 673, 674
233 QD 675, 676
234 QD 664, 665; DA 761-763
235 1SM 349; 374, 375
236 GC 465-468, RH Sept. 3, 1901
237 1SM 366, 397
238 GC 434 (cf. EW 33, 255)
239 GC 452, 640
240 1T 337
241 Ev 212, 213, 226, 233; GC 604, 605
242 GC 448, 594, 595
243 AA 561
244 1SM 344
245 1SM 344
246 COL 315
247 AA 532
248 SD 270
249 5BC 1122
250 PP 353
251 1SM 382
252 ST Sept. 5, 1892
253 TM 37
254 RH Sept. 3, 1901
255 1SM 367, 396; SD 240; SC 62; 7BC 931
256 1SM 373, 374, 364
257 Gen. 4:1-15; Heb. 11:4; GW 156-162
258 Ev 598; PP 71-74; GW 162; iSM 382
259 Rev. 14:9, 10
260 GC 89
261 GW 158; GC 594, 595
262 6T 402, 403 (cf. SR 353-355)
263 Literally, as in the Amplified Bible, " . . . the finishing gable-stone [of the new temple]. . . ." Zech. 4:7. It is said that
this stone was the most curiously and beautifully designed stone in the temple.
264 Zech. 4:7 (cf. 7T 170)
265 Rev. 18:1; 1SM 363; 6T 19
266 SD 259
267 GC 605, 606
268 TM 234, 235
269 GC 613, 614
270 Rev. 3:12 (cf. 5T 216, 475)
271 EW 281, 282
272 Rev. 22:11
273 GC 614
274 EW 281
275 GC 627-629
276 GC 614
277 EW 282-284; GC 615-634
278 1T 353) 354; EW 285-288; GC 635-645
279 GC 644, 645
280 DA 108

281 GC 657
282 EW 289-291; GC 653-657
283 GC 658, 659
284 EW 294) 295; PP 358; GC 673
285 EW 178
286 GC 660, 661
287 2T 210
288 GC 534
289 GC 535-537
290 GC 540-545
291 GC 535
292 GC 545
293 EW 294, 295
294 GC 534-537
295 GC 541, 542
296 GC 543
297 PK 728-731; GC 674-678
298 GC 678