New York Indicator

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 15, 1901

New York Indicator

Salvation

New York Indicator

This question has now been before us in our Sabbath-school lessons for some time. Some may have stopped on the less important points of what law or covenant Paul was referring to. The issue is salvation, and the contention is over the truth of the gospel, and the objective point, “Christ . . . formed within you.”

Those false brethren contended that unless a man should be circumcised, he could not be saved; and of course the conclusion from such a premise was, If men should be circumcised, they would be saved.

Now all that was shown to be false doctrine by Paul. Over and over again it is shown that it is not because we do the things enjoined on us by Christ in His service that we are saved, but because we exercise faith in the powerful life of Jesus Christ, and through this gift of faith Christ’s life is formed within us, so that it becomes true of us that “the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God;” yea, it is because of all this we can not but work, we can not help working, for the salvation of those about us.

But shall we be saved because of works?—No. On the other hand, Shall we be saved, in such a time as this, if we fail to work the works of Christ?—No. Works are the evidence of faith. Faith works, and purifies the soul of the exerciser. Without faith it is impossible to please God.

All this means personal experience. We shall not be saved because we have paid tithes, because we have been baptized, because we have washed the saints’ feet. Coming to the higher law of eternity, neither shall we be saved because we have outwardly kept the Sabbath, ten, fifteen, or forty years. With Christ left out, that law never will cease to condemn us; for we have transgressed it. We shall be saved because we have been justified by God through living faith, as individuals, in our personal Saviour, Jesus Christ. And because of this great gift bestowed upon us through the Holy Ghost, we shall be used of our Lord somewhere in the closing scenes of the gospel work.

But until this experience is gained, until we have been endowed with the promised heavenly power through tarrying upon our knees, our working will be profitless. Such will come in on the left hand, counting on their imposing works, but the sentence is, Depart; for I “never knew you.” The others had accomplished all this work in their Saviour, and were not counting on a single thing they had been used to do; for they say, When saw we thee hungry, thirsty, and sick, etc., and helped thee?

When instruments become worthless, we cast them aside, and grasp those that will answer our purpose. Brethren and sisters, have we tarried upon our knees until the Spirit of God is bidding us go forth with the words of life? Then let us go. Remember Meroz. A curse will surely follow those who fail in permitting themselves to be used in such a time as this. Salvation will arise from another quarter, as far as we individually are concerned, but ponder well the awful results if this becomes true in our cases.

God’s closing message will triumph. All the ordinances of the Lord’s appointing will continue until the end; the Sabbath will be kept, tithes and offerings will be paid, baptism and other ordinances will be observed; but let us not conclude that salvation will be the result of the outward observance of these things.