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Character Transformation and the Resurrection: Ellen White Insights

Will you wake up from the grave with a different personality?

AdventAI

What say Ellen White about change our character at resurrection?

AdventAI

Your character will not be changed at the resurrection; instead, you will come up from the grave with the same disposition and traits you manifested in your home and in society during this life.

The Work of Transformation is Now

  • No Transformation at His Coming: Jesus does not change the character when He returns; the essential work of transformation must be accomplished during our probationary time on earth.

  • A Symmetrical Character: We must repent of defects and overcome them through the grace of Christ now to form a symmetrical character fitted for heaven.

  • Daily Destiny: Our daily lives and the habits we cherish are currently determining our eternal destiny.

  • The Same Likeness: Those who go down into the grave stained and polluted with sin will rise in that same likeness, as there is no moral change in the resurrection.

What Actually Changes at the Resurrection?

  • The Physical Body: While the character remains the same, the physical body undergoes a glorious transformation from mortality to immortality 1 Corinthians 15:51-53.

  • Incorruption: This corruptible must put on incorruption, and the dead shall be raised with perfectly preserved identities but in perfect health and symmetry.

  • Glorified State: The righteous will be clothed with immortal youth and beauty, while the wicked will bear the traces of disease and death.

The Importance of the Home and Education

  • Saints on Earth: To be a saint in the mansions above, one must first be a saint on earth.

  • Home Atmosphere: Parents create the atmosphere of the home, and the spirit they manifest is partaken of by their children, shaping characters that will live through eternal ages.

  • Sacred Obligation: Developing a child's character in harmony with the Word of God is the most important work entrusted to human beings, involving eternal interests.

Preparation for the First Resurrection

  • Washing Robes: Only those who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb will be ready for the first resurrection Revelation 14:1-5.

  • Living Connection: A living connection with Christ is essential to develop a character that reflects His image.

  • Serious Conviction: It is our duty and privilege to make ready for His appearing so that we may meet our Redeemer with joy.

The Lord is coming soon, and we must use every moment to seek for the peace of Christ and a fitness for the future life. As the apostle Paul declared, we must be found blameless and without spot in that great day 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

Sources · 21
  1. LDE 295.1Last Day EventsEllen Gould White
  2. 2MCP 620.2Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 2Ellen Gould White
  3. AH 16.2The Adventist HomeEllen Gould White
  4. 7LtMs, Lt 18b, 1891, par. 25Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 7 (1891-1892)Ellen Gould White
  5. EA 205.3Experiences in AustraliaEllen Gould White
  6. 9LtMs, Ms 48, 1894, par. 5Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 9 (1894)Ellen Gould White
  7. 4LtMs, Lt 4, 1885, par. 6Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 4 (1883 - 1886)Ellen Gould White
  8. ST February 9, 1891, par. 1The Signs of the TimesEllen Gould White
  9. LDE 291.1Last Day EventsEllen Gould White
  10. GC88 662.1The Great Controversy (1888 ed.)Ellen Gould White
  11. CG 494.2Child GuidanceEllen Gould White
  12. CG 169.2Child GuidanceEllen Gould White
  13. CT 131.1Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and StudentsEllen Gould White
  14. 12LtMs, Lt 28, 1897, par. 18Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 12 (1897)Ellen Gould White
  15. CCh 358.3Counsels for the ChurchEllen Gould White
  16. 9T 189.4Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9Ellen Gould White
  17. CET 36.3Christian Experience and Teachings of Ellen G. WhiteEllen Gould White
  18. CET 37.2Christian Experience and Teachings of Ellen G. WhiteEllen Gould White
  19. LS 46.1Life Sketches of Ellen G. WhiteEllen Gould White
  20. 10MR 279.2Manuscript Releases, vol. 10 [Nos. 771-850]Ellen Gould White
  21. 6T 129.1Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6Ellen Gould White

What about the dieb on the cross? Hss he the chracter transformed?

AdventAI

The thief on the cross experienced a genuine and thorough conversion that transformed his soul even in his dying moments. Although he was a criminal justly condemned for his deeds, he exercised an intelligent faith that discerned the world's Redeemer in the suffering Jesus Luke 23:41-42.

A Genuine Transformation of Heart

  • Spiritual Peace: Notwithstanding his intense physical suffering, the penitent thief felt the peace and comfort of acceptance with God in his soul.

  • Recognition of Divinity: While the religious leaders mocked Christ and even the disciples doubted, the thief called Jesus "Lord" and recognized His divine character while He hung upon the cross.

  • Fruit of the Spirit: His conversion was evidenced by his defense of Jesus and his humble request for a place in Christ's kingdom Luke 23:40-42.

  • The Power to Save: This instance serves as a powerful testimony that even the vilest sinner can find pardon and transformation through the merits of the blood of Christ.

The Meaning of the Promise

  • Divine Right: Jesus exercised His divine right as man’s Advocate to promise the thief a place in Paradise, demonstrating that He had the same power to save as when He raised the dead.

  • The Timing of Paradise: Jesus did not promise the thief that he would go to Paradise that specific day, as Jesus Himself did not ascend to the Father until three days later John 20:17.

  • A "Today" Declaration: Christ's words, "I say unto thee today," were meant to impress upon the thief that even in a state of apparent defeat and ignominy, Jesus had the power to save a perishing soul.

A Warning Against Delay

  • A Special Purpose: This conversion was a unique event designed to testify to all beholders that Jesus was not an impostor but was carrying out His mission to the very end.

  • No Excuse for Procrastination: While the thief found favor at the eleventh hour, this should not lead anyone to neglect present opportunities or trust in a death-bed repentance.

  • Increasing Darkness: Every ray of light neglected leaves a person in greater darkness, making a last-moment conversion a dangerous and uncertain thing to rely upon Proverbs 1:27-28.

A Ray of Comfort for Christ

  • Gratitude Amid Agony: Never in Christ’s entire ministry were words more grateful to His ears than the utterance of faith from the lips of the dying thief.

  • A Gleam of Joy: In His bitter loneliness and excruciating agony, the petition of the thief provided a gleam of comfort to the Saviour.

  • Victory Over Satan: The response to the thief's request sounded a death-knell to Satan’s hope of obtaining a total victory over Christ or those who believe in Him.

The light kindled by the pardon of the penitent thief continues to shine to the earth’s remotest bounds, proving that a contrite soul who looks in faith to the uplifted Saviour will find mercy and a transformed life. As the scripture says, "Whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life" John 3:15.

Sources · 10
  1. 3SP 157.2The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 3Ellen Gould White
  2. PrT January 21, 1886, par. 9The Present Truth (UK)Ellen Gould White
  3. DA 750.1The Desire of AgesEllen Gould White
  4. ST December 8, 1898, par. 2The Signs of the TimesEllen Gould White
  5. 23LtMs, Lt 232, 1908, par. 11Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 23 (1908)Ellen Gould White
  6. 5Red 78.2Redemption Or The Sufferings Of Christ His Trial And CrucifixionEllen Gould White
  7. 10LtMs, Ms 16, 1895, par. 23Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 10 (1895)Ellen Gould White
  8. 12LtMs, Ms 45, 1897, par. 20Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 12 (1897)Ellen Gould White
  9. 22LtMs, Ms 139, 1907, par. 6Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 22 (1907)Ellen Gould White
  10. DA 751.4The Desire of AgesEllen Gould White