Faith and Works: The Perspective of Jones, Waggoner, and White

Our good works are the necessary and inevitable fruit of a living faith in Christ, serving as a demonstration of His power in the life, though they possess no merit to purchase or earn salvation. 🕊️

The Relationship Between Faith and Works

• Ellen White explains that while all of our good works cannot save us, it is nevertheless impossible for us to be saved without them3SM 147.1.

• Good works do not bring righteousness; rather, righteousness gained by trusting God brings forth good works in the lifeGTI 104.2.

• The human agent must co-operate with God in the work of salvation, for the human and the divine must unite in faith and practicePH089 18.4.

• God has prepared good works for us to walk in, and as we trust His mercy, He justifies us and then empowers us to maintain those works Ephesians 2:10GCB/GCDB 1897, page 12.2.

• Alonzo T. Jones emphasizes that the law is kept not in order to be saved, but because we are already saved by graceARSH November 14, 1899, page 737.3.

• He notes that true justification by faith carries with it the living virtue of God to work in God's wayGCB/GCDB 1893, page 301.6.

• Ellet J. Waggoner adds that righteousness by faith means "right doing by faith," where faith is the source of every act in a person's lifeGCB/GCDB March 4, 1897, page 254.3.

The Standard of the Law

• Righteousness is defined as perfect obedience to the law of God, which the sinner is incapable of rendering by their own strength Romans 3:201SM 366.3.

• Ellen White clarifies that Christ’s perfect obedience is accepted in place of man’s failure when the sinner believes in Him as a personal Savior1SM 366.3.

• Waggoner points out that faith does not make void the law but establishes it, as the law is the only standard of justice Romans 3:31SITI August 15, 1895, page 499.5.

• The only way to attain to the righteousness the law demands is through faith, which brings Christ’s own obedience into the heart1SM 366.3+1.

Works as a Witness and Fruit

• Jones teaches that good works follow redemption just as fruit appears on a treeECE 731.4.

• Those who have been rescued from the depths of sin often become the most effective workers for others because they know the necessity of those for whom they laborWM 250.2+1.

• Ellen White notes that when we have a living connection with a living God, we will work after Christ’s life and manifest His character in our actions5MR 36.3.

• True Sabbath-keeping is a sign of this relationship, representing justification by faith and rest in God's creative power rather than an attempt at justification by worksAMS September 30, 1897, page 598.4+1.

Dangers of Self-Sufficiency

• Dependence on outward forms or ceremonies for salvation is a rejection of Christ's sufficiencyGBG 8.2+1.

• Waggoner warns that the idea that we can do something to make ourselves worthy of God's blessings is a common error that prevents us from receiving His graceGW92 412.1.

• Jones highlights that the Roman Catholic system often passes off justification by works under the heading of justification by faith, a snare that even believers must guard againstGCB/GCDB 1893, page 244.1+1.

• Ultimately, no man can ever become so strong that his own deeds can justify him; justification remains by faith alone, from first to lastPTUK September 6, 1894, page 563.4.

In summary, we must be diligent and active co-workers with Christ, putting on the whole armor of righteousness and laboring to save the lost, yet always recognizing that only the grace of Christ is our hope of salvationWM 250.2+2. 🌟