The Gift of Salvation:
The ruler had addressed Christ merely as an honored rabbi, not discerning in Him the Son of God. The Saviour said, “Why callest thou Me good? There is none good but one, that is, God.” ?On what ground do you call Me good? God is the one good. IF YOU RECOGNIZE ME AS SUCH, YOU MUST RECEIVE ME AS HIS SON AND REPRESENTATIVE.? {COL 390.3}. This is representative of what God is
Fathers and mothers, husbands and wives, I beseech you, do not indulge in low thought and vulgar speaking. Coarse sayings, low jests, want of courtesy in the homelife, will leave an impression upon you, and if frequently repeated will become ?second nature.? The home is too sacred a place to be polluted with vulgarity, sensuality, and recrimination. There is a Witness who declares, “I know thy works.” Let love, truth, kindness, and forbearance be the plants cultivated in the garden of the heart.— 1MCP 156.3. Sin can become our second nature
The religion of Christ ?transforms the heart.? It makes the worldly-minded man heavenly-minded. Under its influence the selfish man becomes unselfish because this is the character of Christ. The dishonest, scheming man becomes upright, so that it is ?second nature? to him to do unto others as he would have others do unto him. The profligate is changed from impurity to purity. He forms correct habits, for the gospel of Christ has become to him a savor of life unto life. 5T 345.1. Righteousness can become our second nature
KJV Psalms 32:1-2, 5-8, 11
1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. 5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. 6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. 7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. 8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. 11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
KJV Hebrews 11:6
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Oh, the Christian’s last days may be fragrant because the beams of the Sun of righteousness shine through the life, diffusing a perpetual fragrance. Oh, what reason have we for joy that our Redeemer poured out His precious blood on the cross as an atonement for sin, and by His obedience to death brought in everlasting righteousness. You know that today He is at the Father’s right hand, a Prince of life, a Savior. There is no other name wherein you can trust your eternal interests, but in Christ you may rely fully, implicitly. ?Christ has been loved by you, although your faith has sometimes been feeble and your prospects confused. But Jesus is your Saviour. He does not save you because you are perfect, but because you need Him and in your imperfection have trusted in Him.? Jesus loves you, my precious child. 3LtMs, Lt 46, 1879, par. 6
KJV Luke 17:10
10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, ?We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.?
?IT IS NOT YOUR SPIRIT THAT IS GOING INTO HEAVEN; IT IS CHRIST’S SPIRIT.? Will you have it? Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” [Revelation 3:20.] Then I ask, How is it that so many of you are saying you do not know whether you are accepted of God or not; that you want to find Jesus? Don’t you know whether you have opened the door? Don’t you know whether you have invited him in? If you have not, invite him now. Don’t wait a moment. Open the door, and ?LET JESUS? IN.” {Ms48-1891.52}
This is in harmony with the following
KJV Ephesians 1:13-14
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were ?*sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,*? 14 Which is the earnest of ?*our inheritance*? until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
KJV Galatians 4:6
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the ?*Spirit of his Son into your hearts,*? crying, Abba, Father.
KJV Romans 8:9
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. ?*Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ,*? he is none of his.
KJV 1 Corinthians 3:16
16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the ?*Spirit of God*? dwelleth in you?
KJV Galatians 5:22-23, 25
22 But the ?*fruit of the Spirit*? is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 25 If we ?*live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.*?
Summarily, it’s the Spirit of Christ which works on our faculties. So if we make it to heaven its the spirit of Christ not our own, his mind is the one acceptable not our mind.
You can add the following:
I have words to speak to you. I have an interest in your soul. While the ?*Holy Spirit is working upon human hearts and characters,*? will you not take your stand fully on the platform of truth? The ?*regeneration of the Spirit of God is needed in your heart,*? that you may become a ?*new man in Christ Jesus,*? not another man, but the same man renewed. The Spirit of God does not create new faculties in the converted man, but works a decided change in the employment of those faculties. When the mind and heart and soul are changed, man is not given a new conscience, ?*but his will is submitted to a conscience renewed, a conscience whose dormant sensibilities are aroused by the working of the Holy Spirit.*? 14LtMs, Lt 44, 1899, par. 1
The converted soul ?*lives in Christ.*? His darkness passes away, and a new and heavenly light shines into his soul. “He that winneth souls is wise.” “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars forever and ever.” What is done through the co-operation of men with God is a work that shall never perish, but endure through the eternal ages. He that makes God his wisdom, that grows up into the full stature of a man in Christ Jesus, will stand before kings, before the so-called great men of the world, and show forth the praises of Him who hath called him out of darkness into his marvelous light. Science and literature cannot bring into the darkened mind of men the light which the ?*glorious gospel*? of the Son of God can bring. The Son of God alone can do the great work of illuminating the soul. No wonder Paul exclaims, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” ?*The gospel of Christ becomes personality*? in those who believe, and makes them living epistles, known and read of all men. In this way the leaven of godliness passes into the multitude. The heavenly intelligences are able to discern the true ?*elements of greatness in character;*? for only goodness is esteemed as efficiency with God. RH December 15, 1891, par. 9
KJV John 6:63
63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: ?*the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.*?
KJV 2 Peter 1:4
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the ?*divine nature,*? having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
KJV Colossians 1:27
27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is ?*Christ in you, the hope of glory:*?
This personality formed within, the hope of glory is what I personally may refer to the Holy Spirit hence its not our own personalities but the the distinct personality of the Father and Son abiding in us that makes us candidates of heaven.
Not by painful struggles or wearisome toil, not by gift or sacrifice, is righteousness obtained; but it is freely given to every soul who hungers and thirsts to receive it. “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat, . . . without money and without price.” “Their righteousness is of Me, saith the Lord,” and, “This is His name whereby He shall be called, The Lord Our Righteousness.” Isaiah 55:1; 54:17; Jeremiah 23:6.{MB 18.2}
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 only be obtained through the imputed righteousness of Christ. 9LtMs, Ms 40, 1894, par. 12
God bless
