Spirit Baptism & the 1888 Message of Rigteousness by Faith
- by David Berthiaume
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Chapter 1
Ellen White and the 1888 Message
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Ellen White understood that Christ’s imputed righteousness (justification) and His imparted righteousness (sanctification) was absolutely essential for the believer to understand and experience.
“Clad in the armor of Christ's righteousness, the church is to enter upon her final conflict.’Fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners,’ she is to go forth into all the world, conquering and to conquer.” My Life Today, p. 311
“On Christ's coronation day He will not acknowledge as His any who bear spot or wrinkle or any such thing. But to His faithful ones He will give crowns of immortal glory. Those who would not that He should reign over them will see Him surrounded by the army of the redeemed, each of whom bears the sign, The Lord Our Righteousness.” Maranatha, p. 39
It is only as God’s people are “clad in Christ’s righteousness” that they will be empowered to be victorious against Satan and his host. Only those who are without “spot or wrinkle;” without sin, will receive “crowns of immortal glory.” How have they become without “spot or wrinkle?” The righteousness of Christ shines forth in and through them. They know by experience what it means to declare, “The Lord Our Righteousness.”
“The Lord Our Righteousness” is the very message God brought to our denomination through Jones and Waggoner in 1888 and the years that followed. Following 1888 Ellen White herself wrote much about the importance of Christ’s righteousness.
Christ’s righteousness encompasses two important experiences in the believer’s life. The first is called justification righteousness, which is imputed to the repentant sinner’s life. Ellen White wrote:
“By faith he [the repentant sinner] 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;” The Review and Herald, Nov. 4, 1890
Writing about Christ’s righteousness becoming manifested in the believer’s life Ellen White stated:
“The sanctification of the soul by the operation of the Holy Spirit is the implanting of Christ's nature in humanity. It is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ revealed in character, and the grace of Christ brought into active exercise in good works. Thus the character is transformed more and more perfectly after the image of Christ in righteousness and true holiness.” Selected Messages, Book 3, p. 198 (1894)
The Significance of the 1888 Message Up
She also declared that the message of righteousness by faith is the message to be proclaimed with a “loud voice” (loud cry) as the latter rain of the Spirit is poured out. As this amazing message of Christ and His righteousness began to be proclaimed Ellen White believed the loud cry of the third angel had begun. Of this she wrote:
“The time of test is just upon us, for the loud cry of the third angel has already begun in the revelation of the righteousness of Christ, the sin-pardoning Redeemer. This is the beginning of the light of the angel whose glory shall fill the whole earth.” Review and Herald, Nov. 22, 1892
Chapter 5
The great controversy has always been over Christ. We read in the book of Revelation about when the controversy first began in heaven (Revelation 12:7-10). Satan hates Christ and has always tried to replace Him (Isaiah 14:12-14).
The same controversy takes place in the lives of men and women today. Satan desires to reign on the throne of the heart. He wants mankind to follow his ways, not Christ’s ways. In the area of Christian living he wants to replace Christ’s righteousness with man’s efforts. He wants them to look to their own efforts for righteousness rather than Christ and His righteousness. He wants them to look to themselves for obedience rather than to Christ manifesting His obedience in and through them.
No Righteousness Separate from Faith Up
Any righteousness that we seek to obtain by our own efforts is actually unrighteousness since it is impossible to attain to any righteousness apart from faith in Christ’s righteousness. There is no righteousness separate from faith. That is why Paul wrote:
“…for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Romans 14:23
Concerning this truth E.J. Waggoner wrote:
“Without faith not an act can be performed that will meet the approval of God. Without faith the best deeds that a man can do will come infinitely short of the perfect righteousness of God, which is the only standard. Where ever real faith is found it is a good thing; but the best of faith in God to take away the load of the sins of the past will profit a person nothing unless it is carried right through in ever-increasing measure until the close of his probation.” ibid
Waggoner continues:
“We have heard many people tell how hard they found it to do right; their Christian life was most unsatisfactory to them, being marked only by failure, and they were tempted to give up in discouragement. No wonder they get discouraged: continual failure is enough to discourage anybody. The bravest soldier in the world would become faint-hearted if he had been defeated in every battle. Sometimes these persons will mournfully tell that they have lost confidence in themselves. Poor soul, if they would only lose confidence in themselves entirely, and would put their whole trust in the one who is mighty to save, they would have a different story to tell. They would then ‘joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Says the apostle, ‘Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, Rejoice.’ Phil. 4:4. The man who doesn’t rejoice in God, even though tempted and afflicted, is not fighting the good fight of faith. He is fighting the poor fight of self-confidence and defeat.” Ibid, p.3
Chapter 9
The 1888 Message and the Last Generation
Seventh-day Adventists have always had what might be called a “last generation theology.” This theology teaches that the last generation of Christians that are living when Jesus comes will have to have developed a relationship with Christ as no other generation before them. This will be necessary because they will have to be faithful to God through the time of trouble (Revelation 13:12, 15), live in the presence of God without a mediator (Daniel 12:1), and stand in the presence of Christ in all His glory at His return and not be consumed while all other inhabitants of earth will be destroyed by the brightness of His coming (2Thessalonians 2:8).
It is only those who understand and experience the 1888 message of righteousness by faith that will be able to endure these final events successfully.
Jones’ and Waggoner’s Understanding Up
Jones and Waggoner understood this. In the following statement A.T. Jones quotes Revelation 10:7, which states that when the seventh angel begins to sound the “mystery of God” will be finished. Then he writes:
“’But what is the mystery of God? ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory.’ ‘God…manifest in the flesh.’ Then in these days that mystery is to be finished in one hundred and forth-four thousand people. God’s work in human flesh. God being manifested in human flesh, in you and me, is to be finished. His work upon you and me is to be finished. We are to be perfected in Jesus Christ. By the Spirit we are to come unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Lessons on Faith, p. 150
At the time of the writing of this book, Dennis Smith is serving as pastor in the Southern New England Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Dennis has served the church as an active layman, and in pastoral and departmental positions for over 35 years.
Dennis received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Colorado State University. While at Colorado State, he became a Seventh-day Adventist Christian. After working in engineering for a short time, he felt the call to full time ministry. To fulfill that calling, Dennis attended Andrews University Theological Seminary and received a Masters of Divinity degree. Dennis has also done studies in the area of public health from Loma Linda University.
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