We have
remarked that justification by faith does not supersede the Judgment.
The
Atonement- Continued…. (Excerpt)
And the
Judgment is not on the basis of faith alone. In this is shown the imperative
necessity of obedience. The following declarations of Scripture are conclusive
on this point, and very impressive:— “Fear God, and keep his commandments; for
this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment.”
Eccl. 12:13, 14. “As many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law,
in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ.” Rom. 2:12,
16.
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H. Waggoner
“For we
must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ; that every one may receive
the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good
or bad.” 2 Cor. 5:10. “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father
with his holy angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his
works.” Matt. 16:27. “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to
give every man according as his work shall be.” Rev. 22:12.
Others to
the same intent might be quoted. And by these it is seen that not faith, but
works. are the sole basis of determination and of reward in the Judgment.
Then the
question may be asked, Of what benefit is faith, if it does not appear in the
Judgment? We answer, It is an auxiliary to works; it enables us to work: it
appropriates the strength of Christ by which alone we can work, for without him
we can do nothing. John 15:5. But faith without works is dead, and of what
benefit is dead faith? Is this inconsistent with grace? No; it is free grace
that has opened the way for our escape from eternal ruin. Grace has made our
salvation possible. Grace guides and assists us every step on the way. Grace
opens the way and assists us, but grace does not insure our salvation without
our availing ourselves of its provisions, any more than favor and good will
would prevent a man starving if he refused to eat the food which was freely
provided for him, and freely offered to him.
Grace does
not destroy the power of choice, nor release us from the duty and necessity of
choosing. Grace will assist us in the work of overcoming, but grace will not
release us from the necessity of overcoming. Grace will clothe us with an
invincible armor; but grace will not fight our battles for us if we sit still
and do nothing. It is now as of old: “The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.”
Grace threw down the walls of Jericho; but they would not have fallen if the
children of Israel had neglected to compass the city as they were commanded to
do. Grace saved Noah from the flood but it would not if he had not built an
ark. God has done and will do all that is necessary to make full provision for
our salvation. He will fulfill all his promises, if we will fulfill their
conditions. But he will never do
The
Atonement - 84
for us
that which he has commanded us to do. Grace encourages trust; it does not
tolerate presumption. They who suppose that we teach justification by the law,
because we enforce the obligation of the law, cannot have looked deeply into
the word of God, nor have considered the principles of Government. If Jesus
takes away the sinful disposition, renews us or gives us a new heart, and
brings us in subjection to the law of God, all our obedience to that law is by
virtue of that change of heart effected by him; therefore, while he grants to
us all the virtue of his blood for the remission of past sins, he is entitled
to all the glory of our obedience in the future. So it is all of grace, and we
have nothing of which to boast in any respect, nor anything to claim on our own
account, for all that we do is by
strength imparted by him. Here we have a system which is all grace, and
no license to sin; a gospel worthy of Heaven—imparting mercy freely, and
maintaining law and justice strictly. Here
we see that without him we can do nothing; though we shall work out our own
salvation with fear and trembling, “it is God that worketh in us to will and to
do of his good pleasure.” We are justified by faith, yet so that we must
add to our faith virtue; patiently continue in well-doing; keep the
commandments of God; fulfill the righteousness of the law, etc. So far from
teaching justification by the law, we emphatically assert that a moral duty,
whatever men may call it, whether law or gospel, cannot justify a sinner. That
law which points out sin, which is therefore the rule of right, must of
necessity condemn the sinner, but it will not and cannot justify. This is the
teaching of Rom. 3:20, 21.
Rom
3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified
in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Rom
3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested,
being witnessed by the law and the prophets
And it is
singular, but true, that they who teach that the law is abolished, and declaim
against it as being insufficient to justify, etc., and who say that the
commandments of the original law which are now binding are incorporated into
the gospel, really teach justification by law,—by the same precepts which
convict of sin. And they are the only ones who do teach justification by law.
We say that justification of a sinner by law is impossible; it is contrary to
reason, and to the words of the apostle in Rom. 3:20. If the law were
incorporated into another system, and called by another name, that would not
change its nature; it would not cause it to justify the sins
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H. Waggoner
which it
forbids, nor the sinner who had violated it.
The
difference between the law and the gospel is as distinct now as it was in the
days when the gospel was preached to the sinners in the wilderness. Heb. 4:1.
Heb
4:1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into
his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
The law is
a moral rule; sin is immorality; and the gospel is the remedy.
The gospel
upholds the law, and enforces it upon the conscience, and incorporates it into
the life of the believer.
But it
does not abrogate law nor does it release the believer from obligation to obey
the law; neither does it incorporate law into itself, for the two cannot be
blended into one. The correctness of our position may be tested by the
following plain statement: The blood of Christ, the blood of the covenant, is
that whereby we have remission of sin. Heb. 9:22; Rom. 3:25.
Heb
9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without
shedding of blood is no remission.
Rom
3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his
blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past,
through the forbearance of God
The gospel
is a system of remission; it is good news of salvation from sin unto eternal
life. The blood of Christ is a free gift; the gift of God’s undeserved grace.
Hence, baptism may be a gospel condition of justification, because it is not
any part of original obligation, or of moral duty. If it were a moral duty it
could not be a part of a system of remission of sin, because as such it would
be required on its own account. The commandment which says, “Thou shalt not
steal,” cannot become a part of the gospel; it cannot be incorporated into a
system of remission, or a remedial system, because it is of a moral nature. It
is obligatory without any regard to a sinful condition. It is reasonable that a
remedial plan should say, “Repent, and be baptized for the remission of sin,”
for baptism is not a moral duty; it is not of obligation on its own account.
But it were highly absurd to say. Thou shalt not kill for the remission of sin;
or, Honor thy father and thy mother for the remission of sin. And the absurdity
is not removed if you change their position, and call them gospel; you cannot
change their nature. And they who teach the abolition of the decalogue, and the
incorporation of these precepts into the gospel, are responsible for this
absurdity. It belongs to their theory.
(To be
continued)
(Excerpt
from-) THE ATONEMENT PART SECOND:
THE
ATONEMENT AS REVEALED IN THE BIBLE
(1884)
BY ELDER J. H. WAGGONER
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