"LET THERE BE LIGHT" Ministries
SALVATION THROUGH the TRUTH, part 5 quotes
1) "This (the will) is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will." Steps to Christ, p 47.
2) "He acts on the principles to which he has accustomed himself. Thus actions repeated form habits, habits form character, and by our character our destiny for time and for eternity is decided." Christ's Object Lessons, p 356.
3) "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..." Genesis 1:26.
4) "Man was to bear God's image, both in outward resemblance and in character." Patriarchs and Prophets, p 45.
"God created man, that every faculty might be the faculty of the divine mind..." Christ's Object Lessons, p 355.
5) "It was possible for Adam, before the fall, to form a righteous character by obedience to God's law. But he failed to do this, and because of his sin our natures are fallen..." Steps to Christ, p 62.
6) "This will, that forms so important a factor in the character of man, was at the fall given into the control of Satan; and he has ever since been working in man to will and to do of his own pleasure, but to the utter ruin and misery of man." Testimonies, vol 5, p 515.
7) "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would, I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do....For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Romans 7:18-19, 22-24.
8) "The result of the eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil is manifest in the every man's experience. There is in his nature a bent to evil, a force which, unaided he cannot resist. To withstand this force, to attain that ideal which his inmost soul he accepts as alone worthy, he can find help in but one power..." Education, p 29.
9) "Justice demands that sin be not merely pardoned, but the death penalty must be executed. God, in the gift of His only-begotten Son, met both these requirements. By dying in man's stead, Christ exhausted the penalty and provided a pardon.
"Man through sin has been severed from the life of God. His soul is palsied through the machinations of Satan, the author of sin. Of himself he is incapable of sensing sin, incapable of appreciating and appropriating the divine nature. Were it brought within his reach there is nothing in it that his natural heart would desire it. The bewitching power of Satan is upon him. All the ingenious subterfuges the devil can suggest are presented to his mind to prevent every good impulse. Every faculty and power given him of God has been used as a weapon against the divine Benefactor. So, although He loves him, God cannot safely impart to him the gifts and blessings He desires to bestow.
"But God will not be defeated by Satan. He sent His Son into the world, that through His taking the human form and nature, humanity and divinity combined in Him would elevate man in the scale of moral value with God.
"There is no other way for man's salvation." Selected Messages, book 1, p 340-341.
10) "Paul declares, 'I am crucified with Christ...' Gal 2:20. There is nothing so hard as the crucifixion of the will. Christ was tempted in all points like as we are; but His will was ever kept on the side of God's will. In His humanity He had the same free will that Adam had in Eden. He could have yielded to the temptation as Adam yielded, and Adam by believing God and being a doer of His word, could have resisted temptation as Christ resisted it. Had Christ so willed it, He could have commanded the stones to be made bread. He might have cast himself down from the pinnacle of the temple. He might have yielded to Satan's temptation to fall down and worship him, the usurper of the world. But at every point He met the tempter with, 'it is written.' He was in perfect obedience to the will of God, and the will of God was revealed throughout His entire life...
"Those who follow Christ, if they would become complete in Him must keep their will surrendered to the will of God." Our High Calling, p 107 (Manuscript 48, 1899).
11) "He knows how strong are the inclinations of the natural heart, and He will help in every time of temptation." Testimonies, vol 5, p 177.
12) "For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." Hebrews 2:10.
"Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him..." Hebrews 5:8-9.
"It was in the order of God that Christ should take upon Himself the form and nature of fallen man, that He might be made perfect through suffering, and Himself endure the strength of Satan's fierce temptations, that He might understand how to succor those who should be tempted." Spirit of Prophecy, vol 2, p 39.
"Christ came to stand at the head of humanity, to work out in our behalf a perfect character." Review and Herald, November 24, 1904 (vol 5, p 91 col 1).
13) "Or else, how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house." Matthew 12:29.
14) "God does not design that our will should be destroyed, for it is only through its exercise that we can accomplish what He would have us do. Our will is to be yielded to Him, that we may receive it again, purified and refined, and so linked in sympathy with the Divine that He can pour through us the tides of His love and power. However bitter and painful this surrender may appear to the willful, wayward heart, yet 'it is profitable for thee.'" Mount of Blessings, p 62.
15) "The stronghold of sin is in the will." Manuscript Release #448, p 12-13 (Letter 24a, Jan 27, 1890).
16) "What is the new heart? It is the new mind. What is the mind? It is the will. Where is your will? It is either on Satan's side or Christ's side. Now it is up to you. Will you put your will today on Christ's side of the question? That is the new heart. It is the new will. A new mind. 'A new heart will I give thee.' Then let us begin right here.
"Conversion is simple, very simple. Let us commence right here to come into the kingdom of heaven. How? As a little child. Just as simple as simple can be. You may get all your mysteries of the new birth, and you cannot make anybody understand it, or understand it yourself. But the best way for you is to give your mind to Jesus Christ, and the mind is the will..." Manuscript Release #551, p 3 (Manuscript 36, Sept. 19, 1891).
"Many are inquiring, 'How am I to make the surrender of myself to God?' You desire to give yourself to Him, but you are weak in moral power, and controlled by the habits of your life of sin. Your promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand. You cannot control your thoughts, your impulses, your affections. The knowledge of your broken promises and forfeited pledges weakens your confidence in your own sincerity:, and causes your to feel that God cannot accept you; but you need not despair. What you need to understand is the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will. The power of choice God has given to men; it is theirs to exercise. You cannot change your heart, you cannot of yourself give to God its affections; but you can choose to serve Him. You can give Him your will; He will then work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure. Thus your whole nature will be brought under the control of the Spirit of Christ; your affections will be centered upon Him, your thoughts will be in harmony with Him.
"Desires for goodness and holiness are right as far as they go; but if you stop here, they will avail nothing. Many will be lost while hoping and desiring to be Christians. They do not come to the point of yielding the will to God. They do not now choose to be Christians.
"Through the right exercise of the will, an entire change may be made in your life. By yielding up your will to Christ, you ally yourself with the power that is above all principalities and powers. You will have strength from above to hold you steadfast, and thus through constant surrender to God, you will be enabled to live the new life, even the life of faith." Steps to Christ, p 46-47.
17) "Satan and his hosts are warring against the government of God, and all who have a desire to yield their hearts to him (to God) and obey his requirements, Satan will try to perplex, and overcome with his temptations, that they may become discouraged and give up the warfare." Testimonies, vol 1, p 397.
18) "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." Matthew 11:12.
19) "And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:20-21.
20) “'The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force.' This violence takes in the whole heart. To be double minded is to be unstable. Resolution, self-denial, and consecrated effort are required for the work of preparation. The understanding and the conscience may be united; but if the will is not set to work, we shall make a failure. Every faculty and feeling must be engaged. Ardor and earnest prayer must take the place of listlessness and indifference. Only by earnest determined effort and faith in the merits of Christ can we overcome, and gain the kingdom of heaven. Our time for work is short. Christ is soon to come the second time." Bible Commentary, vol 1, p 1095 col 2.
"We must enter the strait gate....Satan has placed his active agents along the passage to dispute the way of every soul. Christ has encouraged His followers not to be intimidated. Press on, urge your way through. 'Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able' (Matt 13:24). Darling, cherished idols will have to be given up, and the sins that have been indulged, even if it comes as close as the plucking out of the right eye or cutting off the right arm. Agonize! force your way through the very armies of hell that oppose your passage.
"Oh! we must be terribly in earnest to impress upon every soul that there is a heaven to win and a hell to shun. Every energy of the soul must be aroused to force their passage, and seize the kingdom by force." Manuscript Release #995, p 7-9 (Letter 16f, May 9, 1892).
21) "'Walk in the light.' To walk in the light means to resolve, to exercise thought, to exert will-power, in an earnest endeavor to represent Christ in sweetness of character. It means to put away all gloom. You are not to rest satisfied simply in saying, 'I am a child of God.' Are you beholding Jesus, and, by beholding, becoming changed into His likeness? To walk in the light means advancement and progress in spiritual attainments. Paul declared, 'Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect; but...forgetting those things which are behind,' constantly beholding the Pattern, I reach 'forth unto those things which are before.' To walk in the light means to 'walk uprightly,' to walk 'in the way of the Lord,' to 'walk by faith,' to 'walk in the Spirit,' to 'walk in the truth,' to 'walk in love,' to 'walk in the newness of life.' It is 'perfecting holiness in the fear of God.'" Sons and Daughters of God, p 200.
"The Spirit of God does not propose to do our part either in the willing or the doing. This is the work of the human agent in cooperating with the Divine agencies, which as soon as we incline our will to harmonize with God's will, the grace of Christ stands to cooperate with the human agent; but it will not be the substitute to do our work independent of our resolving and decidedly acting; therefore it is not the abundance of light, and evidence piled upon evidence, that will convert the soul. It is only the human agent accepting the light, arousing the energies of the will, realizing and acknowledging that which he knows is righteousness and truth, and co-operating with the heavenly ministrations appointed of God in the saving of the soul....unless the human agent inclines his heart to do God's will, and takes up God's service, the light will shine in vain. A thousand fold more light and conviction would accomplish nothing. God knows He has sufficient evidence already. 'They have Moses and the prophets.' If they will not believe their testimony and arouse to action, neither will they believe though one should be sent to them from the dead." Manuscript Release #99, p 27 (Letter 135, 1898).
22) "There is but one power that can bring us into conformity to the likeness of Christ, that can make us stead-fast and keep us constant. It is the grace of God that comes to us through obedience to the law of God." My Life Today, p 100.
23) "By every sin Jesus is wounded afresh..." Desire of Ages, p 300.
"He has crucified to himself the Son of God afresh and pierced anew that bleeding and stricken heart." Mount of Blessings, p 10.
24) "The stronghold of sin is in the will. Put your will on God's side of the question; place yourself no longer in the position of a sinner..." Manuscript Release #448, p 12-13 (Letter 24a, Jan 26, 1890).
"Every besetting sin must be put away. Warfare must be waged against it until it is overcome. The Lord will work with your efforts. As finite, sinful man works out his own salvation with fear and trembling, it is God who works in him, to will and to do of His own good pleasure. But God will not work without the co-operation of man. He must exercise his powers to the very utmost; he must place himself as an apt, willing student in the school of Christ; and as he accepts the grace that is freely offered to him, the presence of Christ in the thoughts and in the heart will give him decision of purpose to lay aside every weight of sin, that the heart may be filled with all the fullness of God, and of His love." Fundamentals of Christian Education, p 134.
25) “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you...Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servant ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness.” Romans 6:11-16.
“Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works.” Hebrews 6:1.
* Here are the links to the quotes used for the other parts in this series: