Without understanding righteousness by faith which is the third angel’s message, you will receive the mark of the beast. There is no way not to. Christ’s righteousness put upon you is what protects you from the mark of the beast.
If your giving Bible studies and preaching sermons and Christ our Righteousness is not the center of it, God cannot your ministry cannot finish the work.
The Seventh-day Adventist pioneers were preaching powerful messages, but their message couldn’t finish the work, so He sent A.T. Jones and E.J. Waggoner with the 1888 message of Christ Our Righteousness so God could finish the work in the first generation of Seventh-day Adventist.
“The Lord in His great mercy sent a most precious message to His people through Elders Waggoner and Jones. This message was to bring more prominently before the world the uplifted Saviour, the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. It presented justification through faith in the Surety; it invited the people to receive the righteousness of Christ, which is made manifest in obedience to all the commandments of God. Many had lost sight of Jesus. They needed to have their eyes directed to His divine person, His merits, and His changeless love for the human family. All power is given into His hands, that He may dispense rich gifts unto men, imparting the priceless gift of His own righteousness to the helpless human agent. This is the message that God commanded to be given to the world. It is the third angel’s message, which is to be proclaimed with a loud voice, and attended with the outpouring of His Spirit in a large measure.” (Testimonies to Ministers p. 91)
Let’s take a closer look at this quote:
1. God sent a most precious message to His people – This message was sent in 1888 and its called A MOST PRECIOUS MESSAGE.
2. This message was sent through Elders A.T. Jones and E.J. Waggoner – These men were divinely chosen by God to give the most precious message to His people.
3. The most precious message, which is the 1888 message of righteousness by faith, was to bring more prominently before the world the uplifted Saviour – Prominently means to MAKE THE SAVIOUR stand out more clearly, to make Him more noticeable before the people.
4. It was the Saviour’s great sacrifice that was made on Calvary for the forgiveness of sins that was to stand out more clearly. “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” (John 12:32) Understanding more clearly His sacrificial dead on Calvary for them would draw them to God.
5. This message presented justification through faith in Surety. A surety is someone who pays a debt that you must pay, but cannot. You could not have paid the debt that you owed and still live, so Christ, the Surety, came into the world and paid the debt for you so you could live forever.
What was the debt that I owed, but could not pay and still live forever? The first claim of the law of God, which is the Ten Commandments, is PERFECT OBEDIENCE.
“And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” (Matthew 19:16,17)
The rich young ruler wanted to know how to have eternal life and Jesus told him that the way to get eternal life is by keeping the commandments.
Therefore, the first claim of the Law that is resting upon mankind is PERFECT OBEDIENCE to the Ten Commandments.
“The terms of the old covenant was OBEY AND LIVE.” (Patriarchs and Prophets p. 371)
The foundation of the old covenant was the Ten Commandments. This is what mankind
was to obey so they could live.
“And He declared unto you His COVENANT, which He COMMANDED YOU TO PERFORM, even TEN COMMANDMENTS; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.” (Deuteronomy 4:13)
“Ye shall therefore keep my STATUSES, and my JUDGMENTS: which if a man DO, he shall LIVE in them: I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 18:5)
Theses statues and judgments were no other that the Ten Commandments. If they did them they would live. This is the first claim of the law, perfect obedience.
“The law requires righteousness, – a righteous life, a perfect character; and this man has not to give. He cannot meet the claims of God’s holy law.” Desires of Ages p. 762
The law requires a righteous life and a perfect character from mankind in all ages. But the Spirit of Prophecy says, “this man has not to give. He cannot meet the claims of God’s holy law.”
“It was possible for Adam, before the fall, to form a righteous character by obedience to the law of God. But he failed to do this, and because of his sin our natures are fallen and we cannot make ourselves righteous. Since we are sinful, unholy, we cannot perfectly obey the holy law. WE HAVE NO RIGHTEOUSNESS OF OUR OWN WITH WHICH TO MEET THE CLAIMS OF THE LAW OF GOD.” (Steps to Christ p. 62)
What happens if I cannot meet the claims of the law of God? What happens to me if I cannot give the law what is demands of me?
“For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23)
Sin is breaking God’s law. “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” (1 John 3:4)
So the wages of sin or beaking God’s law is eternal death. This is the penalty of sin.
If God let sinners live throughout eternal ages, the whole universe would eventually become like this world. To be an immortal sinner would eventually for fun to nobody and life would be eternal torment.
To forever prevent this from happening, God has placed all created beings, including angels, under the first claim of His law of love. This is why heaven is a place of infinite peace, joy, happiness, love, and everlasting life. All the angels obey the law of God, therefore all heaven is happy and without sickness, suffering, and death.
“Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that DO HIS COMMANDMENTS, hearkening unto the voice of his word.” (Psalm 103:20)
Mankind is in a bad situation because he cannot give the law perfect obedience. He cannot meet the first claim of the law and therefore MUST MEET THE SECOND CLAIM AND DIE FOR EVER! The whole human race must die for eternity UNLESS GOD HELPS THEM!
The second claim of the law resting upon mankind is DEATH and unless God helps them, all would have no choice but to meet that claim and perish for eternity.
God saw the hopless situation that the fallen race was in. His love was stirred to its unfathomable depths.
“The Son of God, heaven’s glorious Commander, was touched with pity for the fallen race. His heart was moved with infinite compassion as the woes of the lost world rose up before Him. But divine love had conceived a plan whereby man might be redeemed. The broken law of God demanded the life of the sinner. In all the universe there was but one who could, in behalf of man, satisfy its claims. Since the divine law is as sacred as God Himself, only one equal with God could make atonement for its transgression. None but Christ could redeem fallen man from the curse of the law and bring him again into harmony with Heaven. Christ would take upon Himself the guilt and shame of sin—sin so offensive to a holy God that it must separate the Father and His Son. Christ would reach to the depths of misery to rescue the ruined race.” (Patriarchs and Prophets p. 63)
Let’s analyze this qoute:
1. The Son of God, which is heaven’s glorious commander, He was touched with pity for the fallen race.
The Son of God is Jesus Christ. He existed as an eternal Spirit in glory with God the Father before the world was created. Jesus praying to His Father said, “And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self WITH THE GLORY WHICH I HAD WITH THEE BEFORE THE WORLD WAS.” (John 17:5)
Before Jesus came to planet earth through the incarnation, He existed as an eternal Spirit from all eternity. Incarnation means that He put human flesh upon Himself.
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.” (Philippians 2:5,6)
This verse teaches that Christ, before His incarnation, existed in the form of God and was equal with God.
But in order to carry out the plan for man’s redemption He couldn’t stay in heaven in the form of God. He had to go through the Incarnation and take on the form of a man.
“But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippines 2:7,8)
Go to colossians 1:15-17