Call Us: 423 661-4734 | Email: requests@comeandreason.com      
Understanding Ellen G. White’s Quote About the Righteousness of Christ and the Sinner’s Account

Understanding Ellen G. White’s Quote About the Righteousness of Christ and the Sinner’s Account

Recently, a listener sent in the following request:

Please help me understand this Ellen White quote through design law:

“Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Righteousness is obedience to the law. The law demands righteousness, and this the sinner owes to the law; but he is incapable of rendering it. The only way in which he can attain to righteousness is through faith. By faith he 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; and the pardoned soul goes on from grace to grace, from light to a greater light. He can say with rejoicing, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Review and Herald, November 4, 1890, par. 7).

Thank you for your inquiry. When I read passages like this one, which is describing God’s solution to the sin problem, I find it helpful to first identify the problem that sin caused, the problem that the plan of salvation fixes. Before we seek to understand the meaning of the passage above, let’s ask: “What biases, assumptions, and beliefs do we hold regarding the nature of the sin problem?” Our understanding of the sin problem slants how we interpret God’s actions in solving it.

When Adam sinned, did God get changed? Did God’s law get changed? Obviously, the answer to both is no! So, whatever the solution is to the sin problem, it does not involve doing something to God or His law—they are perfect!

Next question: When Adam and Eve sinned, did they get changed? I think it is obvious that they did.

Now, perhaps the most important question: Was the nature of that change a penal/legal change, a change in their legal status within the celestial government—or was it a change in the operation of their being, a change in heart, mind, and character? After they sinned, were they still righteous, holy, loving, trusting friends of God who now simply had a legal problem with a legal penalty they could not pay? Or were they changed into individuals who were actually out of harmony with God and His protocols for life? Why did they become afraid and run and hide? Was it because God changed and got angry and wrathful and was out to get them? Or was it something inside of them that changed such that they distrusted God and now operated upon the motive of fear and selfishness instead of love and trust?

The questions lead us to understand reality—that God is the Creator, and as Creator, His laws are the laws that all the universe is built upon and life itself operates upon, what I term design laws, like the laws of physics, gravity, health, and the moral laws. Life, health, and happiness are possible only when in harmony with the laws the Creator built into the operations of reality. Created beings—you, me, angels—cannot create from nothing; we cannot establish laws that govern the operations of reality, so we make up rules we call laws, but our laws are imposed and require the use of external punishments to enforce compliance and punish wrongdoing.

When Adam and Eve sinned, they did not get into legal trouble in a court system that functions like human law courts; they got into lethal trouble. They were no longer operating upon the laws that God built them to thrive and live upon. They were now dead in trespass and sin (Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 2:13)—their condition, without intervention and remedy from our Creator, was terminal. (If you would like to read more about how God, through Jesus, heals His creation from sin, see our blogs Salvation and the Cleansing of Our Spirit, Part 1 and Part 2.)

All of the word pictures in Scripture teach that the plan of salvation is not the plan of legal adjustment in a courtroom but is the plan of healing the heart and mind of the individual:

  • “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10 ESV).
  • “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws” (Ezekiel 36:26, 27 NIV84).
  • “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10).
  • Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3 NIV84).
  • Circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code (Romans 2:29 NIV84).
  • “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV84).

All the examples and descriptions in Scripture of the plan of salvation teach the healing, recreation, and restoration of God’s living law within the believer, the removal of hard hearts and restoration of tender hearts, the restoration of genuine love and trust in God, and the eradication of fear and selfishness from the heart, mind, and character. This is not a legal adjustment in some heavenly books but is the work of our Creator within the believer. And it is possible only through the victory of Jesus; it is through the sinless, substitutionary, victorious life of Jesus that God heals and saves sinners. As Jesus described with metaphorical language, His sacrifice, His flesh and blood, alone provides salvation when it is taken into the heart and mind of the believer:

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever” (John 6:53–58 NIV84).

Notice that Jesus states directly that we have eternal life only as His flesh and blood are internalized within the sinner. Jesus is the Word made flesh (John 1:1, 14). In the passage above, Jesus is using metaphor to describe the truth—the Word becoming flesh that we ingest. He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). When we internalize into our hearts the truth about God that Jesus is, that truth destroys the lies of Satan and wins us back to trust. In that trust, we open our hearts and invite Him in and then we receive, through that trust, a new life via the indwelling Holy Spirit, which is the life of Christ—as Paul wrote, “It is no longer I that live but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). We become “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4), which is symbolic of internalizing the blood of Jesus, for the life is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11).

Following the Clues

Now, after settling upon a solid biblical understanding, we can examine other quotes from the author in question that shed light on how she uses words and phrases and that help us come to an accurate understanding of the quote under investigation. The following quote comes from The Desire of Ages:

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. But Christ, coming to the earth as man, lived a holy life, and developed a perfect character. These He offers as a free gift to all who will receive them. His life stands for the life of men. Thus they have remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. More than this, Christ imbues men with the attributes of God. He builds up the human character after the similitude of the divine character, a goodly fabric of spiritual strength and beauty. Thus the very righteousness of the law is fulfilled in the believer in Christ. God can “be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” Romans 3:26 (p. 762, emphasis mine).

The law of God is the design law of life; thus, the law requires righteousness in the exact same way that the law of respiration requires that we breathe if we want to live. While we have the freedom to tie weights on our legs and jump into the ocean and, thereby, take ourselves out of harmony with the law of respiration, we cannot live by doing that. The law cannot be changed to meet a person in such a situation. Likewise, God’s moral law cannot be changed to meet the sinner in sin. To save the drowning person, they must be put back in harmony with the law that life is built to operate upon. To save a sinner, the sinner must be put back in harmony with the law life is built to operate upon.

A legal declaration in a book in a courtroom that states a drowning person is legally declared to be breathing will not change the reality of their drowning death if they remain out of harmony with the law. Likewise, a legal declaration in a book in heaven has no saving impact. Salvation requires the life of the sinner to be restored to righteousness.

So, with all of this in mind, we can now understand the meaning of the passage quoted. We will go through the quote section by section—the italics portions are from the quote in question with my commentary following:

“Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Righteousness is obedience to the law.

Simply put, righteousness is living in harmony with the laws of life, the design laws built into the operations of reality, doing what is right—i.e., righteous because it is the right or healthy way to live.

The law demands righteousness, and this the sinner owes to the law;

The law demands righteousness in the same way the law of respiration demands we breathe. It is the only way for life to exist and operate. To not breathe is to die; to not be righteous is to die.

but he is incapable of rendering it.

We are born in sin conceived in iniquity (Psalm 51:5). When Adam and Eve sinned, they corrupted their lives with fear and selfishness, and this sinful, corrupt, selfish, terminal life is the only life they had to pass along to their descendants. Thus, we are born in sin, in fear, and in selfishness. We are born animated by motives antagonistic to God and life, and in ourselves, we cannot change this. This is a terminal condition. This is why we must be reborn with a new life, a new heart, a cleansed and renewed spirit of love and trust.

The only way in which he can attain to righteousness is through faith.

We can obtain a new heart only through trust (faith), through surrendering our life of fear and selfishness to Jesus, through “dying” to the survival-driven, save-self motives, and being reborn with a love for God and other-centered motives. It is only by this renewal, with a new holy animating energy of love and trust that comes only through trust in Jesus, that we can attain righteousness.

By faith he can bring to God the merits of Christ,

The merits of Jesus are His righteous attributes of character, His sinless life that we internalize through trust when we are reborn and Christ lives in us. We bring these by trust because having been reborn with a new animating spirit (pneuma), a new life that comes through trust in Jesus, the Holy Spirit animates us with the motives of love and we develop the fruits of the Spirit, the character of Christ, as we choose to live out the new desires and motives from the indwelling Holy Spirit (imbued within us; see quote above). Thus, we bring the merits of Christ because they are reproduced within us (Galatians 2:20).

and the Lord places the obedience of his Son to the sinner’s account.

This is simple reality. Because the sinner is restored in heart and mind to be righteous, through the righteousness and victory of Christ that is internalized through trust, God recognizes what actually exists—Christ’s victory is now theirs in reality. Ellen White wrote elsewhere:

By His perfect obedience He has made it possible for every human being to obey God’s commandments. When we submit ourselves to Christ, the heart is united with His heart, the will is merged in His will, the mind becomes one with His mind, the thoughts are brought into captivity to Him; we live His life. This is what it means to be clothed with the garment of His righteousness. Then as the Lord looks upon us He sees, not the fig-leaf garment, not the nakedness and deformity of sin, but His own robe of righteousness, which is perfect obedience to the law of Jehovah (Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 311, emphasis mine).

Jesus, as a human, took up humanity damaged by sin, eradicated the infection of fear and selfishness, and restored righteousness, love, God’s perfect design law, into humanity. Jesus is the second Adam; He is the vine, and every human attached to Jesus by faith has the life of Jesus reproduced within them. “It is no longer I that live but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20. Thus, because of Jesus’ obedience and victory, we can partake of His merits (attributes of character), and the Father registers that reality, that we are in fact righteous, into our account.

The account is analogous to medical records—they document disease, but when the patient partakes of a remedy and the disease is eradicated in the patient, then the medical record is updated to indicate that the person is healthy. This is what is being described. The only way to have the account of a person registered as right with God is for the heart of the person, through trust, to be reborn to be right with God, which is righteous.

Christ’s righteousness is accepted in place of man’s failure,

Christ’s righteousness first stands in place of Adam’s failure, and second, Christ’s righteousness stands in place of each individual’s failure when we are recreated in righteousness through our trust in Him.

and God receives, pardons, justifies, the repentant, believing soul, treats him as though he were righteous, and loves him as he loves his Son.

God receives, heals, pardons, sets right, fixes, the trusting soul and loves them just like He loves His Son.

This is how faith is accounted righteousness; and the pardoned soul goes on from grace to grace, from light to a greater light. He can say with rejoicing, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

This is how reality works, how our faith in our Creator God opens our inner selves to receive the indwelling Holy Spirit who brings us the life of Christ and reproduces righteousness within us.

Email me the blog whenever a new one is published.

Donate online, securely via PayPal using your credit or debit card (no PayPal account needed, unless you want to set up a monthly, recurring payment).


cancel recurring payment

 

Want to use zelle instead?
See how on our
Support and Donations page.

Upcoming Events

calendar

Testimonial Post Slider

Testimony 21

I am absolutly on fire with the message at Come and Reason! I can’t get enough! I’ve read your book, blog, and articles. I’ve listened to your Bible study podcasts, your radio show, and your series – all excellent! It wasn’t until the past couple of years that I have I like I’m becoming “healthy,” with more to share with others than just beasts and commandments! I used to be a Bible worker and preached when the pastors were gone until I had had enough. I didnt realize at the time what the problem was, but i know now… the message wasn’t properly focused. Now my flame is rekindled. All of your little examples are so perfect in explaining something “complicated” and making it easily understood! Now I’m trying to shape it into a life changing evangelistic series! Thank you!

M.T., USA

 

Testimony 71

When I was 9 years old, I remember setting at our devotional table with a hunger and thirst for God that wanted more, deeper, BETTER. I can remember literally crying and pounding on the table, “I know these teachers didn’t mean to give us error. They taught what THEY had been TAUGHT, but didn’t ANYBODY READ THE BOOK?!?!?” It mattered to me then. It mattered to me as a teenager. It matters now as I teach bible classes. It didn’t have to be so hard as I watched so many give up and lay God’s great plan and gift of salvation aside as being “impossible.” Then, a friend sent me a link to Come And Reason’s website. I grew excited. YES! FINALLY! Then another friend told me to stay away, saying her son had just broken up with a girl because she was involved with Come And Reason and that “Tim Jennings preaches a false gospel.” But, AFTER many years of developing an authentic and, dare I say FUN relationship with Jesus, through the Holy Spirit I see this message has been around a LONG time, since the apostle Paul, Ellen White, Graham Maxwell, Ray Foucher, and yourself (though I admit, you’ve made me back up, rewind and replay the clips, and get out my well-worn Bible on a few things.) I’m so thankful I have found LIGHT during these DARK days. I am not alone.

Vicki DiNitto

Testimony 17

The blessings of clarity and understanding you and your class inspire me to take from the word of God have impressed upon me so greatly the true, loving character of our Creator. I have found amazing freedom and joy through building a stronger, more intentional relationship with Him. What is new is that this is now a relationship built on love, reverence and respect rather than fear and obligation, and as such my eyes have been slammed OPEN as I am continually impressed by the manifestations of God’s true character in His provisions for fallen man.

T.E.H., Salt Lake City, UT, USA

 

Testimony 19

I truly believe that to know who God really is the first step to understand ourselves in a balanced and kind way, so the healing can take place. Your approach really makes sense – Thank you for your ministry!

A.M., Pittsburg, PA, USA

Testimony 5

We listen to your bible studies lessons in our class in Montana. You actually were the main reason I decided to get a laptop, so I can go to your site and listen, read, learn, and print the class notes. I am so grateful to learn the correct view of God and his character. Now, to just have others have an interest in knowing, so I can share it with them. Good thoughts your way.

R. N., MT, USA

 

Testimony 24

I wanted to thank you very much for presenting your understanding of God. I’ve always been troubled by this question: Why did Jesus have to die? Since my conversion I understood that The Father & Jesus are one, I did not have issues with that. But was there not any other way to save us than for Jesus to die? I guess I actually had a question about God – if He is so wise, how come He did not find another way? I did not see the real ‘beauty’  in the cross. Only when you explained the picture in the medical context, Jesus providing medicine for my selfishness, have I started to finally ‘see the light’. Thank you so much. Your seminar, “Healing the Mind,” are absolutely marvelous & have shared them with my family and many other people, including colleagues at work. Thanks, thanks, thanks. May God bless you abundantly in your ministry.

M. W., Australia

 

Testimony 1

Thank you! I love listening to the Come And Reason Ministries Bible study classes and am using some of your notes to get the lessons together that I will be teaching. You always have such good quotes and Bible texts and pull things together to make good sense.

T. C., IN, USA

 

Testimony 6

I got the book “Could It Be This Simple?” a few months ago and the reading was wonderful and I was fascinated. I lent the book to a friend at work. She is having a difficult time and the book is helping her to find Jesus and I found this very exciting. She has asked me questions and I can see her life changing.

H. S., Australia

 

Testimony 2

I continue to enjoy your lessons every week. The more that I research your conclusions, the more I am convinced that the Holy Spirit has lead you to distill out the essence of human redemption. Thank you for your courageous stand for the truth.

S. G., TX, USA

 

Testimony 65

I have been tuning into your weekly study classes for a while now and wanted express my appreciation for the teachings that ha been a huge blessing in opening up the true message of the word. Viewing scripture under an imposed law theory always, without fail, raised more questions, concerns, and conflicting scripture interpretations that were discouraging at the very least. Looking at scripture through the design law lens has brought more truth to light for me personally and an understanding of our Heavenly Father that places Him “above all others,” where I am now more than thrilled to witness and serve Him.  I “stumbled” across this ministry a year or so ago and would only watch a few minutes at a time. But the more I listened and the longer I paid attention, the more my spiritual eyes were opened to the ever present truths of scripture. The comprehension of the great controversy and it’s origin by the lies perpetrated and perpetuated throughout the Bible on the attack of God’s character and government is truly priceless. Keep up the Good Work! Your servanthood is desperately needed in such a time as this!

Jeff D., Reading, MA, USA

 

Testimony 22

I have found your Bible study class lectures to be very inspiring and useful as I prepare to teach class every other week. I subscribe to the podcast and download your notes on the weeks I teach. The audio and notes are such a great help in preparing. My own understanding of God’s character has grown as I teach the class. Commendations on the thought-provoking and well-prepared material Come and Reason provides. Personally, I get excited by the tie you make between the spiritual and mental/physical domains.

A.A. Corrales, NM, USA

 

Testimony 72

I am blown away by the truth that you present. God’s Design Law makes so much sense! You have validated my impression that, if God is love, He would not kill those who don’t want to know him. If God gives us choice, then how can He destroy us if our choice is not to follow him. Thank you for opening my eyes and heart to the pure love of God seen through Jesus. The love I now have for Jesus is deeper and free from condemnation. My heart has been opened to love others as Jesus loves me. May God continue to bless your God-given insight into His word and your ministry. The truth has set me free!

H. Miller, Centereach, NY

Testimony 51

I Love This Ministry!!!!!!! I see first hand how this message is desperately needed, how erroneous beliefs about God and His Character negatively affect humanity at every level. I thank God for your ministry, as I was searching on my own and was discovering some of your same beliefs and was blown away when I found your ministry. I know you hear it all the time, but it is truly life changing. May God continue to reveal His Will to you and Bless you!

Eric S., Sanford, FL, USA

 

Testimony 55

I was born [into the church], then I left it for many years. 10 years ago, I came back, but I could not take the hypocrisy and the lack of answers to the missing pieces. I struggled, but I did not abandon my commitment to know the truth. God is leading me to the simple understanding of his relevance and I am relearning what the church taught me as a youth… that he loves me, that he has led me to a knowledge of him such as I have never known. He is using Dr. Jennings to connect the dots that are now so apparent and hiding in plain sight!

Dean P., Arlington, TX, USA

 

Testimony 60

Just watched watched lesson 10 in the 1st quarter 2021 bible study classs on Isaiah. I want to thank you for your intellectual spirituality; it’s not an oxymoron! From the point of view of a teacher I also enjoy seeing how much personal pleasure you clearly take in not just tasting, but feasting on God’s word – it reminds me of Jeremiah not being able to hold it in! It makes me smile that your cup is so full and overflowing that you make it to Tuesday’s lesson (on a good day). It just goes to show the richness of God’s Word.

God bless the Come and Reason Team from our church here in Great Britain.

Andrew H., Great Britain