Library Articles

The Goodness of God

"The expression, “God is good,” is one that is in very common use among Christians, yet we are morally certain that very few receive the benefit from it that they might. To very many the expressions brings more dread than trust, and the reason is that they have an erroneous and limited, idea of what is meant by the term “good.”"  ~Ellet J. Waggoner

What the Righteousness of God Is

"In 1 Corinthians 1:30 we are told that Christ is made unto us righteousness as well as wisdom; and since Christ is the wisdom of God, and in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9), it is evident that the righteousness which is made life to us is the righteousness of God. Let us see what this righteousness is." 
~Ellet J. Waggoner

Saints of God

Ellet J. Waggoner
The object of this article is not to lower anybody’s conception of sanctification, or saintship, but to elevate the conception of what it is to be a Christian; to impress upon the mind the fact that one who is not sanctified in Christ Jesus, and thus a saint of God, is not a Christian. Neither is it designed to discourage anybody. It would be false and cruel sympathy that would seek to encourage one by representing the Christian life as a low plane of living. The true way is to set forth the Christian life in its true light, and then point out the source of help.
 

Goodness Leading to Repentance

“Why is there in the hand of a fool the purchase price of wisdom, since he has no heart for it?” Proverbs 17:16. Or, of what use to offer freedom from sin to a man incapable of appreciating goodness? Therefore as the first act in the great plan of salvation, God put into the heart of man an enmity against Satan. It was purely an act of divine love. And since this enmity has been a part of the inheritance of every one of Adam’s race, it follows that not a man has lived in earth, no matter how wicked, who was not just to the extent that he ever had a thought of goodness, a subject of the grace of God.

Abominable Prayers

 “I know that the ten commandments are God’s and unchangeable laws, and that the fourth commandment requires the observance of the seventh day, and of no other. I know that the Bible does not sanction the observance of Sunday. There was a time when I was considerably troubled over this matter—whether I ought not to keep the Sabbath instead of Sunday. So I prayed earnestly to the Lord that I might know my duty. I prayed that if it was wrong for me to keep Sunday, the Lord would let me know; and since then my mind has been perfectly at rest. I am in the Lord’s hands; if he wants me to keep the Sabbath, he will let the know.”

Peace with God

Ellet J. Waggoner
"The trouble with too many is that they look for peace without surrendering. They expect God to give them peace while they are still in arms against him. This is impossibility. If he were fighting against us, then he could give us peace, by ceasing to fight us. But since the fighting is all on our part, the matter of peace rests with us. God has opened the way for us to surrender; our part is to lay hold of the peace which he offers us. Peace is ours whenever we will cease our rebellion."

CITIES OF REFUGE

Paul Penno

There is such a rewriting of our SDA history known as revisionism. The reality of the past is reinterpreted so as to cast the players in a positive light; and thus, the present generation has inherited their mind-set. Since the human mind is susceptible to such revisionism, it is imperative that we allow Inspiration to accurately paint the portrait of our history in order that we might learn the lessons which it teachings and take action to correct the course. “We may have to remain here in this world because of insubordination many more years, as did the children of Israel. . . But if all now would only see and confess and repent of their own course of action in departing from the truth of God, and following human devisings, then the Lord would pardon.” [Ellen G. White,Letter, Dec 7, 1901. N-184, 1901.]

What is Christmas?

Ellet J. Waggoner

The existence of such festival days in the professed Protestant Church today, only shows how incomplete was the work of the Reformation of the sixteenth century. That was only a beginning, and much yet remains to be done; for when Christ appears the second time He will find a church as free from Paganism as it was when He left it. The finishing of the work of the Reformation will not be brought about en masse, nor by any general or formal action, but by individuals taking the Bible alone as their guide, and daring to be counted peculiar for the sake of Christ. Who will be among the number?

The Spirit as Guide

Ellet J. Waggoner
Many persons entertain very erroneous views as to the manner in which the Spirit operates. They imagine that it will teach them something which the Bible does not contain. When certain Bible truths are presented to them for their observance, they excuse themselves from all responsibility in the matter by saying that they are led by the Spirit of God, and do not feel it their duty to do that particular thing. They say the Spirit was given to guide into all truth; and, consequently, if it was necessary to obey that portion of the Scripture, it would have been brought to their notice. The fact that they do not feel impressed to obey is proof to their minds that there is no necessity for obedience.

Christ the Water of Life

Ellet J. Waggoner

Here we have a parallel to the statement that the water that Christ gives will be in the believer a well of water springing up into everlasting life. It is life itself, because it is righteousness. The apostle has said that to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Romans 8:6. And we have also read that the Spirit is life because of righteousness. This, then, is that birth of the Spirit, which makes one entirely new; it makes the sinner righteous by making him a keeper of the law of God.