Ellet J. Waggoner
The Present Truth : June 27, 1895
Christ—who is one with His Father—is the “Sun of Righteousness.” Malachi 4:2. What the visible sign is to the physical world, Christ is to the spiritual world. The sun gives light to the physical world, and the Sun of Righteousness gives righteousness to the spiritual world. As we cannot see the sun without having its light upon us, so we cannot see Christ without having His light upon us, which is righteousness. Looking unto Him, we are covered with His righteousness, which shines upon us, and thus are made righteous. As the sun is a powerful disinfectant and destroyer of disease-giving germs, so the Sun of Righteousness destroys with His beams all that which brings disease to the soul. “Unto you that fear My name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in His wings.” Sin cannot live in the sight of God, as mould cannot live in the bright sunshine. In the light of God’s countenance is life, and that light comes to us through Jesus, the propitiation for our sins. Thus we can look upon it and live, which no man could do were he to behold God’s face. That light destroys sin, but not the sinful flesh in which it works. So then we are to “run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of faith.” Hebrews 12:1, 2
And how can we see Him, and thus stand in the light of the Sun of Righteousness? —Simply by faith, believing His word. Faith exercised to its full extent always brings Jesus into view. By faith we may ever “look and live.”