Good News for Seventh-Day Adventists
A Review of "The Seventh-day Adventist Message"
Part 2.5
| "The Awakening" in Retrospect It was this concept of an open door to the place of judgment, a Lamb there "all mangled and bleeding', an Intercessor who presents His own righteousness on behalf of His trusting yet imperfect people, that was the one original inspiration of the Awakening in the 1970s. For years we had been indoctrinated about judgment according to works, the call to get enough of Christ's righteousness in the heart so that we could stand approved in the judgment. There was no hope, no confidence, no assurance that we could face the judgment no matter how much progress we made in sanctification. The law was too high, we were too low. But then we saw the Lamb before the law to appear for us. If He with all His own righteousness stood for us, who could be against us? We saw that God's people came to the judgment as sinners (justified and sanctified sinners, yes, but still sinners). Contrite, penitent sinners triumphed in the judgment, for in Jesus and in Him alone was there righteousness enough to stand in judgment. This was the good news of the judgment that set hearts singing, voices ringing, and feet running. By a righteousness outside of themselves fellow Adventists were invited to enter the most holy place. It was news big with hope for those who saw themselves as poor, helpless, needy sinners. Those who spoke derisively as if we were going to enter the judgment on "the coattails of Christ's righteousness" represented that we were neglecting personal obedience as the means of being ready for the judgment. Of course, we believed in the principle of sanctified obedience just as our critics did, but we were overwhelmed with the good news of judgment by intercession while some of our critics gave little or no evidence that they could see anything more than a judgment by works. As time went on, we with our hereditary ideas erected our perfectionistic "pillars" as if they were valuable supports to this good news of the judgment. When things got to the place where our elaborately erected "pillars" were eclipsing the simple gospel truth of the judgment, the Lord blew upon those "pillars" with fresh winds of the truth of justification by faith. Our precious little edifice of perfectionism came tumbling down. But clearer than ever stands that mighty Advent truth of a pre-Advent judgment—a judgment wherein Christ stands as our atoning sacrifice. This pre-supposes that the best saints will still be sinners in themselves needing mercy and grace as their lives pass in review; that we shall all need forgiveness on that Day as much as we ever did. To be justified by a righteousness found outside of us is not just the way to begin the Christian life—it is the only way to stay in the Christian life and the only way to end it. The Advent message of a pre-Advent judgment is a mighty truth. It is the only thing that can preserve the truth of justification by faith from the perversion of legalism and the corruption of antinomianism. Such a judgment of God's people according to works is to be preached that those in ease may be sharply warned to "fear God"; and the same judgment through the intercession of a Saviour is to be proclaimed that those who fear may be encouraged to give glory to Him.
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