Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[sky]

"All true obedience comes from the heart."

- Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages p. 669

All true obedience comes from the heart, that is, from the new heart, for the unregenerated heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. See Jeremiah 17:9. And how do we receive the new heart? "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you." Ezekiel 36:26. How does the Lord give us this new heart? By creation. "Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Psalm 51:10. He wills a new heart within us. He Himself has given the command, "Be clean." Isaiah 52:11. To those who are willing to be as submissive to His voice as is the inanimate creation, a new heart is given unto them. "The aim of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience and from sincere faith." I Timothy 1:5. All these things are part of the new heart created in Christ Jesus by the commandment of the everlasting God:

"Be clean."

"Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever." 1 Peter 1:23.

"Be clean."

"You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you." John 15:3.

And the new life which is thus imparted, is in like manner sustained, by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. "As you have therefore received Christ, so walk ye in Him." Col.2:6.

In fact, at Sinai, when Jesus spoke the ten words, the people would have received a new heart in Christ Jesus if they had received them as the voice of God from Heaven speaking to them in promise. "The law of God (proceeding from His mouth) is perfect, converting the soul." Psalm 17:9.

sky

[RND]

Very nice sky. The Lord is steadfast in His promises towards those that desire His grace and mercy. 

[sky]

Thanks RND

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." 2 Thess.3:18. So it is with all who submit to His voice, for He speaks and it is done!

This is the "true grace" (1 Peter 5:12) which "brings salvation" (Titus 2:11) and which is "exceedingly abundant with faith and love that are in Christ Jesus" (1 tim.1:14) and which is "able to build us up and to give us an inheritance with those that are sanctified." Acts 20:32.

sky

[inga]

Hi Sky,

I suspect that the reason you have not received responses to this post is that this is most of what you have writtne is traditional Protestant Christian doctrine.

The contribution of Adventism is the understanding that Christ Himself spoke the Law at Sinai and the that it was possible for Israel to enter into the "new covenant" experience right at Sinai.

Now that I think of it -- how many Adventists really understand that the giving of the Law at Sinai was part of the "New Covenant"?

How many understand that Israel could have entered into the New Covenant experience at Sinai?

How many understand that it is only the faithless response of the Israelites that made Sinai the scene of the "old covenant"?

But I do have some questions for you -- questions that occurs to me because of some of the interpretations that are floating around Adventism:

When we enter into the New-Covenant experience, which results in heart obedience, do we then stop sinning altogether. Specifically, are we to expect never to sin after that?

Another question, if we do sin after receiving this "new heart," are we then in an unsaved state?

There are different answers to these questions from various segments of Adventism. In fact some of these differences have led to some severe divisions.

What are your answers?

A Happy Sabbath to you. 

Inga

"All true obedience comes from the heart."

- Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages p. 669

All true obedience comes from the heart, that is, from the new heart, for the unregenerated heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. See Jeremiah 17:9. And how do we receive the new heart? "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you." Ezekiel 36:26. How does the Lord give us this new heart? By creation. "Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Psalm 51:10. He wills a new heart within us. He Himself has given the command, "Be clean." Isaiah 52:11. To those who are willing to be as submissive to His voice as is the inanimate creation, a new heart is given unto them. "The aim of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience and from sincere faith." I Timothy 1:5. All these things are part of the new heart created in Christ Jesus by the commandment of the everlasting God:

"Be clean."

"Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever." 1 Peter 1:23.

"Be clean."

"You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you." John 15:3.

And the new life which is thus imparted, is in like manner sustained, by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. "As you have therefore received Christ, so walk ye in Him." Col.2:6.

In fact, at Sinai, when Jesus spoke the ten words, the people would have received a new heart in Christ Jesus if they had received them as the voice of God from Heaven speaking to them in promise. "The law of God (proceeding from His mouth) is perfect, converting the soul." Psalm 17:9.

sky

[RND]

If I may take a stab at answering.....

But I do have some questions for you -- questions that occurs to me because of some of the interpretations that are floating around Adventism:

When we enter into the New-Covenant experience, which results in heart obedience, do we then stop sinning altogether. Specifically, are we to expect never to sin after that?

After having God's laws written in our hearts we do not cease to sin, we cease to become slaves to sin.

Another question, if we do sin after receiving this "new heart," are we then in an unsaved state?

No.

There are different answers to these questions from various segments of Adventism. In fact some of these differences have led to some severe divisions.

"In like manner you are a sinner. You cannot atone for your past sins; you cannot change your heart and make yourself holy. But God promises to do all this for you through Christ. You  believe that promise. You confess your sins and give yourself to God. You  will  to serve Him. Just as surely as you do this, God will fulfill His word to you. If you believe the promise,--believe that you are forgiven and cleansed,--God supplies the fact; you are made whole, just as Christ gave the paralytic power to walk when the man believed that he was healed. It  is  so if you believe it." STC pg. 53

"There are those who have known the pardoning love of Christ and who really desire to be children of God, yet they realize that their character is imperfect, their life faulty, and they are ready to doubt whether their hearts have been renewed by the Holy Spirit. To such I would say, Do not draw back in despair. We shall often have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus because of our shortcomings and mistakes, but we are not to be discouraged. Even if we are overcome by the enemy, we are not cast off, not forsaken and rejected of God. No; Christ is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Said the beloved John, "These things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." 1 John 2:1. And do not forget the words of Christ, "The Father Himself loveth you." John 16:27. He desires to restore you to Himself, to see His own purity and holiness reflected in you. And if you will but yield yourself to Him, He that hath begun a good work in you will carry it forward to the day of Jesus Christ. Pray more fervently; believe more fully. As we come to distrust our own power, let us trust the power of our Redeemer, and we shall praise Him who is the health of our countenance." STC, pg. 64