Ellen White on Who God Is

“When the sinner comes to him [Jesus] he takes his load of sin, and gives him his righteousness. The vilest sinner may claim all that was provided in the plan of salvation through the merits of Christ. He may have the attributes of the savior. He may go forth to tell of a living Saviour, and to win men to the truth; for he knows what it is to lay hold of Christ by living faith. He has taken the requisite steps in repentance, confession, and restitution, and he can teach others the way of salvation. He can present Christ as one who left his royal throne, who clothed his divinity with humanity that he might save fallen man. He can present him as one who was rich and yet for our sakes became poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich.” Ellen White, Signs of the Times, September 2, 1889

“Christians misrepresent their heavenly Father when they go mourning and groaning, as though they were burdened with an enormous load, when their countenances are expressive of gloom and despondency, and the shadow encompasses their souls. But let them not think they are serving God in so doing; they are doing Satan’s work in misrepresenting God and his service. They should go before the Father, and plead with him for a view of his goodness. They have lost sight of Jesus and his love. Let them go to Christ and study his character, for he came to represent the Father. Shall we receive Satan’s misrepresentations of our God, and go on in discouragement, lacking peace and joy in the Holy Ghost? Shall we go on mistrusting our heavenly Father’s love and doubting his goodness? What greater injury could we do to our children and our friends than to give them such false impressions of Christian life? It was at an infinite cost to the Father that man’s salvation was purchased…Christ became our surety, our sacrifice, saviour and example, and when all Heaven has been poured out to us in this gift of God, how shall he not with him freely give us all things?” Ellen White, Signs of the Times, September 2, 1889

“When we look to the cross of Calvary, we see that the highest claims of the law were met in the efficiency of the offering. Hence, Jesus is called “the Lord our righteousness.” When we lay hold on the merit of Christ, and are able to say, “The Lord is my Saviour, my righteousness,” then we are justified by faith, and have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ”  Ellen White, Signs of the Times, November 10, 1890

“When He sees men lifting the burdens, trying to carry them in lowliness of mind, with distrust of self and with reliance upon Him, He adds to their work His perfection and sufficiency, and it is accepted of the Father. We are accepted in the Beloved. The sinner’s defects are covered by the perfection and fullness of the Lord our righteousness. Those who with sincere will, with contrite heart, are putting forth humble efforts to live up to the requirements of God, are looked upon by the Father with pitying, tender love; He regards such as obedient children, and the righteousness of Christ is imputed unto them.” Ellen White, In Heavenly Places, p. 23

“The only begotten Son of God was to teach men the goodness, mercy, and benevolence of the character of God. He taught men to regard God as the fountain of all parental affection which has flowed down, generation after generation, through the channel of the human heart. The pity, the compassion, and the love which have been manifested by parents to their children bear no comparison with the tenderness and compassion of the heart of infinite love. The love of God is constantly exercised in behalf of the happiness and salvation of his people. The Lord sent his Son into the world that, through faith in him, they might contemplate God in Christ, and approach the infinite Father in the name of his Son. We may approach the Father through the Lord our righteousness.”  Ellen White, Review and Herald, September 11, 1894

“Christ is called ‘the Lord our righteousness,’ and through faith each one should say, ‘The Lord my “righteousness.”‘ When faith lays hold upon this gift of God, the praise of God will be upon our lips, and we shall be able to say to others, ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29). We shall then be able to tell the lost concerning the plan of salvation, that while the world was lying under the curse of sin, the Lord presented terms of mercy to the fallen and hopeless sinner, and revealed the value and meaning of His grace. Grace is unmerited favor. . . . It was grace that sent our Saviour to seek us as wanderers and bring us back to the fold.”  Ellen White, God’s Amazing Grace, p. 183

“Come to Jesus, and receive rest and peace. You may have the blessing even now. Satan suggests that you are helpless, and cannot bless yourself. It is true; you are helpless. But lift up Jesus before him: ‘I have a risen Saviour. In Him I trust, and He will never suffer me to be confounded. In His name I triumph. He is my righteousness and my crown of rejoicing.’ Let no one here feel that his case is hopeless; for it is not. You may see that you are sinful and undone; but it is just on this account that you need a Saviour. If you have sins to confess, lose no time. These moments are golden. ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).’”  Ellen White, Gospel Workers, p. 413

“My brethren, are you expecting that your merit will recommend you to the favor of God, thinking that you must be free from sin before you trust His power to save? If this is the struggle going on in your mind, I fear you will gain no strength, and will finally become discouraged. If you are conscious of your sins, do not devote all your powers to mourning over them, but look and live. Jesus is our only Saviour; and although millions who need to be healed will reject His offered mercy, not one who trusts in His merits will be left to perish. While we realize our helpless condition without Christ, we must not be discouraged; we must rely upon a crucified and risen Saviour. Poor, sin-sick, discouraged soul, look and live. Jesus has pledged His word; He will save all who come unto Him.”  Ellen White, Selected Messages, Vol. 1, p. 352

“We must learn in the school of Christ. Nothing but His righteousness can entitle us to one of the blessings of the covenant of grace. We have long desired and tried to obtain these blessings, but have not received them because we have cherished the idea that we could do something to make ourselves worthy of them. We have not looked away from ourselves, believing that Jesus is a living Saviour. We must not think that our own grace and merits will save us; the grace of Christ is our only hope of salvation. Through His prophet the Lord promises, ‘Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon’ (Isa. 55:7). We must believe the naked promise, and not accept feeling for faith. When we trust God fully, when we rely upon the merits of Jesus as a sin-pardoning Saviour, we shall receive all the help that we can desire.”  Ellen White, Selected Message, vol. 1, p. 351

“In this life we must meet fiery trials and make costly sacrifices, but the peace of Christ is the reward. There has been so little self-denial, so little suffering for Christ’s sake, that the cross is almost entirely forgotten. We must be partakers with Christ of His sufferings, if we would sit down in triumph with Him on His throne. So long as we choose the easy path of self-indulgence, and are frightened at self-denial, our faith will never become firm, and we cannot know the  peace of Jesus, nor the joy that comes through conscious victory.” Ellen White, Christian Experience and Teachings of Ellen White, p. 189