Editor’s note: Here begins a series of six objections relating to salvation and the gospel.
Objection 93: Seventh day Adventists do not believe in Christ's salvation offered to all men freely, because they preach that salvation is found in the keeping of the law. This false view of salvation is urged repeatedly in the writings of Mrs. E. G. White, who is regarded as an inspired spokesman.
This series has already discussed law and grace. The question of why Adventists emphasize keeping the law when salvation comes from the substitutionary death of Christ on our behalf was answered in Objection 14 and in Objection 15. The discussion of law and grace continued in Objections 16, 17, and 18.
Hence, we shall confine our answer to the claim that Mrs. White taught that salvation is found, not in Christ, but in the law. This claim is false. We need only quote her writings on the topic to prove the falsity of it.
Ellen White was very clear that salvation is only through Jesus Christ. It is true that she was concerned about what, today, we would call “cheap grace,” the belief that one can be saved by the grace of Christ without repenting of sin, but she would never have said anything as absurd as that we can be saved by keeping the law, or by our own merit:
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. . . . 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. . . .
We look to self, as though we had power to save ourselves; but Jesus died for us because we are helpless to do this. In Him is our hope, our justification, our righteousness. We should not despond and fear that we have no Saviour or that He has no thoughts of mercy toward us. At this very time He is carrying on His work in our behalf, inviting us to come to Him in our helplessness and be saved. . . . 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. Faith & Works, p. 36, (emphasis added).
“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,” even so was “the Son of man ...lifted up: that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:14, 15). 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.
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). Faith & Works, p. 37, (emphasis added).
Ellen White was clear that the desire for salvation comes only from Jesus Christ, not from ourselves:
Now you may cling to your righteousness, and you may think that you have tried to do about right, and that, after all, you will be saved in doing this. You cannot see that Christ does it all. “I must repent first,” some say. “I must go so far on my own without Christ, and then Christ meets me and accepts me.” You cannot have a thought without Christ. You cannot have an inclination to come to Him unless He sets in motion influences and impresses His Spirit upon the human mind. And if there is a man on the face of the earth who has any inclination toward God, it is because of the many influences that are set to work to bear upon his mind and heart. Those influences call for the allegiance to God and an appreciation of the great work that God has done for him. Then don’t let us ever say that we can repent of ourselves, and then Christ will pardon. No, indeed. It is the favor of God that pardons. It is the favor of God that leads us by His power to repentance. Therefore, it is all of Jesus Christ, everything of Him, and you want to just give back glory to God. Faith & Works, p. 73 (emphasis added).
Finally, we have this story, narrated by Ellen White herself:
One time when I was traveling in Oregon on a steamer, a number of persons collected upon the hurricane deck, just outside of my stateroom, the door of my room being open. A minister was talking to them concerning the law. After a while he said:
“Mrs. White is on board, and she is a great stickler for the law. She says that no one can be saved except through keeping the law. She places all our salvation on the perfect keeping of the law!”
After he had misrepresented me and the Seventh-day Adventists for some time, I went to him and said:
"Elder B., Mrs. White is here to speak for herself. I have listened to your words, and will assure you that Mrs. White believes no such thing. There is no quality in law to save the transgressor. It was because the law was broken, and there was nothing but death before the sinner, that He who was equal with the Father, came to earth and took upon Him the garb of humanity. It was because of man's sin that Christ stepped down from the royal throne, laid aside His royal robe, and clothed His divinity with humanity. He came to bring to man moral power, to unite the fallen race with Himself, that through faith in Jesus Christ we may become partakers of the divine nature, and escape the corruption that are in the world through lust. Says the apostle, 'Sin is the transgression of the law.' But Christ was manifested to take away sin, to save His people from their sins. The soul that believes in Christ may be cleansed from all defilement, and, through the grace of Christ, may be restored to divine favor.
"The law points to Christ, and every transgression of the law can be atoned for only by the blood of the Son of God. The law is like a mirror, to reveal to man his defects of character, but there is nothing in the law that will remedy the defects it points out. Paul declares: 'I have kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews and to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.' Why did he preach repentance toward God? - Because man had broken the law of God, and therefore was not in harmony with God. Why did he preach faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ? - Because Christ had died on Calvary, and had opened a fountain for sin and uncleanness for Judah and Jerusalem to wash in, and be cleansed. ...
"The death of Christ is an unanswerable argument that demonstrates the unchangeable character of the law of God. If God could have changed one precept of His law, then Christ need not have died."
I said to the minister, "Did you ever hear me speak?" He answered that he had not. "In the thousands of pages I have written, have you ever read anything to the effect that I believe the law will save us?" He answered, "No." "Then why have you made the statements which you have? I hope you will not repeat them again."
-Signs of the Times, Sept. 23, 1889, “The Unchangeable Character of the Law.” (emphasis added).