By Mrs. E. G. White

“Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, … who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ; according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love; having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved. In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace; wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself; that in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him; in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.” Ephesians 1:2, 4-11

In the council of Heaven provision was made that man, though a transgressor, should not perish in his disobedience, but through faith in Christ, as his Substitute and Surety, might become the elect of God, predestinated unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. God wills that all men should be saved; and in giving His only-begotten Son as man’s ransom, He has made ample provision for the salvation of the world. None need perish unless they refuse to be adopted as children of God through Christ Jesus. Many permit pride to hinder them from accepting of the provisions of salvation. They will not consent to have the grace of Christ imparted to them through faith in His name; but human merit will not make man acceptable before God. No dependence can be placed upon their works, for without Christ they can do no good thing. The elect are those who are chosen through Christ unto sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. But God willeth not the misery of any one of His creatures; it is His desire that none should be lost, but all should come to repentance and to the acknowledging of the truth.

The invitation is given to all, “Come unto Me, all [no one is excluded] ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” “Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Jesus adds, “Him that cometh unto Me, I will in nowise cast out.” Mt. 11:28; Is. 55:1; Rev. 22:17; Jn. 6:37.

The heart of Christ is constantly drawn out in sympathy towards fallen man. While upon earth His only mission was to save sinners. Although He had a deep abhorrence of sin, He manifested the tenderest compassion towards the sinner. When the repenting sinner, conscious of guilt and unworthiness, comes to Christ, realizing that he is deserving of punishment, but relying on the love and mercy of Christ, the pardoning love of God will be revealed to him, and joyful gratitude will spring up in his heart for the infinite compassion and love of his Saviour. That provision was made for him in the councils of heaven, before the foundation of the world, that Christ should take upon Him the penalty of his transgression, and impute to him His righteousness, will overwhelm him with amazement, and call forth from his lips songs of gratitude and adoration.

Those who respond to the drawing of Christ, through the sovereign mercy of God, are elected to be saved as the obedient children of God. Upon them is manifested the free grace of God, the great love wherewith He hath loved us. The Father sets His love upon His elect people, who live in the midst of men, because they accept the redemption which Christ has purchased for them by His own precious blood. Everyone who will humble himself as a little child, who will receive and obey the word of God with a child’s simplicity, will be among the elect of God.

We are to believe that we are chosen of God to be saved by the exercise of faith, through the grace of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit; and we are to praise and glorify God for such a marvelous manifestation of His unmerited favor. It is the love of God that draws the soul to Christ, to be graciously received and presented to His Father. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, the divine relationship between God and the sinner is renewed. Our Heavenly Father says: “I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people. I will exercise forgiving love towards them, and bestow upon them My joy. They shall be to Me a peculiar treasure; for this people whom I have formed for Myself shall show forth My praise.”

Christ is calling souls to come unto Him, and it is for our present and eternal interest to hear and respond to the call. Jesus says, “Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you.” Jn. 15:16. Then let all who would be called children of God respond to the invitation of Christ, and place themselves where the light of heaven will shine upon them, where they will realize what it is to be hearers and doers of the words of Christ, what it is to follow the Light of the world, and be accepted in the Beloved. 

Everything that God could do has been done for the salvation of man. In one rich gift He poured out the treasures of heaven. He invites, He pleads, He urges; but He will not compel men to come unto Him. He waits for their co-operation. He waits for the consent of the will, that He may bestow upon the sinner the riches of His grace, reserved for him form the foundation of the world. A man does not build himself into an habitation for the Spirit, and, unless there is a co-operation of man’s will with God’s will, the Lord can do nothing for him. Though the Lord is the great Master Worker, yet the human agent has his part to act with the Divine Worker, or the heavenly building cannot be completed. All the power is of God, yet all the responsibility rests with the human agent, for God can do nothing without the co-operation of man. The Lord does not design that human power should be paralyzed, but that, by co-operation with God, man may become a more efficient agent in His hands. Though weak, erring, frail, sinful, and imperfect, the Lord holds out to man the privilege of copartnership with Himself.

Believing in Jesus as his personal Saviour, accepting of His righteousness by faith, the sinner becomes a partaker of the divine nature, and escapes the corruption that is in the world through lust. It is through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that the Christian is enabled to resist temptation and to work righteousness. Without the divine nature, without the influence of the Spirit of God, man cannot work out his own salvation, for God must work in him to will and to do of His good pleasure. Christ has said, “Without Me ye can do nothing.” Jn. 15:5

The fallen race could be restored only through the merit of Him who was equal with God. Though so highly exalted, Christ consented to take upon Him human nature, that He might work in behalf of man, and reconcile to God His disloyal subject. Christ pleads His merit in our behalf. As our Substitute and Surety He undertook to combat the powers of darkness in our behalf, and prevailed against the enemy of our souls, presenting to us the cup of salvation. The Prince of Life consented to bear insult and mockery, pain and death. Upon the cross of Calvary He paid redemption’s price for a lost world. It was the world that He loved, the one lost sheep that He would bring back to His fold. The cross of Calvary speaks the amazing love of God for the sinner. He valued him at an infinite price, giving His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. If the love of God fails to call forth a response from the human heart, if it fails to soften and subdue the soul, we are utterly lost. There is no reserve power through which to influence the sinner. Heaven’s richest Gift has been freely offered for our acceptance. No greater manifestation of God’s love can be given than that which was given on Calvary’s cross. If the love of Christ does not melt and subdue the heart, by what means can man be reached? Have you failed to respond to the pleadings of His Spirit? Then no longer fortify your heart in hardness. Open the door of the heart to receive Christ, the best gift of heaven. Let not cruel unbelief influence you to refuse the heaven-sent Guest. Let not Christ say of you, “Ye will not come unto Me that ye might have life.” Jn. 5:40. With loving entreaties He follows the sinner, pleading, “Turn ye, turn ye; for why will ye die?” Ez. 33:11

The world’s Redeemer endured sufferings commensurate to the guilt of a lost world. The sacrifice of Christ on Calvary’s cross fulfilled the demands of the law, and when a sense of sin presses upon the heart, and the burden seems intolerable, Jesus invites the sinner to look to Him and live. There is power in Christ to cleanse the soul. “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Is. 1:18. The gift of life has been freely, graciously, joyously offered to fallen man. Encircling the throne of God is the rainbow of promise that God will receive every sinner who gives up all hope of eternal life on the ground of his own righteousness, and accepts the righteousness of the world’s Redeemer, believing in Christ as his personal Saviour. It is when the sinner realizes that he is without hope, lost, condemned to eternal death, incapable of doing anything to redeem himself, but accepting of Christ as his complete Saviour, that the word of God is fulfilled when He says, “I will be merciful to their unrightousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” Heb. 8:12.

Under the covenant of grace the conditions of eternal life are precisely the same as those given to man in Eden. The believing sinner, through his Divine Substitute and Surety, renders obedience to the law of God. Mercy granted to man is the reward of the merit of Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and “purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Titus 2:14. Provision made for the salvation of men through the imputed righteousness of Christ does not do away with good works, release us from our obligation to keep the law, nor lessen in the least its holy claim. Christ came to exalt the law and make it honorable, to reveal its exceeding breadth and changeless character. The glory of the gospel of grace is the imputed righteousness of Christ, providing a way of salvation through obedience to the law of God by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Christ must be the ground of our hope, for only through Him can we be heirs to eternal life. An immortal inheritance is presented to us on certain conditions. We cannot inherit a possession in this world unless we have a title that is without a flaw, and our right to an inheritance in the world to come must also be clearly proved through a faultless title. The line through which the heavenly inheritance is to come is plainly revealed in the Word of God. We must come under the provision of the Abrahamic covenant, and the requirements are, “If ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Gal. 3:29. If we are Christ’s, our title to the heavenly inheritance is without a flaw, and in harmony with the provisions of the covenant of grace. Through grace we shall be able to make our calling and election sure, putting on the excellency of Christ in spirit and character. No one will be entitled to the heavenly inheritance who has not been purified, refined, ennobled, and sanctified. Then let us be diligent to make our calling and election sure, that an entrance may be administered unto us abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.