But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. John 1:12.
Salvation is secured by a mutual contract. “As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.” Will you, with all your heart and mind and soul, enter into this contract? 19Manuscript 8, 1914.
Look to your Redeemer in faith and loving trust, for power and wisdom to do the work of character building. He sits as a refiner, to purify the gold and silver from all dross. Then look continually unto Him, and no cheap or worthless material will be brought into the structure of your character building.
By faith you may accept the merits of the blood of the Son of God, which He has shed that the sinner might not perish, but have everlasting life. God has laid upon Him all power, that He may impart help to every one who will break with Satan and acknowledge Christ as his only hope.... When you are ready to cooperate with Him who can keep you from falling, your resolutions will be of some value. Christ, the chief Healer, will make you whole. He works mightily with every one who is in earnest. He will give strength and victory. All the mean and wicked traits of character can be taken away by the One who has purchased you as His property....
Make a break with the enemy. Cast yourselves loose from the prince of the power of the air and from the legion of his associates.
Satan will resist the efforts of those who choose to stand on the Lord’s side. He will resort to every kind of deception to frustrate their efforts. But God has given His Son to bear the sins of those who seek His truth and righteousness. He stands ready to impart grace to every one who looks to Him in faith....
The exercise of faith and manly courage will enlarge the comprehension of what it means to be a Christian. We are to seek for that faith which works by love and purifies the soul. We shall have severe conflicts with our hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil. There must be a firm dependence upon the Captain of our salvation. He will not fail to do His part.19Manuscript 8, 1914.
From In Heavenly Places - Page 19
In Heavenly Places
Thought for the Day
Christ became one flesh with us, in order that we might become one spirit with Him. It is by virtue of this union that we are to come forth from the grave,--not merely as a manifestation of the power of Christ, but because, through faith, His life has become ours. Those who see Christ in His true character, and receive Him into the heart, have everlasting life. It is through the Spirit that Christ dwells in us; and the Spirit of God, received into the heart by faith, is the beginning of the life eternal. Desire of Ages, p. 388