The secret of overcoming?

Christ's Object Lessons, page 360, paragraph 2
Let a living faith run like threads of gold through the performance of even the smallest duties. Then all the daily work will promote Christian growth. There will be a continual looking unto Jesus. Love for Him will give vital force to everything that is undertaken. Thus through the right use of our talents, we may link ourselves by a golden chain to the higher world. This is true sanctification; for sanctification consists in the cheerful performance of daily duties in perfect obedience to the will of God.

Manuscript Releases Volume Twelve, page 215, paragraph 2
Spiritual life means full obedience to God. He who has this life possesses a knowledge of heavenly things, and with this knowledge there comes continual sanctification to God. The whole being is conformed to His will. There is a capacity to receive more and still more. There is a greater and still greater desire to obtain the knowledge that is from God. Intellectual attainments will surely be the result. As we gain Bible knowledge, it is as if we were eating of the leaves of the tree of life. Duties and privileges are perceived with the keenest relish. There comes an experimental knowledge of the pardoning love of God. There is peace and purity, conflict and victory. The heart is filled with love to God and man.

The Acts of the Apostles, page 560, paragraph 3
Sanctification is not the work of a moment, an hour, a day, but of a lifetime. It is not gained by a happy flight of feeling, but is the result of constantly dying to sin, and constantly living for Christ. Wrongs cannot be righted nor reformations wrought in the character by feeble, intermittent efforts. It is only by long, persevering effort, sore discipline, and stern conflict, that we shall overcome. We know not one day how strong will be our conflict the next. So long as Satan reigns, we shall have self to subdue, besetting sins to overcome; so long as life shall last, there will be no stopping place, no point which we can reach and say, I have fully attained. Sanctification is the result of lifelong obedience.

Faith and Works, page 100, paragraph 1
But while God can be just, and yet justify the sinner through the merits of Christ, no man can cover his soul with the garments of Christ's righteousness while practicing known sins or neglecting known duties. God requires the entire surrender of the heart, before justification can take place; and in order for man to retain justification, there must be continual obedience, through active, living faith that works by love and purifies the soul.

"When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience." DA 668.

In light of the above complimenting quotes it is difficult to image "continual obedience" meaning anything other than continual obedience. If we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, as Jesus knew Him, I believe our life will be free of moral defects of character.

I can't imagine it meaning that we are full of unknown and unconquered moral defects of character.

What do you think?

Here is an amazing thought...

Divine Experiments.

The Lord Jesus is making experiments on human hearts through the exhibition of His mercy and abundant grace. He is effecting transformations so amazing that Satan, with all his triumphant boasting, with all his confederacy of evil united against God and the laws of His government, stands viewing them as a fortress impregnable to his sophistries and delusions. They are to him an incomprehensible mystery. The angels of God, seraphim and cherubim, the powers commissioned to cooperate with human agencies, look on with astonishment and joy, that fallen men, once children of wrath, are through the training of Christ developing characters after the divine similitude, to be sons and daughters of God, to act an important part in the occupations and pleasures of heaven. {TM 18.1}

Phil. 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

I choose to be...
Forever His

[ September 14, 2002, 12:49 AM: Message edited by: Forever His ]

So Daryl... would not "continual obedience" be the same as saying "continual surrender" ???

Forever His

In order to experience continual obedience, we must be continually surrendered to Jesus. The two are not one and the same thing, as I see it. The one precedes the other in a cause and effect relationship.

Neglecting a known duty is practicing a known sin.

James 4:17
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

If you of the Nicodemus group have the courage to look back upon any given day, I'm sure you would see some ways you have neglected to do just right, and done some things wrong, too. What is grace for then, and why did Christ die, if we can attain to perfection by continual surrender? I submit that those who think they are doing fine, as Nicodemus did, just because we follow our list, are missing the whole picture about our own selves. Things are easy to say but another matter to do, in real life, as I'm sure you all know who are alone with your thoughts for awhile. We must try our best to obey, I agree, but we will always need to fall upon the righteousness of Jesus to make up for our failure...every day.

[ September 14, 2002, 08:31 PM: Message edited by: Restin ]