This is from another thread. I had quoted some Ellen White passages which deal with the legal aspect of imputed righteousness, among them the following:



I then asked Tom:

To clarify a point, I referenced a book called "4 models of the atonement" which presented the following models:

1.Christus Victor
2.Penal Substitution
3.Healing Model
4.Kaleidoscope

I explained, in that comment, that the view I am presenting is the first one, the "Christus Victor" view.

The name of the book is "The Nature of the Atonement: 4 Views" In this book, each author makes a presentation of his view, and the other authors respond. The response by the author of view 1 to view 3 is very informative, in understanding the difference between view 1 and view 3, which I don't have time to present right now, but will when I do.

As SDA's the language "Great Controversy" are more familiar than "Christus Victor," so I also call it the "Great Controversy" view, as both phrases as dealing with the war between Christ and Satan.

Here's another "legal" quote:

While I don't know exactly what people think each model entails, I'm pretty sure I don't want to be stuck with just one.

You might like the Kaleidoscope one, then. Actually, all the models admit to their being multiple models involved. The question is if there is some fundamental model around which the others can be organized. The Kaleidoscope model says there isn't (i.e., there are many models, but none of them should take precedence).

I hold to the "Great Controversy" or "Christus Victor" model, which emphasizes Christ as victor in the battle between good and evil. There are some who hold to this model, and also accept the penal model, although that's a minority position.

Here's a few points from "The Nature of the Atonement: 4 Views" Page 46, 47

1.The Christus Victor model is the only model that does full justice to the centrality of the motif of Christ's victory.

2.The Christus Victory model was, in various forms, the dominant model for the first millenium of church history.

3.Whereas other models make little or no connection between Christ's life, death and resurrection on the one hand, and the warfare motif that runs throughout Scripture on the other, the Christus Victor model expresses this connection and puts it on center stage.

4.Whereas other models tend to isolate the meaning of Christ's death from his lifestyle, his healing and deliverance ministry, his teachings and even (in some cases) his resurrection, the Christus Victor model reveals the profound interconnectedness of everything Christ was about. All these things are ultimately about one thing: establishing the reign of God vanquishing the reign of Satan the powers through the powers of self-sacrificial love.

5.Only the Christus Victor model does full justice to the apocalyptic context of Jesus' life.

6.Other models say little or nothing about the consmic significance of Christ's work--as though the only problem in creation was that humans sin!

This is from "Christ and His Righteousness" by E. J. Waggoner. It deals with issues brought up by Rosangela's first post.

A couple of words about this book. According to Froom, Waggoner's wife took notes from the Sermons Waggoner presented at the 1888 General Conference session. These notes were originally published as articles in Signs of the Times, and then edited and put together to make the book called "Christ Our Righteousness," which name was later changed to "Christ And His Righteousness" to avoid confusion with the book "Christ Our Righteousness" which A. G. Daniels wrote.

Moreover, the fact that to do the law is simply man's duty shows that when he has come short in single particular he can never make it up. The requirements of each precept of the law are so broad--the whole law is so spiritual-- that an angel could render no more than simple obedience. Yea, more, the law is the righteousness of God--a transcript of His character--and since His character cannot be different from what it is, it follows that even God Himself cannot be better than the measure of goodness demanded by His law. He cannot be better than He is and the law declares what He is. What hope, then, that one who has failed, in even one precept, can add enough extra goodness to make up the full measure? He who attempts to do that sets before himself the impossible task of being better than God requires, yea, even better than God Himself....

Since evil is a part of man's very nature, being inherited by each individual from a long line of sinful ancestors, it is very evident that whatever righteousness springs from him must be only like "filthy rags" (Isa. 64:6), compared with the spotless robe of the righteousness of God.

The impossibility of good deeds proceeding from a sinful heart is thus forcibly illustrated by the Saviour, "For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble-bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil; for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh." Luke 6:44,45. That is to say, a man cannot do good until he first becomes good. Therefore, deeds done by a sinful person have no effect whatever to make him righteous, but, on the contrary, coming from an evil heart, they are evil and so add to the sum of his sinfulness. Only evil can come from an evil heart, and multiplied evil cannot make one good deed; therefore, it is useless for an evil person to think to become righteous by his own efforts. He must first be made righteous before he can do the good that is required of him and which he wants to do....

"Being made righteous freely." How else could it be? Since the best efforts of a sinful man have not the least effect toward producing righteousness, it is evident that the only way it can come to him is as a gift. That righteousness is a gift is plainly stated by Paul in Rom. 5:17: "For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by One, Jesus Christ." It is because righteousness is a gift that eternal life, which is the reward of righteousness, is the gift of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Christ has been set forth by God as the One through whom forgiveness of sins is to be obtained; and this forgiveness consists simply in the declaration of His righteousness (which is the righteousness of God) for their remission. God, "who is rich in mercy" (Eph. 2:4) and who delights in it, puts His own righteousness on the sinner who believes in Jesus, as a substitute for his sins. Surely, this is a profitable exchange for the sinner, and it is no loss to God, for He is infinite in holiness and the supply can never be diminished.

The following speaks to the difference of the healing model and the Christus Victor model:(end my words)

To illustrate, suppose a scientist named Dr. Joe produced an airborne, self-replicating organism that would instantly annihilate every virus is came in contact with. Once released into the atmosphere, all viral diseases would eventually be eradicated from the earth. Now those who had been suffering from virul diseases would be perfectly correct in proclaiming, "Dr. Joe healed us of our infirmities!" But this clearly would not be the most fundamental thing that could be said about what Dr. Joe accomplished. It would not provide a complete description of explanation of Dr. Joe's achievements. For the most fundamental and significant thing Dr. Joe accomplished was the annihilation of the viruses that were causing human and animal sickness in the first place. He did just heal people and animals: he conquered viruses!...

While it is, therefore, perfectly appropriate to celebbrate the benefits were receive from this cosmic victory, including our healing, we must never forget that the benefits are fundamentally rooted in this cosmic victory... (W)e are not only healed: the cosmic viruses themselves have been destroyed! Indeed, we are healed only because the cosmic viruses themselves have been destroyed.

The cosmic foundation of the good news of what Jesus accomplished permeates Scripture....

The cosmic "murderer" who has "from the beginning" been behind every spiritual, physiological and physical ailment humans have ever experienced has at long last been "driven out" (Jn 8:44; 12:31). (The Nature of The Atonement, p. 143-145; emphasis original)

I though it was better to change the name of the topic.

Tom,

Since imputed righteousness has two aspects:
1) the sinner is declared righteous
2) the sinner is "made" righteous (by the way, I disagree with this terminology of Waggoner; I would say that the heart is renewed. In my opinion sinners will only be "made" righteous at the second coming)

I ask,

1) What relation is there between the sinner being declared perfectly righteous and the restoration of his relationship with God? I mean, since you say that God's forgiveness is similar to ours, and when we forgive someone there is no need for that person to be considered perfectly righteous in our eyes.

2) Does the sinner need this declaration of perfect righteousness to be saved? Is this a requirement for salvation? IOW, is it meritorious?

By the way, I would appreciate it if, besides the quotes, you gave your answers in your own words in replying to my questions.