Amen! I agree with everything you just posted. Can you believe it? The completeness of Christian character has been available to everyone since beginning of time as it relates to known sin, and as it relates to unknown sin since 1844 (especially since 1888).

Mike,
To be straightforward with you, this passage below reminds me of you. Regardless of what it is you believe, it just seems to me that you have revolved everything around that to the point of an obsession. Your particular "thing" is this idea about moral and intellectual perfection.

It doesnt matter WHY a person becomes obsessed with a particular idea... no matter how "sad" the thing is that made him that way. Morris Venden had a problem with a certain sin and he developed his entire theology around a particular thing till finally everything else didnt matter... (thats what his ghost writer told me) ... finally, it became the only thing he could ever seem to talk about. His entire theology revolved around having a "relationship" with Jesus, which sounds good on the surface.

Testimonies for the Church Volume Five
"That which Brother D calls light is apparently harmless; it does not look as though anyone could be injured by it. But, brethren, it is Satan's device, his entering wedge. This has been tried again and again. One accepts some new and original idea which does not seem to conflict with the truth. He talks of it and dwells upon it until it seems to him to be clothed with beauty and importance, for Satan has power to give this false appearance. At last it becomes the all-absorbing theme, the one great point around which everything centers; and the truth is uprooted from the heart."

I realize me saying this wont be the most popular thing in the world with the other people on this forum, but for some reason its what comes to mind when I think of you.

Claudia, thank you for the compliment, though I realize you meant it as a loving rebuke and warning. Accusing me of being obsessed with rightousness by faith is flattering. It's like the classic anecdote, If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to condemn you?

But the truth of matter is, I'm not as obsessed with it as I would like to be, as I should be. Take a look around the various threads on MSDAOL and you will see how diversified my interests are. I know you believe the completeness of Christian character is possible, but you don't believe it is possible now, and yet you cannot supply the necessary inspired passages to support your erroneous view. Perhaps this is why you are so disturbed with my take on this topic?

1 Corinthians
2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

6T 42
One subject of emulation must swallow up all others--who will most nearly resemble Christ in character? who will most entirely hide self in Jesus? {6T 42.2}

SD 259
One interest will prevail, one subject will swallow up every other,--Christ our righteousness. {SD 259.3}

Instead of finding fault with those who long to know Christ and Him crucified, to experience righteousness by faith, our time and energy would be better spent encouraging each other to study it more thoroughly. May this one subject swallow up all others - and soon!

A request was made for a definition of "faith." Permit me to suggest what I believe defines faith. The first is communication (Heb 10:17 NIV, "faith comes from hearing the message"). Second, we must believe the message (the usual definition of faith). Third, we must act on the message (James 2:14-26, "faith by itself, not accompanied by action, is dead" [v 17] and "faith without deeds is dead [v26]). It takes all three elements before we have faith.

We might note that if we believe something without some confirming communication or information we merely have hope and action without communication or knowledge is presumption. There is also doing something you don't believe in, that's like kissing up to the boss. None of these constitute faith. Faith must include all three elements: communication, belief, and action.

RL

A definition of faith I like is faith is a heart appreciation of the love of God, especially as revealed at the cross.

Praise God! These testimonies are what its all about! Thank God we are all Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus! Soon, very Soon we will be with Him, looking over the plans of our "dream homes". This world has so much pain and hurt BUT in Him we have the Blessed Hope!

My upbringing seems so ideal as I read part of your past Mike and Restin.
I grew up in a Maritime Middle Class single detatched home. No abuse at all (except a few spanks which I deserved) my parents were Christians (United Church of Canada) they have lived at the same place here in Moncton for almost 40 years. When I was 7 or 8, my brother who was 13 asked our MInister questions about the Saturday Sabbath issue, and it was not long after that we as a family began attending the SDA Church here in Moncton. (OUR NEIGHBOURS WERE SDA CHRISTIANS! AND THEY LET THEIR LIGHTS SHINE FOR HIM!)
Our family, my Mom, Dad, Brother (his wife and 2 kids) and I (my wife and our boy)are all still active in the church.
-Praise God for this lighthouse, His church!
Shalom