Helping Souls to Be Converted
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belief in Christ as a personal Saviour. Purified by obedience to the
law of God, sanctified by a perfect observance of His holy Sabbath,
trusting, believing, patiently waiting, and earnestly working out our
own salvation with fear and trembling, we shall learn that it is God
that worketh in us to will and to do of His good pleasure.—
Manuscript
6, 1900
.
Sanctification Only Through Practicing the Truth—Man must
not only read the Word of God, supposing that a casual knowledge of
this Word will bring about in him a reformation of character. This work
only the One who is the way, the truth, and the life can accomplish.
Firmly may certain doctrines of truth be held. Again and again they
may be reiterated, till the holders come to think that they are indeed
in possession of the great blessings which these doctrines represent.
But the greatest, most powerful truths may be held, and yet kept in the
outer court, exerting little influence to make the daily life wholesome
and fragrant. The soul is not sanctified through the truth that is not
practiced.—
Letter 16, 1892
.
Doctrines or Church Membership Do Not Take Place of Con-
version—All, high or low, if they are unconverted, are on one common
platform. Men may turn from one doctrine to another. This is be-
ing done, and will be done. Papists may change from Catholicism
to Protestantism; yet they may know nothing of the meaning of the
words, “A new heart also will I give you.” Accepting new theories, and
uniting with a church, do not bring new life to anyone, even though the
church with which he unites may be established on the true foundation.
Connection with a church does not take the place of conversion. To
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subscribe the name to a church creed is not of the least value to anyone
if the heart is not truly changed....
We must have more than an intellectual belief in the truth. Many
of the Jews were convinced that Jesus was the Son of God, but they
were too proud and ambitious to surrender. They decided to resist the
truth, and they maintained their opposition. They did not receive into
the heart the truth as it is in Jesus. When truth is held as truth only by
the conscience, when the heart is not stimulated and made receptive,
only the mind is affected. But when the truth is received as truth by the
heart, it has passed through the conscience, and has captivated the soul
with its pure principles. It is placed in the heart by the Holy Spirit,