"Biblical salvation is not “letting go and letting God.” It is about active divine-human cooperation (Phil. 2:13-13; Col. 1:26-29; Heb. 11). Thus James declares, "Was not Abraham our father
justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? . . . Ye see then how by works a man is justified, and not by faith alone" (James 2:21,24).
Had James written, "Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he took Hagar and produced Ishmael?", Martin Luther would have been quite correct in saying the epistle of James should have been left out of the Bible. But the command to offer Isaac was divine, and Abraham's obedience was performed in God's strength, as was his role in Isaac's birth. His role in Ishmael's birth, by contrast, was performed in his own, unaided strength. In the words of Ellen White:
Had James written, "Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he took Hagar and produced Ishmael?", Martin Luther would have been quite correct in saying the epistle of James should have been left out of the Bible. But the command to offer Isaac was divine, and Abraham's obedience was performed in God's strength, as was his role in Isaac's birth. His role in Ishmael's birth, by contrast, was performed in his own, unaided strength. In the words of Ellen White:
The effort that man makes in his own strength to obtain salvation, is represented by the offering of Cain. All that man can do without Christ is polluted with selfishness and sin, but that which is wrought through faith is acceptable to God.
Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 364.
A mere participation in religious services and ordinances does not make a sinner a Christian. . . A man is made holy, and acceptable with God, only when his unclean heart is made clean by the grace of Christ, through faith, and by obedience to words of truth and righteousness. A work of reformation and restoration must take place in every heart. Those who have had great light and many privileges may perform some good works, notwithstanding their impenitence and their refusal to be saved in God's appointed way. But these good works do not cleanse the soul from corruption. Only those who accept the light of God's truth, choosing to obey Him, will be cleansed from the defilement of sin. Review and Herald, Dec. 19, 1907."
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