Early in the Bible story, we hear sadness in the voice of God as He Acknowledges how great human wickedness on the earth had become. God concluded that every inclination of the thoughts of human hearts was “only evil all the time.” It grieved God that He had created humans, and “His heart was filled with pain,” (Genesis 3:5, 6).
Over the next several thousand years the conclusion about humanity would remain the same. “There is no one who does good, not even one” David would record in Psalm 14. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Paul would add (Romans 3:23).
In letters to the early Christian churches, Paul described fallen humanity in the bleakest of terms: “powerless,” “ungodly,” “sinners,” “God’s enemies,” “dead in transgressions,” “disobedient,” “by nature object of God’s wrath,” (see Romans 5:6-10 and Ephesians 2:1-3).
How Can We Be Saved?
But throughout the centuries, many people would feel the pain in God’s heart, recognize their own estrangement from God and desire reconciliation with Infinite. They would ask the question, “How then can we be saved?” (See Acts 16:30; Luke 10:25 and 18:18)
Seventh-day Adventists believe that only perfect obedience to all God’s commands – and perfect means never sinning, nor just stopping sinning – only perfection merits salvation. Only a perfect grade point average on all the courses in our life experience, only a 1.000 lifetime batting average, makes us worthy of salvation. No failures. No strikeouts.
Ellen White puts it this way in Steps to Christ, page 62: “The condition of eternal life is now just what it always has been, - just what it was in Paradise before the fall of our first parents, - perfect obedience to the law of God, perfect righteousness. If eternal life were granted on any condition short of this, then the happiness of the whole universe would be imperiled. The way would be open for sin, with all its train of woe and misery to be immortalized.”
And just to be sure none of us get the wrong idea; God gave us the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20). Here is a description of what a perfect person would look like. Here is what a perfect, sinless society would be. Here is an illustration of what all our actions would be like if all of us loved God with all of our hearts all of the time.
But, all of us don’t, do we? The Ten Commandments remind us that we are not perfect; we don’t love God all the time. We’re not going to be saved by our actions. Not even by good things we sometimes do. Through the law we become conscious of our sin (Romans 3:20).
So Adventists understand that the purpose of the Law is to lead us to Jesus. It shows us why we have to rely on Him for salvation, instead of on ourselves (Galatians 3:24). No wonder we’re grateful for the Law – it points us to our Savior.
Listen to the rest of page 62 from Steps to Christ: “It was possible for Adam, before the fall, to form a righteous character by obedience to God’s law. But he failed to do this, and because of his sin our natures are fallen, and we cannot make ourselves righteous. Since we are sinful, unholy, we cannot perfectly obey the holy law. We have no righteousness of our own with which to meet the claims of the law of God. But Christ has made a way of escape for us. He lived on earth amid trials and temptations such as we have to meet. He lived a sinless life. He died for us, and now He offers to take our sins and give us His righteousness. If you give yourself to him, accept Him as your Savior, righteous. Christ’s character stands in place of your character, and you are accepted before God just as if you had not sinned.”
Saved By Grace
Over and over again, the Bible says that salvation is ours because of the grace of God, freely given to us in Jesus.
"The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all,” (Titus 2:11). “It is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved,” (Acts 15:11). God has “saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,” (2 Timothy 1:9). We “are justified freely by His grace through the redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace,” (Ephesians 1:4-78).”Grace” is the Bible’s word for magnificent, amazing quality of God that motivates Him to treat sinners with love and favor, to give us his righteousness in place of our worthiness. Grace is God’s loving answer to the accusations of tyrannical, arbitrary rule hurled at Him by Satan: “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace,” (Hebrews 4:16).
“Grace is an attribute of God shown to undeserving human beings. We did not seek after it, but it was sent in search of us… Our need is the qualification which gives us the assurance that we shall receive this gift.” *
Grace in Youth Ministry
You see why the issue of grace is fundamental to youth ministry; no one needs acceptance, inclusion, forgiveness and love more than teens do. At the very time in their development when they most are in need of the assurance of their acceptance, the grace of God wraps around them like the hug of a welcoming father in the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:20).
The language of grace is just what the teenager needs to hear: “patience,” “security,” “chosen,” “adopted,” “included,” “forgiven,” “marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance,” (1 Timothy 1:15-17; Hebrews 6:19, 20; Ephesians 1:4-14).
Does grace mean that God approves of everything teenagers do? Of course not! God does not approve of the sin by which any of us inflict others and ourselves with pain. He is not pleased when we decide to fight Him. But His desire for us to “go and sin no more,” is always preceded by the gracious assurance, “neither do I condemn you,” (John 8:3-11).
“God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him,” (John 3:17). “I did not come to judge the world, but to save it,” (John 12:47).
Grace is the reason we are not afraid of God. “Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
His grace is the means of our salvation: “Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4,5).
“Grace is not something God Himself gives us, it is the way God gives us Himself.” **
* Ellen White, God's Amazing Grace, 10.
** Robert Brown, The Spirit of Protestantism (NY, NY: Oxford University Press, 1961), 55.
From: ABZ’s of Adventist Youth Ministry
Permission to copy for use in the local congregation or group.
