Perfection and Righteousness by Faith

True Surrender to God—Wait not for some magical change to be wrought in you, without taking the requisite steps yourself. Life must be with you a humble working out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God that worketh in you to will and to do of His good pleasure. Halt not, but escape for your life.5MR 337.2

Many of your brethren and sisters have been helping you in a wrong course. May God forgive them. They have caused dissension and confusion in the church. Christ requires that we shall press together, that we shall be one with Him as He is one with the Father. You must depend on God, be disciplined and trained for the higher life. Yes, depend on God; wait His pleasure; follow Him; rely in obedience on the strength of His word.5MR 337.3

To obey when it seems the hardest is true surrender to God. This will quicken your moral nature and subdue your pride. Learn to submit your will to God's will, and you will be made meet for the inheritance of the saints in light.—Manuscript 12, 1888, pp. 4, 5. (Letter written to a brother who was in deception, 1888.)5MR 337.4

Fight the Good Fight of Faith—We must battle constantly in order to fight the good fight of faith. We can keep our souls in patient trust only as we put on Christ. A general faith is not enough. We must put on the robe of Christ's righteousness, and wear it openly, bravely, decidedly exhibiting Christ and not expect too much of finite man, but keep looking unto Jesus, and become ravished with the perfection of His character. Then we shall individually make manifest the character of Jesus, and make it evident that we are invigorated by the truth; because it sanctifies the soul and brings into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.—Letter 14, 1891, p. 11. (To Elder S. N. Haskell, December 11, 1891.)5MR 337.5

The Battles With Self—Every missionary will have hard battles to fight with self, and these combats will not become fewer, but if we are constantly growing in Christian experience, if we continue to look to Jesus in faith, strength will be given us for every emergency. All the powers and faculties of a regenerated nature must be brought into constant, daily exercise. Every day we shall have occasion to crucify self, to war against inclination and a perverse temperament that would draw the will in a wrong direction. The repose and triumph of victory are not yet ours, except as we by faith enter into the victory that Christ has gained for us.—Manuscript 14, 1892, p. 2. (“Counsel to a Minister's Wife,” September 19, 1892.)5MR 338.1

Until Perfection of Character Is Reached—At this time in the history of the world, we should have but one object in view—to gain eternal life. Every other desire should be subordinate to this. The work of regeneration must go on in every soul until perfection of character is reached; for nothing short of this will meet the mind of God.—Manuscript 119, 1899, p. 1. (“Words to Parents,” August 21, 1899.)5MR 338.2