Righteousness by Faith Not New Light

There are those who have entertained the mistaken idea that the message of the righteousness of Christ was an unknown truth to the advent movement up to the time of the Minneapolis meeting, but the fact is that our pioneers taught it from the very beginning of the advent church. As a young preacher, I often heard our veterans, such as J. G. Matteson and E. W. Farnsworth, declare that justification by faith was not a new teaching in our church. Some of the best and most godly preachers we ever had told us that they had always preached forgiveness of sin through the merits of Christ alone and salvation by grace only. The revival sermons of that day were touching and appealing, and set forth the need of the righteousness of Jesus just as it is taught in the Bible. Mrs. White, in writing of this, says:FSG 225.4

“Laborers in the cause of truth should present the righteousness of Christ, not as new light but as precious light that has for a time been lost sight of by the people.”—The Review and Herald, March 20, 1894, page 177.FSG 226.1

To show that these words are true, it might be stated that at the General Conference session in 1882 in Rome, New York, it was voted to prepare a larger tract on “Justification by Faith,” and R. F. Cottrell, one of the early pioneers, was asked to write it. No one can object to the doctrine of that treatise except to say that it was a dry presentation. Righteousness by faith was not unknown, but the difficulty was that a legal, nominal religion had more or less crowded out the living Christ from our hearts and teaching. In the Review article from which the above quotation is taken we find these words:FSG 226.2

“The third angel’s message calls for the presentation of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, and this truth must be brought before the world; but the great center of attraction, Jesus Christ, must not be left out of the third angel’s message. By many who have been engaged in the work for this time, Christ has been made secondary, and theories and arguments have had the first place....FSG 226.3

“A veil has seemed to be before the eyes of many who have labored in the cause, so that when they presented the law, they have not had views of Jesus, and have not proclaimed the fact that, where sin abounded, grace doth much more abound....FSG 226.4

“A legal religion has been thought quite the correct religion for this time. But it is a mistake. The rebuke of Christ to the Pharisees is applicable to those who have lost from the heart their first love. A cold, legal religion can never lead souls to Christ; for it is a loveless, Christless religion.”—The Review and Herald, March 20, 1894, pages 177, 178.FSG 226.5

As to whether righteousness by faith was new light, Mrs. White spoke as follows:FSG 227.1

“I have had the question asked, What do you think of this light that these men [A. T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner] are presenting? Why, I have been presenting it to you for the last forty-five years, the matchless charms of Christ. This is what I have been trying to present before your minds.”—Sermon delivered at Rome, New York, June 17, 1889; MS. 5, 1889.FSG 227.2