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Christ Our Righteousness

by

E J Waggoner (1888)

London:

Pacific Press Publishing Company.

48 Paternoster Row;

New York and San Francisco.

1892

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Facsimile Reprint by

International Health Institute

Denver, Colorado (1969)

(additions in the original)

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PUBLISHER'S PREFACE

At the General Conference Session of 1888, held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, "the Lord in His great mercy sent a most precious message [to His people] through elders [E.J.] Waggoner and [A.T.] Jones." Testimonies to Ministers, p. 91. This message and the reception it received have been the subject of much study and discussion among us. Many have desired to read for themselves the messages as they were given at that memorable Conference. But, since no official transcripts of sermons preached at the General Conference were made at that time, this has been thought impossible. However, we now know that at least in the case of elder Waggoner's sermons, this is not true.

Elder L.E. Froom declares, "An increasing stream of literature setting forth the clear principles and provisions of Righteousness by Faith continued to flow from our publishing houses following 1888 - conspicuously that of Dr. E. J. Waggoner's The Righteousness of Christ (1890), a 98-page Pacific Press book setting forth his precise teaching and phrasing at Minneapolis, based upon shorthand reports of Jessie F. Moser, taken down at the Conference, which book was likewise reprinted in Australia in 1893, and then in Continental Europe in Hamburg and Basel as well." Eternal Verities Triumphant, p. 61. This book appeared with at least three different, yet synonymous titles, The Righteousness of Christ, Christ and His Righteousness (in Australia), and Christ Our Righteousness (in England).

It is with pleasure that we offer this reprint of the English edition to those interested in a clearer understanding of the most precious message of 1888.

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Some pages from that book

Christ Our Righteousness pages 100 and 101

100 CHRIST OUR RIGIITEOUSNESS.

To "make void" the law is not to abolish it, for no man can abolish the law of God; yet the Psalmist says that it has been made void (Ps. cxix. 126). To make void the law of God is something more than to claim that it is of no consequence. It is to show by the life that it is considered of no consequence. A man makes the law of God void when he allows it to have no power in his life. In short, to make void the law of God is to break it; but the law itself remains the same whether it is kept or not. Making it void affects only the individual.

Therefore, when the apostle says that we do not make void the law of God by faith, but that, on the contrary, we establish it, he means that faith does not lead to violation of the law, but to obedience. No, we should not say that faith leads to obedience, but that faith itself obeys. Faith establishes the law in the heart. " Faith is the substance of things hoped for." If the thing hoped for be righteousness, faith establishes it. Instead of faith leading to antinomianism [or disregard of the Ten Commandments because of grace], it is the only thing that is contrary to antinomianism. It matters not how much a person boasts in the law of God; if he rejects or ignores implicit faith in Christ, he is in no better state than the man who directly assails the law. The man of faith is the only one who truly honours the law of God. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. xi. 6); with it, all things are possible (Mark ix. 23).

CHRIST OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS 101

Yes, faith does the impossible; and it is just that which God requires us to do. When Joshua said to Israel, "Ye cannot serve the Lord," he told the truth; yet it was a fact that God required them to serve Him. It is not within any man’s power to do righteousness, even though he wants to (Gal. v. 17); therefore it is a mistake to say that all God wants is for us to do the best we can. He who does no better than that will not do the works of God. No, he must do better than he can do. He must do that which only the power of God working through him can do. It is impossible for a man to walk on water, yet Peter did it when he exercised faith in Jesus.

Since all power in heaven and in earth is in the hands of Christ, and this power is at our disposal, even Christ Himself coming to dwell in the heart by faith, there is no room for finding fault with God for requiring us to do the impossible, for "the things which are impossible with men are possible with God." Luke xviii. 27 [18:27]. Therefore we may boldly say, "The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." Heb. xiii. 6 [13:6].

Then "who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." Rom. viii. 35, 37.[8:35,37]  (Back to Anabaptists)

[To see "Prophetic Lights" by Waggoner from 1888]

The full text of this book is available at http://breadoflife.simplenet.com/sbhn/1888/

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