My comments on A.T. Jones article 'Righteousness by Faith'

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My personal comments on A.T. Jones article 'Righteousness by Faith'

This is a personal study, as Jones has wonderful insight into faith as a process.

Justification by Faith - A. T. Jones

www.1888mpm.org/blog/justification-faith-t-jones

The Present Truth | June 21, 1894

“WHATSOEVER is not of faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23).

Faith is of God and not of ourselves (Eph. 2:8); therefore whatsoever is not of God is sin.

Whatsoever is of God is righteousness: faith is the gift of God: and whatsoever is of faith is therefore righteousness, as certainly as that “whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”

Jesus Christ is the Author and Finisher of faith (Heb. 12:2), and the word of God is the channel through which it comes and the means by which it operates. For “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). Where there is no word of God there can be no faith.

The word of God is the most substantial and most powerful thing in the universe. It is the means by which all things were produced. It carries in itself creative power. For “by the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.” “For He spoke and it was; He commanded and it stood fast” (Ps. 33:6, 9). And when this world was thus made, and darkness covered all the face thereof “God said, Let there be light: And there was light” (Gen. 1:3).

Thus the word of God is self-fulfilling, and of itself accomplishes the will of God in every one who receives it as it is in truth the word of God. “When ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe” (1 Thess. 2:13). Thus to receive the word of God; to yield the heart to it that thus it may work in the life; this is genuine belief, this is true faith. This is the faith by which men can be justified, made righteous indeed. For by it the very will of God, as expressed in His own word, is accomplished in the life by the creative word of Him who has spoken. This is the work of faith. This is the righteousness—the right doing—of God which is by faith. Thus “It is God that worketh in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). Thus the character, the righteousness, of God is manifested in the life, delivering from the power of sin, to the saving of the soul in righteousness.

ROB: Jones writes some difficult stuff for simple child like readers like myself. I would not agree that the word alone is self-fulfilling, but Jones does not say this, He says the word of God is self-fulfilling.

He also does not understand the "breath of His mouth" is a reference to the "Holy Spirit medium of His mouth" so the Lord Jesus spoke the word as a faith word, and the Holy Spirit empower the word, using the power of the Universal Provider, a term Jones himself wrote about, our Heavenly Father.

This is justification by faith alone. This is justification by faith, without works. For the faith being the gift of God, coming by the word of God, and itself working in man the works of God, needs none of the work of sinful man to make it good and acceptable to God. The faith itself works in man that which is good, and is sufficient of itself to fill all the life with the goodness of God, and needs not the imperfect effort of sinful man to make it meritorious. This faith gives to man good works, instead of being itself dependent upon man for “good works.” It is not expressed by “faith and works;” but by “faith which works,” “for in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love” (Gal. 5:6). “Seest thou how faith wrought?” (Jas. 2:22). “Remembering without ceasing, your work of faith;” “and the work of faith with power” (1 Thess. 1:3; 2 Thess. 1:11). And, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent” (John 6:29). This is “the faith of God” which Jesus exhorts us to have (Mark 11:22, margin); which was manifested in him; and which by his grace is a free gift to every soul on earth.

Rob: I love the way Jones writes this: yes the faith power comes with it's own works, that as Ellen White says is "appropriated to us" by the Creative Power of God.

Jones remarks that "faith and works" are "our human works with faith? from God?" is a strange notion indeed. When you speak the Word, the word does what you ask, because you asked, so the works from that word come from the word, through you, so the doings in you are God's, but you asked for this Divine power, and thus you have "appropriated this power to yourself" - not that you can boast, "look what I have done, but look at what God has achieved through me".

So often we boast, come and see the wonderful garden I have made....is a boast of human works, rather we should say, come see the wonderful garden God has blessed me to be a part of.

If Divinity created us using Divinity and we live because of Divinity, than is it strange that all we do comes from Divine powers because we ask? That is what faith means, the mysterious flow of power from heavenly power.

If A.T. Jones made received this marvelous light in 1888, why are not the SDA people a buzzing with joy and gladness of the daily miracles of faith done in His name and bubbling over to share these miracles every Ceasing Day on Sabbath?

How can we become so close to uncovering the mysteries of faith, yet fail to make Faith a Fundamental Pillar of our baptism?  Shalom

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A.T. Jones presents the Ten Laws of life and comments upon each of the Ten Commandments.

The Author will select passages on the first four for personal comments:

1

Jones: "“But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He
pleases” (Ps. 115:3). He is the Universal Provider. “He gives to all life, breath, and all
things” (Acts 17:25). To doubt that all things that we need will be supplied, because
we cannot see how they are to come, is to be like the heathen who do not believe
in a god that they cannot see.

ROB: wow, I love that Jones discovered "God is our Universal Provider" . Sadly Jones does not prove this idea using Hebrew verses. But this is light way back in the early 1900's, so what a servant of God this man was.

Jones: "Egypt is a synonym for self-exaltation and defiance of God. The king of Egypt said: “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord.” God makes Himself known to us when we are in the bondage of sin, and delivers us that we may
serve Him. We cannot serve Him while we are the servants of sin. “You cannot serve

God and mammon.

Rob: I notice Jones does not see the first of the ten commandments as a faith principle, with added embedded precious promise:

Ho 13:4 Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me.

Here in the Scroll of Jesus, we see Jesus recording the precious promise of the First of the Ten Commandments: "I AM your Saviour".

Question:  What do we as slaves to sin, require rescuing from? sin, Hmm? yes but sinning is in Hebrew "chata" meaning to miss. So what am I missing? God's power flowing in your life, continuously every day. This principle of this flow is called faith in English. In the OT is was literally manna in Greek or man in Hebrew. So faith as a process is literally eating the man that comes from heaven. By eating this man we become as the man, renewed daily into His character because of His power flowing into us, because we ask for it. How?

Ho 14:2 Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.

By taking His precious promises and appropriating them to our-self, we allow our mouth head to make lips of praise for His miracles flowing in us.

Praise Jones for this former light given by God about faith. Why didn't the people so long ago in 1888 embrace this wonderful truth and learn it more?

Sadly Jones does not explain the first of the ten commands as principles of faith.

2

Jones: "The truth is that God’s power and presence are revealed in every created thing. The lie is that every creature is a god. Men assume that the force exerted through matter is inherent in the matter. From this it is but a natural step to conclude that the power manifest in man is inherent in him, and therefore that he himself is a god. This, instead of being elevating, is most degrading, as shown in the facts set forth in the first of Romans. Men become like that which they worship, so when they worship and serve the creature instead of the Creator, they inevitably fall to the level and even below the level of the lowest creature.

ROB: Yes the "ruwach nashemah of chay" is NOT inherent in matter, it flows from the Father via the Grand Medium into all higher creatures of living.

Jones:"here was one Man who did not sin, and who knew no sin, and death did not pass upon Him. He went into the grave a victor over it. This One was the Son of God’s love. He comes to all, and as many as receive Him, to them He gives power to become the sons of God, so that any and every child of Adam may be the Son of God’s love, even as Christ is. “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous” (Rom. 5:19). Even as the heaven is higher than the earth, and God’s life and love are stronger than death, so the birth from above frees from all the consequences of being born from beneath. Though a man be born of the most degraded parents, he may through the Holy Spirit inherit all the goodness of God. By the exceedingly great and precious promises of God, we are made partakers of the Divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:3, 4)

Rob: Yes well said. Jesus came in man's fallen nature, but without activated propensities within. They were not activated because He was born under the Nazarene vow, "born of the Holy Spirit from birth" protected and guarded from the Opposer, something any godly earthly parent can claim through faith.

Jones: "There can be no such thing as sin continuing throughout eternity, and therefore no such thing as an immortal sinner. “Sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (James 1:15)

Rob: Well said.

3

Jones:"he Lord looks not on the outward appearance, but on the heart, and on the thoughts and intents. “O Lord, You have searched me and known me, . . . You understand my thought afar off” (Ps. 139:1, 2). The faintest thought sounds as distinctly in the ears of God as the loudest speech. There is encouragement for us in this truth, if we know the Lord. He understands the unspoken longing just as well as the most fervent prayer is not a thing to be dreaded, but a glorious comfort, to know that God understands the innermost thought of the soul.

Rob: The principle of Third Commandment, about faith: is "power". God's word comes with pure Divine power, so do not pray God's Word as an empty storm, with all bang but no rain.

Jones: "Our habits
must be formed by the Word and Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit, having created us
new creatures, must dwell within us, speaking through us. When this is the case,
there will be no fear that we shall take the name of the Lord in vain. We all have
need to pray, “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of

my lips” (Ps. 141:3).

Rob: "The pressed flowing Head: Behold the being!" O YHWH over my "mouth behold the person!" "Over the nations, the travelling Head" "Door of Authority from the Important mark" "The outgrowth of the mouth: Behold the Person!"

I present to readers Jones use of the Prayer of David, 141:3.

Notice the pressed flowing Head of YHWH, is contrasted to the earthling in prayer, David. The door of our own mouth, is our Authority from Important Marks. It defines us and tells others who we are. So flowing from our mouth is important, because it is our Authority and our Important Marks about our-self . Finally notice the Ancient Hebrew pictures for "my lips", the "outgrowth of our mouth, behold the person"

Such outgrowth from our lips, can become "thorns in the Lords side, or your side, sins that show your words are missing in God's power" or the outgrowth from your lips, make allow GOD to produce miracles of power from those words, because you choose to Support God, by speaking His words in faith.

Jones: "Only the Spirit of God can enable us fully to keep the law, because the law is
spiritual. The Spirit, however is abundantly able to keep us from every form of
sin. So let nobody say of this or any other commandment, “I can’t keep it!” God
has given us the power, for He has given us Himself. He made men to be kings, and
though we have been slaves, He has through the Spirit proclaimed our emancipation, and forever delivered us from the necessity of saying, “I can’t.” “I can’t” means bondage.

Rob: Faith principles embedded in the teachings as precious promises are not difficult to guard, they are simply a flow of power because you asked for it. The use of the word "spiritual" is confusing, as Mrs White said, "the nature of the medium is beyond us, so silence is golden". Do not allow Q questions and Q experiences to baffle you, just be a child like supporter of God and say His words in your prayers inviting those powers to do in your life. It's simple really. The first principle of faith to claim, is to rescue yourself from self will to choose human power.

"Lord rescue me from my will to choose self".

Or as you come to claim this precious promise "Lord rescue me"

It's got nothing to do with keeping it, simply ask God for the power and the human will be empowered with Divine Doing.

Jones: "Every commandment of God is a promise. God has pledged Himself that every believer will be kept from taking His name in vain,—that is, every believer will
keep the whole law, doing nothing that can in any way dishonor God.

Rob: Where does Scripture say this?

Ps 119:86 All thy commandments are faithful:

Sadly Jones was not given enough light back than, perhaps we are stiff necked and slow to learn?

Jones: "Think a moment of the word “take.” It means to lift up, to bear, not simply to utter. We are to take the name of God, else there would be no force in the commandment not to take it in vain. But the blessedness of the commandment lies in the assurance that when we take it, it will not be in vain. It will accomplish something for us. It will make and keep us guiltless, for “the name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Prov. 18:10).

ROB: Correct. “nasa” is a hebrew word that means to “lift” Jones is understanding the Hebrew behind English words.

Jones: "His name is our salvation. We are baptized into it, and it is the
strong tower, into which we run and are safe. So again we rejoice in the assurance
given in the third commandment, “You shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in
vain.”

ROB: Correct.

4

Jones: “This commandment, like every other, is exceedinglyly broad, and we can never exhaust it. Yet, with all its breadth and depth, it is simple and easy to understand. Nevertheless, it is very much misunderstood, and many professed Christians seem to find great difficulty in it

Jones: "The Sabbath is not a fragile thing that must be kept in a case, lest it be
broken to pieces by rough usage. It does not need to be protected: it itself is a
protection for those who keep it. “His truth shall be your shield and buckler” (Ps.
91:4). It is never true that we have no Sabbath. If every man on earth violated the
Sabbath, it would still remain the same holy day. You cannot abolish the Sabbath day, any more than you can abolish God

Jones: "Recall the text quoted in our study of the first commandment: Joshua 24:19: “You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy God.” “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). The law is spiritual (Rom. 7:14), and only those who are spiritual can keep it.

ROB: Sadly Jones does not see Sabbath as a appointed time for sharing. If you spent 6 days doing precious promises in the Lord via faith, your Sabbath Day would be full of excited people describing the miracles of joy in the week about what they claimed and the result of their praying to Jesus. The dead silence of this joy is evidence that we do not experience faith as a process at all.

I go to church all excited but have to contend with "how was your week?" is your back OK? a social club where we talk about human doings only. When will we talk about Jesus doing's in us, via faith, because we asked Jesus to do this?

Jones: "The Gospel is “the power of God to salvation,” and His everlasting power is seen in all the things that He has made. Therefore the power of the Gospel is to create, to make new. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God” (2 Cor. 5:17, 18).

Jones: "To this end God has given us the Sabbath, the essential part of Eden. There is to be a change now day by day, through the sanctifying power that the Sabbath makes us know and remember, so that at last when we get to Eden we shall not have to get used to our surroundings. Before the last day comes, we shall have drunk of the river of Eden, and eaten of the hidden manna. “They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures,” or, literally, “the river of Your Eden” (Ps. 36:8).

ROB: wow Jones allows the Hebrew word to be in English.

Eden : Strong 5730: “Looking through the door, over the nations”

Jones: “Sometimes when we talk about Sabbath-keeping, people will say, as though they were telling something new, “Oh, but keeping the Sabbath will not save us; we are saved by faith, not by works.” Exactly; and that is what the Sabbath teaches us. We keep the Sabbath, not in order to be saved, but because we are saved. Sabbath-keeping is rest in God, the assurance of His finished work. “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent” (John 6:29).

Jones: "“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God” (Heb. 4:9). Note, it is the people of God who have the rest. “We who have believed do enter that rest” (v. 3), and they which do not believe, cannot rest. There can be no perfect Sabbath-keeping without perfect faith in God, which means perfect righteousness, because we are justified by faith. So the Sabbath means pre-eminently justification by faith


Jones: "The Sabbath is rest; that is the meaning of the word. The word “Sabbath” is the untranslated Hebrew word for “rest.”

ROB: “Hmm? I thought the word means “cease”

Ge 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

Jones is trusting the KJV translation here for shabath.

Ex 12:15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall “put away “ leaven out of your houses:

Ex 23:12 Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.

Here are two different Hebrew words both translated as rest?

Le 2:13 And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be “lacking” from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.

De 32:26 ¶ I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men:

Jos 5:12 And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land;

2Ki 23:5 And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places

Ne 4:11 And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.

ROB: The contexts of all verses, as the word “shabath” comes in two actions, the verb and the noun, means “cease/ceasing-day” Jones is reading the Translations too easily and not investigating carefully the Hebrew word meaning.

Ceasing-day is a time related appointed process, one of the appointed times:

Le 23:1 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.
3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.

Then the Lord describes other appointed times, apart from the Seventh day Ceasing Day, which is the most regular of the appointed times. The Hebrew word “mowed” means “appointed time” not “feasts”.

Jones does a wonderful job describing faith and the light he has received. Oh sadly our SDA people have not walked in that light, and missed out on experiencing Jesus face to face, as our Saviour.

Shalom