“Never leave the impression on the mind that there is little or nothing to do on the part of man; but rather teach man to cooperate with God, that he may be successful in overcoming. NL 39.1 Let no one say that your works have nothing to do with your rank and position before God. In the judgment the sentence pronounced is according to what has been done or to what has been left undone.” (Matthew 25:34-40). NL 39.2

Do not settle down in Satan’s easy chair, and say that there is no use, you cannot cease to sin, that there is no power in you to overcome. There is no power in you apart from Christ, but it is your privilege to have Christ abiding in your heart by faith, and He can overcome sin in you, when you cooperate with His efforts…. You may be living epistles, known and read of all men. You are not to be a dead letter, but a living one, testifying to the world that Jesus is able to save. 6 OFC 108.5

“When the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.” Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own.” COL 68.1-COL 69.1

“The scene of trial with Christ in the wilderness was the foundation of the plan of salvation, and gives to fallen man the key whereby he, in Christ’s name, may overcome.” – {RH September 8, 1874 Par. 16

“How this is accomplished, Christ has shown us. By what means did He overcome in the conflict with Satan? By the Word of God. Only by the Word could He resist temptation. “It is written” He said. And unto us are given “exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature…” Every promise in God’s Word is ours…. When assailed by temptation, look not to circumstances or to the weakness of self, but to the power of the Word. All its strength is yours.” 70 FLB 23.

“It is Christ who died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (Romans 8:34). Only think of this. Christ is the one who has died for you, who has purchased you with His own precious blood. Will He permit those whom He values so highly to walk alone? Nay, He will not. The apostle continues, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation?” (Romans 8:35). Nay. Jesus bore all this in my behalf when He accepted humanity, and He bore it in order that I might not perish, but have everlasting life. Will He who has done all this for you be indifferent to you when it is difficult for you to engage in the warfare and to fight the good fight of faith? You are weak, and the trembling hand of faith can scarcely grasp the promises, but cannot you now say, “Lord, I am now too weak to use the weapons of warfare, but I can repose in Thee as my only hope. In Thee, and in Thee alone, my Redeemer, is my only hope of eternal life. Thou art my refuge. “The message from God to me for you is “Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37) “If you have nothing else to plead before God but this one promise from your Lord and Saviour, you have the assurance that you will never, never be turned away. It may seem to you that you are hanging upon a single promise, but appropriate that one promise, and it will open to you the whole treasure house of the riches of the grace of Christ. Cling to that promise and you are safe. “Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.” Present this assurance to Jesus, and you are as safe as though inside the city of God. You are not to examine your feelings and put any dependence upon your emotions, for they may be as varied as the wind, but take to your heart this one promise and you will find it a passport to all the rich treasures of heaven. You are precious to the heart of Christ and He speaks, saying unto you, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28) -MR Vol. 10 p.175

 “Make every effort, and through the grace of Christ, to attain to the high standard set before you. You can be perfect in your sphere as God is perfect in His sphere. Has not Christ declared, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48) —Letter 123, 1904 1MCP 103.4

As the Lord cooperated with Daniel, so He will cooperate with all who strive to do His will. By His Spirit He will strengthen every true purpose, every noble resolution. Those who walk in the path of obedience will encounter many hindrances, but the Lord is able to render futile every agency that works for the defeat of His chosen ones. In His strength they may overcome every temptation, conquer every difficulty.” Ss 252.3

“…unless we yield ourselves to the control of Christ, we shall be dominated by the wicked one. We must inevitably be under the control of the one or the other of the two great powers that are contending for the supremacy of the world. It is not necessary for us deliberately to choose the service of the kingdom of darkness in order to come under its dominion. We have only to neglect to ally ourselves with the kingdom of light. If we do not cooperate with the heavenly agencies, Satan will take possession of the heart, and will make it his abiding place. The only defense against evil is the indwelling of Christ in the heart through faith in His righteousness. Unless we become vitally connected with God, we can never resist the unhallowed effects of self-love, self-indulgence, and temptation to sin. We may leave off many bad habits, for the time we may part company with Satan; but without a vital connection with God, through the surrender of ourselves to Him moment by moment, we shall be overcome. Without a personal acquaintance with Christ, and a continual communion, we are at the mercy of the enemy, and shall do his bidding in the end.” HB 122.3

“As we see our failings, let us confess them to Jesus, and, with true contrition of soul, cooperate with the divine power of the Holy Spirit to overcome all evil. If we confess our sins, we must believe that they are pardoned, because the promise is positive.” -The Review and Herald, March 21, 1912. TDG 89.4

Most common sin against the Holy Spirit

“The most common manifestation of the sin against the Holy Spirit is in persistently slighting Heaven’s invitation to repent. Every step in the rejection of Christ is a step toward the rejection of salvation. -The Desire of Ages, 323, 324. HB 122.4

How to be like Christ

“We need not retain one sinful propensity…. As we partake of the divine nature, hereditary and cultivated tendencies to wrong are cut away from the character, and we are made a living power for good. Ever learning of the divine Teacher, daily partaking of His nature, we cooperate with God in overcoming Satan’s temptations.” 69 FLB 23.4

 “Why do you not cease from sin? You may overcome if you will cooperate with God. Christ’s promise is sure. He pledges himself to fill the office of personal Intercessor, saying, “I will pray the Father.” He who could not see human beings exposed to destruction without pouring out his soul unto death to save them from eternal ruin, will look with pity and compassion upon every soul who realizes that he can not save himself. He will see no trembling suppliant without raising him up. He who through his own atonement provided for them an infinite fund of moral power, will not fail to employ this power in their behalf. He will impute to them his own righteousness.” GCB October 1, 1899, par. 17

“The acceptance of Christ’s atonement is the groundwork of true faith…. Those who will look long enough into the divine mirror to see and despise their sins, their unlikeness to the meek and lowly Jesus, will have strength to overcome. All who truly believe will confess and forsake their sins. They will cooperate with Christ in the work of bringing their hereditary and cultivated tendencies to wrong under the control of the divine will, so that sin shall not have dominion over them. Looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of their faith, they will be changed into His likeness. They will grow up into the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus… Those who truly believe, who confess and forsake their sins, will grow more and more like Christ, until of them it can in heaven be said, “Ye are complete in him.” Colossians 2:10. 49 онс 117.3

“Every physician in our ranks should be a Christian. God says, “There shall be an institution established under the supervision of men who have been healed through a belief in God’s word, and who have overcome their defects of character. In the world all kinds of provisions have been made for the relief of suffering humanity, but the truth in its simplicity is also to be brought to these suffering ones through the agency of men and women who are loyal to the commandments of God. Therefore sanitariums are to be established throughout our world, and managed by a people who are in harmony with God’s laws, a people who will cooperate with God in advocating the truth which determines the case of every soul for whom Christ has died.” 20MR 249.3 “Instead of criticizing and condemning others, say, “I must work out my own salvation. If I cooperate with Him who desires to save my soul, I must watch myself diligently. I must put away every evil from my life. I must overcome every fault. I must become a new creature in Christ. Then, instead of weakening those who are striving against evil, I can strengthen them by encouraging words.” We are too indifferent in regard to one another. Too often we forget that our associate workers are in need of strength and cheer. Take care to assure them of your interest and sympathy. Help them by your prayers, and let them know that you are praying for them.” MHH 289.1 “Through the plan of redemption, God has provided means for subduing every sinful trait, and resisting every temptation, however strong. OFC 364.4 The strongest temptation is no excuse for sin. However great the pressure brought to bear upon the soul, transgression is our own act. It is not in the power of earth or hell to compel any one to sin. The will must consent, the heart must yield, or passion cannot overbear reason, nor iniquity triumph over righteousness. OFC 364.5 If you will stand under the bloodstained banner of Prince Emmanuel, faithfully doing His service, you need never yield to temptation; for One stands by your side who is able to keep you from falling.” OFC 364.6

“Effort and labor are required on the part of the receiver of God’s grace; for it is the fruit that makes manifest what is the character of the tree. Although the good works of man are of no more value without faith in Jesus than was the offering of Cain, yet covered with the merit of Christ, they testify [to] the worthiness of the doer to inherit eternal life. That which is considered morality in the world does not reach the divine standard and has no more merit before Heaven than had the offering of Cain.” [Selected Messages 1:379-382.

“Not all who profess to be workers for Christ are true disciples. Among those who bear His name and even are numbered with His workers are some who do not represent Him in character. They are not governed by His principles. These persons are often a cause of perplexity and discouragement to their associates who are young in Christian experience. But none need to be misled. Christ has given us a perfect example. He bids us follow Him.” мнН 289.2

“But unless we are constantly on guard, we shall be overcome by the enemy. Although a solemn revelation of God’s will concerning us has been revealed to all, yet a knowledge of His will does not set aside the necessity of offering earnest supplications to Him for help, and of diligently seeking to cooperate with Him in answering the prayers offered. He accomplishes His purposes through human instrumentalities.” (Manuscript 95, 1903). 6BC 1119.1

Conviction of sin not enough

“But a general conviction of sin is not reformative. We may have a vague, disagreeable sense of imperfection, but this will avail us nothing unless we make a decided effort to obtain the victory over sin. If we wish to cooperate with Christ, to overcome as he overcame, we must, in his strength, make the most determined resistance against self and selfishness.” sT March 11, 1897, par. 7 “The Office of the Mirror- Here is a mirror into which we are to look, and search out every defect of character. But suppose that you look into this mirror and see many defects in your character, and then go away and say, “I am righteous”; will you be righteous? In your own eyes you will be righteous and holy. But how will it be at the bar of God? God has given us a rule, and we are to comply with its requirements; if we dare to do otherwise, to trample this under our feet, and then stand up before God and say, “I am holy, I am holy,” we shall be lost in the great day of accounts.” 7вс 935.7 “What if we were to go out into the streets and soil our clothes with mud, and then come into the house and, beholding our filthy garments as we stand before the glass, we should say to the mirror, “Cleanse me from my filth”; would it cleanse us from our filth? That is not the office of the looking glass. All that it can do is to reveal that our garments are defiled; it cannot take the defilement away.” 7вс 935.8 So it is with the law of God. It points out the defects of character. It condemns us as sinners, but it offers no pardon to the transgressor. It cannot save him from his sins. But God has made a provision. Says John, “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” So we come to Him and there we find the character of Jesus, and the righteousness of His character saves the transgressor-if we have done on our part all that we could. {7BC 935.9} And yet while He saves the transgressor, He does not do away with the law of God, but He exalts the law. He exalts the law because it is the detector of sin. And it is Christ’s cleansing blood that takes away our sins, when we come to Him with contrition of soul seeking His pardon. He imputes His righteousness, He takes the guilt upon Himself (MS 5, 1885). 7BC 935.10

We have a work to do

“Let my brethren be very careful how they present the subject of faith and works before the people, lest minds become confused…” Let no man present the idea that man has little or nothing to do in the great work of overcoming; for God does nothing for man without his cooperation. Neither say that after you have done all you can on your part, Jesus will help you. Christ has said, “Without Me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). From first to last man is to be a laborer together with God. Unless the Holy Spirit works upon the human heart, at every step we shall stumble and fall. Man’s efforts alone are nothing but worthlessness; but cooperation with Christ means a victory…” NL 38.3-4

A word of encouragement

“Believe the word of God, keep looking unto Jesus, dwelling upon his virtues and mercies, and there will be created in the heart an utter abhorrence of that which is evil. You will be among those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. But the more closely we discern Jesus, the more clearly we shall see our own defects of character. As we see our failings, let us confess them to Jesus, and, with true contrition of soul, cooperate with the divine power of the Holy Spirit to overcome all evil. If we confess our sins, we must believe that they are pardoned, because the promise is positive: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Let us no more dishonor God by doubting his pardoning love.” RH March 21, 1912, par. 3

What is Sanctification?

“Genuine sanctification … is nothing less than a daily dying to self and daily conformity to the will of God.” Testimonies, Vol.4, p. 299. “The grace of God, that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” [Titus 2:11-14.] 13LMs, Ms 89, 1898, par. 32