Once again, voices are being heard in the church who would diminish the role of sanctification in the process of salvation, who wrongfully believe the righteousness of justification to be superior to that of sanctification, and who insist—despite substantial inspired evidence to the contrary—that the Christian’s sanctification will never be perfect in this life.
According to the Bible, in both Old and New Testaments, God’s end-time remnant church will keep His commandments and cease to commit iniquity:
The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies, neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid (Zeph. 3:13).
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (Rev. 12:17).
Here is the patience of the saints. Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus (Rev. 14:12).
Repeatedly the Bible describes the practical purity that God’s end-time people are expected, through His grace and power, to experience. As the book of Daniel closes, the prophet is assured by God’s angel of the sanctification God’s people are to experience in preparation for the great time of trouble, from which the saints are at last to be delivered (Dan. 12:1):
Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried: but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand: but the wise shall understand (verse 10).
The New Testament apostles repeat this promise:
But thou, O man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;
That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ (I Tim. 6:11-14).
Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? ...
Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless (II Peter 3:11-12,14).
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure (I John 3:2-3).
The enemy of our souls despises the Biblical promise of total victory over sin for the Christian here on earth, which is why Ellen White makes such statements as the following:
Satan declared that it was impossible for the sons and daughters of Adam to keep the law of God, and thus charged upon God a lack of wisdom and love. If they could not keep the law, then there was fault with the Lawgiver. Men who are under the control of Satan repeat these accusations against God, in asserting that men cannot keep the law of God [1].
Exact obedience is required, and those who say that it is not possible to live a perfect life, throw upon God the imputation of injustice and untruth [2].
Therefore he (Satan) is constantly seeking to deceive the followers of Christ with his fatal sophistry that it is impossible for them to overcome [3].
In other words, this issue of sinless obedience and whether or not it’s possible in this life is deadly serious—a matter of eternal life or eternal death. In the great investigative judgment now in progress, will we be witnesses for Satan’s case against the divine law? Or for Jesus’ case in its defense?
“Cannot Be Completed In This Life”
A recent article in a prominent church publication claims to be quoting Ellen White when it states that the process of character restoration “cannot be completed in this life” [4]. But the reader who investigates the reference cited will be shocked to discover that this Ellen White statement does not exist. (Hopefully the inclusion of this fictive statement was just an editor’s oversight.) The reference given is purportedly from the book Education, p. 13 [5]. But when you turn to this book and look up this page, the statement is neither there nor anywhere in its context.
The article goes on to say:
Because of sin, there will never be a time in this life when we will not need God’s justifying grace. As Ellen White states: “We shall often have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus because of our shortcomings and mistakes, but we are not to be discouraged” [6]. Instead, we are to remember God’s ultimate plan that, one day, “in the twinkling of an eye . . . we will be changed” (I Cor. 15:52). God’s image in us will be fully restored, and “we shall be like Him” (I John 3:2) [7].
But as we noted earlier in our reference to First John chapter 3, verse 3 clarifies when in fact the Christian will be made like Jesus. Yes indeed, “when He shall appear, we shall be like Him” (verse 2), but the following verse tells us that we become like Him while we still cherish the hope of His coming, not when He appears in the clouds:
And every one that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure (verse 3).
The reference we saw in Second Peter 3 is likewise clear that when Jesus comes, His people are to be “found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless” (verse 14). Notice the saints are found in this condition; they aren’t made that way when Jesus returns.
The implication of the statement by the above author that “there will never be a time in this life when we will not need God’s justifying grace” [8], is that Christians will need God’s forgiveness so long as this present life lasts. But the inspired pen is clear that when probation closes, God’s living saints will be required to stand without a Mediator, and will thus require complete purification from all sin in preparation for that time:
Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above, are to stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator. Their robes must be spotless, their characters must be purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling. Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort they must be conquerors in the battle with evil. While the investigative judgment is going forward in heaven, while the sins of penitent believers are being removed from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of putting away of sin, among God’s people upon earth….
When this work shall have been accomplished, the followers of Christ will be ready for His appearing [9].
This doesn’t mean, of course, that the saints during this time—or at any time—will live without the empowering grace of God to keep from falling. Just as Jesus “was fitted for the conflict by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit” [10], so His followers during the final crisis will be equipped for the struggle by the sustaining Holy Spirit. In Ellen White’s words:
Though God’s people will be surrounded by enemies who are bent upon their destruction, yet the anguish which they suffer is not a dread of persecution for the truth’s sake; they fear that every sin has not been repented of, and that through some fault in themselves they will fail to realize the fulfillment of the Saviour’s promise: I “will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world.” Revelation 3:10 [11].
We can praise God, to be sure, for Ellen White’s promise that “we are not to be discouraged” if and when we must weep at the feet of Jesus because of our shortcomings [12]. But nowhere do either Ellen White or the Bible say that falling short in this manner will be the Christian’s lot so long as this earthly life lasts. The Bible verses we have seen thus far on this point are clear that the spotless, sinless purity God’s people are to attain is to be achieved through heaven’s power before Jesus returns (e.g. I Tim. 6:11-14; II Peter 3:10-14; I John 3:2-3). The following Ellen White statements, among countless others we could list, make this point especially clear:
When our earthly labors are ended, and Christ shall come for His faithful children, we shall then shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of our Father. But before that time shall come, everything that is imperfect in us will have been seen and put away. All envy and jealousy and evil surmising and every selfish plan will have been banished from the life [13].
Not one of us will ever receive the seal of God while our characters have one spot or stain upon them. It is left with us to remedy the defects in our characters, to cleanse the soul temple of every defilement. Then the latter rain will fall upon us, as the early rain fell upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost [14].
What are you doing, brethren, in the great work of preparation? Those who are uniting with the world, are receiving the worldly mold, and preparing for the mark of the beast. Those who are distrustful of self, who are humbling themselves before God and purifying their souls by obeying the truth—these are receiving the heavenly mold, and preparing for the seal of God in their foreheads. When the decree goes forth, and the stamp is impressed, their character will remain pure and spotless for eternity.
Now is the time to prepare. The seal of God will never be placed upon the forehead of an impure man or woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of the ambitious, world-loving man or woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of men or women of false tongues or deceitful hearts. All who receive the seal must be without spot before God—candidates for heaven [15].
When He comes, He is not to cleanse us of our sins, to remove from us the defects in our characters, or to cure us of the infirmities of our tempers and dispositions. If wrought for us at all, this work will all be accomplished before that time. When the Lord comes, those who are holy will be holy still…. The Refiner does not then sit to pursue His refining process and remove their sins and their corruption. This is all to be done in these hours of probation [16].
Whether the righteousness that accomplishes our salvation is produced by justifying or sanctifying grace, it is all the grace of God. It is all the righteousness of Christ. Sanctification is no more “our contribution” to our salvation than is justification. Ellen White tells us:
The proud heart strives to earn salvation; but both our title to heaven and our fitness for it are found in the righteousness of Christ [17].
The same author writes elsewhere that “the righteousness by which we are justified is imputed; the righteousness by which we are sanctified is imparted. The first is out title to heaven, the second is our fitness for heaven” [18]. Neither phase of our Lord’s righteousness possesses greater saving value than the other. Both are all of God’s doing, always by faith, but never without humanity’s diligent, cooperative effort. And even our cooperative effort isn’t “our contribution,” as such effort merely represents returning to God what was His in the first place. As King David declared in his final prayer for Israel, “For all things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee” (I Chron. 29:14).
A Plea for Imbalance
Another recent article, this one on a liberal Adventist website, urges the church to eschew all notions of balance between God’s grace and human responsibility in the saving process. The author writes as follows:
I have often heard it said: what we need is balance. Christian obedience and belief in divine grace must go together. Trust and obey. If we fail to keep the two elements in balance, we either end up with cheap grace or with dry legalism.
Let’s stop this talk about balance and intentionally opt for imbalance—individually and as a church—and unreservedly embrace God’s grace as the overarching principle in our Adventist experience. If we do, it will refresh our soul [19].
Despite this man’s egregious doctrinal errors, some of which we will review momentarily, he is actually right about the exclusiveness of divine grace in the Biblical process of salvation. When all is said and done, there really is no “balance” between grace and obedience, because the only way obedience can occur is through the power divine grace bestows. The problem is that too many ignore the Bible truth that God’s grace is vastly more than God’s forgiveness. It is also power for holy living. Such verses as the following make this clear:
And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I ever glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (II Cor. 12:9).
Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear (Heb. 12:28).
The fact that even humanity’s cooperative role in sanctified obedience is the product of grace is clear from the verse we saw earlier from the Old Testament: “For all things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee” (I Chron. 29:14). Without God’s grace, there could be neither justification nor sanctification.
Sadly, the author of this plea for “imbalance” has departed dramatically in his own theology from the teachings of both Scripture and classic Adventism. At one point he even calls the teaching of Last Generation Theology “seditious,” because of its Bible-based insistence that “only a small ‘remnant’ of the last generation will make it into the kingdom” [20]. He goes on to say:
This message is at odds with the good news of the gospel. It creates anxiety and utter uncertainty about our salvation and having been adopted as a child of God [21].
Apparently this author hasn’t considered the teachings of Christ Himself, who admonishes His followers with words many of us know well:
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it (Matt. 7:13-14; see also Luke 13:23-27).
We have already reviewed the Biblical summons to a faithful last-day remnant who will keep God’s commandments and thus live without sinning (Zeph. 3:13; Rev. 12:17; 14:5,12), meeting their Lord in sinless purity when He comes the second time (Dan. 12:10; I Tim. 6:11-14; II Peter 3:10-14; I John 3:2-3). Fundamental Belief No. 13, as taught by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, clearly outlines God’s call for a commandment-keeping remnant [22]. Whether the author in question chooses to believe this teaching or not, he can hardly denounce it as “seditious,” as sedition in a context such as this would imply rebellion against the authority of the church, when in reality this teaching affirms church authority through its Fundamental Beliefs.
This particular author knows something about ecclesiastical sedition. Not only does he deny Seventh-day Adventism’s remnant theology; he has publicly denied that the Roman papacy still qualifies as the Antichrist of Bible prophecy [23], and—in defiance of both Scripture (John 4:18; I Cor. 7:2; Heb. 13:4) and the Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual [24]—has urged the church to accept into its fellowship unmarried couples living together out of wedlock [25]. Like certain political figures in our time, this man’s use of the “seditious” label applies to others a label more accurately applied to himself.
Conclusion
The struggle for Biblical integrity continues in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, in particular the struggle for a Biblically faithful understanding of salvation and the perfection of character this salvation brings. The tenets of Last Generation Theology lie at the heart of the Seventh-day Adventist message, which is why those Adventists of both evangelical and liberal theological bias resist the acceptance of these tenets within the church. But both Scripture and the writings of the Spirit of Prophecy sustain these tenets, as continuing dialogue in the church regarding these issues will increasingly demonstrate.
REFERENCES
1. Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times, Jan. 16, 1896.
2. ----Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, p. 369.
3. ----The Great Controversy, p. 489.
4. Edyta Jankewicz, “Holiness and God’s Sanctifying Grace,” Adventist World, April 2025, p. 17.
5. Ibid.
6. White, Steps to Christ, p. 64.
7. Jankewicz, “Holiness and God’s Sanctifying Grace,” Adventist World, April 2025, p. 17 (italics original).
8. Ibid.
9. White, The Great Controversy, p. 425.
10. ----The Desire of Ages, p. 123.
11. ----The Great Controversy, p. 619.
12. ----Steps to Christ, p. 64.
13. ----Selected Messages, vol. 3, p. 427.
14. ----Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 214.
15. Ibid, p. 216.
16. Ibid, vol. 2, p. 355.
17. ----The Desire of Ages, p. 300.
18. ----Messages to Young People, p. 35.
19. Reinder Bruinsma, “Grace vs. Works: A Plea Against Keeping Them in Balance,” Adventist Today, April 3, 2025 https://atoday.org/grace-vs-works-a-plea-against-keeping-them-in-balance/ (italics original).
20. Ibid.
21. Ibid.
22. Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual, 2022 edition, p. 172.
23. Bruinsma, “Adventists and Catholics: Prophetic Preview or Prejudice?” Spectrum, Summer 1999 https://atoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Bruinsma.pdf
24. Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual, 2022 edition, p. 68.
25. Bruinsma, “Is Cohabitation Always Wrong?” Church and Society: Missiological Challenges for the Seventh-day Adventist Church (Rudi Maier, ed.) (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University: Department of World Mission, 2015), pp. 575-586.
Pastor Kevin Paulson holds a Bachelor’s degree in theology from Pacific Union College, a Master of Arts in systematic theology from Loma Linda University, and a Master of Divinity from the SDA Theological Seminary at Andrews University. He served the Greater New York Conference of Seventh-day Adventists for ten years as a Bible instructor, evangelist, and local pastor. He writes regularly for Liberty magazine and does script writing for various evangelistic ministries within the denomination. He continues to hold evangelistic and revival meetings throughout the North American Division and beyond, and is a sought-after seminar speaker relative to current issues in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He presently resides in Berrien Springs, Michigan