Friday: Further Thought – Confidence Only in Christ
Daily Lesson for Friday 6th of February 2026
Further Thought
“He who would build up a strong, symmetrical character, he who would be a well-balanced Christian, must give all and do all for Christ; for the Redeemer will not accept divided service.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
Daily he must learn the meaning of self-surrender. He must study the word of God, learning its meaning and obeying its precepts. Thus he may reach the standard of Christian excellence. Day by day God works with him, perfecting the character that is to stand in the time of final test. And day by day the believer is working out before men and angels a sublime experiment, showing what the gospel can do for fallen human beings.”—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 483.
“Those who wait for the Bridegroom’s coming are to say to the people, ‘Behold your God.’ The last rays of merciful light, the last message of mercy to be given to the world, is a revelation of His character of love. The children of God are to manifest His glory. In their own life and character they are to reveal what the grace of God has done for them.
“The light of the Sun of Righteousness is to shine forth in good works—in words of truth and deeds of holiness.”—Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, Pages 415, 416.
Discussion Questions
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If you are thrashing around in the water, in danger of drowning, and someone throws you a rope to save you. Its not the time to start arguing about the type of material the rope is made from. Many of the arguments we have about salvation essentially boil down to saying that my understanding of the physics and chemistry of rescue ropes is better than yours. I remember reading a story about the Church in the early centuries where two sects had come to blows over the mechanism of salvation. People were killed over the dispute. Not much has changed.
If the people in the lifeboat are busy arguing which rope to use, what hope is there for the poor soul drowning in the water.
Salvation is about action, not description.
Read Philippians as an action book. Have you taken time to read it right through yet?
As children of God, we know that He is able to do all things and to work everything for our good (Rom. 8:28). The Lord remains sovereign even over the sparrow that falls to the ground (Matt. 10:29). God is more than willing and fully able to act on our behalf; therefore, our confidence must be in Him rather than in our flesh. Scripture reminds us to “put no confidence in the flesh.” “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work” (2 Cor. 9:8). “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory forever and ever” (Eph. 3:20–21).
God is able to keep all His promises, but human beings are limited and cannot do so, as we do not possess full knowledge of the future. Nothing comes into our lives without God’s knowledge. Whatever happens to us whether good or bad—does not surprise Him. All things fall under His sovereign will. Romans 8:28 assures us that “all things work together for good for those who love God.” Our confidence in God must be our priority. God can be trusted regardless of our circumstances. It is far better to place our faith in Him than in our own flesh.
By the Word of God, we are all out of standard. But there is hope, because God loved us first, and He intends to save us all. So today He says to us, “Be of good cheer, pick up your cross and follow Me!”
On question 2. “Are we really saved if we do not have (Good Works?)” Did the “Repentant Thief” on his cross, and next to Jesus, have “Good Works?” He had not “One Single Work” to speak of at all. Yet, Jesus said to him that he would be with Him in Paradise. And, why is it that Only, Luke, recorded the account of “The Repentant Thief?” And my understanding is that, Luke, was not one of the 12 Apostles, but a converted Gentile Physician that came into the “Group of Believers,” after Jesus’ left this Earth. It is “Only” the Grace of God through Jesus, His Son, that can and will save anyone at all. All “Humans,” even “Saved Humans,” in relation to “Each and every Promise of God in The Bible,” are just like the Repentant Thief, Totally and Completely having “Nothing” to make us “Worthy,” of any of those “Great and Precious Promises,” at all. Not even our “Good Works” will ever make any one of us “Worthy” of God’s Grace to save anyone of us. Even, the Apostle Paul makes it very clear, that it was (and still is) “While we were yet sinners…” (and because we are still sinners) that Christ died for us and now “lives for us.”
I think if we are saved, we will do good works. However, I don’t think the introspection about whether we have good works is really that healthy most of the time. There probably are a few who need to be shaken up and realize their life does not match their profession, but many will answer that question with discouragement,knowing their life is far from perfect.
The thing too we need to remember is that we all start from a different place. Just as a child grows, a Christian grows in righteousness. No one is all there right away. Peter wasn’t (Galatians 2 records his slip up many years after the Day of Pentecost) and Paul wasn’t as we studied this week.
I like the way that CS Lewis puts it in Mere Christianity (chapter 10 if you are looking). He compares two people, and one though a Christian does not seem like one. Another non-Christian is actually nicer. But he reminds us that temperment and background and so on all influence us and so the Christian may have started lower, but actually has risen higher through Jesus’ influence.
I like this quote “But if you are a poor creature – poisoned by a wretched upbringing in some house full of vulgar jealousies and senseless quarrels – saddled by no choice of your own, with some loathsome sexual perversion – nagged day in and day out by an inferiority complex that makes you snap at your best friends – do not despair. He knows all about it. You are one of the poor whom He blessed. He knows what a wretched machine you are trying to drive. Keep on. Do what you can. One day (perhaps in another world, but perhaps far sooner than that) He will fling it on the scrap-heap and give you a new one.”
I know we do say that we only take our character to Heaven and that’s true, but when we use that statement to suggest that only perfect people go to Heaven, I think we have it wrong. Each one of us has a different time to perfect our character. The thief on the cross had no time at all. Had he lived, he would have had to struggle with many personal defects. He would through God’s grace gradually overcome those defects, but he is safe to save, even with a defective character because he trusted in Jesus. He was no longer in rebellion against God. He was facing the right direction. And the same is for each one of us. Some die before many charcter defects are blotted out. Some will accept Jesus with very little time before the Second Coming. Will they not be saved because they are not perfect? God forbid. What matters is they trust God to work in their lives. They will not rebel in eternity. They are safe to save.
I wonder why we Seventh-day Adventists continue to have this faith/works conversation. Are we slow learners? Are the concepts so hard to understand? Is Seventh-day Adventism a twisted contortion of faith and works, nailed together with barely holding rivets?
I am sure that if I went back over the nearly 30 years of conversations we have had in the Sabbath School Net forum, I would see the same points being made over and over again.
And I have been reading Church history from the 1890s where this was thrashed out between Church leaders and evangelists, often with some rancour.
What is so hard to understand about grace and faith? What is so wrong about doing good works?
… and please do not trot out the same old answers; I have heard them all many times.
Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross must be our goal. In our trials, our hope and trust in the Lord must be our joy and comfort.
Our good works rest in His good works. His good works do not exempt us or free us from doing our part. His good works empower us to do our good works.
Our confidence in God’s work must supersede confidence in our own because our flesh struggles with sin.
The irony of the story of salvation is that humans have the tendency of wanting to add onto what God has done . Salvation is a free gift non of us is saved because we have done good works. We are save by grace through faith which is God’s gift to us . So whats our part we have to respond out of love and thus we seek to do what pleases him . Obedience becomes the fruit of faith not a means to receive or attain salvation .
He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it . God is in the business of seeking to save the lost and rescuing us from sin. Jesus role to save his people from sin .
As I consider the power vested in Jesus Christ, I can see a great disservice having taken place when the Christian’s understanding of Salvation became so narrowly focused on the cross and Jesus’ suffering. The importance of living one’s life inspired by the Holy Spirit as exemplified by Jesus’ life, was neglected.
Ellen G. White:
Looking at the state of the Christian community at large as the reflection of our faith, one can see the shortcomings of an ‘unbalanced life’.
Ellen G. White:
We can know all there is to know about the Sabbath, the cross, the state of the dead, the timeline for Jesus’ return, etc. and still lack in our daily, faithful, living relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ empowered by the Spirit of Truth.
He tills the Ground, establishes the Way, and opens the Gate. He offers to quench our thirst and still our hunger for righteousness. Now it is left up to the believer to enter the Gate leading into the Kingdom of God with thanksgiving – John 14:10-20
It is a treasure to be reminded of the true – internal – nature of the circumcision. So clear!
Philippians 3:3; Romans 2:28,29
It matters that we remember:
Only through Christ is the glory of God revealed in us.
Likeness to Jesus, and eternal life with Him, remains our primary priority in this world. Romans 8:18;
Adventist Review & Herald July 1, 1890
Let us stay focused on keeping, ever renewing, our covenant with Christ, as we approach the ever-increasing, “Blessed hope.”
Dwell more on this idea of not having confidence in the flesh. What does that mean? Why should we not have confidence in it? Is not our flesh a gift from God?
In the AI article by Maurice, Inge told us of the importance of a plane flying in the right direction. Reminds me of several years back when I took my pastor and children for a ride in a 1981 Cessna 172. I had my i-pad in my lap. And once airborne handed it over to the pastor’s teenage son to guide me to keep the small plane on the course line on my ForeFlight app map. Is not that what the Holy Spirit does for us? Psalm 48:14. Have a happy Sabbath one and all.
Now I had reason to put confidence in the ForeFlight map with a GPS an integral part of my I-pad. Do I have reason to put my confidence in God, absolutely? Paul did. Philippians 3:7-11. Christ had confidence in our Father. John 5:30. The Bible can be likened unto a map connected to a GPS.