The Righteousness that Saves Me

By Hazel Holland

Having grown up in the Seventh-day Adventist church, I had always understood that it was Jesus Christ’s righteousness plus my obedience to His law that would save me. It was never spelled out as directly as that, but that was what I understood to be the teaching, because of the emphasis the church placed on keeping the law, especially the 4th commandment. Most definitely our “Sabbath-keeping” was a necessary good work that would insure our salvation.

After many years of struggling to do the good works, I remember a time period in my life when the light of the new covenant gospel began to shine into the darkened recesses of my soul. It was like Someone suddenly turned on the blinding headlights of a car. I could see nothing except Jesus and His glorious work for me.

From that time on, although I was still a member of the SDA church, I had a deep longing in my heart to really know the One who gave His life for me. This hunger in my soul propelled me to want to know the truth of the Scriptures, and to search out truth for myself. So when I received a prophetic dream from the Lord in 1996, it only drove me further into God’s Word. I believed that the Holy Spirit would lead me into ALL truth as He opened up my mind to understand the meaning of the symbolism in the dream.

As I avidly continued to pray and study the Scriptures, especially Paul’s letters to the Romans and Galatians, the words leaped off the page as I saw that God’s saving work for me through Jesus Christ's life, death and resurrection completely justified me in His sight. Christ took the punishment for my sins upon Himself, and in exchange credited me with His perfect righteousness. My good works, including my Sabbath-keeping, had no role whatsoever in my being justified before God. Furthermore, none of my good works could ever be added to the righteousness of the One who had saved me. I must completely place my hope and trust in the “good work” that God’s Son alone had done.

This of course was certainly a different message from the one I had grown up believing. The uniqueness of the Adventist message represented bondage to the law, and stood out in stark contrast to the freedom offered me by Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross. Although good works are the inevitable result of my being declared righteous by God, they in no way lead to my being justified. “For it is by grace (I) have been saved, through faith—and this not from (myself), it is the gift of God— not by works, so that (I cannot) boast. For (I am) God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for (me) to do.” Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV)

As I chose to believe and embrace Christ’s redemptive work through faith alone, I turned away from trusting in the unfinished work of the Holy Spirit in my life as the basis of my acceptance with God. I gave up believing that saving grace is the assistance God gives us through His Holy Spirit to keep the law. Without a doubt the basis of my acceptance with God is Christ’s finished work that took place outside of me on the cross. Justifying righteousness can be found in Him alone, never in what the Holy Spirit does in me.

Recognizing that even my good works fall into the category of filthy rags, I had a new urgency to share with others Jesus Christ’s glorious “good work” that will always trump our good works. As I focused my attention on His saving work on the cross, I noticed that He was not only beginning to equip me for the works He wanted me to do, but I also noticed that I was beginning to study myself right out of Adventism.

Since my hope is now built on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ alone I let this one defining truth direct my thoughts each day—I can never move beyond the glorious work of the gospel. His “good work” must take center stage in my life as I proclaim the good news of His death and resurrection until He comes. The righteousness that saves me is the righteousness of Another—Jesus Christ! (2 Corinthians 5:21) Thank you, Lord!

See: Why I Left Adventism