The righteous mind imputed to us is untainted and the imparted character traits we receive and make our own are untainted: to stick to our point - here - we retain sinful flesh till translation, so it's only the imparted character we receive that is Christlike. Why your question?

Tom, so far as sinlessness and perfection are concerned, in practical terms do you see a huge difference between the two?

"Be ye therefore perfect" (Matt. 5:48) is God's word to us. And in order that we might obey this word, He sent His only-begotten Son to this earth to live in our behalf a perfect life. We have before us His example, and the strength by which He lived this life is at our disposal. In thought, word, and act Jesus was sinless. Perfection marked all that He did. He points us to the path that He trod, saying, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matt. 16:24). {HP 166.4}

"Sinlessness" and "sinless" are two different things. "Sinless" is never used by EGW, except in reference to Christ. "Sinlessness" is the condition of not sinning.

"Sinless perfection" is not a condition of to be born again, and no one who is born again is sinless (except Christ, if you want to count Him as born again).

"Perfect" can mean different things, depending upon the context. It may mean "full" or "complete," especially if it's translated from the Greek.

EGW writes:



This is the best statement I know on the subject of perfection of character, explaining the verse "Be ye therefore perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." I highlighted a couple of things. Of special note is this is something God will accomplish in all those who do not frustrate His grace by interposing a perverse will. This is our part; to not interpose a perverse will and thus frustrate His grace.

Also of note is that the Jews attempted to reach perfection by their own efforts and failed.

In what sense was Jesus "sinless" whereas the people described above are not? And, when they reach Adam's pre-fall state of sinlessness, in what sense are they not "sinless" like Jesus?

Also, you said our part is to allow God to do His part. However, God's part is to empower us to do our part. He empowers us to use our faculties of mind and body to resist sin and to mature in the fruits of the Spirit, to become more and more like Jesus. Do you agree?

Ellen wrote:

We are to do all that we can do on our part to fight the good fight of faith. We are to wrestle, to labor, to strive, to agonize to enter in at the strait gate. We are to set the Lord ever before us. With clean hands, with pure hearts, we are to seek to honor God in all our ways. Help has been provided for us in Him who is mighty to save. The spirit of truth and light will quicken and renew us by its mysterious workings; for all our spiritual improvement comes from God, not from ourselves. The true worker will have divine power to aid him, but the idler will not be sustained by the Spirit of God. {FW 48.1}

In one way we are thrown upon our own energies; we are to strive earnestly to be zealous and to repent, to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts from every defilement; we are to reach the highest standard, believing that God will help us in our efforts. We must seek if we would find, and seek in faith; we must knock, that the door may be opened unto us. The Bible teaches that everything regarding our salvation depends upon our own course of action. If we perish, the responsibility will rest wholly upon ourselves. If provision has been made, and if we accept God's terms, we may lay hold on eternal life. We must come to Christ in faith, we must be diligent to make our calling and election sure. {FW 48.2}

To make God's grace our own, we must act our part. The Lord does not propose to perform for us either the willing or the doing. His grace is given to work in us to will and to do, but never as a substitute for our effort. Our souls are to be aroused to cooperate. The Holy Spirit works in us, that we may work out our own salvation. . . . Fine mental qualities and a high tone of moral character are not the result of accident. God gives opportunities; success depends upon the use made of them. The openings of Providence must be quickly discerned and eagerly entered. There are many who might become mighty men, if, like Daniel, they would depend upon God for grace to be overcomers, and for strength and efficiency to do their work. {AG 111.3}

Christ never sinned, in thought, word or deed.



No, I said, "This is our part; to not interpose a perverse will and thus frustrate His grace." which is what Ellen White said, or very close to it: "He will accomplish this for all who do not interpose a perverse will and thus frustrate His grace." If you don't like the way I phrased, I'm happy to use her words. The idea I was wishing to express is that God will accomplish our perfection if we do not interpose a perverse will and thus frustrate His grace.

He said, "our walk with him in developing Christlike traits is untainted."
I understood this to refer to the process of sanctification. Am I wrong?

Mike, the quote says,

Those who believe on Christ and obey His commandments are not under bondage to God's law; for to those who believe and obey, His law is not a law of bondage, but of liberty. Every one who believes on Christ, every one who relies on the keeping power of a risen Saviour that has suffered the penalty pronounced upon the transgressor, every one who resists temptation and in the midst of evil copies the pattern given in the Christ-life, will through faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ become a partaker of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Every one who by faith obeys God's commandments, will reach the condition of sinlessness in which Adam lived before his transgression. {ST, July 23, 1902 par. 14}

The text says, "every one who by faith obeys God's commandments, will reach..." The text also portrays these as being "Every one who believes on Christ, every one who relies on the keeping power of a risen Saviour that has suffered the penalty pronounced upon the transgressor, every one who resists temptation and in the midst of evil copies the pattern given in the Christ-life." This, to me, is speaking of sanctification, not justification.

Just from the little bit you wrote, I thought I knew what he was getting at, which is that the flesh does not corrupt. It looks like you were focusing on just the part you quoted without taking into account the whole sentence:



The highlighted part makes it clear that Colin's idea is that the flesh does not corrupt or taint, doesn't it?

Tom, thank you.

Rosangela, thank you.

Yes, Tom, that was my thought, as well as that becoming Christlike is perfectly righteous, shedding tainted character traits not sinful flesh...

My original point, here, was not about character, though! I was pointing out that the quarterly contradicts church publications - if only official online papers (that I've found thus far (under dynamics of justification, below): http://www.adventistbiblicalresearch.org/documents/Universal%20Justification.htm) - by saying that imputed righteousness is done only "for us" and not also "in us". Unless we are reborn by the Spirit of God with imputed righteousness - the experience in us of justification (Palmdale Statement), there can be no perfect sanctification in us, either - merely imperfect human effort.

What we happen to experience with God daily and what we believe should complement each other, but do we misunderstand our beliefs or even hold false teachings by accident. What is the true Adventism?

We believe imputed and imparted, justification and sanctification, both constitute the gospel for us and in us: imputed merits must make us a new creation, too, or else there's nowhere for the daily experience of gospel justification and character development to happen. We are character-changed within since we are mind-renewed within in the first place: justification is both legal in nature and internal in experience.

This is one of several truths making Seventh-day Adventism what it is for the world and itself.