Following are some thoughts about the sin problem and who God solves it, from the limited perspective of human beings and heaven (as opposed to the larger perspective of the Great Controversy and the universe, although both are intertwined).

1.God wants us to be in heaven.
2.God is trying to get us into heaven, and will succeed, if we don't prevent Him.
3.Sin keeps us out of heaven.
4.How does sin keep us out?
a.Sin causes us to view God in a way He is not, resulting in our not wanting to have anything to do with Him. The choice of the wicked to not go to heaven is voluntary with themselves, and just an merciful on the part of God. (GC 543)
b.Sin causes our ability and desire to understand spiritual things to wane and die.
5.How does God solve the sin problem?
By sending His Son, to reveal to us the truth about God's character, and the principles of His government. The following quote from the Spirit of Prophecy explains the purpose of Christ's mission:

Quote:

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Christ exalted the character of God ... the whole purpose of his own mission on earth,--to set men right through the revelation of God. In Christ was arrayed before men the paternal grace and the matchless perfections of the Father. In his prayer just before his crucifixion, he declared, "I have manifested thy name." "I have glorified thee on the earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." When the object of his mission was attained,--the revelation of God to the world,--the Son of God announced that his work was accomplished, and that the character of the Father was made manifest to men. (ST 1/20/90)

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From this we conclude:
i)The purpose of Christ's mission was the revelation of God, which He did by revealing His character through His life and teachings.
ii)This was the sum and substance of Christ's mission, the entire purpose of His mission.
iii)Christ completed the mission.
iv)The reason Christ revealed God's character was so that we might be set right with God.

In the same article, a little earlier, EGW wrote:

Quote:

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The very attributes that belonged to the character of Satan, the evil one represented as belonging to the character of God. Jesus came to teach men of the Father, to correctly represent him before the fallen children of earth. Angels could not fully portray the character of God, but Christ, who was a living impersonation of God, could not fail to accomplish the work. The only way in which he could set and keep men right was to make himself visible and familiar to their eyes. That men might have salvation he came directly to man, and became a partaker of his nature.

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This brings out the same idea, that Christ's purpose was to reveal the truth regarding God's character, in contrast to the deceptions of Satan. Jesus said that to know God is eternal life (John 17:4). Jesus gives us eternal life by revealing God to us, so that we may know Him.

Note she says the only way to "set and keep men right" was for God to make Himself known to us. This makes two complicated sounding theological phrases -- justification and sanctification -- very easy to understand. "Justification" means simply "to be set right" while sanctification means "to be kept right." Both of these things happen by believing the truth which Christ revealed. In other words, both justification and sanctification are by faith. By beholding we become changed, so we are transformed into the image which Christ revealed. Since as a man thinks in his heart, he is, our lives must reflect the result of our faith; that is, knowing God is evidenced by the fruit of good works.

Knowing God is evidenced by the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Yes, that's the fruit I was thinking of.

Tom, that opening post sounds like a great Topic outline.

Thanks. I was just wanting to write down some thoughts which make sense to me, and see what people think.

The following is are some thoughts from Dr. Gregory Boyd, taken from an online interview:

The flesh is all rooted in a mistaken, deceptive conception of who God is. Remember, in Genesis 3 the first thing the devil did was paint a false picture of God, an unlovely, unbeautiful, un-Christlike picture of God. Which means that Eve, instead of trusting God alone to have life has to get life on her own. The root of all that is wrong is found in a mistaken representation of God. Now, note that it is not the same as wrong information about God. You can have the right information, but still have a totally unloving or untrustworthy representation of God in your mind.

Conversely, all healing and health comes from having a true conception or picture of God in your mind. That is synonymous as saying you are as healthy as your image of God is Christlike. When you really see the true God, and have an experience of him in your mind, you have met a God whom you can totally trust to meet your innermost needs. Then you can experience the fullness of life that comes out of a relationship with him. This frees you from the need to perform as a way of getting life. That frees you from the need to hide what is wrong with you as a way of getting life. That gives you the ability to be open and honest, because your worth is found completely in Christ. Now you are on your way to wholeness...

One text that is really important is 2 Cor. 3:11-4:4. In this passage Paul explores the story of Moses' descent from Sinai. If you remember, when Moses descended from the mountain his face was radiating God's glory to such an extent that the Israelites couldn't handle it, so Moses had to conceal his face with a veil. By analogy, Paul argues that non-believers have a veil over their mind or the heart, so they cannot see the glory of God. But, Paul says, when you turn to Christ that veil is removed. So we all with "unveiled faces are able to see through a glass darkly the glory of God and we are being transformed from one degree of glory to another." The principle there is that what you see effects what you become. As you see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ you take on the glory of God. Then in the next chapter he talks about how the "god of this age" has blinded the minds of non-believers, so that they cannot see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ that believers see. In all of this he is talking about what goes on in the mind. In the mind we are able to really encounter the living Christ and to be transformed.


http://tinyurl.com/nuqfo has the entire interview. He was discussing a book of his called "Seeing is Believing." (the whole interview is interesting).

I'm including this here because it goes right along with my original post. The problem of man is the unlovely image he holds in his mind of God's character, which is where the serpent attacked humanity at the very beginning. The solution is Jesus Christ! He is the truth about God. As believe the picture He portrays, allowing our own ideas to die in place of His, we are healed, and transformed into His image because by beholding we become changed.

bumping for Arnold.

Tom, the most important book Ellen White wrote she called the Great Controversy. Her views on that theme permeate all her writings and especially her perspective on the character of God. It is largely because the pioneers like Ellen White viewed God through this paradigm that we have inherited from them healthy perspectives on the character of God. We have much more to learn, but given that today’s generation is not unlike the one of Noah’s day in it’s soft love and permissive perspective of God, at least in the West, don’t you think Tom you should be more circumspect? You opened the thread with a statement that you’re presenting views that don’t take into account some parts of the Great Controversy but is that a good approach? I’m ready to hear more from you on this, but my request would be that you place the revelation of God’s character in the overall context of the Great Controversy. We all have more to learn on this, but bear in mind, the flood was a great shock to the antediluvians because they refused to keep an accurate knowledge of God in their thoughts. The darkness in their minds may have been the opposite of the darkness prevailing in Christ’s day, but it was every bit as thick and thicker. Ellen White says a similar overwhelming surprise will arrest the attention of the world before the return of Christ. What is there is what you’re saying that will militate against that eventuality?

Besides Noah who warned his race that God, not sin, was about to destroy them for their wickness, Enoch were told had the following message for his day and for ours according to Jude: "Behold, He cometh with ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment upon all." Isn't this message being negated by the emphasis you and Tom present? The testimony of scripture is not only that sin kills, but that both God and his saints will bring the works of evil into judgment. I would be glad to see such important truths acknowledged, but you both seem to spiritualize them away. So, I ask the question what is there in what you're saying that will present a balanced view of the character of God so that when we lay down our work we can look back and say we did what we could, like Noah, to prepare men and women to meet God.