In the year 1888, two young men, A.T. Jones and E.J. Waggoner presented the message of Christ our Righteousness at the General Conference session in Minneapolis. Ellen G. White described the condition of the church at the time like this, “As a people, we have preached the law until we are as dry as the hills of Gilboa that had neither rain nor dew.” –The Review and Herald, March 11, 1890. The rest of the world described Adventism by saying, “Seventh-day Adventists talk the law, the law, but do not teach or believe Christ.” –Evangelism, p. 19

The truths that Jones and Waggoner brought were termed “heresy” by many of the leading brethren however, it was simply a revival of the plain simple truth of justification by faith in Christ which had been presented by many leading Protestants of the Great Reformation. It is true that the message of Righteousness by faith is an old message, beginning in the Garden of Eden to Adam and Eve. It was repressed for many years and revived beginning with Martin Luther, John Bunyan, Charles Spurgeon, and was now brought out prominently by Ellen White, Jones, and Waggoner in 1888.

To have a true understanding of Righteousness (right doing) by faith will prepare a people for Christ’s second coming. It will produce a people who have faith in Jesus, and it is only those that have true faith in Jesus that will be fitted in His righteousness to obey all the commandments of God and go through the time of trouble in the last days without an intercessor.

The winds of strife will not let loose until Christ has accomplished His redemptive work in His people. Christ promises to do a complete restorative work in His people and save them from their sins, not in their sins. The power to continually obey can only come through Christ our Righteousness which the Bible says is imputed to us as a free gift, by faith. It is this message of Christ our Righteousness that will bring the outpouring of the Latter Rain and accomplish the sealing work.

In his spoken and written works, A.T. Jones plunges deep into the revelation of Christ as our righteousness and the insufficiency of our own works. The pioneers in the Advent Message (Jones and Waggoner) had much to say about this subject and we can all be blessed to study deeply into this very important subject. The majority of the Christian world does not fully understand it, however, God in His great mercy, sent startling messages to His people to help them to have a full understanding of the subject.

May we all yearn for a fuller understanding and deeper experience with Christ.