18. Ellen White denied the assurance of the gospel by teaching that when a person's name comes up in the investigative judgment, even one unconfessed sin will prevent the individual from being saved.


Answer: Ellen White wrote that "no repentance is genuine that does not work reformation. The righteousness of Christ is not a cloak to cover unconfessed and unforsaken sin; it is a principle of life that transforms the character and controls the conduct. Holiness is wholeness for God; it is the entire surrender of heart and life to the indwelling of the principles of heaven."--The Desire of Ages, pp. 555, 556. While holding on to even one sin is sufficient to lose one's salvation, Ellen White believed in the efficacy of Christ's atonement and intercession to fully restore sinners to God's favor, thus providing assurance during the judgment time. She wrote, "If you are right with God today, you are ready if Christ should come today."--In Heavenly Places, p. 227. The last words Ellen White spoke to her son were, "I know in whom I have believed."--Life Sketches, p. 449.


Resources: Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, pp. 483, 484

Have the critics ever though about looking into:

1: How does Ellen White understand hell fire and the fate of the lost?

2: How does Ellen White define unconfessed sin?

3: What the doctrine of the Investigative Judgment actually is.

I've elsewhere wrote about Mrs. White's view of what happens to the lost, and her view of unconfessed sin is a sin that we want to hold on to no matter what. And the investigative judgment is where we can learn more about Jesus and have a deeper relationsip with him than was avaible to generations in the past (and events of about the past century and a half with things such as the re-discovery of the ancient world to make the Bible come alive, the Bible on tape and even some books of the Bible on Video and DVD, Bibles written on the third grade reading level have very much fulfilled this prophecy)

The critic needs to ignore this information and add their own ideas to Mrs. White's words to make her say something that we do not read from her words alone.

I think that Ellen White is clear on the assurance of the gospel. She is clearly opposed to salvation by works.

One of my favorite quotes is in DA 677 where she clearly articulates the worthlessness of works and the importance of the heart. I will quote it here.

"The Saviour does not bid the disciples labor to bear fruit. He tells them to abide in Him."