Appendix
A Partial Compilation of Ellen White Statements
on Unconscious Sin
Sin is In Us Before Revealed to
Consciousness. The Lord
places us in different positions to develop us. If we have defects of
character of which we are not aware, He gives us discipline that will
bring those defects to our knowledge, that we may overcome them. It is His
providence that brings us into varying circumstances. In each new
position, we meet a different class of temptations. How many times, when
we are placed in some trying situation, we think "This is a wonderful
mistake. How I wish I had stayed where I was before." But why is it
that you are not satisfied? It is because your circumstances have served
to bring new defects in your character to your notice; but nothing is
revealed but that which was in you. (R&H, Aug. 6, 1889).
Self-deception Lurks in Chamber of the
Mind. God’s law is the test
of our actions. His eye sees every act, searches every chamber of the
mind, detecting all lurking self-deception and all hypocrisy. All things
are naked and open to the sight of Him with whom we have to do. (Letter
46, 1906; That I May Know Him, p.
290).
Peter’s Problem with Unconscious Sin
Also Ours. The
work of restoration can never be thorough unless the roots of evil are
reached. Again and again the shoots have been clipped, while the root of
bitterness has been left to spring up and defile many; but the very depth
of the hidden evil must be reached, the moral senses must be
judged, and judged again, in the light of the divine presence. The daily
life will testify whether or not the work is genuine. When the third time,
Christ said to Peter, "Lovest thou Me?" the probe reached the
soul center. Self-judged, Peter fell upon the Rock (YI, Dec. 22, 1898: 5
BC 1152).
The Laodicean Message and Unconscious
Sin. The Laodicean message
must be proclaimed with power; for now it is especially applicable. …
Not to see our own deformity is not to see the beauty of Christ’s
character. When we are fully awake to our own sinfulness, we shall
appreciate Christ. … Not to see the marked contrast between Christ and
ourselves is not to know ourselves. He who does not abhor himself cannot
understand the meaning of redemption. … There are many who do not see
themselves in the light of the law of God. They do not loathe selfishness;
therefore they are selfish. (R&H, Sept. 25, 1900).
Unconscious Tendencies to Wrong are
Laodicea’s Problem. The
message to the Laodicean church reveals our condition as a people. …
Satan is seeking with all his subtlety to corrupt mind and heart And O how
successful he is in leading men and women to depart from the simplicity of
the gospel of Christ! Under his influence hereditary and cultivated
tendencies to wrong are roused into activity. Ministers and church-members
are in danger of allowing self to take the throne. … If they would see
their defective, distorted characters as they are accurately reflected in
the mirror of God’s Word, they would be so alarmed that they would fall
upon their faces before God in contrition of soul, and tear away the rags
of their self-righteousness. (R&H Dec. 15, 1904).
When Unconscious Sin Becomes Conscious
Too Late. Those on the left
hand of Christ, those who had neglected Him in the person of the poor and
the suffering, were unconscious of their guilt. Satan had blinded them;
they had not perceived what they owed to their brethren. They had been
self-absorbed, and cared not for others’ needs. (DA 639).
Moral Machinery of the Heart is Hidden. To
men who God designs shall fill responsible positions, He in mercy reveals
their hidden defects, that they may look within and examine critically the
complicated emotions and exercises of their own hearts, and detect that
which is wrong. … God would have His servants become acquainted with the
moral machinery of their own hearts. (4T 85).
Unconscious Sin Fully Conscious at the
End. Zechariah’s vision of
Joshua and the Angel applies with peculiar force to the experience of Gods
people in the closing up of the great day of atonement. … As Joshua was
pleading with the Angel, so the remnant church, with brokenness of heart
and earnest faith, will plead for pardon and deliverance through Jesus
their Advocate. They are fully conscious of the sinfulness of their lives,
they see their weakness and unworthiness … (5T 472, 473).
Sanctuary Services a Type of Removing
Unconscious Sin From Mind of Man. The
blood of Christ, while it was to release the repentant sinner from the
condemnation of the law, was not to cancel the sin; it would stand on
record in the sanctuary until the final atonement; so in the type the
blood of the sin offering removed the sin from the penitent, but it rested
in the sanctuary until the Day of Atonement. In the great day
of final award, … the sins of all the
truly penitent will be blotted from the books of heaven. Thus the
sanctuary will be freed, or cleansed, from the record of sin. In the type,
this great work of atonement or blotting out of sins, was represented by
the services of the Day of Atonement. … As in the final atonement the
sins of the truly penitent are to be blotted from the records of heaven,
no more to be remembered or come into mind, so in the type they were borne
away into the wilderness, forever separated from the congregation. (PP
357, 358).
Satan endeavored to force upon [Jacob] a
sense of his guilt, in order to discourage him, and break his hold upon
God. … The heavenly Messenger, in order to try his faith, also reminded
him of his sin, and endeavored to escape from him. … So in the time of
trouble, if the people of God had unconfessed sins to appear before them
while tortured with fear and anguish, they would be overwhelmed: despair
would cut off their faith, and they could not have confidence to plead
with God for deliverance. But while they have a deep sense of their
unworthiness, they will have no concealed wrongs to reveal. Their sins
will have been blotted out by the atoning blood of Christ, and they cannot
bring them to remembrance. (PP 201, 202).
Unknown Chapters in Regard to Ourselves. The
bitterness of grief and humiliation is better than the indulgences of sin.
Through affliction God reveals to us the plague spots in our characters,
that by His grace we may overcome our faults. Unknown chapters in regard
to ourselves are opened to us, and the test comes, whether we will accept
the reproof and the counsel of God. (DA 301).
The Crucifixion of Christ is Man’s
Unconscious Sin. In the day
of final judgment, every lost soul will understand the nature of his own
rejection of truth. The cross will be presented, and its real bearing will
be seen by every mind that has been blinded by transgression. Before the
vision of Calvary with its mysterious Victim, sinners will stand
condemned. Every lying excuse will be swept away. Human apostasy will
appear in its heinous character. Men will see what their choice has been.
… When the thoughts of all hearts shall be revealed, both the loyal and
the rebellious will unite in declaring, "Just and true are Thy ways,
Thou King of saints." (DA 58).
How the Unconscious Mind Operated in the
Crucifixion of Christ. Believers
and unbelievers will fall into line as witnesses to confirm truth that
they themselves do not comprehend. All will cooperate in accomplishing the
purposes of God, just as did Annas, Caiaphas, Pilate, and Herod. In
putting Christ to death, the priests thought they were carrying out their
own purposes, but unconsciously and unintentionally they were fulfilling
the purpose of God. (R&H, June 12, 1900).
The Judgment Discloses the Hidden Content
of the Unconscious Mind. The
record of past days will make its disclosure of the vanity of human
inventions, by which men have excused themselves for neglecting the claims
of God. The Holy Spirit will reveal faults and defects of character that
ought to have been discerned and corrected. … The time is near when the
inner life will be fully revealed. All will behold, as if reflected in a
mirror, the working of the hidden springs of motive. The Lord would have
you now examine your own life, and
see how stands your record with Him. (R&H, Nov. 10, 1896).
Sin is Hidden in the Heart. The
heart is the treasure-house of sin; not being expelled, it is hidden until
an hour of opportunity, and then it is revealed, and springs into action.
(Letter H-16f, 1892).
End
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