1) The Savior of the world and the second death: Christ has already accomplished something for every human being. He died the “second death” for “every man,” and thus has elected all men to be saved. But we have freedom to refuse and despise as Esau despised his birthright. In that judicial sense, Christ is indeed “the Savior of the world.” When lukewarm Laodiceans appreciate what He has already accomplished for the world, they will better understand faith, and how to glory only in the cross.
2) The drawing of the sinner: By His uplifted cross and His on-going priestly ministry, Christ is drawing “all men” to repentance. His love is so strong and persistent that the sinner must resist in order to be lost.
3) Easier to be saved than lost: It follows that it is easy to be saved and hard to be lost IF one understands and believes how good the Good News is. The only difficult thing is learning how to believe the Good News. Jesus emphasized this truth.
4) The Shepherd seeks the sheep: Christ is the Good Shepherd who is not waiting for the lost sheep to find Him, but He is actively seeking it. A misunderstanding of God’s character causes us to think He is hiding from us, or is indifferent to our seeking Him. There is no parable of a lost sheep that must find its shepherd.
5) The Nature of Christ: In seeking us, Christ came all the way to where we are, taking upon Himself “the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” Thus He is a Savior “nigh at hand, and not afar off.” He is already the “the Savior of all men,” even the “chief of sinners.” But sinners have the freedom to refuse Him, and reject Him.
6) Understanding the 2 Covenants: The New Covenant is God’s one-way promise to write His law in our hearts, and to give us everlasting salvation as a free gift “in Christ.” The old covenant is the vain promise of the people to obey, but it “gives birth to bondage.” The spiritual failures of many sincere people are the result of being taught old covenant ideas, especially in childhood and youth. The new covenant truth was an essential element of the 1888 message, and even today lifts a load of doubt and despair from many heavy hearts.
7) Already set free: Our Savior “condemned sin in the flesh,” conquering the problem for the human race. He forever outlawed sin in the vast universe of God by defeating it in its last lair—our fallen, sinful human flesh and nature. Because of Him there is now no reason for any of us to go on living under the frightful “dominion” of sin. Sinful addictions lose their grip if one cherishes “the faith of Jesus.”
8) Motivation: A higher motivation becomes realized in the close of time than has prevailed in the church in all past ages—a concern for Christ that He receive His reward and find His “rest” in the final eradication of sin. All egocentric motivation based on fear of hell or hope of reward is Old Covenant in nature and is less effective. The higher motivation is symbolized in the climax of Scripture—the Bride of Christ making herself “ready” for the “marriage of the Lamb.”
9) The faith of Jesus: The Bible teaches that righteousness is by faith. Therefore the only element that God’s people need in order to prepare for the second coming of Christ is genuine faith. The message the world needs to hear is the truth of righteousness by faith in the light of the cleansing of the sanctuary, which is “the third angel’s message in verity.” Faith is understood in its true biblical sense—a heart appreciation of the agape of Christ revealed in His cross.
10) The Cleansing of the Sanctuary: The 1888 message is especially “precious” because it joins together the true biblical idea of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary with the biblical truth of justification by faith. This is truth that the world hungers to know and understand, and longs to discover. It forms the essential element of truth that will yet lighten the earth with the glory of a final, fully developed presentation of “the everlasting gospel” of Revelation 18.