EGW WritingsPsalms 85

Ellen G. White

Psalms 85:6

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 10 (1895)

Lt 112, 1895

10LtMs, Lt 112, 1895, par. 5

Meetings after meetings have been appointed for prayer—the so-called Week of Prayer. There is a desire with many for the revealing of God, and there are many who in true penitence seek the Lord that they may by precept and example keep a high and holy ideal ever before the minds and consciences of the people. The prayer goes forth from unfeigned lips, “Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” Psalm 85:6. “Return, we beseech thee, Oh God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine.” Psalm 80:14.

Psalms 85:10

Faith and Works

Satan’s Sophistry

FW 30.2

It is the sophistry of Satan that the death of Christ brought in grace to take the place of the law. The death of Jesus did not change or annul or lessen in the slightest degree the law of Ten Commandments. That precious grace offered to men through a Saviour’s blood establishes the law of God. Since the fall of man, God’s moral government and His grace are inseparable. They go hand in hand through all dispensations. “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Psalm 85:10).

Manuscript Releases, vol. 16 [Nos. 1186-1235]

MR No. 1216—Experience Following the 1888 Minneapolis Conference; The Danger of Legalism; Emphasizing Religious Liberty

16MR 235.1

But grace does not come in to excuse the sinner in the continuance of sin. God’s grace does not detract from the law, but establishes the law as changeless in its character. Here “mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Psalm 85:10). God looks upon His Son dying upon the cross and is satisfied, and Jesus is called “the Lord Our Righteousness.” Then let the sinner by faith appropriate the merits of the blood of a crucified Redeemer to his own case—“the Lord my righteousness.”

Patriarchs and Prophets

Chapter 30—The Tabernacle and Its Services

PP 349.2

The law of God, enshrined within the ark, was the great rule of righteousness and judgment. That law pronounced death upon the transgressor; but above the law was the mercy seat, upon which the presence of God was revealed, and from which, by virtue of the atonement, pardon was granted to the repentant sinner. Thus in the work of Christ for our redemption, symbolized by the sanctuary service, “mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Psalm 85:10.

Selected Messages Book 1

Chapter 31—The Law in Galatians

1SM 235.4

There is no peace in unrighteousness; the wicked are at war with God. But he who receives the righteousness of the law in Christ is in harmony with heaven. “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Psalm 85:10).—Letter 96, 1896.

Selected Messages Book 1

Chapter 45—The First Fruits

1SM 306.7

There is the throne, and around it the rainbow of promise. There are seraphim and cherubim. The angels circle round Him, but Christ waves them back. He enters into the presence of His Father. He points to His triumph in this antitype of Himself—the wave sheaf—those raised with Him, the representatives of the captive dead who shall come forth from their graves when the trump shall sound. He approaches the Father, and if there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repents, if the Father rejoices over one with singing, let the imagination take in this scene. Christ says: Father, it is finished. I have done Thy will, O My God. I have completed the work of redemption. If Thy justice is satisfied, “I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am” (John 17:24). And the voice of God is heard; justice is satisfied; Satan is vanquished. “Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Psalm 85:10). The arms of the Father encircle the Son, and His voice is heard, saying, “Let all the angels of God worship him” (Hebrews 1:6).

Sons and Daughters of God

Mercy and Justice Met at the Cross, August 24

SD 243.1

Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Psalm 85:10.

The Desire of Ages

Chapter 79—“It is Finished”

DA 762.3

God’s love has been expressed in His justice no less than in His mercy. Justice is the foundation of His throne, and the fruit of His love. It had been Satan’s purpose to divorce mercy from truth and justice. He sought to prove that the righteousness of God’s law is an enemy to peace. But Christ shows that in God’s plan they are indissolubly joined together; the one cannot exist without the other. “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Psalm 85:10.

The Desire of Ages

Chapter 87—“To My Father, and Your Father”

DA 834.3

The voice of God is heard proclaiming that justice is satisfied. Satan is vanquished. Christ’s toiling, struggling ones on earth are “accepted in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:6. Before the heavenly angels and the representatives of unfallen worlds, they are declared justified. Where He is, there His church shall be. “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Psalm 85:10. The Father’s arms encircle His Son, and the word is given, “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” Hebrews 1:6.

The Faith I Live By

Abundant Grace for Obedience, March 24

FLB 89.2

It is the sophistry of Satan that the death of Christ brought in grace to take the place of the law. The death of Jesus did not change, or annul, or lessen in the slightest degree, the law of ten commandments. That precious grace offered to men through a Saviour’s blood, establishes the law of God. Since the fall of man, God’s moral government and His grace are inseparable. They go hand in hand through all dispensations. “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Psalm 85:10.101The Review and Herald, March 8, 1881.

The Faith I Live By

Strength and Beauty in His Sanctuary, July 7

FLB 194.4

The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials

Experience Following the 1888 Minneapolis Conference; The Danger of Legalism; Emphasizing Religious Liberty

1888 375.1

Faith and Works

Not Saved in Indolence

FW 72.2

Now, brethren, we want faith; we want to educate the soul in faith; we want every step to be a step of faith. We want faith in this sacrifice that has been made for us. “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Psalm 85:10). Now, when we see a ray of light we want to lay hold upon it. The devil is working against this all the time. It is the faith that works by love that is witnessed by Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. It is the love that He has had for my soul. Christ has died for me. He has purchased me at an infinite cost, and He has atoned for everything that is offensive to Him. I must be a laborer with Him. I must take His yoke upon myself. I must wear the yoke of Christ. I must lift His burdens. I must teach others how to be lifted from the sinful state that I was in and to grasp by living faith the righteousness that is in Christ Jesus. That is the only way that the sinner can be saved.

From Heaven With Love

How Justice Is Blended With Mercy

HLv 509.4

It had been Satan’s purpose to divorce mercy from truth and justice. But Christ showed that in God’s plan they are joined together; the one cannot exist without the other. “Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Psalm 85:10.

From Eternity Past

Two Apartments Symbolize Two Phases of Ministry

EP 242.2

The law of God within the ark was the great rule of righteousness and judgment. That law pronounced death upon the transgressor; but above the law was the mercy seat. By virtue of the atonement, pardon was granted to the repentant sinner. “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Psalm 85:10.

Christ in His Sanctuary

The Tabernacle and Its Construction

CIHS 41.2

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 5 (1887-1888)

Ms 8, 1888

5LtMs, Ms 8, 1888, par. 20

Here the battle is before us. We see the battle, how Christ contended with the powers of darkness, and we see what He has done, why the cross of Calvary had been erected between God and man. Then what? God gives to His Son all, and man comes to Christ, and God and man are united at the cross. Here “righteousness and [peace] have kissed each other”; “mercy and truth [are] met together.” [Psalm 85:10.] This is drawing man to the cross where Christ died in behalf of man, to elevate the law of Jehovah, but not [to] lessen it one iota. Could He have done this, Christ need not have died. The cross of Calvary will stand in the judgment and testify to every one the immutability and changeless character of the law of God, and not a word can be offered for sin in that day.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 6 (1889-1890)

Ms 30, 1889

6LtMs, Ms 30, 1889, par. 67

But grace does not come in to excuse the sinner in the continuance of sin. God’s grace does not detract from the law, but establishes the law as changeless in its character. Here “mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Psalm 85:10. God looks upon His Son dying upon the cross and is satisfied, and Jesus is called “the Lord our Righteousness.” [Jeremiah 23:6.] Then let the sinner by faith appropriate the merits of the blood of a crucified Redeemer to his own case—“the Lord my righteousness.”

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 6 (1889-1890)

Ms 32, 1889

6LtMs, Ms 32, 1889, par. 13

Men may talk of an eternally burning hell, but that does not do the work. It is the love of God. No one can repent except Christ move him. How is it done? Is it a special act for each? It is the Christ of Calvary hanging midway between heaven and earth, and then what? “Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and truth have kissed each other.” [Psalm 85:10.] I plead with God to show me this so clearly that I may present to others who have so much difficulty to comprehend that Christ is first and last, the Alpha and Omega, and has drawn man, by a love as broad as the world, to Him, and what then? It leads man to repentance and then comes the forgiveness. We want that the brethren and sisters should take hold of this for themselves.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 6 (1889-1890)

Ms 1, 1889

6LtMs, Ms 1, 1889, par. 43

Now, brethren, we want faith; we want to educate the soul in faith; we want every step to be a step of faith. We want faith in this sacrifice that has been made for us. “Mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Psalm 85:10. Now, when we see a ray of light, we want to lay hold upon it. The devil is working against this all the time. It is the faith that works by love that is witnessed by Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. It is the love that He has had for my soul. Christ has died for me. He has purchased me at an infinite cost, and He has atoned for everything that is offensive to Him. I must be a laborer with Him. I must take His yoke upon myself. I must wear the yoke of Christ. I must lift His burdens. I must teach others how to be lifted from the sinful state that I was in and to grasp by living faith the righteousness that is in Christ Jesus. That is the only way that the sinner can be saved.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 6 (1889-1890)

Lt 20, 1889

6LtMs, Lt 20, 1889, par. 16

In the plan of redemption, “Mercy and truth have met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” [Psalm 85:10.] The all-wise, all-powerful God, He who dwells in light unapproachable, is full of love, [of goodness.] Therefore give glory to God, ye that are [doubting and trembling; for] Jesus lives to make intercession for [us.] Give God the glory for the gift of His dear Son, that He has not died for us in vain.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 7 (1891-1892)

Ms 8a, 1891

7LtMs, Ms 8a, 1891, par. 28

What we want is the right kind of education in our schools. We are reformers. We are the ones who are to be continually improving in our spirit and practices. We are talking of the righteousness of Christ, the mercy that is in the law because Christ is there. We are telling: “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Psalm 85:10. Why not carry this out in your practice in school?

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 11 (1896)

Lt 96, 1896

11LtMs, Lt 96, 1896, par. 8

God’s Amazing Grace

Established in Justice and Judgment, March 7

AG 74.3

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 12 (1897)

Ms 70, 1897

12LtMs, Ms 70, 1897, par. 51

The more we reveal the power of an indwelling Saviour, the more of His power will be manifested unto us. “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth.” “And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.” [John 1:14, 16.] “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” [Psalm 85:10.]

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 13 (1898)

Ms 133, 1898

13LtMs, Ms 133, 1898, par. 7

God is our Lawgiver and King, and parents are to place themselves under His rule. This rule forbids all oppression from parents and all disobedience from children. The Lord is full of loving-kindness, mercy, and truth. His law is holy, just, and good, and must be obeyed by parents and children. The rules which should regulate the lives of parents and children flow from a heart of infinite love, and God’s rich blessing will rest upon those parents who administer His law in their homes, and upon the children who obey this law. The combined influence of mercy and justice is to be felt. “Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” [Psalm 85:10.] Households under this discipline will walk in the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 15 (1900)

Ms 44, 1900

15LtMs, Ms 44, 1900, par. 2

There should be twenty men where there is now one to take advantage of circumstances, [men] who will never look down but up, up to the rainbow above the throne, which is ever repeating, “Mercy and truth have met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” [Psalm 85:10.] Lift up your hearts! Lift up your heads! Then lift up the hands that hang down! All are to be lifted up together, and to be kept uplifted. The heart must see and sense that “God is, and that he is a rewarder of all who diligently seek him.” [Hebrews 11:6.] “Out of the heart are the issues of life.” [Proverbs 4:23.] God’s message to each of us is, “My son, give me thine heart.” [Proverbs 23:26.] That heart is Mine. I have given My life for it. Then open the heart to the divine Spirit and you will appreciate the value of the human soul.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 16 (1901)

Lt 98, 1901

16LtMs, Lt 98, 1901, par. 12

Let those who occupy positions of trust in God’s cause keep a strict guard over themselves. They are never to feel at liberty to speak condemnatory words. They are not to feel that their position gives them the right to be lordly and dictatorial. They are to honor their position by being true followers of the meek and lowly Jesus, carrying their responsibilities with the constant realization that they are in full view of the heavenly universe. Decided work must be done. Those who are acting a part in God’s great firm are to prepare for emergencies. They are to be sure to talk with God before they talk with those who have erred or are going astray. There are many things to be corrected, but let us always remember that Mercy is the twin sister of Justice. Let our work be such that of it can be spoken the words, “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” [Psalm 85:10.]

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 17 (1902)

Lt 121, 1902

17LtMs, Lt 121, 1902, par. 32

The conversion of souls to God is the greatest work, the highest work, in which human beings can have a part. In the conversion of souls, God’s forbearance, His unbounded love, His holiness, His power are revealed. Every true conversion glorifies Him and causes the angels to break forth into singing. “Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” [Psalm 85:10.] Upon every truly converted soul—every one who believes in Christ as the world’s Redeemer—God has laid the obligation of co-operating with Him who gave His life for a perishing world. To every one who is at ease in Zion, He says, Arise, and put your shoulder to the wheel. Bear spiritual burdens. Clear the atmosphere of your soul in order that the Sun of Righteousness may shine forth through you to the people of other tongues, revealing to them a living, testing truth. Let your light so shine that those who are perishing in their sins may learn of God’s goodness, mercy, and love.

Lift Him Up

In the Father’s Arms, March 30

LHU 103.3

The voice of God is heard proclaiming that justice is satisfied. Satan is vanquished. Christ’s toiling, struggling ones on earth are “accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:6). Before the heavenly angels and the representatives of unfallen worlds, they are declared justified. Where He is, there His church shall be. “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Psalm 85:10). The Father’s arms encircle His Son, and the word is given, “Let all the angels of God worship him” (Hebrews 1:6).

Lift Him Up

Love and Justice Harmonized, August 26

LHU 252.1

Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Psalm 85:10.

Manuscript Releases, vol. 9 [Nos. 664-770]

The Proper Way to Deal With Students in Our Schools

9MR 63.1

What we want is the right kind of education in our schools. We are reformers. We are the ones who are to be continually improving in our spirit and practices. We are talking of the righteousness of Christ, the mercy that is in the law, because Christ is there. We are telling, “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other? (Psalm 85:10). Why not carry this out in your practice in school?

Manuscript Releases, vol. 9 [Nos. 664-770]

6—To Direct, Not Dictate

9MR 177.3

Those who are acting a part in God’s great firm are to prepare for emergencies. They are to be sure to talk with God before they talk with those who have erred or are going astray. There are many things to be corrected, but let us always remember that Mercy is the twin sister of Justice. Let our work be such that of it can be spoken the words, “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Psalm 85:10).—Letter 98, 1901, pp. 5, 6.

Manuscript Releases, vol. 1 [Nos. 19-96]

MR No. 33—The Covenants

1MR 131.3

There is no peace in unrighteousness; the wicked are at war with God. But he who receives the righteousness of the law in Christ, is in harmony with heaven. “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Psalm 85:10). Letter 96, 1896, pp. 1, 2. (To Elder Uriah Smith, June 6, 1896.) [Accompanying the above statement is a notation made by Mrs. White’s secretary addressed to Elder Uriah Smith: “The enclosed pages present a few points which were opened to Sister White last night, and she wished sent to you.”]

Manuscript Releases, vol. 6 [Nos. 347-418]

MR No. 369—The Bible and the Law

6MR 142.1

But grace does not come in to excuse the sinner in the continuance of sin. God’s grace does not detract from the law, but establishes the law as changeless in its character. Here “mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Psalm 85:10. God looks upon His Son dying upon the cross and is satisfied, and Jesus is called “the Lord our righteousness.” Then let the sinner by faith appropriate the merits of the blood of a crucified Redeemer to his own case—“the Lord my righteousness.”—Manuscript 30, 1889, 21, 22. (“Experience Following the Minneapolis Conference,” June, 1889.)

Psalms 85:10-13

Manuscript Release No. 760

Introductory Note :

MR760 18.3

“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). [Psalm 85:10-13; John 1:18 quoted.]

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 20 (1905)

Ms 145, 1905

20LtMs, Ms 145, 1905, par. 19

“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” [John 1:17.] “Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven; yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase. Righteousness shall go before Him, and shall set us in the way of His steps.” [Psalm 85:10-13.]