READING REPORT

BY MELECIO B. GASMEN JR.

BOOK: “I USED TO BE PERFECT”

AUTHOR: GEORGE R. KNIGHT

INTRODUCTION

The book written by George R. Knight has been a valuable resource for us as theology

students and as Christians seeking to deepen our understanding of God. It sheds light on the

existence of sin in the human race and provides a biblical understanding of sin and its remedy for

the hope and salvation of humanity. This book also discusses the relationship between law and

sin, and between Christ and Satan. It magnifies the process of becoming perfect through the

grace of God.

As Seventh-day Adventists, we have to study and familiarize our fundamental beliefs,

especially the Sanctuary as the foundation of our organization and beliefs. The Great

Disappointment in 1844 led us to seek God more earnestly and understand His plan of salvation

more deeply. Through His salvific act and intervention, God showed His love for humanity even

when they disobeyed Him and believed the lies of the enemy.

The origin of sin can be traced back to the mind of Lucifer, who attempted to overthrow

the government of God. Sin was conceived in his mind, and he rejected the authority of God. Eve

and Adam, too, fell into sin by questioning God’s word, doubting His intentions, and ultimately
rejecting His command. According to Dr. Knight, there are three steps in committing sin:

questioning God’s word, doubting His intentions, and rejecting His commands. Despite their sin,

the couple did not accept responsibility for their actions and instead blamed each other.

However, God’s love is still evident, as He provided a remedy for sin through the sacrifice of His

Son, Jesus Christ.

The sad reality of human existence is that sin has marred the image of God in us,

dimming it and replacing it with the image of Adam. This can be seen in succeeding generations,

resulting from the love of fruit and self-gratification instead of love for God. Sin is a rebellion

against the God of the universe, a personal offense rather than an impersonal one. As the

Psalmist acknowledges, “Against thee, thee only have I sinned.” It is important to recognize that

sin is not merely a series of unrelated actions, but a reflection of a state of heart and mind.

To understand sin and its effects, we must first accept that we are all sinners and in need

of conviction by the power of the Holy Spirit. We must also acknowledge that we can do nothing

for ourselves and that, apart from God, we are nothing.

SUMMARY

To escape from our sinfulness, we must accept the death of Christ as our substitute and

have our hearts transformed. This involves refocusing our Agape love from ourselves back to

God and others, resulting in a vertical and horizontal relationship with God and our fellow

human beings. When we accept Christ’s death and resurrection and put God back at the center of
our hearts, we receive righteousness and the result is righteous living and actions. This is

reflected in our daily lifestyle, and it is only through faith in Jesus that we can abide in Him.

It is the duty of every individual to know God well and keep His commandments. By

doing so, we show Him that we love Him in response to His unconditional love toward us.

Abiding in Jesus and keeping His commandments does not mean that we are legalists; it is a

result of our faith in Him and our love for Him and our fellow human beings.

Love is the basis of all objective in life, and it is the core of God’s character. God wrote

two tables of stone with His holy hands on which the first four commandments indicate the love

of God, and the last six commandments illustrate the love for our fellow human beings. These

should be our guide while we live in this sinful world, and our objective in every act of life is to

show our allegiance to the Author of the commandments and to give love and show impartiality

to our fellow human beings.

As God is the Author of love, we should also love one another, even the unlovable, as a

Christian. Even those who hurt us should be shown love and forgiveness because our Savior

loved and forgave us. When the law of God is in our hearts, it will be natural and normal to keep

His laws, and it keeps us away from a legalistic approach to salvation. If we are safe in Jesus, He

will live out His life in us, and the wellspring of God’s love will undergird our every action.

“This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I

will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and

they shall be my people” (Hebrews 8:10).

Christianity is not just an improvement on one’s old life; it is a total transformation of a

person’s way of thinking, acting, and living. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Christian
is not only in Christ, but Christ is also in them. When the principle of love becomes the guiding

motivation in our lives, we can know that we are safe in Jesus (John 8:35). In our daily Christian

living, we should experience a daily sanctification process as a part of becoming a renewed life

after God has justified us from our old life as sinners. By contemplating God’s words and

rejoicing to do them heartily, we can be sanctified through His truth (John 17:17). Sanctification

is the process by which Christians become progressively more loving.

As a result of a renewed life in Jesus, good works are done by the believer, showing their

new life through faith. Jesus made it clear that “he who does the will of my Father will be in the

kingdom” (Matthew 7:21). However, legalistic works done out of our own resources to gain

favor or salvation from God are not acceptable. Works of faith flow out of a saving relationship

with Jesus, are energized by the power of the Holy Spirit, and are shaped and softened by the

love of the Father. Thus, the good works of an individual are based on faith. The sanctification

process requires human effort, but as we abide in Christ, He gives us His Holy Spirit to guide

and lead us to the right path. Though temptation is always present, we can avoid it by serving

God and avoiding doubt (Matthew 5:48).

Finally, Adventism’s focus on the commandments of God is based on Revelation 12:12,

17. We strive to be spotless or sinless, counting ourselves among the 144,000. Moreover, Mrs.

White made it clear that “when the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His

people, then He will come to claim them as His own.” Therefore, our focus should be on

becoming more Christlike rather than achieving a fixed and static standard of perfection.
REFLECTION

Reading George R. Knight’s book has helped me to appreciate the gravity of sin and the

depth of God’s love for us. As a result, I am motivated to keep God’s commandments, abide in

Jesus, and love others as He loves us. Christianity is not just an improvement on one’s old life; it

is a total transformation of a person’s way of thinking, acting, and living. Through the power of

the Holy Spirit, I am not only in Christ, but Christ is also in me, guiding me to become

progressively more loving and to do good works that demonstrate my faith in Him.