One believer of the Adventist Church, known by her religious and self-sacrificial zeal, had a dream that she was before Jesus and the group of the saved dressed in white robes of salvation. But she was not in the group of the saved. With tremble she was asking herself why she was out of the group dressed in white robes of Christ's justice? Why had she not been saved?

When she looked down at her robe, she was terrified realizing the reason of her being lost. She did not see white robe on herself but the one she always liked to wear - the prettiest and the most solemn robe from her wardrobe.

Just what many today consider their recommendation for the Heaven will be the reason for their not being saved. We have neither some our own righteousness nor our merits on the basis of which we could be saved. We should not even try to be just to be saved (justified). Regardless of how much such attempts look successful, they will never bring a peace to our soul.

The process of the consecration does not have the purpose to reconcile us with God. It could never do that because it is a process and because we are guilty for the sins already done.

The justice which gives us the peace with God (forgiveness) and the power which transforms us into Christ's character (consecration), is not based upon our efforts and our merits, but upon the merits of Jesus Christ, our only Redeemer.

"In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:19)

"For no human being will be justified in his sight by works of the law, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction; since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:20-24)

It would be ideal if a majority of Christians world, in their spiritual life, retain the awareness of the weakness of their nature and dependence on God's power, such as they had in the beginning of their spiritual experience. After they experience visible changes of their character, renounce alcohol, tobacco, bad manners and similar sins, many have descended their looks from Jesus to themselves. From the justification by faith they go unnoticeably to the justification by works. Instead of dealing with Christ's righteousness they begin to deal with their own.

The consequences of one's own sinfulness, manifested before in unpleasant feelings and inadequate relationship with one's environment disappeared almost completely, so that they got a thought now that they can rely finally on their own righteousness. That is how they came to a very difficult spiritual state. They cannot recognize themselves any more in the poor in spirit called blessed by Jesus (Matthew 5:3).

Such a spiritual state of believers corresponds to the description of Laodicea, the church of the last time to which Jesus directs a warning:

"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth. You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked." (Revelation 3:15-17)

A superficial preacher thinks that main problem of Laodicea are believers who make mistakes in their open liberalism toward sin or visible fanaticism toward Biblical commandments. But, God's word does not see a focus of the problem in those who are "cold" Christians, who maybe openly break God's commandments and the church rules of behavior.

The problem of the church are the majority of the "lukewarm" self- satisfied Christians who, when they look at themselves and their justice, do not really see any particular sins. When they look at themselves they honestly say:

"I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing." (Revelation 3:17)

A Laodicean is not a Christian who could be helped by reprimanding, because his form of the behavior is perfect. He cannot be caught "neither by head nor by tail" because he does not have visible sins. Reprimanding him for his sins, we can help him just to become a good Laodicean, not a good Christian as well.

A question is imposing upon us: how to help a Laodicean to become a warm Christian. In the answer to that question two direction of a false reformation appear:

Ones think that the demands of the law should be made more rigid. However, thereby fanaticism and legalism would be distended even more, hiding behind the formally right godliness of a Laodicean.

Others think that the demands of the law should be mitigated or abolished, for it induces the believers to fanaticism. However, in order that a sinner could be justified by faith, that he would wish to have the robes of Christ's justice, he must first become dissatisfied with his own justice. And that is impossible without the law. The right understanding of God's moral law induces a sinner to be justified only by the faith in Christ's merits (Galatians 3:24).

A Laodicean does not understand the demands of the law in the right and profound way because he avoids the personal encounter with Christ. In the encounter with Him he would understand the sinfulness of the motives which move him. That is why Christ's advice to Laodicea is not the change of the church doctrine, but the building of the personal community with God:

"I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten; so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne." (Revel. 3:18-21)

"The design of the message to the Laodiceans was to rid the church of just such fanatical influences; but the effort of Satan has been to corrupt the message, and destroy its influence. He would be better pleased to have fanatical persons embrace the testimony, and use it in his cause, than to have them remain in a lukewarm state. I have seen that it was not the design of the message to lead brother to sit in judgment over his brother, to tell him what to do, and just how far to go; but for each individual to search his own heart, and attend to his own individual work." (EGW 2SG 223)

So, the solution of the problem of Laodiceans is not in a correction of their behavior, but in a correction of their relationship with God - in knowing of God and obedience of his own will to Him.

Differently from a legalists, who are afraid of the notion of the justification only by faith and from a sentimental fanatic, who is afraid of the notion of law, a Laodicean is confused by the notion of James' struggle with God. He is "good" without God and therefore he is wondering why he should fight with God. As he has no a community with Christ any more, he does not understand that the motives of his justice are in conflict with Christ's justice and therefore he does not understand whence the notion "fight" pointing to the conflict.