Anda di halaman 1dari 55

Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine: The U-turn in Doctrine and Practice Colin D.

Standish The words of Paul to the Galatian believers could well apply to the Seventh-day Adventist believers of the latter part of the twentieth century: I arvel that ye are so soon re oved fro hi that called you into the !race of Christ unto another !ospel: which is not another" but there be so e that trouble you# and would pervert the !ospel of Christ. $ut thou!h we# or an an!el fro heaven# preach any other !ospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you# let hi be accursed. %Galatians &:'()* Ti e alone can deter ine the a!nitude of an historical event. +ifty years have provided sufficient ti e to per it historians and $ible scholars to evaluate the enor ity of the i pact of the publication of Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine %QOD*& upon the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The availability of QOD in Australia in &,-. was et by e with enthusiastic anticipation. / 0et I was dis ayed and confused as I too1 precious ti e fro y full-ti e 2 teachin! load and full-ti e university studies# to read this boo1. 3y perple4ity be!an with the early pa!es of the boo1. I believed the authors were !uilty of understatin! the God-!iven role of 5llen 6hite.7 0et subse8uently I found few who e4pressed concerns in re!ard to the QOD authors9 treat ent of the role of 5llen 6hite9s inistry. +urther readin! was encoura!in! until I read the section addressin! the atone ent.- I could hardly believe y eyes when I read what I believed was the wholly unbiblical position e4pounded by the authors:that the atone ent of Christ was co pleted at the cross. I was !reatly sha1en by the fact that this position was published in an authoritative Seventh-day Adventist publication. This was the ain concern of 3.;. Andreasen#' thou!h he also challen!ed the boo19s clai that Christ too1 unfallen hu an nature. 3y final concern arose when I was confronted with Appendi4 $ and the bold headin!# <Took Sinless Human Nature.= . This was >erbert Dou!lass9 ain concern with QOD#) thou!h he also ac1nowled!ed the validity of Andreasen9s protest concernin! QOD9s treat ent of the atone ent., General Conference President ?euben +i!uhr see s to have dis issed these vital differences fro lon!-held Seventh-day Adventist beliefs as si ple se antics:a defense fre8uently e ployed later by the <new theolo!y= proponents of the &,.@s and early &,)@s.&@ I searched y ind but could not recall ever hearin! or readin! at ho e# at church# at school# or at colle!e the concept that Christ <too1 sinless hu an nature.= So unani ous had been the presentations that Christ too1 upon >i self our fallen hu an nature that I had accepted it without personal study. That was to chan!e# but not until &,.7# when I dialo!ued with 5lder Aenneth 6ood and Dr. >erbert Dou!lass at the ?eview and >erald office.

/ It was durin! this dialo!ue that 5lder 6ood introduced a new concept to e and y then acade ic dean# Dr. Bac1 $lanco. >e had as1ed whether I would co e to his office to dialo!ue concernin! the any letters the Review office was receivin! fro Australians# ainly pastors# hostile to the special ri!hteousness by faith issue of the Review and Herald. >is assertion durin! this dialo!ue was that the basis of the opposition to the essa!e of character perfection was rooted in their belief that Christ too1 unfallen hu an nature. Cntil that day# I had not lin1ed the two issues to!ether# even thou!h I had not wavered in y belief in the fallen hu an nature of Christ on the one hand and the power of Christ to enable fallen hu ans to !ain victory over every te ptation of Satan on the other hand. The Role of Sister Ellen White in the Seventh-day Adventist Church I was already aware that the prophetic role of Sister 6hite was not fully accepted a on! Seventh-day Adventists. I heard that any in 6estern 5urope were wea1 or s1eptical re!ardin! the divine ori!in of Sister 6hite9s writin!s.&& I had heard of <California Adventists= &/ who li1ewise were s1eptical of the validity of Sister 6hite9s writin!s. >owever# early in the pa!es of QOD I was aroused by what appeared to be a casual co ent" its inclusion# however# ade no little i pact upon e. The sentence# which introduced a 8uotation by Sister 6hite# si ply stated# <5llen G. 6hite# one of our leadin! writers# wrote in &),/. . . .= &2 Then followed a Spirit of Prophecy 8uotation. I wondered# <6hat were the authors atte ptin! to convey to the readersD= This was a aEor concern to e. It see ed that the authors portrayed Sister 6hite as occupyin! no special role in our idst. It was hardly better when the QOD authors wrote# <This has been well e4pressed by one of our ost pro inent writers# 5llen G. 6hite.= &7 Ff the 8uestions posed by the evan!elicals to the representatives of the Seventh-day Adventist Church# 8uestion , set forth in QOD directly addressed the role of Sister 6hite: Do Seventh-day Adventists re!ard the writin!s of 5llen G. 6hite as on an e8ual plane with the writin!s of the $ibleD Do you place her in the prophetic class with such en as Isaiah# Bere iah# 5Ge1iel# and DanielD Are her interpretations of $ible prophecy re!arded as final authority# and is belief in these writin!s ade a test of fellowship in the Seventh-day Adventist ChurchD &So e of the initial answers to these 8uestions by the authors of QOD appeared to be evasive. $elow are their short answers: <&. That we do not re!ard the writin!s of 5llen G. 6hite as an addition to the sacred canon of Scripture. </. That we do not thin1 of the as of universal application# as is the $ible# but particularly for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. <2. That we do no re!ard the in the sa e sense as the >oly Scriptures# which stand alone and uni8ue as the standard by which all other writin!s ust be Eud!ed.= &' ;et us evaluate the answers of the authors of QOD.

2 &. In their 2-point su ary answer# the writers of QOD avoided the part of the first 8uestion of the evan!elicals by not addressin! whether Sister 6hite9s writin!s were re!arded as on an <e8ual plane= with the writin!s of the $ible. +ro their fuller answers# here is a portion of their reply: 6e have never considered 5llen G. 6hite to be in the sa e cate!ory as the writers of the canon of Scripture. %QOD# p. ,@* 6hile Adventists hold the writin!s of 5llen G. 6hite in hi!hest estee # yet these are not the source of our e4positions. . . . 6e as a deno ination accept the as inspired counsels fro the ;ord. $ut we have never e8uated the with Scripture as so e falsely char!e. %Ibid.# p. ,2* /. I was a aGed at the second answer provided to the evan!elicals. >ow could the authors of QOD assert that Sister 6hite9s writin!s are not of universal applicationD Certainly uch of the writin!s of 5llen 6hite have universal applicationD &. Certainly so e of the $ible writin!s are not of !eneral universal application.&) The $ible and the Spirit of Prophecy each set forth both individualiGed counsel with li ited application and also transcendent universal truths. Also# this second point in the response of the authors of QOD clearly i plied that Sister 6hite9s boo1s have little if any application to those not of our faith. 0es# any boo1s provide special counsel specifically to Seventh-day Adventists leaders and e bers# yet Sister 6hite wrote any boo1s especially prepared for those not of our faith.&, 2. Seventh-day Adventists certainly believe that the canon of Scripture is closed with the Hew Testa ent and the $ible is our foundation of all faith and practice. >owever# we believe that Sister 6hite was inspired by the sa e >oly Spirit which inspired the prophets and writers of the >oly $ible# includin! Isaiah# Bere iah# 5Ge1iel# and Daniel. This 8uestion was i!nored in the initial su ary response. >owever# here is their later response: 6e have never considered 5llen G. 6hite to be in the sa e cate!ory as the writers of the canon of Scripture. >owever# apart fro the chosen writers of the canonical boo1s of Scripture# God used a line of prophets or essen!ers who lived conte poraneously with the writers of the two Testa ents# but whose utterances were never a part of Scripture canon. These prophets or essen!ers were called of God to !ive encoura!e ent# counsel# and ad onition to the ;ord9s ancient people. A on! these were such fi!ures as Hathan# Gad# >e an# Asaph# She aiah# AGariah# 5lieGer# AhiEah# Iddo# and Fbed in the Fld Testa ent# and Si eon# Bohn the $aptist# A!abus# and Silas in the Hew. The line also included wo en# such as 3iria # Deborah# and >uldah# who were called prophetesses# in ancient ti es# as well as Anna in the ti e of Christ# and Philip9s four dau!hters# <which did prophesy= %Acts /&:,*. The essa!es that ca e throu!h these prophets# it should be reco!niGed# ca e fro the sa e God

7 who spo1e throu!h those prophets whose writin!s were included in the Sacred Canon. . . . It is in this latter cate!ory of essen!ers that we consider 5llen G. 6hite to be. . . . 6hile Seventh-day Adventists reco!niGe that the Scripture canon closed nearly two thousand years a!o and that there have been no additions to this co pilation of sacred boo1s# yet we believe that the Spirit of God# who inspired the Divine 6ord 1nown to us as the $ible# has pled!ed to reveal >i self to the church throu!h the different !ifts of the Spirit. Adventists believe that the closin! of the Scripture canon did not ter inate >eaven9s co unication with en throu!h the !ifts of the Spirit# but rather that Christ by the inistry of >is Spirit !uides >is people# edifyin! and stren!thenin! the # and especially so in these last challen!in! days of hu an history. %QOD# pp. ,@-,-* There is no doubt that the authors of QOD i proved upon their earlier state ents concernin! the role of Sister 6hite. >owever# she is presented in a cate!ory inferior to the aEor prophets of the $ible. 5ven Bohn the $aptist9s prophetic role see s ar!inaliGed# no doubt because he did not contribute to the canon of Scripture. I believe wisdo dictates that we dare not see1 to cate!oriGe the !reatness of prophets. ;et us si ply confir that the undoubted prophetic utterances of 5llen 6hite are inspired by the >oly Spirit and are a !reat blessin! to the church and to the world. The authors of QOD correctly pointed out that all the pillars of our faith are riveted in >oly Scripture. 0et we believe Sister 6hite was !iven inspired truths which are of universal application for our ti e. +or e4a ple# that !er s cause cancer#/@ that tobacco is a ali!nant poison#/& that asturbation can cause ental illness#// that pro!ressive dietary refor should be ade toward ve!anis ./2 In each of these health warnin!s Sister 6hite was far ahead by any decades of scientific edical research# and this counsel has proven to be applicable to all hu ans worldwide. In other areas she presented broad principles for Seventh-day Adventists# such as the counsel that we should not vote for political parties /7 and that co petitive sports are not fit activities for Christians./- It appears the authors tried to ini iGe the role of Sister 6hite. 7. The QOD authors also leave uch a bi!uity in their answer to the third 8uestion of the evan!elicals. >ave we ever ade belief in the Spirit of Prophecy a test of fellowshipD I have not found any authoritative state ent which declares that the acceptance of the Spirit of Prophecy is a test of continued fellowship in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. >owever# we have ade belief in the Spirit of Prophecy a part of our baptis al vows which we affir before baptis and are accepted into church e bership. Indeed# in the &,-& baptis al vows this was so. These were the current vows when QOD was written# and this vow did not chan!e until &,)- when it was ulti ately odified at the General Conference session of that year and was presented in the revised Church 3anual of &,)' and has re ained there to the ti e of this presentation./' The &,-& baptis al vow nu ber ) stated#

Do you accept the doctrine of spiritual !ifts and do you believe that the Spirit of Prophecy is one of the identifyin! ar1s of the re nant churchD There is a !reat difference between the ter s <the !ift of prophecy= and <the Spirit of prophecy#= for we can i!nore 5llen 6hite or have no 1nowled!e of her inspired counsels and yet affir the !ift of prophecy. Howhere in Scripture is God9s re nant identified by the ter <the gift of prophecy.= 6e ust never for!et that God9s end-ti e re nant saints are identified as those who <1eep the co and ents of God and have the testi ony of Besus Christ= which is <the Spirit of Prophecy.= %?evelation &/:&." &,:&@.* Heither ust we ever for!et that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is not Eust another church a on! the ultitude of churches in Christendo . It is God9s re nant church which >e has raised up and co issioned to ta1e the everlastin! !ospel of the three an!els9 essa!es to every creature %3ar1 &':&-* on the planet prior to the return of our blessed ;ord and Savior. The Co !leted Atone ent In his introduction to Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine" Annotated Edition %QODAE*# Dr. Geor!e Ani!ht offered a surprisin! evaluation of the QOD authors9 conclusion concernin! the co pleted atone ent. >e had correctly evaluated that the QOD authors9 stated position concernin! the hu anity of Besus represented <a substantial shift in understandin!= fro that of the preponderance of Seventh-day Adventists fro the church9s be!innin!#/. who believed that Christ too1 upon >i self our fallen# sinful hu an flesh %nature*. >owever I cannot support Ani!ht9s assertion that <. . . the supposed shift of position on the atone ent Iby the QOD authors as clai ed by 3.;. AndreasenJ was incorrect.= /) Indeed Andreasen9s assertion was fully consistent with the evidence. Andreasen9s doctrinal position was that which had been tau!ht by Seventh-day Adventists fro early ti es. This position was that the sacrificial !hase of the atone ent was co pleted on Calvary by the death and spilt blood of Besus# but the atone ent of Christ would not be co pleted until after Besus# as our inisterin! heavenly >i!h Priest# sprin1led >is blood on the ercy seat in the >oly of >olies. The $ible was the foundation for this conclusion /, and was unifor ly supported by the Spirit of Prophecy.2@ I can attest that fro y earliest understandin!:and without any recalled e4ceptions: that I was consistently tau!ht by teachers# pastors# and evan!elists that the atone ent of Christ was not co pleted on the cross. $eyond this# I had found the $ible and the Spirit of Prophecy to be roc1 solid on this teachin!. Ani!ht appears not to have noticed that the authors of QOD had been careless# selective# or aybe not wholly transparent in their response to 8uestion 2@ proposed by the evan!elicals: <Seventh-day Adventists are fre8uently char!ed with ini iGin! the atonin! sacrifice co pleted at the cross# reducin! it to an inco plete or partial atone ent that ust be supple ented by Christ9s priestly inistry" perhaps it i!ht be called a dual atone ent. Is this char!e trueD Does not 3rs. 6hite state that Christ is now a1in! atone ent for us in the heavenly sanctuaryD Please e4plain your position# and state wherein you differ fro others on the atone ent.= 2&

' In response# +roo et al. referred to a state ent fro Early Writings:

The !reat Sacrifice had been offered and had been accepted# and the >oly Spirit which descended on the day of Pentecost carried the inds of the disciples fro the earthly sanctuary to the heavenly# where Besus had entered by >is own blood# to shed upon >is disciples the #enefits of >is atone ent. 2/ 6hen ta1en in isolation# this state ent appears to support# at least partially# the clai the QOD authors# that 6hen# therefore# one hears an Adventist say# or reads in Adventist literature:even in the writin!s of 5llen G. 6hite:that Christ is a1in! atone ent now# it should be understood that we ean si ply that Christ is now a$ing a!!lication of the #enefits of the sacrificial atone ent He ade on the cross" that >e is a1in! it efficacious for us individually# accordin! to our needs and re8uests. 3rs. 6hite herself# as far bac1 as %&'(# clearly e4plained what she eans when she writes of Christ9s a1in! atone ent for us in >is inistry: IThen Early Writings# p. /'@# was 8uoted as shown above.J 22 0et it defies credibility to believe that the authors of QOD had overloo1ed the plain state ents a few pa!es earlier in Early Writings in which Sister 6hite tau!ht that the atone ent was co pleted not on the cross but in the holy of holies of the heavenly sanctuary: As the priest entered the ost holy once a year to cleanse the earthly sanctuary# so Besus entered the ost holy of the heavenly# at the end of the /2@@ days of Daniel )# in &)77# to a1e a FINAL ATON ! NT for all who could be benefited by >is ediation# and thus to cleanse the sanctuary. 27 The inds of all who e brace this essa!e are directed to the ost holy place# where Besus stands before the ar1# a1in! HIS FINAL INT "# SSION for all those for who ercy still lin!ers and for those who have i!norantly bro1en the law of God. This ATON ! NT IS !AD for the ri!hteous dead as well as for the ri!hteous livin!. It includes all who died trustin! in Christ# but who# not havin! received the li!ht upon God9s co and ents# had sinned i!norantly in trans!ressin! 2its precepts. Ani!ht ar!ues that +roo 9s state ent in his +ebruary &,-. )inistry article %<That is the tre endous scope of the sacrificial act of the cross:a co plete# perfect# and final atone ent for an9s sin.=* really eant <. . . the sacrifice on the cross was a full and co plete sacrifice %in ter s of the sacrificial aspect of the atone ent* for sin.= 2' In the li!ht of 5llen 6hite9s state ents in Early Writings# pp. /-2# /-7# I find this e4planation over!enerous. If +roo overloo1ed the wron! i pression any would draw fro his state ent# surely a copyeditor would fla! the state ent. Is there evidence that +roo ade a of

. correction in a future )inistry issueD I a Andreasen9s words were <prophetic=: not aware of such a correction or clarification. Surely

If the boo1 IQODJ is published# there will be repercussions to the end of the earth that the foundations Iof Adventist theolo!yJ are bein! re oved.= 2. So e su!!ested# uncharitably# that Andreasen9s opposition was otivated by the fact that he had been i!nored in the dialo!ues and in the review of the QOD anuscript. 5lder +i!uhr certainly i!nored or reEected Andreasen9s plea to reconsider the state ent that the atone ent was co pleted by Christ9s sacrifice. So e critics of Andreasen a1e uch of Andreasen9s chan!e to a state ent +roo ade in the +ebruary issue of the )inistry a!aGine.2) This chan!e# I believe# was inconse8uential to +roo 9s eanin!. Heither does it see possible that the QOD authors had overloo1ed the clear e4position of so e of the ost notable writers in the ran1s of the Seventh-day Adventist Church such as Ba es 6hite# Criah S ith# and Stephen >as1ell.2, The e4planation that see s ost credible to e is that the authors and their ain advisors# includin! the then General Conference President# 5lder ?euben +i!uhr# were so consu ed in their desire to save the Seventh-day Adventist Church fro the sti! a of the label <cult= that they were ready to reshape pillar beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church to !ain favor with these pro inent evan!elicals. 6hile I do not overloo1 the splendid answers to any 8uestions includin! the state of the dead# the seventh-day Sabbath# the law of the ten co and ents# the second co in!# and prophetic interpretations# it is of the ut ost i portance to understand that $arnhouse and 3artin had narrowed down their <tests= as to whether the Seventh-day Adventist Church was a cult to Eust four areas:%&* that the atone ent of Christ was not co pleted upon the cross" %/* that salvation is the result of !race plus the wor1s of the law" %2* that the ;ord Besus was a created bein!# not e4istin! fro eternity" and %7* that >e partoo1 of an9s sinful fallen nature at the incarnation.7@ 6e can only continue to wonder why $arnhouse and 3artin li ited their test to these four 8uestions. Ho doubt# lon! before QOD was published# $arnhouse and 3artin understood that 8uestions two and three did not pose any si!nificant difference between their beliefs and those of Seventh-day Adventists.7& The second <test= i posed by $arnhouse and 3artin was easily de onstrated to be false by valid evidence. 6hile we cannot deny that there have been Seventh-day Adventists who have placed erit in law-1eepin! in their e4planation of salvation# those who are thorou!hly $iblebased Seventh-day Adventists have stood unwaverin!ly upon the plain words of Scripture 7/ and the Spirit of Prophecy. 72 Aeepin! the law or !ood wor1s are neither the basis of salvation nor do they provide erit toward salvation. >owever# they are the inevitable result of God9s savin! !race and power in the heart of the converted an. The presentation of Dr. 5lliot 6a!!oner at the &))) General Conference session in 3inneapolis# fervently supported by 5llen 6hite# was to slowly but surely redress any earlier presentations by so e Seventh-day Adventists which inferred that there was erit toward salvation in law 1eepin! or !ood wor1s. +urther# the third <test= was Eust as easily answered. Fnce a!ain we have had in our ran1s those who deny the eternal deity of Christ even to this day# and certainly included were so e of our pro inent pioneers includin! Ba es 6hite# B.>. 6a!!oner# Criah S ith# Boseph $ates# B.H. ;ou!hborou!h# and D.3. Canri!ht.77 >owever# especially after the publishin! of the Desire of Ages in &),)# we have had overwhel in! support for the eternal e4istence of Christ in the Spirit of Prophecy.7- These state ents fully support the $ible.7'

) The first and fourth <tests= posed valid challen!es to lon!-held Seventh-day Adventist doctrines. Fverwhel in!ly# Seventh-day Adventists prior to &,-. believed that# while the sacrifice of Christ on the cross was fully sufficient to pay the penalty for our sins# Christ9s wor1 of atone ent is to be co pleted in the ost holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. It appears that the authors of QOD wilted under the witherin! pressure of the evan!elicals# and they failed the test on each of these two issues. As I have presented above# the co pleted atone ent in the heavenly sanctuary is based upon sound $iblical evidence. If the atone ent was co pleted on the cross# Paul9s state ent to the Corinthians would be erroneous %& Corinthians &-:&.# &)* 7. for it certifies that those who die <in Christ= would perish IeternallyJ if Christ was not raised fro the dead. Christ had to be raised to co plete the atone ent in the heavenly sanctuary. The fourth test# re!ardin! the fallen# sinful hu an nature of Christ# is also riveted in sound $iblical evidence# as I will address later in this paper. To ar!ue that +roo and others did not ta per with cardinal beliefs of our church is i possible to defend validly. Certainly $arnhouse was not deceived. >ere are his words: The position of the Adventists see s to so e of us in certain cases to be a new position" to the it ay be erely the position of the aEority !roup of sane leadership which is deter ined to put the bra1es on any e bers who see1 to hold views diver!ent fro that of the responsible leadership of the deno ination. 7) Fther 5van!elicals also perceived these chan!es.7, In the sa e %Septe ber &,-'* issue of Eternity a!aGine# those who re ained steadfast in the faith established fro the $ible in our church9s earlier history were defa ed by the vitriolic lan!ua!e of Dr. $arnhouse. >e stated that these loyal Seventh-day Adventists were those <. . . a on! their nu bers Iwho wereJ of their Klunatic frin!e.9 = -@ $oth Donald $arnhouse and 6alter 3artin were en of caustic ton!ues. Ani!ht referred to $arnhouse9s vitriolic response to those who disa!reed with hi .-& The e4perience of Dr. and 3rs. Aern Pihl# when Dr. $arnhouse was 8uestioned durin! his spea1in! tour of Peru in late &,-,# was indicative of his hatred of the Sabbath. <In the na e of Besus Christ# I curse the Seventh-day Sabbath.= -/ The a!!ressive challen!e to Dr. 6illia Bohnsson by 6alter 3artin on the An1erber! pro!ra s in &,)- over the role of Sister 6hite as the <Adventist !uru= was evidence of 3artin9s a!!ressiveness. 0et the loyalty by +roo et al. to these evan!elicals was a aGin!. In what proved to be y last conversation with 5lder ?oy Allan Anderson in the San $ernardino all in the early &,)@s# 5lder Anderson vi!orously defended 6alter 3artin as a <!reat friend= of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 0et it was 5lder Anderson who ade it plain that the real purpose of Questions on Doctrine was a planned atte pt to reshape the beliefs of our church. This was revealed in a letter to Pastor ?obert Greive# %president of the Horth Hew Lealand Conference in the &,-@s* who left the faith. >e was dis issed fro his position and disfellowshipped fro the church for preachin! evan!elical beliefs. It was 5lder Anderson# a friend of Greive# who tried <to save hi .= >ere is what Anderson wrote to Pastor Greive. This letter is evidence that 5lder Anderson reco!niGed that the authors of QOD were see1in! to reposition certain lon!-held beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

, If you would suffer e this little word of counsel as a friend# I would su!!est that you hold those thou!hts in your heart and not a1e an issue of the until we# as a people# co e to the place where we understand the doctrine as clearly as we should# and as we do other points of our faith. . . . I a confident that the ti e is near when the !reat ystery of !odliness will be understood better by us as a people. $ut until then it would see wise if we could confine ourselves to a prayerful discussion of it between us as wor1ers.-2 The Hu anity of Christ The uni8uely divine-hu an nature of the incarnate Christ was not in 8uestion in the issues raised in QOD. The issue was# What hu an nature did Christ ta1e upon >i selfD -7 Dr. ?alph ;arson9s onu ental boo1# The Word Was )ade *lesh -- provides the definitive research revealin! how Seventh-day Adventist authors and writers in the 5n!lish-spea1in! world were unified upon the belief that Christ too1 upon >i self an9s fallen hu an nature. Dr. ?alph ;arson was one of the ost perceptive scholars fro the &,.@s# pro inent in his coura!eous stand a!ainst QOD and its authors. ;arson9s articulate pen was e4ercised with forceful i pact# even late in his life. These e4tracts fro an article published in /@@7 reflected three decades of deep concern over the isrepresentations of the Seventh-day Adventist faith in QOD.-' ;arson presented about &#/@@ 8uotes fro periodicals and other sources in Horth A erica# Great $ritain# South Africa and Australasia. About 7@@ of these 8uotes were fro 5llen 6hite. This to e offers unchallen!eable evidence which supports Geor!e Ani!ht9s assess ent that QOD9s headin! <Too1 Sinless >u an Hature= <i plies that that was 5llen 6hite9s idea when in fact she was 8uite e phatic in repeatedly statin! that Christ too1 Kour sinful nature9 and that K>e too1 upon >i self fallen# sufferin! hu an nature# de!raded and defiled by sin.9 = -. ;arson uncovered not one Seventh-day Adventist writer before &,-/ who wrote other than that Christ too1 upon >i self our fallen# sinful nature. -) >e also de onstrated that# over a period of al ost si4ty years# Sister 6hite did not waver in her position that Christ too1 upon >i self our fallen# sinful nature. -, That bold QOD headin!# <IChristJ Too1 Sinless >u an Hature= certainly re oves any credibility fro General Conference President ?euben +i!uhr9s assertion that# while QOD presented the Seventh-day Adventist beliefs in lan!ua!e understood by evan!elicals# <there has been no atte pt to !loss over our teachin!s or to co pro ise.= '@ This headin! was a denial of the plain truths tau!ht in the $ible and the Spirit of Prophecy:that Christ too1 fallen# sinful hu an nature. Fne of the ost si!nificant findin!s in ;arson9s boo1 is that one of the pri ary authors of QOD had# Eust a few years before the publication of QOD# affir ed that Christ too1 fallen hu an flesh. This is what 5lder 6.5. ?ead approvin!ly 8uoted fro Sister 6hite at the &,-@ General Conference# <Besus was in all thin!s ade li1e unto >is brethren. >e beca e flesh even as we are.= '& 6hen I was president of Colu bia Cnion Colle!e# I was a collea!ue of 5lder +enton +roo # the son of 5lder ;eroy +roo . It is of so e si!nificance that 5lder +enton +roo also had in print proclai ed Christ9s fallen hu an nature.'/

&@ Fne of the ost disturbin! revelations is Dr. >erbert Dou!lass9 declaration that <+roo too1 a poll of Adventist leaders and discovered that Knearly all of the 9 felt that Christ had our sinful nature.= '2 0et Geor!e Ani!ht reports that the authors told 3artin that < Kthe aEority of the deno ination had always held9 the hu an nature of Christ Kto be sinless# holy# and perfect despite the fact that certain of their writers have occasionally !otten into print with contrary views co pletely repu!nant to the church at lar!e.9 = '7 These writers <who occasionally= !ot into print confir in! the fallen hu an nature of Christ# were cate!oriGed as part of the <lunatic frin!e= by the authors of QOD.'- 3any happened to be General Conference presidents# church leaders# editors of the Adventist Review and Sa##ath Herald# aEor authors and well-1nown colle!e teachers. ;arson has fully docu ented any scores of these writers. 3y personal li ited research has failed to discover any e4ceptions to ;arson9s research. >owever the reason that the !reat aEority of Seventh-day Adventists then believed that Christ too1 upon >i self fallen hu an nature was because they found that this was affir ed in holy Scripture.'' The ost definitive te4t to e4plain why Christ too1 fallen hu an nature is found in >ebrews /:,# &7: $ut we see Besus# who was ade a little lower than the an!els for the sufferin! of death# crowned with !lory and honour" that he by the !race of God should taste death for every an. . . . +oras uch then as the children are parta1ers of flesh and blood# he also hi self li1ewise too1 part of the sa e" that throu!h death he i!ht destroy hi that had the power of death# that is# the devil. Paul9s reasonin! under inspiration is i peccable. Christ had to accept hu an fallen flesh and blood <that throu!h death= >e i!ht defeat the ene y of souls both by livin! a life of sinless obedience to >is heavenly +ather and so that >e i!ht brea1 the bands of the !rave. Ho bein! with an unfallen nature has ever died. Ada and 5ve had forfeited their sinless nature because of sin" therefore# they were subEect to death as is every child of our first parents. The concept which QOD authors borrowed fro the fallen churches of Christendo is totally destructive of the atone ent# for Christ could not have died for our sins without ta1in! fallen hu an nature.'. Christ could not have 8ualified as our >i!h Priest.') Hor could >e have stren!thened us when we are te pted.', Hor could >e have been te pted as we are..@ Hor could >e have served as our 54a ple..& The entire plan of salvation# the atone ent for our sins# andated that Christ too1 upon >i self our fallen hu an nature. 6hereas the debate a on! Seventh-day Adventists fro the late &,-@s to the early &,)@s was focused upon the strai!htforward issue of whether Christ too1 fallen or unfallen hu an nature# sensin! the $iblical and Spirit of Prophecy evidence overwhel in!ly supported the fallen nature of our Savior9s hu an nature# a ove ent in our post-secondary institutions be!an to ar!ue that Christ too1 fallen physical and ental hu an nature but too1 unfallen spiritual hu an nature. The proponents of this view appear to be confused between the perfect sinless character of Christ and >is inherited nature. >owever there is a dan!erous flaw in this dichoto y. The physical# ental# and spiritual aspect of the hu an nature are interdependent# and in the hu an life of a Christian there is every !oal to brin! these powers into perfect har ony. The introductory section of the boo1 Education focuses upon this har ony. The openin! para!raph introduces this../ +our other ti es this three-fold develop ent is addressed..2

&& +ro Gree1 pa!an reli!ious philosophy uch of Christianity has accepted the concept that the soul is !ood and the body evil. This is the basis for the belief in the destructible body and the i ortal soul so co on in Christianity today# but it has no foundation in $iblical instruction. The reason that $arnhouse and 3artin and other evan!elicals fiercely opposed the concept that Christ too1 upon hi self fallen hu an nature results fro their acceptance of the false Au!ustinian-Calvinistic concept of ori!inal sin# which leads to the conclusion that sin is a state of bein! rather than <the trans!ression of the law.= .7 Thus the evan!elicals believe that to affir that Christ too1 upon >i self fallen hu an nature is tanta ount to the blasphe y of sayin! that >e was a sinner. 0et Paul is so plain that Christ9s hu an nature was identical with fallen an# yet that >e was wholly free fro sin..What Was +ained #y Conceding to the Evangelicals, -n#i#lical Errors. This can be deter ined by $arnhouse9s forward to 3artin9s boo1# The Truth A#out Seventh-day Adventis %Londervan# &,'@*: ;et it be understood that we ade only one clai " i.e.# that those Seventh-day Adventists who follow the ;ord in the sa e way as their leaders who have interpreted for us the doctrinal position of their church# are to be considered true e bers of the body of Christ..' An analysis of this li ited endorse ent really e8uates <followin! the ;ord= with <followin! church leaders.= Seventh-day Adventists have lon! accepted that the $ible only is our rule of faith and practice... The true Seventh-day Adventist follows the ;ord by followin! the words of >oly Scripture. To follow en would place God9s people in reEection of the warnin! of the ;ord..) Today# half a century later# any evan!elicals still re!ard the Seventh-day Adventist Church as a cult. Those who see Seventh-day Adventists as part of the body of Christ do so not because our church has held steadfast to the faith delivered to us# but rather because we have increasin!ly been wooed toward the e brace of the ecu enical ove ent. 3any Seventh-day Adventists no lon!er see the Seventh-day Adventist church as God9s chosen end-ti e church# uni8ue and distinctive fro all other churches. %See & Peter /:,.* So e ay believe that our conferees in the &,-@s were a witness to the 5van!elicals" however# the evidence is all in the other direction. There is no evidence that $arnhouse nor 3artin e braced any of the distinctive $iblical truths of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. >owever# Seventh-day Adventist leaders were willin! to confuse the role of the Spirit of Prophecy in the end-ti e church and to shift fro the i portant truth of the co pletion of Christ9s atone ent for >is saints in the ost holy place of the heavenly sanctuary and fro the belief that Christ too1 upon >i self sinful# fallen hu an nature. 6hile we believe that any of God9s saints are e bers of the fallen churches of Christendo # we believe it is our focused ission to call these people fro these fallen churches into the !lorious li!ht of the everlastin! !ospel of the three an!els9 essa!es. I have found no other church which understands the final essa!es to the world as e4pounded in the three an!els9 essa!es. 6e can review the Scriptures fro Genesis chapter & to ?evelation chapter //# and we find no other essa!es to be proclai ed at the end of this sin-bli!hted planet9s history to all the inhabitants of the world other than those three essa!es. This biblical

&/ andate is what sets the Seventh-day Adventist Church apart fro all other churches of Christendo # and it is this callin! which precludes us fro e bracin! the co pro ises necessary to be participants in the ecu enical union. Fur callin! is to invite God9s faithful ones out of this ecu enical ove ent. ., This is our wor1 of love for those sincere brethren and sisters in these churches of other faiths. In this way we can show our love for all other earnest souls who are see1in! the way of salvation. The Conse/uences of Questions on Doctrine 3any believe that two or three errors in QOD are of little conse8uence to the powerful overall body of truth contained in the boo1. $ut such a conclusion is uninsi!htful. Fne error is sufficient to despoil the whole body of truth. 6ith !reat discern ent Sister 6hite has observed: 3en thin1 they are representin! the Eustice of God# but they do not represent >is tenderness and the !reat love wherewith >e has loved us. Their hu an invention# ori!inatin! with the specious devices of Satan# appears fair enou!h to the blinded eyes of en# because it is inherent in their nature. A lie# believed# practiced# beco es a truth to the . Thus the purpose of the satanic a!encies is acco plished# that en should reach these conclusions throu!h the wor1in! of their own inventive inds. $ut how do en fall into such errorD $y startin! with false pre ises# and then brin!in! everythin! to bear to prove the error true. In so e cases the first principles have a easure of truth interwoven with the error# but it does not lead to any Eust action# and this is why en are isled. In order to rei!n and beco e a power# they e ploy Satan9s ethods to Eustify their own principles. They e4alt the selves as en of superior Eud! ent# and they have stood as representatives of God.)@ It ta1es but one s all error to chan!e truth to falsehood. Fnce error is insinuated into the body of truth it beco es a cancerous !rowth which continues to etastasiGe# destroyin! other pillars of truth. This brin!s bitter division a on! God9s people# and it en!enders vilification of those who hold fast to the pillars of the faith. If leaders accept errors# history attests that they a1e inappropriate efforts to force upon e bers a false unity based upon <loyalty= to leaders and <the church= rather than upon $ible truth and sanctification in loyalty to Christ. Christ provided the perfect 1ey to unity in >is prayer for unity: Sanctify the throu!h thy truth: thy word is truth. . . . And for their sa1es I sanctify yself# that they also i!ht be sanctified throu!h the truth.)& Sister 6hite stated# <There is no sanctification aside fro truth.= )/ <6e ust now# by dili!ent# self-sacrificin! effort# endeavor to wal1 in the love of Christ# in the unity of the Spirit# throu!h sanctification of the truth.= )2 6ithout truth there is no sanctification# and without sanctification there is no unity# and without unity there is no salvation. Sister 6hite e phasiGed the crucial result of acceptin! pure truth alone: <Cnity is the sure result of Christian perfection.= )7

&2 Cntil perfect truth is established within the ran1s of Seventh-day Adventists# there can be no character perfection of the body of Christ" therefore# God9s saints cannot be sealed by the seal of the livin! God# and# therefore# they are unprepared to receive the latter rain# and the !ospel co ission cannot be co pleted.)Paul fully confir ed the necessity of the unity of the faith that acco panies character perfection.)' >e then presented the tra!ic conse8uence of disunity which results in a life alienated fro the character of our perfect Pattern.). I do not believe that the architects of the chan!es in Seventh-day Adventist doctrine in QOD fully foresaw the terrible conse8uences of their co pro ises by which they thou!ht to please the evan!elicals and to <protect= the Seventh-day Adventist Church fro the slander of bein! <lu ped= with so-called cults. That these e4perienced leaders surely ust have had their doubts see s to be confir ed by Dr. >erbert Dou!lass9 anecdotal report# that fre8uently ?oy Allan Anderson would as1 hi 8uestions such as# <>erb# what is happenin! to our churchD= )) The e!a public relations blitG presented by the General Conference throu!h the )inistry a!aGine:the official or!an of the 3inisterial Association of the General Conference where 5lders +roo and Anderson served:assured the readers that this boo1 %QOD* assu ed center sta!e as the ost authentic publication concernin! crucial Seventh-day Adventist beliefs. These boo1s were circulated free to $ible depart ents of our colle!es and distributed to professors and students. Fverni!ht# the errors in QOD were bein! tau!ht to the ne4t !eneration of inisters# so e of who were destined to beco e the leaders of our church. The inisters preached these errors in the pulpits# and then these errors were i bibed by the church e bers en asse. This proble has continued to this day. That there are those scattered world-wide who# by their own study or the presentation of faithful en and wo en# have e braced the correct teachin!s upon these doctrines is a witness to the pro ise that God9s 6ord will not return unto >i void.), 6as Andreasen divisive when he went public with his concernsD Decidedly notM >e was followin! in the sa e pathway as did 5noch# Hoah# 5liEah# 5lisha# Isaiah# Bere iah# 5Ge1iel# all the < inor= prophets# Bohn the $aptist# Stephen# Peter# Bohn# Ba es# Bude# Paul# and any others. To have been silent in the ti e of crisis in the &,-@s would have been sin a!ainst God. >is was the only valid response when the souls of hu anity are in the balance.,@ 5lder Andreasen ade it clear that he understood that he would face conse8uences for his noble# lonely stand. >ere are his words# <I have counted the cost it will be to e to continue y opposition# but I a tryin! to save y beloved deno ination fro co ittin! suicide. I ust be ,& true to y God# as I see it# and I ust be true to the en that trust e.= Fver all# be!innin! in &,-.# Andreasen published nine papers entitled <The Atone ent= and si4 entitled <;etters to the Churches.= ,/ The boo1 0etters to the Churches is still available today. It is evident that Andreasen was branded as a radical critic of leaders when he should have been e braced as a faithful watch an on the walls of Lion. The history of God9s church throu!h the a!es is replete with leaders who have endorsed and e braced false teachin!s and who have vilified those faithful ones who stood a!ainst the heresy and conde ned it. 5lder +i!uhr had the presti!e and power of the General Conference Presidency a!ainst which Andreasen could not prevail. Andreasen ay have perceived the wholesale apostasy which QOD would fo ent# but he did not live to see the aturity of this apostasy. The 1 !act of These Three Errors in QOD

&7 I ac1nowled!e that both $arnhouse and 3artin had si!nificant fallout fro other evan!elicals by declarin! Seventh-day Adventists to be sincere Christians while in the sa e article ali!nin! Behovah9s 6itnesses# 3or ons# and Christian Scientists.,2 >owever# the conse8uences of the C-turn away fro pillar truths by the supporters and followers of QOD have had tra!ic e!a-conse8uences# !reatly i pedin! the co pletion of the planet-wide procla ation of the everlastin! !ospel# and this has delayed the return of Christ. The da a!e to the reputations of $arnhouse and 3artin was of inor conse8uences in contrast with the tra!edy of the delayin! of the return of our blessed ;ord by the adoption within the ran1s of our Seventh-day Adventist Church of lon!-held unbiblical concepts of the fallen churches of Christendo . How I will address in capsule for the i pact of these three errors in QOD. They have eroded any areas of our faith# a1in! our church wea1 and very vulnerable to the evan!elical errors and the dan!erous web of ecu enis whereby we do not a1e issues of those thin!s which divide but <unite= on those concepts only which we hold in co on.,7 Such an acco odation# if not arrested# would destroy the inte!rity of the Seventh-day Adventist church and derail its destiny. 6hich faithful Seventh-day Adventist would be willin! to co pro ise the three an!els9 essa!es# all doctrines of which are not part of the beliefs of the ecu enical churchesD 6hich faithful Seventh-day Adventist would be willin! to silence his or her voice fro sharin! these transcendent truths with those not of our faithD Could we avoid culpability before God if we silenced our settled $ible-founded beliefs on the doctrines of the seventh-day SabbathD the sleep-li1e state in deathD adult believers baptis by e ersionD the pre- illennial return of Besus to ta1e >is saints to heaven to live for &#@@@ yearsD the power of Christ to provide victory over every te ptation and deception of SatanD that Christ is now our heavenly >i!h Priest conductin! the Eud! ent of the hu an race# blottin! out the sins of the repentant and co pletin! >is atone ent for the salvation of >is saintsD The answers are in the 8uestions. 0et that is what QOD does. Ani!ht assi!ns the bla e for the division QOD en!endered in our church to both sides in the controversy and the stron! personalities of +roo and Andreasen.,- Ho doubt +roo and Andreasen were passionate concernin! their positions. 0et we ust never lose si!ht of the fact that it is the infiltration of error into God9s perfect truth which# without e4ception# has en!endered division into God9s church. Personalities ay at ti es e4acerbate the division# but no division can be assi!ned to those who uphold truth. 0et the upholders of truth are routinely labeled the <troublers of Israel.= The Sanhedrin accused Christ of dividin! the church.,' Fne thin! which I do 1now is that Andreasen beca e a odel for any of us youn!er en# de onstratin! the inte!rity and the earnestness by which we should spea1 up# address# and see1 to reverse the intrusion of heresy into God9s chosen church. 6e cannot be silent in a ti e of spiritual crisis.,. It was the results of QOD which led to the protest of the concerned brethren in Australia.,) +roo e4plained to 5lder +i!uhr# <If you 1now the bac1!rounds# the attitudes# the settin! of it all# you would understand why we stated these thin!s as we have.= ,, Tra!ically# +roo 9s e4planation does not stand well in the li!ht of history which has revealed the chaos which these chan!es have brou!ht into the authentic belief syste of the biblically-based doctrines of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. A. Some o$ the #onse%uences o$ Diminishin& and #on$usin& the "ole o$ the S'irit o$ Pro'hec( in the #hurch

&&. It has led any to scorn what they call the e4clusiveness of the identification of the Seventh-day Adventist Church as the re nant church of $iblical prophecy. This identification does not i ply that all Seventh-day Adventists are part of the re nant but that it is the church which contains those who <1eep the co and ents of God and have the testi ony of Besus Christ= &@@ which is the Spirit of Prophecy. &@& At probation9s close# all God9s people will be Seventh-day Adventists# for all the world9s inhabitants will have heard the everlastin! !ospel# and the faithful will accept every precept of God. /. 3any have i!nored or opposed the pro ised !ift of the Spirit of Prophecy as we approach the close of this earth9s history.&@/ 2. Ho lon!er do the official baptis al vows contain reference to the Spirit of Prophecy as did the for er vows.&@2 At the &,)- General Conference the ter the <!ift of prophecy= replaced the ter <Spirit of Prophecy.= &@7 They are not the sa e. The divine role of 5llen 6hite now can be un1nown to baptis al candidates. 7. It has led so e to clai that after about &))7 the Spirit of Prophecy boo1s have been ta pered with and are therefore unreliable. -. Fthers clai that the Spirit of Prophecy writin!s before &),@ are unreliable because only about &),@ did Sister 6hite first state that she ay have to pass throu!h the portals of the to b. Therefore# it is clai ed that her early counsels do not have relevance to us today# as before &),@ she believed she would be alive when Besus returned. '. It has led to any reEectin! God9s blessed refor s includin! sabbath refor #&@- health refor #&@' usic refor #&@. entertain ent refor #&@) recreational refor #&@, dress refor #&&@ educational refor #&&& and fa ily life refor .&&/ ). Some o$ the #onse%uences o$ "e*ectin& the Final Atonement in the Hea+enl( Sanctuar( &. The reEection of the Fld Testa ent types as a shadow of the heavenly sanctuary inistry of Christ.&&2 /. So e reEect the belief that the co pletion of Christ9s atone ent ta1es place in the second apart ent of the heavenly sanctuary.&&7 2. The reEection or reapplication of the /2@@-day prophecy of Daniel ):&7# alterin! its reference to Christ9s Second-Apart ent inistry in the heavenly sanctuary. &&7. The reEection by any of the investi!ative %end-ti e N pre-advent* Eud! ent andNor the denial that Christ be!an >is Second-Apart ent inistry in &)77. &&' -. The blottin! out of sin at the ti e of the latter rain is reEected by any. &&. '. 3any now hold to a co pleted atone ent on the cross. &&) #. Some o$ the #onse%uences o$ "e*ectin& the Fact that #hrist Took Our Fallen Human Nature &. 3any reEect Christ9s provision to !ive hu ans victory over all sin and worldliness. &&, /. 3any clai that Christ has a different nature fro us and therefore cannot be fully our 54a ple. &/@ 2. 3any fail to ac1nowled!e the aturin! of our perfection of character by increasin! 1nowled!e and understandin!# under the pro ptin!s of the >oly Spirit. &/& 7. 3any have accepted relational theolo!y. All we need for salvation# they say# is to have a <relationship= with Besus when the $ible teaches that we ust abide in Christ# have the ind of Christ# that Christ ust be in us# and we ust be in Christ.&//

&' -. 3any have accepted an i potent !ospel.&/2 Fne of our deno ination9s ost influential scholars# 5n!lish an 5dward >eppenstall# tau!ht any students the new theolo!y. >e e4pressed anti-biblical concepts a!ainst the power of Christ to enable sinners to live victorious lives.&/7 >e influenced a !eneration of pastors at Andrews Cniversity to accept these errors. Fther professors in our tertiary institutions have followed suit. '. 3any believe that unforsa1en sin will not deprive the of their entrance into the 1in!do of heaven.&/6hat a carna!e of lost souls is in our church today# lar!ely as a result of these three aEor errors in QODM 3any conte porary Seventh-day Adventists# no doubt# have no 1nowled!e of QOD. ;ar!e nu bers will have i bibed the theolo!ical errors which can be traced to QOD. 3any Seventh-day Adventist scholars have no personal 1nowled!e of the pre-QOD era of Adventis . So e of us have. 6hat lessons can be learnedD &. The $ible ust be re-established as the basis of all faith and practice. /. Do not ar!inaliGe the God-!iven Spirit of Prophecy to help >is people navi!ate throu!h the treacherous inefield of doctrinal error and worldly practices which Satan see1s to infiltrate into the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 2. Do not ini iGe the conse8uence of even one deviation fro divine truth. Truth is only truth if it is free fro all error. 7. There are ti es when leaders a1e serious ista1es which ust be corrected. -. Do not see1 to silence the voices of warnin!. '. Do not see1 to discredit the one who raises his or her voice of warnin! a!ainst the intrusion of false views into the Seventh-day Adventist church. Such warnin!s are Eust as necessary as enli!htenin! essa!es and are essential in this end ti e of earth9s history.&/' The 1nfluence of QOD u!on Seventh-day Adventists $elieve A eetin! of no s all si!nificance too1 place at the General Conference on Banuary /.# &,)). The eetin! was initiated by the General Conference President# 5lder Heal 6ilson# after consultation with the for er General Conference President# 5lder ?obert >. Pierson. The eetin! was between twenty-three General Conference leaders and for er leaders and ei!ht leaders of self-supportin! inistries. The eetin! was chaired by 5lder 6ilson. At this ti e I can re e ber seven of the ei!ht self-supportin! leaders: 5lder Boe Crews %A aGin! +acts*" Dr. >erbert Dou!lass %6ei ar Institute*" Pastor Bohn Fsborne %Prophecy Countdown*" 5lder ?on Spear %>ope International*" Dr. Colin Standish %>artland Institute*" 5lder ;averne Tuc1er %The Ouiet >our*" and 5lder ?obert 6ieland %The &))) 3essa!e Study Co ittee*. The twenty-three General Conference leaders included 5lder Heal 6ilson %General Conference President*" all but one of the Pice-Presidents" 5lder Charles $radford %Horth A erican Division President*" 5lder ?obert Pierson %retired General Conference President*" and Dr. ;eo Pan Dolson %senior Sabbath School 8uarterly editor*. Durin! the eetin!s a dialo!ue ensued concernin! the upco in! boo1 Seventh-day Adventists 2elieve 3 3 3 " A 2i#lical E4!osition of 5( *unda ental Doctrines# which was about to be released to the Adventist $oo1 Centers. There was !reat apprehension e4pressed at this eetin! about the contents of this boo1. As I recall# those who led out in e4pressin! concerns were Dr. >erbert Dou!lass# Dr. ;eo Pan

&. Dolson# and I. The e4pressed concerns centered about the divisions caused by QOD. The thou!ht was e4pressed that# if Seventh-day Adventists 2elieve was no better than QOD# it would be wise not to publish it. Concern was also e4pressed that the ori!inal contributor to the boo1# Dr. Hor al Gulley# was not theolo!ically sound concernin! the hu an nature of Christ. 6e were assured that Seventh-day Adventists 2elieve was uch different fro QOD. This was reinforced by the e phasis that the ori!inal anuscript had been thorou!hly revised by Dr. P. G. Da stee!t# a teacher in the church history depart ent of Andrews Cniversity. That state ent tended to cal our concerns# for# I believe# those who e4pressed concerns had confidence in the $iblical inte!rity of Dr. Da stee!t. >owever# when the boo1 beca e available# I was !reatly alar ed when the ac1nowled!e ents %ibid# p. v*# which presented a lon! list of those <who !ave special attention= to the boo1# represented a spectru which included any 1nown revisionists of the Seventh-day Adventist faith. 6hen +loyd Greenleaf revised and updated ?ichard 6. SchwarG9s 0ight 2earers to the Re nant# &,.,# in 0ight 2earers6 A History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church# he addressed the issue of Seventh-day Adventists 2elieve. This is what is stated: <Althou!h at the ti e I&,-.J Questions on Doctrine was the ost definitive boo1-len!th state ent on Adventist beliefs# within two decades it fell into disuse. In so e circles Adventists consciously opposed it. In &,)) a new volu e# Seventh-day Adventists 2elieve6 beca e the favored and ost widely consulted declaration of Adventist doctrine.= &/. Greenleaf was accurate in reportin! that QOD was little referenced after the &,.@s. It was durin! the seventies and early ei!hties that any infor al and planned public eetin!s were held in which the teachin!s of QOD:especially on the hu an nature of Christ and the final atone ent:were e4posed as error. These eetin!s were e4panded at the end of the &,.@s to enco pass a broader ran!e of topics under what was now ter ed <the new theolo!y#= which could be e8uated with the other errors which were the lo!ical conse8uences of QOD. Thus errors were corrected by the presentation of these truths: &. The power of the !ospel enables a victorious Christian life in those who surrender their will to the will of their Savior. %/ Cor. .:&" Bude /7* &/) /. The !ospel of salvation e braces Eustification by faith and sanctification by faith in Christ9s blood. %?o . -:&# ," Acts /':&)" >eb. &@:&@" / Thess. /:&2" & Pet. &:/* &/, 2. The an of ?o ans . was a convicted an but not a converted an. Co pare ?o ans .:&. &2@ to Galatians /:/@.&2& This an is not converted until ?o ans .:/- &2/ after he surrenders his life to Besus. 7. The new birth enco passes Eustification and sanctification. %Bohn 2:-* &22 -. The nature of sin is trans!ression of the law. %& Bohn 2:7* &27 '. >u ans are born with innate tendencies to sin# not ori!inal sin. %Ps. -&:-* &2.. Salvation is conditional. %5Ge1. &):/@-/7* &2' ). Sin is not accounted to the unwillfully i!norant. %Bohn ,:7&" &-://" Ba es 7:&." Acts &.:2@* &2. ,. Sister 6hite9s writin!s are a fulfill ent of the pro ise of the Spirit of prophecy9s !uidance of God9s end-ti e people. %?ev. &/:&." &,:&@* &2) To y 1nowled!e# the first aEor challen!e in boo1 for too1 place when Dr. Bohn Clifford and y brother ?ussell wrote the boo1 Conflicting Conce!ts of Righteousness #y *aith

&) in the Seventh-day Adventist Church6 Australasian Division6 published by the $urnside Press in &,.'# which received encoura!in! reviews fro 5lders ?obert Pierson and Aenneth 6ood. The first direct addressin! of the new theolo!y in public eetin!s too1 place at Pision Palley# a ca p near Sydney# Australia in &,.,. The ain spea1ers were Dr. ?alph ;arson %pastor of the Ca pus >ill Church# ;o a ;inda# California*# two Hew Lealanders:Pastor Geor!e $urnside %retired South Pacific Division evan!elist and for er division inisterial secretary* and Pastor Austin Coo1e %retired South Pacific Division evan!elist*:and I %Dean of 6ei ar Colle!e*. Ff course# the ri!hteousness by faith issue of the Review and Herald in &,.7 was also see1in! to redress the concepts of the new theolo!y. Soon# ca p eetin!s on every inhabited continent were convened. These ca p eetin!s upheld precious Seventh-day Adventist truths which had been seriously co pro ised by the QOD authors. ;iterally thousands of such eetin!s have been held since then# and scores of boo1s have been written a!ainst the new theolo!y. I now address the 8uestion# <Did the boo1 Seventh-day Adventists 2elieve redress the errors presented in QODD= I thin1 not. In the Adventist Review of Hove ber -# &,,/# an undated si4teen-pa!e insert appeared entitled The Seventh-day Adventist Church and Certain 7rivate Organi8ations. In this issue# a 8uote was included fro an article I had written and which was published in the Our *ir *oundation a!aGine of Bune &,),. 3y state ent 8uoted was# <The official Seventh-day Adventist state ent of beliefs is couched in such a way that pivotal doctrines such as victorious Christian livin!# the nature of Christ# and the atone ent are left sufficiently !eneral that all but the ost rabid Hew Theolo!y teachers can !ive confident assent to the . Thus it is hard to ta1e stron! action a!ainst the .= &2, These undisclosed authors of this insert responded to this state ent of ine with these astonishin! words: <$ut that is e4actly the point. The united church in session has deliberately chosen to leave so e points open because !eneral a!ree ent on specifics does not e4ist.= &7@ Is it true that <the united church in session has deliberately chosen to leave so e points open . . .=D 3y twin brother was a dele!ate representin! the South-5ast Asian Cnion when these /. beliefs were voted at the &,)@ General Conference Session in Dallas# Te4as. >e assures e that no such debate or decision was ade to 1eep so e areas open. I also attended this Dallas Session and heard the whole debate. Indeed# that issue was not discussed# and no such decision was voted. Indeed# we had no idea until /@@7 that the Twenty-Seven *unda ental 2eliefs were not those which had been prepared by the co ittee which had been appointed after the &,.General Conference Session in Pienna# Austria. The e bers of the ad hoc co ittee# entrusted with the tas1 of preparin! the new State ent of +unda ental $eliefs were all en 1nown to us: Dr. Charles $radford# Associate Secretary of the General Conference 5lder ?e!inald Dower# Secretary of the General Conference 3inisterial Association Pastor Duncan 5va# General Conference Pice-President %Chair an* 5lder Clyde +ranG# Secretary of the General Conference 5lder 6illis >ac1ett# Pice-President of the General Conference Dr. ?ichard >a ill# Pice-President of the General Conference Dr. Gordon >yde# General +ield Secretary of the General Conference

&, Pastor Alf ;ohne# Pice-President of the General Conference Dr. $ernard Seton# Associate Secretary of the General Conference %Secretary* 5lder Arthur 6hite# Secretary of the 5llen G. 6hite 5state.&7& This list included so e en who were very faithful to the Seventh-day Adventist essa!e.

In &,)@# however# the wor1 of the ad hoc draftin! co ittee was virtually superseded# althou!h this was far fro the intention of the General Conference. That the General Conference per itted the wor1 of its sub-co ittee to be effectively hiEac1ed by the theolo!ians of Andrews Cniversity is a atter of the deepest concern. This unsee ly activity ust be born in ind as we evaluate the Twenty-Seven +unda entals. God never wor1s throu!h such eans. . . . In preparation for the &,)@ General Conference Session# the General Conference ad hoc co ittee which was dele!ated to redraft our funda ental beliefs# had co pleted its wor1 by Au!ust# &,.,. This provided a ere ei!ht onths for further consultations and evaluations. It was in this period that the conse8uences of the selection of the faulty e bers to the ad hoc co ittee beca e evident. 6e have been unable to obtain a copy of the ad hoc co ittee9s draft funda ental beliefs. Cntil this is ade available we cannot 1now whether or not it ore stron!ly upheld our $ible and Spirit of Prophecy-based faith than the final sub ission. 6e feel convicted that en such as 5lders Dower# +ranG# >ac1ett# >yde# ;ohne and 6hite would not have been of a ind to leave loopholes in the funda entals which would have opened the doors to the serious dilution of the faith. 0et the final Twenty-seven +unda entals were full of such loopholes. If# as we suspect# the ad hoc co ittee9s reco endations were fir er than those of the final Twenty-seven +unda entals adopted# then the reco endations of Pastor 5va %chair an* and Seton %secretary* ay be evaluated by so e as a none-too-subtle atte pt to subvert the wishes of the full co ittee. The liberal a!enda not infre8uently achieves its ai s a!ainst the will of the aEority. . . . Pastors 5va9s and Seton9s reco endation ensured that any hope that a strai!htforward state ent of the principles of our faith would be produced# irrespective of the draft su!!estions of the &,)@ General Conference ad hoc co ittee# would not be fulfilled. Their reco endations are docu ented: Pastor 5va said that before the new state ent would be sub itted to the full Church )anual Co ittee# it would be presented to <certain professors at the Se inary with who we will eet in Septe ber.= After the Church )anual co ittee !ave its

/@ approval# the state ent would proceed to the IGeneral ConferenceJ officers# the union IconferenceJ presidents# the Annual Council# and finally to the General Conference session in Dallas Ithe followin! AprilJ. %Dr. ;awrence Geraty# President# ;a Sierra Cniversity# <A Hew State ent of +unda ental $eliefs#= S!ectru # Pol. &&# Issue Ho. &# Su er# &,)@# p. 2*. +urther# Pastor Seton recalled: 6hen that further li ited revision was co pleted# I ventured to su!!est that it would be wise to sub it the docu ent to our professional theolo!ians on the basis that it would be better to have their reactions before the docu ent went further rather than await their strictures on the session floor. There was so e hesitation# but eventually the su!!estion was accepted# and the docu ent went to Andrews Cniversity with the re8uest that it be studied# that co ents and reco endations be referred bac1 to the ad hoc co ittee. Those ter s of reference did not re!ister# for the Cniversity prepared its own set of +unda entals. %Dr. ;awrence Geraty transcription of a presentation to the San Die!o +oru # presented April &)# /@@@ in which he presented his recollections fro a conversation with Pastor $ernard Seton as recorded in Dr. +ritG Guy# S!ectru # Pol. 2/# Issue 2# Su er /@@7# p. /2*. The reco endations of Pastors 5va and Seton were to alter Seventhday Adventist history. Despite the wise reservations of so e of the e bers of this &,)@ ad hoc co ittee# the reco endations of Pastors 5va and Seton were adopted. As a result Australian# Pastor 6alter Scra!!# then Horthern 5uropean Division President:&,.--&,)2 %and later President of the South Pacific Division:&,)2-&,,@* reported that: 6. Duncan 5va has described to e his surprise when he received bac1 fro Ithe Andrews scholarsJ not a rewor1in! of the aterial sub itted but a co pletely rewritten docu ent. %6alter ?. ;. Scra!!# <Doctrinal State ents and the ;ife and 6itness of the Church#= unpublished paper presented at a wor1ers9 eetin! in Pasteran!# Sweden and 3anchester# 5n!land between Au!ust /7 and Septe ber 7# &,)&*. As a result the Andrews theolo!ians effectively routed the General Conference &,)@ ad hoc co ittee in a doctrinal coup# possibly unprecedented in our church history# for the Andrews Cniversity version

/& of funda ental beliefs co pletely overshadowed IreplacedJ the &,)@ General Conference ad hoc co ittee9s reco endations.&7/ I can only wonder what would have been the response of the dele!ates to these twentyseven funda ental beliefs if it had been 1nown that the reco endations of the officially appointed co ittee had been hiEac1ed by an unauthoriGed !roup of Andrews Cniversity professors. 6ith this 1nowled!e not revealed to the dele!ates at the Dallas General Conference Session# the state ent of the authors of The Seventh-day Adventist Church and Certain 7rivate Organi8ations# that <the united church in session has deliberately chosen to leave so e points open . . .= proves 8uite false. A review of the lar!e 8uarto-siGe 7'.-pa!e boo1# 1ssues" the Seventh-day Adventist Church and Certain 7rivate )inistries also shoc1ed any readers by what they could hardly believe could be in a boo1 authoriGed by the Horth A erican Division officers and the union presidents. It conde ned >ope International and Our *ir *oundation for holdin! <certain views on the hu an nature of Christ# the nature of sin# and sanctification. These issues have never been settled a on! Christians# uch less a on! Seventh-day Adventists. They are not issues so essential to salvation that souls will be lost unless they are resolved. The proble that >ope International N Our *ir *oundation has created is that this independent inistry feels driven to char!e the SDA church with bein! in a state of apostasy because it does not accept their views on these oot theolo!ical issues.= &72 Surely# ost Seventh-day Adventists are shoc1ed that such a state ent would be i ortaliGed in print for . The hu an nature of Christ not essential to salvationMM %?o ans ):2# 7" >ebrews /:&'# &." Selected )essages# boo1 &# p. /77* &77 The nature of sin not i portant to an9s salvationMM Seventh-day Adventists do not 1now what sin isDD %& Bohn 2:7* &7If we do not 1now what sin is# we do not 1now God9s perfect law of liberty. %?o ans .:." Ba es &:/-" /:&/* &7' If we do not 1now what sin is# we will be separated fro God %Isa. -,:/* &7." we cannot discern ri!hteousness or sanctification" and finally we do not 1now what sanctification isMM 6e are saved by !race throu!h sanctification %to!ether with Eustification* %/ Thess. /:&2" & Peter &:/*.&7) All these are oot theolo!ical issuesM 3ay our precious Saviour spare us fro such shoc1in! declarationsM >ave the twenty-seven %now twenty-ei!ht* funda ental beliefs redressed the dan!erous errors of QODD Sadly# I ust answer# <Ho.= Indeed# they de onstrate how far we have parted fro the blessed truths of salvation. Did the boo1 Seventh-day Adventists 2elieve redress the errors of QOD on the issue of the Spirit of Prophecy# the co pleted atone ent of Christ# or the hu an nature of ChristD Tra!ically# it now reflected these errors. &. The Spirit of Prophecy ( the !ift of prophecy is not the Spirit of prophecy" yet there is an atte pt to e8uate the two. 6hen an atte pt is ade to e4plain the Spirit of Prophecy %Ibid. p. //&*# there is no reference to the wor1s of 5llen 6hite. These definitions of the Spirit of prophecy are proposed: So the e4pression the S!irit of !ro!hecy can refer to %&* the >oly Spirit inspirin! the prophet with a revelation fro God# %/* the operation of the !ift of prophecy# and %2* the ediu of the prophecy itself.&7,

// Sister 6hite is introduced by the subheadin! <The Spirit of Prophecy in the Seventhday Adventist Church.= 6hen addressin! the role of 5llen 6hite under this headin!# it says# <The !ift of prophecy was active in the inistry of 5llen G. 6hite.= &-@ Are the authors of Seventh-day Adventists 2elieve e8uatin! the ter <Spirit of prophecy= with the <!ift of prophecy=D It is appropriate to associate both desi!nations# but it is the Spirit of prophecy which identifies Sister 6hite as an end-ti e prophet. /. The +inal Atone ent ( Consistent with the error of QOD# Seventh-day Adventists 2elieve says# <The atone ent# or reconciliation# was co pleted on the crossQ= &-& 2. The >u an Hature of Christ ( Seventh-day Adventists 2elieve !ets closest to redress the issues on the nature of Christ but it see s to stop short of a clear and decisive state ent that Christ too1 upon >i self fallen# sinful hu an nature. >ere is an e4a ple: <>e clothed >is divinity with hu anity# >e was ade in the Kli1eness of sinful flesh#9 or Ksinful hu an nature#9 or Kfallen hu an nature#9 %cf. ?o . ):2*.= &-/ >owever# Eust two para!raphs later# in the authors9 efforts to further clarify our position# they stopped short of inspiration. 6hen >e too1 on hu an nature the race had already deteriorated throu!h 7#@@@ years of sin on a sin-cursed planet. So that >e could save those in the utter depths of de!radation# Christ too1 a hu an nature that# co pared with Ada 9s unfallen nature# had decreased in physical and ental stren!th:thou!h >e did so without sinnin!.&-2 The followin! endnote is added to the end of the above para!raph: Christ too1 upon >i <the sa e susceptibilities# ental and physical= as >is conte poraries %6hite# <Hotes of Travel#= Advent Review and Sa##ath Herald6 +eb. &@# &))-# p. )&*:a hu an nature that had decreased in <physical stren!th# in ental power# in oral worth=:thou!h not orally depraved# but totally sinless %6hite# < KIn All Points Te pted ;i1e As 6e Are#9 = Signs6 Dec. 2# &,@/# p. /" 6hite# Desire of Ages6 p. 7,*.&-7 This is the confusion that Seventh-day Adventists 2elieve presents# for the authors do 8uote the italiciGed portion of the followin! plain state ent on Christ9s hu anity: +or four thousand years the race had been decreasin! in !hysical strength6 in ental !ower6 in oral worth" and Christ too1 upon >i the infir ities of de!enerate hu anity. Fnly thus could >e rescue an fro the lowest depths of de!radation.&-Cnfortunately# in their own words# however# the authors state in the endnote above that Christ too1 <a hu an nature . . . totally sinless.= Hote how the authors fell short of 5llen 6hite9s inspired revelation.

/2 ;ayin! aside >is royal crown# >e condescended to step down# step by step# to the level of fallen hu anity. &-' The Ain! of !lory proposed to hu ble >i self to fallen hu anityM >e would place >is feet in Ada 9s steps. >e would ta1e an9s fallen nature# and en!a!e to cope with the stron! foe who triu phed over Ada . &-. Clad in the vest ents of hu anity# the Son of God ca e down to the level of those he wished to save. In hi was no !uile or sinfulness" he was ever pure and undefiled" yet he too1 upon hi our sinful nature. &-) There is another concern re!ardin! the section in Seventh-day Adventists 2elieve on the hu anity of Christ. I noticed the headin! on pa!e 7,: <6. The sinlessness of Jesus Christs human nature.= To e# the headin! and the followin! discussion creates an unfortunate confusion of nature and character. It is true that the word <nature= does so eti es refer to a person9s character# but I do not believe that <hu an nature#= in this conte4t# is referrin! to <character.= This confusion would a1e it very difficult for so eone to !rasp the fact that Besus too1 our sinful nature while aintainin! a sinless character. In the end# the author%s* straddled the issue# choosin! the dichoto y ore consistent with the concept of the evil body but the !ood soul %spirit*# couchin! it in such lan!ua!e as to confuse nature with Christ9s perfect character and sinless life. Thus <Christ9s hu anity was not the Ada ic hu anity# that is# the hu anity of Ada before the fall" nor fallen hu anity# that is# in every respect the hu anity of Ada after the fall. It was not the Ada ic# because it had the innocent infir ities of the fallen. It was not the fallen# because it had never descended into oral i purity. It was# therefore# ost literally our hu anity# but without sin.= &-, Thus QOD9s a bivalence sadly still rei!ns within our <official= presentation of funda ental beliefs. ;et us re e ber# confusion and error is fre8uently ore dan!erous than outri!ht error. The Origin of 7resent-Day Errors in the Seventh-day Adventist Church The test of Christian inte!rity is the sa e today as it has always been:i plicit loyalty to God and >is 6ord. Since the !arden of 5den# Satan has insinuated his ad i4ture of truth and error# and with a aGin! success he has ulti ately prevailed a!ainst every refor ove ent &'@ which God has raised up in the history of the world. Au!ustine %2-7(72@*# $ishop of >ippo %2,'(72@* in Horth Africa# has been the architect of the theolo!ical tur oil in the early Christian church# the edieval church# the ?efor ation churches# and now his theolo!y is infectin! the Seventh-day Adventist Church today. ;i1e so any 6estern theolo!ians# be!innin! in the second century# Au!ustine viewed Christianity throu!h the pris of pa!an concepts.&'& ;i1e al ost all pa!ans# Au!ustine had learned as a youth# probably# fro his father to believe that the !ods were in co plete control. 0et he believed in li ited free-will. Toward the

/7 end of his life# however# he beca e stron! in followin! the Gree1 pa!an false concept of predestination.&'/ >e thus accepted that by God9s predeter ined edict# so e hu ans would be saved and others would be punished eternally.&'2 >e reEected the truth that one9s personal acceptance of Christ9s free !race throu!h faith with its offer of salvation deter ines his eternal destiny.&'7 Au!ustine9s belief that so e were predestined by God to eternal burnin! hell# and others were predestined to eternal salvation fearfully defa es the character of our God of love. Au!ustine see ed unable to co prehend or failed to accept the clearest state ents of Scripture on the choice which God !ives to an. >e did not !ive due wei!ht to these te4ts.&'The concept of predestination led any ulti ately to the conclusion that once we are saved# we are always saved# for God is constant. Fnce >e has saved us# >e cannot chan!e:no atter what our subse8uent life history is# whether we possess holy or unholy characters. This false teachin!# ter ed by so e as the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints# set forth a train of false doctrines which included that once we are saved by Christ who chan!es not# we are always saved# irrespective of our conduct# whether virtuous or evil. $oth the Fld and Hew Testa ents attest to the falsity of this concept.&'' Thus was laid the foundation of the <sin-and-live= theolo!y# whose adherents are 8uic1 to point out that we are not saved accordin! to our wor1s. 6hile this is true# the sin-and-live theolo!y fails to e phasiGe that no one will be saved without the !ood wor1s of the Spirit.&'. Salvation does not enco pass for!iveness only" it also frees us fro the slavery of the practice of sin. These teachin!s of Au!ustine opened the doors to the pa!an concept of ori!inal sin# which tau!ht that the ori!inal sin of Ada re8uired the punish ent of all the hu an race. In other words# we are !uilty for Ada 9s sin. This teachin! proclai ed that we sin because we are sinners# not that we are sinners because we have sinned. This teachin! is a aEor error and is contrary to the $ible. 6hile we inherit fro Ada sinful flesh and his tendency to sin# the act of sin itself is a volitional act.&') 5very hu an bein! is born unconverted# with a predisposition to sin. An unconverted person will fall into sin as all have done. Hevertheless# no sin is accounted a!ainst us unless it has resulted fro our choice or# at the least# deliberate ne!li!ence. Cntil God provides us 1nowled!e of sin >e does not count us !uilty.&', Au!ustinian theolo!y created a !reat dile a. It had been understood that Christ too1 upon >i self our fallen nature and that# in the power of >is +ather# >e resisted Satan. >owever# the lo!ical i plication of Au!ustine9s theory of ori!inal sin was that Christ# too# was a sinner if >e possessed the sa e fallen !enetic nature of hu an bein!s. Therefore# the view was proposed that Christ had a different inherited nature fro fallen hu an bein!s:that >e had inherited the unfallen nature which Ada had before the +all. In this sense# >e could not be fully our e4a ple" yet the $ible is plain on this point.&.@ >ere we see the develop ent of a body of doctrines which defies pure Scripture# but is both lo!ical and consistent with the false pre ise upon which Au!ustine based his theolo!y. The Hew Testa ent is e phatic that Christ did inherit the fallen nature of an1ind. There is no e4cuse for us to err on this atter.&.& Christ could not have provided an e4a ple to us who are born with fallen natures unless >e possessed the sa e nature as us and was te pted as we are. >e could not have de onstrated that we# filled with the power of the >oly Spirit# have no e4cuse for sin. Thus# one error# the doctrine of ori!inal sin# has led to another error and any ore. +or e4a ple# Christians of that era be!an to as1 how the curse and the penalty of ori!inal sin was ta1en away. The answer eventually provided was that the curse of ori!inal sin is abro!ated by baptis . Fther 8uestions naturally followed# such as# <6hat happens if so eone

/dies unbaptiGedD= It was then declared that they would suffer eternal burnin! tor ent. 6e can only be!in to i a!ine the chillin! terror and an!uish which filled the hearts of parents who had lost their little ones and now were infor ed that their deceased babies were consi!ned to eternal burnin! fire because their little ones had died unbaptiGed. 5ven the ost heartless priests were surely troubled by this declaration. Thus# step by step# the wholly unbiblical concept of infant <baptis #= entered fully into the beliefs of the ?o an Catholic Church. Centuries later# indeed not until the thirteenth century# a totally unbiblical word :<li bo=:was introduced into the ecclesiastical lan!ua!e of the Church. ;i bo was said to be so e inter ediate place where the souls of unbaptiGed infants and <innocents= went at death. 6hen en co ence with one false pre ise as Au!ustine did# and then others atte pt to brin! every concept inco patible to it into unity with this false pre ise# wholesale destruction of the faith inevitably ensues. This deviation was the certain result of Au!ustine9s pro otion of predestination. How# two clear distinct strands of Christianity were developed throu!hout Christendo . Fne was built upon the purity of God9s 6ord# the other was established upon false pre ises which proved to be null and void when e4a ined in the li!ht of >oly Scripture. To support the false concepts# church tradition assu ed e8ual status with the $ible and in any instances superseded the authority of the $ible. So e also trace the concept of the i aculate conception of 3ary bac1 to Au!ustine9s concept that Christ had an unfallen nature. 5ven thou!h this doctrine was not finally adopted by the ?o an Church until &)-7# durin! the rei!n of Pius IR %Pope &)7'(&).)*# nevertheless it was a lo!ical e4tension of Au!ustine9s error. Au!ustine was also the architect of persecution of other Christians who stood a!ainst his beliefs. The ost to suffer were his fellow Africans# the Donatists. They opposed the churchstate union and state enforce ent of the edicts of the church. Au!ustine threatened dire conse8uences to the Donatists# and indeed they were persecuted out of e4istence.&./ Perhaps the annihilation of the Donatists was the aEor event which per itted the 3usli s to wipe out Christianity in Horth Africa two to three centuries later. Au!ustine9s beliefs# such as predestination# were i bibed by the Au!ustinian on1 3artin ;uther# who tau!ht Calvin# who then tau!ht these Au!ustinian concepts to $eGa# Ano4# and any others.&.2 In turn# they have flooded into the ran1s of the $aptists and are now invadin! the Seventh-day Adventist Church. These Au!ustinian concepts also influenced the philosophers I anuel Aant and $laise Pascal.&.7 6e ust loo1 to see how so e of these false doctrines have beco e e bedded to a si!nificant e4tent into the Seventh-day Adventist faith of today# partially throu!h the trainin! of our $ible professors in the universities and se inaries of the fallen churches of Christendo . Au!ustine# who died in the first half of the fifth century# is castin! his shadow across the Seventh-day Adventist Church today# thus causin! spiritual tur oil and doctrinal uncertainty in the ran1s of God9s people. Thus today# so e of these Au!ustinian heresies are preached fro the Seventh-day Adventist pulpits and are accepted increasin!ly by any of our lay people. 6hen chair an of the 5ducation Depart ent of Avondale Colle!e in the latter part of the &,'@s# I was so e4ercised by the intrusion of evan!elical beliefs into the $ible classes tau!ht by Dr. Des ond +ord that I was constrained to utter this warnin!# <6hat is tau!ht in our colle!e today# will be preached in our pulpits to orrow and will be believed by our e bers the day after to orrow.= 6hile I a not a prophet# that state ent has been tra!ically fulfilled with dire conse8uences.

/' Co only presented in one for or another is the <sin-and-live= theolo!y. 3any are increasin!ly proclai in! the concept of ori!inal sin. Fthers are ur!in! the doctrine that Christ ca e in the nature of unfallen Ada . QOD opened the flood!ate to these false teachin!s. It would be lo!ical to believe that so e of the other teachin!s of Au!ustine will eventually surface within our ran1s unless we ta1e conscientious stands and definitive actions now. ;et us be re inded that when QOD was released in &,-.# the e bership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church was a little ore than &#@@@#@@@. Pery few of us who were e bers then are still alive today. Al ost all the leaders and pastors of that era have ceased their labors for the ;ord# and ost are restin! in the !rave. As we approach &'#@@@#@@@ e bers# we face the li1elihood that only a tiny fraction of our e bers have heard the unvarnished truths of the everlastin! !ospel. +urther# it will be true that the !reat aEority of our pastors are in the sa e predica ent and therefore are incapable of teachin! these precious truths. To preserve and proclai the everlastin! !ospel to every creature %3ar1 &':&-* de ands a i!hty# dili!ent effort to teach the professors in our colle!es# universities# and se inaries# to train pastors and teachers at all our schools# and by e4tension all our e bers these sacred truths so that all can 1now the # believe the # live the # and proclai the to the world. I pray that our leaders will ta1e up this onu ental challen!e necessary for the hastenin! of Christ9s return. Conclusion The Seventh-day Adventist Church# with the wei!htiest co ission in church history# ust not fail. Attendees at this conference have a sole n responsibility to do all# under the !uidance of the >oly Spirit# to a1e sure that the tra!ic failures of the last fifty years be redressed. I do not har1 bac1 to the past history of our church. Fur !eneration should not have been born# for our forefathers failed to be ready for the sealin!# and God had to delay the return of our Savior.&.- If in the last -@ years we had oved coura!eously forward# we i!ht well now have reached the heavenly ho e# but we are far# far fro ho e. ;et us sole nly vow to!ether to lead a refor ation led by the >oly Spirit# which will !uide our people bac1 to <the old paths# where is the !ood way.= &.' Cnli1e the Bews of Bere iah9s day# let us unite our voices to respond# <6e will wal1 therein.= ;et us heed the counsel of Paul to the Colossian believers.&.. $eware lest any an spoil you throu!h philosophy and vain deceit# after the tradition of en# after the rudi ents of the world# and not after Christ.&.) 6hile this !atherin! has not been officially asse bled for the purpose of a1in! reco endations to the world-wide Seventh-day Adventist body of believers# and while there has been no official andate fro the General Conference leadership to do so# nevertheless# I believe that we# the dele!ates !athered at the +iftieth Anniversary QOD Conference# convened at Andrews Cniversity# Fctober /7-/.# /@@.# will be !reatly re iss if we do not a1e our voices heard to leadership# pastors# evan!elists# teachers# and laity# see1in! to redress the tra!ic errors inserted into QOD. These errors have led to the !reat theolo!ical division and confusion now in the Seventh-day Adventist ran1s. Hot only have our church9s doctrines been co pro ised on the role of the Spirit of Prophecy# the co pleted atone ent in the heavenly sanctuary# and the fallen hu an nature of Christ# these alterations have opened the flood!ate to allow any of the beliefs of Au!ustinian Catholic doctrines to infiltrate into our church. God9s church is too special to per it this situation to continue. Dr. Dou!lass9 enli!htenin! boo1let was entitled The

/. O!!ortunity of the Century3 Today# we ust !rasp the opportunity of this o ent# for to per it it to pass without a decided# united thrust to rectify the failin!s of our spiritual forebears would lead to our own co plicit culpability.

/)
9otes & Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine %6ashin!ton# D.C.: ?eview and >erald Publishin! Assoc.# &,-.*# ,herea$ter re$erred to as -OD. was written to answer 7@ 8uestions provided by 5van!elical Pastor 6alter 3artin. After any consultations# ainly with Dr. Donald Grey $arnhouse# pastor of the Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia# editor of Eternity a!aGine and popular radio $ible e4positor# and 6alter 3artin# founder and director of Christian ?esearch Institute in California# QOD was prepared for publication. I ea!erly drove to the Greater Sydney Conference A.$.C. to purchase y copy of QOD. I was then a /7year-old under!raduate full-ti e student at the Cniversity of Sydney. At the sa e ti e I was holdin! a fullti e ti e Eob as a pri ary %ele entary* school teacher. The pre-publicity for the boo1 was the ost e4tensive fro a Seventh-day Adventist press that I can re e ber in y lifeti e. <At last#= I thou!ht# <there is a definitive boo1 which will provide the $ible bases by which to substantiate the pillar truths of our faith. 6hat a tool to help e witness to fellow university studentsM= Ho such tool had previously been available. 6ith a confidence born of naSvety# I believed this boo1 would <fill in= all the blan1s in y $iblical 1nowled!e. I ade the ost of any spare ti e I had# especially durin! Sabbath hours. 0et# early in y readin! I was confronted with y first perple4ity# and later I discovered two others which were of critical concern to e. At that ti e# I had no 1nowled!e that any other church e bers was perple4ed. 3y first perple4ity was in reference to 5llen 6hite. So e state ents did not see ri!ht. I had already read uch of the Spirit of Prophecy fro y id-teens. So e of the answers in QOD see ed carefully crafted to placate rather than enli!hten those Christians not of our faith. 6hile I realiGed that we need to introduce the role of Sister 6hite with wisdo # her divinely appointed role can clearly be e4plained within the spotli!ht of $iblical prophecy. 6hat I had been tau!ht by y father and other and instruction I received at the >a ilton Church in Hewcastle# Australia# the Hewcastle Seventh-day Adventist hi!h school# and at Avondale Colle!e were consistent and soundly supported by Scripture# the foundation of all Seventhday Adventist beliefs and practices. +ifty years of constant study of the $ible and Spirit of Prophecy has served to reinforce the convictions of y early life re!ardin! the blessed role of 5llen 6hite in the Seventhday Adventist church and the world. ;ater in y readin! of QOD# I was startled by the positions proposed concernin! Christ9s atone ent for the hu an race and the hu an nature of Christ. Surely these were forei!n to the learnin! of y childhood# youth# and early anhood. I was !reatly sha1en by the discovery that the boo1 appeared to have the endorse ent of the General Conference and a lar!e section of leaders and scholars in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. I was troubled. In despair# I sou!ht to counsel with the pastor of the 6oollahra Church %Sydney*# Pastor Geor!e $est. >e see ed ta1en abac1 by y co ent# <Pastor $est# I don9t believe that boo1 Questions on Doctrine should ever have been published.= >owever# he revealed that he had not read the boo1 and so was unable to help e. I 1new nothin! about the $arnhouse-3artin dialo! held with so e of our leaders. It was not until a few years later that the puGGle of the boo1 beco e clear to e as I witnessed the onu ental chan!es it was effectin! within God9s chosen church. Ti e has only deepened y concerns. It has led to the tra!ic fractionation of our beloved church and has led ultitudes to accept a !ospel forei!n to the everlastin! !ospel of the three an!els. It is surely evident that any who have been influenced by this <other !ospel= have been led astray fro their eternal salvation directly or indirectly by the influence of this boo1. The boo1 Questions on Doctrine was a response lar!ely prepared by ;eroy +roo %&),@-&,.7*# an A erican and a for er inisterial secretary of the General Conference" ?oy Allan Anderson %&),--&,))*# an Australian who was then inisterial secretary of the General Conference" and 6. 5. ?ead %&))2-&,.'*# an 5n!lish an who served as a field secretary of the General Conference. It provided answers in response to forty 8uestions presented by pro inent 5van!elical leaders led by Donald Grey $arnhouse# editor of Eternity a!aGine# a popular radio spea1er and pastor of the Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia" and 6alter 3artin# a $aptist inister# author and founder of the Christian ?esearch Institute. The boo1 caused what has proven to be the !reatest and ost endurin! split in the history of the Seventhday Adventist Church# with !reat repercussions fifty years later. 5lder +roo # the senior author# declared that the boo1 <co pleted the lon! process of clarification# rectifications of isconceptions# and declaration of

/,
truth before the Church Iof Christendo J and the world.= +roo 9s conte porary# 3ilian ;auritG Andreasen# a for er colle!e and conference president# field secretary of the General Conference# and author# declared the boo1 to be <the ost subtle and dan!erous error= and < ost dan!erous heresy.= These evaluations are the foundation of the polariGed Church which new e bers now inherit. 7 ' . ) QOD# pp. /,# -&# ),. Ibid.# pp. 2-2(2--. Geor!e Ani!ht# Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine" Annotated Edition %$errien Sprin!s# 3I: Cniversity Press# /@@2*# p. 4viii ,Herea$ter re$erred to as -ODA . QOD# p. '-@ >erbert Dou!lass# O!!ortunity of the Century %>i!hland# CA: !reatcontroversy.or!# /@@'*# pp. &.-/2. +roo ad itted Ito the 5van!elicalsJ that so e Adventists had ade it into print e phasiGin! these <atrocious ideas= Ithat Christ too1 fallen# sinful hu an natureJ# but offered that such were fro those in the Adventist <lunatic frin!e=M ?e e ber# +roo and Anderson were tryin! to find so e co on !round with their Calvinistic friendsM They used lan!ua!e such as <e4e pt fro the inherited passions and pollutions that corrupt the natural descendents of Ada .= IQOD# p. 2)2J And <all that Besus too1# all that >e bore# whether the burden and penalty of our ini8uities# or the diseases and frailties of our hu an nature:all was ta1en and borne vicariously.= IQOD# pp. '&# '/J Pure Catholic and Calvinistic notionsM %Dou!lass# op. cit.# p. &)* , &@ Ibid.# p. &.. The point of special interest is IDe>aan9sJ testi ony to the fact that the boo1 does not represent any chan!e in Adventist doctrine. . . . 6hat has apparently confused so e is the avoidance of certain Adventist phraseolo!y and the e ploy ent of <ter inolo!y currently used in theolo!ical circles.= Adventists throu!h the years have developed a vocabulary of their own that to the eans uch but does not always ri!htly convey to non-Adventists the ideas intended. The boo1 endeavors to set forth as clearly as possible a reason for the hope that is ours so that sincere non-Adventist in8uirers ay understand. %?.?. +i!uhr# G.C. President# Review and Herald# April /7# &,-)" as 8uoted in QODAE# p. v* <Fne scoffer# ;ouis ?. Conradi# did uch to build up Adventis in Ger any# only eventually to turn openly a!ainst it in the &,2@s. >is doctrinal deviations be!an in &))) Iby reEectin! the essa!e of Christ our ?i!hteousness at the 3inneapolis General Conference in &))). $y e4tension he reEected the role of 5llen 6hite in the Seventh-day Adventist ChurchJ.= ?ichard 6. SchwarG# +loyd Greenleaf# 0ight 2earers" A History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church %Ha pa# ID: Pacific Press Publishin! Association# /@@@*# p. &)' >avin! lived in California for five years# I have discovered that California does have Seventh-day Adventists. Ibid.# p. /, Ibid.# p. -& Ibid.# p. ), Ibid. >ere are two of any diverse e4a ples of state ents by 3rs. 6hite which have universal application: any faithful

&&

&/ &2 &7 &&' &.

6hen the Spirit of God# with its arvelous awa1enin! power# touches the soul# it abases hu an pride. 6orldly pleasure and position and power are seen to be worthless. %The Desire of Ages# p. &2-*

2@
The worship of i a!es and relics# the invocation of saints# and the e4altation of the pope are devices of Satan to attract the inds of the people fro God and fro >is Son. %The +reat Controversy# p. -')* &) $elow are a few e4a ples of co ands in the $ible which do not have universal application:

Then spa1e Boshua to the ;F?D in the day when the ;F?D delivered up the A orites before the children of Israel# and he said in the si!ht of Israel# Sun# stand thou still upon Gibeon" and thou# 3oon# in the valley of AEalon. %Boshua &@:&/* And 3oses said# ;et no an leave of it till the ornin!. Hotwithstandin! they hear1ened not unto 3oses" but so e of the left of it until the ornin!# and it bred wor s# and stan1: and 3oses was wroth with the . And they !athered it every ornin!# every an accordin! to his eatin!: and when the sun wa4ed hot# it elted. And it ca e to pass# that on the si4th day they !athered twice as uch bread# two o ers for one an: and all the rulers of the con!re!ation ca e and told 3oses. And he said unto the # This is that which the ;F?D hath said# To orrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the ;F?D: ba1e that which ye will ba1e to day# and seethe that ye will seethe" and that which re aineth over lay up for you to be 1ept until the ornin!. And they laid it up till the ornin!# as 3oses bade: and it did not stin1# neither was there any wor therein. %54odus &':&,(/7* And there went forth a wind fro the ;F?D# and brou!ht 8uails fro the sea# and let the fall by the ca p# as it were a day9s Eourney on this side# and as it were a day9s Eourney on the other side# round about the ca p# and as it were two cubits hi!h upon the face of the earth. %Hu bers &&:2&* And the ;F?D sent fiery serpents a on! the people# and they bit the people" and uch people of Israel died. Therefore the people ca e to 3oses# and said# 6e have sinned# for we have spo1en a!ainst the ;F?D# and a!ainst thee" pray unto the ;F?D# that he ta1e away the serpents fro us. And 3oses prayed for the people. And the ;F?D said unto 3oses# 3a1e thee a fiery serpent# and set it upon a pole: and it shall co e to pass# that every one that is bitten# when he loo1eth upon it# shall live. And 3oses ade a serpent of brass# and put it upon a pole# and it ca e to pass# that if a serpent had bitten any an# when he beheld the serpent of brass# he lived. %Hu bers /&:'(,* &, $oo1s written by Sister 6hite applicable to those not of our faith include 7atriarchs and 7ro!hets" 7ro!hets and :ings" The Desire of Ages" Acts of the A!ostles" The +reat Controversy" Ste!s to Christ" Thoughts *ro the )ount of 2lessing" Christ,s O#;ect 0essons" The )inistry of Healing" and Education. Those who use flesh foods little 1now what they are eatin!. Fften if they could see the ani als when livin! and 1now the 8uality of the eat they eat# they would turn fro it with loathin!. People are continually eatin! flesh that is filled with tuberculous and cancerous !er s. Tuberculosis# cancer# and other fatal diseases are thus co unicated. %The )inistry of Healing# p. 2&2* Tobacco is a poison of the ost deceitful and ali!nant 1ind. %S!iritual +ifts# vol. 7# p. &/)* Tobacco is a slow# insidious# but ost ali!nant poison. %The )inistry of Healing# p. &/.* . . . both ind and body were enfeebled throu!h the habit of self-abuse. %Testi onies for the Church# Polu e -# p. ,&* The effect of Ginc deficiency has particularly profound effects on the ale# because e4traordinary a ounts of Ginc are found in the testicles and the prostate !land. . . . The a ount of Ginc in se en is such that one eEaculation ay !et rid of all the Ginc that can be absorbed fro the intestines in one day. . . . In hu ans# a on! the ost consistent effects of Ginc deficiency are chan!es in ood an behavior. There is depression# e4tre e irritability# apathy and even in so e circu stances# behavior which loo1s li1e

/@

/&

//

2&
schiGophrenia. . . . It is even possible# !iven the i portance of Ginc for the brain# that &,th-century oralists were correct when they said that repeated asturbation could a1e one adM Si ilarly# the hi!h livers were also correct when they said that a diet rich in oysters was necessary to co pensate for e4cessive se4ual indul!ence. IFysters supply a hi!h level of GincJ. %David >orrobin# 3.D.# Ph.D. IF4ford CniversityJ# <inc %St. Albans# Pt.: Pitaboo1s# Inc.# &,)&*# p. )*. 6e hate to say it but in a Ginc-deficient adolescent# se4ual e4cite ent and e4cessive asturbation i!ht precipitate insanity. %Carl Pfeiffer# Ph.D.# 3.D. I>arvard CniversityJ# <inc and other )icro-9utrients# %Hew Canaan# CT: Aeats Publishin!# Inc.# &,.)*# p. 7-*. /2 >u an bein!s are sufferin! the results of their own course of action in departin! fro the co and ents of God. The beasts also suffer under the curse. Disease in cattle is a1in! eat-eatin! a dan!erous atter. The ;ord9s curse is upon the earth# upon an# upon beasts# upon the fish# and as trans!ression beco es al ost universal# the curse will be per itted to beco e as broad and as deep as the trans!ression. Disease is contracted by the use of eat. The diseased flesh of these dead carcasses is sold in the ar1etplaces# and disease a on! en is the sure result. The ;ord would brin! >is people into a position where they will not touch or taste the flesh of dead ani als. There is no safety in eatin! of the flesh of dead ani als# and in a short ti e the il1 of the cows will also be e4cluded fro the diet of God9s co and ent-1eepin! people. In a short ti e it will not be safe to use anythin! that co es fro the ani al creation. %7acific -nion Recorder# Hove ber .# &,@&* The ;ord would have >is people bury political 8uestions. Fn these the es silence is elo8uence. Christ calls upon >is followers to co e into unity on the pure !ospel principles which are plainly revealed in the word of God. 6e cannot with safety vote for political parties" for we do not 1now who we are votin! for. 6e cannot with safety ta1e part in any political sche e. %+os!el Wor$ers# p. 2,&* So e of the ost popular a use ents# such as football and bo4in!# have beco e schools of brutality. They are developin! the sa e characteristics as did the !a es of ancient ?o e. The love of do ination# the pride in ere brute force# the rec1less disre!ard of life# are e4ertin! upon the youth a power to de oraliGe that is appallin!. %Education# p. /&@* A view of thin!s was presented before e in which the students were playin! !a es of tennis and cric1et. Then I was !iven instruction re!ardin! the character of these a use ents. They were presented to e as a species of idolatry# li1e the idols of the nations. %Counsels to 7arents6 Teachers6 and Students# p. 2-@* The &,)' anual chan!ed the wordin! fro the <Spirit of Prophecy= to the <!ift of prophecy= as voted at the &,)- General Conference Session held at Hew Frleans# ;ouisiana. This is how the vow now appears: Do you accept the $ible teachin!s of spiritual !ifts and do you believe that the !ift of prophecy in the re nant church is one of the identifyin! ar1s of that churchD Seventhday Adventist Church )anual# &,)' ed.# p. 77. /. /) /, QODAE# p. 44i4 Ibid. And there shall be no an in the tabernacle of the con!re!ation when he !oeth in to a1e an atone ent in the holy place# until he co e out# and have ade an atone ent for hi self# and for his household# and for all the con!re!ation of Israel. %;eviticus &':&.* How of the thin!s which we have spo1en this is the su : 6e have such an hi!h priest# who is set on the ri!ht hand of the throne of the 3aEesty in the heavens" A inister of the sanctuary# and of the true tabernacle# which the ;ord pitched# and not an. +or every hi!h priest is ordained to offer !ifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that

/7

/-

/'

2/
this an have so ewhat also to offer. . . . $ut now hath he obtained a ore e4cellent inistry# by how uch also he is the ediator of a better covenant# which was established upon better pro ises. %>ebrews ):&(2# '* $ut Christ bein! co e an hi!h priest of !ood thin!s to co e# by a !reater and ore perfect tabernacle# not ade with hands# that is to say# not of this buildin!" neither by the blood of !oats and calves# but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place# havin! obtained eternal rede ption for us. +or if the blood of bulls and of !oats# and the ashes of an heifer sprin1lin! the unclean# sanctifieth to the purifyin! of the flesh: how uch ore shall the blood of Christ# who throu!h the eternal Spirit offered hi self without spot to God# pur!e your conscience fro dead wor1s to serve the livin! GodD And for this cause he is the ediator of the new testa ent# that by eans of death# for the rede ption of the trans!ressions that were under the first testa ent# they which are called i!ht receive the pro ise of eternal inheritance. . . . It was therefore necessary that the patterns of thin!s in the heavens should be purified with these" but the heavenly thin!s the selves with better sacrifices than these. +or Christ is not entered into the holy places ade with hands# which are the fi!ures of the true" but into heaven itself# now to appear in the presence of God for us: nor yet that he should offer hi self often# as the hi!h priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others" for then ust he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of hi self. %>ebrews ,:&&(&-# /2(/'* 2@ Thus those who followed in the li!ht of the prophetic word saw that# instead of co in! to the earth at the ter ination of the /2@@ days in &)77# Christ then entered the ost holy place of the heavenly sanctuary to perfor the closin! wor1 of atone ent preparatory to >is co in!. %The +reat Controversy# p. 7//* It is those who by faith follow Besus in the !reat wor1 of the atone ent who receive the benefits of >is ediation in their behalf# while those who reEect the li!ht which brin!s to view this wor1 of inistration are not benefited thereby. %Ibid. p# 72@* QOD# p. 27, Early Writings# p. /'@" e phasis by the QOD authors. QOD# pp. 2-7# 2--" e phasis in the ori!inal. Early Writings# p. /-2 %e phasis added* Ibid. p. /-7 %e phasis added* Ani!ht# QODAE# op. cit.# p. 4viii 3.;. Andreasen letter to $ro. ?.?. +i!uhr" 8uoted in QODAE# p. 44i >ere is what +roo wrote# <That is that tre endous scope of the sacrificial act of the cross:a co plete# perfect# and final atone ent for an9s sin.= %;eroy +roo # )inistry# +ebruary &,-.* Cnfortunately Andreasen chan!ed the dash after the word <cross= to the word <%is*=. The opponents of Andreasen 8uic1ly ade capital of this odification. 0et it is difficult for e to discern that this alteration chan!ed the intent of what +roo had written to any si!nificant e4tent. Indeed it appears to e that +roo 9s ori!inal presentation is ore i pactful with the dash rather than %is*. 5ither way there is no a bi!uity in this state ent. +roo asserted that the atone ent was co pleted and finaliGed at the death of Christ. $y e4tension the conclusion is that the hi!h priestly inistry in the ost holy place of the heavenly sanctuary has no relevance to the atone ent for the sins of hu anity. This was not the position of the early Seventh-day Adventist leaders and far ore i portantly# it was not the position of >oly Scripture nor the position found in the Spirit of Prophecy. The word <atone ent= eans at-one- ent" and when Christ pronounces the decree which deter ines the eternal destiny of every soul# >e and the subEects of >is 1in!do are at-one- ent. Sin will never a!ain separate Christ fro >is people. $ut the territory of >is 1in!do is still cursed by sin so the at-one- ent of Christ and >is 1in!do will not be co plete in every sense of the ter until the fires of the last

2& 2/ 22 27 22' 2. 2)

2,

22
day there co es forth a new earth with every ar1 of the curse re oved. Then not only the subEects of Christ9s 1in!do # but the entire earth# will be at-one- ent with Christ and the +ather. %S.H. >as1ell# The Cross and its Shadow# ?eview and >erald Publishin! Association# &,&7# pp. /&.-/&)* ?econciliation the church has all alon! received throu!h Christ" but we receive the atone ent only when it is ade as the closin! service of our ;ord in the sanctuary above. %Criah S ith and Ba es 6hite# The 2i#lical 1nstitute# Pacific S.D.A. Publishin! >ouse# &).)# p. )&.* 7@ QODAE# p. 4iv. 6hy did the evan!elicals confine the selves to Eust four <tests= of whether Seventh-day Adventists are !enuine ChristiansD Cnar!uably all four of these tests are crucial to salvation. 6hy did they not include the infallibility of Scripture# why not the Protestant principle of sola Scriptura %the $ible only*D 6hy not the ordinance of baptis D The secret raptureD I can only speculate that the evan!elicals chose the four issues and i!nored the others because the evan!elicals the selves are split on these other crucial doctrines. Then there are the very distinctive Seventh-day Adventist beliefs such as the three an!els9 essa!es# the full sanctuary essa!e# the Sabbath# the state of the dead# the illenniu # the Spirit of Prophecy# and the investi!ative Eud! entD There is no doubt that both $arnhouse and 3artin had no love for any of these Seventh-day Adventist beliefs. 6hile a nu ber of these issues were superbly answered in QOD6 $arnhouse and 3artin did not a1e these tests of Seventh-day Adventists9 Christian authenticity. 3aybe they reco!niGed that they could not ade8uately ar!ue effectively a!ainst these Scriptural doctrinesD 6e can only speculate why $arnhouse and 3artin ade no testin! challen!e to the Seventh-day Sabbath# death as sleep# the sanctuary inistry of Christ %beyond the atone ent*# or the three an!els9 essa!es. 6ere they convinced of these truths or did they feel inade8uate to answer the D 6hy did not they address our belief and practice of baptis or our understandin! of the anti-Christ# or the illenniu # or the raptureD Possibly they avoided a1in! these beliefs a test because the evan!elicals are !reatly divided on these issues. Ia ystified by Ani!ht9s interpretation of the state ent of +roo 9s which is too plain to re8uire added e4planation. >ere is Ani!ht9s interpretation: <Qthe sacrifice on the cross was a full and co plete sacrifice %in ter s of the sacrificial aspect of the atone ent* for sin.= %Ani!ht# QODAE# p. 4viii* +roo was too !ifted as an author to write what he did while really eanin! what Ani!ht su!!ests. >owever# in fairness to Ani!ht# we cannot i!nore other state ents of +roo concernin! the atone ent in the sa e article which are in accord with the lon!-held Seventh-day Adventist belief on the atone ent. >ere are +roo 9s words: <The ter Katone ent#9 which we are considerin!# obviously has a uch broader eanin! than has been co only conceived. Despite the belief of ultitudes in the churches about us# it is not# on the one hand# li ited Eust to the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross. Fn the other hand# neither is it confined to the inistry of our heavenly >i!h Priest in the sanctuary above# on the antitypical day of atone ent:or hour of God9s Eud! ent:as so e of our forefathers first erroneously thou!ht and wrote. Instead# as attested by the Spirit of prophecy# it clearly e braces both:one aspect bein! inco plete without the other# and each bein! the indispensable co ple ent of the other.= %+roo # ibid* I can only wonder why +roo did not e4plain that <atone ent= has both of these eanin!s in this )inistry article and in his answer to the evan!elicals. There is no doubt that +roo understood the $iblical foundation for the belief that both the sacrifice of Christ and the heavenly inistry of Christ in the 3ost >oly Place were essential ele ents of the atone ent for the salvation of fallen hu anity. This atone ent was not co pleted at Calvary. This e4planation would not have pleased the evan!elicals. It ay have led to their desi!natin! the Seventh-day Adventist Church as a cult# but it would have presented the truth of the words of Scripture plainly. +roo was certainly !ivin! i4ed si!nals# aybe one essa!e for the e bers of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and one ore palatable for the 5van!elicals. Surely +roo could have redressed the situation when Andreasen drew the attention of leadership to the duplicity and inaccuracy of what was bein! placed in QOD. A!ain I can conclude only that the !oal to acco odate the evan!elicals was of such a priority that the writers of QOD felt co pelled to satisfy the e4pectations of these evan!elicals to court favor with the .

7&

27
If 5lder +i!uhr and the authors of QOD had har1ened to the wise counsel and plea of 3. ;. Andreasen# they could have 8uic1ly brou!ht unity with ar!uably the best scholar in the Seventh-day Adventist ran1s rather than the infliction of terrible retribution upon 5lder Andreasen and !rief to his wife for his noble# coura!eous stand for the precious truth which God has entrusted to >is re nant church. 6hile Ani!ht infers that +roo was to all intents and purposes supportin! the sa e belief on the co plete atone ent as was fervently cherished by Andreasen# the actions of the General Conference do not sustain this conclusion" neither do the co ents in QOD on what Sister 6hite eant by writin! <that Christ is a1in! atone ent now.= She eant# they said# <that Christ is now a$ing a!!lication of the #enefits of the sacrificial atone ent He ade on the cross.= %QOD# pp. 2-7# 2--* Sister 6hite eant nothin! of the sort. She clearly eant what she wrote. &. ;eaders e4pressed the selves accurately concernin! the final atone ent in the >eavenly Sanctuary in Seventh-day Adventist circles# but they denied this in QOD. +or e4a ple# here are the words of the General Conference President less than a year after QOD was released for sale: <The sole hope of our salvation# Christ# >is atonin! sacrifice on Calvary# the final phase of >is atonin! inistry now !oin! on in the heavenly Sanctuary ust by word and voice be clearly proclai ed to the worldQ= %5lder ?. ?. +i!uhr address# Bune &,-) at the General Conference Session# Cleveland# Fhio" published in <The +aith Fnce Delivered to the Saints#= Review and Herald6 Bune /2# &,-)# p. -'" as 8uoted in ibid. p# &..*

QOD stated the opposite of this. It proclai ed that the atone ent was co pleted at the cross. This is yet another evidence that the essa!e to Seventh-day Adventists was stri1in!ly different fro the essa!e to the evan!elicals. This was clearly a case of duplicity. These differences went far beyond a si ple atte pt to couch the Seventh-day Adventist essa!e in lan!ua!e understandable to the 5van!elical scholars. It was a contradictory essa!e presented to the 5van!elicals in QOD. As I have presented earlier# the presentation to the 5van!elicals was contrary to the Seventh-day Adventist beliefs# as the 5van!elicals the selves reco!niGed :as is confir ed later in these endnotes. QOD was to infect the inds of Seventh-day Adventists with the false evan!elical belief because of the boo19s wide distribution to professors and reli!ion aEors in our se inary# colle!es# and university. ?e e ber# 5lder +i!uhr spo1e the above words after the publication of QOD and his stron! endorse ent of its content. >ad he chan!ed his viewD 6as the spo1en essa!e for Seventh-day Adventists different fro the essa!e prepared for the consu ption by 5van!elicalsD 6as QOD written for the approval of the 5van!elicals rather than to affir the precious truth to Seventh-day Adventist believersD /. Andreasen was the Isaiah# Bere iah# and 5Ge1iel of his day. >e lost his inisterial credentials %April '# &,'&* %Ibid.* and his sustentation for standin! faithful for truth and ri!hteousness# and he was refused the opportunity to preach in the churches. These actions were not ta1en because Andreasen departed fro the truth of the everlastin! !ospel# nor for abandonin! the Seventh-day Adventist Church# nor for be!innin! a new or!aniGation. >e suffered these punitive actions because he opposed leaders who co pro ised the precious truths of the Seventh-day Adventist faith to court favor with the 5van!elicals. 5lder Andreasen9s call fro his death bed for reconciliation with the deno inational leaders and the restoration of his inisterial credentials posthu ously# did not redress the !reat chas which had rendered apart the Seventh-day Adventists on so e pillar issues of our faith. +ifty years later surely the ti e is overdue to# in sorrow and repentance# restore the inte!rity of God9s faith. ;et inistry and laity unite to!ether to brin! this restoration. Heither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other na e under heaven !iven a on! en# whereby we ust be saved. %Acts 7:&/* +or by !race are ye saved throu!h faith" and that not of yourselves: it is the !ift of God: not of wor1s# lest any an should boast. +or we are his wor1 anship# created in Christ Besus unto !ood wor1s# which God hath before ordained that we should wal1 in the . %5phesians /:)(&@* Anowin! that a an is not Eustified by the wor1s of the law# but by the faith of Besus Christ# even we have believed in Besus Christ# that we i!ht be Eustified by the faith of

2.

7/

2Christ# and not by the wor1s of the law: for by the wor1s of the law shall no flesh be Eustified. %Galatians /:&'* +or therein is the ri!hteousness of God revealed fro faith to faith: as it is written# The Eust shall live by faith. %?o ans &:&.* 72 6hile !ood wor1s will not save even one soul# yet it is i possible for even one soul to be saved without !ood wor1s. %Selected )essages# vol. &# p. 2..* Good wor1s can never purchase salvation# but they are an evidence of the faith that acts by love and purifies the soul. And thou!h the eternal reward is not bestowed because of our erit# yet it will be in proportion to the wor1 that has been done throu!h the !race of Christ. %The Desire of Ages# p. 2&7* There is not a point that needs to be dwelt upon ore earnestly# repeated ore fre8uently# or established ore fir ly in the inds of all than the i possibility of fallen an eritin! anythin! by his own best !ood wor1s. Salvation is throu!h faith in Besus Christ alone. %*aith and Wor$s# p. &). See also ibid.# pp. &,-/'* ?ichard 6. SchwarG# +loyd Greenleaf# 0ight 2earers %$oise# ID: Pacific Press Publishin! Association# /@@@*# p. &'& In Christ is life# ori!inal# unborrowed# underived. %The Desire of Ages# p. -2@* Christ was God essentially# and in the hi!hest sense. >e was with God fro all eternity# God over all# blessed forever ore. The ;ord Besus Christ# the divine Son of God# e4isted fro eternity# a distinct person# yet one with the +ather. %Selected )essages# boo1 &# p. /7." see also p. //).* $efore the ountains were brou!ht forth# or ever thou hadst for ed the earth and the world# even fro everlastin! to everlastin!# thou art God. %Psal ,@:/* +or unto us a child is born# unto us a son is !iven: and the !overn ent shall be upon his shoulder: and his na e shall be called 6onderful# Counsellor# The i!hty God# The everlastin! +ather# The Prince of Peace. %Isaiah ,:'* In the be!innin! was the 6ord# and the 6ord was with God# and the 6ord was God. The sa e was in the be!innin! with God. All thin!s were ade by hi " and without hi was not any thin! ade that was ade. In hi was life" and the life was the li!ht of en. %Bohn &:&(7* +or the life was anifested# and we have seen it# and bear witness# and shew unto you that eternal life# which was with the +ather# and was anifested unto us. %& Bohn &:/* And if Christ be not raised# your faith is vain" ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. & Corinthians &-:&.# &) Donald $arnhouse# Eternity# Septe ber &,-'. <The 5ditor once held# with any of our beloved reader-fa ily# that Seventh-day Adventis is heretical and not Christian. Investi!ation that has lasted throu!hout nearly a year has convinced us that we were ista1en# that SDAis has been under!oin! a chan!e throu!h the past decade# and that there are any brethren in Christ who are within the fold of Adventis .= %5. Schuyler 5n!lish# Our Ho!e# Hove ber# &,-'# p. /.&* Ibid. The Adventists were dealin! with so e fairly preEudiced and a!!ressive funda entalist leaders. That was certainly true of $arnhouse# who has been described as < erciless with other views# includin! . . . those who did not share his pre- illennial IdispensationalJ view of the second co in!.= Fther authors have described hi as <fiery#= <fearless and brus8ue#= and one who was willin! to criticiGe <freely.= %Ani!ht# QODAE# p. 4vi# 4vii* $arnhouse described the failure of Seventh-day Adventists to accept the doctrine of the i soul as <folly.= %$arnhouse9s telephone conversation with Al >udson# 3ay &'# &,-)* ortality of the

77 7-

7'

7. 7) 7,

-@ -&

2'
-/ Confir ed in a letter fro letter: Sister Bane Pihl# dated 3ay &&# /@@.. >ere is the relevant part of Sister Pihl9s

There was a house eetin! in ;i a and we# the S.D.A. issionaries and other deno inations all et to!ether to hear this well 1nown spea1erM After the discourse 3r. $arnhouse opened the floor for 8uestionsM A youn! pastor SDA as1ed a 8uestion %I thin1* concernin! Bustification and sanctificationM $arnhouse e4plodedM >e turned livid red and with clenched fist he hit the pal of his other hand# and said this. <In the na e of Besus Christ I <curse= this Seventh-day SabbathMM I whispered to Aern Iher issionary Doctor husbandJ <>e is !oin! to die.= Ff course we were all horrifiedM >e actually did die a few years laterM= :<Bane Pihl= and Aern >. Pihl 3D I?eproduced without chan!e to punctuation# capitaliGation or additions or deletions fro the ori!inal letter e4cept her openin! !reetin!s and affir ation that she would try to answer and or!aniGe what happened. There were final !reetin!s to y wife.J ;etter on file in the office of the President of >artland Institute. -2 -7 ;etter to ?.?. Greive# President of the Horth Hew Lealand Conference# dated &, Banuary# &,-' fro 5lder ?oy Allan Anderson %Ouoted in Standish and Standish# Half a Century of A!ostasy# pp. 7)2# 7)7* This was a very i portant issue because $arnhouse and 3artin were Calvinistic-oriented in their beliefs. Bohn Calvin had learned the Au!ustinian theolo!y which was riveted upon the belief that fallen an inherited the !uilt of Ada 9s ori!inal sin. Thus for Seventh-day Adventists to proclai that Christ too1 upon >i self sinful# fallen hu an nature was perceived by $arnhouse and 3artin to be sayin! that Christ was born a sinner. 0et Seventh-day Adventists believed the plain state ents of Paul that Besus was <in all points te pted li1e as we are# yet without sin.= %>ebrews 7:&-* Hever have Seventh-day Adventists tau!ht other than that Christ was free fro sin durin! >is life on earth. It would be vile blasphe y to entertain the thou!ht that at any ti e throu!hout >is life Besus had ever yielded in the sli!htest way to Satan9s te ptations. ;i1ewise# Seventh-day Adventists have always tau!ht that Christ9s character was perfectly sinless. Dr. ?alph ;arson# The Word Was )ade *lesh" One Hundred >ears of Seventh-day Adventist Christology6 %&'5?%@'5# %Cherry Palley# California: The Cherrystone Press# &,)'*. %Herea$ter re$erred to as /!F.* The <evidence= presented to 3artin consisted of the isrepresentations and falsifications discussed in previous parts of this series# which were a ethodolo!ical onstrosity and a historical fraud. The <!roup= at our world head8uarters had a very difficult assi!n ent. They had to produce a dou#le dece!tion# for two different audiences. They had to prove to the Calvinists that we had changed our doctrines# and at the sa e ti e prove to the Adventists that we had not changed our doctrines. . . . +act nu ber one: There is no way6 a#solutely no way6 that a trained scholar with a Doctor,s degree6 li$e Dr3 0eroy Edwin *roo 6 could !ut forth such a ass of angled6 isre!resented and isstated aterials as this without $nowing what he was doing. 9o 7HD is that du #3 This A!resentation= could not have #een an accident3 1t had to #e a deli#erate and intentional dece!tion3 +act nu ber two: There is no way6 a#solutely no way6 that a trained scholar with a Doctor,s degree6 li$e Dr3 Walter )artin6 could acce!t such a ass of angled6 isre!resented6 and isstated aterials as this without $nowing what he was doing3 9o 7HD is that du #3 This Aacce!tance= could not have #een an accident3 1t had to #e a deli#erate and intentional dece!tion3 %Our *ir *oundation# 3ay /@@7* Geor!e Ani!ht# QODAE# p. 4vi. >ere are a few e4a ples of the contribution of Seventh-day Adventist authors:

--'

-. -)

2.
012345 To say that God sent >is own Son <in the li1eness of sinful flesh#= is e8uivalent to sayin! that the Son of God assu ed our nature. %B.3. Stephenson# RH# &&N@,N-7# p.,,# col. 2. Ouoted in W)*# p. 27* 012675 And >e left that throne of !lory and of power and too1 upon >i the nature of fallen an. In >i were blended <the bri!htness of the +ather9s !lory= and the wea1ness of <the seed of Abraha .= In >i self >e united the ;aw!iver to the lawbrea1er:the Creator to the creature. %B.>. 6a!!oner ISigns editorJ# The Atone ent %&)./*# p. &'&. Ouoted in W)*# p. 2'# 2.* 012645 >e too1 on >i the nature of the seed of Abraha for the rede ption of our fallen race. %Ba es 6hite IGeneral Conference president# Review editor# etc.J# ST# 'N@7N&).7. Ouoted in W)*# p. 2,* 012895 It ust have been sinful an that >e was ade li1e# for it was sinful an that >e ca e to redee . . . . 3oreover# the fact that Christ too1 upon >i self the flesh# not of a sinless bein!# but of sinful an# that is# that the flesh which >e assu ed had all the wea1nesses and sinful tendencies to which fallen hu an nature is subEect# is shown by the state ent that >e <was ade of the seed of David accordin! to the flesh.= . . . actually ta1in! upon >i self sinful nature . . . havin! suffered all that sinful flesh is heir to# >e 1nows all about it. %5.B. 6a!!oner ISigns editorJ# Christ and His Righteousness Ilater Christ Our RighteousnessJ# &),@# pp. /'# /.# /)# 2@. Ouoted in W)*# p. 7'* 0128:5 >e too1 upon >i self our sinful natures# yet without sin. %S.H. >as1ell6 +C2# &),2# p. /&7# col. &. Ouoted in W)*# p.-&* 012835 Althou!h Besus Christ too1 sinful flesh#:flesh in which we sin# . . . God was able to 1eep >i fro sinnin! in that sinful flesh. So that althou!h >e was anifested in sinful flesh# God by >is Spirit and power dwellin! in >i # 1ept >i fro sinnin! in that sinful flesh. . . . %God* ade a perfect revelation of >is ind in that sinful flesh. %6.6. Prescott# +C2# &),-# p. 2&,# col. /. Ouoted in W)*# p..&* 0128;5 Do not for!et that the ystery of God is not God anifest in sinless flesh but God anifest in sinful flesh. There could never be any ystery about God9s anifestin! >i self in sinless flesh# in one who had no connection whatever with sin. That would be plain enou!h. $ut that >e can anifest >i self in flesh laden with sin and with all the tendencies to sin# such as ours is#:that is a ystery. %A.T. Bones# 2E# &&N2@N&),'# p. 2.@# col. 2" e phasis his. Ouoted in W)*# p. '@* 018195 $ecause we dwell in flesh that is ortal# corruptible# te ptable# havin! in it the accu ulated tendencies of centuries of sin# <>e also >i self li1ewise too1 part of the sa e.= %C.3. Snow IReview and Signs associate editor# Australian Signs editorJ# RH 'N@/N&,&@# p. &/# col. /. Ouoted in W)*# p. &-@* 018795 >e too1 the sa e 1ind of flesh that you have:sinful flesh. . . . >e ca e <in the li1eness of sinful flesh= and lived a sinless life. %B.;. Schuler Ievan!elist# inisterial secretary# conference presidentJ# The Watch an# Buly &,/@# p. &)# col. /. Ouoted in W)*# p. &-'* 0187:5 As % an* !rasps the truth that there actually lived upon this earth Fne possessed of the sa e nature as hi self# who <was in all points te pted li1e as we are# yet without sin#= he realiGes that there is hope for hi . %+.D. Hichol ISigns assistant editor# Review editorJ# RH 2N@&N&,/2# p. .# col. /. Ouoted in W)*# p. &-,*

2)
0187:5 Hone but a hu an bein!:< ade in the li1eness of sinful flesh=:could serve as a ediator on behalf of sinful en. All the attributes of the Godhead# and those of sinful hu anity# ust be ade to eet in the one who should effect the reconciliation. %Asa T. ?obinson Iconference president# pioneer issionaryJ# RH &/N/@N/2# p. 7# col. &. Ouoted in W)*# p. &-,* 018745 Christ united >i self to an in his fallen condition. 6hen >e too1 our nature >e did not ta1e it as it was ori!inally created# before sin entered# but as it was after four thousand years of the rava!es of sin. >e ca e to us where we are. . . . If Christ did not co e in sinful flesh# to en Eust where they are# >e did not need to co e at all# for >e could brin! the no help otherwise. If >e ca e only to where en were in their ori!inal innocence and purity# . . . then >e i!ht Eust as well have re ained in heaven# . . . for in this way >e could not reach en. . . . >e partoo1 of the essential nature of fallen hu anity. . . . The $ible very clearly teaches that Christ was truly hu an# that >e partoo1 of hu an nature as it now is. . . . Paul a1es it clear that this flesh that Christ partoo1 of was <sinful flesh#= I?o ans ):2 8uotedJ. . . . >e did bear our sinful nature for thirty-three years. . . . In the weary# sinful# fallen# helpless nature of hu anity# . . . Christ wor1ed out the perfect way of hu an salvation. %Carlyle $. >aynes Ievan!elist# author# ad inistratorJ# The Watch an# Hove ber &,/7 p. &7# col. /. Ouoted in W)*# p. &'&(&'/* 0187;5 Christ ca e and tabernacled in our sinful flesh. %?.A. Salton# AST# &&N&-N/'# p. &2# col.&. Ouoted in W)*# p. &'-* 018785 I>e was adeJ li1e you:li1e e. . . . >avin! triu phed over sin in sinful flesh. %A.G. Daniells Iconference president# union president# General Conference presidentJ# RH# &&N@.N/,# p. -# col. 2. Ouoted in W)*# p. &.7* 018:95 Besus ca e into this world on hu an plane. . . . In his hu an nature Besus stands on our !round. %Allen 6al1er# ST# &&N/-N2@# p. &&# col. /. Ouoted in W)*# p. &.'* 018::5 In order for Christ to understand the wea1ness of sinful nature# >e had to e4perience it. . . . Therefore >e beco e bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh. 6.>. $ranson Ievan!elist# author# conference ad inistrator# General Conference presidentJ# AST# &@N2@N22# p. &&# col. /. Ouoted in W)*# p. &)@* 018:;5 Besus Christ too1 upon >i self sinful flesh. %;eonard S. $arnes# AST &N&2N2'# p. -# col. &. Ouoted in W)*# p. &)/* 018:25 In fact# as one writer says# These thirteen verses %Bohn &:&(&2* were intended to raise the reader to the altitude of the cli a4# <The 6ord was ade flesh.= And in several other scriptures# <+lesh= denotes an9s present frail# oral condition. . . . $y >is incarnation >e beca e arried to our hu an nature# and is as conscious of our infir ities# wea1nesses# and frailties as >e is of all that is properly divine. . . . Besus# to redee us# reached down to hu anity9s lowest depths. >e too1 our nature. >e beca e an. . . . Christ <ca e where he % an* was= by >is hu anity. . . . +or ta1in! our nature# thus >e is <touched with the feelin! of our infir ities.= . . . 6ith >is divine ar >e !rasps the throne of the Infinite# and with >is hu an ar >e encircles the fallen race. . . . %Bohn &:-&* Besus is the ladder. This ladder is set upon earth. >e is the Son of an# and by >is hu anity >e is lin1ed to hu anity. The ladder is within our reach. %B.5. +ulton I issionary# ad inistratorJ# AST# ,N@-N2)# p. &# cols. /# 2# p.2# col. &. Ouoted in W)*# p. &,/*

2,
018495 >e 1nows by e4perience all that an ust pass throu!h. . . . It was necessary for >i to be ade li1e >is brethren in all thin!s. %3.;. Andreasen Iconference president# colle!e president# se inary professorJ# RH# &@N&@N7@# p. -# col. /. Ouoted in W)*# p. &,-* 018475 Besus inherited . . . the nature of >is other. . . . A an na ed Besus# ade of flesh and blood li1e other en# had actually lived in their idst. %A.P. Flson Iconference president# union president# division president# !eneral vice-presidentJ# RH# )N@'N7/# p. 7# col. &# p. -# col. &. Ouoted in W)*# p. &,'* 018445 3en see to for!et that Christ . . . divested >i self of >is 1in!liness and clothed >i self in sinful flesh. %S. Geor!e >yde# AST# 2N/.N77# p. &# col. &. Ouoted in W)*# p. &,,* 018435 To reach and redee fallen en the ?edee er ust be one with the . >e ust share their wea1ness. . . . >e ust enEoy no privile!e that is not within the reach of the wea1est of >is fellows. . . . >e ca e and too1 upon >i self the flesh >e had ade# not as it was when endowed with ori!inal stren!th# but after it had been wea1ened and corrupted by centuries of sin. %+.G. Clifford# Signs of the Ti es ISouth AfricaJ# Bune &,7-# p. '# col. /. Ouoted in W)*# p. /@@* 018435 Besus too1 upon >i self the nature of an. . . . As the son of David# the descendant of David# >e inherited all the frailties and wea1nesses of >is ancestral line . . . %>ebrews /:&7(&. 8uoted*. . . . This scriptural doctrine of the incarnation is absolutely essential to a true conception of the atone ent. . . . ?o e teaches that Besus and even 3ary# >is other# were <i aculate= in their conception. They were not born of the sa e flesh:subEect to sin:as are the ultitudes of en who inherit the wea1ness of Ada . %Parner Bohns# RH# &&N@&N7-# p. &&# col. /. Ouoted in W)*# p. /@@* 018465 Christ ust parta1e of an9s sinful nature. %A.G. Stewart I issionary# ad inistrator# authorJ# RH# &N@,N7.# p. 77. Ouoted in W)*# p. /@&* -, A few 5llen 6hite state ents# one fro each decade fro the &)-@s:

012325 Besus also told the Ithe an!elsJ that . . . he should ta1e an9s fallen nature# and his stren!th would not be even e8ual with theirs. %S!iritual +ifts# vol. &# p. /-* 012;45 It was in the order of God that Christ should ta1e upon hi self the for nature of fallen an. %S!iritual +ifts# vol. 7a# p. &&-* and

012645 Throu!h his hu iliation and poverty Christ would identify hi self with the wea1nesses of the fallen race. . . . The !reat wor1 of rede ption could be carried out only by the ?edee er ta1in! the place of fallen Ada . . . . The Ain! of !lory proposed to hu ble hi self to fallen hu anityM . . . >e would ta1e an9s fallen nature. %The Review and Herald# +ebruary /7# &).7* 012285 The divine Son of God# who had# with unprecedented self-denial and love for the creatures for ed in his i a!e# co e fro heaven and assu ed their fallen nature. . . . >e too1 upon >i our nature that >e i!ht reach an in his fallen condition. . . . >e ca e to brin! to an oral power# to unite the fallen race with >i self. %The Signs of the Ti es# Septe ber /2# &)),*

7@
0128:5 The Son of God . . . hu bled >i self in ta1in! the nature of an in his fallen condition# but >e did not ta1e the taint of sin. %3s. ,2# &),2# p.2" )anuscri!t Releases# vol. /@# p. 2/7* 0189:5 Christ assu ed our fallen nature# and was subEect to every te ptation to which an is subEect. %3s. )@# &,@2# p. &/" )anuscri!t Releases# vol. &.# p. /,* 018135 >e ade >i self of no reputation# too1 upon >i self the for of a servant# and was ade in the li1eness of sinful flesh. . . . Sinless and e4alted by nature# the Son of God consented to ta1e the habili ents of hu anity# to beco e one with the fallen race. The eternal 6ord consented to be ade flesh. God beca e an. %The Signs of the Ti es# Banuary -# &,&-* '@ '& '/ QODAE# p. 44i4 &,-@ General Conference $ulletin# p. &-7. >e was born as a babe in $ethlehe # subEect to li1e passions as we are. . . . If Christ had been e4e pt fro te ptation# without the power and responsibility to choose# or without the sin-filled inclinations and tendencies of our sinful nature# >e could not have lived our life without sin. %+enton 5dwin +roo # Our Ti es# Dece ber &,7,# p. 7# col. /. Ouoted in W)*# p. /@'* >erbert Dou!lass# O!!ortunity of the Century %>i!hland# California: Great Controversy.or!# /@@'*# p. &2 Geor!e Ani!ht# QODAE# pp. 4v# 4vi. See ibid. +or e4a ple# And the 6ord was ade flesh# and dwelt a on! us# %and we beheld his !lory# the !lory as of the only be!otten of the +ather#* full of !race and truth. %Bohn &:&7* Concernin! his Son Besus Christ our ;ord# which was ade of the seed of David accordin! to the flesh. %?o ans &:2* +or what the law could not do# in that it was wea1 throu!h the flesh# God sendin! his own Son in the li1eness of sinful flesh# and for sin# conde ned sin in the flesh. %?o ans ):2* $ut when the fulness of the ti e was co e# God sent forth his Son# ade of a wo an# ade under the law# to redee the that were under the law# that we i!ht receive the adoption of sons. %Galatians 7:7--* +oras uch then as the children are parta1ers of flesh and blood# he also hi self li1ewise too1 part of the sa e" that throu!h death he i!ht destroy hi that had the power of death# that is# the devil" and deliver the who throu!h fear of death were all their lifeti e subEect to bonda!e. +or verily he too1 not on hi the nature of an!els" but he too1 on hi the seed of Abraha . 6herefore in all thin!s it behoved hi to be ade li1e unto his brethren# that he i!ht be a erciful and faithful hi!h priest in thin!s pertainin! to God# to a1e reconciliation for the sins of the people. +or in that he hi self hath suffered bein! te pted# he is able to succour the that are te pted. %>ebrews /:&7( &)* +or we have not an hi!h priest which cannot be touched with the feelin! of our infir ities" but was in all points te pted li1e as we are# yet without sin. %>ebrews 7:&-* $ut we see Besus# who was ade a little lower than the an!els for the sufferin! of death# crowned with !lory and honour" that he by the !race of God should taste death for every an. %>ebrews /:," see also ?o ans ):2" Philippians /:--)*

'2 '7 '''

'.

7&
So e Seventh-day Adventist scholars have concluded that a letter written by 5llen 6hite to an A erican pastor servin! in Tas ania# Australia in &),-# 6.;.>. $a1er# supports their views that Christ too1 unfallen hu an nature. Portions of this letter are reproduced in The Seventh-day Adventist 2i#le Co entary# vol. -# pp. &&/)( &&/,. The full te4t of the letter is found in )anuscri!t Releases# vol. &2# pp. &2(/,. The first conclusion which can be drawn fro Sister 6hite9s letter is that nowhere is the hu an nature Christ assu ed at >is incarnation addressed. Clearly# this was not the issue to which Sister 6hite was addressin! when she wrote# . . . let every hu an bein! be warned fro hu an# such an one as ourselves. the !round of a1in! Christ alto!ether

In The Word Was )ade *lesh# author ?alph ;arson also reprinted the aEority of the $a1er letter %see pp. 2&&-2/@*. In the followin! pa!es# ;arson analyGed the focus of the letter very effectively: I find 5llen 6hite9s own state ent of the proble clear and satisfactory. She wrote: <;et every hu an be warned away fro the !round of a1in! Christ altogether hu an6 such an one as ourselves.= %5 phasis ine.* . . . ;et us try to fully internaliGe this state ent# ta1in! care that no eisegesis %puttin! our eanin! into the te4t* is in!led with our e4egesis %!ettin! the writer9s eanin! fro the te4t*. These points would appear to be beyond 8uestion: a. The essa!e is intended as a warnin!. b. The warnin!# althou!h pri arily addressed to $a1er# is widened to include <every hu an bein!.= c. The subEect atter of the warnin! is Christolo!y# the doctrine of Christ. d. The warnin! is not li ited by its wordin! to either the hu an nature of Christ or the divine nature of Christ. The writer is spea1in! of Christ in >is totality# the co plete Christ# the entire Christ# the divine-hu an Saviour who is both God and an. This is ade clear by the wordin! of the sentence itself# and by the conte4t# in which care is ur!ed lest we <. . . lose or di the clear perceptions of >is hu anity as co #ined with divinity3= %5 phasis ine.* e. The specific content of the warnin! is that we be careful to not present Christ to the people as %&* alto!ether hu an# %/* such an one as ourselves. %?alph ;arson# The Word Was )ade *lesh# op. cit.# pp. 2/&(2//.* 6hile we cannot be sure precisely what belief 5lder $a1er held to which 5llen 6hite was respondin!# ;arson concluded that $a1er ay have been proposin! the <adoptionist= concept. >ere is ;arson9s e4planation of this belief and of Sister 6hite9s response: 6ithout identifyin! the Christolo!ical error by its specific technical na e# 5llen 6hite found occasion to refute the principles of Ado!tionis . This was a view that Christ was not the Son of God at birth# nor durin! the first phase of >is earthly life# but beca e the Son of God by ado!tion. . . . In this interestin! letter# we find %&* a warnin! to Pastor $a1er about spendin! too uch ti e in readin!# %/* a caution a!ainst acceptin! the traditions of the +athers %a ter which# when capitaliGed as in the letter# is understood to refer to the church +athers*# and %2* a warnin! about teachin! speculative theories that would not be of benefit to the church e bers. She also presents a specific# point-by-point refutation of the errors of Adoptionis . %Ibid.# pp. 2/7(2/-.* The Desire of Ages# which 5llen 6hite was writin! at the ti e of the $a1er letter# dispels any doubts concernin! her belief that Christ too1 upon >i self fallen# sinful hu an nature:

7/
It would have been an al ost infinite hu iliation for the Son of God to ta1e an9s nature# even when Ada stood in his innocence in 5den. $ut Besus accepted hu anity when the race had been wea$ened #y four thousand years of sin. ;i1e every child of Ada >e accepted the results of the wor1in! of the !reat law of heredity. 6hat these results were is shown in the history of >is earthly ancestors. >e ca e with such a heredity to share our sorrows and te ptations# and to !ive us the e4a ple of a sinless life. %Pa!e 7,* Hotwithstandin! that the sins of a !uilty world were laid upon Christ# notwithstandin! the hu iliation of ta1in! upon >i self our fallen nature# the voice fro heaven declared >i to be the Son of the 5ternal. %Pa!e &&/* +or four thousand years the race had been decreasin! in physical stren!th# in ental power# and in oral worth" and Christ too$ u!on Hi the infir ities of degenerate hu anity. Fnly thus could >e rescue an fro the lowest depths of his de!radation. . . . If we have in any sense a ore tryin! conflict than had Christ# then >e would not be able to succor us. $ut our Saviour too$ hu anity6 with all its lia#ilities. >e too1 the nature of an# with the possibility of yieldin! to te ptation. 6e have nothin! to bear which >e has not endured. %Pa!e &&.* In our own stren!th it is i possible for us to deny the cla ors of our fallen nature. Throu!h this channel Satan will brin! te ptation upon us. Christ 1new that the ene y would co e to every hu an bein!# to ta1e advanta!e of hereditary wea1ness# and by his false insinuations to ensnare all whose trust is not in God. And by !assing over the ground which an ust travel# our ;ord has prepared the way for us to overco e. %Pa!es &//(&/2.* Also# in a ore recently discovered letter addressed to Dr. Bohn >arvey Aello!!# Sister 6hite presented her stron! belief in the fallen nature of Besus ei!ht years after she wrote the letter to $a1er. >er interlineations# which she added in her own handwritin! %indicated by the 6hite 5state in Tbrac1etsU as shown below*# is indicative: 6hen the fullness of ti e was co e# >e IChristJ stepped down fro >is throne of hi!hest co and# laid aside >is royal robe and 1in!ly crown# clothed >is divinity with hu anity# and ca e to this earth to e4e plify what hu anity ust do and be in order to overco e the ene y and to sit with the +ather upon >is throne. Co in!# as >e did# as a an# Tto eet and be subEected ItoJU N with all the tendencies to which an is heir# Twor1in! in every conceivable anner to destroy >is faith#U >e ade it possible for >i self to be buffeted by hu an a!encies inspired by Satan. %;etter A-2@2# &,@2* ') 6herefore in all thin!s it behoved hi to be ade li1e unto his brethren# that he i!ht be a erciful and faithful hi!h priest in thin!s pertainin! to God# to a1e reconciliation for the sins of the people. %>ebrews /:&.* +or in that he hi self hath suffered bein! te pted# he is able to succour the te pted. %>ebrews /:&)* that are

', .@ .&

+or we have not an hi!h priest which cannot be touched with the feelin! of our infir ities" but was in all points te pted li1e as we are# yet without sin. %>ebrew 7:&-* +or even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us# leavin! us an e4a ple# that ye should follow his steps: 6ho did no sin# neither was !uile found in his outh. %& Peter /:/&# //* Fur ideas of education ta1e too narrow and too low a ran!e. There is need of a broader scope# a hi!her ai . True education eans ore than the pursual of a certain course of study. It eans ore than a preparation for the life that now is. It has to do with the whole bein!# and with the whole period of e4istence possible to an. It is the har onious develop ent of the physical# the ental# and the spiritual powers. It prepares the student for the Eoy of service in this world and for the hi!her Eoy of wider service in the world to co e. %Education# p. &2*

./

72
.2 .7 .Ibid.# pp. &7# &-# &'# /& & Bohn 2:7 +or what the law could not do# in that it was wea1 throu!h the flesh# God sendin! his own Son in the li1eness of sinful flesh# and for sin# conde ned sin in the flesh. %?o ans ):2* $arnhouse# Donald G.# +orward to 6alter ?. 3artin# The Truth A#out Seventh-day Adventists# Londervan# &,'@# p. . %as 8uoted in <Introduction to the Annotated 5dition#= QODAE# p. 44iv* The +reat Controversy# p. /72 Thus saith the ;F?D" Cursed be the an that trusteth in an# and ar # and whose heart departeth fro the ;F?D. %Bere iah &.:-* a1eth flesh his

.' .. .) .,

And I heard another voice fro heaven# sayin!# Co e out of her# y people# that ye be not parta1ers of her sins# and that ye receive not of her pla!ues. +or her sins have reached unto heaven# and God hath re e bered her ini8uities. %?evelation &):7(-* Testi onies to )inisters# pp. 2'2-2'7. Bohn &.:&.# &, *unda entals of Christian Education# p. 72/ Testi onies for the Church# vol. ,# p. &,.. The Sanctified 0ife# p. )Hot one of us will ever receive the seal of God while our characters have one spot or stain upon the . It is left with us to re edy the defects in our characters# to cleanse the soul te ple of every defile ent. Then the latter rain will fall upon us as the early rain fell upon the disciples on the Day of Pentecost. %Testi onies for the Church# vol. -# p. /&7* The seal of God will never be placed upon the forehead of an i pure an or wo an. It will never be placed upon the forehead of the a bitious# world-lovin! an or wo an. It will never be placed upon the forehead of en or wo en of false ton!ues or deceitful hearts. All who receive the seal ust be without spot before God:candidates for heaven. %Ibid.# p. /&'* Till we all co e in the unity of the faith# and of the 1nowled!e of the Son of God# unto a perfect an# unto the easure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we henceforth be no ore children# tossed to and fro# and carried about with every wind of doctrine# by the slei!ht of en# and cunnin! craftiness# whereby they lie in wait to deceive" but spea1in! the truth in love# ay !row up into hi in all thin!s# which is the head# even Christ: fro who the whole body fitly Eoined to!ether and co pacted by that which every Eoint supplieth# accordin! to the effectual wor1in! in the easure of every part# a1eth increase of the body unto the edifyin! of itself in love. %5phesians 7:&2(&'* This I say therefore# and testify in the ;ord# that ye henceforth wal1 not as other Gentiles wal1# in the vanity of their ind# havin! the understandin! dar1ened# bein! alienated fro the life of God throu!h the i!norance that is in the # because of the blindness of their heart: who bein! past feelin! have !iven the selves over unto lasciviousness# to wor1 all uncleanness with !reediness. %5phesians 7:&.(&,* >ebert 5. Dou!lass# O!!ortunity of the Century# p. 7/ See Isaiah --:&& Son of an# I have ade thee a watch an unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at y outh# and !ive the warnin! fro e. 6hen I say unto the wic1ed# Thou shalt surely die" and thou !ivest hi not warnin!# nor spea1est to warn the wic1ed fro his wic1ed way# to save his life" the sa e wic1ed an shall die in his ini8uity" but his blood

)@ )& )/ )2 )7 )-

)'

).

)) ), ,@

77
will I re8uire at thine hand. 0et if thou warn the wic1ed# and he turn not fro his wic1edness# nor fro his wic1ed way# he shall die in his ini8uity" but thou hast delivered thy soul. A!ain# 6hen a ri!hteous an doth turn fro his ri!hteousness# and co it ini8uity# and I lay a stu blin!bloc1 before hi # he shall die: because thou hast not !iven hi warnin!# he shall die in his sin# and his ri!hteousness which he hath done shall not be re e bered" but his blood will I re8uire at thine hand. Hevertheless if thou warn the ri!hteous an# that the ri!hteous sin not# and he doth not sin# he shall surely live# because he is warned" also thou hast delivered thy soul. %5Ge1iel 2:&.-/&* So thou# F son of an# I have set thee a watch an unto the house of Israel" therefore thou shalt hear the word at y outh# and warn the fro e. 6hen I say unto the wic1ed# F wic1ed an# thou shalt surely die" if thou dost not spea1 to warn the wic1ed fro his way# that wic1ed an shall die in his ini8uity" but his blood will I re8uire at thine hand. Hevertheless# if thou warn the wic1ed of his way to turn fro it" if he do not turn fro his way# he shall die in his ini8uity" but thou hast delivered thy soul. %5Ge1iel 22:.-,* Cry aloud# spare not# lift up thy voice li1e a tru pet# and show y people their trans!ression# and the house of Bacob their sins. %Isaiah -):&* +or Lion9s sa1e will I not hold y peace# and for Berusale 9s sa1e I will not rest# until the ri!hteousness thereof !o forth as bri!htness# and the salvation thereof as a la p that burneth. And the Gentiles shall see thy ri!hteousness# and all 1in!s thy !lory: and thou shalt be called by a new na e# which the outh of the ;F?D shall na e. Thou shalt also be a crown of !lory in the hand of the ;F?D# and a royal diade in the hand of thy God. %Isaiah '/:&-2* ,& ,/ ,2 ;etter fro 3. ;. Andreasen to ?. ?. +i!uhr# 3ay ,# &,-) QODAE# p. 44iii <Eternity lost one-fourth of its subscribers in protest# and the sale of 3artin9s boo1s plu eted.= %T. 5. Cnruh# <The Seventh-day Adventist 5van!elical Conferences of &,---&,-'#= Adventist Heritage# Pol. 7# Ho. /# &,..# p. 77" 8uoted in QODAE# p. 4vii* See 2a!tis 6 Eucharist and )inistry# +aith and Frder Paper Hu ber &&& and co ents fro the Churches of Christendo %;i a# Peru: The +aith and Frder Co ission of the 6orld Council of Churches# &,)/*. ;oo1in! bac1# one can only speculate on the different course of Adventist history if Andreasen had been consulted re!ardin! the wordin! of the Adventist position on the atone ent# if +roo and his collea!ues hadn9t been divisive in their handlin! of issues related to the hu an nature of Christ# if both +roo and Andreasen would have had softer personalities. %QODAE# p. 44vi* . . . The rabbis hoped to e4cite suspicion of Christ. They represented >i as tryin! to overthrow the established custo s# thus causin! division a on! the people. . . . %The Desire of Ages# p. /@-* If God abhors one sin above another# of which >is people are !uilty# it is doin! nothin! in case of an e er!ency. Indifference and neutrality in a reli!ious crisis is re!arded of God as a !rievous cri e and e8ual to the very worst type of hostility a!ainst God. %Testi onies for the Church# Pol. 2# p. /)@* The Concerned $rethren %often called the C$9s* included a retired Cnion President# retired conference and ission presidents# retired depart ent leaders fro the local to the General Conference level who protested the ra pa!in! apostasy which developed rapidly in Australia in the &,.@s. It beca e a ter of derision and led to the discreditin! of these an!uished retired leaders. Fne of the # a retired evan!elist and Division inisterial secretary# Pastor Geor!e $urnside# when warned by a inister friend that he was bein! classified with the C$9s# responded# <I a not a C$# I a a D$:a dis!usted brother.= All the ori!inal <C$9s= have now passed to their earthly rest. %Pastor $urnside9s report to e.* ;.5. +roo # letter to ?.?. +i!uhr# April /'# &,--" 8uoted in QODAE# p. 44vi.

,7

,-

,'

,.

,)

,,

7&@@ &@& &@/ &@2 ?evelation &/:&. ?evelation &,:&@ Boel /:/) Do you believe the $ible doctrine of <spiritual !ifts= in the church# and do you believe in the !ift of the Spirit of prophecy which has been anifested in the re nant church thou!h the inistry and writin!s of 3rs. 5. G. 6hiteD %&,2/ Church 3anual# $aptis al Pow V&)* Do you accept the biblical teachin! of spiritual !ifts and believe that the !ift of prophecy is one of the identifyin! ar1s of the re nant churchD %&,,@ Church 3anual# $aptis al Pow V)* &@7 &@See &,)' Church )anual6 $aptis al Pows 0e shall 1eep &,:2@* y sabbaths# and reverence y sanctuary: I a the ;F?D. %;eviticus

If thou turn away thy foot fro the sabbath# fro doin! thy pleasure on y holy day" and call the sabbath a deli!ht# the holy of the ;F?D# honourable" and shalt honour hi # not doin! thine own ways# nor findin! thine own pleasure# nor spea1in! thine own words: Then shalt thou deli!ht thyself in the ;F?D" and I will cause thee to ride upon the hi!h places of the earth# and feed thee with the herita!e of Bacob thy father: for the outh of the ;F?D hath spo1en it. %Isaiah -):&2(&7* &@' &@. &@) 6hether therefore ye eat# or drin1# or whatsoever ye do# do all to the !lory of God. %& Corinthians &@:2&* Spea1in! to yourselves in psal s and hy ns and spiritual son!s# sin!in! and elody in your heart to the ;ord. %5phesians -:&,* a1in!

+or thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wic1edness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. %Psal -:7* Thou wilt shew e the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of Eoy" at thy ri!ht hand there are pleasures for ever ore. %Psal &':&&* And because he was of the sa e craft# he abode with the # and wrou!ht: for by their occupation they were tent a1ers. %Acts &):2* And he said unto the # Co e ye yourselves apart into a desert place# and rest a while: for there were any co in! and !oin!# and they had no leisure so uch as to eat. %3ar1 ':2&* The wo an shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a an# neither shall a an put on a wo an9s !ar ent: for all that do so are abo ination unto the ;F?D thy God. %Deuterono y //:-* In li1e anner also# that wo en adorn the selves in odest apparel# with sha efacedness and sobriety" not with broided hair# or !old# or pearls# or costly array" but %which beco eth wo en professin! !odliness* with !ood wor1s. %& Ti othy /:,(&@* 6hose adornin! let it not be that outward adornin! of plaitin! the hair# and of wearin! of !old# or of puttin! on of apparel" but let it be the hidden an of the heart# in that which is not corruptible# even the orna ent of a ee1 and 8uiet spirit# which is in the si!ht of God of !reat price. %& Peter 2:2(7* >ear# F Israel: The ;F?D our God is one ;F?D: and thou shalt love the ;F?D thy God with all thine heart# and with all thy soul# and with all thy i!ht. And these words# which I co and thee this day# shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach the dili!ently unto thy children# and shalt tal1 of the when thou sittest in thine house# and when thou wal1est by the way# and when thou liest down# and when thou risest up. And

&@,

&&@

&&&

7'
thou shalt bind the for a si!n upon thine hand# and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write the upon the posts of thy house# and on thy !ates. %Deuterono y ':7(,* All scripture is !iven by inspiration of God# and is profitable for doctrine# for reproof# for correction# for instruction in ri!hteousness. %/ Ti othy 2:&'* &&/ >usbands# love your wives# even as Christ also loved the church# and !ave hi self for it" that he i!ht sanctify and cleanse it with the washin! of water by the word# that he i!ht present it to hi self a !lorious church# not havin! spot# or wrin1le# or any such thin!" but that it should be holy and without ble ish. So ou!ht en to love their wives as their own bodies. >e that loveth his wife loveth hi self. %5phesians -:/-(/)* 6ives# sub it yourselves unto your own husbands# as it is fit in the ;ord. >usbands# love your wives# and be not bitter a!ainst the . Children# obey your parents in all thin!s: for this is well pleasin! unto the ;ord. +athers# provo1e not your children to an!er# lest they be discoura!ed. Servants# obey in all thin!s your asters accordin! to the flesh" not with eyeservice# as enpleasers" but in sin!leness of heart# fearin! God. %Colossians 2:&)(//* 6ho serve unto the e4a ple and shadow of heavenly thin!s# as 3oses was ad onished of God when he was about to a1e the tabernacle: for# See# saith he# that thou a1e all thin!s accordin! to the pattern shewed to thee in the ount. %>ebrews ):-* And there shall be no an in the tabernacle of the con!re!ation when he !oeth in to a1e an atone ent in the holy place# until he co e out# and have ade an atone ent for hi self# and for his household# and for all the con!re!ation of Israel. %;eviticus &':&.* And he said unto e# Cnto two thousand and three hundred days" then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. %Daniel ):&7* And as he reasoned of ri!hteousness# te perance# and Eud! ent to co e# +eli4 tre bled# and answered# Go thy way for this ti e" when I have a convenient season# I will call for thee. %Acts /7:/-* Sayin! with a loud voice# +ear God# and !ive !lory to hi " for the hour of his Eud! ent is co e: and worship hi that ade heaven# and earth# and the sea# and the fountains of waters. %?evelation &7:.* ?epent ye therefore# and be converted# that your sins ay be blotted out# when the ti es of refreshin! shall co e fro the presence of the ;ord. %Acts 2:&,* A inister of the sanctuary# and of the true tabernacle# which the ;ord pitched# and an. %>ebrews ):/* +or Christ is not entered into the holy places ade with hands# which are the fi!ures of the true" but into heaven itself# now to appear in the presence of God for us. %>ebrews ,:/7* And if Christ be not raised# your faith is vain" ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. %& Corinthians &-:&.(&)* +or if# when we were ene ies# we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son# uch ore# bein! reconciled# we shall be saved by his life. %?o ans -:&@* +or we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a an seeth# why doth he yet hope forD %?o ans ):/7* not How unto hi that is able to 1eep you fro fallin!# and to present you faultless before the presence of his !lory with e4ceedin! Eoy# %Bude &:/7* >avin! therefore these pro ises# dearly beloved# let us cleanse ourselves fro all filthiness of the flesh and spirit# perfectin! holiness in the fear of God. %/ Corinthians .:&* And ye 1now that he was anifested to ta1e away our sins" and in hi is no sin. 6hosoever abideth in hi sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen hi # neither 1nown hi . ;ittle children# let no an deceive you: he that doeth ri!hteousness is ri!hteous# even as he is ri!hteous. >e that co itteth sin is of the devil" for the devil

&&2

&&7

&&&&'

&&. &&)

&&,

7.
sinneth fro the be!innin!. +or this purpose the Son of God was anifested# that he i!ht destroy the wor1s of the devil. 6hosoever is born of God doth not co it sin" for his seed re aineth in hi : and he cannot sin# because he is born of God. %& Bohn 2:-(,* 6hereby are !iven unto us e4ceedin! !reat and precious pro ises: that by these ye i!ht be parta1ers of the divine nature# havin! escaped the corruption that is in the world throu!h lust. %/ Peter &:7* This I say then# 6al1 in the Spirit# and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. %Galatians -:&'* The re nant of Israel shall not do ini8uity# nor spea1 lies" neither shall a deceitful ton!ue be found in their outh: for they shall feed and lie down# and none shall a1e the afraid. %Lephaniah 2:&2* >ere is the patience of the saints: here are they that 1eep the co and ents of God# and the faith of Besus. %?evelation &7:&/* &/@ +or even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us# leavin! us an e4a ple# that ye should follow his steps: 6ho did no sin# neither was !uile found in his outh. %& Peter /:/&(//* That we henceforth be no ore children# tossed to and fro# and carried about with every wind of doctrine# by the slei!ht of en# and cunnin! craftiness# whereby they lie in wait to deceive" but spea1in! the truth in love# ay !row up into hi in all thin!s# which is the head# even Christ. %5phesians 7:&7(&-* +or the earth brin!eth forth fruit of herself" first the blade# then the ear# after that the full corn in the ear. %3ar1 7:/)* Abide in e# and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself# e4cept it abide in the vine" no ore can ye# e4cept ye abide in e. I a the vine# ye are the branches: >e that abideth in e# and I in hi # the sa e brin!eth forth uch fruit: for without e ye can do nothin!. If a an abide not in e# he is cast forth as a branch# and is withered" and en !ather the # and cast the into the fire# and they are burned. If ye abide in e# and y words abide in you# ye shall as1 what ye will# and it shall be done unto you. >erein is y +ather !lorified# that ye bear uch fruit" so shall ye be y disciples. As the +ather hath loved e# so have I loved you: continue ye in y love. If ye 1eep y co and ents# ye shall abide in y love" even as I have 1ept y +ather9s co and ents# and abide in his love. %Bohn &-:7(&@* If ye love e# 1eep y co and ents. %Bohn &7:&-* 5ven the Spirit of truth" who the world cannot receive# because it seeth hi not# neither 1noweth hi : but ye 1now hi " for he dwelleth with you# and shall be in you. %Bohn &7:&.* >e that hath y co and ents# and 1eepeth the # he it is that loveth e: and he that loveth e shall be loved of y +ather# and I will love hi # and will anifest yself to hi . %Bohn &7:/&* ;et this ind be in you# which was also in Christ Besus. %Philippians /:-* >e that eateth y flesh# and drin1eth y blood# dwelleth in e# and I in hi . %Bohn ':-'* >ereby 1now we that we dwell in hi # and he in us# because he hath !iven us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the +ather sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. 6hosoever shall confess that Besus is the Son of God# God dwelleth in hi # and he in God. And we have 1nown and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love" and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God# and God in hi . %& Bohn 7:&2(&'* +or I a not asha ed of the !ospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth" to the Bew first# and also to the Gree1. %?o ans &:&'* Sinless perfection is God9s ideal for >is children. . . . This will be realiGed with the return of Christ# not before. %5dward >eppenstall# 7erfection# p. '7*

&/&

&//

&/2

&/7

7)
The $ible reEects every possibility of our reachin! sinless perfection in this life. %Ibid.# p. .-.* &/Hot every one that saith unto e# ;ord# ;ord# shall enter into the 1in!do of heaven" but he that doeth the will of y +ather which is in heaven. 3any will say to e in that day# ;ord# ;ord# have we not prophesied in thy na eD and in thy na e have cast out devilsD and in thy na e done any wonderful wor1sD And then will I profess unto the # I never 1new you: depart fro e# ye that wor1 ini8uity. %3atthew .:/&(/2* $ut your ini8uities have separated between you and your God# and your sins have hid his face fro you# that he will not hear. %Isaiah -,:/* +or whatsoever is born of God overco eth the world: and this is the victory that overco eth the world# even our faith. %& Bohn -:7* $ehold# all souls are ine" as the soul of the father# so also the soul of the son is ine: the soul that sinneth# it shall die. . . . The soul that sinneth# it shall die. The son shall not bear the ini8uity of the father# neither shall the father bear the ini8uity of the son: the ri!hteousness of the ri!hteous shall be upon hi # and the wic1edness of the wic1ed shall be upon hi . . . . $ut when the ri!hteous turneth away fro his ri!hteousness# and co itteth ini8uity# and doeth accordin! to all the abo inations that the wic1ed an doeth# shall he liveD All his ri!hteousness that he hath done shall not be entioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed# and in his sin that he hath sinned# in the shall he die. %5Ge1iel &):7# /@# /7* Son of an# I have ade thee a watch an unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at y outh# and !ive the warnin! fro e. 6hen I say unto the wic1ed# Thou shalt surely die" and thou !ivest hi not warnin!# nor spea1est to warn the wic1ed fro his wic1ed way# to save his life" the sa e wic1ed an shall die in his ini8uity" but his blood will I re8uire at thine hand. 0et if thou warn the wic1ed# and he turn not fro his wic1edness# nor fro his wic1ed way# he shall die in his ini8uity" but thou hast delivered thy soul. %5Ge1iel 2:&.(&,* So thou# F son of an# I have set thee a watch an unto the house of Israel" therefore thou shalt hear the word at y outh# and warn the fro e. 6hen I say unto the wic1ed# F wic1ed an# thou shalt surely die" if thou dost not spea1 to warn the wic1ed fro his way# that wic1ed an shall die in his ini8uity" but his blood will I re8uire at thine hand. Hevertheless# if thou warn the wic1ed of his way to turn fro it" if he do not turn fro his way# he shall die in his ini8uity" but thou hast delivered thy soul. %5Ge1iel 22:.(,* 6or1 with all your i!ht to save your own souls and the souls of others. It is no ti e now to cry# <Peace and safety.= It is not silver-ton!ued orators that are needed to !ive this essa!e. The truth in all its pointed severity ust be spo1en. 3en of action are needed -- en who will labor with earnest# ceaseless ener!y for the purifyin! of the church and the warnin! of the world. %Testi onies# vol. -# p. &).* Greenleaf# 0ight 2earers# p. 7-' >avin! therefore these pro ises# dearly beloved# let us cleanse ourselves fro all filthiness of the flesh and spirit# perfectin! holiness in the fear of God. %/ Corinthians .:&* How unto hi that is able to 1eep you fro fallin!# and to present IyouJ faultless before the presence of his !lory with e4ceedin! Eoy. %Bude /7* Therefore bein! Eustified by faith# we have peace with God throu!h our ;ord Besus ChristQ3uch ore then# bein! now Eustified by his blood# we shall be saved fro wrath throu!h hi . %?o ans -:&# ,* To open their eyes# and to turn the fro dar1ness to li!ht# and fro the power of Satan unto God# that they ay receive for!iveness of sins# and inheritance a on! the which are sanctified by faith that is in e. %Acts /':&)* $y the which will we are sanctified throu!h the offerin! of the body of Besus Christ once for all. %>ebrews &@:&@*

&/'

&/. &/)

&/,

7,
$ut we are bound to !ive than1s alway to God for you# brethren beloved of the ;ord# because God hath fro the be!innin! chosen you to salvation throu!h sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. %/ Thessalonians /:&2* 5lect accordin! to the fore1nowled!e of God the +ather# throu!h sanctification of the Spirit# unto obedience and sprin1lin! of the blood of Besus Christ: Grace unto you# and peace# be ultiplied. %& Peter &:/* &2@ &2& How then it is no ore I that do it# but sin that dwelleth in e. %?o ans .:&.* I a crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live" yet not I# but Christ liveth in e: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God# who loved e# and !ave hi self for e. %Galatians /:/@* I than1 God throu!h Besus Christ our ;ord. So then with the ind I yself serve the law of GodQ %?o ans .:/-* There is therefore now no conde nation to the which are in Christ Besus# who wal1 not after the flesh# but after the Spirit. +or the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Besus hath ade e free fro the law of sin and death. +or what the law could not do# in that it was wea1 throu!h the flesh# God sendin! his own Son in the li1eness of sinful flesh# and for sin# conde ned sin in the flesh: That the ri!hteousness of the law i!ht be fulfilled in us# who wal1 not after the flesh# but after the Spirit. %?o ans ):&-7* 6ho shall separate us fro the love of ChristD shall tribulation# or distress# or persecution# or fa ine# or na1edness# or peril# or swordD As it is written# +or thy sa1e we are 1illed all the day lon!" we are accounted as sheep for the slau!hter. Hay# in all these thin!s we are ore than con8uerors throu!h hi that loved us. +or I a persuaded# that neither death# nor life# nor an!els# nor principalities# nor powers# nor thin!s present# nor thin!s to co e# Hor hei!ht# nor depth# nor any other creature# shall be able to separate us fro the love of God# which is in Christ Besus our ;ord. %?o ans ):2--2,* Besus answered# Perily# verily# I say unto thee# 54cept a an be born of water and of the Spirit# he cannot enter into the 1in!do of God. %Bohn 2:-* 6hosoever co itteth sin trans!resseth also the law: for sin is the trans!ression of the law. %& Bohn 2:7* $ehold# I was shapen in ini8uity# and in sin did -&:-* y other conceive e. %Psal

&2/

&22 &27 &2&2'

The soul that sinneth# it shall die. The son shall not bear the ini8uity of the father# neither shall the father bear the ini8uity of the son: the ri!hteousness of the ri!hteous shall be upon hi # and the wic1edness of the wic1ed shall be upon hi . $ut if the wic1ed will turn fro all his sins that he hath co itted# and 1eep all y statutes# and do that which is lawful and ri!ht# he shall surely live# he shall not die. All his trans!ressions that he hath co itted# they shall not be entioned unto hi : in his ri!hteousness that he hath done he shall live. >ave I any pleasure at all that the wic1ed should dieD saith the ;ord GFD: and not that he should return fro his ways# and liveD $ut when the ri!hteous turneth away fro his ri!hteousness# and co itteth ini8uity# and doeth accordin! to all the abo inations that the wic1ed an doeth# shall he liveD All his ri!hteousness that he hath done shall not be entioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed# and in his sin that he hath sinned# in the shall he die. %5Ge1iel &):/@-/7* Besus said unto the # If ye were blind# ye should have no sin: but now ye say# 6e see" therefore your sin re aineth. %Bohn ,:7&* If I had not co e and spo1en unto the # they had not had sin: but now they have no cloa1 for their sin. %Bohn &-://* Therefore to hi that 1noweth to do !ood# and doeth it not# to hi it is sin. %Ba es 7:&.* And the ti es of this i!norance God win1ed at" but now co andeth all en every where to repent. %Acts &.:2@*

&2.

-@
&2) And the dra!on was wroth with the wo an# and went to a1e war with the re nant of her seed# which 1eep the co and ents of God# and have the testi ony of Besus Christ. %?evelation &/:&.* And I fell at his feet to worship hi . And he said unto e# See thou do it not: I a thy fellowservant# and of thy brethren that have the testi ony of Besus: worship God: for the testi ony of Besus is the spirit of prophecy. %?evelation &,:&@* Cndisclosed authors# Insert in Adventist Review# Hove ber -# &,,/# p. ) Ibid. ?ussell and Colin Standish# The Twenty-eight *unda entals6 A!ostasy 7roclai ed in Silence# >i!hwood $oo1s# Australia# /@@-# pp. /-# /' Ibid. pp. /'-/, 1ssues" The Seventh-day Adventist Church and Certain 7rivate )inistries# p. &@, +or what the law could not do# in that it was wea1 throu!h the flesh# God sendin! his own Son in the li1eness of sinful flesh# and for sin# conde ned sin in the flesh: That the ri!hteousness of the law i!ht be fulfilled in us# who wal1 not after the flesh# but after the Spirit. %?o ans ):2# 7* +or verily he too1 not on hi the nature of an!els" but he too1 on hi the seed of Abraha . 6herefore in all thin!s it behoved hi to be ade li1e unto his brethren# that he i!ht be a erciful and faithful hi!h priest in thin!s pertainin! to God# to a1e reconciliation for the sins of the people. %>ebrews /:&'# &.* The hu anity of the Son of God is everythin! to us. It is the !olden chain that binds our souls to Christ# and throu!h Christ to God. %Selected )essages# Pol. &# p. /77* 6hosoever co itteth sin trans!resseth also the law: for sin is the trans!ression of the law. %& Bohn 2:7* 6hat shall we say thenD is the law sinD God forbid. Hay# I had not 1nown sin# but by the law: for I had not 1nown lust# e4cept the law had said# Thou shalt not covet. %?o ans .:.* $ut whoso loo1eth into the perfect law of liberty# and continueth therein# he bein! not a for!etful hearer# but a doer of the wor1# this an shall be blessed in his deed. %Ba es &:/-* So spea1 ye# and so do# as they that shall be Eud!ed by the law of liberty. %Ba es /:&/* $ut your ini8uities have separated between you and your God# and your sins have hid his face fro you# that he will not hear. %Isaiah -,:/* $ut we are bound to !ive than1s alway to God for you# brethren beloved of the ;ord# because God hath fro the be!innin! chosen you to salvation throu!h sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. %/ Thessalonians /:&2* 5lect accordin! to the fore1nowled!e of God the +ather# throu!h sanctification of the Spirit# unto obedience and sprin1lin! of the blood of Besus Christ: Grace unto you# and peace# be ultiplied. %& Peter &:/* Seventh-day Adventists 2elieve# p. //& Ibid. p. //7 Ibid. p. 2&Ibid. p. 7' Ibid. p. 7. Ibid.# endnote &/# p. -. Signs of the Ti es# Dece ber 2# &,@/

&2, &7@ &7& &7/ &72 &77

&7&7'

&7. &7)

&7, &-@ &-& &-/ &-2 &-7 &--

-&
&-' &-. &-) &-, &'@ Selected )essages# boo1 2# p. &/) The Seventh-day Adventist 2i#le Co p. -''--'. Seventh-day Adventists 2elieve# p. 7. The 5den paradise# the patriarchal syste # the 3osaic education# the schools of the prophets# the rabbinical schools# the syna!o!ue schools# the Celtic schools# the schools of the 6aldensians# the >u!uenots# the Albe!enses# the ?efor ation schools# the schools which arose under the holiness ove ent of 6esley:all drifted into apostasy or were destroyed. Cnli1e en such as Bustin 3artyr %born about &@@ AD*# Tatian %second century AD*# Cle ent of Ale4andria %&-@(/&-*# and Fri!en %&)7(/-7*# all of whose bac1!round was Gree1# Platonian %Plato:7/.( 27.* andNor Aristotelian %Aristotle:2)7(2// $C* Pa!anis # Au!ustine9s bac1!round was 3anichaeis . 3ani %/&-(/.7 AD# also called 3anes or 3anichaeus* atte pted to < arry= the pa!an Loroastrianis of the Persians and $uddhis of India with Christianity. 3ani viewed the world <as a fusion of spirit and atter# the ori!inal contrary principles of !ood and evil respectively= %<3ani#= Encyclo!edia 2ritannica6 /@@. edition*# as concepts of the conEunction of the 1in!do of the li!ht %!ood* and the 1in!do of dar1ness %evil*. >e believed that the soul is part of the 1in!do of li!ht. It is trapped inside the body# and it yearns to escape the body# but the escape can only occur at death. %World 2oo$# &,,, edition# vol. &2# &7&* 3anichaeis incorporated so e of the sa e characteristics as Gree1 pa!anis # such as the balancin! of the polar opposites in the universe. Au!ustine# hi self# also atte pted to base Christian theolo!y upon facets of the philosophy of the Gree1 Plato# no doubt as a result of studyin! the Heo-Platonist philosophies as a youn! an in Cartha!e early in the 2)@s. See <Au!ustine N The City of God#= Encyclo!edia 2ritannica# /@@2 ed.# vol. &# p. .@@ Ibid. +or if by one an9s offence death rei!ned by one" uch ore they which receive abundance of !race and of the !ift of ri!hteousness shall rei!n in life by one# Besus Christ. %?o ans -:&.* +or by !race are ye saved throu!h faith" and that not of yourselves: it is the !ift of God: not of wor1s# lest any an should boast. %5phesians /:)(,* And if it see evil unto you to serve the ;F?D# choose you this day who ye will serve" whether the !ods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood# or the !ods of the A orites# in whose land ye dwell: but as for e and y house# we will serve the ;F?D. %Boshua /7:&-* And 5liEah ca e unto all the people# and said# >ow lon! halt ye between two opinionsD if the ;F?D be God# follow hi : but if $aal# then follow hi . And the people answered hi not a word. %& Ain!s &):/&* $ut one thin! is needful: and 3ary hath chosen that !ood part# which shall not be ta1en away fro her. %;u1e &@:7/* Co e unto e# all ye that labour and are heavy laden# and I will !ive you rest. %3atthew &&:/)* All that the +ather !iveth e shall co e to e" and hi that co eth to e I will in no wise cast out. %Bohn ':2.* And the Spirit and the bride say# Co e. And let hi that heareth say# Co e. And let hi that is athirst co e. And whosoever will# let hi ta1e the water of life freely. %?evelation //:&.* The ;ord is not slac1 concernin! his pro ise# as so e en count slac1ness" but is lon!sufferin! to us-ward# not willin! that any should perish# but that all should co e to repentance. %/ Peter 2:,* 6herefore he is able also to save the to the utter ost that co e unto God by hi # seein! he ever liveth to a1e intercession for the . %>ebrews .:/-* entary# vol. &# p. &@)-. See also Testi onies# vol. '# p. &7." vol. 2#

Review and Herald# Dece ber &-# &),'.

&'&

&'/ &'2 &'7

&'-

-/
+or if by one an9s offence death rei!ned by one" uch ore they which receive abundance of !race and of the !ift of ri!hteousness shall rei!n in life by one# Besus Christ. %?o ans -:&." e phasis added* &'' $ehold# all souls are ine" as the soul of the father# so also the soul of the son is ine: the soul that sinneth# it shall die. . . . The soul that sinneth# it shall die. The son shall not bear the ini8uity of the father# neither shall the father bear the ini8uity of the son: the ri!hteousness of the ri!hteous shall be upon hi # and the wic1edness of the wic1ed shall be upon hi . $ut if the wic1ed will turn fro all his sins that he hath co itted# and 1eep all y statutes# and do that which is lawful and ri!ht# he shall surely live# he shall not die. All his trans!ressions that he hath co itted# they shall not be entioned unto hi : in his ri!hteousness that he hath done he shall live. >ave I any pleasure at all that the wic1ed should dieD saith the ;ord GFD: and not that he should return fro his ways# and liveD $ut when the ri!hteous turneth away fro his ri!hteousness# and co itteth ini8uity# and doeth accordin! to all the abo inations that the wic1ed an doeth# shall he liveD All his ri!hteousness that he hath done shall not be entioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed# and in his sin that he hath sinned# in the shall he die. %5Ge1iel &):7# /@(/7* +or it is i possible for those who were once enli!htened# and have tasted of the heavenly !ift# and were ade parta1ers of the >oly Ghost# and have tasted the !ood word of God# and the powers of the world to co e# if they shall fall away# to renew the a!ain unto repentance" seein! they crucify to the selves the Son of God afresh# and put hi to an open sha e. %>ebrews ':7('* +or by !race are ye saved throu!h faith" and that not of yourselves: it is the !ift of God: not of wor1s# lest any an should boast. +or we are his wor1 anship# created in Christ Besus unto !ood wor1s# which God hath before ordained that we should wal1 in the . %5phesians /:)(&@* +or the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Besus hath ade e free fro the law of sin and death. +or what the law could not do# in that it was wea1 throu!h the flesh# God sendin! his own Son in the li1eness of sinful flesh# and for sin# conde ned sin in the flesh: that the ri!hteousness of the law i!ht be fulfilled in us# who wal1 not after the flesh# but after the Spirit. %?o ans ):/(7* 6hosoever co itteth sin trans!resseth also the law: for sin is the trans!ression of the law. %& Bohn 2:7* And the ti es of this i!norance God win1ed at" but now co andeth all en every where to repent. %Acts &.:2@* Therefore to hi that 1noweth to do !ood# and doeth it not# to hi it is sin. %Ba es 7:&.* Besus said unto the # If ye were blind# ye should have no sin: but now ye say# 6e see" therefore your sin re aineth. %Bohn ,:7&* If I had not co e and spo1en unto the # they had not had sin: but now they have no clo1e for their sin. %Bohn &-://* And the ti es of this i!norance God win1ed at" but now co andeth all en every where to repent. %Acts &.:2@* Therefore to hi that 1noweth to do !ood# and doeth it not# to hi it is sin. %Ba es 7:&.* >ow shall we escape# if we ne!lect so !reat salvation" which at the first be!an to be spo1en by the ;ord# and was confir ed unto us by the that heard hi D %>ebrews /:2* 6ho can have co passion on the i!norant# and on the that are out of the way" for that he hi self also is co passed with infir ity. %>ebrews -:/* Co in!# as >e did# as a an# to eet and be subEected to N with all the tendencies to which an is heir# wor1in! in every conceivable anner to destroy >is faith# >e ade it

&'.

&')

&',

-2
possible for >i self to be buffeted by hu an a!encies inspired by Satan. %;etter A-2@2# &,@2* Christ declared# where stands Satan9s throne# there shall stand 3y cross# the instru ent of hu iliation and sufferin!. Ho sin!le principle of hu an nature will I violate. Clothin! 3y divinity with hu ility# I will endure every te ptation wherewith an is beset. %)anuscri!t Releases# vol. -# p. &&7* >e left the !lories of heaven# and clothed his divinity with hu anity# and subEected hi self to sorrow# and sha e# and reproach# abuse# denial# and crucifi4ion. Thou!h he had all the stren!th of the passion of hu anity# never did he yield to te ptation to do that which was not pure and elevatin! and ennoblin!. %Signs of the Ti es# Hove ber /&# &),/* &.@ +or even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us# leavin! us an e4a ple# that ye should follow his steps: who did no sin# neither was !uile found in his outh. %& Peter /:/&(//* And the 6ord was ade flesh# and dwelt a on! us# %and we beheld his !lory# the !lory as of the only be!otten of the +ather#* full of !race and truth. %Bohn &:&7* Concernin! his Son Besus Christ our ;ord# which was ade of the seed of David accordin! to the flesh. %?o ans &:2* +or what the law could not do# in that it was wea1 throu!h the flesh# God sendin! his own Son in the li1eness of sinful flesh# and for sin# conde ned sin in the flesh. %?o ans ):2* $ut when the fulness of the ti e was co e# God sent forth his Son# ade of a wo an# ade under the law# to redee the that were under the law# that we i!ht receive the adoption of sons. %Galatians 7:7(-* And without controversy !reat is the ystery of !odliness: God was anifest in the flesh# Eustified in the Spirit# seen of an!els# preached unto the Gentiles# believed on in the world# received up into !lory. %& Ti othy 2:&'* +oras uch then as the children are parta1ers of flesh and blood# he also hi self li1ewise too1 part of the sa e" that throu!h death he i!ht destroy hi that had the power of death# that is# the devil" and deliver the who throu!h fear of death were all their lifeti e subEect to bonda!e. +or verily he too1 not on hi the nature of an!els" but he too1 on hi the seed of Abraha . 6herefore in all thin!s it behoved hi to be ade li1e unto his brethren# that he i!ht be a erciful and faithful hi!h priest in thin!s pertainin! to God# to a1e reconciliation for the sins of the people. +or in that he hi self hath suffered bein! te pted# he is able to succour the that are te pted. %>ebrews /:&7( &)* +or we have not an hi!h priest which cannot be touched with the feelin! of our infir ities" but was in all points te pted li1e as we are# yet without sin. %>ebrews 7:&-* ;eonard Perduin# The Refor ers and their Ste!children %Sarasota# +;: The Christian >y nary Publishers*# &,'7# pp. /&('/ World 2oo$ Encyclo!edia# &,,,# vol. &# p. )))# and vol. &-# p. .27# also Encyclo!edia 2ritannica# /@@2 ed.# vol. ,# '.2. Ibid. And I saw another an!el ascendin! fro the east# havin! the seal of the livin! God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four an!els# to who it was !iven to hurt the earth and the sea# sayin!# >urt not the earth# neither the sea# nor the trees# till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. %?evelation .:/(2* Thus saith the ;F?D# Stand ye in the ways# and see# and as1 for the old paths# where is the !ood way# and wal1 therein# and ye shall find rest for your souls. $ut they said# 6e will not wal1 therein. %Bere iah ':&'*

&.&

&./ &.2 &.7 &.-

&.'

-7
&.. of &.) &., $eware lest any an spoil you throu!h philosophy and vain deceit# after the tradition en# after the rudi ents of the world# and not after Christ. %Colossians /:)*

Colossians /:) Sanctified 0ife# p. )-

--

Anda mungkin juga menyukai