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7/26/2019 Our Firm Foundation -1987_04
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The Everlasting Gospel
;
r
Ammutable Law of God
ur ound tion
Vol 1
No 6
April
1986
Ihc
Secret
Of
Self control
1hc FIe h
Versus The pirit
Teach Us
To
Pray
Well
With
Your
Soul?
Diagno ing
Doctrinal Douht
firm
Unto
The End
I
Obedienc 0
ible?
p
7/26/2019 Our Firm Foundation -1987_04
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L TT RS TO TH
ITOR
With
thc cxccption of Ellen White 's
writings, I
havc
not so
thoroughly cn-
joyed rcading
anything
more t ha n th e
n t rodu to ry i ssu of your
publication.
I
hcar t hc
trumpet bcing
given a
certain sound. Pra ise the Lord.
Mrs. G.
Evcret t Stirk
Lawrcnecburg,
Kentucky
Hallclujah
Amen
Oh, what
a
rejoicing of my heart
in
reading
the
latcst of
Gllr Firm Ollndation I know
that Jcsus
is
rcjoicing
to sce
His
childrcn proclaiming
His
truth.
Jesus
and
His
Spirit are or
have takcn
ehargc of the work
is
hard
to
pinpoint which
article I
enjoyed
most.
The
Lord blessed each one.
will
sin gl c o ut
Brother
Priebe's
article
Two
Gospels Bencath The Surface.
His
thoughts rca lly rc inforced in
my
mind thc be aut ifu l trut hs o f
right-
eous
living.
Our subscription
to
your magazine
is
the bcst investment that we
have
made in a
long
time.
Thank you
for a ll ow ing Jesus
to
use you
at
this
time.
Louisc
Champen
Ardmorc, Tcnnessee
We havc been recciving Gllr Firm
Ollndation magazine
since
it began,
and we
love
it
[t
teaches ou r
wonder-
ful
messages in a
straight, positive
way.
Thcrc
is a
power behind these
articles-for
there
is power in
the
truth.
And
it 's so
positive
No
.:riticism
Thank you-we are being
fcd. I so
hope
that
every
SDA
receivcs
lhis-we
gave your addre ss and
a
good
recommcndation
to all of ou r
Adven-
tist friends
soon after
we
got
t he f ir st
issuc.
And
I
want to te ll
you
that my
husband , who
doesn' t rcad
magazines
(thcy
secm a
wastc
of
timc for him-
he'd
rathcr
read the
Bible
or
a book)
rcads every
word of
this
one
( I've of-
tcn
wondcrcd
why our o ther publica-
tions don't
print EGW's
articles )
Steve
and Anne
Sacora
Sedalia,
Kentucky
2 l l r i rm llndation April, 1986
My
dccpest appreciation
gocs to
God
for inspiring you
to print a
magazinc
of
this quality.
Thank you,
to
al l
involved
in
the
making of this paper,
Gllr
Firm
Ollndation You may add
my name
to
your
mailing
list.
am stirred
to
t he bot tom
of my
heart with the
messages
in the
Firm
Ollndation know God
is
working
t hrough i t
to
call
others
attention to
thc
coming
of
Him who
we
love and
scrve.
Oh
that
had
a
voice l oud
enough that
evc ryone for
miles and
miles
around
would
hear the
call
to
return
to
God, bu t
am just
a
little
dot
on
thc facc of
this
world. Pray
that my lig ht may
shinc
bright
and
stcady
to
all
I
come in contact with.
I
can
usc 50
copies or more
a
month.
am giv ing
one day
a
week
to
God 's work, p lus every opportunity
in
between
timcs.
Clarcncc
Kelley
Louisa,
Kcntucky
We as a
people
of this
Church,
God's t rue Church, need
a
light such
as
t hi s magazine
is, to
help
us
find
and hang
on
to
truth.
My
prayers are
with
you.
Darrell Jcwkes
Collegc
Hcights, Alberta , Canada
A
Change
Staff
For those rcaders
who g ive speci al
attcntion
to
t he l is ti ng
of
personnel
ins ide the front cover,
a
short note of
explanation
is in order.
Vince
Chris-
tcnscn a nd Char les
Lawson bel ieve
the Lord has
called
them to
work
with Uni ted
Prison Minist ry.
Limits
of
time
and
location
make it
impos-
sible
for them
to
carryon
this
en-
deavor while continuing
to
function
as Managing Editor an d
Design
Director
fo r Glir Firm Ollndation
The Lord has
blessed thei r ef for ts
here at Hope Int erna ti onal , and
we
arc thankful fo r
the
good
ground-
work they
helped to
lay in th e e ar ly
days of
the
paper. We pray that He
will
give them
grace and wisdom in
their new
work.-EDlTORS.
I have recently
read Dave Fiedler 's
article
in
the
January,
1986, issue
of
Gllr Firm
FOllndation Peace
Or
Picces.
was
well
wr itten , bu t the
picccs do not
al l
fi t together.
God
called His
people
out
of
dcnominationalism
to be
His Rem-
nant
Peoplc-never
to
become another
denomination. Denominationalism
is
no t of Christ ,
no r
is it
of
th e
Reformation.
is of th e
devil ,
anothcr
of his
dcv ices t o
cause
divi-
sion
among God's
people.
[EDITORS OMMENT
The wri te r o f the
above
lctter
is
poorly
represented
in
thc short
section we
have reprinted-
therefore we
have
chosen to withhold
his namc.
The le tte r,
as a whole,.
shows
concern an d compassion
fo r
God's
people.
These a re s en timent s
with which
we can
heartily
concur.
However
we
must
go
on
record
as
strongly
disag reeing with the above
thoughts.
Though
we
bel ieve it obv ious that
having
one's name
on the
church
books
is no
guarantec
of
salvation,
we
must confess our b el ie f that the
Scvcnth-day Advent is t Church was
cspecially
ordained and denominated
of God
for t he f in ishing
of
His work.
As
a
people,
we ar e
looked
upon
as
peculiar. Ou r position and
faith
dist inguish
us
from
every
other
denomination.
Testimonies vol. 5, 138
Wc
receive into o ur [medical] in-
stitutions people
of
all
denominations.
But as
fo r
oursclves we
ar e strictly
denominational. Testimonies
vol. 7,
109
(emphasis ours)
We
believe t ha t e rr or lies
on both
sides. While we
c anno t acce pt
the
growing trend
to e ra se the
peculiar
features
of
ou r
faith
which d is ti n-
guish
us as a
people, neither can
we
neglect
ou r p ro pe r
relationship
to
God's dcnomina ted remnant. Simply
put,
wc
support
every
aspect of
the
church
except
apostasy.]
7/26/2019 Our Firm Foundation -1987_04
3/32
able ontents
is
the mission of
Hope
Interna-
tional
and
the
editors
of ur irm
Foul/dation
to give the straight tes-
timony
and to
present
Chris t and
Him
c ruci fi ed . The
days that yet
remain
of this world arc few, and what
we
do wc must
do quickly.
Wc must
boldly proclaim the t ru th s that place
us
on
so
firm
a foundation in the
midst
of
this
troubled
world.-THE
EDITORS
Vol . 1 ,
No.6
ARTICLES
April ,I986
The Great ControHrsy Ellen G.
White
An enlightening view of the original batt le
Russell
and
Colin Standish
Our Words
Ellen
G.
White
Let the wor ds
of
my mouth be acceptable in Th y sight
Edi to r Ron Spear
Managing
Editor Dave Fiedler
Associate
Editor Vern Jennings
Assistant
Editor
Joseph Leatherman
Copy
Editor
Lila Rae Frederick
Editorial Secretary Clarissa Ficdler
Contributing Editors
Colin
Standish,
Ralph
Larson,
Dennis
Priebe
Ar t
Director
Bob
Bresnahan
Photography
Wes
Lawson
Typography Phyllis
Covington
Circulation Joseph Leatherman
TO
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i rm
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Your donat ion is
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The Secr et O f Self -control
Practical guidelines for
singles
Is Obedience Possible?
The age-old question
Th e
Flesh
Versus The Spi ri t
A closer look at
reform
Teach
Us
To Pray
How to be more effectual in prayer
Faith
And
Good Works
The inseperable
duo
Intelligent,
Constructive
onconformity
Nine
antidotes for peer
pressure
Is Well
With You r Sou l?
A call to prepare fo r
the
judgment
Diagnosing
Doctrinal Doubts
From the book Reaping
Tire
Whirlwind
Firm
Unto
Th e End
Lay
ho ld on Truth
and never
let
go
Flight 5
All went well until
Ralph Larson
Ellen G. White
Ron
Spear
Ellen
G.
White
Patrick Hogan
El le n G. Whit e
Jo e
Crews
Ellen G. \ \ h ite
Vince
Christensen
5
6
8
12
16
18
2
22
5
26
28
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DEPARTME TS
Letters to t he Edi to r 2
lelange
Editorial
4 Line Upon L in e
Looking Back 19
Berea
Food For Thought 24
29
3
31
Copyright
1986
Hope International
I ,itation
To Writers
We
a re accep ti ng manuscr ip ts for possible publication
in future
editions of
ur
irm
Foul/datiol/
Accep tance o r r ej ec ti on
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April , I986 Our irm Foulldatioll
7/26/2019 Our Firm Foundation -1987_04
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ditori l
We have reached
the most
impor-
tant ho ur in
the h is to ry
of the
world
and of t he Church.
A nd
many
false
prophets shall
rise,
and shall deceive
many.
And
because
iniquity
shall
abound , th e love
of
many
shal l wax
cold. But he that shall
endure
unto
the end, the same shall
be
saved.
Matthew
24:11, 12, 3
The Gospel writers foretold
that
one of
the
grea t signs of
the end
would
be
f al se p rophets ; who would
deceive many. In
every generation
of
the his tory o f the Church
some
have
arisen
claiming the g ift of
prophecy.
But as we see the
ful fi ll ing o f
Mat-
thew
24
in end-time events
within
the
Seventh-day
Adven ti st Church, the re
will be many
false prophets.
Today,
without question, this pr ophecy is
being
fulfilled.
From recent tapes and
printed
material we
understand
there ar e
about 20 Seventh-day Adventists
that
are
claiming
t his g if t.
They arc all
acquain ted with one
another
and are
all
involved
in a del iverance
ministry.
After listening to one of
the tap es
and r eadi ng some
of
the
material
that
accompanied
it ,
we
were
convinced
that
the language
and
the phraseology were
not f rom divine
inspira tion.
The predictions
made
of the
d estru cti on o f
c ities, m ain ly
in
Cal ifornia, a re the predictions
of
El-
len G. White,
from her published and
unpublished
visions. But
t he dev il
is
th e master of playing both ends
against the middle.
When these
pre-
dictions
are
even tua l ly fu lf i ll ed,
which they will
be ,
these self-
proclaimed prophets will c la im them
as
proof
of
their
prophetic
gifts.
But
be
not
deceived; a movement is
in
the
making
that
will carry many into
apostasy and destruction.
God gives
this
warning through
genuine inspiration: T he l ight given
me has been very forcible that
many
would go ou t from us, giving heed to
seducing
spirits a nd doc tr in es of
devils. The
Lord des ires
that
every
soul
who c la ims
to
believe
the
truth
shall have an intelligent knowledge
of what
is truth.
False prophe ts
will
arise and will
dece iv e many . Every-
llr
irm Ollndation April, 1986
thing
is to be shaken that
can
be
sh ak en . T he n does it not become
everyone to understand the reasons
of
ou r
faith? Selected essages Book 2,
39
Le t
none c her is h th e
idea
tha t
special
providences
or
miraculous
manifestations are to be
the
p roo f o f
the
genuineness
of their
work
or
of
t he ideas th ey advocate . If
we
keep
these
things
before
the
people,
they
will p roduce a n
evil
effect,
an un-
healthful
emotion. The genuine work-
ing
of the
Holy
Spirit
on
human
hearts is
promised,
to give efficiency
through the
Word. Christ
has declared
the
Word to be s pi ri t a nd
life.
Th e
earth shal l be f i l led with the
knowledge
of
the
glory
of
Jehovah, as
the waters cover the
sea. Habakkuk
2:14,
RV
Satan will
work in
a most
subtle
manner to i nt roduce human inven-
tions clothed with angel garments.
But
the
l ight f rom the Word is
shin-
ing amid the moral darknes s; and the
Bible will
never
be
superseded
by
miraculous manifestations. The
truth
must be studied,
it must
be
searched
fo r
as
hidden t reasure. Wonderful
il-
luminations will
not
be
g iven a side
f rom the Word,
or
to t ake the
place
of
it.
Cling
to
the
Word,
receive the in-
grafted Word,
which
will
make
men
wise unto salva tion. This is the
mean-
ing
of
the
words
of
Christ in regard
to eating
His f lesh
and d rink ing
His
blood.
And
He says, This is life
eternal,
that
they m ig ht know Thee
the only
true God, and Jesus
Christ,
whom thou
hast sent. (John
17:3)
We shall encounter false claims;
false
prophets
will
arise; there
will be
false
dreams and
false
visions; bu t
preach the
Word, be
not
drawn
away
from the
voice of God in His Word.
Let
nothing divert the
mind.
The
wonderful,
the
marvelous, will be
represented and presented.
Through
satanic
delusions,
wonderful
miracles,
the c la ims
of
human agents will be
urged.
Beware
of
all
this.
Christ has
given
warning, so that
none
need
accept
falsehood
fo r truth.
The only chann el th ro ugh which the
Spirit
operates
is t ha t o f
the
truth
Our faith and hope are founded,
not
in feeling,
but
in God.
ele ted
essagesBook 2, 48, 49
Ellen Whi te had to mee t fa lse
p rophet s i n her day .
Some individuals
believed a
young girl named
Anna
Garmire was receiving visions. Her
thoughts were gathered up
and
pub-
lished as
though
they accurately
r ef lec te d th e m ind
of
the
Lo rd. Bu t
God
used
the real
gift of
prophecy to
revea l the
error
in
this.
Anna Phillips
followed
in this
same track. She
too
was reproved,
whereupon
she
repented and became
a faithful follower
of
the truth.
A s a denomination we need to
look
more
continually
to God
fo r
guidance. We
are living
in an evil
age.
The
perils
of
the last days
are
upon
us. Because
iniquity
abounds , Sat an
presumes
to
bring in all kinds
of
delusive
theories upon
those who
have tried to
walk
humbly with God,
and who are
dist rus t fu l of
self. Shall
self-confident, fanatical men come to
these humble souls assuring them
that
they
are possessed of
evil spiri ts ,
and
after
praying with
them, affirm
that
the
devil is cast
out? Such
are no t the
manifestations of the Spirit of
God,
bu t of another spirit. ibid., 47
Then
how
can these manifesta-
tions of great
power, and
these
wonderful
impressions,
be accounted
for, except on
t he g round
that
they
arc given through the
i nf lu en ce o f
that
miracle-working
spirit that
has
gone forth
to deceive
the whole
world, and infatuate them with
strong delusion
that
they sha ll
believe
a lie? ibid., 49 (See also Selected
essages
Book 3, 378)
The arch deceiver
is
now prepar-
ing
a wave of fanaticism to sweep
over c hu rc he s, a nd many
will
be
swept away . We
cannot
depend
on
impressions
or emotions in this
crisis
hour.
We
must be
taught
moment by
moment by
the
Holy
Spirit.
I advise
al l to consider well these things
which are
now
coming u po n
th e
Church.
Ponder
the
lessons of
the ar-
t icle ent i t led he Great Con-
troversy, and g ive heed to
your ways
that
t he angel s may record you
as
one
of the Lord s faithful and wise.
R O SPE R EDITOR
7/26/2019 Our Firm Foundation -1987_04
5/32
The
Secret f
elf control
She was
young
an d
pretty. She
had just
been
through divorce proceed-
ings,
and
was
frightened.
The shock
and
stress
of
divorce, which
had
tem-
por ar il y benumbed her
natural feelings,
was
wearing away, and she
was now being
troubled
by sexual tensions.
She was astonished
and dismayed by
their
intensi ty. The
bleak
p ro sp ect o f si ng le life
that
s tretched before her
offered
no
relief.
She
was feeling increasingly
vulnerable, well
aware
of
t he dange rs that sur-
r ounded her in a pagan
soc ie ty f i l led with
predatory, conscienceless
males.
E ld er Lar son,
she
said, with tear-filled
eyes,
I m
afraid I can t
make it
living
alone.
I m
a fr ai d t ha t t empt at io n
will come and I will fall.
I hastened to
assure her that there
was no cause
fo r
such conce rn , and
explained
to
her how
to use
my secret
weapon
fo r
coping
with
sexual
tension. She
listened careful ly and
left , promising to
give
the weapon a
test.
About tw o weeks la ter sh e
returned,
smiling
ra di an tl y. E ld er
Larson, this works she exulted . I t
really works I m not afraid anymore.
Now I know I can liv e a lone success-
fully as long as I need to.
She had learned one
o f life s
most
urgently needed lessons,
how
to cope
with sexual tensions.
All
of
us humans, as we pass from
childhood to
maturity,
begin to ex-
perience sexual tensions. Learning
to
cope w ith them success fu l ly , and
direct
th e
sexual energies into
desirable channels, is one
of
the great
victories
of
life. A failure to cope
with them
successfully is
one
of
the
major
f ail ure s o f
life,
bringing
ex-
tremely negative results. There
is
something
profoundly depressing
about the thought that we do not
even
have mas te ry
over
our own
body, but are at the
mercy
of
feelings
Ral h arson
and tensions
from
which we
cannot
escape.
For
some, this struggle becomes
an
index to th e power
of
the Christian
faith. If faith doesn t give me a vic-
t ory here,
they
r eason, how
can it
give me a
vic tory anywhere?
And
how
can
religion be real?
They are
thus
led f rom discouragement to
despair about
Christianity
itself.
These
conclusions
are not
necessary.
Christianity
is real,
and
victory is possible. Here is a method
of
coping
with
sexual tensions that I
can recommend without reservation.
This
method
has been thoroughly
tested and
proven
in
my
own
experience,
and
I have
ta ught i t
to
countless o ther s, none
of
whom has
reported a
failure.
The apost le Pau1 tells us tha t the
word
of God
is
powerful.
(Hebrews
4:12) Ellen White writes, T he l if e of
Christ,
that
gives
life
to
the
world, is
in His word. The Desire of Ages
390) And
David
writes, T hy word
have
I
hid
in
mine
hearl
that I might not sin
agains t Thee.
Psalm
9: emph a s i s
supplied)
We can
hardly
refer to
anything
as being hidden
in our hearts if we have
to read
it out of
a book,
even th e Bible. And
unfortunately,
we
find
that we are capable of
reading
words
out of
a
book while our minds are
fa r
away.
Remember that
Jesus,
under
temptation,
quoted
the word of
God
to the tempter. He
di d
not read it.
t
was in
His
heart.
Therefore
do this:
Choose
a
rather
long
chapter of
the Bible
that
appeals to you, one
containing
f i f teen to
twenty verses. The
sub-
jec t mat t e r
is not
important,
because
th e
same
life and
power
of
Christ
are
in
every
chapter. I ha ve
long used
the
little
book
of Ju de for
th is v er y
purpose, because I espec ia lly l ike the
verses
with which it
closes.
Com mit
t
his
c
hap
t
t
0
memory. Know it
so wel l
that
you can
recite it
without
hesitation
at
any
time or in
any
circumstances.
This
may mean that you wil l need to prac-
tice it
at
t imes when you
don t
really
need it, just to keep it fresh in your
memory.
3 When t ro ub le d w ith
sexual
tensions,
simply
r ec it e t hi s c h p te r
f rom your memory you
are
alone,
recite it aloud. you are not a lone ,
recite
it silently,
in
your
own mind.
Your tensions wi ll d isappear.
The
struggle
will
be over . Your soul will
be
filled with peace , sweet
peace . (I
have sometimes found
it
necessary to
repea t the
chapter
a second time,
but
never a third.) t works.
And if
any of
you who read this
a rt ic le f ind that your p ract ice has
gone beyond
habit
to
compulsion
feel
free to write to me in care
of
this
magazine.
There are
some compul-
sion-breaking methods that I believe
will help you,
bu t t he re
is not space
to
presen
t them here. II
April, 1986 Our i rm oulldatioll
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6/32
e
are
living
in
the
closing sccncs
of this earth s
history,
and
what is
now done fo r God is accomplishcd
under th e
most disadvantagcous
circumsta nces. Sa ta n has grea t sk ill
and
wonderful
ability. God
entrusted
him with power and wisdom; bu t he
became f il led with sel f-exa ltat ion and
thought
that
he should be first in
heaven. Through this se lf -seeking,
this striving for the
supremacy,
sin
entered
into
the
world.
Satan
resolved
to make an
effort
to over throw the government
of
God,
and set up a kingdom
of
h is own. He
began
thi s work
by
doing jus t
as
men
who ought to know
bett er a re
doing
today.
He
complained
of
the
supposed
defects
in the
management
of
heavenly things, and sought to fill the
minds of
the
angels with his disaf-
fe ction. Because he was not su pr eme,
he sowed seeds
o f doub t and
unbelief.
Because he was not as God, he strove
to
instill
in to th e minds of the angels
hi s own envy
and
dissatisfaction.
Thus the seeds
of
a li enat ion were
planted,
afterward
to
be drawn
ou t
and presented before the heavenly
courts
as origina ti ng , not w ith Sat an ,
but with the angels. So the deceiver
would show
that the
angels
thought
as
he did.
t was most difficult to
make the
deceiving power
of
Satan apparent.
His
power
to deceive inc re ased w ith
practice.
he
could
not defend
himself,
he
must accuse,
in order to
app ear just and ri ght eous, and to
make God appear arbitrary and
exacti ng . I n
secret
he whispered his
disaffection
to the
angels. There was
at f ir st
no
pronounced feeling
against
Our
rm
oulldatioll April, 1986
God; bu t
the
seed
had
been sown, and
the love and confidence of
the
angels
was marred. The
sweet
communion
b etwe en th em
and their God was
broken. Every move was watched;
every act ion
was viewed in
t he l ight
in which
Satan
had made
them
see
things.
That
which Satan had instilled
i nt o t he
minds
of the angels-a
word
here and a word there-opened
the
way fo r a long list of suppositions. In
his artful way he drew expressions
of
doubt from them. Then, when he was
interviewed, he accused those
whom
he
had educated.
He
laid
all
the
dis-
affection on
the
ones he had led. As
one in
holy
office, he
manifested
an
overbea ring desir e f or ju stice, but i t
was a
counter fe it o f
j us ti ce, whi ch
was entirely contrary to
God s
love
and
compassion and mercy.
Just
such t ransac ti ons a re t ak ing
p lace today .
Many place such
con-
fidence in
their
own ideas
that
they
present
their
theories as
if
they could
make no mist ake. Once their words
are spoken, they
never
go back,
never
repent,
never
feel that
they
need
forgiveness. They feel
that
they are
infal lible. Thus it has been in
past
history;
thus
it
will be
aga in . Fal se
religious confidence becomes
sup-
posed infallibility. How
can
these
deluded
ones t hink tha t
they
are
the
only ones led and
taught
of God?
When this spirit is manifes ted, what
can
be done?
You cannot
convince
them, be-
cause they say,
G od
has led
me.
They
will not
acknowledge
that
they
have acted on
wrong principles.
They
maintain that
they
have
moved
rightly.
The onl y cour se
that
can
pursued is to
leave
them to develo
their principles. They may never s
t he ir e rror , bu t others may be co
vinced and s aved . To attempt to u
mask them
would
be to
call sympath
to
their
side.
Great
efforts
will
be
made
those who suppose their own wisdo
to be supreme, in exactly the sam
lines on which Satan
worked,
an
which caused
so
much mischief
in
t
paradise
of God. The
very
same pri
ciples ar e
revea led and upheld
toda
When a man is
elected
to a
position
trust, to
preside
over importa
interests, large and
broad,
or
over
i
terests of
less
extent, but st
important , Satan st irs up the
minds
those who a re sel fi sh , who are n
consecrated
to
God s s ervi ce , w
have
no t an
eye single to his glory.
fills
their
hearts with the spirit
crit iciz ing and
accusing. If
they
thi
that they
a re not e spec ia ll y favore
they will talk
of
t he mis take s and
rors of the one against whom t hey a
working.
This step
ta ke n, S at a
whose special bus iness i t is to cre
a lienat ion and
strife,
will pl ace t
ma t te r before these persons
n
m
deceiving way , and
they
will bri
against
those in positions of tr ust
t
most unjust cha rges , i n order to d
courage and
destroy
God s
servants.
Satan s representat ions aga inst
government
of
God, and his defen
of t hose who s ided w ith him, were
constant accusat ion aga inst God. H
murmu rin gs a nd complaints wc
groundless; and ye t God
a llowed h
to
work out
his theory. God co
have des troyed Satan and al l hi s s y
pathizers
as
easily
as
one
can
pick
a pebble and
cast
it to the ear th . B
by
doing
so he would
have
given
precedent
fo r
the
exercise of
for
All
t he compell ing power
is
fou
only under S ata n s governmen t. T
Lord s p ri nc ip le s a re
no t
of t
order. He would
not work
in
this
li
He would
no t
give the
slightest
couragement
fo r
a ny human
being
set
h imse lf up
as
God over
anoth
human
being,
feeling at lib erty
cause him
physical
or men
suffer ing. This pr inc iple is wholly
atan s ereation.
The principles of the character
God
were the
f ou nd atio n o f
t
education
constantly
kept before
heavenly
angels.
These principl
were goodncss, mercy, and iove. Se
evidencing light was to be recogniz
and f re el y accep ted
by all who
cupied
positions of
tr ust and
pow
They must accept God s principl
and,
through th e p re sent at ion
truth
and
righteousness, convince
who were i n Hi s se rv ice. This was
only to be used. Force m
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the
heavenly
universe. By
shedding
the blood of
the
Son of God, he
uprooted h imsel f f rom t he affections
of
the unfallen beings. He
was
seen
by al l to be a liar, a thief, and a
murderer.
God sees that
the s ame cou rs e
of
aetion is
being pursued the
world
over. Men and women come to
the
place where the
road
diverges; it is
e it he r r ig ht
or w ro ng .
Thousands
upon t housands c lo the
themselves
in
what
they
suppose
to be
an im-
penetrable disguise, and
choose
the wrong . An
a t
tcmpt
to make
th ir
course
plain
to o ther s by
abrupt disclosures would
only cause
a
larger num-
ber
to
choose the
side
of
wrong.
Thus the
wrong-
doers
would be sus-
tained,
and
many
souls
would be ruined.
Today Sat an
is
work-
ing
upon human
minds
by hi s crooked princi-
ples.
These will
be
adopted and acted upon
by some
who elaim
to be
loyal
and
true
to God s
government. How shall
we know that
they
are
disloyal and unt rue? By
their
fruits ye
shall
know
them.
God
does
not force
a ny one . He leaves all
free
to
choose.
Bu t
He
says,
B y t he ir
fruits ye sha ll know them. The Lord
will
no t write
as wis e
those
who ean -
not
distinguish
between
a
tree
that
bears
thorn
b er ries an d a
tree
that
bears ives.
Individually,
we
ar e deciding our
eternal dest iny,
whether we
shall en-
joy the
h ighe st honor
that can be
given to
man,
even
an
eternal
weight
of g lory, o r
to be
r an ked with Satan
by possess ing h is character,
by dis-
honoring
God becau se we
profess
to
be Chr is ti ans whi le
misrepresenting
Chr is t. Tho se
who
choose
to
reveal
the c har ac te r o f
the a rch-dece iver
identify themselves
w ith him beyond
t he possibi li ty of a
change,
because
they choose
no t
to see themselves as
wrong.
This was the course
that
Satan
pursued.
Re\ iew alld Herald
September
7 1897
bef ore him
truth in
c on tr as t w it h
falsehood. Time and time again
during the
con trover sy , Sat an was
ready
to be
convinced, ready to admit
hc was
wrong. But those he had
decei ved were
also
ready
to
accuse
him
of
leaving them.
What should he
do?-submit to
God, or continue in
a
course
of deeeption?
He chosc
to
dcny
truth, to
t ake re fuge
in
misstatements
and
fraud.
The
Lord a llowed Satan to go on,
and demonstrate
his
principles.
God
did r evea l
that
His
principles
were
right,
and
He carried the wor ld s un-
fallen
and
the
heavenly universe with
Him;
bu t
it
was
at a tcrrible cost. His
only bcgot ten Son was givcn up as
Satan s victim. Thc Lord Jesus Christ
rcvealcd
a
character entirely opposite
to that
of
Satan. As the high
priest
laid asidc his
gorgeous,
pontifical
robcs and officiatcd in
the wh ite
l in en d re ss of a common pries t, so
Chr is t empti cd H imse lf , and took the
form of a
s er va nt , and
offered
the
sac ri fice , Himsel f the
priest,
Himself
the viet im.
By
causing
th e death of th e
Sovereign of heaven, Sa ta n
de feated
his
own purpo se . The dea th
of
the
Son of
God made t he
death
o f S at an
unavoidable. He
was
allowed to go on
until
his administration
was laid
open
before the
worlds unfal len and before
God does not force anyone.
leaves all free to choose.
But says By their fruits
ye shall know
them
The Lord will not
write as wise those
who cannot distinguish between
a tree that bears thorn berries
and a tree that bears olives
ne\ er
eome
in. All who thought that
their pos iti on gave them power
to
eommand
their fellow human beings,
and eo ntro l co nscien ce, must be
deprived
of
their
position; fo r
this
not
God s p lan.
These principles
are
to be
th e
foundation
o f e du ca ti on in
God s
church
today. Th c rules
given by
Him
are to be observed
and
respected. God
has
enjoined
this. His
government
moral.
Nothing
is to be
done by compuls ion.
ruth is
to
be the
prevailing
power.
All
service is
to be done
willingly, and for the
love of God. All who are
honor ed wit h
positions
o f i nf lu ence
ar e to
rep-
resent God; fo r
when
officiating, they are in
th e
place
of God. In
cvcryth ing t hc ir a ct io ns
must
corrcspond to
thc
impor tance of thei r
position. The higher the
position the more dis-
tinctly
will
self-sacrificc
be revealed if
they are
fi t
fo r
th e o ff ic e. Eve ry
heart
that is controlled
by these principles will
be loyal. Bu t
when those
who
profess
to be
in
God s s crvi ce r esor t
to
accusa tion,
they a re a dopt ing S at an s
principles
to
cast
out S at an ; a nd this never
will
work.
In the
councils of heaven
it
was
decided that
principles
must be
acted
upon tha t would
no t
at once des troy
Satan s
power; fo r it
was
God s
pur-
pose to place things upon an eternal
basis
of
security. Time must
be
given
for
Satan to
de vel op t he p ri nci ples
which were
the
fou nda ti on o f his
government. The hea ve nl y
universe
must
see
worked
o ut the pr inciples
which Sata n dec la re d we re s upcr io r
to God s principles .
God s
order
must
be
contras ted with
Satan s order. Th e
corrupting
principles
of Satan s
rule
must
be
revealed. The princ ip le s
of
righteousness expressed
in
God s law
must
be
demonstrated
as
unchange-
able,
perfect, e ternal .
Th e Lord saw
the
use Sa ta n
was
making
of his powers, and he se t
April, 1986 Our
irm
oundation 7
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s
ediellce
o
Russell Standi h M D
Colin Standi h I h D
A nd the serpent said unto the
woman,
Ye
shall
no t
surely
die.
Genesis
3:4
Satan s
consistent
p romi se has
al -
ways
been, You can sin and
still
have eternal
life.
Hi s motto is
S in
and
live. On
the other hand, the
plain
word of
God informs
us
in
terms too
clear
to be
misunderstood,
T he soul that s inne th , i t sha ll d ie .
Ezekiel 18:4 20
Yet many Christ ians,
no t
always
aware
that by
deception Satan
is sug-
gesting tha t they
can
be saved in
their sins
rather
than from their
sins,
have
consistently accepted this
word
in preference to
the
truth of ou r
loving
heavenly
Father.
Even within the Seven th -day
Ad-
ventist Church we s ometimes
hear
those
who asser t tha
t
King Dav id was
a
saved
man at
th e
moment of his
sin
with Bathsheba.
Others
assert
that
if
the
tenor of a
man s l if e
is good,
he
can d ie w it h
a
curse upon
h is l ip s
and
still be saved eternally. is distress-
ing that such unscriptural teaching is
permitted to encourage those
weak
in
faith to antic ipate that t hey have sal-
vat ion whil e breaking the law of the
Most High. While th e ba sis of salva-
tion
is th e
merits of Christ alone, the
condition is
th e
keeping of God s
commandments . The
belief that
obedience
to God s
law
is no t a condi-
llr
i rm
Ollndation
April,
J986
tion of
salvation
is rapidly
gaining
acceptance
within
Adventism,
while
inspiration
declares that obedience is
the
condition
of ou r salvation. Notice:
N ot everyone that
saith
unto Me
Lord, Lor d, s hall
enter
into the
kingdom
of
heaven;
bu t
he
that doeth
the will of
My
Father which
is
in
heaven.
Matthew
7:21
T he gospel that is to be
preached
to al l nations,
kindreds,
tongues, and
peoples
presents
the
truth in clcar
lines, showing that
obedience
is th e
c ondit io n o f
gaining
eternal life.
Seventh day Adventi st Bib le Commen
tary
vol 7 972
From Genesis
to
Revelation
the
conditions
upon
which e te rnal l if e
is
promised, ar e made
plain
Keep
My
commandments
and live, is the
requirement
of God. eview nd
Herald
September 3,1901
One
is
entitled
to
in qu ir e, w hat
more does a man
need to do
than
murde r and
commit adultery
in
order
to lose life
e te rna l? This
must n ot be
confused
to mean that there is not
salvation
f or ever y
repentant
sinner
irrespective
of the depth
to
which
he
has
fallen. Confession and repentance
are conditions
of
salvation. Certainly
David
believed he had lost
salvation
prior to his prayer of de ep r ep en-
tance.
He cried out from
the
depths
of his
heart,
Restore
unto
me the joy
of
Thy salvation. Psalm
51:12
He recognized that it is only as
w e confess ou r
sins,
He
is
faithful
and jus t
to
forgive
us
ou r
sins,
and to
cleanse
us
from
al l
unrighteousness.
I John 1:9
To
promote
the
concept that
man
can have
salvation
whi le being
guilty
of cheri shed s in is a
dangerous
con-
cept indeed. Fu rther,
absolutely
no
scriptural verificat ion exists fo r this
false doctrine.
Seventh-day Adventists
do
no t
serve
a God
who
is
fickle in His dea l-
ings
with man,
striking him down at
the moment of a sin, when time
wou ld have produced repentance.
serve a
beneficent
Father who is n ot
willing that any
should
perish, bu t
that
al l
should come to repentance.
2
Peter
3:9
Thus, whi le eternity is lost
by one
unrepented
s in , nevertheless,
an
om-
niscient God
does no t
permit
a
single
s oul t o per ish whi le
there
is
t he l ea st
hope
of true
repentance.
ca n
surely trust Him to do
al l
in His
power
to
give
us
t he oppor tuni ty to
meet His
condition
of repentance.
is th e cry of the
devil
that
obedience is
no t possible.
ill be-
hooves God s
people to p reac h f rom
hallowed
pulpits
the despicable lies
of Satan.
is the
earnest
plea of
th e
writers
that f el low worke rs
for the
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9/32
cause of tru th
w ill p ercei
ve
th e
danger
of
preaching such errors.
Sister
White,
under
inspiration,
specifically pointed out ove r and over
that the claim that
obedience
to the
law under the
power
of
the
Holy
Spirit
is
impossible, emana te s f rom
the
arch-enemy himself.
Let us ex-
amine a
few
instances of th is
warning.
T he
holy
life of Abel
testified
against Satan s claim
that it is impos-
sible fo r
man
to keep
God s
law.
Patriarchs and Prophets 77
Satan
had point ed
to
Adam s
sin
as proof that
God s law
was unjust,
and could
not be
obeyed.
The Desire
of Ages
Satan had claimed that
it
was
im-
possible fo r man to
obey
God s
c ommandments ; a nd in our own
s tr engt h it
is true that we cannot
obey them. But Christ
came
in
the
form
of
humanity, and by
His
perfect
obedience He proved
t ha t h uman it y
and divinity combined
ca n obey
everyone
of
God s precepts.
Christ s
Object Lessons 314
No
Spirit
of
Prophecy-believing
Seventh-day Adventist
could
surely
r ep eat S at an s c la im
as truth.
is
true that
the new Adv entism postu-
lates a view of sin to
which
neither
the
angels nor un f all en Adam could
achieve.
However,
a
faulty definition
leads many to have conf idence that
the
plan
of
salvation
does not
provide
fo r
complete
victory
over
sin.
Let it
be
properly understood
that
nowhere
does Scr ip tu re ver ify
this
claim
of
Satan.
Eternal life, God s
grace and
Hi s
mercy, ar e only
promised
contingent
upon
our
Spirit-
powered obedience.
In
the Psalms this
condition is set
forth.
But the mercy
of
the Lord is
f rom everlas ting to
everlasting
upon
them
t hat fe ar
Him,
and
His
right-
eousness
unto
children s children; to
such as keep
His
covenant , and to
those
that
remember
His
command-
ments
to do
them. Psalm
103: 17,
8
We hear men
speak words which
find responses
in
our c ar na l hearts,
disdaining to seek to verify th e
words of men
by scriptural
search. We
believe a
man
and doubt God. There
ar e some believers who have
so
elevated
a
fallible being that one
word
f rom him
is worth
more
to them
than ten from God. We are
told
that
-
some men
live exemplary lives and
this is used to v lid te th eir
statements.
The
Bible never invites
us
to
accept such
proofs.
Had
it
done
so, we would have been left to
follow
Satan, for
he
wil l come
transformed
into an angel
of
light.
2 Corinthians
11:14
Indeed, S is ter
White
commenting
on
this
fact,
states
that
Disguised
as
an
angel of
light,
he [Satan] wil l
walk
the earth as a wonder-worker.
In
beautiful
language
he
will present
lofty
sentiments.
Good
words
will be
spoken
by him,
an d
good deeds
performed.
Christ wil l be personified,
bu t on one point there will be a
marked d is ti nc ti on . Sat an will
turn
the people from the
law
of
God.
Fundamentals of Christian Education
471,472
While the fruits of the life are
evidence of t he power
of
God, we
must
beware
that such
evidence
is no t
allowed to overrule
the
evidence of
t he law and the
testimony.
Satan does
simulate the lofty concepts and
the
good
life of
Christ.
is now time
to look for the one and only point
of
dist inct ion-Satan turns
man s hea rt s
from the law
of God. Is
it
a
coin-
cidence
that
those procl aiming the
new Advent ism
present
lof ty
sentiments, do good works, are
Christ-centered
in
their
approach,
while turning
God s
treasured people
away f rom the
law
of
God? Thus the
new
Adventism has
al l
the
identify-
ing
marks
of a Satanic
delusion.
As these
highly
respe ted
theologians repeat
Sa
tan s despicable
attack
upon
our Redeeme r and His
law, we
must flee
their teachings
which, if followed, will
lead us to
e te rnal perdi tion . The matter is so
simple.
If
it
were not
possible fo r human
beings under the Abrahamic covenant
to keep
the commandments
of God,
every soul of us is
lost. The
Abrahamic covenant
is
the covenant
of grace.
By grace
ye
ar e s av ed .
(John
1:11, 12) Disobedient children?
No,
obedient
to all
His command-
ments.
If
it
were not possible
for us to
be
commandment-keepers,
then
why
does He
make th e obed ien ce
to
His
commandments the
proof that we
love
Him?
Leller 16, 1892, quoted
in
Seven th day dven t i s t Bible
Commentary
vol. I, 1092
Sister White s
simple
logic stands
as a s tark rebuke to
those who would
p romote or
a ccep t Sat an s per si st en t
lie
tha
t
obed ience
to
the
la w is
no t
possible.
B ut the mercy
of
the Lord is
from everlast ing to everlas ting upon
them
that fear
him,
and His right-
eousness unto children s children; to
such
as
keep His covenan t, and
to
those
who remembe r
His
command-
ments to do them.
Psalm
103:17, 8
T he F at he r
ratified the covenant
made with Christ,
that
He would
receive
r epen tant and obedien t men,
and would love them even as He loves
His Son. The Desire
of
Ages 790
Under the new covenant, th e
conditions
by
which
eternal l ife
may
was
impossible
for
the
sinner to keep
the
law of
God; but . ..
be
gained
are the
same
as under t he
old-perfect
obedience.
Seventh day
Adventist Bible
Commentary
vol. 7 931
When many times the
Bible
a nd the
Spirit
of
Prophecy urge obedience
as
a
condi ti on for salvation and never
once does either
inspired source state
that
the
Spirit-filled
man
cannot
obey
God s law, one
marvels
at
the
pom-
posity of man
to
declare
true that
which
God
denies,
and
to
oppose that
which
God reveals .
Listen to the
irrefu
ta
ble voi ce of
inspiration
once
more:
I t was
impossible for the sinner
to keep
the law
of God,
which
was
holy, just, and good;
bu t
this impos-
sibility
was
removed
by
the
imparta-
tion of the
righteousness
of Chr is t to
the
repenting, bel ieving
soul. . . .
Therefore he [Satan]
has
originated
the
falsehood
that
the
s ac ri fi ce o f
Christ on Calvary s cross was for the
purpose
o f fre ein g man from
th e
obligation
of
keeping
the command-
ments
of
God Having suffered
the
ful l penal ty fo r
a
guilty world,
Jesus
became th e
mediator
between
God
and man,
to
restore the repenting
soul to f avor with
God
by
giving him
grace
to
keep the law
of
the
Most
High.
Signs of the Times June
20,
1895
April, 1986 ll r i rm
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Can anyone truly accept God's ser-
vant as a
messenger
of truth,
and
consc ient ious ly r ead t hi s statement
and
sti l l bel ieve
the
views
of
the
new
Adventism?
Thank God the pil la rs
of
ou r faith a re f irmly based.
Whatever
claims
are made
and
whatever
use is
made
of
the Spiri t
of
Prophecy
by
the
proponents
of
the new Adven ti sm,
d ail y men and women
a re t ur ned to
doubt it s u tt erance s. Many today who
once
believed
t he i nsp ir at io n o f
the
Spirit
of
Prophecy
now
refer
to its
claimed
inspiration as
cultism.
Sis ter White,
writing
from
Australia to our young people,
gave
them solid grounds to look
to
Christ
to
empower them
to obey .
How much
the youth
of today
would
benefit
from the
q ua lit y o f articles
which
appeared
in those YOllth s Illstrllctors
He [Ch rist] was to bear th e
penalty
of
transgression
of
the la w
of
God,
not
to
give
men liberty
to
con-
tinue in
sin
but
to take
away
their
inclination
to
sin, that they might not
desire to
transgress.
Those who
receive
Christ are obedient to His
commands,
for His mind is
given
to
them. He
embues them with His Spirit
of
obedience,
and
they return
to
Him
their loyalty. Youth s Illstructor, April
6
1899
Th e
apostle Paul 's
letters
ar e
rep lete
with e x h o r t t i o n s
to
obedience
under
God 's p ower . To
deny the pos si bi li ty o f the born-
again
Christian
being obedient
is to
If, while we seek to be
justified by Christ, we
ourselves also are found to
be sinners, is
therefore
Christ
the minister
of sin?
God
forbid
-Galatians
2:17
destroy the very fabric
of
the
New
Testament and to make Christ's death
impotent.
Th e
Spirit was to
be
given
as a
r-egencrating
agent,
and
without this
the sac rific e o f C hrist
would have
been of no
avail. The Desire
o f ges
671
l lr i rm llndation April, 1986
Paul admonishes
us as fol lows:
Casting
down imagina tions ,
and
eve ry h igh
t hi ng t ha t exa lte th i tse lf
against the
knowledge
of
God,
and
bringing into captivity every thought
to
the obedience
of
Christ.
2
Corin-
thians 10:5
In
the same
letter to
the Cor in -
thian bel ievers Paul encouraged them
in a similar
manner.
Hav
ing
therefore these
promises,
dearly beloved, let us
c le anse our -
selves from al l filthiness of
the
flesh
and spi ri t, perfecting holiness in
the
fear
of
God.
2 Corinthians
7:1
Paul made it clear that
a
person
Let us cleanse ourselves
from
all fil thiness of the
flesh
and
spirit
-2 Corinthians 10:5
cannot
be justified
while
he
disobeys.
This,
of
course,
is
t he cons is ten
t
teaching
of al l
sources
of inspiration.
Why men propose that which God
does not , can only be known to the
individual and
his
Maker.
B ut if, while
we seek to be
jus-
tified by
Christ,
we
ourselves
also
are
found sinners,
is therefore Chris t
the
minister
of sin? God
f or bi d. F or
if I
b uild a ga in
th e
things
which I
d es t ro y ed
I make
mys e l f
a
transgressor.
Galatians
2:17,18
This passage
of
Scripture should be
read
and s tudied
by
all Seventh-day
Adventists,
for it
settles
the quest ion
once and for all
as
to whether
a
man
can disobey
nd s t i l l re t in
justifica tion.
Paul believed that
th e
Lord shal l
deliver me from every
evil
work.
2
Timothy
4:18 He
was
able
to
of-
f er thanks unto
God,
which
2.lways
causeth us
to
tr iumph
in
Christ.
2
Corinthians 2:14
t
was no
doubt
this
conviction
and
t he knowl edge
that I
can do all things
through
Christ
which
strengtheneth me
(Philippians 4:13 which formed the
basis
for Paul' s admonition
to awake
to r ighteousness , and si n not.
I
Corinthians 15:34
Either
God's promises
a re sure
or
they
are worthless.
Not one
reader
will
support the
second
of
these
two
propositions.
Ye t we
surely
cast
aspersions
upon the
ver ac it y o f
ou r
Lo rd when
we
claim to believe His
promises an d
then
proclaim
th e
precise
reverse
of
that
which God
declares.
Do we truly
believe that
Ther e h at h no temptation taken you
bu t
such
as is common to
man;
bu t
God is faithful,
who will not
suffer
you to be
tempted above t ha
t ye
are
able;
but will with the temptation
also
make
a
way to
escape, that ye
may be
able
to bea r i t ? I Corinthians
10:13
What
a
sublime promise
Why
should
we
doubt God's power
to
give
us
v ic to ry ove r sin? Le t
us
not
so
desire
to be
saved
in our
sins rather
t han from
them that
we
wil l i gnore
such
positive
promises.
In
re alit y th e p ossib ilitie s a re
three-fold:
God has th e power to
give
us
vic tory over
sin [obedience]
and
He
uses
th is power
on beha lf o f
every
penitent sinner
whose
will
is
subject
to
the
Spirit-interpreted Word.
2. God has the power
to
give
obedience,
bu t
He
chooses
not
to do
so fo r reasons known only
to
Himself.
3.
God does
not
possess
t he power
to
give
a
Spirit-filled
man
total
victory.
Since every trace
of
evidence in
Scrip tu re suppor ts p ropos it ion (I)
above, there are
no
grounds
other
than our own perversity or ignorance
to
imply
t ha t e ithe r
of the
other
two
propositions
is
true.
It
is
always an easier
matter
to
pre sent one s ide
of
an
argument than
to fairly, also,
pre sent t he
alternate
pos itio n. B ef or e
concluding
this
artic le , i t
is
only
proper to present
the
evidence
proposed by those
who
believe
that
f all en man
cannot
fully
obey.
This
is
quoted from th e wr it-
ings of
one
of
the
most prominent ex-
positors
of the new Adventism.
Human sinlessness
in this
life is
indeed
a
chimera.
See
James
3:2; I
John
1:8;
Matthew
6:12;
Romans
14:23;
James
4:17, etc.
Only when
the
Chris-
tian
receives
a
glorified immortal
body
at
the coming
of Chr is t will he
be
able
to function without lapse or
errorr. D. Ford,
Siglls
o f
the Times
Australasian edition, February 1978
In
this statement
we
have
set
ou t
the pos it ion supporting the
inability
to obey,
concepts so
central to
the
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new
Adventism. There is also proof
text ing provided. Each
of
these texts
is quoted so that
the
reader
can
com-
pare
them
with the posi t ive,
unequivocal
s ta tements of inspira tion
cited previously
to support the Bible-
based Seventh-day Adventist position.
Four of these five texts are quoted
below;
the
fifth
will
be
discussed
a
little more
fully.
F or in
many things
we offend all.
If any man offend
not in
word, the
same is a
perfect man, and able
also
to
bridle the whole body. James
3:2
A nd
forgive
us our
debts,
as we
forgive
ou r
debtors.
Matthew 6:12
t is surely a misapplication
of Scripture to use
a text
from a book, the whole
theme
of
which is the call
to
obedience, to attempt
to
support the reverse
A nd he that
doubteth
is
damned
if
he ea t
beca
use
he
ea
teth not of
faith;
for wha tsoever
is
no t
of
faith
is
sin.
Romans 13:23
Therefore
to
him
that
knoweth to
do good and doeth it
not,
to him it is
sin.
James
4:17
is
not proposed
to
discuss these
four proof texts.
Their mere list ing
should
indicate to
the
r eade r t he ir
lack o f s uppo rt f or
this
pivotal error
of
the
new Adventism. This ins tance
does
indicate the
urgent
need
for
much
greater care in
the
editorial
work of some of our publications,
particularly those being sen t to non-
believers.
If proof texts are provided,
it
is
preferable
to
quote the text and
not simply the reference,
and to en-
sure
that
the texts really do
support
the proposition
advanced. This surely
i l lustrates the all too
often
used
tech-
nique
of quoting irrelevant
refer-
ences
to support erroneous doctrines.
Let
us
examine the
fifth reference
which
a t
least
does ha ve
the
v ir tue o f
relevance.
If
we
say
that
we have no si n, we
deceive ourselves, and the truth
is
not
i n us. I
John :8
t
must never be
overlooked
that
the em phasis here
is
on an
indi-
vidua l s c la im about
himself.
As
it
will be demonstrated
later, there
is a
decided difference between
a perfect
man s
assessment of his
own
unwor-
thiness
and
God s a na ly si s o f th e
man s condition. However, several
powerful reasons can
be
advanced to
demonstrate
that
John in
no wise
made this
sta
temen
t
on
the basis that
obedience
was impossible in
thi s l ife.
Indeed
it is incredible th at any
passage from
the
first
epistle
of John
should
be used for this purpose. No
book of
the
Bi ble
exhorts to
sinless-
ness more than
this brief
epistle. It is
surely
a
misapplication of Scr ip tu re
to use a t ex t f rom a book the
whole
theme of which
is
th e
call to
obedience, to
attempt to
support the
reverse. Th is should act
as a
further
warning to
those
within our
midst
who
would leave
Bible
exposition
to
theologians. All too frequently we are
hearing, even
from
some church
leaders, the cry, why d oesn t he stick
to his
own field
of
expertise and
leave
the expos it ion
of Scr ip tu re to
the theologians?
It
is
almost
unbelievable
that
such
sentiments
should
appear
within
God s
chu rch. They ref lect no credit
upon
those
who utter them, for it
was
this
very same
thing which led to
the
darkest era
of
Christendom.
Let us look
a t
some of the
numerous
calls to
to tal ob ed ien ce in
this epistle.
A nd
hereby we
do know
that we
know
Him,
if we
keep
His command-
ments. I John :3
He that
saith,
I
know Him, and
keepe th not His commandments,
is a
liar,
and
the truth
is
not in h im.
2:4
But whoso keepeth His word, in
him
verily
is
the
love
of
God per-
f ected; h er eby know
we that we are
in
Him.
:5
H e that saith
he
abideth in Him
ought himself also so to
walk, even
as
He
walked.
2:6
f
ye
know
that
He
is
righteous,
ye
know
that
everyone
that
doeth
righteousness
is
born
of
Him.
2:29
A nd
every man
that
hath this
hope
in Him purificth himse lf , even
as
He
is pure. 3:3
nd
ye know
that He was
manifested to take away ou r sins; and
in Him
is no
sin. 3:5
Whosoever a
bideth in Him sin-
neth
not;
whosoever
s inneth hath
not
seen
Him, neither known Him.
3:6
Lit t le children,
le t
no
man
deceive
you: he
that
doeth righteous-
ness
is
righteous,
even as He
is
righteous.
3:7
He t ha t commit te th sin is of
the
devil; fo r t he dev il s inneth f rom the
beginning.
For this
purpose
the Son
of
God was
manifested,
that He
might des troy the works
of
the deviL
3:8
Whosoever is
born
of God
doth
not commi t s in; for
hi s
seed
remaineth
in
him: and he cannot
sin,
because
he
is
born of God.
3:9
Little children, le t no
man
deceive you: he that doeth
righteousness
is righteous,
even as He is
righteous
John 3:7
I n
this the
chi ld ren o f God are
manifest, and the chi ldren o f the
devil:
whosoever
doeth
not righteous-
ness is
not
of
God,
neither he tha t
loveth
not
his brother.
3:
I0
And whatsoever
we
ask, we
receive of Him, because
we keep
His
commandments,
and
do
those
things
that are
pleasing
in
His sight .
3:22
A nd
he
that
keepeth His com-
mandments dwell eth in
Him,
and
He
in h im.
3:24
By thi s
we
know
that we love
the
children
of
God,
when we love
God,
and keep His commandments.
5:2
F or
this
is
the love
of
God,
that
we keep
His commandments:
and His
commandments are not grievous.
5:3
We
know
that
whosoever
is
born
of
God
sinneth
not.
5: 8
This quantum of Scripture
ha s
been c ited , not s imply to
demonstrate
the
misuse of I
John
1:8
bu t
to il-
lustrate
t he almost
unending
Scrip-
tural
opposition
to the
thesis
of
the
new
Adventism
which f os te rs
th e
belief
that God does
no t offer sin-
lessness to
His believers
here.
What then does I John :8
mean?
The entire passage
of I
John
1:7-10
Continued page
30
April,
1986 Our irm
oul da iol II
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The lesh
V SUS
llen
White
A REFORM EEDED
If S e v en t h -d a y A d v e nt is ts
pra c -
ticed w ha t t he y
profess to
believe
if
they w ere
s in ce re h ea lt h r ef or me rs
t he y w ou ld
indeed
be a spectacle to
th e
world to
angels an d
to men. An d
they would show a fa r
greater
zeal
fo r
t he s al va ti on of
t ho se w ho
ar e ig
norant of th e truth.
G r e a t e r
re forms
should be
seen
among
the people who
claim to
be
looking for the soon appearing of
Christ. H ea lt h r ef or m
is to do
among
ou r
people
a
work
which
it
ha s no t
ye t
done. There ar e t ho se w ho ought
to be
awake to
th e
danger
of
meat
eating who ar e still eating t he fle sh
of a ni ma l s t hu s e n da n ge ri ng th e
physical m e nt al a nd s pi ri t ual health.
Many
wh o ar e now only half
con-
verted on th e
question
of meat ea ting
wi ll go from G od s p eo pl e to walk no
more
w it h t he m.
In
al l
ou r
work we must
obey
th e
laws which God has
given
that th e
physical an d spiritual
energies
ma y
work in harmony.
Me n
may have a
form of godliness they may even
preach the gospel
and yet
be un-
p ur if ie d a nd u ns an et if ie d.
Ministers
should
be
strictly
tempera te in
their
eating
an d
drinking lest
they
make
llr i rm
llndation April
1986
crooked paths for th eir
feet turning
th e lame-those weak in the
f aith- out
of th e way. If while proclaiming th e
most
solemn a nd i mp or ta nt
message
God has e ve r g iv en me n wa r against
th e truth by indulging wrong habits
o f e at in g a nd d ri nk in g they take
al l
th e force
from
th e message t he y b ea r.
T ho se w ho indulge in meat
eating
tea
d r in k in g a n d g lu tt on y a r e sowing
seeds
fo r
a
h arv es t of pain an d death.
Th e
unhealthful f oo d p la ce d in th e
stomach strengthens th e appetites that
wa r
against
th e soul
developing
th e
lower
propensities. A diet of
flesh
meat
tends to d e ve l op a n im a l is m . A
de
velopmen t o f a nima Ii sm
lessen
s
spirituality rendering the mind in-
capable
o f u n de r st a nd i ng t r ut h .
Th e
Word
of Go d plainly
warns us
that unless we abstain
from
fleshly
lusts t he p hy si ca l nature
will
be
b r o u g h t i n t o
onf l i t
w it h th e
s pi ri tu al n at ur e. L us tf ul e at in g
wars
a gai nst he al t h
an d peace. Thus a war-
fare is instituted b et we en t he higher
an d
th e
lower
a tt ri bu te s o f th e man.
T he l ow er p ro pe ns it ie s
strong an d
active oppress
th e
soul. Th e highest
interests of th e b ei ng a re im pe ril ed
by
th e indulgence
of
appetites un -
sanctioned by He a ven.
G r ea t c ar e should
be
taken
to
form
right
habits
of
e at in g a nd d ri nk in g.
Th e
food
e at en s ho ul d
be that which
will
m ak e th e
b est b l oo d.
T h e d el ic at e
o r g a n s o f
iges t ion
s h o u l d be
r es pe ct ed . G od
requires
us
by
being
temperate
in all things to act our
p art to wa rd k eep in g o urselves in
health.
He
c a nn o t e nl ig h te n
th e m in d
of
a
man who
makes a cesspool of hi s
stomach.
He does no t
hear
th e
prayers
of t ho se w ho a r e w al ki ng in
th e
light
of
th e
sparks
o f t he ir ow n
kindling.
COMMON
ERRORS
IN
DIET
Intemperance is seen in t he q uan -
tity
as
well
as
in th e
q ua li ty o f
food
eaten.
Th e
Lord has instructed me
that as a ge ne ra l r ule we place too
much
food in th e
stomach. Many
make themselves unc omfort a bl e by
overeating an d sickness is often th e
result. Th e
Lord
di d no t bring this
punishment
on
them. T he y b ro ug ht it
on
themselves
an d G od d es ir es t he m
to r ea li ze t ha t
pain
is th e r esu lt of
tr a nsgression.
Daily
abused
t he d ig es ti ve o rg an s
cannot do
their
work
well. A
poor
quality of blood is m ad e a nd t hu s
through
i m pr o pe r e at in g the whole
ma c hi ne ry is
cr ippled.
Give th e
stomach
less
to do . It w il l r ec ov er if
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proper
care
is s hown in
regard
to
the
qua li ty and quant ity of food
eaten.
Many ea t
too
r ap id ly . O ther s e at a t
one
meal
varieties
of food that do
no t
agree.
men
and
women would
only
remember
how
g rea tly th ey afflict
the soul when they aff l ict th e
stomach, a nd how
deeply
Christ
is
d is hono re d when
th e
stomach is
abused, they would
deny the appet ite,
and thus give th e
stomach
oppor-
tunity
to
recover its healthy action.
While
sitting
at
t he t ab le , we
may do
medical
missionary work
by eating
and drinking
to
the glory
of God.
To
cat on th e S abba th
the
same
amount
of food eaten
on
a
working
day, s ent ir el y out o f
place.
Th e Sab-
bath
is
the day set
apart
fo r t he wor -
ship of
God,
and on
it
we arc
to be
specially careful in
regard to
our diet.
A c log ge d
stomach means
a
clogged
brain.
Too
oftcn so
lar ge an
amount
of
food is
eaten
on
the
Sa
bba
th
tha
t
t he mind
is
r ender ed dul l and s tupi d,
incapable of
appreciating
spiritual
things.
Th e
habits
of eating
have
much
to
do with the
many
dull
religious ex ercises of th e
Sabbath.
The
diet
for the Sabbath should
be
selected with reference
to
th e dut ie s
of
th e
day
on which the purest,
holiest service
is to be
offered
to
God.
God s people should
place themselves
where
they will
grow grace
being sanctified,
body soul and
spirit,
by the truth
Eating
has much
to do with
religion.
Th e spiritual
experience
is
greatly affected by the
way
in
which
t he s tomach is
treated.
Eating
and
drinking
in
accordance with
the
laws
of
hea lt h p romote virtuous actions.
Bu t
if
th e s toma ch
is
abused by
habits that have
no
foundation in
na ture, Satan
takes advan tage o f
the
wrong
that
has been done, and
uses
the
s tomach as
an
enemy of
righteousness, creating a disturbance
which affects
the
entire being.
Sacred
things a re no t a pp re ci at ed . Spiritual
zeal
diminishes. Peace
of
mind
is l os t.
There is dissension,
strife,
an d
discord. Impatient
word s ar e s poken ,
and unkind deeds a re done; dishonest
practices
arc
followed, and
anger
is
manifested ,-and
al l
b ecau se th e
nerves of
the
br ain ar e disturbed by
the abuse heaped on the
stomach.
What a
pity it
is that
often, when
th e
grea tes t s e lf -den ia l
should
be
exercised,
th e s tomach
is
crowded
with
a mass
of
unhealthful
food,
which lies
there
to
decompose. Th e
affliction
of the
stomach afflicts
the
brain.
The
imprudent eater docs not
realize that
he s disqualifying
him-
self for g iv in g wise counsel, dis-
qualifying h imsel f f or
laying
plans
for the best
advancement of
th e work
of
God.
But
this
s
so.
He cannot dis-
cern spiritual t hi ngs, and
in
council
meetings,
when he should
s ay Yea ,
he
says
Nay. He
makes
propositions
that
are wide of the
mark,
becaus e t he
food
he
has eaten has benumbed
his
brain power.
RELATION OF HEALTH
U
PRINCIPLES
TO SPIRITUALITY
The
failure
to
follow
sound prin-
ciples has marred the his tory
of
God s
people. There
has been
a continual
backsliding
in
health
reform,
and
as a
r esu lt God
is
dishonored
by
a
great
lack of spirituality.
Bar rier s h ave
been
erected which
would
never
have
been
seen had God s p eo