Seventh-day Adventist Church Profile
Timothy Oliver
Organization Structure:
Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Organized as representative democracy. Lower
echelons elect representatives to higher units; determination and administration
of policy, enforcement of doctrinal orthodoxy, imposed from top down. President,
and Executive Committee of General Conference are standing chief administrative
office. Lower administrative units are the General Conference, Divisions (over
continents), Union Conferences, local Conferences, and congregations. Several
small Universities and Colleges and numerous well respected hospitals, are maintained
worldwide.
Unique Terms:
Investigative Judgement," "Spirit of Prophecy," "Coming
into the Truth" (believing and living the full SDA message and lifestyle),
"Remnant Church."
History
The world was predicted to end in 1844 with
the Second Coming of Encyclopedia
of American Religions, Vol. 2, pp. 21-22).
Christ did not appear in 1844. After this "Great
Disappointment," one "little flock" which still insisted the
date of their original predictions had been correct decided the event marked
by 1844, rather than the Second Coming, was the entrance of Christ into the
Holy of Holies in the Heavenly Sanctuary, where He began the "Investigative
Judgement." This doctrine was received and endorsed by Ellen G. White (Ibid., p.
680).
From 1844 to 1851 the group taught the "shut
door" doctrine, based on Jesus' parable of the ten virgins. Anyone who
had not accepted the Adventist message by the time Jesus entered the Holy of
Holies was to be shut out permanently, as were the five foolish virgins. Cut
off from the Bridegroom, they could not join the Adventists or have any hope
of eternal life. Ellen White not only approved and taught this doctrine, her
first vision experience was largely responsible for its being received by the
Adventist group (Brinsmead, Robert, D., Judged
by the Gospel: A Review of Adventism,
pp. 130-33).
By 1846 the group adopted the Seventh-day Baptists'
view that the Saturday Sabbath must be observed by Christians. A highly elevated
form of this doctrine, together with the doctrine of the Investigative Judgment,
became the hallmarks of Seventh-day Adventism. In 1850 James and Ellen White
began publishing a magazine, the Review
& Herald, to disseminate adventist
and sabbatarian doctrines. This helped many of the remaining "Millerites"
to coalesce into a distinctive body which adopted the name of Seventh-day Adventist
Church in 1860, and formally incorporated in 1863, with approximately 3,500
members in 125 congregations (Encyclopedia
of American Religion, Vol. 2, p. 681).
Ellen White never held official title as the
head of the church, but was one of its founders and acknowledged spiritual leader.
She rather disingenously declined to claim the title of "prophet,"
calling herself a "messenger" instead (Damsteegt, P.G., et. al., Seventh-day Adventists Believe. . ., p. 224). But she claimed to have the "spirit of
prophecy," and that her messages were direct from God for the guidance
and instruction of the church. With her knowledge and consent others called
her a prophet, and even "the Spirit of Prophecy" (Barnett, Maurice,
Ellen G. White & Inspiration, pp. 5-17). Having only a third grade education, Ellen
White said for years she was unable to read, bolstering the claim that her beautiful
prose was inspired by God. However, it has been discovered that she not only
ready but plagarized other Christian authors through virtually all her writings.
The sad facts of this matter have been thoroughly and indisputably established
in several books. (e.g., see; Rea, Walter, The
White Lie; and, Judged
by the Gospel, pp. 361-383). Ellen White
dies in 1915 at age eighty-eight.
Historically, evangelicals have had difficulty
defining and categorizing SDA. Much SDA doctrine is biblically orthodox. Within
its ranks are many true Christians, some even in positions of prominence. At
various points in its history, most notably in the 1888 General Conference,
the SDA church has been shaken by the biblical gospel. In the 1970's this became
quite intense (Se: Paxton, Geoffrey, J., The
Shaking of Adventism). Unfortunately,
it produced a polarization. The church administrators generally became more
entrenched in the unorthodox positions of traditional SDA, while some pastors
and even whole congregations left or were asked to leave the SDA church ("From
Controversy to Crisis," CRI Journal, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 9-14). In official publications
in the SDA church continues to defend Ellen White legends, maintain there was
no difference in the degree of inspiration she received from that received by
Bible writers (Review & Herald, 4 October 1928, p. 11; "Source of Final Appeal,"
Adventist Review,
3 June 1971, pp. 4-6; G. A. Irwin, Mark
of the Beast, p. 1; "The Inspiration
and Authority of the Ellen G. White Writings," Adventist
Review, 15 July 1982, p. 3; Ministry,
October 1981, p. 8; see also, Judged
by the Gospel, pp. 125-30) and teach
a number of doctrines clearly irreconcilable with the biblical gospel (see "Doctrine,"
below). So long as this continues, evangelicals must persist in questioning
the status of the SDA church organization in Christianity, and much more, her
claim to be God's only true, end-time "Remnant Church."
Doctrine
SDA teachings most clearly contrary to the gospel
and unorthodox in nature are its insistence on water baptism as an essential
prerequisite to salvation, its teaching about the end time significance of sabbath
observance to identification of true believers, and its doctrine of the Investigative
Judgement.
Baptism:
". . .Christ made it clear that He required baptism of those who wished
to become part of his church, His spiritual kingdom." "In baptism
believers enter into the passion experience of our Lord." ". . .[B]aptism
also marks [a] person's entrance into Christ's spiritual kingdom. . .it unites
the new believer to Christ. . .Through baptism the Lord adds the new disciples
to the body of believers - His body, the church. . .then they are members of
God's family" (SDA's Believe. .
., pp. 182, 184, 187).
The Sabbath:
". . .[T]he divine institution of the Sabbath is to be restored. . .The
delivering of this message will precipitate a conflict that will involve the
whole world. The central issue will be obedience to God's law and the observance
of the Sabbath. . .Those who reject it will eventually receive the mark of the
beast" (Ibid.,
pp. 262-63).
In one of her most revered works, Ellen White
wrote that Sabbath observance would be the "line of distinction" in
the "final test" that will separate God's end-time people who "receive
the seal of God" and are saved, from those who "receive the mark of
the beast" (The Great Controversy
Between Christ and Satan, p. 605).
Describing a supposed vision direct from God,
Ellen White wrote, "I saw that the Holy Sabbath is, and will be, the separating wall
between the true Israel of God and unbelievers" (Early
Writings, p. 33; emphasis added). She
also wrote of some Adventists failing to understand that "Sabbath. . .observance
was of sufficient importance to draw a line between the people of God and unbelievers"
(Ibid.,
p. 85).
The Investigative Judgement: "In 1844. . .[Christ] entered the second and last
phase of His atoning ministry. It is a work of investigative judgement which is part
of the ultimate disposition of all sin. . .It also makes manifest who among
the living are abiding in Christ, keeping
the commandments of God and the faith
of Jesus, and in Him, therefore, are ready for translation into His everlasting kingdom.
This judgement vindicates the justice
of God in saving those who believe in
Jesus. It declares that those who have remained loyal to God shall receive the
kingdom" (SDA's Believe. . ., p. 312; emphasis added).
". . .[O]ur High Priest enters the holy
of holies [in 1844]. . .to perform the work of investigative judgement and to
make an atonement
for all who are shown to be entitled to its benefits. . .Every man's work passes in review
before God and is registered for faithfulness or unfaithfulness. . .The law
of God is the standard by which the characters and the lives of men will be
tested in the judgement. . .As the books of record are opened in the judgement,
the lives of all those who have believed on Jesus come in review before God.
. .Names are accepted, names rejected. . .as they have become partakers of the
righteousness of Christ, and their characters
are found to be in harmony with the law of God,
their sins will be blotted out, and they themselves will be accounted worthy
of eternal life. . .Jesus does not excuse their sins, but shows
their penitence and faith,and, claiming
for them forgiveness, He lifts His wounded hands before the Father. . .Sins
that have not been repented of and forsaken will not be pardoned and blotted out of the books of
record, but will stand to witness against the sinner. . .[Christ] had kept His
Father's commandments, and there was no sin in Him. . .this is the condition
in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble" (Great Controversy,
pp. 480, 482-84, 486, 623).
According to Ellen White one must believe this
doctrine to be saved. "Those who would share the benefits of the Savior's
mediation should permit nothing to interfere with their duty to perfect holiness
in the fear of God. . .The subject of the sanctuary and the investigative judgement
should be clearly understood by the people of God. All need a knowledge for
themselves of the position [in the Holy of Holies] and work [investigative judgement]
of their great High Priest. Otherwise
it will be impossible for them to exercise the faith which is essential at this
time or to occupy the position which
God designs for them to fill. Every individual has a soul to save or to lose.
Each has a case pending at the bar of God. . .All who have received the light
on these subjects are to bear testimony of the great truths which God has committed
to them. The sanctuary in heaven is the very center of Christ's work in behalf
of men. . .It is of the utmost importance that all should thoroughly investigate
these subjects. . .The intercession of Christ in man's behalf in the sanctuary
above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon a cross.
By His death He began that work which after his resurrection He ascended
to complete
in Heaven" (Ibid., pp. 488-89; emphasis added).
Biblical Response
Other distinctive SDA teachings include vegetarianism
and other "health" issues, and the doctrine of "soul sleep,"
a misnomer for the belief that between death and resurrection one is essentially
non-existent
except in the memory of God. This is definitely aberrant from the Bible, but
does not conflict the gospel. Much of the SDA health message may actually be
helpful. But when, as is often the case, spiritual stigma is attached to non-observance
of its asceticism, then the gospel is compromised (Gal. 2:11-16).
Baptism:
Rom. 3:21-26, 28; 4:4-6, 23-24; 5:1; Gal. 2:16; 3:26; 5:1-6; Eph. 2:4-10; Col.
1:13-14; 2:13-14. These passages make it clear that salvation alone is entirely
by God's grace alone, apart from any works, and laid hold of by faith alone.
the reader will note baptism mentioned in close proximity to some of these passages.
This need not be confusing if it is kept in mind that there are various usages
of the word baptism in the New Testament. The "one baptism" (Eph.
4:4-5) that really counts is the baptism of the Spirit. If a passage makes baptism
essential to salvation it an only refer to the baptism of the Spirit, or it
would conflict with other Scriptures which plainly teach salvation apart from
any human work.
The Sabbath:
The quoted statements, particularly Ellen White's, are crystal clear. Sabbath
observance, not trust in Christ alone for complete forgiveness of sins and eternal
life, is to be the dividing line between the saved and the lost in the end time.
This is certainly antithetical to the gospel defined by the passages above.
See also, Rom. 14:5-6; Col. 2:16-17. The Old Testament Sabbath was never anything
more than a shadow of the substance, the reality of the New Testament Sabbath
rest of God, which Paul and the writer of Hebrews make clear is Christ Himself,
and the rest one experiences from one's own works when one enters into Christ
(Heb. 4:1-10).
The Investigative Judgement: The whole concept of the investigative judgement is
antithetical to the gospel. Jesus did not wait until 1844 to enter the Holy
of Holies in heaven (Heb. 1:3; 6:19-20; 8:1; 9:6-12, 24; 12:2). Neither is he
still making an atonement in heaven (Heb. 9:25-26; 10:11-14). The investigative
judgement proposes to "vindicate the justice of God in saving those who
believe in Jesus," by showing they were "loyal," "penitent,"
and "faithful" commandment keepers. This is an outrage. God's justice
in saving sinners is vindicated by Christ's death on the cross (Rom. 3:24-26).
Even when speaking of being saved by the righteousness
of Christ, Adventist writers refer to imparted righteousness, seldom to the biblical concept of imputed righteousness.
Calling it "Christ's righteousness," while insisting on the believer's
perfection of character as a prerequisite to salvation, is at worst a thinly
veiled works salvation, or at best an attempt to mix grace and works, something
the Bible says is impossible to do (Rom. 11:6). Mrs. White's words are crystal
clear - one will not be forgiven till all sins are eradicated from one's life
and one's character is perfected. Precisely the same heresy is found (besides
many others) in Mormonism. It is not the salvation by grace alone through faith
alone offered in the Bible.
The error is compounded by the teaching that
this latter day 1844 event must be believed in to exercise the proper faith
necessary to be saved. When Jesus said on the cross, "It is finished, "
i.e. completed, paid in full, it cannot be that there is yet another salvation event
more than 1800 years later, just as essential to salvation as Christ's death
on the cross, in which one must believe in order to be saved. This is clearly
"another gospel" (Gal. 1:6-9).
Resources
Ratzlaff, Dale, The
Sabbath in Crisis. Excellent book by
a former SDA pastor, covers virtually every aspect of the Sabbath question.
345 pages, include. scripture index, $15.
Tardo, Dr. Russell, K., Sunday
Facts and Sabbath. Presents "25
Reasons Why the Christian Church Worships on Sunday." 144 pages, $5.
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