QUESTION OF THE DAY: "DID I TRULY REJECT THE TRUTH?"

From Luzviminda Aquino: 

What about the truth that you used to defend when you served as an SDA defender? You convinced many, especially in Bansud (Mindoro). But now, everything you preached and stood for as truth, you rejected. What will you say to those you convinced before? Were the things you said all lies? It seems so strange! While there is still time and Jesus hasn't come back yet, I always include you in my prayers. I know you know the truth 101%. Just set aside that pride that the enemy is using to ruin your spiritual life.

First of all, I am grateful for the message from a Seventh-day Adventist friend, Sister Luzviminda Aquino. I know her personally, and it brings me joy to have met her when I was still a Seventh-day Adventist. I believe she is a very kind and faithful servant of the Lord who truly loves Him. So when I received a message from her, I did not take it negatively. Instead, I considered it a message from a loving and caring friend. I could feel her heart in every word she spoke. I know her intentions towards me are good. Because of that, I am thankful for her caring message, like a mother to her beloved child.

So for today's Question of the Day, I thought of addressing her concerns with the same care and love that a child has for their beloved mother.

Did I Truly Reject the Truth?

First and foremost is her concern for me because I allegedly abandoned the "Truth" that I onced preached and defended for 24 years. From Sister Luzviminda Aquino's perspective, it seems that I am now contradicting the truth that I once upheld. I am certain that this is also how Seventh-day Adventists, especially those close to my heart, view me now. I cannot blame them because that is the truth they currently understand as SDAs.

For Seventh-day Adventists, when they say "Truth," it refers to their set of doctrines currently comprised of the 28 Fundamental Beliefs.[1] This includes their own interpretation of the prophecies in Daniel and Revelation concerning end-time events. For the majority of SDA members, the highlighted doctrines they refer to as "Truth", because they are the easiest to understand, are just three:

1.) 10 commandments

2.) Sabbath

3.) Avoidance of eating pork

The rest of the other 25 Fundamental Beliefs are not given much value or attention by some because either they don't really understand them or they have no interest in them. If you notice in the public debates of SDA defenders on social media, the topics are mostly limited to "Sabbath" or "10 commandments," and "forbidden to eat pork" [2] because those are the only topics their minds can grasp. However, they don't want to defend their complicated doctrines like the "1844 Investigative Judgment" in public debates because they know they can't defend it since they themselves are not convinced that it is true. 

Only a few SDA defenders engage in the topic of the "True church" because they are aware of the official position of the SDA church that they are not the only true church. This is because there are still "other sheep" (John 10:16) among Protestant and Roman Catholic members who, according to their prophetess Ellen G. White, will also reach heaven like them. She wrote:

“In what religious bodies are the greater part of the followers of Christ now to be found? Without a doubt, in the various churches professing the Protestant faith." (The Great Controversy, p. 383)

“Seventh-day Adventists firmly believe that God has a precious remnant, a multitude of earnest, sincere believers, in every church, not excepting the Roman Catholic communion, who are living up to all the light God has given them. ” (The Great Controversy, p. 192)

From my perspective now, as a former member of the Seventh-day Adventist church, I realized that what I preached and defended for 24 years was not actually the "Truth" as the SDAs understand it.  Honestly, the truth I once embraced as Seventh-day Adventist didn't align with the truth taught in the Bible. 

The disciples of the Lord did not teach in the Bible a set of 28 Fundamental beliefs as standard teachings constituting the "Truth" as a measure of truth. Neither do we find any mention that the apostles conducted Daniel and Revelation seminars for belief before baptism in water. There's no such thing. What we read in the Word of God is that they were baptized because they accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and repented of their sins not because of believing any set of fundamental beliefs back then:

Acts 2:36-41 (NLT) 36 “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” 37 Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” 40 Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” 41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.

The passage's context revolves around the inauguration or establishment of the New Testament church during the Feast of Pentecost, as promised by Christ (Matt. 16:18). Within this verse, we witness the biblical process of how individuals become Christians and become members of the spiritual body of Christ. Naturally, as demonstrated by Apostle Peter, the focus of his preaching was on Christ, not on a set of 28 doctrines as practiced by the SDA church today. In the New Testament, baptism is linked with repentance from sin, belief in the gospel concerning Christ, and joining Christ's spiritual body through the baptism of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13). [2]

Why do the apostles preach about Christ and repentance in His name rather than the 28 Fundamental Beliefs of the SDA church?

1.) Because this was the final instruction given by Christ to his disciples before he ascended into Heaven.

Jesus said:

Acts 1:8 (NLT) ⁸   But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Notice that Jesus did not instruct his witnesses to "tell people about the 10 commandments, Sabbath, or not eating pork everywhere," but rather "telling the people ABOUT ME everywhere."

Therefore, the "Truth" that a Christian will preach is about the salvation accomplished by Christ through his blood (death), which cleanses and restores our relationship severed from God because of our sins, and not because of the incorrect worship day or eating pork.

Romans 6:23 declares, "the wages of sin is death." Since all individuals have committed sin and have fallen short of God's glory, we all merit the consequence of death due to our guilt of sins.

Observing the Sabbath, adhering to the 10 commandments, and abstaining from pork will not save a person. Only the death of Christ can redeem and save you. Romans 6:23 does not say that the wages for sin is observing the Sabbath, obedience to the 10 commandments, or avoiding pork. You will not be saved by these, my Seventh-day Adventist friends! You only need Christ for you to be reconciled with God and be saved. This is clearly stated in Romans 5.

Romans 5:6-11 (NLT) 6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

The message of salvation entrusted by Christ to true Christians is not about observing the Sabbath, following the 10 commandments, or abstaining from pork. Instead, to summarize Romans 5:6-11, it is this:

1. Sin and separation from God: The Bible teaches that all humans have sinned and are separated from God.
   
   
2. Jesus’ death and resurrection: Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead, providing a way for us to be reconciled to God.
   
   
3. Repentance and belief: To receive salvation, we must repent of our sins and believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

That's what we call the gospel or good news. It's only fitting to call it good news because it's true that it's incredibly good news since God has made a way to pay for all our sins through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, which we cannot accomplish ourselves. If we believe in that, we're assured that we won't be punished with eternal death anymore. The following passages are the testimony from the Word of God:

John 3:16-18 (NLT) 16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. 18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.

1 Peter 3:18 (NLT) 18 Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.

1 Peter 2:24-25 (NLT) 24 He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. 25 Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.

2 Corinthians 5:18-21 (NLT) 18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

This is the genuine "Truth" that I exchanged for the version of "Truth" presented by the SDA church. Even the Three Angels Messages, purportedly the everlasting gospel of the SDA church, was merely invented by them, misinterpreting the true meaning of Revelation 14:6-12. The real significance of Revelation 14:6-12 pertains to the spread of the gospel by the early Christians during the time of the apostles, fulfilling Jesus Christ's great commission in Matthew 28:19-20. However, in the SDA context, their version of the Three Angels Message involves the 1844 Investigative Judgment, "the hour of judgment," and the contention over Sabbath and Sunday as the Mark of the Beast, even implicating America and the Pope, which were unknown to the early Christians and apostles as the true fulfillment.

2.) Because there is no salvation in the 28 Fundamental Beliefs of the SDA church.

Contrary to what SDA debaters believe, the SDA 28 Fundamental Beliefs still contain errors and are not perfect, so it is not appropriate for any SDA to call it "Truth." Until now, I see many SDA debaters proudly showcasing on social media that they have SDA 28 Fundamental Beliefs books and boasting that they study them, even in their local churches and sometimes in SDA conferences in other parts of the world, as a competition among conferences. However, this is not correct according to their official magazine, Adventist Review, which was published on February 3, 2020, with the title "Don't Study The 28 Fundamental Beliefs" and a tagline that says: "We don't believe by studying beliefs; we believe by studying scripture." This is what it says:

"Though it was helpful to articulate what we believe, this unfortunately shifted the focus of our faith to our beliefs rather than to the basis of our beliefs: Scripture itself. In many cases we ended up teaching our own children and students Adventist beliefs (via memorized lists and multiple-choice questions) rather than teaching them how to study Scripture verse by verse."

"This has resulted in a damaging environment in which many Adventist young people (and old people) think we “have” the truth without entering into the truth of God’s Word for ourselves. Surveys show that more than half of Adventists never study the Bible on their own. This is deeply ironic and the reason we are half-dying." [3] 

This is a shameful and outright admission by the leaders of the SDA church in their official magazine. That's why I am not impressed by the self-proclaimed and supposedly knowledgeable SDA debaters on social media because, to be honest, they often misuse the Bible and consistently misrepresent the true official position of the SDA church worldwide. Because even their own authorities admit that SDAs are more familiar with their 28 Beliefs than the Bible itself, stating that "more than half of Adventists never study the Bible on their own." This is the reason why the SDA church is "half-dying."

So the salvation of our beloved Seventh-day Adventist friends is at risk if they do not repent and simply accept the biblical gospel "Truth" to be saved instead of sticking to the erroneous version of "Truth" propagated by the SDA church. There is truly no salvation in the "Truth" of the SDA church!

The SDA "Truth" has many errors, not because it is perfect, as also admitted by their Adventist Review magazine.

"Our statement of beliefs isn’t perfect (the prologue admits as much), but it’s our sincere attempt to express what we have found the Bible to teach, even as “our only creed is Scripture.” [4]

In fact, the Preface of their book on SDA 28 Fundamental Beliefs acknowledges that the commentaries and explanations provided by their scholars are not final since they were not part of the voting process conducted by the General Conference of the SDA church. The voting solely pertained to the brief summaries of each statement of beliefs:

"Although this volume is not an officially voted statement only te summary statements have been officially voted by the General Conference in session." [5]

Conclusion:

Let us revisit the question posed to me by Sister Luzviminda Aquino in the light of our studies.

#1. "What about the truth that you used to defend when you served as an SDA defender? You convinced many, especially in Bansud (Mindoro). But now, everything you preached and stood for as truth, you rejected." 

Answer:

The SDA "Truth" that I used to defend as a Seventh-day Adventist before is not the biblical truth, as evidenced earlier. It is far from the gospel of salvation that he instructed his disciples to preach. This salvation is only by the grace of God through faith alone, apart from keeping the law, in Christ alone. Jesus said, "I am THE WAY, THE TRUTH (not the SDA truth), and THE LIFE" (John 14:6).

Paul clearly said:

Romans 10:9-11 (NLT) 9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.

Indeed, many were convinced by my preaching and debates with SDAs, and they became SDAs. However, I also converted many when I was still a Jehovah's Witness and baptized them. Does this mean that you accept that Jehovah's Witnesses are also in the truth?

I don't think I'm doing anything wrong if I'm correcting teachings that are incorrect according to the Bible. And I don't see anything wrong if I now oppose the teaching that I once thought was "Truth." In doing so, I am simply following the example of the apostle Paul in his former religion, Judaism. When he was still a Jew, he was a zealous member to the point of persecuting the believers of Jesus. But when he left his former religion, he opposed what he once believed was "Truth," which he described as "they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law." Let's hear it from Paul:

Romans 10:1-4 (NLT) Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. 2 I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. 3 For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. 4 For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.

Like Paul, my heart's longing and prayers to God are also for the people in the Seventh-day Adventist Church to be saved, including Sister Luzviminda Aquino, of course. Let us pray for her, brothers and sisters in FAFP. And let us praise the Lord for Paul's life. What he knew as "Truth" when he was not yet a Christian was "getting right with God by trying to keep the law," but after his encounter with Jesus, he learned the "Truth" of "God’s way of making people right with himself," which is by faith alone in Christ.

#2. "What will you say to those you convinced before? Were the things you said all lies? It seems so strange!"

Answer:

The only thing I can do now for those whom I convinced and baptized in the SDA church through my preaching is to pray for them. If they listened back then in the SDA church, which lacked truth and salvation, how much more now that I am preaching the biblical "Truth" of the gospel of salvation? There is nothing impossible for God to lead them to my preaching now if they are truly willing to be saved.

Acts 17:27 (ERV) 27 “God wanted people to look for him, and perhaps in searching all around for him, they would find him. But he is not far from any of us.

2 Peter 3:9 (NLT) ⁹ The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

It's evident that God is the one seeking the lost soul, and He is willing to save them no matter where they are in the world.

#3. "While there is still time and Jesus hasn't come back yet, I always include you in my prayers. I know you know the truth 101%. Just set aside that pride that the enemy is using to ruin your spiritual life."

Answer:

I understand Sister Luzviminda Aquino's sentiment. She's not the only one I've heard express such sentiments; there have been many. In my view, that's a sign of denial because until now, they haven't accepted the fact that an SDA defender of my caliber, for 24 years, would just leave the SDA church like that. Because they are still in the denial stage, they often cannot accept that there may be flaws in their religion. As a result, they tend to come up with alternative explanations to understand it in a way that's easier for them to accept, such as saying I'm "too proud" or that I didn't get what I wanted, so I got upset, or it's because of a woman or money.

Upon comprehending the insights provided by expert psychologists regarding the denial stage, I opted to empathize with them instead of challenging them. According to my research the first stage of grief, as described by Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, is denial.[6] This stage is marked by a conscious or unconscious inability to acknowledge or accept one's impending or actual death, or some other significant loss or trauma. When we encounter a loss, especially if it occurs suddenly, we may feel as though our world has been turned upside down. Denial serves as a defense mechanism, helping to minimize the pain of the loss. It allows our brains to shield us from the pain, providing us with time to adapt to our new reality.[7] 

Rather than passing judgment or engaging in arguments with our friends and family who are still part of the SDA church, let's endeavor to empathize with them and offer our support. While their beliefs may differ from ours, they may be grappling with their own challenges and uncertainties. Our departure from the SDA church did not signify abandonment of God; rather, it signified a rejection of the false teachings and practices of the SDA church and an acceptance of the "Truth" in Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior!

REACTION TO A RECENT DEBATE: SDA's GLORIFIES THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OVER THE HOLY SPIRIT!

Many viewers witnessed a heated debate the other night between a Seventh-day Adventist debater and a Born Again Apologist. The topic of contention revolved around Christians proving that the Ten Commandments are "expired" and have been replaced by the Holy Spirit as the guide for the faith and service under the New Testament. The SDA defender made a strenuous effort to manipulate passages in the New Testament to suggest that the Ten Commandments still exist within its confines. What the SDA debater fails to realize is that due to the excessive exaltation of the Ten Commandments in their perspective, they are inadvertently stripping the Holy Spirit of its role and authority as the guide for Christians in their service to God.

For Seventh-day Adventists (SDAs), the role of the Holy Spirit is merely to provide support in empowering SDAs to follow the Ten Commandments. According to SDAs, whatever the Holy Spirit teaches believers is nothing more and nothing less than based on the Ten Commandments.

The case of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:3) was used as an example by the SDA defender, where they were killed by the Lord as punishment for their sin of lying to the Holy Spirit. The SDA debater utilized this verse to argue that the Ten Commandments had not yet expired because the commandments were still valid; they were punished by God with death for allegedly violating the commandment "Thou shalt not bear false witness" or "Thou shalt not lie," which is the ninth commandment in the Ten Commandments. Is that argument correct? Is that really what the Bible teaches? If we simply listen to that kind of argument, they seem correct. However, if we allow the Bible to teach us, we will understand that it is not true and lacks truth. The book of Proverbs warns us:

Proverbs 14:12 (NLT) ¹² There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.

If you want to avoid eternal death, do not succumb to the dangerous teaching of the Seventh-day Adventists that "seems right."

Issues with the Defense Presented by the SDA Debater:

#1. The SDA debater endeavors to reconcile being "Led by the Spirit" while simultaneously being "subject to the law."

Let's revisit the case of Ananias and Sapphira. Is it true that the basis of their sin of lying was the Ten Commandments? Does the Holy Spirit lack the ability to teach Christians "Do not lie"? Or is the role of the Holy Spirit merely to remind us and empower us to follow the Ten Commandments?

According to the presentation of the SDA debater, the teachings of the Holy Spirit, as portrayed by the teachings of the SDA, are focused solely on what is stated in the Ten Commandments. It's as if the role of the Holy Spirit is to monitor whether a person is complying with or violating the Ten Commandments. Is this really the teaching of Jesus and the apostles in the New Testament? Let's read John 16:7-9:

John 16:7-9 (NLT) .⁸ And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.⁹ The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me.

According to this passage the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, leading us to repentance and reconciliation with God. SDAs may argue that "sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4), including the Ten Commandments, hence the relationship of the Holy Spirit to the Ten Commandments. They could present it that way if they ignore the context of John 16:7-9. Context is the number one weakness of SDAs; they prefer proof-texting or cherry-picking verses that sound similar but are unrelated to the essence. 

John 16:7-9 does not state that the world will be convicted of sin because it violated the Ten Commandments. It is not because of the Ten Commandments but because of God's righteousness through faith in Christ. That's why verse 9 says, "The world's sin is that it refuses to believe in ME, not the Ten Commandments."

The Bible explains the distinction between the Righteousness of the law and Righteousness by faith in Christ, so they should not be mixed together:

Romans 10:5-10 (NLT) ⁵ For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands. ⁶ But faith’s way of getting right with God says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (to bring Christ down to earth). ⁷ And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead?’ (to bring Christ back to life again).”⁸ In fact, it says, “The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” And that message is the very message about faith that we preach:⁹ If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.

They really shouldn't be combined because it will lead to spiritual adultery. It's only right for our Seventh-day Adventist friends to accept that the law has been removed so that we can live under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It won't work for someone to maintain their relationship with the Old Covenant Ten Commandments.

Romans 7:1-4 (NLT) ​¹ Now, dear brothers and sisters—you who are familiar with the law—don’t you know that the law applies only while a person is living? ² For example, when a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her. ³ So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries. ⁴ So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God.

I don't think any of our Seventh-day Adventist friends would want to commit spiritual adultery, right? If so, then they shouldn't be afraid that they'll become bad people if they leave the Ten Commandments behind. There's no reason for such fear because the law of the Spirit is broader, and it will even give you strength to follow the will of your life from the heart and not just because it's an obligation to follow.

A Seventh-day Adventist should only choose one of two options if they don't want to commit spiritual adultery:

(1) "subject to the law" o
(2) "led by the Spirit"

Galatians 5:18 (Voice) ¹⁸ ​But when you are led by the Spirit, you are no longer subject to the law.

Therefore, the Word of God does not support the doctrine promoted by Seventh-day Adventists that they fulfill the law because of the guidance of the Holy Spirit. If one adheres to such a deceiving doctrine, instead of pleasing God, one will be judged for spiritual adultery. The truth of God's word is very clear: If you are truly guided by the Holy Spirit, you no longer need to be subject to the law or the Ten Commandments. And if you boast as a Seventh-day Adventist that you continue to adhere to the Ten Commandments, it only means one thing: You are not guided by the Holy Spirit. 

For more information about the incompatibility of the law and the Holy Spirit, I invite you to read my previous article titled:"Tama Bang Sabihin ng Isang Adventist na Nasusunod niya ang 10 Utos Dahil sa Biyaya ng Diyos?"

I pray that our beloved Seventh-day Adventists may be enlightened by the truth that true Christians today, under the New Covenant, serve in a new way through the Spirit and no longer through the old way with the "written rules" of the Ten Commandments:

Romans 7:6 (ERV) ⁶ In the past the law held us as prisoners, but our old selves died, and we were made free from the law. So now we serve God in a new way, not in the old way, with the written rules. Now we serve God in the new way, with the Spirit.

Because Christians, like Ananias and Sapphira, serve God in a "new way" through the guidance and teachings of the Holy Spirit, they no longer rely on the "old way with the written rules" of the Ten Commandments. The error in the teachings of the SDA church compared to the Bible is evident.

The sole basis of the Holy Spirit's holiness and character as the third person of the Godhead in the Trinity, is none other than His essential nature of "love," not the Ten Commandments as erroneously believed by the SDAs. God is love (1 John 4:8). The Holy Spirit is holy not because He follows the Ten Commandments. The Holy Spirit doesn't need to be commanded because He is inherently holy and loving. He loves not because there is a commandment like the Ten Commandments, but because love is inherent in His character. Hence, the verse says, "God is love," not "God has love." 

This is called the universal law of love by theologians. It is universal because it applies both in heaven and on earth. Unlike the Ten Commandments, which were designed after sin entered the earth for sinful people, the specific commands like "Do not commit adultery" and "Honor your father and mother" are not applicable in Heaven.

The universal law of love is co-eternal with the existence of the eternal God. The Ten Commandments did not yet exist when Adam and Eve had not sinned; this law prevailed at that time. According to Seventh-day Adventists, Cain violated the Ten Commandments when he killed his brother Abel. However, this is incorrect. Seventh-day Adventists are ignorant of the existence of the universal law of love, which is why they claim that Abel violated the Ten Commandments. However, if Seventh-day Adventists would only allow the Bible to speak to them instead of twisting its verses, they would see that it was the universal law of love that Cain violated, not the commandment "Thou shall not kill" of the Ten Commandments.

1 John 3:11-12 (ERV) ¹¹ This is the teaching you have heard from the beginning: We must love each other. ¹² Don’t be like Cain. He belonged to the Evil One. Cain killed his brother. But why did he kill him? Because what Cain did was evil, and what his brother did was good.

Hopefully, Seventh-day Adventists will notice in this verse that what Cain violated when he killed his brother Abel was not the Ten Commandments but the universal law of love, which states "We must love each other," (v.11) not the "Thou shall not kill" of the Ten Commandments. The verse blames Cain because "what Cain did was evil," not "Because Cain violated the Ten Commandments."

Apostle Paul also explained in his letter to the Romans that there was a law that came before the law of Moses in general and the Ten Commandments in particular.

Romans 5:13 (TLB) ¹³  We know that it was Adam’s sin that caused this because although, of course, people were sinning from the time of Adam until Moses, God did not in those days judge them guilty of death for breaking his laws—because he had not yet given his laws to them nor told them what he wanted them to do. 

In fact, Paul, who was an expert and had a background in the law, taught that the ten commandments was added only after 430 years of slavery in Egypt, unlike any Seventh-day Adventist scholars who claim otherwise.

Galatians 3:17 (TLB) ¹⁷  Here’s what I am trying to say: God’s promise to save through faith—and God wrote this promise down and signed it—could not be canceled or changed four hundred and thirty years later when God gave the Ten Commandments.

Therefore, it is a mistake for anyone to assume that the Ten Commandments are eternal and existed in heaven before sin entered the world. It is also a mistaken teaching to say that only the Ten Commandments are what the Holy Spirit requires Christians to follow. The Ten Commandments are not the foundation of moral law; rather, the universal law of love is the true foundation of the 613 laws of Moses, including the Ten Commandments. This was the clear teaching of Christ when he was asked by the Jewish teachers of the law which commandment was the greatest of all.

Matthew 22:34-40 (CEV) After Jesus had made the Sadducees look foolish, the Pharisees heard about it and got together. One of them was an expert in the Jewish Law. So he tried to test Jesus by asking, "Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?" Jesus answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, "Love others as much as you love yourself." All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets are based on these two commandments.

Returning to Christ's teachings in John 16, the passage also mentions "when He comes" (John 16:8), indicating the promise of His coming for the disciples under the New Covenant. If it were about the Ten Commandments, why would He only start convicting of sin for violating the Ten Commandments under the New Covenant and not from the time of Moses at Sinai for the Israelites?

I am not saying that the Holy Spirit had no function back then (Isaiah 63:10); the function of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament was selective, unlike today under the New Covenant, where He not only accompanies the disciples but also dwells within them, including us now in our time as believers in Christ.

John 14:16-17 (NLT) ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.¹⁷ He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.

That's the significant difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The Law revealed sin and pointed to the need for a Savior (Romans 3:20; Galatians 3:24). It couldn't provide complete forgiveness or transform hearts. However, in the New Covenant, Jesus fulfilled the Law for us (Matthew 5:17; Romans 5:18-19; 8:3-4) and became the ultimate sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:10). It offers complete forgiveness, regeneration, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:8-12).

Apostle John also emphasized even more the significant difference between the Old Covenant law under Moses and the New Covenant under Christ.

John 1:17 (NIV) ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

The verse clearly states that the law, including the Ten Commandments, was given to Moses, while grace and truth, through Christ, were bestowed upon Christians under the New Covenant. Does this imply that there was no "grace and truth" during Moses' era? Absolutely not. Grace and truth existed during Moses' time, but they weren't fully revealed, which is why Moses' ministry under the Old Covenant was considered merely a "shadow." However, under Christ's New Covenant, what was once a shadow has transformed into a complete reality because of Christ.

Colossians 2:16-17 (NLT) ¹⁶ So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. ¹⁷ For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.

Based on our careful and thorough study of this point, we can truly say that the argument of the SDA debater in attempting to reconcile being "led by the Spirit" while at the same time being "subject to the law" is indeed misleading.

#2. The SDA Debater exalts the Ten Commandments more than the Holy Spirit.

This is one of the deceptive teachings of the SDA, to glorify and elevate the Ten Commandments above the Holy Spirit. Deceptive because in their defense of the Ten Commandments, they fail to realize that they are sidelining the authority and role of the Holy Spirit to teach and guide the holy living of Christians under the New Covenant.

They merely assume that the role of the Holy Spirit is to encourage and empower believers to fulfill the Ten Commandments. This is a false teaching propagated by false teachers like the Seventh-day Adventists influenced by the false prophet Mrs. Ellen G. White. If this is the extent of the Holy Spirit's role for them, there is no doubt that they deserve to be called a cult for demoting the nature of the Holy Spirit. It cannot be denied that their recognized prophet, Ellen G. White, at the beginning of her ministry as a prophet of the SDA church, was a semi-Arian non-Trinitarian. For Ellen G. White, the Holy Spirit was merely a force or power of God, not a persona.

This is the statement of Dr. Merlin Burt, director for the Center for Adventist Research at an Ellen G. White Estate branch office and associate professor of Church History at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, regarding the semi-Arian view of the early pioneers of the SDA church, which, in my opinion, is a trademark of a cult because of its unorthodox teachings.

"The Sabbatarian and Seventh-day Adventist understanding of the Holy Spirit, until the 1890s, was largely focused on the tangible, or “living reality,” of the Holy Spirit as a divine manifestation rather than His nature or personality. During the period up to the 1890s, most Adventists did not accept that the Holy Spirit had a distinct personality. For them, the Godhead included the Father (who was omnipotent and omniscient), the pre-Incarnate begotten Divine Son, and the Holy Spirit as a mani­festation of the presence or power of the Father or the Son. Adventists emphasized the separate and distinct personalities of the Father and the Son. For many early Adventists, a personality required a material form, which prevented omnipresence. By defining the Holy Spirit as an influence or power from the Father or the Son, it allowed for God to be omnipresent." [1]

From the very beginning of their existence, it is clear that the Seventh-day Adventist denomination is a cult because their teaching about the nature and personality of the Holy Spirit is incorrect. They consider Him only as a force or power to manifest the presence of the Father and the Son. It was also mentioned that this belief persisted until the 1890s. Even when I was still a former SDA evangelist and a talent on a program at Hope Channel of the North Philippine Union Conference, I noticed a significant problem in the SDA church's doctrine regarding the Holy Spirit while I was preparing for a series on the Trinity in the history of the SDA church.

I believe that up to now, the SDA church still holds onto these cultic teachings that limit the nature and function of the Holy Spirit as merely an enforcer and empowerment for SDA members to fulfill the Ten Commandments. They may not realize it, but now they will come to know that they are guilty of this mistake, glorifying the Ten Commandments over the Holy Spirit due to their narrow perspective.

However, if SDAs allow the authority of the Bible to teach them, they will realize that this is not the perspective of the New Testament. For example, according to Paul, the ministry of the Holy Spirit is glorified compared to the ministry of the Ten Commandments, which he even called the "ministry of death" and "ministry of condemnation."

2 Corinthians 3:6-11 (TLB) ⁶  He is the one who has helped us tell others about his new agreement to save them. We do not tell them that they must obey every law of God or die; but we tell them there is life for them from the Holy Spirit. The old way, trying to be saved by keeping the Ten Commandments, ends in death; in the new way, the Holy Spirit gives them life. ⁷Yet that old system of law that led to death began with such glory that people could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For as he gave them God’s law to obey, his face shone out with the very glory of God—though the brightness was already fading away. ⁸  Shall we not expect far greater glory in these days when the Holy Spirit is giving life? ⁹  If the plan that leads to doom was glorious, much more glorious is the plan that makes men right with God. ¹⁰  In fact, that first glory as it shone from Moses’ face is worth nothing at all in comparison with the overwhelming glory of the new agreement. ¹¹  So if the old system that faded into nothing was full of heavenly glory, the glory of God’s new plan for our salvation is certainly far greater, for it is eternal.

Here are the highlights of 2 Corinthians 3:6-11, teaching us that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is more glorified than the ministry of the Ten Commandments, which Paul referred to as the "ministry of death" and "ministry of condemnation."

The Ministry of the Holy Spirit versus the Ministry of the Ten Commandments:

- The Holy Spirit gives life, but the law of the ten commandments brings death, as it is written: "He is the one who has helped us tell others about his new agreement to save them. We do not tell them that they must obey every law of God or die; but we tell them there is life for them from the Holy Spirit. The old way, trying to be saved by keeping the Ten Commandments, ends in death; in the new way, the Holy Spirit gives them life." (2 Cor 3:6 TLB)

- The Holy Spirit reveals the glory of God in the face of Christ, but the law of the ten commandments veils the glory of God from the people, as it is written:  "Will not the operation of the Spirit have a much greater glory? ⁹ For if the operation of the law, producing punishment, had its glory, how much greater will be the operation of the Spirit causing righteousness?(2 Corinthians 3:8-9 BBE) ⁸

- The Holy Spirit enables us to behold and reflect the glory of God, but the law of the ten commandments condemns us and makes us lose hope, as it is written: In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. ¹¹ So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever! (2 Corinthians 3:10-11 NLT) 

- The Holy Spirit is the source of freedom, transformation and glory, but the law of the ten commandments is the ministry of bondage, decay and fading glory, as it is written: 11 So if the old system that faded into nothing was full of heavenly glory, the glory of God’s new plan for our salvation is certainly far greater, for it is eternal. 12 Since we know that this new glory will never go away, we can preach with great boldness, 13 and not as Moses did, who put a veil over his face so that the Israelis could not see the glory fade away. 14 Not only Moses’ face was veiled, but his people’s minds and understanding were veiled and blinded too. Even now when the Scripture is read it seems as though Jewish hearts and minds are covered by a thick veil, because they cannot see and understand the real meaning of the Scriptures. For this veil of misunderstanding can be removed only by believing in Christ. 15 Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings their hearts are blind and they think that obeying the Ten Commandments is the way to be saved. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord from his sins, then the veil is taken away. 17 The Lord is the Spirit who gives them life, and where he is there is freedom from trying to be saved by keeping the laws of God. 18 But we Christians have no veil over our faces; we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him. (2 Corinthians 3:11-18 TLB)

In summary, it is evident that the Holy Spirit exceeds the law of the Ten Commandments in all aspects. The Holy Spirit grants us life, unveils God's glory to us, empowers us to reflect God's glory, and molds us into His likeness. Conversely, the law of the Ten Commandments leads only to death, obscures God's glory from us, condemns us, and diminishes our hope. Thus, we should rejoice in the new covenant that God has established with us through His Spirit.

When I was still a Seventh-Day Adventist, honestly speaking, I read these verses several times, and the message they conveyed was difficult for me to accept. My initial impression upon reading these verses as an SDA was that Paul emphasized the importance of the ministry of the Holy Spirit more than the Ten Commandments. I also attempted to read the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary regarding these verses, but it only confused me further and raised more questions than answers. I was also puzzled by Samuele Bacchiocchi's explanation of these passages. I asked many pastors and elders of the SDA church about it, but they couldn't provide much help, so I decided to avoid these verses for a while and hoped to understand them someday.

Since I was born again and left the Seventh-day Adventist church in 2019, that's when I began to gradually understand many Bible verses that I didn't fully comprehend when I was still with the SDA. I revisited 1 Corinthians 3:6-11, and praise the Lord, the message became crystal clear to me! It's as if a huge veil was lifted from my eyes, allowing me the freedom to understand the love letter from my heavenly Father. This experience resonates with what Paul mentioned in the verses we are discussing.

2 Corinthians 3:14-17 (TLB) 14 Not only Moses’ face was veiled, but his people’s minds and understanding were veiled and blinded too. Even now when the Scripture is read it seems as though Jewish hearts and minds are covered by a thick veil, because they cannot see and understand the real meaning of the Scriptures. For this veil of misunderstanding can be removed only by believing in Christ. 15 Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings their hearts are blind and they think that obeying the Ten Commandments is the way to be saved.16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord from his sins, then the veil is taken away. 17 The Lord is the Spirit who gives them life, and where he is there is freedom from trying to be saved by keeping the laws of God.

Conclusion:

I also hope and pray for the SDAs who may still have veiled minds and understanding. Sometimes, even though the verses are clear that salvation comes only through the grace we receive through our faith in Christ, their minds remain veiled and blinded. We have also come to understand the numerous deceptions in the arguments of SDA debaters, aimed at elevating the now glory-less Ten Commandments. We have learned that for Christians, the Ten Commandments are no longer relevant because they are part of the Old Covenant, meant to teach the Israelites that they would not be saved by obeying the commandments. Instead, it would further emphasize their sinfulness rather than their holiness according to Scripture.

Romans 5:20 (TLB) ²⁰  The Ten Commandments were given so that all could see the extent of their failure to obey God’s laws. But the more we see our sinfulness, the more we see God’s abounding grace forgiving us.

This is contrary to the teachings of the SDAs who believe that by obeying the Ten Commandments, some of them even claim to have perfected their adherence to the commandments. But now we know that this is not true; rather, it only shows that their Seventh-day Adventist religion is leading them astray and deceiving them. So, if you, the reader, are a Seventh-day Adventist seeking salvation, do not allow yourself to be implicated in the judgment of the Lord God on the final day of Judgment. You still have the freedom to leave behind falsehood and embrace the truth in the abundant grace of God.

SDA PASTOR GREG TAYLOR'S LETTER TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY

We are running this faith story by Greg Taylor which he wrote just as he was exiting Adventism over two decades ago. Since we first published this story on our Former Adventist website, Greg has had many years of service as a Christian pastor. We are running this story, complete with the uncertainty of leaving everything he knew behind, because it shows the faith it takes to leave the organization that shaped one’s life. It shows the desire that the religion one loved somehow reform and become honest and Bible-based. God is faithful; He establishes us in Himself as we trust Him, and He shows us that He is greater than our hearts. He knows how to call His sheep even out of a false religion, and He teaches us through His word how to trust His finished work.

GREG TAYLOR

People have often asked me this question, “How can anyone ever leave the Seventh-day Adventist Church?” I have asked the question myself in times past. “How could a person step away from this message having come to know all the church teaches?” My observations have been that if people left Adventism it was because they had lost their spiritual direction, or had fallen into some sinful lifestyle. This trend has changed in the past number of years, however. More and more people are leaving Adventism and actually becoming more devoted to Christ in the process. This just does not make sense to many in the church because they believe Adventism is “the truth”. How can a person leave “the truth” and still follow Jesus? Even more foreign to this way of thinking is the notion that someone could actually be led out of Adventism as a part of their spiritual growth process. This is the question that I wish to address in the next few pages. I hope you will listen to my journey and prayerfully examine what I have to say. Check things out with the Scriptures to see whether these things are so.

I was born and raised Adventist. I went to SDA schools all the way from grade school through my master's degree. While I did take an excursion away during my teens and early twenties, my name was never removed from the SDA church books. I was baptized at age twelve even though I did not know Jesus. I was brought up in a legalistic home that strongly followed the teachings of E.G. White. I knew a lot about the law, but little about grace. I was one of those kids that wanted to do right but just did not seem to be able to. So, in time, my failure to live up to all the rules caused me to become discouraged.

When I finished at the church- sponsored high school, or academy as they are called (got kicked out actually), I gave up on God and the church. I ran from anything that sounded like God.

When I finished at the church- sponsored high school, or academy as they are called (got kicked out actually), I gave up on God and the church. I ran from anything that sounded like God. This choice nearly destroyed my life and ended with my addiction to drugs and alcohol. For nearly four years I suffered from this addictive lifestyle without hope and in failing health. My life was totally falling apart. I decided to try Jesus one night while I was on a drug experience, and I have never been the same since. The Lord reached down and touched this hard heart of mine in spite of my desperate condition, and He breathed into me new life. I became a born-again child of God. I will ever praise the name of Jesus for His unfailing love for me!

Became Born Again Christians

As soon as I became a Christian, I checked into a Christian recovery center called the Bridge Fellowship in Kentucky. There I started reading God’s Word and growing as a Christian as well as getting clean (sober). After seven months there, the way was opened through my parents to go to Southern Adventist University (then S.C.). I went there as a Christian wary of the denomination but anxious to learn about God. Interested in training so I could share the good news with others, I became involved with the student ministry opportunities there on campus and found many Christian friends. It was at Southern that I became an Adventist by conviction. I studied education because I had a passion to teach in a church high school and help other kids learn about Jesus rather than just legalistic church rules. But by the time I was a senior, the local conference leaders sought me out to ask me if I would consider becoming a pastor. By this time I was willing to consider serving as a pastor, something I had sensed God leading me to from my childhood, but I had resisted even through most of my college experience. I accepted the call, and served as an intern for one year at one of the local churches there.

During this time, a theology crisis hit the church. Desmond Ford was removed from his teaching position at PUC for his views regarding the Investigative Judgement.

During this time, a theology crisis hit the church. Desmond Ford was removed from his teaching position at PUC for his views regarding the Investigative Judgement. Walter Rea was removed from his pastorate because he brought to light the extensive copying that had been done by E.G. White in the writing of her many books. To call the impact on the Adventist community devastating would be an understatement. My senior pastor ended up leaving the SDA system discouraged. I went on to seminary wondering if I was an Adventist. One thing was clear, I knew from my own research in the manuscript documents that E.G. White did borrow extensively from other authors and often attached the “I was shown” phrase to it. I also knew that the doctrine of the Investigative Judgement had serious problems. So I went to Andrews Theological Seminary knowing that I was in a precarious position as far as the church was concerned. I took my new wife of 18 months and went to Berrien Springs.

At Andrews

Several things happened to me at AU that saved me for the SDA ministry. First, several professors just poured grace into me. Ivan Blazen was a Godsend. I flourished under his teaching. I also was blessed by Raoul Dederen and Hans LaRondelle. These men helped me see that the perfectionism of those in the church that opposed Ford was not the position of all the professors. Next, I was able to study the Investigative Judgement and was given a few plausible explanations which at the time quieted my concerns. I know now that these solutions were grossly inadequate, but they were helpful at the time. What is more, some experts from the White Estate came to the campus with a lawyer’s report that exonerated E.G. White of legal culpability in the plagiarism charges. While I know today that this was only because of the legal loopholes in the law of her day, not because it was not illegal or wrong, it still quieted my thinking.

The final and most important factor was my first wife, after a little over two years of marriage decided that she was no longer interested in being married. When she left just before the midterms of the winter quarter, my main focus for the next year and a half was to survive. I moved away from the theological difficulties to focus on my own grieving process. I had to leave my issues with the church on hold in order to survive. I did not directly deal with the theological issues for many years. My confidence in E.G.White was never the same after that however. I knew that there were severe problems with her authority . I still read in Desire of Ages and Steps to Christ, but I knew that to use her as a biblical commentary on the level with scripture was to ignore the problems with her credibility.

While at Andrews I made the acquaintance of a pretty young communications student named Paula Wesner. We talked a good bit, and were acquainted through campus ministry activities. While we never dated until after I graduated from the Seminary, we developed a great friendship. Upon leaving Andrews we started a long-distance relationship that was to end with us getting married in March of 1985.

Ministry in Adventism

Paula and I threw ourselves into ministry. At first we pastored in a couple of district settings. We did the evangelistic meetings, etc. I became increasingly uncomfortable with the traditional evangelistic methods, which focused on last-day events and prophetic interpretation. I felt my calling was to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to lead them to Him as their Savior, and help them learn to live in relationship with Him. What I encountered mostly in the traditional approach was targeted at people already in a church somewhere. The sessions only had one or two nights dedicated to the Gospel, and the rest to our distinctive doctrines. I felt much of the methodology of hiding our name and using a public hall was deceptive. Much of the content of the seminars and series was based on proof texts that I knew were suspect. They were not supported by context. I began to feel frustrated with the district pastorate, and when an opportunity came to be a full time youth pastor, I jumped at the chance. We went to Kettering, Ohio and served the youth of that church for six and a half years.

Paula is a natural at hospitality, and I love sharing basic Christianity. It was a perfect setup. We got far away from the theological issues and right into the important ministry of leading these kids to Jesus. Most of them had, like me, been raised in the church but did not know Jesus. Paula provided a warm hospitable environment where this could take place. We saw many kids come to Christ, and some go into full time ministry.

During this time, however, I needed to learn about balance. Youth ministry is extremely time demanding. Planning all week and leading events all weekend (often intointo the wee hours of the morning) took their toll. I almost burned out and quit ministry at that time. Thanks to God and to a few good friends I was nursed bach to health and found another breakthrough in my spiritual life. I experienced a deepening of my walk with the Lord that was like a conversion on a much deeper level. Paula was growing too. Not just spiritually! She was pregnant with our first son, Jordan. Soon Matthew came along too. These two gifts from the Lord helped us understand God’s love for us in a whole new and deeper way. God’s grace is so amazing!

Move to Asheville

Along with children came the realization that we could not keep up the youth ministry and remain balanced. We had a family of our own now to minister to. We also had a deep sense that God was calling us to something special. One day the call came to go to Asheville, NC. There was a church that was trying to move to more contemporary methods of outreach. They were using youth ministry principles to reach adults for Jesus. They were trying methods used by the Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago. We prayed much about the decision, because we were well aware of the dangers of trying to transition a church to a more contemporary model. Many have tried and few succeeded. So we prayed intensely for God’s guidance. After many clear indications of His providence, we moved to North Carolina. This began an intense yet rewarding season of ministry. A tremendous personal and spiritual growth took place in us. God blessed our church too. In spite of the fact that some 50 people left during the transition from a traditional to a contemporary model, we grew from an average attendance of 120 before the transition to where we now have a vibrant congregation of 500 members. We truly saw the hand of the Lord in the renewal at the Foster church. My evangelism gift was able to be used in such a way that did not force me to use the traditional methods. Paula was able to use her gifts in hospitality and creative communication, and our boys were able to enjoy many friends and a great community.

During this time, we visited Willow Creek for numerous training events. We were so moved by the connection with other Christians who love Jesus and are sold out to reaching the world for Him. The worship times were like a little taste of heaven for us. I remember us discussing how this movement of God was so much more vibrant than anything we had ever experienced in Adventism. I remember thinking and discussing with Paula that the remnant people of God will be people passionate for reaching the lost and who love worship. That is the message of the first angel of Revelation 14:6+7. We had such a deep desire to see these things happen in our own local church. Much of what we learned at Willow Creek we tried to share back home. Gradually God lead us as a church to a more open and expressive style of worship and a deeper commitment to reaching lost people.

The problem of the lack of spiritual renewal in most SDA churches and the presence of abundant life in others outside our church kept bothering me.

For a long time, I had a problem with the idea that the Adventists were the one and only remnant church. I felt that the focus was too small and believed the concept of a remnant message rather than that of a “remnant church” was a more realistic interpretation of Revelation 12. The problem of the lack of spiritual renewal in most SDA churches and the presence of abundant life in others outside our church kept bothering me. After about five years at Foster we started to level off in our growth. We were still a vibrant church, but it seemed that we were not truly reaching our target group, unchurched people. While we did reach some unchurched folk, most of the ones we were reaching had some Adventist background. Not that this is not an important group to reach, but that is mostly all we were reaching. I would pray and pray about this. My evangelism gift was burning inside me, yet it seemed that something was blocking my effectiveness. I began to think that there must be something wrong with me. I spent much time soul searching. Is this just an ego thing that makes me want to have a large church, or is it the compassion for lost people that is driving me? I went for some Christian counseling which was most helpful in solving some issues from my past that I was not aware of, and the issues of success/failure that I was dealing with. I was able to look at the parts of me that needed healing and confess them to the Lord and receive His forgiveness.

Meanwhile, the church remained plateaued. I found that I was not so interested in the size of the church as I was in using the evangelistic gifts God had called me to use. This was a time of deep soul-searching. I knew something was blocking God’s plan for using this gift in my life, but I didn’t know what it was. We explored a few calls, but did not sense the Lord leading us away at that time. I would go away for spiritual retreats and fast and pray asking God for direction. I would claim Luke 11:11-13 for the presence of the Holy Spirit and for clear direction from God.

About this time a friend in a similar ministry had Carl George, an outreach and church growth specialist, come to his church to study it. His churches’ growth had plateaued as well. Carl George’s assessment was that they could not break into the unchurched community because of the Sabbath issues. This was too great a barrier for most people not brought up or married into Adventism. For pastors who are called to reach people for Jesus, this seemed problematic. We must reach the world yet we are encountering a barrier that is a part of the very structure of Adventism. At the time, I just accepted that if God wanted to use us to reach people outside the system, He would make a way.

Meanwhile, a couple of my friends in similar ministries left Adventism to start non-denominational churches. Their initial separation from the SDA church was a result of financial issues between themselves and the conferences they were in. They were struggling to support a full church ministry and send 100% of their tithe away to the conference. This issue is one that every Adventist pastor faces, so I was sympathetic with their situation. However, shortly thereafter they moved away from the seventh-day Sabbath to a Sunday worship format. I must admit that at the time I was angry with them. Not in a rage sort of way, but I felt they had caused a dark spot to be placed on the already shaky contemporary evangelism movement within the church. I had been much less concerned when they left the church over issues with the tithe, since the SDA system does severely strangle the local church of resources. Adventist pastors from the most conservative to the most progressive have problems with that. I had hoped that they would prove that churches could be successful without being a part of the system financially. But the Sabbath issue discredited them in my eyes and in the eyes of most of the SEA church community. I told them how I felt. They were both gracious to listen to my concerns, shared a few of their ideas, and were Christian gentlemen toward me.

Looking at the Sabbath

When these pastor friends left Adventism and later the Sabbath, I went through a time of study. My primary reason for being an Adventist was the Sabbath. I had believed up to that point that Adventism was the closest church I had ever encountered to teaching Bible truth. For this reason, I was solidly an Adventist by conviction, in spite of my concerns regarding Ellen White, the Investigative Judgement and the remnant church teachings. I was convinced that Sabbath was God’s special day. My sermons during this time were clearly direct on this issue. I also taught new believers that, while Adventism was not a perfect church, it was the closest to biblical truth as I understood it. Therefore, I had no problem calling people to make a commitment to becoming part of the Adventist church. I would often continue by stating that if I ever discovered greater truth in the Bible, I would follow it.

I consulted two of our denomination’s most respected professors and writers with a passion to prove where my friends were wrong.

I studied the materials that my friends, who had left the denomination, recommended. I also poured over materials written by Adventist theologians including Samuel Bacchiocchi, the Church’s foremost authority on the Sabbath. In addition, I consulted two of our denomination’s most respected professors and writers with a passion to prove where my friends were wrong. I read, studied and convinced myself that the Adventists have the truth on the Sabbath. I also believed E. G. White had the spiritual gift of prophecy even though not reliable as an interpreter of scripture. I saw Adventists as having a remnant message although not exclusively, and the 1844 Investigative Judgement, though complicated, could be made to agree with EGW’s position with some creative imagination and proof- texting. But the kingpin for me was the Sabbath. You do away with that and you have no Adventist church. After all it is part of the name!

Sabbatical and Sunday Churches

About this time my family and I were preparing to start on a Sabbatical. We had planned to travel around the USA and see national parks and on the weekends visit churches. That is just what we did. We had a wonderful trip. All along the way we asked the Lord to show us what He wanted us to do with our lives. We wanted to be open to His leadership and follow Him no matter what the cost. Having a whole summer to study, pray, listen and observe seemed like a great way to hear God’s voice. And it was a wonderful summer. I would pray and listen each day. Each time I sensed the Lord telling me to just wait. God let me know through deep prayer and study that what He wanted me to learn from the sabbatical experience would hit me all at once and it would be biblical and crystal clear.

During the summer we were struck with the lack of spiritual vitality in all of the Adventist churches we visited. While the people were sincere, there was such a dearth of life it was depressing. It was almost as if they were just going through the motions of “doing church”. The Sunday churches were the other way around. With the exception of one church we visited, all of them had such life and joy that it was contagious. We would rejoice when we were in these churches of various denominations or independent communities. When we would visit the SDA churches, we would get so sad and depressed. I remember praying, “Why, Lord, if the Sabbath is so significant and part of your moral law that is binding on all Christians, why are you clearly blessing other churches, while the Adventist churches are, at best, maintaining?” We came back from our Sabbatical energized on the one hand and saddened on the other. We were so glad to get back into our church where there was some vibrancy. Before I went back to work I spent three days by myself on a spiritual retreat studying and praying for God’s leading for the next season of ministry. I journaled, studied, prayed and reflected. Still the same answer. “You will know what I have for you to learn, and it will be soon. I have a plan for your life and will reveal it through My Word.”

Nothing could have prepared me for what happened next. I got a call from a fellow Adventist pastor and longtime friend that I know is in love with Jesus like few others in my life. I have great respect for his walk with the Lord and commitment to following Him no matter the cost. He opened up to me and shared that he had been studying the Sabbath and was not sure our SDA position was biblically based on the New Testament. It blew me away to say the least, but he mentioned the same issues I had been having concerning the non-Sabbatarian churches having such an obvious anointing of the Spirit of God while ours were struggling. I shared my struggles with this question. To make a long story short, several others of my friends that I know are sold out to Jesus were all simultaneously dealing with the same issue. That began an intense time of study for me. I went back to the materials I had studied to argue with my former Adventist collegues, and this time I decided to study them with an open Bible and an open mind. Perhaps God was trying to tell me something. What I learned from God’s word has literally upset my world. At the same time it has been the most liberating and soul satisfying study I have ever embarked on. True to His promise, God has radically transformed my way of thinking. Paula has been blessed deeply by this study also. We have come to an understanding of the Bible in a whole new and powerful way.

Sabbath Replaced by Jesus

I was amazed to discover that the New Testament does not teach Sabbath the way I thought it did. I learned from Colossians 2:16-17, Galatians 4:10, Romans 14:5-6, and Hebrews 3-4, that Sabbath was an institution that pointed forward to Jesus and therefore was no longer binding on Christians. The New Testament points to a Person (Jesus) as the true Sabbath, not a day. I discovered that The Law is reinterpreted, in Christ, for all believers. The New Testament makes very clear which portions of The Law have carried over in Christ and which have not. Finally, I found that the day of worship is NOT the final test of loyalty to God, rather the test is a full surrender to Jesus Christ sealed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. I realize that this understanding needs further development, so I have included a brief survey of my discovery process in the appendix. I would highly recommend taking the time to read and study this material and see whether these things are so.

I remember some years ago there was a “Hidden Picture” craze. These pictures showed up in offices, books, lobbies, etc. Often there could be seen crowds of people gathered around these pictures, that appeared at first glance to be nothing more than a bunch of colors randomly splashed across the page. Nothing more. But as people would concentrate on these works of art, one after another would exclaim loudly, “I see it! I see it!” Then they would immediately coach others on the correct way to look at the painting so they could see it too. I would do my share of staring at these pictures too. I wanted to see whatever it was that was so exciting in these otherwise strange looking paintings. But I was not one of the fortunate ones. I saw nothing.

Then one day I sat down in front of one of these walls hung versions with some time to kill and just stared. It must have been 15-20 minutes I sat there just staring. I was just about to give up and call the whole thing a farce when all at once I saw it! A beautiful three-dimensional rendition of the Statue of Liberty seemed to jump off of the canvas. It was truly amazing! I could hardly believe it. Soon I was leafing through a book of similar paintings looking for their hidden secrets. What a discovery! Once I made that initial discovery, all of the pictures seemed to come alive. I could never look at one of these Hidden Pictures the same again.

In much the same way the scriptures came to life for me as I studied. At first I saw what I had always seen. But then one day it came to life for me. I began to see the Bible as I had never seen it before. Once seeing the truth come to life like this I could not see the Bible the same way again. I do not in any way want to put down anyone else’s understanding of scripture. Nor do I want to say that I am right and others are wrong. All I can say is that I have seen a picture of God and His word that has shattered all my previous paradigms. I am grateful for this gift of God’s grace.

The study of the Sabbath, because of my position as an Adventist pastor, carried enormous personal risk. Everything I have ever known as a Christian and a minister could be at risk.

Let me say one more thing. The study of the Sabbath, because of my position as an Adventist pastor, carried enormous personal risk. Everything I have ever known as a Christian and a minister could be at risk. My wife also has deep connections in the church. We have lifelong friends we hold dear. We have a church that we love dearly and that loves us. We have no particular, marketable skills outside of ministry. Paula has put her writing career on hold so she could be at home with our sons. We have no careers to fall back on in an emergency. So it was with fear and trepidation that we started to study not knowing what might come of it, but wanting from the bottom of our hearts to follow the Lord even if it meant losing everything. After all we had encouraged people through the years to follow God no matter the cost and trust Him with the results. What kind of spiritual leaders could we be if we refused to risk all for the cause of Christ ourselves.

What About Ellen White?

Some of you may be asking, “What about Ellen White? (EGW) How does she play into all of this?”

Paula and I have taken the position that we are going to be “Bible and the Bible only” people. That does not mean that we do not consider there to be a proper place for spiritual gifts, but because we are to test the gifts by the Word, and not the other way around, in formation of theology, we must go to the Word.

We must make reference to the fact that there are severe problems with EGW that unfortunately the church has been unwilling to deal with openly. To be fair, we suggest that every concerned Adventist do some research on his or her own and decide what place they wish to make for EGW in their personal theology. I suggest getting on the internet and researching Ellen White. You will find sites that are pro-EGW and others that are critics of her ministry. You should read both and make up your own mind. Remember I Thess. 5:20-22.

We have come to the conclusion from our research that she is not reliable as a prophetic voice. That does not mean that she was not inspirational at times. We both love the books “Steps to Christ” and “The Desire of Ages”. But EGW clearly, knowingly and extensively copied from other sources while claiming that she was NOT doing so except in a few rare cases. Some estimates of her borrowing are as high as 80%. Even the Desire of Ages, my favorite EGW book, has, according to a church sponsored study, “no significant line of thinking that is original” to her. Even in her works where she said “I was shown”, there is evidence of extensive copying. She copied down other’s materials and in many cases the errors right along with the truth.

Some have said that the laws were different back then. She could not have been convicted in a court of law in her day. Maybe not, but James and Ellen were quite adamant that others should not borrow from them without giving credit! They even took others to task that had done so pointing out the dishonesty of the practice. The community feeling regarding literary piracy was much the same. I have in my possession a copy of the Healdsburg newspaper dated March 20, 1889 where the local community was up in arms over some discovered plagiarism in her writings. Clearly it was dishonest and she knew it. The people in her own neighborhood did not approve of it. It was this discovery that forced her to admit using outside sources in the book Great Controversy. Even then, she only admitted what she knew others knew about her use of sources.

There is also the cover up of her visions that taught the opposite of what she later believed. Early Writings claims in the preface pages iii and iv that there have been no deletions. They claim to include ALL of her early works. They claim that only a word here and there has been substituted to update the original meaning. All of this was done “under the author’s own approval.” The truth is, significant portions of her early visions were left out and the original meaning was changed. I have seen comparisons between her earlier documents and the book Early Writings. Clearly the deletions were intentional and misleading. EGW knew full well what was going on. These suppressed writings have been covered up by the church and by EGW herself. This was considered by her fellow laborer W. W. Prescott and others to be dishonest and deceptive.

For us, the biggest problem with Ellen White is the effect she has had on the SDA church. There is still wide misunderstanding of the gospel of grace in Adventism.

For us, the biggest problem with Ellen White is the effect she has had on the SDA church. There is still wide misunderstanding of the gospel of grace in Adventism. In our years of service this has been an enormous barrier in helping people find assurance. It is not that she did not teach grace. She did teach it beautifully at times, but she also taught perfectionism. Adventists are still basically confused as a people about the very core of the Christian faith. It is so difficult for most Adventists to grasp the Gospel because of these statements. We have never seen an Adventist church truly dedicated to applying the writings of EGW that is a vibrant, alive, growing, happy church community. The responsibility for this falls directly on the shoulders of EGW. Surely a church with 100,000 pages of “inspired” writings should have an even greater grasp on the Good News than other churches. Sadly, this is not the case. Jesus teaches us to test the prophets by their fruits. What do we do with the problems just mentioned? Gal 1:8 says that even if an “angel of light” comes and teaches a different Gospel let him be accursed. Ellen White did not teach a “faith that works” but a “faith plus works” theology, even in some of her later works like the Great Controversy. Read the chapter on the Investigative Judgement and see what you think. With just these issues alone we are compelled to say that EGW is at best unreliable as a prophet. We surely cannot say that we should take her opinions as a companion volume to the Bible.

We believe there are some reasons it is hard to let the full truth about EGW come out. One main reason may be a vested interest in hanging onto the idea that EGW was a true prophet on the scale of one of the biblical prophets. It is part of the “remnant church” identity. Back in 1919 the decision of the Bible Conference held by our General Conference was that there be an immediate disclosure of the problems with EGW as a prophetic voice in the church. They proceeded to attempt to help people understand the truth about her gift. But there was such a backlash against those who were trying to tell the truth, that some key Bible teachers were fired. Unfortunately the denomination stepped away from disclosing the full truth about EGW. An atmosphere of fear to discuss these issues prevailed. Today we have to face this reality after many more years of ingrained misconceptions.

Remnant’s Testimony

The Revelation 12:17 statement that the remnant will keep the commandments of God (which SDAs take to mean the Ten Commandments but is not supported by the linguistics as discussed in the Bible study section) is part of this remnant identity in the church. The second part of the passage states that this “remnant” will have the testimony of Jesus. The Adventist perspective then points out that Revelation 19:10 says that the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy. The conclusion: the “true church” of the last days will teach all of God’s commandments including the fourth and will have a prophet. Many SDAs affectionately call the writings of EGW the “Spirit of Prophecy.”

The problem with this interpretation is that it does injustice to the linguistics and to the context of Revelation. In Revelation 19:10, the “Spirit of Prophecy” is a clear reference to the Holy Spirit. It is another name for the Holy Spirit that inspires the prophets. This same Spirit is belind all proclamation of the gospel. To translate that the testimony of Jesus always refers to the prophetic voice would be to ignore what the rest of Revelation says about the testimony of Jesus. For example in chapter one verse two it says, that John “bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, and to all things that he saw.” Is he referring to EGW here? That is surely not a fit. In context it appears to be a reference to the Gospel message. Now notice verse 9. Here, John says he was on the isle of Patmos for “the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Does this refer to EGW? No, it is not even a reference to prophecy in general. He had not yet received any prophetic visions. This is a clear reference to the Gospel, the testimony (witness) about Jesus. It became clear to me that to fit EGW into Revelation 12:17 was a stretch as well. I do not want to be guilty of reading my own version of eschatology into the text rather than letting the text speak for itself. This is incredibly dangerous in light of the warnings about adding to or subtracting from the words of the book found in chapter 22:18-19.

Our primary reason for becoming Adventist years ago was our deep desire to serve the Lord. Both Paula and I joined this church (myself by re-baptism in my college days) became SDAs because we believed it was the denomination that most closely followed God’s word. We saw in Adventism a group of people who were not afraid to follow their convictions even if they were not popular positions to take in our culture. We became part of the church primarily because we believed Sabbath observance was required and was honoring to God. We were also attracted to the healthful lifestyle. We believed that Adventism had much to offer the world. We still believe much of what the church teaches.

While Paula and I do not believe the Adventist position, that the Sabbath is morally binding, is biblical, we do believe that it is a healthy way to live and has merit for spiritual growth. We value and support the concept of Sabbath rest. We enjoy the spiritual benefits of taking a day that is dedicated to God and family. We love taking a media fast for a day and letting the noise and clamor cease. This is a part of our spiritual lives that we hold dear and will always treasure. But to insist that it always be on Saturday, or that it is mandated by scripture, is adding to the Word of God an unnecessary requirement for new believers. It constitutes a stumbling block that is not necessary. It gets in the way of many coming to Jesus. We believe that we should remove all obstacles from the path of the true seeker except the scandal of the cross. This is the heart of the message of Galatians and the rest of the New Testament.

Paula and I have a deep love and concern for the Adventist church. We have not been hurt or mistreated. We do not hold animosity toward anyone in the church. The denomination has been very good to us. We do not have any horror stories of mistreatment by leadership as some have. We are grateful for Adventism and what it has meant to our family and our growth in the Lord. Virtually all of our maturing process as Christians has taken place within the Adventist church. We have been blessed deeply by our association with the church. But God is calling us to keep moving. I believe that is His intention for the Adventist church as well. There truly was merit in what the Adventist pioneers believed. They were adamant about not becoming another denomination but insisted in calling themselves a movement. By this they were indicating that if they discovered more truth, they would follow it and leave the mistakes behind. The Adventist church has much to offer. If it would keep moving, I believe it could have a tremendous impact on the world as a part of God’s remnant church at large. But in a very real sense, Adventism must face it’s dark side. It must keep moving and allow God to mold and make it into what He intends it to be.

We are probably more “Adventist” than we have ever been. I mean, of course, that we are passionate about the soon return of Jesus.

We are probably more “Adventist” than we have ever been. I mean, of course, that we are passionate about the soon return of Jesus. This is why it is time, high time, that all churches stop promoting their own brand of Christianity as the “only true” exclusive community, and instead band together for the common cause of reaching the world for Jesus. This was the passion of Jesus in John 15. “By this will all men know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” The mark of true Christian maturity is this love for one another and getting on with taking the message of Jesus to the world. Jesus’ prayer in John 17 makes clear that He longs for the unity of His church. It is this unity that will attract the world to Jesus Christ. When Christians fight among themselves it only reaffirms unbelievers in their impression that Christianity is just another human institution.

Unity in purpose is what the true remnant of bible prophecy is all about. In all my years of ministry I can never recall any of us rejoicing over the success of a Billy Graham Crusade. I never heard anyone praising God that Greg Laurie had a successful Harvest Crusade. I must include myself in this group. Why? Because these men weren’t part of the “true church”. This attitude can unfortunately be found in many church systems. This is not just an SDA phenomenon. I have had to take a hard look at my own attitudes over the years. We believe that the time has come for us to lay aside the exclusivism that has crippled the Christian church for centuries (see Gal. 4:17) and get on with the Gospel Commission (Mt. 28:18-20). We are convinced that this is Jesus’ dream for His church in these last days. We believe that the highest form of worship, the most God-honoring path we can choose is to follow Jesus as He leads us. We believe that His remnant are those who obey His commandments to love Him fully, love others as themselves, and are totally sold out to telling the world about Him.

We Do Not Know the Future

As I write this, I do not know what the future will hold. I do not know what will happen to us financially. I must say that there was a real sense in which I had to face a dark part of my own personality in this struggle. I valued being a respected SDA pastor and having people think well of me. To think that others whom I had known and served in Adventism might lose respect for me was incredibly difficult for me to accept. I had to, in a very real sense, repent for having loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. Now I am resolved that “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” We will find our rest and security in Him. And we will look forward to the seeing how God leads us and how he leads all of you in the months and years that follow. Our prayers are with you and we solicit your prayers for us.

We hope that someday the Adventist church will face some of these issues. We pray that one day soon there will be a courageous move made on the part of the leadership to reexamine the “pillars of the faith” and ask God to give them the courage to study openly, without risk, the fundamental teachings and see what the scriptures teach without worrying what will happen if there is a discovery that there have been some mistakes along the way. It takes courage to face difficult issues. But courage is one of the qualities that Adventists have been noted for in the past. We are confident that the same quality still exists.

We do not think the church will suffer long term from such a study. Perhaps the image that the Adventists are the one and only remnant church would fall by the wayside. Perhaps the Investigative Judgement would hit the theological grave yard too. There might be a whole new approach to the Sabbath. It might be that Sabbath would be a suggested spiritual discipline rather than a moral ought. The name “Seventh-day Adventist” might be reduced to just “Adventist” so as to keep the focus on Jesus rather than the law. Healthful living might be taught from a suggested lifestyle approach rather than a requirement that gets confused with salvation. Maybe the church could become known as a church that truly is based on the Bible and the Bible alone. Perhaps there might even be some apologies made to those Christian groups that have been cut down and abused by the “evangelists” who called them “Apostates” and “Babylon”! Maybe the focus in evangelism would shift toward reaching the 130 million unchurched people in this country instead of primarily those already connected to a church family. Perhaps the Adventists around the globe would become known as a people passionate about reaching people for Jesus, cooperative in connecting with other Christian groups, and totally unselfish in using the church’s massive resources for the cause of Christ.

Greg and Paula Taylor with their sons

Maybe all of this sounds like a dream, but can you imagine how God could bless an organization with that kind of courage and authenticity? Imagine how spiritual seekers and believers alike would respect such authentic spirituality. But it will not happen if there are not at least a few that are praying for true revival and unity in the body of Christ, the unity that comes when all true Christians take John 17 seriously. When Christians start loving one another and telling the good news to the world instead of clumping in little exclusive denominational groups and pretending they are the only ones, there will be a revival of mammoth proportions. It will not happen, however, if there are not at least a few that are willing to stand up and speak their minds. We happen to know that there are many SDAs among the grass roots, including some pastors, administrators, and teachers, that have this heart. But nothing will happen as long as it just takes place in little discussions in the back rooms. Some of us need to have the courage to speak up and tell the truth. Someday we believe that God is going to accomplish these things in Adventism. We will be praying daily for just such a revival.

Love to all of you!

In Christ Jesus our Security and Rest,
Greg and Paula Taylor

Source: The Taylor’s Letter to Friends and Family – Proclamation! Online Magazine | Former Adventist Fellowship (lifeassuranceministries.org)