The primary topic of discussion here is the Adventist belief in the “true church” concept, which is based on a false premise. The Adventists’ notion of the “true church” was derived from the Roman Catholic Church, which they have always criticized. Before the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, it was widely accepted that the “true church” was the only one institution none other than the visible church, i.e., the Roman Catholic Church. However, Protestants challenged this idea, arguing that the “true church” or universal church does not refer to the Roman Catholic institution, but rather to the “invisible church” of believers found in different places and times, whose identities are known only to God (2 Tim. 2:19). Dr. Alistair McGrath said:
"One of the most significant and distinctive Protestant beliefs concerns the nature of the church. As we saw earlier, the medieval church in Western Europe offered a strongly institutionalized account of how salvation was affected. There was no salvation outside the institution of the church; it was by membership in the sacral community and observation of its rites that the individual secured salvation. The Protestant response to these entirely proper questions was to offer a new vision of what it meant to be a "Christian church." As we shall see, the new theory removed any necessity for institutional continuity with the medieval church.”[i]
It is a widely accepted notion that no denomination has the right to claim that they are the only “true church” because true believers can also be found in different religions. The claim of the Adventists that their institution is the only “true church” is a fallacy and an act of arrogance, which was inherited mainly from the Roman Catholic Church rather than from the Protestant Reformers. It is only fair to say that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is one of the children of the Roman Catholic Church rather than from Protestantism.
Although the arguments presented by this Adventist apologist are not conducive to healthy and educational discourse, I have chosen to tolerate them to provide an opportunity for other Adventists who may read this conversation to learn from the points that I have explained here.
The dialogue commences in the following manner:
SDA:
That question of mine is an answer to his statement that ‘If the SDA is a true church, I can sacrifice my life here even if I am persecuted and killed.’ And he said that many left the SDA with him because of ‘doctrinal problems in the SDA church and writings of EGW.’ That’s why I commented with a question mark.”
Obidos:
There are indeed many doctrinal problems among the doctrines of the Seventh-day Adventist church, and this is clear although many of them are unaware of it. Many of them are too lazy to study and read the Bible, theological books, and scholarly journals, so they are not updated on the debates among their own theologians. If anyone knows, such as their pastors, they just keep it from the members to protect their job security, especially since most of them have families. Even their very own prophet, Ellen White, warned any Seventh-day Adventists who boast that their doctrine is infallible or cannot be wrong.
“There is no excuse for anyone in taking the position that there is no more truth to be revealed and that all our expositions of Scripture are without an error. The fact that certain doctrines have been held as truth for many years by our people, is not a proof that our ideas are infallible. Age will not make error into truth, and truth can afford to be fair. No true doctrine will lose anything by close investigation.” [iii]
Ellen White’s statement contains three important points:
Adventists should not claim that their expositions of Scripture are infallible. This belief is contrary to the common belief of some Adventist layman defenders who are too enthusiastic and fanatical about their 28 Fundamental Beliefs.
Adventists should not boast that their doctrines are “infallible,” even though they have long been believed to be true. This includes the 10 commandments, Sabbath, clean and unclean food, 1844 investigative judgment, and Ellen White’s gift of prophecy. There is no certainty in these doctrines, so Adventists should not be proud or complacent.
There is no harm in carefully investigating a doctrine. Adventists should not be offended by my written expositions of their false teachings. Instead, they should be happy because it is in accordance with the will of their prophet Ellen White. It is worth noting that 99% of their social media comments on my articles are purely in the spirit of hatred instead of learning from their mistakes.
Hence, there is nothing wrong with my statement that many people are leaving the Seventh-day Adventist Church due to its erroneous teachings, and I am one of them. We followed Ellen White’s advice to thoroughly investigate the SDA’s teachings because they are not “infallible.”
SDA:
Let’s begin with this:
May I ask you, brother, if you also believe that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is the true church? Did you join the SDA without being certain that it is the real church? Of course, we are certain. If you, Bro. Ronald joined the SDA without being sure and just assuming that it is real, I would not be surprised if you left here. But what was your motive for joining the SDA if you were not sure about it? Anyway, it seems like you have answered that before! You did the same thing in the churches you came from.
Obidos:
Assuming that I only assumed that the SDA church was the true church when I was baptized in 1995, my knowledge at that time may not have been as extensive as it is now. I was newly converted then from Jehovah’s Witnesses. I became an Adventist because I learned that their early founder, Charles Taze Russel, also became a member of the Adventist after splinter groups emerged following the Great Disappointment. I noticed many similarities between SDA and JW, so I decided to examine the beliefs of the Adventists and decided to join them because I told myself that JW was a distorted version of SDA, so I would switch to the original, and Russel just picked up their teachings. In short, my decision was still influenced by my being a JW. Because JW is a cult, and its origin is also a cult. At that time, I did not yet know the gospel of salvation, so in that sense, I only assumed that SDA was the true church based on human factors, not the gospel itself. Unlike today, my departure from the SDA church is based on the gospel of salvation. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone in the merits of Christ’s work alone, minus my own works. The payment for my sins is the death of Christ, not joining the SDA church (Rom. 4:4-5; Eph. 2:8-9).
SDA:
You said to me, “I still haven’t proven that the SDA church is the true church.” However, this has been proven for a long time. You may not want to accept it because you have already left the church. You were not born to prove it. You have even proven it yourself in your programs on radio, TV, formal debates, and religious dialogues with different sects and religions. You have succeeded, haven’t you? If all that is not true, who among us is assuming that even though you defended it, it is not true for you? Are you pretending? What have you been working for a long time to achieve? What are you like? Anyway, you have answered that before! My comment to question your article is because you accuse the SDA doctrine and EGW writings as wrong. Therefore, you should be the one to prove your correct teaching or doctrine, your resources, and your true mission because you said that we are wrong. This is my question to you: How can you say we are wrong if you have nothing to show what is right? Can you forbid someone from something if there is no law forbidding it? That is common sense.
Obidos:
Yes, I thought the SDA church was the true church before. It was like when Paul was not yet a Christian. He was blind to his former religion, thinking that what he was doing was right, so he was also zealous in his service for a long time, just like me, who still fights for it in any debate, even though I know it’s dangerous. But that doesn’t mean that my beliefs when I was still an SDA were correct. Like Paul, I was also blinded and did not yet understand the gospel. I was one of those who were blinded by the god of this world.
You cannot say that I was just “pretending” when I was still an Adventist. Do not preempt God because He alone can read the motives of every person (Matt. 9:4; John 2:24; Rev. 2:23). I sincerely served as an Adventist then, just like you probably did. However, as they say, “sincerity alone is not enough” because you can be either sincerely wrong or sincerely right. In fact, Paul also noticed the sincerity of his fellow Jews. He said:
Romans 10:2 (ESV) “For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.”
Yes, I served as an Adventist with zeal, but like the Pharisees and Jews of Paul’s time, it was not according to the truth. Being an Adventist is not enough. What is more important is whether one’s zeal is based on truth. I praise the Lord because He showed mercy on me and saved me from the blind Sabbatarians!
I can say that the SDA church is wrong because my basis is the truth written in the Bible! Do you have any other basis of right and wrong other than the Bible, the Word of God? It’s as if you’re saying that the Bible is not sufficient to distinguish between truth and error. Let’s read what the Bible says:
1 John 4:6 (ESV) “We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this, we know the Spirit of truth and the Spirit of error.”
John 8:47 (ESV) “Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”
In short, the Bible, the Word of God, is the measure of right and wrong. For Seventh-day Adventists, however, the measure of right and wrong is their church denomination! Isn’t that absurd? The Bible is sufficient to refute their claim. According to 2 Timothy 3:16-17:
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
To put it simply, the Bible, the Word of God, is the standard of right and wrong. However, for Adventists, the measuring rod for what is right and wrong is their church denomination’s 28 Fundamental Beliefs and the “inspired” writings of Ellen White. This is not in line with the Bible’s teachings.
SDA:
Does everyone believe that Ellen White was a prophet? Even if you include other fundamental beliefs, many people still do not believe and that it is not new. You are the one who said, ‘Isn’t it because there are many reprimands, bad attitudes, and misunderstandings, among the brothers and sisters mean that the SDA church is no longer true?’ (from video compilation). Is it your favorite quote from these writings of EGW in Testimony to Minister and Gospel Worker 1893, p.49 as your answer? I will use it on you. Then remark, ‘Is it the end of the world now?’ ‘Although there are evils existing in the church and will be until the end of the world, the church in these last days is to be the light of the world that is polluted and demoralized by sin’.”
FIND A CHURCH WITH NO EVIL MEMBERS IN THEM? OR MUCH BETTER IF YOU BUILD YOUR OWN CHURCH!
Obidos:
He said, ‘Not everyone believes that EGW was a prophet. Even if you include other fundamental beliefs, many people still do not believe that it is new.’ It is commendable that he admitted that there is no unity among SDA members regarding their 28 fundamental beliefs. The SDA should not be proud of this. It is a shame for their church. It is embarrassing to claim that the SDA is the ‘true church’ or ‘remnant church’ if it is also confused like Babylon due to its confusing teachings. Why do your debaters, especially those in your TV ministry, claim that the SDA is the only true church compared to other religions when you debate among your group and have different beliefs? In my opinion, before you boast, brag, and challenge others to a debate, you should first reconcile and debate among yourselves.
He even used my statement from the video when I was still a spiritually blinded Adventist. I made that statement when my mind was still dark and blinded to the truth of the gospel (2 Cor. 4:4). My concept of the ‘true church’ was incorrect at that time. I used to think that the ‘true church’ was the visible church that I saw gathering every Saturday in different places. When I was enlightened by the Bible, I realized that the so-called ‘true church’ is not ‘visible’ from the perspective of people because we cannot know who among these people is a true believer and who is not. Only God knows who the ‘true believers’ or ‘true church’ are, and they cannot be seen only in one denomination like the SDA church because the ‘true believers/true church’ are not based on a set of fundamental beliefs or creed but because they accept Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord! (2 Tim. 2:19; John 10:14)
Thus, the biblical concept of the ‘true church’ is composed of true believers from all times and places, regardless of which denomination they belong to. Only the Lord knows who they are. According to this concept, the official book of SDA Fundamental Beliefs is irrelevant.
“The church is the community of believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour… At His return in triumph, He will present her to Himself a glorious church, the faithful of all the ages, the purchase of His blood, not having spot or wrinkle, but holy and without blemish.”[iv]
The term “invisible church” is used to describe the group of true believers in Christianity, as only the Lord knows who they are. This term is used because it is difficult for people to distinguish between true and false believers. Here is more information on SDA Fundamental Beliefs and SDA Question on Doctrines (1957):
“The invisible church, also called the church universal, is composed of all God’s people throughout the world. It includes the believers within the visible church, and many who, though they do not belong to a church organization, have followed all the light Christ has given them (John 1:9). This latter group includes those who have never had the opportunity to learn the truth about Jesus Christ but who have responded to the Holy Spirit and “by nature do the things contained in the law” of God (Rom. 2:14). The existence of the invisible church reveals that worship of God is, in the highest sense, spiritual. “The true worshipers,” Jesus said, “will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him” (John 4:23). Because of the spiritual nature of true worship, human beings cannot calculate precisely who is and who is not a part of God’s church.” [v]
“Seventh-day Adventists have never sought to equate their church with the church invisible—” those in every denomination who remain faithful to the Scriptures. [vi]“
“We believe that the prophecy of Revelation 12:17 points to the experience and work of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but we do not believe that we alone constitute the true children of God—that we are the only true Christians—on earth today. [vii]”
The key concepts that Adventists should comprehend based on the SDA Fundamental Beliefs are as follows:
- The concept of the "invisible church" or true church encompasses all of God's followers worldwide. Contrary to some Adventist beliefs, it extends beyond the boundaries of the SDA community.
- The "invisible church" or true church incorporates believers within the visible church, encompassing not only the Seventh-day Adventist church but also the Roman Catholic church, Eastern Orthodox Church, and Protestant churches. This perspective is explained by Ellen White:
“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. [viii]“
“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. [ix]”
This includes individuals who are not affiliated with any church organization, even those who have not yet come to know the Lord Jesus well.
Only the Lord knows who belongs to the “true church.” Therefore, any Seventh-day Adventist who claims that the SDA denomination they belong to is the “true church” is incorrect.
Finally, the majority of members of the true church/true believers can also be found in the Roman Catholic church and Protestant churches.
According to the SDA Fundamental Beliefs and SDA Questions on Doctrines, it is clear that the “true church” redeemed by the blood of Christ has no blemish, wrinkle, or flaw. In contrast, the SDA church that the SDA is proud of is overflowing with fault. This only means that the SDA denomination is not the “true church” according to biblical concepts and the official SDA Fundamental Beliefs.
Footnote:
[i] Alister McGrath. “Christianity’s Dangerous Idea: The Protestant Revolution–A History From the Sixteenth Century to the Twenty-First.” Apple Books. 409
[ii] Charlie Arroz Vidal on his Facebook account link: https://www.facebook.com/rvobidos/posts/1605752302927439
[iii] White, Ellen Gould.Christian Writers and Editors. 35
[iv] Ministerial Association of Seventh-Day Adventists. Seventh-day Adventists believe a Biblical exposition of 27 fundamental doctrines. Potomac Adventist Book Center, 1988. 135
[v] ibid., 142
[vi] Seventh-day Adventist Defense Literature Committee. “Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine.” (1957). 186
[vii] ibid., 187
[viii] Ellen White, The Great Controversy, p. 383.
[ix] ibid., 192
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