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!

Footnote:

[1] I mentioned "set of doctrines currently comprised of the 28 Fundamental Beliefs" because it's possible that this may be expanded in the future with the arrival of new insights. When I converted to the SDA church in 1995, I encountered 27 Fundamental Beliefs at that time.

[2] I encourage readers to read and understand what the "True church" is and who its members are. Read the article here: https://formeradventistph.blogspot.com/2024/01/what-is-true-church.html

[3] Adventist Review article "Don't Study the 28 Fundamental Beliefs, https://adventistreview.org/the-life-of-faith/dont-study-the-28-fundamental-beliefs/

[4] ibid.

[5] Seventh-day Adventist 28 Fundamental Beliefs, (Pacific Press Publishing, 2005) Preface.

[6] APA Dictionary of Psychology: https://dictionary.apa.org/denial-stage

[7] The Denial Stage of Grief: Characteristics and Coping: https://www.verywellmind.com/the-denial-stage-of-grief-characteristics-and-coping-5272456