A Friendly Sharing of Faith with a Seventh-day Adventist: "5 Reasons Why the SDA Church Is the People of God"

Seventh-day Adventists Claim:

1. Our worship before the God to whom the law refers is acceptable.

Matthew 15:7–9, 13–14

“Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, this people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men... But he answered and said, every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”

2. We are witnesses that our God is the Lord of the Sabbath.

Ezekiel 20:20
“And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God.”

3. We Seventh-day Adventists uphold the Everlasting Gospel.

Revelation 14:6–7, 12

“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters... Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”

4. Because we love the Lord of the Sabbath who sanctified His people, the Seventh-day Adventists, through His blood.

And we are counted as servants of the Author of life, having entered into His covenant, which He made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Isaiah 56:6

“Also, the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, everyone that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant.”

5. Because Christ, who is the Lord of the Sabbath, the same yesterday, today, and forever, made His Sabbath for His people.

Mark 2:27–28
“And he said unto them, the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore, the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.”

Response:

Here's a detailed point-by-point refutation of the SDA argument, including cross-examination questions after each point to challenge the assumptions of the SDA perspective using sound biblical exegesis and theology from the Former Adventists Philippines (FAP) perspective.

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Claim 1: "Our worship before the God the law refers to is acceptable"

Text Used: Matthew 15:7-9, 13-14

Refutation:

Jesus in Matthew 15:7–9 condemns those who teach human traditions as commandments. Ironically, this verse rebukes the Pharisees who added to God’s law, just as SDAs do when they elevate Ellen White’s writings, the Investigative Judgment doctrine, and 1844 to a level of essential faith. These are man-made doctrines, not biblical ones.

Moreover, SDA worship centers around Old Covenant Sabbath observance, which Hebrews 8:13 declares is obsolete. True worship under the New Covenant is “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23–24), not tied to ceremonial days or shadows (Colossians 2:16–17).

Cross-Examination Questions:

1. If your worship is based on obedience to the Ten Commandments, why does Jesus in John 4 say true worship is no longer tied to a specific place or system (i.e., Sabbath temple worship)?

2. Do you believe doctrines like the Investigative Judgment or Ellen White’s visions are commandments of God or commandments of men?

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Claim 2: "We are witnesses that our God is the Lord of the Sabbath"

Text Used: Ezekiel 20:20

Refutation:

Ezekiel 20:20 refers to Israel under the Old Covenant, where the Sabbath was a national covenant sign (cf. Exodus 31:13,17). This was never given to Gentiles nor required in the New Covenant. The New Testament never commands Sabbath-keeping for Christians, not even once. Instead, Paul says, “Let no one judge you… regarding a Sabbath” (Colossians 2:16–17), because it was a shadow, not the substance—Christ is the substance.

Cross-Examination Questions:

1. If the Sabbath is the sign that we belong to God, why did Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, never command Sabbath-keeping to Gentile believers in all his letters?

2. Why do New Testament writers consistently refer to the new birth, the Holy Spirit, and faith in Christ—not Sabbath-keeping—as the marks of God’s people?

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Claim 3: "We Seventh-day Adventists take heed to the Everlasting Gospel"

Text Used: Revelation 14:6–7,12

Refutation:

The “Everlasting Gospel” in Revelation 14 is not a reference to Sabbath-keeping but to fearing God, giving Him glory, and worshiping the Creator—terms already fulfilled in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18–20). “Keeping the commandments of God” in this context is not the Decalogue, but rather all that God commands under the New Covenant, which includes faith in Christ, love of neighbor, and obedience to His Spirit.

Moreover, verse 12 defines the saints as those who "keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.” This is fulfilled by walking in love (Romans 13:8–10), not by going back to the ceremonial shadows of the Old Covenant.

Cross-Examination Questions:

1. If the “Everlasting Gospel” is about Sabbath-keeping, why does Revelation 14:6–7 not mention the Sabbath directly?

2. Is your version of the gospel truly everlasting, or is it a conditional message built around a 19th-century interpretation of prophecy (i.e., the Three Angels’ Messages and 1844)?

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Claim 4: "We love the Lord of the Sabbath who sanctified us by His blood"

Text Used: Isaiah 56:6

Refutation:

Isaiah 56:6 speaks of Gentiles who join themselves to the LORD and keep the Sabbath in the Old Covenant context. This passage is prophetic of the inclusion of the Gentiles under the New Covenant, fulfilled in Christ, not in continued Sabbath observance.

Ephesians 2:14–15 tells us that Christ abolished the dividing wall of the law, including the ceremonial Sabbaths, to create one new man in place of two (Jew and Gentile). Sanctification is now by the Holy Spirit, not by observing the Sabbath (1 Corinthians 6:11; Hebrews 10:10).

Cross-Examination Questions:

1. Does your sanctification come from Sabbath observance or from the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:16)?

2. Can you show a single New Testament verse after Pentecost that teaches Sabbath-keeping as a requirement for sanctification?

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Claim 5: "Christ made the Sabbath for man, therefore we must keep it"

Text Used: Mark 2:27–28

Refutation:

Yes, Christ said the Sabbath was made for man—not man for the Sabbath. But this statement was spoken to correct Pharisaical misuse, not to institute a law for the Church. Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath, which means He has authority over it—to fulfill, reinterpret, or end its Old Covenant application (cf. Matthew 5:17; Colossians 2:17).

The early Church never treated the Sabbath as a binding law for believers. Instead, they gathered on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2), not to transfer the Sabbath, but because Christ rose from the dead on that day. Sabbath rest is now fulfilled in Jesus Himself (Hebrews 4:1–10), not in a 24-hour period.

Cross-Examination Questions:

1. If Sabbath was made for man, does that mean every commandment made for man's benefit is morally binding forever?

2. If the Sabbath remains, why does the New Testament command rest in Christ, not in a day (Hebrews 4:9–10)?

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Conclusion:

None of the five reasons provided prove that SDAs are the unique “people of God.” They rest on:

• Misuse of Old Covenant texts,

• Confusion between ceremonial and moral commandments,

• Misreading of apocalyptic imagery, and

• An extra-biblical framework built on Ellen White's authority.

The true people of God are those who have faith in Jesus Christ, are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and live under the New Covenant, not bound to Old Covenant signs (Romans 2:28–29; Galatians 3:26–29).

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