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Let's just get real for a second. A lot of SDA members love to say, "Salvation is individual," like that's some kind of hall pass to never actually check what they believe. They figure since they'll face God alone, they don't need to hear warnings from folks like me, former SDA pastors and members, such as Pastor David Sabaupan, Pastor Ronald V. Obidos, Bro. Toto Paulino, Pastor Jan Sabaupan, Pastor Mario Mendoza, Pastor Jasjame Viray, Pastor Zaldie Lucino Ybanez, Engr. Erwin Dela Cruz, Engr. Ellery Sembrano, Pastor Dondon Balberan, Romeo Ramoran, Romeo Visenio, Sis Cynthia Dollente, Pastor Gil Macaraig, Uncle Larry Cudal, Dr. Sammyrem Vitin, Emmanuel Veras, Engr. Darwin Tagacay and many others.
Many SDAs just write us off as bitter or offended. But seriously, is it bitterness to open the Bible and show you what's up? Or are you just bitter about being called out?
If salvation is truly a personal thing, then it's on you to make sure what you believe actually lines up with the Bible. Galatians 1:8 hits hard: "Even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse." That's not a gentle suggestion; it's a serious warning from God. Paul wasn't talking to non-believers. He was talking to a church that started strong in grace but was quickly slipping back into following rules.
And that's exactly the trap Adventism has fallen into.
Stuck Between Rules and Grace
In Galatians 2:16, Paul spells it out clearly: "A person is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ." Yet, the SDA church keeps dragging the Ten Commandments, the Sabbath, food rules, and tithing into the gospel, acting like Jesus didn't finish the job. If Jesus justifies us, why are we going back to Moses' rules?
Paul actually calls out that exact thinking in Galatians 3:1: "You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?" That's strong language! Paul wasn't just fixing bad ideas; he was exposing a spiritual trick. In verses 4 and 5, he questions their logic: "Did you experience so much for nothing? Does God give you His Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law or by your believing what you heard?" In other words, if faith saved you and the Spirit gave you power, why are you crawling back to lifeless rules?
And in verse 12, Paul drops another bomb: "The law is not based on faith." That should make you stop and think. The law and faith aren't a team. They're not partners. One is about earning something; the other is about receiving. Try to mix them, and you mess up both.
But SDA teachings still pull believers back to old rules dressed up in a new language. They talk about keeping the Sabbath, following old food laws, and paying tithe like these are necessary for salvation or becoming holy. But Paul warns in Galatians 4:9-10, "How is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years." If that doesn't describe the SDA calendar, I don't know what does. Their obsession with the Sabbath, special "feast days," and their made-up "investigative judgment timeline" is just going backward spiritually.
Paul wraps it up in Galatians 5:4: "You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ. You have fallen away from grace." You can't hold onto Mount Sinai (the law) and Calvary (Jesus' sacrifice) at the same time. One gives you stone tablets; the other gives you the blood of Jesus.
Borrowed Beliefs: The Thomas Aquinas Playbook
Now, let's talk about the SDA's favorite excuse: "We only keep the moral law." That's their trick. They split the law into moral, ceremonial, and civil categories, then pick and choose what to follow. But here's the kicker: that whole classification didn't come from the Bible. It came from Thomas Aquinas, a Roman Catholic theologian from the 13th century.
In his book Summa Theologica, specifically Part I–II, Question 99, Article 4, Aquinas was the one who came up with dividing the Old Testament law into moral, ceremonial, and judicial laws. He used this to explain why some parts of the law continued in the Church and others didn't. It was a philosophical idea, not something God commanded in the Bible. SDA theology just borrowed this concept and built a whole belief system around it. They claim the Ten Commandments are "moral" and still must be obeyed, while the rest were canceled. But the Bible itself never makes that division.
James 2:10 says if you break even one part of the law, you're guilty of breaking all of it. That's because the law is a complete package. You can't slice it up like a pizza and say, "We'll keep the cheese and throw away the crust."
SDA Members: Why Are You Scared of the Truth?
Let's be honest. Most SDA members don't really dig deep into the Bible. They just let Ellen G. White's writings tell them what the Bible means. And when someone like me brings up solid biblical, historical, and even Greek and Hebrew-based corrections, many of you either ignore it or just dismiss it as bitterness.
That's not being spiritually smart. That's just being spiritually lazy.
You say we're "just offended" or "left the truth." But ask yourself this: are you rejecting our message because it's wrong, or because it makes you uncomfortable? Are you loyal to God's Word, or just loyal to the system you grew up in?
You're told not to listen to former pastors like me. You're told not to watch our videos, not to read our articles, and not to even consider our questions. But if what you believe is true, it should be able to handle being questioned. Truth never fears examination. Only error does.
Final Thoughts: Don't Confuse Being Comfortable with Being Right
You might say you're happy in the SDA Church. But being comfortable in a lie isn't safe; it's like being asleep. Being part of a big, organized group doesn't prove something is true. Jesus called His followers a "little flock." He said the road to life is narrow. If everyone else is walking one way, that should make you stop and think.
I didn't leave Adventism because I was offended. I left because the gospel I now preach is the one that actually sets people free. I no longer mix what Christ finished on the cross with old Mosaic leftovers. I no longer use Ellen White's dreams to explain the Bible. I stand on Christ being enough, the New Covenant being clear, and the Bible alone having authority.
And I'll keep speaking out. Not because I hate Adventists, but because I love them, and I love the truth more than getting approval from people.
The door to truth is open. But if you keep slamming it shut every time correction knocks, you might find that one day, the door of grace will be closed to you too.
For more inquiries, contact us:
Email: formeradventist.ph@gmail.com
Website: formeradventistph.blogspot.com
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