If you grew up Adventist, you probably know the feeling: running on a spiritual treadmill, trying to be "good enough" for God, but always wondering if you've actually made it.
Today, I want to talk about how we read the Bible, specifically, how some Adventist apologetics blur the lines of the gospel, and how looking at the actual text sets us free.
Let's start with Romans 3:20. Paul is blunt: “By the works of the law no flesh will be justified before God.” He isn't saying good deeds are bad. He’s saying you can't use them to pay your spiritual utang (debt) to God. Let’s walk through some common SDA claims and hold them up to the Word.
1. The "Works of the Law" Trap
SDA writers often say the "deeds of the law" are just human efforts to save ourselves. We agree, but there's a catch.
When Paul says ergōn nomou (works of the law), he means trying to use the law's demands to get right with God. As New Covenant believers, we understand that the Old Covenant law, yes, including the Ten Commandments on stone, was a diagnostic tool. It's like an X-ray. It shows you the broken bone ("through the law comes the knowledge of sin"), but it can't fix it. The law shows us what righteousness looks like, but it can't save us. Today, we live under the New Covenant, guided by the Law of Christ, which is love empowered by the Spirit.
2. The Courtroom Verdict
Adventists will agree that our imperfect deeds can't justify us. True. But Paul goes further: no deeds at all can justify us.
In the original Greek, "will be justified" (dikaiōthēsetai) is a courtroom word. It’s God slamming the gavel and declaring us righteous based purely on Christ's perfect record. It’s not God looking at our character development and giving us a passing grade. God gives us this status as a gift. Mixing our human effort with this divine gift breaks the whole gospel.
3. Blending the Inside and Outside
Here’s where things get tricky. SDA theology often says we are justified by Christ's righteousness placed upon us for past sins, AND His righteousness within us to change us.
Sounds biblical, right? But it completely derails the gospel. Paul keeps two things distinct:
- Imputation (Our standing): God credits Christ's perfection to our account (Romans 4). This is the only foundation of our salvation.
- Sanctification (Our transformation): The Holy Spirit changes us so we produce good fruit. This is the result of salvation.
When you blur these, you make inner change a requirement to finally be saved. It’s like saying Jesus paid the down payment, but you have to keep paying the monthly installments to get to heaven. Inner change is the proof of grace, not a second way to earn it.
4. The 1844 Problem and Hebrews 10
This brings us to the biggest issue: the idea that Christ only forgives "past sins." This is the engine behind the 1844 Investigative Judgment, the terrifying idea that God is currently checking a ledger in heaven to see if your recent sins disqualify you.
Read Hebrews 10. The Greek here drops the mic. It says believers are sanctified through the offering of Jesus, ephapax, "once for all." That means a one-time event with no sequel.
Verse 14 says, "For by one offering he has perfected for ever those who are being sanctified." The verb teteleiōken means a completed action with permanent results. Paid in full. Finished.
Verse 17 adds the New Covenant promise: "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." If God isn't remembering them, He isn't logging them for a future Investigative Judgment. If Christ only covered past sins, we'd still need the old sacrificial system. But the debt of sin itself was dealt with at the cross. Our standing is secure.
5. Sin is a Power, Not Just a Mistake
SDA apologists sometimes argue that sin only has dominion over us when we actively break a rule. But if sin is just a list of bad acts, Romans 7 makes no sense.
Paul describes a deeper ruling power, the "law of sin and death" that corrupts human nature. We aren't just rule-breakers who need a second chance; we were slaves who needed a Redeemer. We need a new legal status (justification) and a new power (sanctification).
6. Fulfilling the Law
Adventists say God’s grace fills us so the law can be fulfilled in us (Rom. 8:4). We agree! But notice how it happens. We don't fulfill God's requirements by trying harder to keep Old Covenant rules. The righteous requirement is met in us when the Holy Spirit empowers us to love.
Order matters: Justification (the free gift) comes first, which leads to life in the Spirit, which produces obedience. Never reverse it.
Questions for our SDA Friends
If you have friends still caught in this system, ask them to think about these three things:
1. If Christ only deleted past sins, why does Hebrews say "there is no longer any offering for sin"? Why use the word ephapax ("once for all") for an incomplete transaction?
2. How can God promise “I will remember their sins no more” (Heb. 10:17) if He’s supposedly keeping a ledger for a future Investigative Judgment?
3. If we are justified by our deeds, why does Paul say Abraham’s faith was credited as righteousness (Rom. 4:3)?
Conclusion:
Let’s be honest. How many nights have you stayed awake wondering if you were "good enough" that day? I've been there. It’s exhausting trying to pay off a debt you can't afford.
The beauty of the New Covenant is that Jesus didn't just give us a clean slate so we could start messing it up again. He gave us His slate.
Your standing before God isn't about your performance; it's about Christ's perfection. When you finally grasp that the utang is fully paid, not just for yesterday, but forever, it doesn't make you want to sin. It makes you want to live for Him out of pure gratitude.
Stop trying to earn what God already gave you. If you feel pulled back into legalism, look back at the cross. Rest in the finished work, and let the Holy Spirit do the heavy lifting of changing your heart.
FORMER ADVENTISTS PHILIPPINES
“Freed by the Gospel. Firm in the Word.”
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