|
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
Commentary on "The Message of the Prophets"
Day 7: Friday, March 6, 2009
In the final lesson of the week we are directed to further study, beginning with righteousness by faith as taught in Adventist history. The author states that the early Adventist movement became “imbalanced” in its emphasis on law. Then, in 1888, Waggoner and Jones presented a “righteousness by faith” that can be obtained as a “real, personal experience,” not just “a dry theory.” This righteousness comes by faith in Christ’s sacrifice alone, and not from works. Apparently, the church’s understanding on salvation became properly balanced after that.
The author asks if there is any doctrine held by Adventists which is not based on the Bible alone, but on Ellen White. If they believe in the Bible alone, he asks, why is Mrs. White so helpful in understanding the Bible?
Problems
This lesson’s own statements can help us understand how Adventists became “unbalanced” in their understanding of salvation. The A.V. Olson statement speaks of righteousness by faith as a “real personal experience,” not a “dry theory.” In Lesson 2, we learned that when Ellen White spoke of righteousness by faith, she was referring to the believer receiving the righteousness of Christ into their lives in the form of overcoming sin, with the help of the Holy Spirit. This is not the “alien righteousness” which Christ lived for us 2000 years ago. It is not what Paul says is a righteousness apart from the law. It is the “real personal experience” of sanctification.
If Adventists want to understand how the confusion never seems to leave them over the roles of law and grace, they might look at statements like these:
"Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above, are to stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator. Their robes must be spotless; their characters must be purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling. Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort, they must be conquerors in the battle with evil.” (GC p. 425)
This statement teaches that we must become less dependent on God’s grace and Christ’s finished work as we perfect our characters, for in the end, Christ will abandon us as high priest and mediator. Although we begin our journey of salvation “justified by faith apart from works of the law” (Rom. 3:28), just before Christ comes, we need to be justified by God’s grace plus “diligent effort.”
Is there any Adventist teaching that is derived from Ellen White alone? This teaching that at some point, Christ will no longer serve as our high priest and mediator, comes only from Ellen White, and not from the Bible. In Hebrews, we learn that Jesus is our high priest because he has an unending life:
“The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” (Heb. 7:24, 25)
Summary
Once the Adventist realizes that his Savior is also his ever-living mediator that will never abandon him, especially at the end, he has reason to dance and shout. He may feel obligated to keep the Sabbath and eat vegetarian, but he now has that “steadfast anchor of the soul” that reaches through the heavens to within the veil, behind the inner curtain (Heb. 6:19). There is where we find our balanced perspective, not by carefully positioning ourselves halfway between God’s grace and our works. We wholly lean on Jesus’ name. Living works can only spring from the steadfast assurance that our God can save to the uttermost.
Copyright 2009 BibleStudiesForAdventists.com. All rights reserved. Revised March 11, 2009. This website is published by Life Assurance Ministries, Glendale, Arizona, USA, the publisher of Proclamation! Magazine. Contact email: BibleStudiesForAdventists@gmail.com.
The Sabbath School Bible Study Guide and the corresponding E.G. White Notes are published by Pacific Press Publishing Association, which is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist church. The current quarter's editions are pictured above.
Official Adventist Resources
Standard Edition Study Guide Week 10
Teacher's Edition Study Guide Week 10
Easy Reading Edition Study Guide Week 10
Search the Complete Published Ellen G. White Writings