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Commentary on "Temperance"

RICHARD PEIFER

 

Day 5: Wednesday, May 26, 2010 – Temperance in All Things

 

Overview

“True temperance teaches us to dispense entirely with everything hurtful and to use judiciously that which is healthful. —Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 562.

Look at all areas of your life. How temperate are you? In what areas do you need to change? Might you even now be suffering some negative effects from wrong practices? Why not seek some help in making needed changes?” (Quoted on page 108 of the Teacher’s Quarterly.)

 

Observations

“Xenophon, an ancient Greek philosopher, is quoted as defining temperance this way: ‘Moderation in all things healthful; total abstinence from all things harmful.’” (Teacher’s Quarterly, P. 105)

Which statement will the Sabbath School teacher actually quote to the class? The quote from Xenophon is not in the “regular” quarterly, but in the Learning Cycle part of the expanded quarterly.

Why pick this nit in the context of Wednesday’s lesson? Because I don’t believe it is a nit. I believe it lies at the very core of Adventism, infusing it with the exact imbalance it is trying to argue against in this section.

Nothing could be more unbalanced and unbalancing than quoting 2 Peter 1:5-9 out of context. Here’s the entire passage (verses 3-11 NIV):

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The desirable attributes in verses 5-9 are the RESULT of verses 3 and 4, most definitely NOT THE CAUSE. In fact, not having these attributes is the result of forgetting one of the gifts referred to in verses 3 and 4 – that you have been cleansed from your past sins.

Instead, Adventism clings desperately to the Law, trying to bring life to the dead with the very thing that killed them. And they twist and contort their belief system in order to fit Ellen White’s often conflicting statements.

The Law is a ministry of death, It has but two roles: 1) to demonstrate our complete inability to measure up to God’s perfection, and 2) to drive us to Jesus for both forgiveness and life.

Behavior modification is an explicit appeal to external rules and regulations in the attempt to coerce desired activity. Even when it succeeds, it fails, because anything not done in faith is sin (Romans 14:23). By the way, if this lesson spent as much time in Romans 13 and 14 as it does worrying about Noah perhaps some of the balance it seeks could have been found.

Here is the balance I seek: Everything from Jesus; nothing from me.

 

Summary

  1. The author(s) make a good argument for expanding temperance beyond the issues of smoking and drinking.
  2. However, by appealing to 2 Peter 1:5-9 out of context they destroy the balance they encourage of their readers.
  3. By explicitly quoting Ellen White and leaving Xenophon’s identical logic buried in the teacher’s helps they expose, yet again, their own unbalanced belief system.
  4. The balance they seek can be found only one way, in the completely and explicitly unbalanced approach of Jesus being everything while I am nothing.

 

GO TO DAY 6

 

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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 9

Teacher's Edition Study Guide Week 9

Easy Reading Edition Study Guide Week 9

Search the Complete Published Ellen G. White Writings

Ellen G. White Notes 2nd Quarter 2010
Quarterly 2nd Quarter 2010