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The Bible
says we are saved by grace through faith in
Jesus Christ alone!
Ephesians 2:8-10 says, “For by grace you
have been saved through faith. And this is
not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
not a result of works, so that no one may
boast. For we are his workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus for good works, which God
prepared beforehand, that we should walk in
them.”
From its very
beginning, the Christian Church had to fight
against the false gospel of legalism and
works-righteousness.
God’s grace can be a difficult concept
for some people to grasp. It goes counter to
our human nature. God’s grace is given to us
freely, it cannot be earned, and God has
extended it to those who don’t deserve it.
Although grace is sometimes hard to
comprehend, God means for us to have grace
and experience it on a daily basis. Religion
tells us that we must do certain things to
be saved. God’s grace tells us our salvation is
already a
done deal when we rest in what Christ has
accomplished for us through
the cross.
False
teachers in Galatia were saying Christians
were required to keep the Old Covenant law.
Paul said in Galatians 3:1-5, “You
foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?
Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was
clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like
to learn just one thing from you: Did you
receive the Spirit by observing the law, or
by believing what you heard? Are you so
foolish? After beginning with the Spirit,
are you now trying to attain your goal by
human effort? Have you suffered so much for
nothing — if it really was for nothing? Does
God give you his Spirit and work miracles
among you because you observe the law, or
because you believe what you heard?”
Those who think they have to keep
some of the laws from
the Old Covenant come under God’s curse.
Galatians 3:10-12 says, “For all who
rely on works of the law are under a curse;
for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who
does not abide by all things written in the
Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is
evident that no one is justified before God
by the law, for “The righteous shall live by
faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather
“The one who does them shall live by them.”
(cf. Deut. 27:26; 28:15; Rom. 2:23-25;
3:19; 10:5)
The false
gospel of legalism is a curse!
It is a
bewitching lie that leads people away from
the true gospel. Rather than living their
lives through the power of the Holy Spirit,
they trust in the things they can do to earn
their salvation. The Galatians were mistakenly
trying to achieve perfection through their
own self-efforts.
When someone is trapped in a false
religious system, Christians who know the
truth have an obligation to
warn them about the danger they are in.
Ezekiel 3:18-19 says, “If I say to the
wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give
him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked
from his wicked way, in order to save his
life, that wicked person shall die for his
iniquity, but his blood I will require at
your hand. But if you warn the wicked, and
he does not turn from his wickedness, or
from his wicked way, he shall die for his
iniquity, but you will have delivered your
soul.” (cf. Acts 18:6; 20:26; James 5:19-20)
The danger of believing in the false gospel of
works-righteousness!
Galatians 1:6-9 says, “I am
amazed how quickly you are deserting the One
who called you by the grace of Christ and
are turning to a different gospel— which is
not even a gospel. Evidently some people are
troubling you and trying to distort the
gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel
from heaven should preach a gospel contrary
to the one we preached to you, let him be
under a curse! As we have said before, so
now I say again: If anyone is preaching to
you a gospel contrary to the one you
received, let him be under a curse!” (BSB)
There is only one true gospel.
“It
was a remarkably short time between Paul’s
first proclamation to the Galatians and
their present disarray. The phrases
deserting him and different gospel show that
these are not issues over which Christians
might legitimately disagree. The Galatians
are questioning the very gospel itself, and
Paul is a model of forthright frankness when
central gospel issues are at stake.”
[1]
The Seventh-day Adventist
Church teaches the false gospel of
Galatianism.
Ellen
G. White, the prophet of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church taught good works determine our salvation.
“Those who accept the Savior, however
sincere their conversion, should never be
taught to say or feel that they are saved.
This is misleading. . . Those who accept
Christ, and in their first confidence say, I
am saved, are in danger of trusting to
themselves. They lose sight of their own
weakness and their constant need of divine
strength” (Christ’s Object Lessons p. 155).
“No man can say I am saved until he has
endured test and trial, until he has shown
that he can overcome temptation” (The Kress
Collection, p. 120).
“as the books of record are opened in the
judgment, the lives of all who have believed
on Jesus come in review before God.
Beginning with those who first lived upon
the earth.... Every name is mentioned, every
case closely investigated. Names are
accepted, names rejected.
When any have sins
remaining upon the books of record,
unrepented of and unforgiven,
their names
will be blotted out of the book of life, and
the record of their good deeds will be
erased from the book of God’s remembrance”
(Great Controversy, p. 483).
“At the
time appointed for the judgment.... All who
have ever taken upon themselves the name of
Christ must pass its searching scrutiny.
Both the living and the dead are to be
judged “out of those things which were
written in the books, according to their
works” (Great Controversy, p. 486).
“There is no excuse for sinning. A holy
temper, a Christlike life, is accessible to
every repenting, believing child of God. The
ideal of Christian character is
Christlikeness. As the Son of man was
perfect in His life, so His followers are to
be perfect in their life.... He bids us by
faith in Him attain to the glory of the
character of God. A well-balanced character
is formed by single acts well per formed.
One defect, cultivated instead of being
overcome, makes the man imperfect, and
closes against him the gate of the Holy
City.... In all the redeemed host not one
defect will be seen” (The Faith I Live By,
p. 44).
Ellen G. White said we must be sinless
in the last days to be saved.
“To be
redeemed means to cease from sin” (Review
and Herald,
September 25, 1900).
“Those only who
through faith in Christ obey all of God’s
commandments will reach the condition of
sinlessness in which Adam lived before his
transgression” (SDA Bible Commentary, Vol.
6, p. 1118).
“God will accept nothing but purity and
holiness; one spot,
one wrinkle,
one defect
in the character,
will forever debar them
from heaven, with all its glories and
treasures” (Testimonies for the Church Vol. 2,
p. 453).
“A mere
profession of discipleship is of no value.
The faith in Christ which saves the soul is
not what it is represented to be by many.
‘Believe, believe,’ they say, ‘and you need
not keep the law.’ But a belief that does
not lead to obedience is presumption”
(Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 142).
“But the way to life is
narrow and the entrance strait. If you cling
to any besetting sin you will find the way
too narrow for you to enter. Your own ways,
your own will, your evil habits and
practices, must be given up if you would
keep the way of the Lord” (Thoughts
From the Mount of Blessing, p. 136).
“I saw that many would
fall this side of the kingdom. God is
testing and proving His people, and many
will not endure the test of character, the
measurement of God. Many will have close
work to overcome their peculiar
traits of character and be without spot or
wrinkle or any such thing, unrebukable
before God and man” (Testimonies for the
Church Vol. 1, p. 533).
“The law of God will be satisfied with
nothing short of perfection, or perfect and
entire obedience to all its claims.
To come
halfway to its requirements,
and not render
perfect and thorough obedience,
will avail
nothing” (Testimonies for the Church Vol. 1, p. 416).
“Christ
consented to die in the sinner’s stead,
that
man, by a life of obedience,
might escape
the penalty of the law of God” (Signs of the
Times,
1897-02-25).
“When He comes He is not
to cleanse us of our sins, to remove from us
the defects in our characters, or to cure us
of the infirmities of our tempers and
dispositions. If wrought for us at all, this
work will be accomplished before that time”
(Testimonies for the Church Vol. 2, p. 355).
Ellen G. White
said Christians will have to stand before
God without Christ interceding for us.
“When Jesus ceases to plead for man, the
cases of all are forever decided. This is
the time of reckoning with His servants” (Testimonies
for the Church Vol. 2,
p. 191).
“In that
fearful time the righteous must live in the
sight of a holy God without an intercessor”
(Great Controversy, p. 614).
“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. While the investigative judgment is
going forward in heaven, while the sins of
penitent believers are being removed from
the sanctuary, there is to be a special work
of purification, of putting away of sin,
among God’s people upon earth” (Great Controversy, p. 425).
“Now, while our great High Priest is
making the atonement for us,
we should seek
to become perfect in Christ.
Not even by a
thought could our Savior be brought to yield
to the power of temptation. Satan finds in
human hearts some point where he can get a
foothold; some sinful desire is cherished,
by means of which his temptations assert
their power. But Christ declared of Himself:
“The prince of this world cometh, and hath
nothing in Me.” John 14:30.
Satan could find
nothing in the Son of God that would enable
him to gain the victory. He had kept His
Father’s commandments, and there was no sin
in Him that Satan could use to his
advantage. This is the condition in which
those must be found who shall stand in the
time of trouble” (Great Controversy,
p. 623).
Ellen G. White said we must keep the Sabbath in
the last days to be saved.
“The fourth commandment is virtually
transgressed by conversing upon worldly
things or by engaging in light and trifling
conversation. Talking upon anything or
everything which may come into the mind is
speaking our own words. Every deviation from
right brings us into bondage and
condemnation” (Testimonies for the Church
Vol. 2, p. 703).
“None
should feel at liberty to spend sanctified
time in an unprofitable manner. It is
displeasing to God for Sabbathkeepers to
sleep during much of the Sabbath” (Testimonies
for the Church Vol. 2, p. 704).
“Parents, above every thing, take care
of your children upon the Sabbath. Do not
suffer them to violate God’s holy
day by playing in the house or out of doors.
You may just as well break the Sabbath
yourselves as to let your children do it,
and when you suffer your children to wander
about, and suffer them to play upon the
Sabbath, God looks upon you as
Sabbath-breakers” (Review and Herald, 1854-09-19).
“In the last days, the Sabbath test will be
made plain.
When this time comes,
anyone who
does not keep the Sabbath will receive the
mark of the beast and will be kept from
heaven” (Great Controversy, p. 449).
The “divine institution of the Sabbath is to be
restored. . . The delivering of this message
will precipitate a conflict that will
involve the whole world.
The central issue
will be obedience to God’s law and the
observance of the Sabbath” (Great
Controversy, pp.
262-63).
“The Sabbath will be the
great test of loyalty, for it is the point
of truth especially controverted. When the
final test shall be brought to bear upon
men, then the line of distinction will be
drawn between those who serve God and those
who serve Him not. . . While one class, by
accepting the sign of submission to earthly
powers, receive the mark of the beast, the
other, choosing the token of allegiance to
divine authority, receive the seal of God”
(Great Controversy, p. 605).
“The Sabbath
is the golden clasp that unites God and His
people” (Testimonies for the Church Vol. 6, p. 351).
“It
means eternal salvation to keep the Sabbath
holy unto the Lord” (Testimonies for the
Church Vol. 6, p. 356).
Ellen
G. White and the Seventh-day Adventist
Church teach that Christ’s atonement was not
completed at the cross.
Ellen G. White said:
“The blood of
Christ, while it was to release the
repentant sinner from the condemnation of
the law, was not to cancel sin.... It will
stand in the sanctuary until the final
atonement” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p.
357).
“Now while our great High
Priest is making the atonement for us, we
should seek to become perfect in Christ”
(Great Controversy, p. 623).
“...instead of coming to the earth at the
termination of the 2300 days in 1844, Christ
then entered the most holy place of the
heavenly sanctuary to perform the closing
work of atonement preparatory to His coming”
(Great Controversy, p. 422).
Was
Ellen White correct about what she said, or
did she teach a false gospel of
works-righteousness? What do the Scriptures say?
The Bible tells us that God’s
people do not come under negative judgment.
John 5:24 says, “Truly, truly, I say to
you, whoever hears my word and believes him
who sent me has eternal life. He does not
come into judgment, but has passed from
death to life.”
John 10:27-28 says,
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them,
and they follow me. I give them eternal
life, and they will never perish, and no one
will snatch them out of my hand.”
Romans 8:1-2 says, “There is therefore now
no condemnation for those who are in Christ
Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has
set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of
sin and death.”
And Romans 5:1-2 says,
“Therefore, since we have been justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also
obtained access by faith into this grace in
which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of
the glory of God.”
When a
Christian stands before God in the final
judgment, it is to receive their final
reward, not to determine if they are saved
or not.
Romans 14:10 says, “Why,
then, do you judge your brother? Or why do
you belittle your brother? For we will all
stand before God’s judgment seat.” (BSB)
And 2 Corinthians 5:9-10 says,
“So we aspire to please Him, whether we are
here in this body or away from it. For we
must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ, that each one may receive his due
for the things done in the body, whether
good or bad.” (BSB)
Both Romans 14:10
and 2 Corinthians 5:9-10 speak of the “judgment seat” of
Christ. This is a translation of the Greek
word, “bema” which was the tribunal bench in
the Roman courtroom where the governor sat
while rendering judicial verdicts.
Metaphorically it refers to the place where
the Lord will sit to evaluate believers’
lives for the purpose of giving them eternal
rewards.
Salvation and sin are not in
view at this judgment (as that was paid for
by Christ on the cross), but only
faithfulness in Christian service. Selfish
works or those done with wrong motives will
be burned up (the “wood, hay, and stubble”
of 1 Cor. 3:12-16). Works of lasting value to
the Lord will survive (the “gold, silver,
and precious stones”). Rewards, which the
Bible calls “crowns” (Rev. 3:11), will be
given by the One who is “not unjust; he will
not forget your work and the love you have
shown him” (Heb. 6:10).
Our good works have nothing to do with
our salvation!
Titus 3:4-7
says, “But when the goodness and loving
kindness of God our Savior appeared, he
saved us, not because of works done by us in
righteousness, but according to his own
mercy, by the washing of regeneration and
renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured
out on us richly through Jesus Christ our
Savior, so that being justified by his grace
we might become heirs according to the hope
of eternal life.”
Galatians 2:16 says, “yet we
know that a person is not justified by works
of the law but through faith in Jesus
Christ, so we also have believed in Christ
Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in
Christ and not by works of the law, because
by works of the law no one will be
justified.”
And Galatians 3:11 says, “Now
it is evident that no one is justified
before God by the law, for “The righteous
shall live by faith.”
Salvation is by
grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone!
Romans 11:6 says, “But if it is
by grace, it is no longer on the basis of
works; otherwise grace would no longer be
grace.”
Acts 16:31 says, “And they
said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you
will be saved, you and your household.”
1 John 5:4 says, “For everyone who
has been born of God overcomes the world.
And this is the victory that has overcome
the world—our faith.”
Galatians 2:21
says, “I do not nullify the grace of God,
for if righteousness were through the law,
then Christ died for no purpose.”
John 5:24 says, “Truly, truly, I say to
you, whoever hears my word and believes him
who sent me has eternal life. He does not
come into judgment, but has passed from
death to life.”
Romans 4:4-7 says,
“Now to the one who works, his wages are not
counted as a gift but as his due. And to the
one who does not work but believes in him
who justifies the ungodly, his faith is
counted as righteousness, just as David also
speaks of the blessing of the one to whom
God counts righteousness apart from works:
“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are
forgiven, and whose sins are covered.”
And Ephesians 2:4-7 says, “But God, being
rich in mercy, because of the great love
with which he loved us, even when we were
dead in our trespasses, made us alive
together with Christ—by grace you have been
saved—and raised us up with him and seated
us with him in the heavenly places in Christ
Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might
show the immeasurable riches of his grace in
kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
Christ said He would never stop interceding for
us.
Matthew 28:20 says, “teaching them to observe all that I have
commanded you. And behold, I am with you
always, to the end of the age.”
Hebrews 13:5 says, “Keep your life free from
love of money, and be content with what you
have, for he has said, “I will never leave
you nor forsake you.”
John 14:16
says, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give
you another Helper, to be with you forever,”
Ephesians 4:30 says, “And do not grieve
the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were
sealed for the day of redemption.”
Romans 8:34 says, “Who
is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who
died—more than that, who was raised—who is
at the right hand of God, who indeed is
interceding for us.”
And Hebrews 7:24-25
says,
“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.”
We are declared
to be perfect in Christ Jesus because of what He
has done for us, not because we are without sin
in our lives.
Acts 13:38-39
says, “Let it be known to you therefore,
brothers, that through this man forgiveness
of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him
everyone who believes is freed from
everything from which you could not be freed
by the law of Moses.”
Romans 3:21-22
says, “But now the righteousness of God has
been manifested apart from the law, although
the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—
the righteousness of God through faith in
Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there
is no distinction:”
Romans 3:23-26
says, “for all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God, and are justified by his
grace as a gift, through the redemption that
is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as
a propitiation by his blood, to be received
by faith. This was to show God’s
righteousness, because in his divine
forbearance he had passed over former sins.
It was to show his righteousness at the
present time, so that he might be just and
the justifier of the one who has faith in
Jesus.”
Romans 4:3-6 says, “For what
does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed
God, and it was counted to him as
righteousness.” Now to the one who works,
his wages are not counted as a gift but as
his due. And to the one who does not work
but believes in him who justifies the
ungodly, his faith is counted as
righteousness, just as David also speaks of
the blessing of the one to whom God counts
righteousness apart from works:”
Romans 4:11 says, “He received the sign of
circumcision as a seal of the righteousness
that he had by faith while he was still
uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him
the father of all who believe without being
circumcised, so that righteousness would be
counted to them as well.”
1
Corinthians 1:30 says, “And because of him
you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us
wisdom from God, righteousness and
sanctification and redemption,”
2
Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake he made
him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in
him we might become the righteousness of
God.”
2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “But
he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for
you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the
more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the
power of Christ may rest upon me.”
Ephesians 1:4 says, “Even as he chose us in
him before the foundation of the world, that
we should be holy and blameless before him.
In love.”
Ephesians 2:8-10 says, “For
by grace you have been saved through faith.
And this is not your own doing; it is the
gift of God, not a result of works, so that
no one may boast. For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for
good works, which God prepared beforehand,
that we should walk in them.”
Philippians 3:9 says, “And be found in him,
not having a righteousness of my own that
comes from the law, but that which comes
through faith in Christ, the righteousness
from God that depends on faith.”
Hebrews 9:26 says, “for then he would have
had to suffer repeatedly since the
foundation of the world. But as it is, he
has appeared once for all at the end of the
ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself.”
Hebrews 10:14 says, “For by
a single offering he has perfected for all
time those who are being sanctified.”
1 Peter 2:24 says, “He himself bore our
sins in his body on the tree, that we might
die to sin and live to righteousness. By his
wounds you have been healed.”
And 1
John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love,
but perfect love casts out fear. For fear
has to do with punishment, and whoever fears
has not been perfected in love.”
Whoever
accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and
Savior has (present tense), eternal life!
John 3:16
says, “For God so loved the
world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:36
says, “Whoever
believes in the Son has eternal life, but
whoever rejects the Son will not see life,
for God’s wrath remains on them.”
John 5:24 says, “Truly, truly, I say to you,
whoever hears my word and believes him who
sent me has eternal life. He does not come
into judgment, but has passed from death to
life.”
John 17:3 says, “Now this is eternal life: that they
know you, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom you have sent.”
1 John 5:11
says, “And this is the testimony: God has given us
eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”
1 John 5:13 says, “I write these
things to you who believe in the name of the
Son of God so that you may know that you
have eternal life.”
And Romans 6:23
says, “For the wages of sin is death, but
the gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord.”
There is no weekly Sabbath or Holy
days required for Christians
under the New Covenant.
Colossians 2:13-17 says, “When you were dead
in your sins and in the uncircumcision of
your sinful nature, God made you alive with
Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having
canceled the written code, with its
regulations, that was against us and that
stood opposed to us; he took it away,
nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed
the powers and authorities, he made a public
spectacle of them, triumphing over them by
the cross. Therefore do not let anyone judge
you by what you eat or drink, or with regard
to a religious festival, a New Moon
celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a
shadow of the things that were to come; the
reality, however, is found in Christ.” (NIV)
Ephesians 2:13-16 says, “But now in
Christ Jesus you who once were far away have
been brought near through the blood of
Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has
made the two one and has destroyed the
barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by
abolishing in his flesh the law with its
commandments and regulations. His purpose
was to create in himself one new man out of
the two, thus making peace, and in this one
body to reconcile both of them to God
through the cross, by which he put to death
their hostility.” (NIV)
Romans 14:5, 10-12
says, “One person esteems one day as
better than another, while another esteems
all days alike. Each one should be fully
convinced in his own mind. . . Why do you
pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why
do you despise your brother? For we will all
stand before the judgment seat of God; for
it is written, “As I live, says the Lord,
every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue
shall confess to God.” So then each of us
will give an account of himself to God.”
And Galatians 4:8-11 says, “Formerly,
when you did not know God, you were slaves
to those who by nature are not gods. But now
that you know God, or rather are known by
God, how is it that you are turning back to
those weak and worthless principles? Do you
wish to be enslaved by them all over again?
You are observing special days and months
and seasons and years! I fear for you, that
my efforts for you may have been in vain.”
(BSB)
We experience God’s true rest when
we put our trust in Christ’s
finished work on our behalf.
Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Come to me, all
who labor and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and
learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in
heart, and you will find rest for your
souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is
light.” (cf.
Heb. 3:7-19; 4:1-13; 4:14-16)
“Note
that this is an open invitation to all who
hear—but phrased in such a way that the only
ones who will respond to the invitation are
those who are burdened by their own
spiritual bankruptcy and the weight of
trying to save themselves by keeping the
law. The stubbornness of humanity’s sinful
rebellion is such that without a
sovereignly-bestowed spiritual awakening,
all sinners refuse to acknowledge the depth
of their spiritual poverty. That is why, as
Jesus says in Matthew 11:27, our salvation
is the sovereign work of God.”
[2]
Contrary to what Ellen
G. White said, we can have
complete assurance in our salvation when we put our
faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone for
our redemption!
Seventh-day Adventists need to
understand that Christ made a complete
atonement for us at the cross.
“The New Testament teaches that Christ’s
work of atonement was fully completed at the
cross (John 19:30). After fulfilling His
earthly mission, the Lord Jesus sat down
victoriously at the right hand of the
Father. The author of Hebrews is clear:
“Every priest stands daily ministering
and offering time after time the same
sacrifices, which can never take away sins;
but He, having offered one sacrifice for
sins for all time, sat down at the right
hand of God, waiting from that time onward
until His enemies be made a footstool for
His feet. For by one offering He has
perfected for all time those who are
sanctified.” - Hebrews 10:11-14.
Any
notion that Christ needed to perform an
additional work of atonement in heaven [as
SDA theology teaches], runs contrary to
those verses, and mitigates against the
once-for-all nature of His finished work on
Calvary.”
[3]
Seventh-day Adventists need to
understand that Christ suffered and died to
set us free from the law of sin and death
(Romans 8:1-2).
God has known who His
children are from before time began, and no
investigative judgment is necessary to
determine who has earned the right to
go to heaven (Eph. 1:3-5). Christ died in
our place so that we could have eternal
life; and those who believe in Him have been set
free from the law to live by His grace (Rom. 7:1-8).
God wants us to trust in Christ
alone!
God wants us to know
for certain that when we rest in what Christ
has done for us, our sins are permanently
and forever forgiven, and that we will be
with Him for all eternity.
Remember
what John 5:24 says, “Truly, truly, I say to
you, whoever hears my word and believes him
who sent me has eternal life. He does not
come into judgment, but has passed from
death to life.”
Ellen G.
White said that her work was either from
God, or the devil.
“God is either teaching His church,
reproving their wrongs and strengthening
their faith, or He is not. This work is of
God, or it is not. God does nothing in
partnership with Satan. My work... bears the
stamp of God or the stamp of the enemy.
There is no halfway work in the matter. The
Testimonies are of the Spirit of God, or of
the devil” (Testimonies for the Church Vol.
4, p. 230).
You get to decide!
Were Ellen White’s “Testimonies” from the
Spirit of God, or of the devil? Did she
teach the one true gospel, or a gospel of
works-righteousness?
All the evidence proves Ellen G. White was a
false prophet who
contradicted the Bible in
many places,
plagiarized the words of other
authors, and then lied about where she
got those words. She made many
well documented, false prophecies and
then she lied and said God showed her those things in
vision. When the Seventh-day Adventist
Church promotes her, they are telling people
to believe in a liar, and a fraud; a
wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Ellen White and the Seventh-day
Adventist Church teach many doctrines that
are false and even cultic compared to the
beliefs of the historic Christian faith.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church teaches
that the atonement wasn’t completed at the
cross. They also teach that you have to keep
the seventh day Sabbath, live without Jesus
as your mediator, and be sinless before
Christ comes. And Ellen G. White even said
that understanding the doctrine of
the Investigative Judgment is just as
essential as understanding the plan of
salvation.
The
Seventh-day Adventist Church teaches the same
heretical message that the false teachers in
Galatia were teaching, salvation by grace
plus works.
Ellen White
was not a true prophet of God, and anyone who
follows her is in great danger of being
eternally deceived by a false
gospel.
References:
1. see: The ESV
Study Bible: Galatians 1:6.
2. see: The
MacArthur Study Bible: Matthew 11:28-30.
3. see:
Evaluating Seventh-day Adventism.
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