Section 13. Apostasy and Offshoots - outline and explained

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19. Six Distinguishing Marks of Apostates.

20. An Answer to the Charge: "I Have Been Delivered From Adventism

19. Six Distinguishing Marks of Apostates

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us." 1 John 2:19.

This inspired statement was made only about seventy years after the founding of the Christian church. There were numbers still living who had witnessed the organization of this new movement in the world. Yet this short space of time sufficed for the manifestation of desertions from the church. It is not a thing to be marveled at, then, that in these last days also the church of God should be troubled with offshoots.

The Bible does not give us many details regarding the church troubles of the first century, nor is it necessary for us to know them; but it is well for us to give some thought and study to the question as it affects our own age. From time to time since the beginning of this Second Advent message there have been those who have gone out from us. Some good church members, though they may not be led away into apostasy, are not quite able to understand why such "earnest people" have gone out from us.

A good way to deal with this problem is to set down the outstanding characteristics of these offshoots, and with these before us to draw definite conclusions. Allowing for some minor exceptions, the various offshoots developed from time to time possess, or did possess while they existed, the following characteristics:

Destructive

1. They are Destructive. Their message is not a new, clear, positive one, but negative. They are chiefly concerned with denouncing the movement with which they have so lately been allied.

True Protestantism, though it is a protest against the evils of the false church out of which our fathers came, is defined in terms of positive truths that were set forth by the Reformers. No great wisdom is required to be a critic or to denounce others. The evidence of wisdom, the kind that comes down from above, is in the setting forth of a new and better way in which men should walk.

Much Ado About Nothing

2. Irrelevant or Unimportant Questions are Stressed. If the whole time and energy of the offshoot is not concerned with denouncing or criticizing the denomination, the "new light" given out consists of irrelevant and often ludicrous points. There are certain minds that seem possessed of the sad faculty of stressing the unimportant; they are almost ready to become martyrs for the inconsequential. We have a chronic illustration of this in the person who is ready to call down anathemas on the men of the denomination because they shave the "corner of their beard."

Mistakes of Leaders Featured

3. The Mistakes of Certain Leaders are Held up. Reduced to a syllogism, the argument runs thus: Elder Blank is a conference president. He is not what he ought to be. Therefore the whole movement is evil.

This is not a new method of attacking an organization. It is as old, and also as faulty, as the human race. The rightness or wrongness of a movement cannot thus be determined. There will always be those among the leaders who are not what God would have them to be. But the movement is not bad because of them; rather is it good in spite of them. The question of whether the Lord is leading a movement can be answered only by comparing its doctrines with the words of Scripture. "If they speak not according to this word," then we can rightly say that the organization is not of God. And, conversely, if they do speak according to the Bible, then God surely must be directing the work, for only when the Spirit of God enlightens men can they know the truth. Flesh and blood cannot reveal it unto them. Therefore this Second Advent movement, which is teaching the true Bible doctrines, was not started by the wisdom of man nor does it thus continue.

Although it is a fact that the faulty lives of its leaders can do great damage, and cause the name of God to be blasphemed among the Gentiles. And though it is also a fact that real Christianity can be fully understood only as lived out, yet we must always remember that the question of the divine origin of Christianity must be decided by the great spiritual truths and moral standards it represents, and not by the lives of those who call themselves Christians.

Through two long world wars the so-called Christian peoples of various nations killed one another in bloody fighting, much to the bewilderment of the heathen, who thought that Christianity meant loving each other. The only explanation needed for this paradox is that these Christian peoples were not living up to what they claimed to believe. Christianity still stands as the revelation of God to man, despite the course that so-called Christian nations pursue; and, likewise, the threefold message still remains God's last message for the world, despite the course that any member or leader in the movement may take.

However, before we pass on to the next point a word of caution might well be given regarding the charges that the enemies of the denomination make against various leaders. Many of these charges are a pure tissue of falsehood, and most of the remainder are based on a gross distortion of facts.

Extreme Position on Testimonies

4. The Writings of Mrs. E. G. White Are Frequently The Pivotal Point. The various offshoots may generally be classed in two opposing groups as regards the writings of Mrs. White. The first quote her at great length; the second denounce her as a fraud. The first use her writings because they find therein certain passages that apparently give support to their charge that the denomination is so sinful that its members should leave it. The second group denounce her writings as fraudulent in an attempt to escape their indictment against deserters from the faith.

The first group are not consistent, because the very writings of Mrs. White which declare the denomination sinful also affirm that despite this spiritual weakness, God is still with the movement, and will bring it through to a successful finish, and denounce those who raise the cry, "Come out." The second group show the weakness of their charge that Mrs. White is a fraud, by the irrelevant objections they bring forth. It is possible to bring objections against even the Bible, but they are palpably weak. Thus with the case that this second group would strive to make out against Mrs. White. Of those who wrongly quote the Spirit of prophecy, Sister White inquires: "Those who have proclaimed the Seventh day Adventist Church as Babylon, have made use of the 'Testimonies' in giving their position a seeming support; but why is it that they did not present that which for years has been the burden of my message, the unity of the church? Why did they not quote the words of the angel, 'Press together, press together, press together'? Why did they not repeat the admonition and state the principle, that 'in union there is strength, in division there is weakness'?"-Testimonies to Ministers, P. 56.

Earnestness and Sincerity

5. Great Earnestness and Sincerity Often Seem To Control Them. This feature is a source of perplexity to many. "How," they ask, "can those people be so earnest and sincere if their teachings are so false?" Unfortunately, earnestness and sincerity, though they generally accompany a firm belief in anything, do not thereby prove the belief true. It is the truth of a belief that sanctifies the earnestness, and not the earnestness that sanctifies and makes true the belief.

The human mind is so constructed that a lie may ultimately be accepted as the truth if there is the will to believe. This fact is well illustrated by Scripture. "The time comes," said Christ to His disciples, "that whosoever kills you wi11 think that he does God service." John 16:2. This is the choicest example that could be offered of wrong thinking combined with great earnest ness. Further, we are told of a class of people who, "because they received not the love of the truth," finally believed "a lie." 2 Thess. 2:10,11. A self-deceived earnest man we may appropriately pity, but we cannot believe. The Spirit of prophecy declares:

'False teachers may appear to be very zealous for the work of God, and may expend means to bring their theories before the world and the church; but as they mingle error with truth, their message is one of deception, and will lead souls into false paths. They are to he met, and opposed, not because they are bad men, but because they are teachers of falsehood, and are endeavoring to put upon falsehood the stamp of truth." - Ibid., p. 55.

Languish and Die

6. These Offshoots Ultimately Languish and Die. If, as they claim, they are the final "called out" of God who are to complete the great work begun by this movement, they should grow stronger and more successful as the years go by. But the reverse is true. God is not the leader of a dying movement. He is directing a growing and expanding movement in these closing days, for His last message is not to end up in a corner, but is to be proclaimed mightily in every part of the earth.

Five Positive Facts

Whenever our minds are troubled over this question of counter movements, we should think back a moment over the characteristics that distinguish them, and then ask ourselves, Is God the author of such offshoots? To ask the question is to answer it. With that question decided in the negative, we should then remember these five great positive facts:

1. God has a church on the earth.

"God has a church upon the earth, who are His chosen people, who keep His commandments. He is leading, not stray offshoots, not one here and one there, but a people." - Ibid., p. 61.

2. The remnant church is not Babylon.

"When anyone arises, either among us or outside of us, who is burdened with a message which declares that the people of God are numbered with Babylon, and claims that the loud cry is a call to come out of her, you may know that he is not bearing the message of truth.

Receive him not, nor bid him Godspeed; for God has not spoken by him, neither has He given a message to him, but he has run before he was sent." - Ibid., p. 41.

3. This Advent movement came at exactly the right time in fulfillment of prophecy. If it had come earlier or later, it could not claim to have arisen in response to prophecy. It was no accident that this message began in the 1840's. God started it, and what is more encouraging, we have the promise that He will carry it through to a glorious conclusion.

4. The offshoots are just so many signs that the end is upon us, for the devil knows of no more effective way to hinder God's plan than to attempt to tear down this organization that Heaven has built up in these last days. Instead of being downcast by these desertions, we should lift up our heads and rejoice, for our redemption draws nigh.

5. Despite all the weaknesses and mistakes of both leaders and lay members, God still loves and directs this Advent movement.

"God has a people in which all heaven is interested, and they are the one object on earth dear to the heart of God. Let every one who reads these words give them thorough consideration; for in the name of Jesus I would press them home upon every soul" - Ibid.

"The church, enfeebled and defective, needing to he reproved, warned, and counseled, is the only object upon earth upon which Christ bestows His supreme regard." - Ibid., p. 49.

Let us, therefore, each one, thank God that He has called us out of darkness into this marvelous light, that He has placed us with a people who are "dear to the heart of God."

20. An Answer to the Charge: 'I Have Been Delivered From Adventism'

An Ex-Adventist sometimes declares, "I have been delivered from Adventism." Evidently he means he has been freed from doctrines that blur his spiritual vision and hamper his Christian progress, and particularly from teachings that throttle his liberty and joy in the gospel. So long as he stays in the field of generalities it is difficult to answer him, for generalities are like the

clouds, vaporous and constantly changing in position. But he did not come into the Advent movement on generalities. He was instructed on specific doctrines. To these he subscribed on joining the church, and from these, or some part of them, he must have been "delivered" when he left us.

A statement of these doctrines is published annually in the official Yearbook under the heading: 'Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh day Adventists." This statement consists of twenty-two sections. Let us examine these beliefs. For brevity's sake they are here summarized. In some instances the exact words of the formal statement are borrowed, as indicated by quotation marks.

The Doctrines of God and Salvation

1. That the Bible is inspired and contains "an all-sufficient revelation" of God's will.

2. That "The Godhead, or Trinity" consists of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

3. That "Jesus Christ is very God,-that He also took on Him the nature of the human family," lived a sinless life, died for our offenses, arose, and ascended to heaven,-where He ever lives to make intercession for us."

4. That salvation is by "the new birth". That "this comprises an entire transformation of life" by the power of God through faith in Christ.

5. That baptism "should follow repentance and forgiveness of sins." That the proper form of baptism is by immersion.

Does any Christian wish to be delivered from these doctrines? The ex-Adventist will probably say No, not from these. If he qualifies his statement by saying that he has been delivered from baptism by immersion, we need only reply that neither our Lord nor the apostles sought deliverance from it. But let us go on.

The Law and the Sabbath

6. That the Ten Commandments is the moral standard for all men in all ages.

7. That the fourth command of the Ten Commandments "requires the observance of the seventh day Sabbath. This holy institution is at the same time a memorial of creation and a sign of sanctification, a sign of the believer's rest from his own works of sin, and his entrance into the rest of soul which Jesus promises to those who come to Him."

8. That the Ten Commandments points out sin, but cannot save. That God sent His Son to save us from our sins. That "one is justified, not by obedience to the law, but by the grace that is in Christ Jesus." That "this experience is wrought by the divine agency of the Holy Spirit, who convinces of sin and leads to the Sin-Bearer, inducting the believer into the new-covenant relationship, where the law of God is written on his heart."

Does any Christian want to be delivered from these doctrines? If the ex-Adventist still wishes to be inside the circle of 6istoric Protestantism he will have to reply, as regards the sixth and eighth

points, that he is in agreement. The creeds of the Reformation churches, and all after them, are too explicit to permit debate. (See chapter 5.)

But he will say that he was delivered from that "Saturday Sabbath." Evidently there is something about the twenty-four hours at the close of the week that is fettering and confining. He was delivered from that to keep the first twenty-four hours of the week. Unquestionably, there is more laxity about Sunday. But Sunday keeping ministers quite generally deplore it. Some of them, many of them, even campaign for civil statutes to enforce stricter Sunday rest. Perhaps the ex- Adventist wishes to be delivered from the truth of creation, which the seventh day Sabbath memorializes. Many declare that they have been delivered from the old-fashioned, "unscientific" doctrine of creation, and proudly call themselves Modernists, or Liberals.

Adventists do not wish deliverance from this doctrine, on which the whole Bible is reared, and so we do not wish deliverance from the Sabbath that memorializes creation. We do not wish to be freed from Genesis, from the Mosaic record that introduces the Scripture record. The record is clear, for all who believe Genesis, that God made the Sabbath at the end of creation week, in the setting of a perfect world, by resting on that day and sanctifying and blessing it. Why should we wish deliverance from a day that connects us with Eden? Why should we wish to be delivered from following the example of the great God? Why seek deliverance from that which God blessed and set apart as holy?

Isaiah's View of the Sabbath

The prophet Isaiah seems to have held the same view. He is known as the prophet of salvation. The fifty-third chapter portrays the vicarious suffering of our Lord. The fifty-fourth chapter opens with the exultant words: "Sing, O barren, thou that did not bear," and goes on to describe the joys of redemption. The fifty fifth chapter calls on "every one that thirsts" to come, buy "without money and without price." The fifty-sixth chapter declares: "Keep you judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man that does this, and the son of man that lays hold on it; that keeps the Sabbath from polluting it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil. ... Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every one that keeps the Sabbath from polluting it, and takes hold of my covenant. Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer." Isaiah did not think it incongruous to introduce the Sabbath in the midst of a grand, sweeping portrayal of salvation. And he declares that the Sabbath keeper will be a "joyful" person.

Going onward, we find Isaiah, in the fifty-seventh chapter crying out against iniquity and declaring that God dwells with him that is of a contrite heart. The thought is continued into the fifty eighth chapter, where the command is given to "cry aloud," and "show my people their transgression." The true kind of fast is described. not to bow down the head, or to spread sackcloth, but to "deal thy bread to the hungry," to house the outcast, and cover the naked. Such a display of practical godliness will cause "thy light [to] break forth as the morning." "Then shall thou call, and the Lord shall answer. "And the Lord shall guide thee continually." Then follows this statement regarding the Sabbath:

"If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day. And call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable. And shall honor him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words. Then shall thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord bath spoken it."

Isaiah, who unfolds the story of salvation, deliverance from sin; and a program of practical holiness, places the Sabbath in the midst of the picture. He describes it, not as something to be delivered from, but as something in which to "delight."

Our Lord and the Sabbath

When our Lord walked with men He found Himself in controversy with the scribes and Pharisees concerning the Sabbath. He denounced their man-made commandments that had encrusted that holy day, but He did not denounce the Sabbath. We can imagine the ex-Adventist, if he had lived back there, announcing to Israel that they were to be delivered from the Sabbath. That would have been the time for Christ to announce deliverance from the seventh day of the week. No better setting could ever have been found. But He did not do so. Instead of preaching deliverance from the Sabbath law, He showed the people what was "lawful" to do on that day, and climaxed it by announcing: "Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath." Mark 2:28. See also Luke 6:1-9.

Isaiah declared that the Sabbath should be considered a "delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable." Christ announced Himself Lord of the Sabbath. Adventists find "delight" in it, and seek to honor the Lord of the Sabbath by keeping His day holy. The ex-Adventist says he has been delivered from the Sabbath!

The Nature of Man

We believe also:-

9. That God "only hath immortality." That man is mortal. That immortality is a gift from God that will be "put on" at Christ's second coming.

10. That the condition of man in death is unconsciousness. That all lie in the grave till the resurrection.

11. That there is to be a resurrection of the just and the unjust.

12. That the wicked, and Satan with all his angels, will finally be destroyed by fire, and become ashes under the soles of our feet, so that every taint of sin will be blotted from the universe of God forever.

Sometimes the ex-Adventist says he has been delivered from these beliefs concerning man and his final reward. He would rather think that his righteous loved ones have enjoyed the bliss of heaven from the day of their death. But he must not permit himself to think of his unrighteous relatives, who must be writhing in torment. The thought that the wicked are to be consumed

away, and be as though they had not been, causes his righteous indignation to kindle. He is happy to be delivered from any idea that the fires of hell will ever go out, the screams of the damned ever cease, the tragedy of sin ever end. And, of course, in being delivered from Adventism, he is enjoying greater freedom in Christ, greater happiness in the Christian way! We can imagine a man's thinking, as a result of reading certain texts apart from the whole context of Scripture, that he must believe in an eternally burning hell, and that unrighteous loved ones, departed, are even now writhing in it. But we cannot imagine his proclaiming that in turning to that view from the Adventist teaching he was therefore gaining greater freedom and joy in the Lord!

The Sanctuary Doctrine

We continue our study of the tenets of our faith. We believe:-

13. That the prophecy of Daniel 8:14 ended in 1844, and marked the beginning of the investigative judgment.

14. That the true sanctuary is in heaven. That Christ is our minister there, carrying on a work of which the Jewish service was a type. That the cleansing of the sanctuary is a work of judgment corresponding to the typical service on the Day of Atonement. That the close of this investigative judgment marks the close of human probation.

15. That God sent a warning message of the judgment and the nearness of the Advent in the form of three angels' messages and that these messages bring to view a work of reform to prepare men for the Advent.

16. "That the time of the cleansing of the sanctuary" is a "time of investigative judgment," first on the dead, then on the living. "This investigative judgment determines who of the millions sleeping in the dust of the earth are worthy of a part in the first resurrection, and who of its living multitudes are worthy of translation."

The ex-Adventist may say that he has happily been delivered from such doctrines as these. He will tell us that he has no time for the idea that a special investigation must be made before anyone is accounted worthy of heaven. He speaks militantly of the "finished work of Christ" on the cross, as though the Adventist doctrine somehow minimized the sacrifice of our Lord on Golgotha. But, really, what is he delivered from? And what different view of the plan of salvation provides him greater joy and liberty?

We present Christ as having accomplished a divine work of sacrificial dying on that solemn Friday nineteen hundred years ago. We believe this has been followed by a work of high-priestly intercession by Him, that through the centuries He has been ministering His shed blood in our behalf. We are ever conscious of the price that was paid for our redemption and of the ever present nature of the divine service instituted to provide a remedy for sin. We also believe that inasmuch as the heavenly service is the antitype of the earthly, there must come a final climax to the work of intercession and a cleansing of the sanctuary. We rejoice that God will bring the service to an orderly end and make pronouncement as to who shall he accounted worthy to receive of the reward of heaven. Surely it is reasonable to hold that God makes decisions on all

cases before coming to execute judgment. That is what is involved in the idea of an investigative judgment.

But the ex-Adventist wishes to be delivered from all this. He wishes to think only of a finished work on Calvary, he declares. And how does he have greater liberty in the gospel by doing this? Why is it more joyous and soul-satisfying to restrict one's spiritual view wholly to Golgotha? The writer of Hebrews did not. He sought to carry the thoughts of the believers to the glorious ministry of our Lord after His priceless sacrifice on the cross. We would do likewise by our preaching. We would not set up artificial contrasts. We exalt the cross, and we do so partly by exalting the work of our Lord after the cross. From first to last we attribute all to Christ. We see Him in the center of the investigative judgment, for the Father has delivered all judgment into His hands. We see in Him our only hope, in His shed blood our only means of cleansing. Has the ex-Adventist found more than this by leaving Adventism?

Simplicity, Modesty, Abstinence

We also believe:-

17. That the child of God should stand apart from the ways of the world, particularly as regards amusements. That he should dress modestly. That he should abstain from liquor and tobacco arid every practice that defiles the body and soul.

Some ex-Adventists have rejoiced in deliverance from this tenet. They do not wish to be fettered in matters of amusement, dress, or diet. This is understandable. But what is not understandable is that anyone should say that in being delivered from this doctrine of Adventism he was gaining greater joy in the Lord!

Tithing and Spiritual Gifts

We believe, too:-

18. That a tithe of our increase belongs to the Lord and that besides this we should give cheerfully of offerings, for we are but stewards of the treasures in our hands.

There are ex-Adventists who sigh a deep sigh of relief to be delivered from this tenet. They do not wish to set apart one tenth of their income for God and then add offerings thereto. This is all understandable. The Scriptures are filled with descriptions of the natural selfishness of the human heart. But we cannot understand how a person finds greater joy in the Lord by eliminating tithe and reducing his offerings. A host of Sunday keeping ministers urge tithing on their members and assure them there is joy in such a plan. There is. Adventists know from experience.

Spiritual Gifts

We believe, too:-

19. "That God has placed in His church the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as enumerated in 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4. That these gifts operate in harmony with the divine principles of

the Bible, and are given for the perfecting of the saints, the work of the ministry, the edifying of the body of Christ."

Ex-Adventists do not wish to be delivered from the general belief in the gifts of the Spirit as this statement sets forth. But they often express joy over being delivered from a certain specific application of this belief. One of the gifts of the Spirit is the gift of prophecy. Adventists believe that this gift has been displayed in the life and writings of Ellen G. White. And how are those writings distinguished? Do they set forth a circumspect view of religious living, or do they advocate fanatical religious habits that lead to excesses? Do they uphold the Scriptures as the very Word of God, the supreme authority in our lives, or do they minimize the Bible or spiritualize it away? Do those writings uphold the great verities of revelation, such as the deity of our Lord and His sacrificial death and literal resurrection, or do they minimize or undermine them?

To anyone who has read Mrs. White's writings the answer is evident. Even her critics will generally agree that her writings promote the highest code of holy living in the setting of the Bible as the very voice of God to us. And that her writings call for constant sacrificial liberality in order that we may complete a task for God and be ready to meet Him in peace at His appearing. Certainly no unbiased person could make any other appraisal.

We can easily understand how an ex-Adventist might find a certain sense of relief in being "delivered" from the belief that Mrs. White's writings are a manifestation of the gift of the Spirit of prophecy. He need not live so highly, he need not sacrifice so deeply, he need not take the Scriptures of God so seriously.

But we cannot understand how that would give him a greater sense of joy in the Lord!

The Second Advent and the New Earth

We believe, too:-

20. "That the Second Coming of Christ is the great hope of the church, the grand climax of the gospel and plan of salvation. That this coming will be a personal, and literal, and that "it is near, even at the doors," though the exact time cannot be known.

21. That for a thousand years after the Second Advent the saints will be in heaven and the earth will lie desolate under the judgments of God. That at the end of that time the saints will return with their Lord, and fire from God destroy forever the wicked, turning them to ashes, and purging this earth.

22. "That God will make all things new. The earth, restored to its pristine beauty, will become forever the abode of the saints of the Lord."

Ex-Adventist May Feel Relief - But

The ex-Adventist may feel relief at being delivered from the belief that Christ is soon coming to solve the tragedy of a world that seems to be headed for the third world war and mutual suicide.

He may find satisfaction in the realization that he no longer believes that Heaven's purging fires will completely destroy every trace of sin and unrepentant sinners. He may feel much better pleased to think that in some segregated area of the universe the horrible thing called sin will be present never ending in the person of its writhing, tortured, flaming devotees. He may even feel relieved that he no longer believes that God will re-create this earth a perfect and eternal abode for redeemed men and women. We can understand how he might so change his theological thinking that he would feel a sense of deliverance from these doctrines in which he no longer believed. But we do not understand how he would thereby find greater joy in the Lord!

In Conclusion

And now this comment in conclusion. Genuine joy in religious living is not revealed by noisy the amen and bodily gesticulations, but by the zest and enthusiasm with which a person engages in the religious life. The psalmist was "glad" for the invitation to go to the "house of the Lord." The genuinely joyful Christian will be found regularly in attendance at divine services. If he truly loves his Lord, he will give liberally. If he is filled with joy at the realization of what Christ has done for him, he will gladly devote hours of his time to missionary service.

Now as to church attendance, liberality, and missionary activity, how do we stand by comparison with other religious bodies? If we may judge by the way in which Adventists are often set forth by the leaders of other churches as worthy of emulation in these matters, we evidently do not suffer by comparison. But it is our doctrines that make us what we are religiously. We do not wish to be "delivered" from these beliefs; we find in them great joy in the Lord.