Our Firm Foundation. The Everlasting GospelThe 7th Day Sabbath.

Non-Immortality of the SourVol. 1, No.3

Three Angels' Messages The SanctuaryJanuary, 1986

Lay MembersGo Forth

God, Death,And Limitations

Wake Up

The ChurchOn Trial

Competition InThe Church

Peace Or Pieces? see page 8

LEITERS TO THE EDITOR

Thank you for sending the copiesof Our Firm Foundation. We find themagazine very beneficial and are dis-tri bu ting it to various indi vidualshere at Uchee Pines. We agree withyou that it should go to every homein America.P.S. It is simply great! People are

benefiting from reading it. We give itto certain non SDA's also. They haveenjoyed it.

Agatha M. Thrash, M.D.Preventi ve MedicineUchee Pines InstituteSeale, Alabama

We love Our Firm Foundation. I justdon't want to put it down. We are soexcited about it that we gave awaythe inserts to our friends so theycould subscribe.I have one more item I'd like to

share and that is the tremendous ar-ticle "Out of the Cities." Since we'vebeen married, almost six years now,my husband and I have talked aboutthis very counsel, and within the lastfour months have felt "very con-victed" on this issue. We have prayedmuch about it and have shared ourfeelings with both family and friends(Adventists) and have received bothpositive and negative responses. Izeroxed several copies of this articleand we've been spreading them farand wide. Presently our home is upfor sale and in the Lord's time we'llsell it and move our little family outto the beauty, quietude and peace ofNature. We are praying God will leadus to the chosen spot where we willhave time with our children to teachthem of our wonderful Saviour.

Hinsdale, Illinois

I found the Firm Foundation in abasket of various magazines in myson's home. After reading it through Iwas so deeply impressed that I or-dered eight issues and you all sent meten. I have given and mailed all issuesbut one to keep, and in all I haveread this issue four times.

Hubert ButterfieldBerkley Springs, West Virginia

2 Ou, Fi,m Foundation January. 1986

I am so excited about yourpublication; finally someone has doneit! My husband is a graduate of LomaLinda, teaching now at LouisianaState Dental School; perhaps that iswhy we seem to get every publicationthat comes along.I've added some extra money along

with my subscription donation andwould like you to send a copy to thetwo addresses I have included. Sendthem your November issue, and withthe rest of the money send to thechurch your Christmas issues. I'msure our Lay Activities Leaders andElders in our church will want to or-der more.Your publication makes me proud

to be a Seventh-day Adventist.

Harriet ButlerSecretaryNew Orleans First Seventh-dayAdventist Church

I received the last copy of OurFirm Foundation. I am glad you pur-pose not to deal with personalities etc.I am sure this is heaven's bestcounsel, just give the truth and mayour people be awakened.Right now I am not able to send

you the subscription money, it may beI can do so later. Would appreciategetting the paper. You see I am an oldman up in my nineties and live onSocial Security and the checks aresmall.Though I am up in years I am

studying with about a dozen people,and am giving two RevelationSeminars, so I am busy.I am glad you quote from Sister

White. We are favored above allpeople with such messages from herpen. It was my privilege to live closeby her for about seven years.Many, many times have I heard

her speak, and you did not go to sleep.A revival and reformation is our

greatest need. Let us pray for it, thatit may come.I will be pleased to receive any

books, tracts, or tapes, for I can handthem out to others. I am missionaryleader in our church.

Clark WarrenClearlake, California

Volume I, Number I of your newpublication, Our Firm Foundation, hasjust been received. I appreciate thetruth and important messages that itcontains.Your editorial, setting forth your

goals, is to be commended. We cer-tainly need a revival andreformation. In the church there is alack of belief in the Spirit ofProphecy, which includes ourwonderful "Health Reform" message.People are baptized with jewelry,which they continue to wear, andother members join in the wearing ofearrings. No one seems to care. Wealso have false accusers of the breth-ren which is a matter of deep concern.I am glad you will give "the

straight testimony and present Christand Him crucified."My contribution is enclosed for a

subscription. Please also send me acopy of your first issue. Many thanks!

Rolland Truman, J.D.Commissioner (Ret.) Superior CourtLos Angeles County

Ralph Larson's article "A Test anda Sign" in the November issue wasexcellent. We are told in 2 Corin-thians 13:5 "Examine yourselves,whether ye be in the faith." The ar-ticle suggests a basis for such anexamination, stating that the greatesttest of our faith is how we reactwhen God makes a requirement thatwe do not understand.This article is a beautiful ap-

proach to the Sabbath truth. Would itbe possible to make reprintsavailable? I would like to make itavailable to all of the members of ourlocal church.

Lloyd NedleyTroy, Michigan

We will be printing reprints ofselected articles; a listing will appear inour books and tapes section. Photocopies may be made of any portion ofthis magazine without infringing uponthe copyright.--Eds.

Table of Contents

It is the mission of Hope Interna-tional and the editors of Our FirmFoundation to give the straight tes-timony and to present Christ and Himcrucified. The days that yet remainof this world are few, and what wedo we must do quickly. We mustboldly proclaim the truths that placeus on so firm a foundation in themidst of this troubled world. [TheEditors]

Vol. I, No.3 January. 1986

ARTICLES

Editor Ron SpearManaging Editor Vince ChristensenAssocia te Editors Vern Jennings,Marilyn Remer, Charles Lawson

Assistant Editor Joseph LeathermanCopy Editor Lila Rae FrederickArt Director Charles Lawson

Art Director Bob BresnahanProduction Manager Dave FiedlerEditorial Secretary Clarissa FiedlerCirculation ManagerRobbie Christensen

TO SUBSCRIBEIf you wish to subscribe, send your

order and donation to Our FirmFoundation, P.O. Box 940, EatonvilleWA 98328.Suggested donations for the annual

subscription are listed below. We havekept our prices as low as possible, butif your finances' cannot meet therequested donation, just sendwhatever you can. We want no one tobe unable to receive this material be-cause of lack of funds. If you areimpressed to give a donation to assistin providing subscriptions for thosewhose funds may be limited, sendyour gift marked SUbscription Assis-tance to the address above. Yourdonation is tax deductible.

Two Gospels Beneath The Surface Dennis PriebeFrom the roots to the fruits of doctrine

The Doctrine Of The Nicolaitans Ron SpearWhat is it? What will it do?

5

8

3

30

28

26

24

23

18

16

13

10

Ellen G. White

Colin Standish

Dave Fiedler

Ellen G. White

Vernon W. Shafer

Vince Christensen

Lay Members Go ForthA challenge to all

Prenatal EducationWhere education begins

Wake Up! Ellen G. WhiteA soul-stirring message of hope

An Afternoon At Elmshaven Vince ChristensenAn interview with Grace White Jacques

Faithfulness In Reproving Sin Ellen G. WhiteOur responsibility to God and the Church

Competition In The Church, part oneAn expose' of "Christian" rivalry

The Victory Over Appetite Ellen G. WhiteComing to grips with the age-old struggle

Peace or Pieces?A key issue examined

God, Death, and LimitationsA look at God's intervening hand

The Church On TrialThe accused and accuser exposed

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Letters to the Editor

Food For Thought

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Melange

Editorial

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Invitation To Writers

Copyright c 1985Hope Internatiomil

We are accepting unsolicited manuscripts for future editions ofOllr Firm Foundation. Acceptance or rejection will be communicatedonly if manuscript is accompanied by a self-addressed, stampedenvelope. Address all editorial correspondance to: Managing Editor;Our Firm Foundation; P.O. Box 940; Eatonville, WA 98328.

January. 1986 Our Firm Foundation 3

"And he showed me Joshua thehigh priest standing before the angelof the Lord, and Satan standing at hisright hand to resist him." Zechariah3:1The third chapter of Zechariah

contains truths that can be dweltupon with benefit. There are lessonsthat are profitable for all. Here arerepresented the people of God, as itwere a criminal on trial. Joshua, ashigh priest, is seeking for a blessingfor the people, who are in greataffliction. While he is thus pleadingbefore God, Satan is standing at hisright hand as his adversary. He is anaccuser of the children of God, and ismaking the case of Israel appear asdesperate as possible. He presentsbefore the Lord their evil doings anddefects. He shows their faults andfailures, with the hope that they willappear of such a character in the eyesof Christ that He will render them nohelp in their great need. Joshua, asrepresentative of God's people, standsunder condemnation, clothed with fil-thy garments. Aware of the imperfec-tions of Israel, he is weighed downwith discouragement. Satan is press-ing upon his soul a sense of guiltinessthat makes him feel almost hopeless.Yet he stands there as a suppliant,with Satan arrayed against him.But let us see what position Christ

takes toward Joshua and the accuser:"And the Lord said unto Satan, TheLord rebuke thee, 0 Satan; even theLord who hath chosen Jerusalem re-buke thee: is not this a brand pluckedou t of the fire?" [3:2]

4 Our Firm Foundation January. 1986

Satan would cover the people ofGod with blackness, and ruin them;but Jesus interposes. Although theyhad sinned yet Jesus took the guilt oftheir sins upon His own soul. Hesnatched the race as a brand from thefire. With His long human arm He en-circled humanity, while with Hisdivine arm He grasped the throne ofthe infinite God. And thus man hasstrength given him that he may over-come Satan, and triumph in God.Help is brought within the reach ofperishing souls; the adversary isrebuked."Now Joshua was clothed with fil-

thy garments, and stood before theangel. And He answered and spakeunto those that stood before Him,saying, Take away the filthy gar-ments from him. And unto him Hesaid, Behold, I have caused thineiniquity to pass from thee, and I willclothe thee with change of raiment.And I said, Let them set a fair mitreupon his head. So they set a fairmitre upon his head, and clothed himwith garments." [3-5] Then the angelwith the authority of the Lord, madea solemn pledge to Joshua: "If thouwilt walk in My ways, and if thouwilt keep My charge, then thou shaltalso judge My house, and shalt alsokeep My courts, and I will give thee

places to walk among these that standby. Hear now, 0 Joshua the highpriest, thou, and thy fellows that sitbefore thee: for they are menwondered at." [7,8]Notwithstanding the defects of the

people of God ever since the fall,Jesus will not turn away from the ob-jects of His care. He has the power tochange our raiment, to remove thefilthy garments, to place upon therepenting, believing sinner His robeof righteousness, and write pardonagainst his name.Satan commenced his work as an

accuser in heaven. This has been hiswork ever since the fall, and it willbe his work in a special sense as weapproach nearer to the close of time.He is aroused when he sees a peopleon the earth, who, even in theirweakness and sinfulness, have respectunto the law of Jehovah. He has nointention that they shall obey God.He delights in their unworthiness,and has devices prepared for everysoul, that all may be ensnared andseparated from God. He would accuseand condemn God, and all who striveto carry out His purposes in thisworld, in mercy and love, in compas-sion and forgiveness. Every manifes-tation of God's power for His peoplearouses the enmity of Satan againstthem. Every time God works in theirbehalf, Satan with his angels isaroused to work with relentless vigorto compass their ruin. He is jealous ofevery soul who makes Christ hisstrength. His object is to instigateevil, and when he has succeeded,throw all the blame upon the temptedone, presenting him before theAdvocate, clothed in the black gar-ments of sin, and endeavoring tosecure to him the severest penalty. Hewould urge justice without mercy.Repentance he does not allow. Thepenalty, he argues, can never beremitted, a"nd God be just.The sinner cannot contradict or

answer the charge of Satan againsthim, but our Advocate presents Hiswounded hands, and makes an effec-tual plea in behalf of the repentingone who has placed his case in thehands of Jesus. Our Saviour silencesthis bold accuser by the unanswerableargument of the cross. Jesus stands toplead His own blood in behalf of the

continued on 12

God, Death,

AndLimitations

Vince ChristensenSince the inception of the great

controversy in the dark recesses ofLucifer's mind, the Questions con-cerning God's true character and mo-tives have been in hot debate. Adebate that has even made its wayinto God's church. This fact shouldcome as no great surprise since theQuestions first surfaced in God'schurch in heaven.God is omnipotent, eternal, and

infinite--hardly the Qualities thatwould suggest the slightest of limi-tations in addressing this debate, butthat is indeed what we find Godfaced with--and Satan knew it. Iwould like to suggest that Satan'sknowledge of God's loving, longsuf-fering benevolent character was oneof the very things that encouragedhim on his way. (See Patriarchs andProphets, 39) What? Do you mean tosay that God caused Satan to fall?No, but by virtue of God's longsuf-fering nature Satan indulged thethought that God would be unable toimmediately stop him and his millionsof sympathizers, thus encouraginghim to continue. Satan knew that Godwould accept no worship but thatbased on love. To halt Lucifer im-mediately in his rebellion by metingout the death sentence would in-stantly send shockwaves of fear andapprehension throughout the universe.

The wages of sin has always beendeath, but God must now delay theexecution of justice, allowing Satan aprobationary time in which the na-ture of sin would ultimately beunmasked.As a result of God's seeming

dilemma, Satan gained an advantagein Eden as he spoke to Eve from theboughs of the forbidden tree. Basedon his own experience with God'smerciful delay of justice, he formu-la ted the prize deception that is yetbeing told and retold in assorteddisguises: "Ye shall not surely die."(Or God is too loving to kill you.) Weare well aware of the way manychurches have blended this conceptinto their doctrine of the state of thedead, but now another form of "yeshall not surely die" has made its wayinto Adventist circles. That's right, ithas come in among our ranks in aslightly altered form: "God does notkill."It is Quite apparent that God takes

no delight in the performance of suchduties; "Say unto them, As I live,saith the Lord God, I have nopleasure in the death of the wicked;but that the wicked turn from hisway and live; turn ye, turn ye fromyour evil ways; for why will ye die, 0house of Israel?" (Ezekiel 33:11)Nevertheless He apparently is in-

volved, as we can readily see in thefollowing Quotations."While life is the inheritance of

the righteous, death is the portion ofthe wicked.... Those who have not,through repentance and faith, securedpardon, must receive the penalty oftransgression,--'the wages of sin.'They suffer punishment varying induration and intensity, 'according totheir works,' but finally ending in thesecond death. Since it is impossiblefor God, consistently with His justiceand mercy, to save the sinner in hissins, He deprives him of the existencewhich his transgressions have for-feited, and of which he has provedhimself unworthy." The GreatControversy, 544"I was shown that the seven last

plagues will be poured out after Jesusleaves the sanctuary. Said the angel,'It is the wrath of God and the Lambthat causes the destruction or deathof the wicked. . . .' The saints, inunison with Jesus, pass their judg-ment upon the wicked dead. 'Beholdye,' said the angel, 'the saints, inunison with Jesus, sit in judgment,and mete out to the wicked accordingto the deeds done in the body, andthat which they must receive at theexecution of the judgment is set offagainst their names." Early Writings,52,53

January. 1986 Our Firm Foundation 5

The question that must be settlednot does God kill...

.IS

"Fire comes down from God out ofheaven. The earth is broken up. Theweapons 'concealed in its depths aredrawn forth. Devouring flames burstfrom every yawning chasm.... It isthe time of the judgment and perdi-tion of ungodly men...·the day of theLord's vengeance. and the year ofrecompenses for the controversy ofZion.'"The wicked receive their recom-

pense in the earth. They 'shall be asstubble: and the day that cometh shallburn them up saith the Lord of hosts.'Some are destroyed as in a moment.while others suffer many days. Allare punished 'according to theirdeeds.' The sins of the righteoushaving been transferred to Satan. heis made to suffer not only for hisown rebellion. but for all the sinswhich he has caused God's people tocommit. His punishment is to be fargreater than that of those whom hehas deceived. After all have perishedwho fell by his deceptions. he is stillto live and suffer on. In the cleansingflames the wicked are at last de-stroyed. root and branch.--Satan theroot. his followers the branches. Thefull penalty of the law has beenvisited; the demands of justice havebeen met; and heaven and earth.beholding. declare the righteousnessof Jehovah." The Great Controversy.672.673These statements should suffice to

settle the matter. but the questioncontinues in many minds.It is admirable to focus on the

benevolent and benign aspects ofGod's character. but let us not carryit to the extreme of doing away withHis sovereignty and justice. GrantedGod is not in the business of destruc-tion. "For God sent not His Son intothe world to condemn the world; butthat the world through Him might besaved" (John 3:17) but once an in-dividu'al is shown the issues of lifeand death and still chooses death.God is obliged to carry out thesentence. This is what is meant by His"strange" act.

6 Our Firm Foundation January. 1986

"For the Lord shall rise up as inmount "erazim. He shall be wroth asin the va"lley of Gibeon, that He maydo His strange work; and bring topass His act. His strange act. Nowtherefore be ye not mockers, lest yourbands be made strong: for I haveheard from the Lord God of hosts aconsumption. even determined uponthe whole earth," Isaiah 28:21. 22It is indeed strange for God after

once having granted life to a createdbeing. then to remove that life. butthere are times when this extrememeasure is apparently called for."Then the wicked saw what they

had lost; and fire was breathed fromGod upon them. and consumed them.This was the EXECUTION OF THEJUDGMENT. The wicked thenreceived according as the saints inunison with Jesus had meted out tothem during the 1000 years. The samefire from God that consumed thewicked. purified the whole earth."Review and Herald, vol. 1. 12 (PresentTruth, November 1850,86, 87)The question that must be settled

is not does God kill, but does God in-tervene in the natural order of events?Let us examine some examples that

can help to clarify the issue: the firstintervention that we find comes rightin the garden after Adam and Eve'ssin. God placed an angel with a flam-ing sword at the entrance of the gatebarring our first parents from thetree of life. Apparently they wouldhave continued to live had God al-lowed them to continue eating of thatspecial tree. (See Patriarchs andProphets. 60) Although the questioncan be viewed from both angles con-cerning what caused their death, theeating of the forbidden fruit or God'sbarring them from the tree of life,the question of whether or not Godrefused to give them continued accessto life is answered with an obviousyes.God then allowed the course of

sinful man to continue unchecked forhundreds of years until, we are told,He actually "repented" (was sorry)

that He had made mankind. We willonly know when looking upon therecords in heaven the horror of thoseyears. God then sent a flood.It was not long after the flood that

again God finds Himself forced to in-tervene in Man's affairs at the towerof Babel."And the Lord said, Behold, the

people is one, and they have' all onelanguage; and this they begin to do:and now nothing will be restrainedfrom them, which they have imaginedto do. Go to, let us go down, and thereconfound their language. that theymay not understand one another'sspeech. So the Lord scattered themabroad from thence upon the face ofall the earth: and they left off tobuild the city. Therefore is the nameof it called Babel; because the Lorddid there confound the language ofall the earth: and from thence did theLord scatter them abroad upon theface of all the earth," Genesis 11:6-9A few years pass and we see God

Himself coming to earth to confirmthe evil deeds of Sodom andGomorrah, and then after preservinga Questionably righteous man with histwo daughters we see Him scorchingthe entire city with fire andbrimstone.God intervenes again while secur-

ing the release of His chosen peopleby sending ten loathsome plaguesupon the Egyptians. Then after theysafely stand on the other side of theRed Sea. they watch the wall ofwater held back by God's hand comecrashing down around Pharaoh andhis chariots.Later in their journey they faced

another encounter with God's inter-vention concerning an even moredeadly threat: rebellion in the camp.Korah. Dathan, and Abiram appa{-ently felt convinced that they werecalled of God to lead the camp intothe Promised Land against the in-structions that Moses had given. Theyconfronted Moses. and again we seeGod intervene."And Moses said, Hereby ye shall

...but does God intervene in thenatural order of events?

know that the Lord hath sent me todo all these works; for I have notdone them of mine own mind. If thesemen die the common death of allmen, or if they be visited after thevisitation of all men; then the Lordhath not sent me. But if the Lordmake a new thing, and the earth openher mouth, and swallow them up withall that appertain unto them, andthey go down quick into the pit; thenye shall understand that these menhave provoked the Lord."And it came to pass, as he had

made an end of speaking all thesewords, that the ground clave asunderthat was under them: And the earthopened her mouth, and swallowedthem up, and their houses, and all themen that appertained unto Korah,and all their goods. They, and all thatappertained to them, went down aliveinto the pit, and the earth closedupon them: and they perished fromamong the congregation. And all Is-rael that were round about them fledat the cry of them: for they said, Lestthe earth swallow us up also. Andthere came out a fire from the Lordand consumed the two hundred fiftymen that offered incense." Numbers16:28-35And we see in the verses following

that as a result of a general disaffec-tion of the people in Moses' leader-ship, a plague from the Lord brokeout, leaving 14,700 dead before thepleadings of Moses and Aaron couldstay the carnage by their intercessoryprayers.Christ Himself revealed the

"strange act" of God as He pro-nounced the rebuke that blasted thebarren fig tree. Thus we can readilysee that God will indeed intervene inthe natural order of events if itserves the purpose of illustra tion ormercy.One must also keep in mind that

God intervenes in sustaining ways aswell: Noah received instruction tobuild an ark, God gave Joseph dreamsthat ultimately placed him in a posi-tion to help his family during theseven years of famine, He gave

manna in the desert for over a mil-. lion people, andwater from a rock, toname a few examples.Then as we look down to the time

of Christ we see the ultimateintervention: Jesus dying upon thecross in our place and for our sins.We must keep in mind that God is

continuing this great controversy, notbecause He by any means takes de-light in the pain, suffering and deaththat fills our world, but because Hehonors the free choice of all Hiscrea tures. All of us must choose,based on the evidence presen ted,whom we will serve. God at times hasused extreme and unusual measures toreveal the principles of life, even al-lowing the supreme object of Hislove, Jesus Christ, to be put to a crueldeath so that we could choose life.God honors our choices and then

carries them out, whether it be forlife or death. God even honors ourchoice for eternal limitations al-though He would desire to save usfrom such a fate, as we see from twosobering statements from Ellen White."God holds us responsible for all

that we might be if we would im-prove our talents. We shall be judgedaccording to what we ought to havebeen, but were not; what we mighthave done, but did not accomplishbecause we did not use our powers toglorify God. For all knowledge thatwe might have gained but did not,there will be an eternal loss, even ifwe do not lose our souls." Testimoniesto Ministers, 147"Every time one of the glorious

faculties with which God has en-riched man is abused or misused, thatfaculty loses forever a portion of itsvigor and will never be as it wasbefore the abuse it suffered. Everyabuse inflicted upon our moral naturein this life is felt not only for timebut for eternity. Though God mayforgive the sinner, yet eternity willnot make up that voluntary loss sus-tained in this life."To go forth into the next, the fu-

ture life, deprived of half the powerwhich might be carried there is a ter-

rible thought. The days of probationlost here in acquiring a fitness forheaven, is a loss which will never berecovered. The capacities of enjoy-ment will be less in the future lifefor the misdemeanors and abuse ofmoral powers in this life. Howeverhigh we might attain in the futurelife, we might soar higher and stillhigher, if we had made the most ofour God-given privileges and goldenopportunities to improve our facultieshere in this probationary existence."This Day With God, 350Does God intervene? The answer is

yes and no. God intervenes in theaffairs and natural cycles ofmankind for the purpose of stoppingthe advance of evil. God intervenedin the meting out of justice uponSatan and his sympathizers to insurethat, once revealed, sin would neverrise up again. God also intervened inthe natural life span of the an-tediluvian world by sending a flood.Billions of wicked inhabitants weredestroyed, and Satan himself, com-pelled by God to endure the tempestof His wrath, feared for his very life.(See Story of Redemption, 67) But Goddoes not intervene in the choices ofman. God tenaciously clings to anymeans of persuading man to turnfrom his sins, but He will not lift Hissovereign finger to force a soul otherthan he chooses to go.God is in the business of life.

Whatever it takes to enhance our livesand secure the happiness of theuniverse He will do. Sometimes thisintervention has involved hard-to-understand and hard-to-explain ac-tions on the part of God, but as welook back from eternity we will seethat God has been just and fair in allHis dealings with man. God aloneholds the keys to life and death, andHe has a history of using them inwonderful ways to unlock the sin-encrusted door to our hearts, whilesettling the questions in the greatcontroversy: Is God merciful? Is Godjust? The answer is a resoundingAmen and Amen. Ii!

January. 1986 Our Firm Foundation 7

Peace Or Pieces?The scene is a familiar one, not

new to the Adventist Church. Thougha decade or two has passed since suchvoices were last heard, now the procla-mation goes forth again, "Babylon isfallen, is fallen! Come out of her mypeople." Familiar words; and wellthey might be, for is this not a partof our message? Yet now, as on pre-vious occasions, the church faces thechallenge of having this message ap-plied to herself. The question is here:shall it be peace, or shall it be pieces?We must each decide.These charges differ from those

brought against the church from theoutside, and even from those broughtby Ron Numbers, Walter Rea, andDesmond Ford. These charges assertnot that the basis of the church iswrong, but that the church has shownherself disloyal to that base. Everyscandal, every shortcoming, everyfailure of the church or its officers

8 Our Firm Foundation January. 1986

adds weight to the claim. But is theconclusion true? Has the church be-come Babylon? Should you and I with-draw from its fellowship? With theSeventh-day Adventist Church, shallit be peace, or shall it be pieces? Letus see.Note first that the call to "come

out of her" is based on the identifica-tion of Babylon. Without this identifi-cation the challenge disintegrates. Letus then examine first, not the state-ments saying what the church is not,but the evidence showing whatBabylon is."The wine of Babylon is the exalt-

ing of the false and spurious sabbathabove the Sabbath which the LordJehovah hath blessed and sanctifiedfor the use of man, also [it teaches]the immortality of the soul. Thesekindred heresies, and the rejection ofthe truth, convert the church intoBabylon.,,1

Dave Fiedler

To this list may be added "theeternal torment of the wicked," and"the denial of the pre-existence ofChrist prior to His birth in Beth-lehem."These points are clear. Any organ-

ization which propagates these falsedoctrines is easily identified asBabylonian. But there is also mentionof "the rejection of the truth." Couldthis one item alone be enough to con-stitute the church a part of Babylon?What specific truth, if any, is meant?Reading the context of the state-

ment makes it clear: "The wholechapter [Revelation 18] shows thatBabylon that has fallen is thechurches who will not receive themessages of warning the Lord hasgiven in the first, second, and thirdangels' messages. They refused thetruth and accepted a lie. They refusedthe messages of truth."sTo our list we may now add the

rejection of the three angels'messages. Babylon is quite clearlydefined. But what of the Seventh-dayAdventist Church?It would be comforting to say that

the church is alive and well, spot-lessly pure and above reproach, but todo so would be unrealistic. Were thatthe case, accusations would never beentertained. The charges are serious,and deserve careful thought. Come,let us consider the church.The line of reasoning goes some-

thing like this: The Advent movementbegan well enough, but soon cameword that they had fallen into theLaodicean condition.4 Then they be-came lejalists (dryas the hills ofGilboa), and rejected the beginningsof the Loud Cry and the Latter Rainwhen the Lord sent "a most preciousmessage message" in 1888.6 The situa-tion became so bad during the 1890sthat Ellen White could no longer con-sider the General Conference Associa-tion to be the "voice of God.,,7 Andin 190 I she was forced to call for acomplete re-organiza tion of thework.8 In fact, right until the end ofher life in 1915, Sister White con-tinued to reprove and rebuke thechurch. So goes the reasoning. And itis all true. But through all that, themessage never came that the churchhad become Babylon.Of course, the reasoning doesn't

stop with 1915. Problem areas can befound in the medical work, in oureducational system, and, of late, infinancial dealings. Any deviationfrom the Lord's will is serious, butthe question at hand is, When did thedenomination become Babylon? Whatinvisible line marked her sudden fall?

Many conjectures could be made onthat point, but what value would theyhave? Let's go back to Inspiration.If Ellen White never identified the

church as Babylon during her life-time, did she at least give us somestatement as to the future?"Again I say, The Lord hath not

spoken by any messenger who callsthe church that keeps the command-ments of God, Babylon. True, thereare tares with the wheat; but Christsaid He would send His angels to firstgather the tares and bind them inbundles to burn them, but gather thewheat into the garner. I know thatthe Lord loves His church. It is not tobe disorganized or broken up into in-dependent atoms. There is not theleast consistency in this; there is notthe least evidence that such a thing willbe."gThe evidence didn't exist in 1893,

and I for one must confess that Idon't know where to find it in 1986.But what does Inspiration say? Whatabout the church? Sure, there are theglowing, encouraging statements, butSister White was very much a realist.It would be unbelievably naive tothink that there would be no pos-sibility of problems. Surely she wouldnot leave us unwarned. What then isthe worst possibility brought to lightby the Spirit of Prophecy? Does itmake provision for the church becom-ing Babylon?"Jerusalem is a representation of

what the church will be if it refusesto walk in the light that God hasgiven. Jerusalem was favored of Godas the depositary of sacred trusts. Buther people perverted the truth, and de-spised all entreaties and warnings.They would not respect His counsels.... Christ turned from them, saying:'0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem,' how can Igive thee up? ..."So Christ sorrows and weeps over

our churches, over our institutions oflearning, that have failed to meet thedemand of God. He comes to investi-gate in Battle Creek, which has beenmoving in the same track as Jerusa-lem. . . . Words of warning andreproof have been treated as idletales."l0All this is contingent upon the

church refusing "to walk in the lightthat God has given." The parallel tothe Jews warns of serious conse-quences.ll But note what she says: NotBabylon, but "Jerusalem is a repre-sentation of what the church will beif. . . ." Those who identify theSeventh-day Adventist Church asBabylon have missed the mark by atleast 530 miles. We need not wonderat this blindness; there is a reason forit."How Satan would exult to have a

message go broadcast that the onlypeople whom God has made the reposi-tories of His law are the ones towhom this message [of Revelation 18]applies.,,12Fairness and thoroughness require

that we consider one more set ofquestions: Is it possible that thechurch could pass through the "Jeru-salem stage" and subsequently deter-iorate to the "Babylon stage"? Whatabout the closing moments of thisearth's history? Where will the churchstand then?Perhaps the best answer lies in an

interesting, but seldom considered,sta temen t from the pen of EllenWhite. Let's get the background first.At the turn of the century there

was an outbreak of fanaticism knownas the Holy Flesh Movement whichtook place in the state of Indiana.The conference president and variousother workers were carried awaI withthis "spiritualistic delusion.,,1 Thetheological base of this movementwas devastatingly false and deservesconsideration in its own right, but wewill be looking just now only at themethods used. -One eyewitness wrote:"They have a big drum, two tam-

bourines, a big bass fiddle, two smallfiddles, a flute and two cornets, andan organ and a few voices. They haveGarden of Spices as a song book andplay dance tunes to sacred words....They shout 'Amens' and 'Praise theLord,' 'Glory to God,' just like a Sal-vation Army service. It is distressingto one's soul." 14Sister White's response dealt pre-

dictably with the situation at hand,yet it also contains a valuable side-light which points to the standing ofthe church in the last moments oftime.

Those who identify theSeventh-day AdventistChurch as Babylon havemissed the mark by atleast 530 miles

"I will not go into all the painfulhistory; it is too much. But lastJanuary the Lord showed me that er-roneous theories and methods wouldbe brought into our camp meetings,and that the history of the past wouldbe repeated. I felt greatly distressed."

"The things you have described astaking place in Indiana, the Lord hasshown me would take place justbefore the close of probation. Everyuncouth thing will be demonstrated.There will be shouting, with drums,music, and dancing. The senses of ra-tional beings will become so confusedthat they cannot be trusted to makeright decisions...."Better never have the worship of

God blended with music than to usemusical instruments to do the workwhich last January was represented tome would be brought into our campmeetings.,,15Now notice two points: These prac-

tices with which Sister White had solittle sympathy are to be "broughtinto our camp meetings" "just beforethe close of probation." Does this meanthat the church has become Babylon?She never so much as hints it. Instead,she twice refers to "our" campmeetings. The point is clear--in theclosing days there is still a churchwith which Ellen White is willing toidentify. What about the rest of us?Are the sins of the church so great anembarrassment that we must with-draw? Can that be justified when thechurch does not qualify as Babylon?But this is no cause for denomi-

national smugness. We have a newquestion to face: Will the church qual-ify as Jerusalem? The same prophecythat points to "our" church "justbefore the close of probation," pointsas well to serious problems withinthat church. Can we, as members ofthis denomination, simply sit backand wait in complacency untilanother "spiritualistic delusion"sweeps through our ranks? How muchbetter to diligently "walk in the lightthe Lord has given," paying carefulattention to all His "words of warn-ing and reproof." Let us work andpray with all the energies the Lordhas given us that the day may nevercome when the Seventh-day AdventistChurch should seal its rejection oftruth--as did Jerusalem--with theblood of martyrs."I tell you, my brethren, the Lord

has an organized body through whomHe will work. There may be morethan a score of Judases among them;there may be a rash Peter who willunder circumstances of trial deny hisLord; there may be persons repre-sented by John whom Jesus loved, buthe may have a zeal that would de-stroy men's lives by calling down firefrom heaven upon them to revenge aninsult to Christ and to the truth. Butthe great Teacher seeks to give lessonsof instruction to correct these exist-ing evils. He is doing the same todaywith His church. He is pointing outtheir dangers. He is presenting before

January, 1986 Our Firm Foundation 9

Signs of the Times, September 1, 1887Ellen G. White

There are many expensive indul-gences that are at the same time veryinjurious. They derange the digestiveorgans, and destroy the appetite forsimple, wholesome food, and sicknessand suffering are the result. Withdyspepsia [indigestion] and its atten-dant evils comes the loss of a sweetdisposition. There is irritability,fretfulness, impatience; and harsh,unkind words are spoken, which mayresult in the loss of a dear friend.Thus the books of Heaven show lossin many ways.God is not unwilling that we

should enjoy the blessings of life. Hehas placed in our hands abundantmeans for the gratification of naturalappetite. In the products of the earth

"Know ye not that they which runin a race run all, but one receiveththe prize? So run, that ye may obtain.And every man that striveth for themastery is tempera te in all things.Now they do it to obtain a corrup-tible crown; but we an incorruptible."1 Corinthians 8:24, 25Here the battle between self-

control and selfish indulgence is setforth. There is work for us to do,stern, earnest work, to decide whichshall obtain the mastery. All ourhabits, tastes, and inclinations shouldbe in accordance with the laws ofhealth and life. By this means we maysecure the very best physical con-ditions, and have mental clearness todiscern between the evil and the good.

The Victory Over Appetite

The staff of Our Firm Foundationextend a special note of thanks to Mr.Harry Anderson for his kindness ingiving to us the beautiful picture ofChrist which appeared on the coverof our special December Outreachissue. We believe that this picture,never before published, will draw theattention of many people to the Ad-vent Message contained in that paper.Thank you, Brother Anderson, andmay the Lord bless your work in thefuture as He has in the past.

Special Thanks

them the Laodicean message."He shows them that all selfish-

ness, all pride, all self-exaltation, allunbelief and prejudice, are danger-ous, and unless repented of, thosewho cherish these things will be leftin darkness as was the Jewish nation.Let every soul now seek to answer theprayer of Christ. Let every soul echothat prayer in mind, in petitions, inexhortations, that they all may be oneeven as Christ is one with the Father,and work to this end. . . . Also [letevery soul echo] this prayer which Heoffers to interpret the processthrough which His followers are sanc-tified, 'Sanctify them through thytruth.' John 17:17"16This is no time to split off from

the depositary of God's law. It ispeace we need, not pieces. Peacefounded on truth, built up by love.Not the peace that would cry "Peace,peace; when there is no peace," butrather the "Great peace" possessed bythose who love the law. II

1. Selected Messages, Book 2, 682. Testimonies to Ministers, 613. Selected Messages, Book 2, 684. Testimonies, vol. 1, 141-146 (1857)5. Review and Herald, March 11, 18906. A.T. Jones and congregation,

1893 General Conference DailyBulletin, 183

7. Testimonies, vol. 9, 2618. Life Sketches, 3869. Selected Messages, Book 2, 69,

emphasis supplied10. Testimonies, vol. 8, 67, 6811. See Testimonies, vol. 5, 728; ibid.,

vol. 4, 231; Review and Herald,June 4, 1889

12. Selected Messages, Book 2, 6813. Evangelism, 59514. Hetty H. Haskell, Letter to Miss

Sara McInterfer, September 17,1900

15. Selected Messages, Book 2, 37, 3616. Manuscript 21, 1893; Manuscript

Releases, vol. 1, 354, 355

10 Our Firm Foundation January, 1986

The more the appetite is indulged, the moreimperative are its demands, and the more

difficult it is to control

there is a bountiful variety of foodthat is both palatable and nutritious,and of these articles we "may freelyeat." We may enjoy the fruits, thevegetables, and the grains, which ourbenevolent heavenly Father has pro-vided for our use, without doingviolence to the laws of our being.Such a diet will nourish the body,and preserve its natural vigor,without the use of artificial stim-ulants and luxuries.Intemperance commences at the

table in the use of unhealthful food.After a time, as the digestive organsbecome weakened, the food does notsatisfy the appetite, and there is acraving for more stimulating foodand drinks. Tea, coffee, and flesh-meats produce an immediate effect,and are freely indulged in. Undertheir influence, the nervous system isexcited, and in some cases, for thetime being, the intellect seems to beinvigorated, and the imagination tobe more vivid. But there is always areaction. The nervous system, havingbeen unduly excited, borrowed powerfor present use from its future re-sources; and all this temporary in-vigoration of the system is followedby depression. The appetite, educatedto crave something stronger, sooncalls for tobacco, wines, and liquors.The more the appetite is indulged,

the more imperative are its demands,and the more difficult it is to control.The more debilitated the system be-comes, and the less able to do withoutunnatural stimulants, the more thepassion for these things increases, un-til the will is overborne, and thereseems to be no power to deny the un-natural craving.We are to be temperate in all

things. Not only should we be carefulto exercise judgment in the selectionof proper food, but intemperance ineating, even of healthful food, willhave an injurious effect upon thesystem, and will blunt the mental andmoral faculties.Parents are many times responsible

in this matter. They educate the tasteof their children by indulging themin the use of unhealthful articles.They permit them to eat rich pastriesand highly seasoned food, and todrink tea and coffee. They are thus

laying the foundation for pervertedappetites and ruining the health oftheir children. They should help themin this respect, and not place tempta-tion in their way.Frequently mothers permit their

children to eat candy and sweetmeats,and the habit thus formed, besidesinvolving unwise expenditures ofmoney, is ruinous to the health. Onemother said to me, as she placed apackage of candy in her child's hand,"It is only five cents' worth." It was avery poor quality of candy andhighly colored. The child looked intomy face with much interest, to seehow I regarded the matter. Said I,"The lessons in the selfish indulgenceof taste which you are giving yourchildren are setting their feet in anevil path. You, as their guardian andteacher, should be helping them toovercome. You should be teachingthem to cease to do evil and to learnto do well."Besides the injury that is done to

the health, these indulgences of tasteare in the end expensive. Though buta trifle may be spent at each time,they soon aggregate quite a sum; andthis money might be spent for someuseful purpose, or be given to thecause of God. Will you ponder thesethings my Christian friends, and seeif you cannot, by self-denial, and thebetter habits, accomplish more withyour life than you have done hitherto?Christian women can do much in

the great work for the salvation ofothers by spreading their tables withonly healthful, nourishing food. Theycan educate the tastes and appetitesof their children; they can form inthem habits of temperance in allthings, and encourage benevolenceand self-denial for the good of others.The moral sensibilities of Christiansshould be aroused upon this subject;that they may help those who are soweak in self-control as to be almostpowerless to resist the cravings ofappetite. If we could realize that thehabits we form in this life will affectour eternal interests, we should bemuch more careful than we now are;and by our example and personal ef-fort we might be the means of savingmany souls from the degradation ofintemperance and crime, and the con-

sequent penalty of death..Here is the battle before us, to

subdue self and be temperate in allthings if we would secure the incor-ruptible crown of immortal life. Theprize is within our reach, and every-one may win it who will strivelawfully. But how many who havehad precious opportunities and greatlight and privileges seem devoid ofreason in regard to the purpose oflife, and fail to realize the shame andconfusion that will be theirs whenthey shall receive sentence accordingas their works have been. They mightrise intellectually and morally if theywould govern themselves; but thisthey will not do, for they love selfsupremely.The lives of such persons are a

shallow pretense. They do not aim atany high standard in personal char-acter; but their attention is taken upwith matters of dress, style, personalappearance, equipage, sensuous enjoy-ment. Reproof and warning arerefused or disregarded. They do notlike the effort it would require, andso make no exertion to change theircourse. After looking in the mirror,they forget what manner of charac-ters they found represented there,and pursue their accustomed round offolly, which they call freedom andenjoyment.They do not understand right-

eousness. If they would for a timechange their course of action, andlive a self-denying, godly life, beingtemperate in all things, they wouldhave wisdom and strength, and powerto live a noble. useful life.To attain to such a life in this self-

indulgent, lawless age, we must dailyhave the Spirit of Christ. But He iswilling to bestow it upon those whorange themselves under His blood-stained banner, fighting the battles ofthe Lord. There are precious victoriesto gain; and the victors in this contestagainst appetite and every worldlylust will receive a crown of life thatfadeth not away, a blessed home inthat city whose gates are of pearl andwhose foundatiolls are of preciousstones. Is not this prize worth strivingfor? Then let us so run that we mayobtain. III

January. 1986 Our Firm Foundation II

The Church On Trial, continued from 4

disparage one soul for whomChrist has died

sinner. He has unveiled the disguisedtempter, and shown him in his truelight, as a malignant enemy to Christand man. The condemnation and mur-der of the Son of God were broughtabout by Satan's false accusations,and that against One who was pure,holy, and undefiled. This work hasforever alienated from Satan the af-fections and sympathy of theheavenly world. Not one thought ofsympathy remained in their heartsfor him who had been an exaltedangel. This same work he is carryingon in the world to-day in the childrenof disobedience,uthose whose mindsare subject to his control. The cross ofCalvary shows how far Satan willcarry his work.This counterfeit justice that Satan

advocates, God abhors; it must notcome into the experience of the sonsand daughters of God. Satan's censor-ing must not be imitated by anyonewho is a partaker of the mercy andthe love of God. Let not one of Hisprofessed children climb upon thejudgment seat to accuse or condemnanother. Guard your own soul; watchclosely for the first jealous thought,the first suggestion to question orjudge others. God has not set you tobe a judge over your brethren; andwhile you do so, your own soul willbe as destitute of the Spirit of God aswere the hills of Gilboa of dew andrain. Those who are ready to accuseand find fault with others, commitsin against their own souls. Thosewho would bring others to justice,should be the embodiment of spotlesspurity themselves. Never disparageone soul for whom Christ has died;for when you accuse and condemnHis followers, you accuse and con-demn Christ. Be instruments in theLord's hands of saving souls "withfear, pulling them out of the fire;hating even the garment spotted bythe flesh." [Jude 23] We must not besevere with the infirmities of others,but attend zealously to our own in-dividual case.Angels of God are watching the

character you develop, they areweighing your words and actions;therefore take heed to your ways; ex-amine closely your own heart, provewhether you are in the love of God.When Jesus is abiding in your heartby faith, when His love controls the

you will have love for your

12 011' Fi,m FOllndation January. 1986

brethren and sisters. When you see, orthink you discern a defect or error,you will not blaze it abroad; but tellhim his fault between thee and himalone. By the blood of Christ he maybe cleansed. It was this blood, themighty argument of the cross ofCalvary, that broke the power ofSatan as an accuser.Those who are connected with, and

are laboring for, the church of God,stand in the same position as Joshuais represented as occupying. As God'sservants see the defects of Israel, asthey see the sins that are not putaway, it calls forth from their sor-rowful hearts the prayer, "Spare thypeople, 0 Lord, and give not thineheritage to reproach." [Joel 2:17] ButGod is not pleased, He is not glorifiedby many who claim to believe thetruth. He calls upon His church toarouse. Look not to the ministers todo your work; sleep not as did thefoolish virgins, who had no oil intheir lamps. Have your lamps sup-plied with the oil of the grace ofChrist. Should everyone in the churchlet his light shine forth to others asGod designs he should, what a workwould be done. A living church willbe a working church. Bring yourpowers to Jesus; put them intoexercise. Think, meditate, watch, andpray. A close connection with Jesuswill increase your power of ac-complishing good, your intellect willbe strengthened. The time that willtry men's souls is just before us. Weshall then have no advocate to rebukethe devil, and plead in our behalf.Every soul must resist the dis-

couragement that Satan will surelysuggest, that our sins are too manyand too grievous to be pardoned.Sinner, Jesus loves you. He has thrustHis own arm into the burning torescue you. Then let faith take theplace of doubt, hope and courage theplace of fear and unbelief. Dailyconfess your sins, and hope forpardon. Let not the careless or indif-ferent attitude of anyone disheartenyou, or dull the life current flowingthough your soul. If you see thatthose who ought to be wide awake,who ought to be ensamples to theflock, do not meet their high andholy responsibility, then feel to thedepths of your soul that there is moreneed for you to meet the require-ments of God and keep His charge.

You must act like living men; workwith fidelity.The Lord proclaimed from Sinai,

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keepit holy." [Exodus 20:8] Do you keepthe Sabbath according to the com-mandment? Do you command yourchildren and your household afteryou, as did Abraham? Parents havenot done their work with fidelity intheir families. They have not felt aburden for souls, even for their ownchildren. They have not restrainedthem, but have indulged them,neglected their eternal interests. Thebooks of heaven testify against them.When you see your children out ofthe ark, without God, and withouthope in the world, make haste; for thestorm of God's wrath is coming uponthe children of disobedience. God hascommitted to each one sacred trusts.He has given talents to each to beimproved, not buried; these talents hewill demand of you erelong. Do notwait for some one to do your work. Ifour life is hid with Christ in God,Satan's miracle-working power, al-ready being manifested, will notdeceive us.But there is a more important fea-

ture in this lesson. Its full meaningwill be experienced by those whoshall be alive at the coming of theLord. There are those who will keepGod's charge to the very close oftime. They will know the fellowshipof Christ's sufferings. Satan's malig-nity will be intensified toward them,as he sees that his time is short. Heknows that he is sure of those whoare under his delusions, but thosewho will not be deceived by him, hewill persecute until the final rebukeof God is put upon him. He will per-form miracles to fasten the deceptionupon the already deceived, and todeceive others. I wish to impress uponyou the necessity of a close and holywalk with God. To say that we be-lieve on the Son of God is not enough.We must have Christ dwelling in ourhearts by faith. "If" is the temptationthat strikes against Jesus. In fullestconfidence we must accept Jesus asour Saviour, and reveal Him in ourlife and character. Thus may westand amid the perils of the last days.Review alld Herald, September 22, 1896

Part OneIN THE CHURCH

Presented to Seminar on Psychologyand Religion, Walla Walla College,College Place, Washington, May 30,1985

In our American culture with itshistoric emphasis on individualismthere is a very common belief that "Itis a dog-eat-dog world out there, andto be adequately prepared we need toteach 'our children how to compete.To get out there and win." The per-sistent theme has been that childrenmust be taught to be competitive inorder to survive in a competitiveworld. This pervasive philosophy hasbeen most openly apparent in the em-phasis on competitive sports in ourschools. The influence of thisattitude, however, is by no meanslimited to sports or athletic activities.Careful observation will reveal that

this belief has just as significantlyinfiltrated into many other areas ofour educational system, but where itmay appear less obvious.The competitiveness value has be-

come so well ingrained into oureducational philosophy that for manyit has taken on the proportions of asacred cow. But, notwithstanding thevigor with which some would defendthis position, there are still some im-portant questions that must be raised.First, is this concept based uponsound principles; that is, is it true?Second, and most important to theChristian, is it in harmony with theteachings and directions of the Wordof God; Le., the principles andguidelines articulated in the Bibleand through His inspired messenger?It is of interest that these issues

have begun to attract the concern of

Vernon W. Shafer, Ph.D.

secular, social sci en tists who arebeginning to bring together a growingmass of evidence that questions theassumed positive role of competitive-ness in education.Dr. MJ. Meadow in her presiden-

tial address to the Division ofPsychologists Interested in ReligiousIssues at the recent meeting of theAmerican Psychological Associationin Toronto warned: "We are on thebrink of nuclear holocaust becausewe have been socialized from ourcribs to compete." She charged thatreligious institutions have sold out tocompetitive nationalistic and eco-nomic interests, teaching universallove with their lips while their ownbehavior has modeled these divisiveactivities.She continued: "We, as psycho-

logists know which lesson will be thebetter learned--the preached one orthe one taught by modeling and rein-forcement...."To accomplish this, however,

parents and social leaders will haveto begin reinforcing cooperative,ra ther than competitive, behaviorfrom the time children are born. Inthe classroom, instead of pittingchildren against each other in a win-lose spelling bee, each child wouldsupply one letter until the word hadbeen spelled correctly, at which pointthe entire group would becongratulated.,,1At the same meeting a number of

scientists stressed similar concernsand chided Christians for supportingcompetitive behavior contrary totheir "love ethic" preaching.Dr. Janet Spence of the University

of Texas and 1984 president of theAmerican Psychological Association,recently presented an address to theWashington State Psychological As-sociation in Spokane in which shereported some significant researchshe and her associates have beendoing on the factors that relate toachievement. In her study, Dr. Spencedefines competitiveness as "the desireto win over others and to be numberone, the enjoyment of head-to-headcontests; competitiveness differs frommastery in its interpersonal flavor ...being better than other people versuspitting one's self against a challeng-ing task.,,2

Mastery is defined as "preferencefor taking on challenging tasks andmeeting internally-prescribed stand-ards of performance." SDr. Spence goes on to describe

their findings:"In every instance, the results in-

dicated the significant and often sub-stantial contribution of achievement

January. 1986 Ollr Firm FOll/ldalioll 13

Scripture is replete witha continuing emphasison the virtue ofhumility

motives to our performanceindicators--but not in Quite the waythat many would have anticipated.Happily, work and mastery motivesare consistently associated with betterperformance. However, interpersonalcompetitiveness is associated withpoorer performance and is par-ticularly destructive when combinedwith high levels of work and mastery.Putting the matter another way, thegroup of individuals high in workand mastery but low in competitive-ness, was uniformly most successful.... An additional sidelight on inter-personal competitiveness is itsrela tionship to in trinsic motives,which, to date, we have investigatedonly in college students. In describingtheir future goals, highly competitivestudents place greater importance onattaining prestige and high incomethan do other students. Further, likecompetitiveness, high extrinsicmotivation is associated with pooreracademic performance...."A recent investigation of the per-

formance of the cockpit crews ofcom-FAA inspectors showed exactlythe same pattern as that of the mosteffective nurses, including being highin expressiveness and low in competi-tiveness."Dr. Spence acknowledges that there

are obviously many situations in lifethat are inherently competitive, butshe makes this observation:"As individuals, we must be will-

ing to compete and to dare to riskfailure if we are to gain desiredoutcomes. However, too many indi-viduals--parents, teachers, employers--believe that in order to become asuccessful competitor, one must learnto relish and value competition for itsown sake--to develop competitivenessas a generalized personal Quality. Asour data show, this is individualismrun amok, likely to hamper the in-dividual and to be destructive to thegroup.,,4What modern psychologists are just

discovering about the negative effectsof competition is certainly not newsto the student of the Scriptures. For

14 Ollr Firm FOllllda/ioll January. 1986

replete in Scripture is the continuingemphasis on the virtue of humility.The paradoxical truism of Christ'sministry and example voiced by theSaviour was "Whosoever shall exalthimself shall be abased; and he thatshall humble himself shall beexalted." (Matthew 23:12) "Whosoeverwill be great among you, let him beyour minister; and whosoever will bechief among you, let him be yourservant: even as the Son of Man camenot to be ministered unto, but to min-ister and to give his life a ransom formany." (Matthew 20:26-28) Andagain, "For he that is least among youall, the same shall be great." Luke 9:48It is of interest to note that these

statements represent a completely op-posite point of view from Dr.Spence's definition of competitivenessas "The desire to win over others andto be number one."sThe apostle Paul expressed the

same anti-competitive perspective ofthe Gospel when he admonishes,"Honor one another above your-selves." (Romans 12:10 NIV) Paul fur-ther points to Christ as our ultimateexample in stepping down from Histhrone of glory to share man's lot inorder to save him. (Philippians 2:5-11)Throughout Scripture this theme ispresented as the foundation principleof God's order.By contrast, the enemy of souls is

clearly identified as the author ofenvy and competitive striving to befirst, saying, "I will be like the mostHigh" (Isaiah 14:14), and "I am, andthere is none besides me." Isaiah 47:10NIVIt is not unexpected that we should

see the same principles being per-vasively articulated and emphasizedby God's messenger to the Church asthose expressed by Bible writers. Isuspect it is because it is such a com-mon battle for us all to let go of thestruggle to be first that the Lord hasseen fit to provide us with so muchinstruction and warning about thisproblem. There are some 22 pages ofreferences on this and closely relatedtopics in The Comprehensive Index tothe Writings 0/ Ellen G. White.6Though it is beyond the scope of

this paper to review all of this richand voluminous material, any perusalof these writings leaves one withseveral distinct impressions. First isan apprecia tion of the grave impor-tance that the Lord places on thisissue and His concern that we beadequately warned about its serious-ness. Second is that the problem per-meates every aspect of our lives andmust be continually guarded againstas one of the primary avenuesthrough which Satan is determined toseduce us away from God. "It is

Satan's work to excite pride andambition, selfishness, and love forsupremacy." Medical Ministry, 48Third, in speaking about this issue,

both Bible writers and Mrs. Whiteplace emphasis on the basic principlesinvolved. These are applied in a widevariety of situations from competi-tion and rivalry between ministers,physicians, institutions, husband andwife, or in the classroom or in sports,but in all circumstances the basicprinciple is the same. Thus our studyshould focus on identifying the un-derlyir.g principle rather than on be-coming hung up on specific appli-cation.The fourth impression is that in

our personal spiritual life as well asin the education of our youth, thisperspective of the subduing of self isof primary importance. This is thereason that the enemy of souls worksso hard to entice us into the mistakennotion that our Christian witness andinfluence will be greater if wesacrifice our distinctiveness and con-form to the world. (See Testimonies toMinisters, 472-474)The reader is urged to study exten-

sively this huge body of preciousmaterial, but as an introduction tothat study here are just a few of themultitude of comments on this topicby Ellen White:"While self is unsubdued, we can

find no rest." (The Desire 0/ Ages,336) This observation is made in thecontext of describing how helpless weare in our own power to overcome the"masterful passions of the heart" andthat it is only through the divineconnection that self can be subdued.Again she observed "Only the powerof God can banish self-seeking andhypocrisy." The Desire 0/ Ages, 409In speaking about the closing

events of Christ's earthly ministry,Ellen White makes this comment,"While they were contending for

the highest place, He to whom everyknee shall bow, He whom the angelsof glory count it honor to serve,bowed down to wash the feet of thosewho called Him Lord. He washed thefeet of His betrayer." The Desire 0/Ages, 649Another interesting dimension of

this problem and its potential effectseven upon our theology is related inconnection with the religious leadersof Christ's time."The hypocrisy of the Pharisees

was the product of self-seeking. Theglorifica tion of themselves was theobject of their lives. It was this thatled them to pervert and misapply theScriptures, and blinded them to thepurpose of Christ's mission . . . Aslea ven, if left to complete its work,will cause corruption and decay, so

does the self-seeking spirit, cherished,work the defilement and ruin of thesou!." The Desire of Ages, 409"Your energy and efficiency in

the upbuilding of My kingdom, Jesussays, depend upon your receiving ofMy Spirit. You must be partakers ofMy grace, in order to be a savor oflife unto life. Then there will be norivalry, no self-seeking, no desire forthe highest place. You will have thatlove which seeks not her own, butanother's wealth." The Desire of Ages,439"The leaven of truth wil1 not

produce the spirit of rivalry, theleaven of ambition, the desire to befirst. True, heaven-born love is notselfish and changeable. It is not de-pendent on human praise. The heartof him who receives the grace of Godoverflows with love for God and forthose for whom Christ died. Self isnot struggling for recognition. Hedoes not love others because they loveand please him, because they ap-preciate his merits, but because theyare Christ's purchased possession. Ifhis motives, words, or actions aremisunderstood or misrepresented, hetakes no offense, but pursues the eventenor of his way. He is kind andthoughtful, humble in his opinion ofhimself, yet fuU of hope, alwaystrusting in the mercy and love ofGod." Christ's Object Lessons, 101, 102

True, heaven-born loveis not dependent onhuman praise

"The salvation of human beingsmeans much more than many realize.It means that we are to choose God'sway rather than our own. The Lordcannot save men while they refuse tohumble themselves under the reproofsand warnings that He sends,strenuously asserting their own will,and foUowing their own course ofaction." Upward Look, 134It is seen that the underlying

problem of aU competitive efforts isto put self first, whether it is appliedto individuals or to institutions. God'smessenger makes it very clear what isthe origin of this spirit. At the sametime there is the caution that we arenot immune to having this spirit con-taminate even our efforts to share theGospe!.

There is a continueddesire for supremacythat persists amongGod's people

"Never should the managers of ourinstitutions attempt, in the slightestdegree, to take advantage of oneanother. Such efforts are most offen-sive to God. Sharp dealing, the effortto drive sharp bargains with oneanother, is a wrong that He will nottolerate. Every effort to exalt one in-stitution at the expense of another iswrong." Testimonies, vol. 7, 174"Not consolidation, not rivalry orcriticism, but co-operation, is God'splan for His institutions." Testimonies,vol. 7, 174"There should be no rivalry betweenour publishing houses. If this spirit isindulged, it will grow and strengthen,and will crowd out the missionaryspirit. It will grieve the Spirit of God,and will banish from the institutionthe ministering angels sent to be co-workers with those who cherish thegrace of God." Testimonies, vol. 7,173,174Again the wish to exalt self is seen

as the antithesis to our effort to workwith Christ in saving souls."He [Jesus] showed what is the

principle that bears sway in thekingdom of heaven, and in what truegreatness consists, as estimated by thestandard of the courts above. Thosewho were actuated by pride and loveof distinction were thinking ofthemselves, and of the rewards theywere to have, rather than how theywere to render back to God the giftsthey had received. They would haveno place in the kingdom of heaven."The Desire of Ages, 446

We are further told that thoughthere is a continued desire forsupremacy that persists among God'speople (Selected Messages, vol. 2, 382;Selected Messages, vol. I, 125), no manshould work for God with this kindof ambition (Testimonies, vol. 7, 198)because his service for God is marredby this spirit (Christ's Object Lessons,52). Pride and ambition which lead tostrife for supremacy (Patriarchs andProphets, 403, 404) are seen as thefruit of a divided heart (Sons andDaughters of God, 286) and shut menout of God's kingdom (Evangelism,102). It is an attitude that will ceaseto exist among Seventh-day Adven-tists when persecution comes.

(Testimonies, vol. 6, 401)It is with this kind of perspective

that the warning against conformityto the world is emphasized since Mrs.White says of Satan, . "He will useevery possible advantage you givehim to control minds." (Upward Look,20) "In aU who are under the trainingof God is to be revealed a life that isnot in harmony with the world, itscustoms, or its practices." (The Desireof Ages, 363) In fact this truth is ar-ticulated even more specificaUy inher description of a vision of Satan'splan for defeating the church."As the people of God approach

the perils of the last days, Satan holdsearnest consultation with his angelsas to the most successful plan of over-throwing their faith. . . . Says thegreat deceiver ... 'Lovers of pleasuremore than lovers of God will be ourmost effective helpers. Those of thisclass who are apt and inteUigent willserve as decoys to draw others intoour snares. Many will not fear theirinfluence, because they profess thesame faith. We will thus lead them toconclude that the requirements ofChrist are less strict than they oncebelieved, and that by conformity tothe world they would exert a greaterinfluence with worldlings. Thus, theywi1l separate from Christ; then theywill have no strength to resist ourpower, and erelong they will be readyto ridicule their former zeal anddevotion.' " Testimonies to Ministers,472

Part II will appear in our next issue.

I. Quoted in APA Monitor, November1984, "PoUution of ReligionTied to Nuclear Threat," byKathleen Fisher

2. "Achievement and AchievementMotives," by Janet T. Spence,WSPA Agenda, Winter 1985

3. Ibid.4. Ibid.5. Ibid.6. Board of Trustees of EUen G.

White Estates, The Comprehen-sive Index to the Writings ofEllen G. White, Mountain ViewCalifornia, Pacific Press Pub-lishing Association, 1962

January, 1986 Our Firm Foundation 15

At

While driving through a grove of manzanita trees towardthe St. Helena Adventist Hospital, I noticed a small woodensign pointing to the left toward Elmshaven. After havinglunch at the hospital, I headed back down the hill towardmy late-afternoon appointment. Having some extra time tospend, I decided to turn up the narrow lane that led to Mrs.White's last home. I felt a reverent hush as I pulled into thesmall parking lot. The fine-crafted home stood with a noblebearing among the trees. Everything seemed suspended intime. One could almost hear the click of horses' hooves andthe rub of harness as Sister White, bundled up in hercarriage, returned home from a speaking engagement. Islowly walked through the grounds, relishing the peacefulatmosphere, visualizing must have been. Upon findingno one at the main house, I went around back, and there Ifound her sitting on the front porch of her little cottagereading the mail. It wasn't Ellen White, but she looked muchthe same in my imagination. As soon as her eye caught sightof me she looked up with an infectious smile."Oh, hello there," she said; "would you like a tour of the

16 Our Firm Foundalioll January, 1986

house?" I answered with an eager "yes." She then told me togo around to the front while she removed her garden boots.In a few moments she opened the tall front door and mo-

tioned for me to come in. The tour began in what was once abedroom but now serves as a small museum filled withpictures, books, and documents, neatly displayed in glasscases. As she began to explain some of the items of interestshe mentioned in passing that she was E.G. White Jacques,granddaughter of Ellen G. White. She then said that sheknew her grandmother quite well since she was fifteen yearsold when Ellen White died.Seizing the opportunity, I told her that I was associated

with the new Adventist layman's magazine Our Firm Foun-dation and that I would like, with her approval, to interviewher for a future edition. She answered that she had seen acopy of our introductory edition, liked it very much, andwould be happy to oblige.The following are excerpts from an uninterrupted two-

hour conversation in Ellen White's living room and study onSeptember 5, 1985.

Q. What was it like to be around Ellen White?A. The whole atmosphere was cheerful. She was quick, butnever in a hurry. She had what I call "dispatch." She wasvery orderly--she always put things away where she couldfind them, (which I haven't learned to do yet).She was very fond of her family. She never looked at you

with accusing eyes--when she looked, you knew that youwere loved. She loved to have her family around her.She also had a good sense of humor. On one occasion the

nurse that had come to give Grandma a salt rub [a salt rubis having salt rubbed on the skin to improve circulation] ap-parently got mixed up and picked up the wrong container.Something just didn't feel right to Grandma. Upon inves-tigation they discovered that she had gotten into the sugarinstead of the salt at which Grandma said, "What are youtrying to do, sweeten me up?"

Q. Tell me about the Sabbaths that you spent with EllenWhite.A. The Sabbath was a gem in the week. On Friday inpreparation for the Sabbath we would all busy ourselveswith the chores, but what we liked best was decorating withflowers.As the sun set over the hills we were all scrubbed up and

ready for the Sabbath. We would walk over to Grandma'shouse and slip in through the side door and take our placesin the living room. If it was cool we would sit by the fire.Soon we would hear little footsteps coming down the stairs.She would make the rounds, stopping to kiss each one.Then she would sit down and pick up the Bible and

read--no comment, no questions, no remarks, just read. Wewould then kneel and have sentence prayers followed by ahymn; altogether it lasted only ten minutes or so, no more.Then we would all bring out our Bibles and study the Sab-bath School lesson. Then singing, singing, singing--she had anice voice.Afterward we would read the special letters from friends

or the latest chapter from Acts of the Apostles. One letterthat I remember in particular was from Elder Stahl. He toldabout how God had miraculously delivered the missionariesfrom some hostile, intoxicated natives by surrounding themission with angels that appeared to the natives as soldiers.Then if there was time we (the children) would gather

together in a group and play a Bible card or a guessinggame. It was a happy, happy time; we all loved to be there.

Q. Tell me about your attendance at church. Did yourgrandmother often speak during her last few years?A. Oh yes, she spoke quite often, perhaps at Calistoga ormaybe at the college. The White family sat on the front pew.We all sat very still. I remember one of her most oftenrepeated texts was 2 Peter 1:5-7: "Add to your faith virtue,and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; andto temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and togodliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindnesscharity." Then she would say, "We add and the Lordmultiplies."

Q. What did your family do for Sabbath lunch?A. We would often take our lunch with us. Grandma lovedto eat outdoors. In addition to the few simple-to-prepareitems, my mother would bring a hot dish all wrapped up tostay warm for Grandma and the little ones. I remember howthey would spread out the tablecloth on the grass and scattersome cushions, then they would take the bridles off thehorses and put on the nose bag full of corn; you could hearthem crunching.

Q. What did you do in the afternoon?A. After lunch, Grandma, being up in years and somewhatfatigued from preaching, would rest while we went on abrisk walk. I think my father wanted to use up some of thechildren's excess energy; he always walked us quite fast.When we returned, Grandma was always interested in whatwe had found along the way: a hummingbird's nest, fern, oran unusual rock. Then by the time we would get home thesun was going down. The horses could go only so fast.As the sun went down we would again gather together

around the fireplace and have a short worship consisting ofa brief reading, a song and a prayer. I remember Grandmasaying, "The angels are weary with long public prayers.Some people would pray around the world."

Q. What did you do in the enning?A. Out would come the popcorn poppers and we would posi-tion ourselves near the fireplace and hold them out over theflames while my dad would peel apples and pass themaround. I don't know why he always peeled them--I think hejust wanted something to do. Afterward, for the little ones,we would play "button, button" with a long string aroundthe living room.

Q. What about your activities during the week?A. She wanted us to come and be with l.ter every day. Some-times we would come up the backstairs into the study towhere she was writing and she would stop what she wasdoing and give us each a hug. If it was near mealtime shemight give us a peppermint. To dismiss us she might say, "Ithink that the apples on such and such a tree are ripe. Whydon't you go down and pick some for yourself?" She wasalways thoughtful even when she was telling us to run along.

Q. What did you learn on a personal level from yourgrandmother?A. I learned from her "Commit yourself uQto the Lord andHe shall bring it to pass." Her attitude toward life wasgathering the roses and ignoring the thorns. She would casther burdens at the feet of Jesus.I think that a person who trusts in the Lord will have a

very interesting life. Never will there be a dull moment--sometimes the howling desert, but never a dull moment.

Q. I'm sure that you are aware of the statement in SelectedMessages, page 412 that says, "Somebody is to come in thespirit and power of Elijah, and when he appears ... ," didshe mean to say that someone was going to come in the fu-ture and fill a position similar to that of hers as a messengerfrom God? .A. I recall one time when she was asked if someone wouldcome to take her place she replied, "I don't know." Then sheturned and pointed to her books and said, -"There is suffi-cient here to carry us through to the kingdom."...................... ..After I had spent a delightful September afternoon with

Mrs. Jacques, pausing in various rooms of the house, sheended the tour in Mrs. White's bedroom. It is a lovely spa-cious room with a beautifully carved wooden bed. On thewall hangs a painting of Jesus standing with His armsoutstretched. She turned to me and with a gleam in her eyesshe said "Come, that's it, just come. Isn't that just like Jesus?When it's all said and done, He says come,Just come."With that she smiled and turned toward'the hall. I felt ir-

resistibly drawn to Christ.There are those who have voiced their doubts concerning

Mrs. White's inspiration and even her Christian life. All Ican say is, go visit Mrs. E.G. White Jacques. "Come, that's it,just come."

January. 1986 Our Firm Foundation 17

TwoBeneath

GospelsThe Surface

No perfectionJustification alone

Christ-unfallen natureSin as naturePredestination

PerfectionJustification/Sanctification

Christ-fallen natureSin as choiceFree choice

The past several years have been atime of real pain for Seventh-dayAdventists. We were not around at thelast time of major crisis in Adventisthistory during the early 1900s. Wehave all seen pastors leave the minis-try before now for various reasons,including an occasional pastor whofelt tha t Seventh-day Ad ven tistbeliefs were not compatible with hisown beliefs; but now we are seeingyoung, bright, conscientious pastorssaying, "I can no longer preach Ad-ventism and be true to my conscienceand the Bible." Some church membershave felt that they were hearing adifferent brand of Adventism pro-claimed from a Seventh-day Adven-tist pulpit, one which they felt to betotally incompatible with the Seventh-day Adventist mission and message.

18 Our Firm Foundation January, 1986

Dennis Priebe, Ph.D.What is going on in our belovedchurch? Ministers and laymen havebecome confused. Desperate crieshave gone out from both sides, at-tacking the other position, whilethose in the middle wonder how theycan possibly make a decision aboutwho is right, or whether they shouldjust silently slip out the backdoor ofAdventism. Is there any answer, orare we doomed to stumble along whileour church crumbles beneath us?I am convinced that there is a

reason for the pain we are sufferingtoday, and that there is a solution toour theological dilemma. We havebeen told that our church must bejudged by the gospel. I accept thatchallenge. The gospel lies at the heartof Christianity, and without thegospel there would be no point nor

purpose in Sabbathkeeping. But whatis the gospel? This is the critical ques-tion which has been pounding at theconsciousness of pastors, teachers, andlaymen.I am going to propose that there

are two versions of the gospel beingproclaimed within Adventism. I amgoing to outline them from presup-positions to conclusions, with thehope that doing so will explain whysome men and women are having acrisis of conscience with Seventh-dayAdventist teaching. Of course I willspecify which gospel I believe to bein harmony with the Bible andAdventism, but perhaps the greatestgood to come from what I am aboutto say will be the clarification of theopposing positions, so that we will bebetter prepared, individually, to

study the Bible and our modern in-spired testimony to determine whichof the two systems of belief will beour gospel. For ultimately, it mustcome to that-owe must make a deci-sion based on Bible study and prayer.You see, in the past it has been

relatively easy to identify the"offshoot" groups and stay within themainstream of Adventism. Not manyhave followed the voices of theShepherd's Rod or the ReformedAdventists. But now we have twogospels within the mainstream ofAdventism, which makes the choicemuch more difficult. This has beendeveloping for the past thirty yearswithin Adventism, and I submit thatthe events of the late 70s are the in-evitable and natural result of theseeds planted many years ago. Whatwe once thought to be one track oftruth stretching out before us hasbeen seen only lately as two tracks,diverging more and more widely untilwe have found ourselves at this crisispoint. At the heart of my proposal toyou is the deep conviction that thesetwo tracks are totally incompatiblewith each other, that compromise orharmony between them is logicallyimpossible, and that one must make achoice between the two systems. Thenlet us look at these rival claimants tothe title "gospel" with the hope thatthe real gospel will be able to standup confidently.

Statement Of The Problem

A recent article was titled "ExodusFrom Adventism," in which was com-piled a list of 100 Seventh-day Ad-ventist ministers and teachers wholeft Adventism for reasons ofconscience. In the article was thiscomment: "The denomination wouldgive the appearance that it is franti-cally attempting to rid itself of theunwelcome doctrines of salvation byfaith alone and the all-sufficiency ofScripture as the sole doctrinalnorm." 1 Now those are broad charges.Is it possible to be more specificabout just what is meant here?In South Africa, Francis Campbell

attempted to pinpoint the specificareas of controversy in these words:"The denomination has never beenable to define clearly its position onthe nature of Christ, perfection,original sino-areas which are vital toan understanding of righteousness byfaith. As a result various streams oftheology exist within the church,leaving our members in a state ofconfusion." (ibid.) I believe that hisinsights were extremely accurate andget right to the heart of the dif-ficulties we are experiencing. For Iagree that as a church we have neverdefined clearly our beliefs in these

In the past it has beenrelatively easy toidentify "offshoot"

groups and stay withinthe mainstream of

Adventism

three critical areas--sin, Christ, andperfection; and because of our lack ofclarity and divergent views in theseareas, we have been wandering in thetheological desert for these past 40years of uncertainty and frustration.Because we have held contradictoryviews in these areas, we have beenunable to clearly define our messageand our mission.The following lines were written

by Aage Rendalen, who once servedas a Seventh-day Adventist editor inNorway. "In the 1950s Adventismbegan a remarkable house cleaning. Anumber of doctrines which hadbothered theological purists for yearswere given a public funeral. With therising level of biblical knowledge inthe church, as well as increasing con-tact with evangelical theologians,many leading Adventists felt embar-rassed about some of the doctrinesthat had survived the nineteenthcentury. Chief among these were thedoctrines of the split atonement andthe sinful nature of Christ. With thepublication of the book Questions onDoctrine in 1957, both views wererepudiated. The work of clarificationprogressed up to the beginning of the1970s. By then the traditional beliefin a latter-day perfection had comeunder attack and seemed to be on theway out.... In spite of frantic ef-forts by a few vocal defenders ofAdventist tradition, the doctrines ofthe sinful nature of Christ andhuman perfectibility in this worldwere slowly sinking. The weight ofbiblical evidence had simply over-come what little buoyancy was left.With the dawning of the eighties anew crisis of unsurpassed magnitudeis now confronting the church. Whatis thought to be the very foundationof Adventismnour 'sanctuary the-ology'uis coming under closeexamination. At the same time theauthority of Mrs. White as God's mes-senger is being re-evalua ted. With theevangelical courtship of the 1950s theAdventist leaders started somethingthe extent of which they did notanticipate. The traditional Adventist)andscape was being radicallychanged, and as a result a crisis ofidentity set in. Today, the very

validity of the movement has becomean open question to many. They feelthat this is not the church t'heyjoined. The doctrinal superiority ...which the evangelist had held out tothem now appears to lie in shambles.Can this really be 'the only truechurch'? they ask." 2

As I read his article, I got the feel-ing that, from a quite differentperspective, he was stating what Iwant to state, for he has pinpointedthe issues at stake in the controversyand the historical development ofthese issues over the past 30 years. Hehas, in fact, hit the nail right on thehead. These are the issues which needto be defined if there is any hopethat the real gospel will ever standup. I would like to repeat one ex-tremely important sentence in hisarticle. "Wi th the evangelicalcourtship of the 1950s the Adventistleaders started something the extentof which they did not anticipate. Thetraditional Adventist landscape wasbeing radically changed." How very,very true. Of special note is the bookof those years which was seen to beextremely influential in changing theAdven tist landscape.I have come to believe that the

things which we have seen in the late70s and early 80s are but the in-evitable harvest of the seeds plantedduring the 50s and 60s. Thesetheological seeds have matured into aconsistent and logical theologicalharvest. What I am saying is that,given the presuppositions, the conclu-sions are necessary, even inevitable,and many thinking Adventists haveseen the necessity of living out theimplications of those conclusions.Moreover, both the presuppositionsand the conclusions are widelybelieved within the Seventh-day Ad-ventist Church right now by a widerange of scholars, ministers, andlaymen. Thus it is not just a matter ofbeliefs outside of Adventism versusthose within Adventism. Both systemsof theological belief are alive andgrowing in the Seventh-day AdventistChurch today. Now let us look morespecifically at the individual com-ponents of these systems of belief.

The Central Issue

The pivotal issue which determinesthe direction of both systems ofbelief--the foundation and premise ofthe whole controversy--is thequestion, What is sin? You see, thegospel is all about how we are savedfrom sin. It is sin which has caused usto be lost, and the gospel is the goodnews of how God redeems us fromsin. Now most of us have assumed forperhaps our whole lifetime that weknow what sin is, but as is typically

January, 1986 Our Firm Foundation 19

Original sm is the belief that we are guilty bynature, before choice can enter the picture

true for most things that we assumewithout examining them carefully,our assumptions may be just that,unproved assumptions that need care-ful rethinking. It is just at this pointthat Adventism has been challengedas having unclear and even erroneousdefinitions of sin which have led toerroneous positions in righteousnessby faith.The vital question is, What is the

nature of sin for which man is con-sidered guilty, so guilty that he mustdie in the fires of hell unless he isrescued by the grace of God? We mustbe precise in defining the nature ofthis sin, so that we will know justwhat it is that the gospel rescues usfrom. Of what must we be forgiven?What must be healed for us to escapeeternal death? When you go to see adoctor, he must first determineprecisely the nature of the problemafflicting you before he can prescribea therapy or medicine which can healyou. Just so with sin. We must knowwherein our guilt lies, so that we willbe able to apply the gospel to the cor-rect illness.

The Gospel As Defined In "New" Or"Reformation" Theology

In Geoffrey Paxton's challengingbook, The Shaking of Adventism, hesays that we rejected righteousness byfaith in 1888 because we rejected thehistoric doctrine of original sin. Heidentifies original sin as the founda-tional principle of Reformationtheology. (pp. 98-114) Now originalsin is simply the belief that we areguilty because of our birth as sonsand daughters of Adam. We are guiltyby nature, before any choice of goodor evil can enter the picture. Ourcondemnation comes from Adam; weare guilty because of our inheriteddepravity. "There is sin in the desireof sin." "Sin is declared to exist inthe being prior to our own conscious-ness of it." SThus sin and guilt apply to nature,

and the gospel must deal with thereality of guilt as a part of the natureof man which can never be removeduntil eternal life. In this view,weakness, imperfection, and ten-dencies are sin. It is an interestingand significant point that theReformers built their doctrine oforiginal sin on the premise ofpredestination, which teaches thatGod leaves some men to suffer anddie in their sinful and guilty natureswhile He elects to send His savinggrace to others through the gospel.Since these two doctrines fit togethervery naturally, it is a bit strange thatwhile predestination has beenrejected by most Christians today,

20 Our Firm Foundation January, 1986

original sin is still seen as the foun-dation of correct gospel teaching.

The Nature Of Christ

Now to the next step. What kind ofhuman being must Christ be, if He isgoing to be both human and sinless?Obviously He must have a sinlessnature, totally unlike the nature youand I inherit from birth. Sometimesthis is referred to as the nature ofAdam before the fall. Again somequoted statements will help to clarify."For Christ to be the second or lastAdam, He ... must possess a sinlesshuman nature." "To teach that Christwas possessed of sinful propensities isto teach that He Himself was a sinnerin need of a Saviour." (ibid., 32)Because of the belief that sinful

nature involves guilt in the sight ofGod, it is absolutely imperative thatChrist have no connection with oursinful nature. If one is to ask howthis could be, since Christ did have ahuman mother, this is one answer."The substance of Mary was moulded

into a perfect nature for our Lordjust as in the beginning the HolySpirit took chaos and made a perfectworld." (ibid., 34) In other words,Mary's genetic deficiencies were al-tered so that she would pass on only aperfect heredity to Christ, completelyunlike the heredity we receive fromour parents.

Jus tifica tion

The next step involves ourexperience. Since we are guilty bynature, and since we will retain thisnature until glorification, and sincewe continue to be guilty after ourconversion, and since we sin even inthe good deeds we do (because thereis probably some selfishness taintingour best efforts, and, even in the veryact of overcoming sin we may beguilty), therefore we must focus onjustification rather than sancti-fication. We must look to an imputedrighteousness outside of us at alltimes, since whatever is within us iscorrupted by guilt.

Thus the gospel is justification, therighteousness of Christ credited toour account. Righteousness by faith isal wa ys justif ica tion only, whilesanctification is basically goodadvice. This must be so, since any-thing which is corrupted withoriginal sin can never participate in aperfect righteousness by faith. Thuswe are forensically, legally righteous,while we are actually inwardly guiltyat all times. We must always em-phasize Christ's work for us ratherthan the Holy Spirit's work in us.

Perfection

Finally, the basic premise of sin asnature leads to an inevitable conclu-sion regarding perfection ofcharacter. If our essen tial guiltresides in our nature, the nature withwhich we were born, and if we retainthis nature until death or translation,then it becomes patently clear thatthere can be no talk of perfection orsinlessness in this life. If, in spite ofgrowing spiritually during a lifetime

of trusting Jesus more and relyingless on our own efforts, we are just asguilty at age 60 as we were at age 18,then the words character perfectionare really meaningless and ought tobe dropped quickly from our spiritualvocabulary. Thus the repudiation ofthe possibility of moral perfection inthis life is a necessary corollary tothe doctrine of original sin. The veryeffort to attain perfection results inlegalism and a denial of righteousnessby faith. Even after the close ofprobation the characters of God'speople will be defective in faith,hope, and love. Since the only mean-ing of sinlessness is a totally sinlessnature, that will never happen untilglorifica tion.

Conclusion

This, then, is the gospel accordingto one well-developed and carefullyarticulated system of belief bothwithin and outside Adventism. It isconsistent from its presuppositions toits conclusions, and I believe that if

Sin is our willful choice to exercise our fallen,sinful nature to rebel against God

you begin with the f ounda tionalpremises of this system, you mustlogically end with its conclusions. Ibelieve tha t this is one reason it hasbecome so attractive to many long-time Adventists. Then, if we desire tobe logical and biblical, are we forcedto join in this understanding of thegospel, with the only other optionbeing both illogical and unbiblical?I believe that the true gospel, the

gospel of Jesus Christ and Paul, isbased on different presuppositionsand leads to different conclusions. Ibelieve that this gospel is the onlyone which deals adequately with thegreat cosmic issues in the controversybetween God and Satan. I believe thatthis is the only gospel which willprovide security and hope for theSeventh-day Adven tist Church andfor individuals asking the age-oldquestion, "What must I do to inheriteternal life?" Following, then, is ashort summary of the other option,the other way of understanding thegospel promised in the Old Testamentand realized in the New Testament.

The Gospel As Defined In Adl'entism

The basic presupposition of thisgospel is tha t the heart of the cosmiccontroversy between God and Satanrevolves around the issue of freechoice. God took terrible risks withthe universe to protect freedom ofchoice. Why did God allow the miseryof sin? Because of the worthlessnessof forced obedience and the necessityof the possibility to sin if righteous-ness was to be possible. Jesus came tothis earth to be killed by Satan to al-low all men to choose freely onceagain. And the agony of sin will notend until Satan freely bows down andconfesses Jesus' Lordship. This meansthat the greatest tragedy of theuniverse is Satan's maligning of God,a tragedy even greater than my sins.Thus the issue to be resolved is howunfallen beings, angels and fallenbeings will choose in the greatcontroversy, either for God or forSatan. All of this means that thegospel can never be based on predes-tination of any kind, which essen-tially bypasses any right of man to

choose for or against God. The gospelis built solidly on the foundation offree choicenthe two most importantwords in the history and in the futureof the universe.

The Nature Of Sin

This conclusion leads to a decisionabout the nature of sin. Sin is notbasically the way man is, but the wayman chooses. Sin is the consent of themind to what seems desirable andthus breaks its relationship with God.To talk of guilt in terms of inheritednature is to overlook the importantcategory of responsibility. Not untilwe have joined our own will tomankind's rebellion against God, notuntil we have actively entered intoopposition to the will of God, doesguilt enter in. Sin is concerned with aman's life, his rebellion against God,his willful disobedience, and the dis-torted relationship with God whichensues. Sin is concerned with a man'swill rather than his nature. If respon-sibility for sin is to have any

meaning, it cannot also be affirmedthat fallen human nature makes maninevitably guilty of sin. Inevitabilityand responsibility are mutually ex-clusive concepts in the moral sphere.Thus sin is defined as choosing wil-fully to rebel against God in thought,word, or action. In this gospel sin isour willful choice to exercise ourfallen, sinful nature in opposition toGod's will.

The Nature Of Christ

Building on this foundation, wemove to the nature of Christ. If sin isnot nature but choice, then Christcould inherit our fallen, sinful naturewithout thereby becoming a sinner.He remained ever sinless because Hisconscious choice was alwaysobedience to God, never allowing Hisinheri ted na ture to control Hischoices. His inheritance was just thesame as our inheritance, with no needto resort to special intervention byGod to prevent Jesus from receivinghuman sinfulness from Mary.Christ accepted voluntarily the

humiliation of descending, not onlyto the level of unfallen man, but alsoto the level to which man had fallenthrough the sin of Adam and the sinsof succeeding generations. Becauseman was not in the state of Adambefore the fall, something far moredrastic was needed if the effects ofAdam's fall were to be overcome.Christ must descend to the depths towhich mankind had fallen, and inHis own person lift mankind from itsfallen depths to a new level of life.Jesus stooped from the very heightsto the very depths to lift us up, to beour Saviour. If Jesus had assumed aperfect human nature untouched bythe fall, then He would not havestood side by side with man in hisneed. If Jesus had assumed unfallenhuman nature, there would have beena great gulf created by sin. It was fal-len humanity that He was to repre-sent before God. He stood at the sideof fallen sinners to mediate betweensinful man and a holy God.If Jesus assumed perfect human

nature, He spanned the gulf betweenGod and man, but the gulf betweenfallen and unfallen man still neededto be bridged. If, however, Christshared our fallen, sinful nature, thenHis mediatorial work bridges thewhole gulf from God to fallen man inhis dire need. Only by entering intoour situation in the deepest and ful-lest sense and identifying Himselffully with us was He able to be ourSaviour. Any other condition exceptin sinful flesh would have been chal-lenged at once by the enemy, andwould have influenced the thinkingof the universe.It is at least of interest to note that

this understanding of Christ was theone believed strongly by Jones andWaggoner in their righteousness-by-faith messages of 1888, which wereendorsed so highly by Ellen White. Infact the accenting power of theirmessages was this understanding ofChrist's life--the Lord Jesus Christ,who was loyal to God in sinful flesh.

J ustiflca tion

From here the gospel messagemoves to our situation. The gospel isthe good news about God's character,that God both forgives and restores.The gospel is both God's declarationthat we stand righteous in the meritsof Christ and God's renovation of oursinful lives so that, gradually, wemay be restored into His image. Thegospel is both a legal verdict and atransforming power. Union withChrist is the key to the faith throughwhich justification must take place.The gospel includes justificationnauniting with Christ by faith on the

January. 1986 Our Firm Foulldatioll 21

basis of which we are declaredrighteous; and sanctificationna grow-ing more like Christ through thedaily exercise of a constantly growingfaith on the basis of which we aremade righteous.

Perfection

Finally, this gospel can speak com-fortably and biblically about Chris-tian perfection, which is simply let-ting God do His full work in us as wedepend ever more fully upon Him bytrusting faith. This view is not ex-tremism in perfe'\:tion. It is not tryingto be good enough to please God andto be saved; it is not removal of oursinful nature; it is not dependence onour internal goodness.Perfection is total victory over sin,

when through total trust in Christ'spower sin becomes repulsive and wehave no desire to transgress God'swill. If sin is our willful choice torebel against God in thought, word,or action, then sinlessness is our will-ful choice not to rebel against God inthought, word, or action. The purposeof perfection is not to save us, but tohonor Christ. It is not the eradicationof our sinful nature, but the subjec-tion of that nature through a

relationship with Christ. It is not aplateau, but unceasing growth andteachableness. It is not being free oftemptation, but refusing to yield totempta tion. It is not au ton.omousgoodness, but total dependence so thatwe are all through rebelling.This gospel affirms that it is pos-

sible to have a sinless character in asinful nature. Perfection remains al-ways the goal, while abiding in Christis the method. Thus my concern is notprimarily with the end product, butwith my relationship with and mytrust in Christ today. Only with thisunderstanding of Christian perfectionof character does the Seventh-dayAdven tist message of the SecondComing carry motivating power. Thisunderstanding demands agonizingwith God in prayer. Do we knowwhat it means to wrestle with God asdid Jacob? Are our souls drawn outafter God with intensity of desire un-til every power is on the stretch? Dowe cling with unyielding faith to thepromises of God?

Conclusion

These, then, are the two gospelsbeing proposed within Adventism. Doyou see why these two systems are in-

compatible with each other? Do yousee that compromise between them isimpossible; that you must make achoice for your personal faith? I chal-lenge you to study ·and pray foryourselves, so that you will knowwhat you believe and why, rightlydividing the word of truth. May in-formed and Spirit-guided decisions bemade that will stand up under thepressures of the last days, and moreimportant, under the scrutinizing eyeof God as He probes our consciencesto see if we have made honestdecisions, or if we have rationalizedand equivocated, seeking the easierway. May the good news be God'sgood news and not man's invention. III

I. Sharon Herbey, "Exodus FromAdventism," Evangelica,February 1982, 23

2. Aage Rendalen, "Adventism: Hasthe Medium Become theMessage?"Evangelica, December1980, 35

3. Desmond Ford, "The RelationshipBetween the Incarnation andRighteousness by Faith," inDocuments From the PalmdaleConference On Righteousness byFaith,28

LEARNING TO LIVEFood For Thought

Did you stand by your window thisearly morn

And watch the birth of a dayAs the sun arose from its natal couch,Bedecked in bright array?Did you walk unshod on the velvetgrass,

And scatter the jeweled dew?Did you drink in your fill ofgentleness

To last you the whole day through?

Did you look in the heart of acrimon rosc,

And breath in its fragrant store?Did you hark to the song of amockingbird,

As he rendered his best encore?Did you look in the eyes of a littlechild

As you folded her close to your breast,And search their depths to find thesource

Of her innocent happiness?

Did you hold the hand of a troubledsoul,

That trembled in anxious fear,And whisper a comforting word toshow,

The Uwhy" of your glistening tcar?Did you find your way to a woodedglade,

There bowed on the needled sod,Pour out your soul in a psalm of praiseAs you knelt alone with God?

If you've done all this and more,And gave all you had to give,You have been in touch with theInfinite,

And have learned how to really live.

C.R. Munroe, 1964

22 Our Firm Foundation January, 1986

Elder A.T. Jones,Dear Brother, there is a subject

which greatly troubles my mind:While I do not see the justice norlight in enforcing by law the bringingof the Bible to be read in the publicschools, yet there are some thingswhich burden my mind in regard toour people making prominent theirideas on this point.These things, I am sure, will place

us in a wrong light before the world.Cautions were given me as to thispoint. There were some things shownme in reference to the words ofChrist "Render therefore unto Caesarthe things that are Caesar's and untoGod the things which are God's"--placing the matter where the churchwould have no right to enforce any-thing of a religious character uponthe world. Yet in connection with thiswere given words of caution. If sucha law should go into effect, the Lordwould overrule it for good; ... andthe book which the State and theChristian world have forced upon thenotice of the people to be read in theschools, shall it not speak, and shallnot the words be interpreted just asthey read?My brother, this objecting to the

passing of a law to bring the Bible

into the schools will work against us.Anything that should give the

knowledge of God and Jesus Christwhom He hath sent, should not beobstructed at all. Some things I cannot present in distinct lines, butenough is clear to me that I want youto be very careful on what groundyou tread; for our enemies will makea decided argument against us, if weshall give them a semblance of achance.I think the law-making powers will

carry their point in this particular; ifnot now, a short period ahead. And itis very essential that as a people in afuture crisis [school prayeramendment?--Eds.] we take thegreatest care that no provocationshall be given our enemies which theywill ntake capital of against us as apeople, in the matter of opposing sogood a work as the introduction ofthe Bible into the public schools.... I hope that the Lord will help

us not to make a wrong move; butplease be cautious on this point.

(Signed) Ellen G. White

Spalding-Magan's UnpublishedManuscript Testimonies of Ellen G.White. pp. 8, 9 .

The Doctrine Of The Nicolaitans Ron Spear

Into the early church the devil hadalready brought his hellish torch offalse doctrine. Judaizing teacherswere busy agents of Satan, counter-acting the pure teachings of the right-eousness of Christ and the apostles.Paul refers to this heresy in

Ephesians 4:14:"That we henceforth be no more

children, tossed to and fro, andcarried about with every wind ofdoctrine, by the sleight of men, andcunning, whereby they lie in wait todeceive."Satan's hatred of Christ has always

been aimed at God's perfect righteouslaw, for it is a transcript of Hischaracter. The Law of God is holy, asHe is holy. (See Mount of Blessing, 54,55)God was in Christ reconciling the

world to His holy, perfect law. "Towit, that God was in Christ, reconcil-ing the world unto Himself, not im-puting their trespasses unto them; andhath committed unto us the word ofreconciliation." 2 Corinthians 5:19From the beginning the arch-

deceiver, the father of lies, has sethimself and his agents to destroy thelaw of God by half truths, falsetheories, and science falsely so-called.He has been very successful. In everygeneration false prophets, teachersand ministers have led millions astrayto the damnation of their souls.This false indoctrination was hap-

pening in John's day, for in the bookof Revelation Christ refers to thedoctrine of the Nicolaitans. "So hastthou also them tha t hold the doctrineof the Nicolaitans; which thing Ihate." Revelation 2:15What is the doctrine that Christ

hates?"The doctrine is now largely

taught that the gospel of Christ hasmade the law of God of no effect;that by 'believing' we are releasedfrom the necessity of being doers ofthe Word. But this is the doctrine ofthe Nicolaitans, which Christ sounsparingly condemned." Signs of theTimes, January 12, 1912, quoted inBible Commentary, vol. 7, 957

It is a subtle, insidious attempt bySatan and his agents to make of noneeffect the law of God. He has beenmost successful in every age with thisdoctrine. Would he not attempt to dothe very same thing in the AdventistChurch, which claims to live by thelaw?Could it be that the same legalism

which condemned the Jews couldhave crept in unawares into the Ad-ventist lifestyle, church, and liturgy?We find that the ministry and leader-ship of God's church have been re-sponsible to a great degree for the

apostasy of the church in its sad his-tory through the ages. "For theleaders of this people caused them toerr; and they that are led of them aredestroyed." (Isaiah 9:16) See 2Chronicles 36:15, 16; Isaiah 30:9, 10Ellen White amplifies this truth in

the following words: "A nation's sinand a nation's ruin were due to thereligious leaders." (The Desire of Ages,738) "The watchmen are responsiblefor the condition of the people."Testimonies, vol. 5, 235

Is the doctrine of the Nicolaitansanalogous to beliefs held in thechurch today? Have we unconsciouslyadopted the devil's lie that we can besaved in sin instead of from sin?"And thou shalt call His name JESUS:for He shall save his people fromtheir sins." (Matthew 1:21) Do webelieve that a little sinning cannot behelped? Do we think that God wantsus to avoid the "big" sinsnstealing,adultery, murdernwhile allowing afew "minor" rebellious attitudes andthoughts? But Christ says one cancommit adultery in the mind(Matthew 5:28), and that he who hatesanyone is guilty of murder. (1 John3:15) Are we guilty, as were the Jews,of Jesus' indictment in Matthew 15:8,9?--"This people draweth nigh untome with their mouth, and honourethme with their lips; but their heart isfar from me. In vain they do worshipme, teaching for doctrines the com-mandments of men."The law demands perfect

obedience, which none of us can givein his own strength. But the same per-fect obedience Adam gave to the lawbefore he fell is still God's standardof righteousness today. Again frominspiration:"The faith in Christ which saves

the soul is not what it is representedto be by many. 'Believe, believe,' istheir cry; 'only believe in Christ, andyou will be saved. It is all you have todo.' While true faith trusts wholly inChrist for salvation, it will lead toperfect conformity to the law of God.Faith is manifested by works. Andthe apostle John declares, 'He thatsaith, I know him, and keepeth notHis commandments, is a liar.' [I John2:4]" Review and Herald, November 4,1890, quoted in Bible Commentary,vol. 7, 1073If God will not accept any

relationship that is not totally com-mitted to loving obedience to His per-fect holy law, how do we reach thestandard? By committing our will toChrist every morning and practicingHis presence in our life. Through theentire waking hours of the day wemay be overcomers as Christovercame. "What you need to under-stand is the true force of the will. It

is the governing power in the natureof man, the power of decision, or ofchoice. Everything depends on theright action of the will." Steps toChrist, 47"The greatest bulwark of vice in

our world is not the iniquitous life ofthe abandoned sinner or the degradedoutcast; it is that life which otherwiseappears virtuous, honorable, andnoble, but in which one sin isfostered, one vice indulged." Mount ofBlessing, 94By giving our will to God we can

then do everything God has requiredof us in His law by the power Heprovides. God makes no allowance forsin to continue unchecked."There is no excuse for sinning. A

holy temper, a Christlike life, is ac-cessible to every repenting, believingchild of God." The Desire of Ages, 311(See also My Life Today, 115, Sonsand Daughters of God, 156, Christ'sObject Lessons, 312)Why do so many fail? "Many fail

of imitating our holy Pattern becausethey study so little the definite fea-tures of that character. So many arefull of busy plans, always active; andthere is no time or place for the pre-cious Jesus to be a close, dearcompanion. They do not refer everythought and action to Him, inquiring:'Is this the way of the Lord?' If theydid they would walk with God, as didEnoch." Testimonies, vol. 6, 393Let us remember that everything

depends on the right action of ourwill. Any writing or preaching whichleads us to believe that we do nothave to strive to reach the highstandard of God's righteous law isteaching the doctrine of theNicolaitans which Christ hates. Hewill finally destroy all those whoteach or profess this doctrine, for itmakes of none effect the law of God.It is true that God accepts us just

as we are when we come to Him; butHe loves us enough not to leave usthere. Our God is a God of love,hating only that which separates usfrom Him. As we turn our life over toChrist we are making ourselves a tar-get of Satan and his host, and we maybe sure that he will use every tempt-ing to separate us from Christ'spresence. The doctrine of theNicolaitans provides just such awedge. "It doesn't matter if you sin."The doctrine of the Nicolaitansteaches that we can sin all we want.The doctrine of Christ says that as welook to Him, lifted up upon the cruelcross, we will no longer desire sin. Sinwill become hateful, and the doctrineof the Nicolaitans will have no roomin our heart with Christ. II

January. 1986 Our Firm Foundation 23

Wake Up!Ellen G. WhiteThe Lord knocks at the door of

your heart, desiring to enter, that Hemay impart spiritual riches to yoursoul. He would anoint the blind eyes,that they may discover the holycharacter of God in His law, and un-derstand the love of Christ, which isindeed gold tried in the fire. Thereare old yet new truths still to beadded to the treasures of ourknowledge. We do not understand orexercise faith as we should. Christhas made rich promises in regard tobestowing the Holy Spirit upon Hischurch, and yet how little thesepromises are appreciated! We are notcalled to worship and serve God bythe use of the means employed informer years. God requires higherservice now than ever before. Herequires the improvemen t of theheavenly gifts. He has brought us intoa position where we need higher andbetter things than have ever beenneeded before.

24 Our Firm Foundation January. 1986

The slumbering Church must bearoused, awakened out of its spirituallethargy, to a realization of the im-portant duties which have been leftundone. The people have not enteredinto the holy place, where Jesus hasgone to make an atonement for Hischildren. We need the Holy Spirit inorder to understand the truths forthis time; but there is spiritualdrought in the churches, and we haveaccustomed ourselves to be easilysatisfied with our standing beforeGod. We say that we are rich and in-creased with goods and have need ofnothing, while we are poor, andwretched, and miserable, and blind,and naked.It is essen tial that we study the

Scriptures far more earnestly than wedo. With fervent prayer we shouldearnestly and thoroughly examine thepillars of our faith, to see that wehave no false support. God will notbless men in indolence, nor in zealous

stubborn opposition to the light Hegives to His people. Many who havecome to the faith have received thetruths from the lips of teachers, andhave not sought a knowledge of thetruth themselves. They have not ob-tained increased light by diligent in-vestigation of the Scriptures, and arenot quick to discern the temptationsand delusions of Satan. Some aredescribed in the words of Malachi:"Ye are departed out of the way; yehave caused many to stumble at thelaw; ye have corrupted the covenantof Levi, saith the Lord of hosts." [2:8]Those who claim to keep and teach

the holy law of God, and are con-tinually transgressing that law, arestumbling-blocks not only to sinners,but also to believers in the truth.They oppose they know not what,because, unfortunately, they areleavened with the spirit of opposition.The loose, lax way in which manyregard the law of Jehovah and thegift of His Son is an insult to God.The only way in which we can cor-rect this widespread evil, is to closelyexamine everyone who would becomea teacher of the word. Those uponwhom this responsibility rests shouldacquaint themselves with his historysince he has professed to believe thetruth. His Christian experience andhis knowledge of the Scriptures, theway in which he holds the presenttruth, should all be understood. Therehas been too little done in examiningministers, and for this very reasonchurches ha ve had the labors ofunconverted, inefficient men, whohave lulled the members to sleep, in-stead of awakening them to greaterzeal and earnestness in the cause ofGod.The truth has been represented as

a "treasure hid in a field; the whichwhen a man hath found, he hideth,and for joy thereof goeth and sellethall that he hath, and buyeth thatfield." [Matthew 13:44] The man whohad bought the field would plowevery part of it to make himself pos-sessor of the treasure. Thus it is withthe word of God. It is filled with pre-cious things; it is a field containingthe unsearchable riches of Christ. Yetmany who teach the truth have noambition to become Bible students,and do not work the mine that con-tains the precious jewels of truth.They get a runway of a few dis-courses which they think will makethem pass as preachers, but it is im-possible for them to bring from thetreasure-house of God's word, thingsnew and old. They are not thoroughlyfurnished for every good work, andare unable to preach the unsearchableriches of Christ.

I

Let our prayers ascend to God forHis converting, transforming grace.Meetings should be held in everychurch for solemn prayer and earnestsearching of the word to know whatis truth. Take the promises of God,and ask God in living faith for theoutpouring of His Holy Spirit. Whenthe Holy Spirit is shed upon us, mar-row and fatness will be drawn fromthe word of God. Ministers will nothandle it carelessly, but prayerfully,reverently, as the guide-book ofheaven. They will see the altar uponwhich they are to present their bodiesa living sacrifice, holy, and accept-able to God which is their reasonableservice.When self-denial becomes a part of

our religion, we shall understand anddo the will of God; for our eyes willbe anointed with eyesalve so that weshall behold wonderful things out ofHis law. We shall see the path ofobedience as the only path of safety.God holds His people responsible inproportion as the light of truth isbrought to their understanding. Theclaims of His law are just andreasonable, and through the grace ofChrist He expects us to fulfill Hisrequirements. The demands of Hislaw must be fully met. Men must ad-vance in the path of duty from lightto a greater light, for lightunimproved becomes darkness, and ameans of treasuring up wrath forthemselves against the day of wrath.Every member of the church is

responsible for the talents intrusted-to him; and in order to meet hisresponsibilities he needs to be in-structed diligently, pa tien tl y, andwith the spirit of Christ. This workdevolves largely on the minister, butoften his work is so slightingly donethat it cannot be acceptable to God oraccomplish His purpose. Talent mustbe trained that the very highest serv-ice may be rendered by individualmembers of the church.When the churches become living,

working churches, the Holy Spiritwili be given in answer to their sin-cere request. Then the truth of God'sword will be regarded with newinterest, and will be explored as if itwere a revelation just from the courtsabove. Every declaration of inspira-tion concerning Christ will take holdof the inmost soul of those who loveHim. Envy, jealousy, evil surmising,will cease. The Bible will be regardedas a charter from heaven. Its studywill absorb the mind, and its truthswill feast the soul. The promises ofGod now repeated as if the soul hadnever tasted of His love, will thenglow upon the altar of the heart, andfall in burning words from the lips ofthe messengers of God. They will then

The treasures of truthand knowledge havebeen bestowed upon us

without limit.. ..

plead with souls with an earnestnessthat cannot be repulsed. Then thewindows of heaven will be open forthe showers of the latter rain. Thefollowers of Christ will be united inlove.The only way the truth can be

presented to the world, in its pureand holy character, is for those whoclaim to believe it, to be exponents ofits power. The Bible requires the sonsand daughtcrs of God to stand on anelevated platform; for God calls uponthem to represent Christ to the world.As they represent Christ, they repre-sent the Father. Unity of believerstestifies of their oneness with Christ,and this unity is required by the ac-cumulated light which now shinesupon the pathway of the children ofGod.It is not the want of knowledge, or

of spiritual understanding, that willseparate us from the divine presence,and witness against us in the last day,but the truth that has reached theunderstanding, the light that hasshone upon the soul and has not beenappreciated, will judge and condemnus before God. My brethren, if wewere blind, we would not sin, but wehave been privileged to look upongreat light. The treasures of truth andknowledge have been bestowed uponus without limit, and we are guilty inproportion to our failure to live up tothe truth that has been placed withinour reach. The character and work ofmany of the professed followers ofChrist will not bear the test of God'sholy law. The Spirit of God is not intheir worship, and the worship is notacceptable to God. There is no excusefor their present coldness. They havethe riches of the truth, and make aboast of their knowledge, but theyare content to make no advancement.Many plead that their fathers

believed certain things, that theyloved God and were favored by Him,and therefore we shall be favored intaking a like position. But we cannot

stand where our fathers stood. Wecannot be accepted of God in render-ing the same service that our fathersrendered. In order to have our life-work blessed of God, we must be asfaithful, as zealous, in our time asthey were in theirs; we must improveour light as they improved theirs, anddo as they would have done if the in-creased light shining upon us hadshone upon them.

We should not open the sacredvolume with a light and triflingspirit. We should study God's wordwith humility, with hope, withprayerful hearts, grateful that such atreasure has been vouchsafed to us.Every doctrine must be brought to theBible. Every perplexing question mustbe settled by a "thus saith the Lord."The truth should be woven into

our life, that it may influence ourspirit and govern our actions. Ideclare to you in the name of theLord, that the ministry must beelevated. We are not anything like asefficient as we might be. Some of theministers do not teach the truth as itis in Jesus. They do not eat the fleshand drink the blood of the Son ofGod. Christ says, "The words that Ispeak unto you, they are spirit, andthey are life." [John 6:63] His wordsmust become part of our very life;then we shall offer fervent, effectualprayers with the faith which willbring returns. Then if ministers seethat their labors are not effectual tothe saving of souls, they will fast andpray, and the Holy Spirit will comeupon them. They will work diligentlyto correct what may be wrong in theircharacter.The sincerity of their prayers will

be determined by the earnest effortsthey make to place themselves inright relation to God. When they seein themselves sins and wrongs thatmust be confessed and renounced,they must exercise faith that whenthey repent of their sins Godforgives, that renovating power isgiven to the soul. By faith, livingfaith, the victory will be gained. Inthis work there should be no in-dolence indulged in, for God callsupon men for the exercise of everypower, that He may work with theirefforts. Man can never be savedhimself, or be an instrument for thesalvation of others, until he exercisesliving faith, and with determined ef-fort acts his part in the work ofChrist, which will subdue every un·holy passion, and enable him to con-quer self. God has given to His peoplethe light of great and solemn truths.He has opened to their understandingthe mysteries of salvation; and ifthese truths are not improved, thefavor of God will be withdrawn. III

January. 1986 Our Firm Foundation 2S

FaithfulnessIn

Reproving SinThe true people of God, who have

the spirit of the work of the Lord andthe salvation of souls at heart willever view sin in its real, sinfulcharacter. They will always be on theside of faithful and plain dealingwith sins which easily beset thepeople of God. Especially in the clos-ing work for the church, in the seal-ing time of the one hundred andforty-four thousand, who are to standwithout fault before the throne ofGod, will they feel most deeply thewrongs of God's professed people.This is visibly set forth by theprophet's illustration of the last work,under the figure of the men, eachhaving a slaughter weapon in hishand. One man among them wasclothed with linen, with a writer'sink-horn by his side. "And the Lordsaid unto him, Go through the midstof the city, through the midst ofJerusalem, and set a mark upon theforeheads of the men that sigh andthat cry for the abominations that bedone in the midst thereof." [Ezekiel9:2]Who are standing in the counsel of

God at this time? Is it those who vir-tually excuse wrongs among theprofessed people of God, and murmurin their hearts, if not openly, againstthose who would reprove sin? Is itthose who take their stand againstthem, and sympathize with those whocommit wrong?--No, indeed! These,unless they repent, and leave thework of Satan in oppressing thosewho have the burden of the work,and in holding up the hands of sin-ners in Zion, will never receive themark of God's sealing approval. Theywill fall in the general destruction ofall the wicked, represented by thefive men bearing slaughter weapons.Mark this point with care: those whoreceive the pure mark of truth,wrought in them by the power of theHoly Ghost, represented by the manin linen, are those "that sigh and cryfor all the abominations that aredone" in the church. Their love for

purity and the honor and glory ofGod is such, and they have so clear aview of the exceeding sinfulness ofsin, that they are represented as beingin an agony, even sighing and crying.

But the general slaughter of allthose who do not thus see the widecontrast between sin andrighteousness, and do not feel as thosedo who stand in the counsel of Godand receive the mark, is described inthe order to the five men withslaughter weapons: "Go ye after himthrough the city, and smite; let notyour eye spare, neither have ye pity;slay utterly old and young, bothmaids, and little children, andwomen; but come not near any manupon whom is the mark; and begin atmy sanctuary." [5, 6]God said to Joshua (in the case of

Achan's sins), "Neither will I be withyou any more except ye destroy theaccursed from among you." [Joshua7:12] How does this instance comparewith the course pursued by those whowill not raise their voice against sinand wrong; but whose sympathies areever found with those who troublethe camp of Israel with their sins?Said God to Joshua, "Thou canst notstand before thine enemies until yetake away the accursed thing fromamong you." [13] He pronounced thepunishment which should follow thetransgression of His covenant.Joshua then began a diligent

search to find out the guilty one. Hetook Israel by their tribes, and thenby their families, and next,individually. Achan was designatedas the guilty one. But that the mattermight be plain to all Israel, that thereshould be no occasion given them tomurmur, and to say that the guiltlesswas made to suffer, Joshua usedpolicy. He knew that Achan was thetransgressor, and that he had con-cealed his sin, and provoked Godagainst His people. Joshua discreetlyinduced Achan to make confession ofhis sin, that God's honor and justiceshould be vindicated before Israel:

"And Joshua said unto Achan, Myson, give, I pray thee, glory to theLord God of Israel, and make confes-sion unto Him; and tell me now whatthou hast done. Hide it not from me."[19]"And Achan answered Joshua, and

said, Indeed, I have sinned againstthe Lord God of Israel, and thus andthus have I done: When I saw amongthe spoils a goodly Babylonishgarment, and two hundred shekels ofsilver, and a wedge of gold of fiftyshekels weight, then I coveted them.And took them; and, behold, they arehid in the earth in the midst of mytent, and the silver under it. SoJoshua sent messengers, and they ranunto the tent; and, behold, it was hidin his tent, and the silver under it.And they took them out of the midstof the tent, and brought them untoJoshua, and unto all the children ofIsrael, and laid them out before theLord. And Joshua, and all Israel withhim, took Achan the son of Zerah,and the silver, and the garment, andthe wedge of gold, and his sons, andhis daughters, and his oxen, and hisasses, and his sheep, and his tent, andall that he had: and they broughtthem unto the valley of Achor. AndJoshua said, Why hast thou troubledus? the Lord shall trouble thee thisday. And all Israel stoned him withstones, and burned them with fire,after they had stoned them withstones." [20-25]God holds His people, as a body,

responsible for sins existing in in-dividuals among them. If there is aneglect with the leaders of the churchto diligently search out the sins whichbring the displeasure of God uponHis people as a body, they becomeresponsible for these sins. But this isthe nicest work that men ever en-gaged in, to deal with minds. All arenot fitted to correct the erring. Theyhave not wisdom to -deal justly, whileloving mercy. They will not be in-clined to see the necessity of minglinglove and tender compassion with

L-------- Ellen G. White ---------l26 Ollr Firm FOllndation January. 1986

There are many who do not have thediscretion of Joshua, and who have no specialduty to search out wrongs

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Subject: Chocoholism

..

faithful reproof of wrongs. Some willever be needlessly severe, and will notfeel the necessity of the injunction ofthe apostle, "And of some havecompassion, making a difference; andothers save with fear, pulling themout of the fire." [Jude 23, 24] Thereare many who do not have the discre-tion of Joshua, and who have no spe-cial duty to search out wrongs, and todeal promptly with the sins existingamong them. Let not such hinderthose who have the burden of thiswork upon them. Let them not standin the way of those who have thisduty to do. Some make it a point toquestion, and doubt, and find fault,because others do the work that Godhas not laid upon themselves. Thesestand directly in the way to hinderthose upon whom God has laid theburden of reproof, and of correctingthe sins that are prevailing, that Hisfrown may be turned away from Hispeople. Should a case like Achan's beamong us, there are many who wouldaccuse those who might act the partof Joshua in searching out the wrong,of having a fault-finding, wickedspirit. God is not to be trifled with,and His warnings disregarded withimpunity by a perverse people.The manner of Achan's confession

is similar to the confessions that somehave made, and will make, among us.They hide their wrongs, and refuse tomake a voluntary confession, untilGod searches them out, and then theyacknowledge their sins. A few personspass on in a course of wrong, untilthey become hardened. They mayeven know that the church isburdened, as Achan knew that Israelwere made weak before their enemiesbecause of his guilt; yet their con-sciences do not condemn them. Theywill not relieve the church by hum-bling their proud, rebellious heartsbefore God, and putting away theirwrongs. God's displeasure is upon Hispeople, and He will not manifest Hispower in their midst while sins areexisting among them, and fostered bythose in responsible positions. -Those who work in the fel\[ of

God to rid the church of hindrances,

and to correct grievous wrongs, thatthe people of God may see the neces-sity of abhorring sin, and that theymay prosper in purity, and the nameof God be glorified, will ever meetwith resisting influences from theunconsecrated. Zephaniah describesthe true state of this class, and theterrible judgments that will comeupon them: "And it shall come to passat that time, that I will searchJerusalem with candles, and punishthe men that are settled on their lees;that say in their heart, The Lord willnot do good, neither will He doevil. ..."The great day of the Lord is near,

it is near, and hasteth greatly, eventhe voice of the day of the Lord; themighty man shall cry there bitterly.That day is a day of wrath, a day ofdarkness and gloominess, and a dayof clouds and thick darkness, a dayof the trumpet and alarm against thefenced cities, and against the hightowers. And I will bring distress uponmen that they shall walk like blindmen, because they have sinnedagainst the Lord; and their bloodshall be poured out as dust, and theirflesh as the dung. Neither their silvernor their gold shall be able to deliverthem in the day of the Lord's wrath;but the whole land shall be devouredby the fire of His jealousy; for Heshall make even a speedy riddance ofall them that dwell in the land."[Zephaniah 1:12, 14-18]God will not be trifled with. It is

in time of conflict when the truecolors should be flung to the breeze.It is then the standard-bearers need tobe firm, and let their true position beknown. It is then the skill of everytrue soldier for the right is tested.Shirks can never wear the laurels ofvictory. Those who are true and loyalwill not conceal the fact, but will putheart and might into the work, andventure their all in the struggle, letthe battle turn as it will. God is a sin-hating God; and those who will en-courage the sinner, saying, It is wellwith thee, God will curse. IIReview and Herald, June 8, 1886

All Adventists have been taughtthat uncontrolled appetite leads in-variably to trouble, starting back atAdam and Eve and continuing ondown to the present day. The Septem-ber 7 issue of Science News, 152,presents more evidence of the ill ef-fects of unrestrained appetite. In anarticle titled "Sure, I can stop at oneMilk Dud ... really," it is revealedthat a depressive syndrome calledhysteroid dysphoria is definitely con-nected with chocoholism. Each of usprobably knows at least one choco-holic; a person who is continuouslystuffing his face with bits of Hersheybars or grabbing a Snickers bar be-tween meals.The study revealed that 90 percent

of the hysteroid dysphobic choco-holics were women, and that they ex-hi bi ted flamboyant personalities,changing moods, and extreme vul-nerability to the approval or lack ofapproval of others.

Subject: More trouble in evolutionism

Evolutionists have a problem withdinosaurs. Because of the overwhelm-ing evidence that the dinosaurs weredestroyed in a very short period oftime, the evolutionists have postu-lated that the destruction was causedby an asteroid impact on the Earth.The supposed impact dramaticallychanged the Earth's climate by fillingthe atmosphere with dust and thusdarkening the entire planet.In the August 31 issue of Science

News, 135, it is revealed that a largecollection of dinosaur relics has beenuncovered in the Alaskan tundrawhich includes at least three dif-ferent species of dinosaur. TheprO'blem that the find forces onevolutionists is that for dinosaurs tohave lived that far north, they wouidhave had to have been dark-adapted.If so, then how did atmosphericdarkening kill off the dinosaurs?I wonder: if God lets the evolu-

tionists study long enough, do youthink they will eventually forcethemselves to the conclusion that thedinosaurs were killed off by a world-wide flood?

January, 1986 Our Firm Foundation 27

Christian parenthood is notaccidental. It is planned. Thispreparation involves economics andliving conditions, but above all it en-compasses the spiritual life of thewould-be parents. Only when theparents are in spiritual unity and inharmony with Christ will the HolySpirit empower them and overshadowthe unborn. No better example of thisis given in the Scriptures than in thelives of Zacharias and Elisabeth, theparents of John the Baptist.

"Elisabeth was filled with theHoly Ghost." Luke 1:41

"And his father Zacharias wasfilled with the Holy Ghost." Luke 1:67

It was no doubt because of this in-filling that Gabriel could prophesy:

"For he shall be great in the sightof the Lord, and shall drink neitherwine nor strong drink; and he shall befilled with the Holy Ghost, even fromhis mother's womb." Luke 1:15

John the Baptist was a type ofElijah and gave a message parallel tothat which will foreshadow thereturn of Christ.

"Behold, I will send you Elijah theprophet before the coming of thegreat and dreadful day of the Lord:and he shall turn the heart of thefathers to the children, and the heartof the children to their fathers, lest Icome and smite the earth with acurse." Malachi 4:5, 6

"And his disciples asked him,saying, Why then say the scribes thatElias must first come? And Jesusanswered and said unto them, Eliastruly shall first come, and restore allthings. But I say unto you, that Eliasis come already, and they knew himnot, but have done unto him whatso-ever they listed. Likewise shall alsothe Son of man suffer of them. Then

28 Our Firm Foundation January. 1986

the disciples understood that he spakeunto them of John the Baptist." Mat-thew 17:10-13

Thus there is great significance inthe preparation of husbands andwives who will parent a special gen-eration to take the message of Jesusto the world. There is assurance thatwhen the Holy Spirit is manifest inthe lives of the parents-to-be, this in-fluence will also pervade the life ofthe prenate, and will greatly maxi-mize the claims of Christ upon thelife and protect the child from athousand evils.Sacred questions must br.. resolved

by husband and wife before a child isconceived. Unless they have forged adeep abiding relationship with eachother by their individual relationshipwith Jesus, they are yet unready tobegin the parenting of a child. It isirresponsibility to parent a child withthe hope of rescuing a shaky and inse-cure marriage. There is nothing alittle, inexperienced infant can do tosecure the marriage, and most likelyhe will become the victim of the inse-curity of the parents. This situationwill in all likelihood lead to erraticmanagement of the child and to incon-sistency in the expression of bothlove and discipline. Such behaviorsets the stage for serious emotionaland social problems in later life.The importance of the wife's life-

style during pregnancy is made clearin Scripture. The angel counseledManoah's wife:

"She may not eat of anything thatcometh of the vine, neither let herdrink wine or strong drink, nor eatany unclean thing: all that I com-manded her let her observe." Judges13:14

The diet and the activities of theexpectant mother are of paramountimpact upon the healthy developmentof the embryo and fetus. Just as right-eous parents may provide a wonder-

ful benefit for the babe, converselyparents can be responsible for makingit almost impossible for the HolySpirit ever to gain access to the lifeof a child.The par en t has a bou t eighteen

months to provide bases for a secureand balanced personality and tempera-ment, and by far the most importantof these are the nine months beforebirth. The love and security devel-oped in the prenatal environment in-clude the calm and happy dispositionof the mother, the healthful andcarefully balanced diet she chooses,the avoidance of the use of drugs,spices, or other condiments, theloving relationship with her husband,her secure trust and faith in God andthe daily taking of regular andmoderate exercise. Thus mothers arecounseled:

"Every woman about to become amother, whatever may be her sur-roundings, should encourage con-stantly a happy, cheerful, contenteddisposition, knowing that for all herefforts in this direction she will berepaid tenfold in the physical, as wellas in the moral, character of heroffspring. Nor is this all. By habit shecan accustom herself to cheerfulthinking, and thus encourage a happystate of mind and cast a cheerfulreflection of her own happiness ofspirit upon her family and those withwhom she associates." Mind, Character,and Personality, vol. I, 131

The achievement of such a prena-tal environment is the responsibilityof the husband just as much as of thewife. His disposition, helpfulness andloyalty are essential principles in thenew life that is being initiated intotheir family. One of the authors re-calls a situation when an expectantmother came to counsel with himshortly after she discovered that herhusband was having an affair withanother woman. It was almost point-less to urge this devastated spouse to

The temperament of thechild is greatly affectedby that of the mother

be calm and joyous. As with postnatalresponsi bilities, the responsibilities ofthe husband and wife are sharedduring the prenatal development oftheir child. Godly partners willsecond the work of each other inthese precious months.In the complexity of modern living

it is most difficult for choices to bemade to provide the most ideal cir-cumstances for the development ofthe prenate. During this time theresponsibilities of the wife should bereduced in order to avoid overexer-tion and the tension of heavy respon-sibili ties.The common practice of expectant

mothers working up to or as near tothe time of delivery as possibleshould be carefully evaluated. Theresponsibilities and interrelationshipsat work and home are likely to fostertension, especially during periodswhen the expectant mother is suffer-ing some of the not infrequent physi-cal effects of her pregnancy. Where atall possible, it is wise that a wifegreatly reduce or preferably ceaseformal business, industrial or factorywork. This counsel does not fore-shadow the mother becoming indolentduring these months. On the contrary,activity is profitable, but as far aspossible, it should be activity withoutthe strain or tension that employmentoutside the home tends to precipitate.The temperament of the child is

greatly affected by that of themother. .

"The thoughts and feelings of themother will have a powerful influ-ence upon the legacy she gives herchild. If she allows her mind to dwellupon her own feelings, if she indulgesin selfishness, if she is peevish andexacting, the disposition of her childwill testify to the fact. Thus manyhave received as a birthright almostunconquera ble tendencies to evil."Mind, Character and Personality, vol. I,132

While the placenta is a fine filter,it obviously is not perfect; otherwiseno nutrients would be supplied to therapidly growing fetus. Thus, theemotionality of the mother is quicklytransferred to the fetus. When themother is in a frequent state ofhyper-excitement, she automaticallysecretes adrenalin and other physio-logically active substances into herblood system. This leads to her hyper-activity. In turn the blood impreg-nated with the substances reaches thesystem of the prenate, which auto-matically increases his hyperactivity.If these incidents occur frequently inthe prenate's experience, the founda-tion of hyperkinetic behavior in laterlife is securely laid. It is common forparents to relate hyperkinetic be-havior to genetic factors, and whilethis relationship is possible, it is alsolikely that it may be traced to theprenatal environment.It is most unlikely that Christian

mothers need counseling concerningthe deleterious effect of alcohol,tobacco and mind-expanding drugsupon the prenate, although in theUnited States alone hundreds of new-born babies die annually from drugwithdrawal symptoms, and tens ofthousands of others are permanentlyinjured because of the drug habits oftheir mothers. However, even Chris-tian mothers need to be most carefulin their use of any drugs, includingnormally prescribed drugs as well asnon-prescription drugs, such as head-ache preparations. The influence ofall these should be weighed in thelight of their possible effect upon theunborn child.Of utmost importance is the sen-

sory input of the mother during preg-nancy. This input especially includeswhat she sees and hears. The mindmust be daily reinforced by the sweetmessages of the love of Jesus. At leastone or two hours a day contemplatingthe matchless themes of the Scriptureswill prove a great strengthener offaith and contentment. The choice oftrust-developing music will also en-hance the ideal environment for theexpectant mother. This is not the timeto spend long periods in the fantasyworld of television, novels, or otherunrealistic media. The wholesomenessof the mind is an essential prepara-tion for parenthood.Perhaps one other parameter

should be explored. The most idyllicenvironment for the child when he isborn is a rural environment wherethere is opportunity for him toreadily learn of the God of nature,and where in his early play he maylearn the natural lessons of the gar-den while exercising and strengthen-ing his body in the fresh air and sun-

shine so abundantly provided. Suchenvironment would also provide thesame benefits for the expectantmother and her spouse. The countryprovides a place for health-enduringexercise in which, depending uponher strength and capacities, she canfacilitate as "natural" a birth aspossible.Tremendous issues are at stake in

the education of the new generation.It starts with this all-importantdevelopment before birth. Thus theLord has provided the clearest coun-sel for those who are preparing forparenthood. The prenatal educationwill set the rudder for the child's fu-ture character, stability and success.To initiate a new life into the worldwithout careful personal planningand preparation by parents is a sin.

"They [parents] should understandthe principles that underlie the careand training of children. They shouldbe capable of rearing them in phys-ical, mental and moral health. Parentsshould study the laws of nature. Theyshould become acquainted with theorganism of the human body. Theyneed to understand the functions ofthe various organs, and their relationand dependence. They should studythe relation of the mental to thephysical powers, and the conditionsrequired for the healthful action ofeach. To assume the responsibilitiesof parenthood without such prepara-tion is a sin." Ministry 01 Healing, 380

"Upon fathers as well as mothersrests a responsibility for the child'searlier as well as its later training,and for both parents the demand forcareful and thorough preparation ismost urgent. Before taking upon them-selves the possibilities of fatherhoodand motherhood, men and womenshould become acquainted with thelaws of physical development,--withphysiology and hygiene, with thebearing of prenatal influences, withthe laws of heredity, sanitation, dress,exercise, and the treatment of disease;they should also understand the lawsof mental development and moraltraining." Education, 276

If either parent is not willing totake upon himself or herself thesesober responsibilities, no new lifeshould be brought into the world.The final generation of parents

will have an all-consuming passion--the representation of God's love bypractical Christianity so that theirchildren may choose from the per-spective of God's authentic truth.More than anything else the worldneeds the rest ora tion of the trueChristian home. II

January. 1986 Our Firm Foundation 29

Loy

Ellen G. White

Members Go Forth

done. Some may be reached whowould not listen to a minister or acolporteur. And those who thus laborin new places will learn the best waysand means of approaching the peopleand can prepare the way for otherlaborers.A precious experience may be

gained by one who engages in thiswork. He has upon his heart the bur-den of the souls of his neighbors. Hemust have the help of Jesus. Howcareful he will be to walkcircumspectly, that his prayers maynot be hindered, that no cherished sinmay separate him from God. Whilehelping others, such a worker is him-self obtaining spiritual strength andunderstanding, and in this humbleschool he may become qualified toenter a wider field.Christ declares, "Herein is my

Father glorified, that ye bear muchfruit." [John 15:8] God has endowedus with faculties, and has entrustedus with talents, in order that we mayuse them for Him. To every man isgiven his work,--not merely work inhis fields of corn and wheat, but ear-nest persevering work for the salva-tion of souls. Every stone in God'stemple must be a living stone, a stonethat shines, reflecting light to theworld. Let the laymen do all that theycan; and as they use the talents theyalready have, God will give themmore grace and increased ability.Many of our missionary enterprisesare crippled because there are somany who refuse to enter the doorsof usefulness that are plainly openedbefore them. Let all who believe thetruth begin to work. Do the work thatlies nearest you; do anything,however humble, rather than be, likethe men of Meroz, do-nothings.

We shall not be stinted for meansif we will only go forward, trustingin God. The Lord is willing to do agreat work for all who truly believein Him. If the lay members of thechurch will arouse to do the workthat they can do, going a warfare attheir own charges, each seeing howmuch he can accomplish in winningsouls to Jesus, we shall see many leav-ing the ranks of Satan to stand underthe banner of Christ. If our peoplewill act upon the light that is givenin these few words of instruction,showing that they sincerely believethe truth which they profess, we shallsurely see of the salvation of God.Wonderful revivals will follow. Sin-ners will be converted, and many willbe added to the church. When webring our hearts into unity withChrist, and our lives into harmonywith His work, the Spirit that fell onthe disciples on the day of Pentecostwill fall on us. III

disciples of Christ are His repre-sentatives upon the earth, and Goddesigns that they shall be scattered allover the country, in the towns, cities,and villages, as lights amid the dark-ness of the world. They are to be mis-sionaries for God, by their faith andworks testifying to the near approachof the coming Saviour.The lay members of our churches

can accomplish a work which as yetthey have scarcely begun. Noneshould move into new places merelyfor the sake of worldly advantage;but where there is an opening to ob-tain a livelihood, let families that arewell grounded in the truth enter, oneor two families in a place, to work asmissionaries. They should feel a lovefor souls, a burden of labor for them,and should study how to bring theminto the truth. They can distributeour publications, hold meetings intheir homes, become acquainted withtheir neighbors, and invite them tocome to these meetings and Biblereadings. Thus they can let their lightshine in good works.Let the workers stand alone in

God, weeping, praying, laboring forthe salvation of their fellow men.Remember that you are running arace, striving for a crown ofimmortality. Whilc so many love thepraise of men more than the favor ofGod, let it be yours to labor inhumility. Learn to exercise faith inpresenting your neighbors before thethrone of grace, and pleading withGod to touch their hearts. In this wayeffectual missionary work may be

There is a much greater workdevolving upon the individual mem-bers of the church than they realize.They are not awake to the claims ofGod. The time has come when thereshould be devised every means thatcan aid in preparing a people to standin the day of God. We must be wideawake, refusing to let precious oppor-tunities pass unimproved. We must doall that we possibly can to win soulsto love God and keep His command-ments. Jesus requires this of thosewho know the truth. Is His demandunreasonable? Do we not have thelife of Christ as our example? Do wenot owe the Saviour a debt of love, ofearnest, unselfish labor for the salva-tion of those for whom He gave Hisown life?Many of the members of our large

ch urches a re doing compara ti vel ynothing. They might accomplish agood work, if, instead of crowdingtogether, they would scatter intoplaces that have not yet been enteredby the truth. Trees that are plantedtoo thickly do not flourish. They aretransplanted by the gardener, thatthey may have room to grow, and notbecome dwarfed and sickly. The samerule would work well for our largechurches. Many of the members aredying spiritually for want of thisvery work. They are becoming sicklyand inefficient. Transplanted, theywould have room to grow strong andvigorous.It is not the purpose of God that

His people should colonize, or settletogether in large communities. The

30 Our Firm Foundation January. 1986

Editorial

The Best Laid PlansChrist And Men(or How Are We Going To Finish The Work?)

Of

How are we, God's remnant people,going to finish the work He has givenus to do in this crisis hour?On the surface, our statistics ap-

pear favorable, but what we fail tosee is that we are going behind in ourstatistics, not ahead, considering that325,000 babies are born every day. Wesurpassed our goal in the 1000 Daysof Reaping, and by 1990 our programHarvest 90 will probably surpass ourgoal of doubling our membership. Butthe question must be asked, shouldour programs set goals of doubledmemberships or target selectcategories of people less resistant toour message? Or should we ratherconcentrate on doubling our consecra-tion and setting the goal of givingeveryone in the world the warningmessage in God's own time? CouldGod accomplish the task in less thanfive years if He had wholly dedicatedpeople?What we must understand is that

no program will succeed in finishingGod's work until its leadership, theministry, and the laity are filled withthe Holy Spirit. This experience longlooked for, prayed for, can be oursNOW. There are those who say notonly in their hearts, but also in alltheir works, "My Lord delayeth Hiscoming." Because Christ's coming hasbeen long foretold, they conclude thatthere is some mistake in regard to Hisadvent. But the Lord says, "The vi-sion is yet for an appointed time, butat the end it shall speak, and not lie:though it tarry, wait for it; because itwill surely come." It will not tarrypast the time that the message isborne to all nations, tongues, andpeoples. Shall we who claim to bestudents of prophecy forget thatGod's forbearance to the wicked is apart of the vast and merciful plan bywhich He is seeking to compass thesalvation of souls? Shall we be foundamong the number who, havingceased to co-operate with God, arefound saying, "My Lord delayeth Hiscoming"?

Christ's true followers will repre-sent Him in character. They will turnaside from worldly policy, and everyday will train themselves for servicein God's cause. See Review and Herald.June 18, 1901So when we have a burden for

souls, when our consecration is whole-hearted, when the "know not" condi-tion of Laodicea has been changedfor exact obedience to everythingGod has commanded the Church to doin this final hour, then we will beready to be God's chosen saints,equipped to perform the task offinishing the gospel commission. "Butye are a chosen generation, a royalpriesthood, an holy nation, a peculiarpeople; that ye should shew forth thepraises of Him who hath called youout of darkness into His marvellouslight." [1 Peter 2:9] The latter rainwill fall, the loud cry will be givenby God's Remnant Church, Hisfaithful, obedient saints.The Gospel of Jesus will someday

go like fire in the stubble. Look atthis marvelous scene: "Servants ofGod, with their faces lighted up andshining with holy consecration, willhasten from place to place toproclaim the message from heaven. Bythousands of voices, all over theearth, the warning will be given.Miracles will be wrought, the sickwill be healed, and signs and wonderswill follow the believers. Satan alsoworks with lying wonders, evenbringing down fire from heaven inthe sight of men. Thus the inhabitantsof the earth will be brought to taketheir stand."The message will be carried not

so much by argument as by the deepconviction of the Spirit of God. Thearguments have been presented. Theseed has been sown, and now it willspring up and bear fruit. The publica-tions distributed by missionaryworkers have exerted their influence,yet many whose minds wereimpressed have been prevented fromfully comprehending the truth or

from yielding obedience. Now therays of light penetrate everywhere,the truth is seen in its clearness, andthe honest children of God sever thebands which have held them. Familyconnections, church relations, arepowerless to stay them now. Truth ismore precious than all besides. Not-withstanding the agencies combinedagainst the truth, a large number taketheir stand upon the Lord's side." TheGreat Controversy. 612Let us remember that God can use

for the finishing of the work onlyholy people, who weep between theporch and the altar night and day forthe sins of the world and of thechurch."If ever God's watchmen needed to

be on their guard, it is now.... Thetrumpet must give a certain sound.There will be a general proclamationof truth, the whole earth will be en-lightened with the glory of God, butthose only will recognize the lightwho have sought to know the dif-ference between holiness and sin."The Upward Look. 365What the Church needs is the

power of the Holy Spirit as manifestat Pentecost, and the Holy Spirit canonly be poured out upon a peoplewhen they have come forth from theupper room experience. That means aputting away of not only differencesbut also a putting away of sin. "Cantwo walk together except they beagreed?" When we come into harmonywith one another under God'sdirection, then we will see theworkers march forward gaining thevictory in the face of insurmountableobstacles. The plans of men cannothasten the work of God and all thehost of hell cannot stop the advanceof the army of God, united under Hisdirection, following His plans, usingHis power. God says, "Without Me yecan do nothing" and "With Me ye cando all things." May we never forget soplain a thus saith the Lord. II

Ron SpearJanuary. 1986 Our Firm Foundation 31

Regular contributors will be:Elder Ron Spear, Editor-Firm FoundationVince Christensen, Managing Editor-Firm FoundationDave Fiedler (church history)Dennis Priebe, Ph.D. (theology)Colin Standish, Ph.D. (psychology)Agatha Thrash, MD. (preventive medicine)Ralph Larson, Ph.D. (theology)Vernon Shafer, Ph.D. (psychology)

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