Are Seventh-day Adventists God's people?

If you are a Christian, what gives you the assurance that you follow and share the true gospel? If you answer is "the church" or "my pastor" or "I've been going to this church since I was a child and my grandparents went to the same church... few generations surely can't be wrong"... you could be deceived and not even know it. The true test of doctrine and belief is the bible itself. Before you make a conscientious decision to follow certain teachings and pass them on to others, it is your obligation to test them to the Word of God.

Having been a victim of doctrinal deception myself, because of blind trust and pure laziness, I made it my mission to encourage people to study their bibles. If you are willing to spend the time with the Word, inevitably you will have some questions at certain point. When this happens you can go ask your pastor for assistance, but don't let this be your only resource. This is the mistake most people make. Instead, research the topic as widely as you can, don't limit yourself to the opinion of one person or the interpretation of one denomination. And whatever claims you find, test them to the bible, the ultimate indicator of truth.

I pray that the Holy Spirit prepares your heart as you read the following article by Dr. Philip Moreno, who is my brother in Christ and partner in preaching the gospel.

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The SDA church - A Jesus people

by Dr. Philip E. J. Moreno

Many Seventh-day Adventists pride in declaration that they are the true followers of Jesus, and this is mainly to give credence to their stand regarding their adherence to the Jewish 10 commandments in general and the Sabbath commandment in particular, which they say was upheld and taught by Jesus.

The well worn and over-quoted verses like John 14:15 and Matthew 5:17-18 are their proof that Jesus taught that these laws still exist notwithstanding the fact that these verses reveal a different truth from what they claim.

Does this group of Christians really adhere to everything that Jesus said and taught or does their claim stand on these two verses only but disregards the other truths that Jesus taught? Let’s check Jesus’ “commandments” and compare them with the SDA church doctrines.

"Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.)" (Mk7:18,19)

Do the SDA believe and obey this teaching of Jesus? No. Instead they would argue that Jesus was referring to the tradition of washing dishes and insist that there are unclean foods that can keep one from being saved. At this point I am starting to believe that their exegesis is a desperate move to keep their doctrine on food credible.

"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged; he has crossed over from death to life.” (Jn5:24)

Do the SDA believe Jesus regarding this truth about the judgment? Again, no. They have an incredible doctrine that states that at present there is an investigative judgment going on in heaven, which is specifically for God’s professed children.

^“The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.” (Luke16:16)

The SDA’s believe that the law and the prophets are still binding and are part of the gospel, hence they still proclaim it and make more of a fuss of it than the true gospel [Jesus’ death and our salvation].

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” (Matt7:1)

This commandment from Jesus is ignored in the many doctrines of the SDA church. They have judged that those who worship on Sunday, eat ‘unclean’ food, wear jewelry, drink alcoholic beverages, go to movie houses, etc will not be saved. They have a church manual that is full of judgments for every conceivable sin and erring members are either kicked out of the church or placed under probation. A very judgmental people indeed.

The verses above plus many more are proof that the SDA church has doctrines that actually contradict Jesus’ commandments, and in a sense can be considered anti-Jesus Christ. Are they truly a Jesus people?

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Published with the permission of Dr. Philip E. J. Moreno

Can Seventh-day Adventists have the Holy Spirit?

by Dr. Philip (Sunni) E. J. Moreno

As a third generation Seventh-day Adventist and employee of the church, I had a longing for an experience with the Holy Spirit. I read about it in the Bible and I prayed for it, but a genuine and convincing experience with the Holy Spirit eluded me. I asked around the Adventist circles, including my pastor colleagues, and they too couldn’t tell how it is to have the Holy Spirit. All they did was quote Bible verses about the functions of the Holy Spirit or say is that God will send his Spirit after the Investigative Judgment to empower the saints for the final time of trouble, but they obviously lacked the experience to relate to it, just like me. I thank God for his patience and goodness, and for giving me His Spirit and the wisdom that has taught me the answers to my questions. Here is what I have learned about the Holy Spirit and the Christian:

1. No one could be a true “saved” Christian and gain entrance into heaven unless he is “born again” in the Holy Spirit. (Jn3:3)
2. The Holy Spirit leads us to all truth, which includes understanding the Bible, among others. (Jn16:13)
3. The Holy Spirit is proof that we are God’s children. (Rom8:16)
4. The Holy Spirit is God’s seal and is a guarantee for our salvation. (Eph1:13,14)

The facts mentioned above have opened my eyes to the reasons why as an Adventist I didn’t and couldn’t have the Holy Spirit:

1. As an Adventist I gave credence to the Sabbath as God’s seal and thus denied the Holy Spirit the chance to seize and seal me. [God’s seal is the Holy Spirit. Eph1:13]
2. My attempts to acquire the Holy Spirit were through my obedience to the 10 commandments. [Paul corrected this in Gal3:1-5]
3. As an Adventist I insisted on being under the 10 commandments and therefore I couldn’t be led by the Holy Spirit. [Gal5:18]

I praise God for these truths that have brought me to a higher level in my Christian life, and for giving me the opportunities to share these facts with the other members of my church who are sincere in their quest for the Holy Spirit. I now can say with sincerity and truth that the Adventist can NEVER acquire the Holy Spirit unless he lets go of his beliefs on the Sabbath doctrine as God’s seal and his obedience* to the 10 commandments/the Law in his attempts to please God.

*Explained in the next discourse on the Holy Spirit.

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The Limits of the Holy Spirit

It looks like I’m embarking on a discourse where I’m going to fence in the Holy Spirit or determine where it should be and where it shouldn’t be. I’ll make it clear at the start that the sole aim of this piece is to enlighten the Adventist regarding Holy Spirit matters, knowing from my own experience that there is widespread ignorance in the SDA church regarding this third god-head.

Here are some Biblical facts that will define the boundaries of the Holy Spirit:

1. The Holy Spirit was present during the creation. (Gen1:2)
2. It was given to certain key personalities [leaders, prophets] in the Old Testament era, but there is no record that it was available to everyone as a common currency in this covenant. (Num24:2; 1Sam11:6)
3. The Holy Spirit was prophesied in Jeremiah 31 that it would replace the previous covenant.
4. It was prophesied in the Old Testament more than once that the Holy Spirit would be “poured out” on God’s people, which means that it was not available yet. (Joel2:28)
5. Jesus promised it. (Jn16)
6. The Holy Spirit is the Covenant of the Christian and Paul explicitly says that it replaced the 10 commandments. (2Cor3)
7. It initially came to the believers in the upper room. (Acts2)
8. It is available to anyone who believes in the gospel. (Eph1:13)
   

These facts will tell us the following truths:

1. Anyone who insists on adhering to the 10 commandments is inadvertently adapting the Old Covenant as his covenant with God. There is no empowerment of the Holy Spirit here.
2. Obedience to the 10 commandments is a blatant denial of the Holy Spirit. It is either you get the Holy Spirit and allow it to bear its fruit in you or you stick to the 10 commandments and bring forth 10 fruits by your self-righteous efforts.
3. The Holy Spirit and the 10 commandments don’t mix, they cancel each other.
   

This verse says it all: “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.” (Gal5:18)


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Published with the permission of Dr. Philip Moreno