p. 171 | THAT IS MY OPINION by A. W. B.

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 1, 1876

FromThe Review and Herald, Review and Herald, Vol. 47, No. 22.

THAT IS MY OPINION.

By A. W. B.

Certainly; we admit that, but opinion is a very weak basis upon which to rest your hopes of eternal life. What is opinion? Webster defines it thus: “A conviction of the truth of some statement, founded on a low degree of probable evidence.” Are you quite sure that your convictions of the truth of certain statements, made in reference to the holy word of God, are not founded on a very low degree of evidence?

Now it is a fact that multitudes of professing Christians possess a belief which is founded upon a mass of opinions, many of which are absolutely unsupported by the Bible. Many are in the habit of accepting the interpretation of Scripture as given by their pastors, without once searching for the evidences of its truthfulness. Is this wise? Of course you have unbounded confidence in your spiritual adviser, that he would not knowingly lead you wrong; but suppose he should unintentionally teach error, and you should accept it for the truth. Would you not suffer for it, when the Bible is so near at hand, and so easily understood with the Spirit for your interpreter?

“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good,” implies that many things will be taught as being the word of God which it will not do to accept as truth. Opinions are formed upon very slight evidences; the longer they are held the stronger they become, and they not infrequently ripen into solid belief. Then you do well to dig down to the foundations of your belief, and see whether it is composed of the sand of mere opinion, or the rock of abundant scriptural evidence.

Mr. Jones says, “It is my opinion that it makes no difference which day I keep as the Sabbath, if I observe one out of the seven. We are commanded to keep the seventh day, and do I not keep the right one, counting from Monday as the first day?” Every one should know that Sunday is the first day, and not Monday. The Bible teaches the observance of a definite day, and that the only one considered as sacred is the day upon which the Lord rested from the labor of creation. The original word for Sabbath is rest, and the commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day,” is equivalent to the expression, “Remember the rest-day.”

That Saturday is the Sabbath can be proved by referring to the words of Christ, where he acknowledged the so-called Jewish Sabbath and no other. Matt. 12:12.

Mr. Smith is of the opinion that Christ or the apostles changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday; but not one word to that effect is found in the Bible.

Mr. Brown’s opinion of Christ’s second advent is, that as there is no knowing the definite time of that event, we are not to know that his approach is near; therefore I need not pay any particular attention to that subject. But we are to know of his near coming by certain infallible signs which have occurred; viz., the darkening of the sun in 1780; the falling of the stars in 1833; signs upon the earth in regard to the movements of nations; storms and tempests; fires and earthquakes; increase of crime; scoffers saying, “Where is the promise of his coming?” and many others which are fulfilled, and are being fulfilled. If Mr. B. will carefully and prayerfully read Matt. 24, he will be convinced that he is resting his faith merely upon opinion.

But I leave this matter with you. Perhaps your case is not similar to any of those mentioned; if it is, I beseech you, as you value your soul’s welfare, to search the Scriptures and see if these things are so. It is to the shame of the Christian people of to-day that they are so ignorant of the Scriptures. Remember that because we love you, we would have you come to a knowledge of the truth and rest your hopes on the unchanging rock of truth, but not upon the sands of opinion.

A. W. B.