Do Seventh-day Adventists Honor Christ?
By W. N. Glenn
It is by some people persistently charged against Seventh-day Adventists that they do not teach Christ and him crucified; that they merely hold up the law, expect to be saved by the law, utterly ignoring Christ. That this accusation is not promulgated in ignorance, is shown in the fact that those who make the most use of it are the very ones who ridicule the Adventists for their faith in the coming of the Lord. There are, no doubt, many people who actually believe that Seventh-day Adventists expect to be saved just because they observe the seventh-day Sabbath; but they have received their opinions from second-hand sources. No one who has ever read their literature, or heard any considerable number of their ministers' discourses, can honestly assert the belief that Christ is not the prominent point in their teaching. It is a lamentable fact, however, that not a few ministers who are not ignorant in the matter, do build up a bitter opposition to Adventist doctrines on this baseless assumption. They adopt this mode because it is an easy way to delude their flocks and turn them from investigating for themselves. And to a great extent they have been successful, and "have their reward." A very little investigation would convince any unprejudiced mind—any one at all susceptible of conviction—that Adventist works abound in the doctrine of Christ, and that he is the ground of their faith. It may be safely asserted, and can be easily maintained, that no other denominational literature hangs so dependently upon the teachings of the prophets and apostles, who were directly inspired by Christ, or so constantly refers to his word and example, as does that issued from the Seventh-day Adventist publishing houses. The Adventist faith is "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone." These are directly appealed to in support of every point of doctrine, and without this corner-stone of the foundation, not an iota of the structure could stand for a moment. Adventists as a people are not foolish enough to pull their own foundation from under them in the face of the warning message which God has intrusted to them. Their existence as a distinct people has grown out of the fact that they have seen the result of this kind of work on the part of the churches out of which a majority of the body has come. The very name, "Adventist," indicates a distinctive and prominent faith in Christ—that he is expected to come again to redeem his people. The ground of this faith is in his promise, John 14:3: "If I go away, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am there ye may be also." Another prominent tenet of their faith is that Christ, as our great high priest, is performing the work of ministering in the true sanctuary, making the real atonement for sin, with his own blood; and that this will be followed by his second coming, "without sin unto salvation." Heb. 9. Again Adventists believe and teach that only through Christ can they obtain a resurrection from the dead, or a translation to immortality if alive at his coming; and through these processes only, eternal life. Luke 20:35, 36; 1 Cor. 15:14-24; 1 Thess. 4:15-17. Although they do believe the words of the Saviour, "If ye will enter into life, keep the commandments," they also believe and teach that the life here spoken of is in the Son (1 John 5:11, 12), and will only be bestowed when he comes to receive his own unto himself. Col. 3:4; 2 Tim. 4:6-8; 1 Pet. 5:4. Another prominent doctrine of Seventh-day Adventists brings Christ conspicuously to view, that is, justification by faith. While the true believer will take the commandments of God as a rule of life, this cannot take away his past sins; faith in Christ's atoning blood alone can settle that account. Rom. 3:25. Here, then, they must rest in Christ as the only source of salvation. There is much popular speculation about "saving ordinances;" this or that cannot save anybody; one holds that we are "saved by grace," another that faith alone can do the work, etc. Now Seventh-day Adventists believe that we are saved by grace (Eph. 2:5, 8; Acts 15:11); that we are saved by hope (Rom. 8:24; Heb. 11:1); that we are saved by faith (John 3:16; Acts 2:21; 16:31; Gal. 3:26; 5:5; Heb. 2:4); that we are saved by works (Jas. 2:14-26; Rev. 22:12); that every ordinance appointed by the Lord is a saving ordinance (Matt. 28:19, 20); that every commandment is a saving commandment (Rev. 22:14); and that the Scriptures teach no superfluous doctrines, require no superfluous duties (Matt. 4:4). Grace, faith, and obedience (works) are all included in the gospel of Christ, by which we are saved (1 Cor. 15:1, 2). According to the Scriptures, the opponents of Adventist doctrines are guilty of ignoring Christ. They set aside his life-giving power, by claiming that man has immortality in himself. They deny the necessity of his coming again "unto salvation," by assuming that Christians go to Heaven at death. They slight his memorial ordinances, by rejecting some and changing others to suit their own convenience. They ignore his absolute authority, by making void his commandments through substitution of their own traditions. "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Matt. 15:8, 9; Isa. 29:13, 14; Eze. 33:30-33. And now, reader, if any one should tell you that Adventists do not preach Christ, and that they expect to be saved by the law alone, just ask them if they have read "The Atonement," or "Justification by Faith," by Eld. J. H. Waggoner; "The Sanctuary," or "Thoughts on Daniel and Revelation," by Eld. U. Smith; "The Great Controversy," or "Sufferings of Christ," by Mrs. E. G. White; "The Honor Due to God," by Eld. E. J. Waggoner; or half a dozen numbers of any of their periodicals. Then refer them to the following scriptures: "Not every one that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven." Matt. 7:21. "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." John 15:14.