3535 - A Sect | AdventAI

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Aug 15, 1911

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 38, No. 32.

3535 — A Sect

Can it be truthfully said of those who keep God's commandments that they are a sect? J. R.

The word "sect" as used in the Scripture comes from the Greek term "hairesis," the Greek form of our word "heresy." Its root meaning is to choose, a choice or option. That is, instead of following God's way, heretics choose their own way, and by choosing their own way separate themselves from Him. God's church, on the other hand, is made up of those who are called out. The word from which "church" comes is "ekklesia," and literally means, "the called out ones." They are those who follow God's call; and those who strictly follow the Lord's way and the Lord's Word can not be called rightfully "a sect," however small they may be, while those who follow their own way instead of God's plan can not, certainly, be spoken of as a church. They are truly a sect.

Schedule for Week Ending August 26, 1911