Some Fundamental Principles Held by Seventh-Day Adventists

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Oct 31, 1911

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 38, Nos. 43, 44.

Some Fundamental Principles Held by Seventh-Day Adventists

HE people who publish this paper have no human creed, no formulated principles to which believers must subscribe. Their norm of faith is the Bible. They unitedly hold, however, to certain clearly defined teachings of the Bible, some of the more important of which may be stated as follows, altho these are not a creed:

1. "There is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we unto Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we through Him." 1 Cor. 8:6, A.R.V.

2. That God, the Creator of the heavens and earth, is infinite in every attribute of knowledge, wisdom, power, goodness, truth, mercy, and love; unchangeable in character, and omnipresent by His Holy Spirit. Isa. 40:28; Ps. 145:3, 8, 9, 17; Ps. 147:5; James 1:17; Ps. 139:7; Rev. 4:11, et al.

3. That the only mediator between God and man is our Lord Jesus Christ, one with the Father before the world was, who gave Himself to save His fallen creatures and vindicate the character of Deity (1 Tim. 2:5; John 17:5; 1:1-3; 1 Peter 1:18-20; Titus 2:14); that the Father joined in this sacrifice (John 3:16); that in the development of this purpose Christ "made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross (Phil. 2:5-8); that in this He took upon Him our nature, lived our example, "full of grace and truth," died for our offenses, was raised for our justification, ascended to the right hand of the Father as priest in the heavenly temple, where He ministers the merits of His blood in our behalf (Rom. 1:3; Heb. 2:17; 1 Peter 2:21; John 1:14; Rom. 4:25; 2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 1:20-23); that in the close of this priesthood all sin is put away, perfect atonement is completed, His ministry closes in a judgment work (Heb. 8:1; 9:12-15; Rev. 10:7; 14:7); that His sacrifice and priesthood are typified in the services of the sanctuary and temple in the past dispensation, and that at the close of this priesthood our Lord will enter upon His eternal reign as king (Heb. 8:4, 5; 9:8, 9, 11, 12, 24, 25; 1 Cor. 15:24-28).

4. That the Holy Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament are given by inspiration of God, and are a perfect and full revelation of God's will to man, and the only infallible rule of faith and practise. 2 Tim. 3:16; Ps. 138:2; Acts 20:32.

5. That the prophetic scriptures are a part of God's revelation to man, a light that shines in a dark place, a warning of judgments to come, a blessing to those who hear and heed it, God's time-table of world events, and is therefore to be understood. 2 Peter 1:19; Amos 3:7; Rev. 1:1-3; Deut. 29:29; Dan. 12:10.

Map of the world, indicating our mission stations outside of the United States and Canada. These stations are shown by a small cross among the islands, by black dots on the mainland.

6. That God is the great moral governor of the universe (Ps. 103:19); that His moral requirements are the same upon all in all ages (Eccl. 12:13, 14; Mal. 3:6; Ps. 111:7, 8; Matt. 5:17-20); that these are summarily comprehended in the Ten Commandments, spoken by the great Jehovah from Sinai, written by His own finger on tables of stone, deposited in the holy ark, confirmed and kept by our Lord Jesus Christ, pointing out all sin, witnessing to the righteousness of God by faith, written and established in the heart by faith in Christ, and will be the rule of judgment in the last day (Deut. 5:22; 10:1-5; Isa. 42:21; John 15:10; Ps. 40:7, 8; Rom. 3:20; 7:7; 3:21; Heb. 8:10; Rom. 3:31; James 2:8-12).

7. That the fourth commandment of God's holy law, of equal sacredness, obligation, and authority with all, requires the observance of the seventh day of each week, from what is called Friday night at sunset to Saturday night at sunset; that this is the only weekly Sabbath known to the Bible; that it was observed before sin entered, and will be observed when the earth is made new. Ex. 20:8-11; Gen. 2:1-3; Mark 2:27; Isa. 66:22, 23.

8. That the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is manifest not to save us in sin, but from sin, not in disobedience, but from disobedience (Matt. 1:21; Titus 2:14); that this may be, we renounce all, must be born from above, and His law written in our hearts, so we shall say, "This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous" (Luke 14:33; John 3:3-5; Heb. 8:10; 1 John 5:3); that this new birth includes the moral change wrought by conversion and sanctification, and the change to immortality at Christ's coming and the resurrection of the righteous (John 3:3-5; Matt. 18:3; 1 Cor. 15:51-54).

9. That baptism follows faith and repentance, and is the visible means before men, the marriage ceremony, which unites us to Christ; and by this act we show our faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord, of which immersion only is a fit symbol. Rom. 6:3-5; 7:4; Gal. 3:27; Col. 2:12.

10. That our Lord promised that He would come again as literally as He went away, personally and visibly (Acts 1:9-11; Rev. 1:7); that great lines of prophecy and special signs will mark when that coming is near, but none shall know the day or hour, consequently this people have never set times, nor can they ever while they hold to fundamental principles (Daniel and the Revelation; Luke 21:25-27; Matt. 24:33-36); and that a message of warning shall precede His coming (Joel 2:1; Matt. 24:14).

11. That prophecy clearly foretold the falling away from apostolic truth and holiness, predicted the coming of apostasy, the change of God's law, and the trampling of God's truth underfoot (Acts 20:29, 30; 2 Thess. 2:3, 4; 2 Tim. 4:3, 4; Dan. 7:25; Rev. 13:5-8); that it also foretells a reform respecting God's Sabbath and law, and the giving of a great threefold message to the world, which will develop a people waiting for their Lord, that "keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus" (Isa. 56:1, 2; 58:1, 13; Rev. 12:17; 14:6-14).

12. That the Spirit of God convicts the sinner, regenerates the believer, is the life bond of union among believers, and is designed to be manifest among Christians in various spiritual gifts for the service of God, among which are apostleship, prophecy, evangelists, pastors, teachers, gifts of healing, wisdom, knowledge, ministry, etc. (John 16:7-10; Eph. 4:4; 1 Cor. 12:13; Rom. 12:3-5; 1 Cor. 12:1-11, 28; Eph. 4:8, 11, 12); that these gifts, tho lost in part to the church, will be restored in all their fulness as men return to God and His holy law (Prov. 29:18; John 14:15, 16; Acts 2:17, 18, 37, 38; Eph. 4:13; 1 Cor. 1:5-7).

13. That the earth was created not in vain, and when purified and cleansed will be the eternal home of the immortal children of God. Isa. 45:17, 18; Matt. 5:5; Dan. 7:27; Matt. 25:34; Rev. 11:15; 2 Peter 3:7, 13; Rev. 21:1-7.

14. That man was created a candidate for righteousness or unrighteousness, for life or for death (Gen. 2:7, 17; Prov. 12:28; Eze. 18:4); that he chose sin and therefore became mortal, dying (Gen. 3:17-19, 22-24); that death is a state of unconsciousness (Ps. 146:3, 4; Eccl. 9:5, 6); that God only hath immortality (1 Tim. 6:16; 1:17); that man, to obtain life, must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, apart from whom eventuates eternal death (John 3:16, 36; 2 Thess. 1:9); that immortality will be bestowed upon the faithful when Christ comes, and not till then (1 Cor. 15:51-54), necessitating our Lord's coming and the resurrection (John 5:28, 29; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:16-18).

15. That the immortal saints will be taken to heaven at Christ's coming, where they begin their reign with Christ in the New Jerusalem, the earth will be desolated for one thousand years, the wicked dead will then be raised, the city and people of God descend, all sin and all those who have identified themselves with sin will be destroyed, sin will be blotted out forever, the earth shall come forth new from the hand of God, and "there shall be no more curse." John 14:1-3; Rev. 19:1; Isa. 24:1-3; Jer. 4:23-27; Rev. 20:5, 7-10; Zech. 14:4, 5; Rev. 20:13-15; Rev. 21:1-7; 22:1-3, et al.

16. That the support of the Gospel ministry and the work of God should not be left to worldly, uncertain, or questionable methods, but to the Lord's own plan of tithes and offerings. Lev. 27:30; Mal. 3:10; Matt. 23:23, etc.

17. That God's people should be a devoted, earnest, honest people, frugal, temperate in manner, in dress, in appetite, faithful followers of the meek and lowly Jesus. James 4:4; 1 John 2:15-17; Matt. 6:24; 1 Tim. 2:9, 10; 1 Peter 3:3, 4; 1 Cor. 9:27; 10:31; Titus 2:11-14.

A. G. Daniells, President General Conference

HE great world-wide missionary movement of the nineteenth century is the most significant factor of this marvelous age in which we live. It is a sign of the times, for this reason: When Christ was on earth, He told His disciples that He must leave them and go back to His Father. This filled their hearts with sorrow. To comfort them and all His people through all succeeding ages, He promised to come back again, and gather all His redeemed to Himself.

Believing this emphatic promise, His disciples asked this pointed question: "What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?" Jesus made a prompt, positive reply, in which He said:

"This Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."

Some time after this interview between Christ and His twelve disciples, the Master gave to His beloved John a revelation of this great Gospel movement. In his description of it in the book of Revelation John says:

"I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people."

And immediately following this world-wide proclamation of the Gospel, the prophet beheld, in vision, the coming of the Lord.

"And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud One sat like unto the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in Thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for Thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe."

These inspired statements very fitly describe the great world-wide Gospel movement of to-day as the preparation for the second advent of Christ. Therefore it is right to conclude and affirm that the missionary movement is a most significant sign of the times.

The present great endeavor to preach the Gospel of Christ to every heathen nation, was definitely set on foot just a little more than a century ago. The conception of it was given to William Carey, of England. He expressed his conception of the world-wide scope of the movement by drawing a large map of the world, on which all heathen lands throughout the world were designated by a dark color. The population of each country was placed on the map.

The facts which William Carey faced regarding the Christian and non-Christian peoples of the world, made a tremendous impression upon his mind. During the remainder of his life he proclaimed to all the world his belief that the hour had come for the church of Christ to go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every lost soul. By his trumpet-calls to Christendom, and his life of toil and sacrifice in India, he set on foot the greatest Gospel missionary movement the world has ever seen. Small at the beginning, it has steadily developed and enlarged until it now reaches to the uttermost parts of the earth. And at no time during this century of missionary endeavor, has there been manifested greater interest in Christian missions than there is to-day. Everything is provided that is necessary to enable the Christian church to make it possible for every human being to hear the Gospel, and be saved by it, in this generation.

JAIN TEMPLE CALCUTTA INDIA AMOY GENERAL MEETING BELIEVERS IN ATTENDANCE

This is the greatest of all signs given by our Saviour to assure His people that He is soon to return. Then let the church hasten this work, and thus hasten His coming.