About Seventh-day Adventists
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a mainstream Protestant church with approximately 19 million members worldwide, including more than one million members in North America. The Seventh-day Adventist Church seeks to enhance quality of life for people everywhere and to let people know that Jesus is coming again soon.
Adventists believe a Trinity of three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—make up one God. They made salvation possible when Jesus, the Son, came to earth as a baby in Bethlehem and lived a sinless life in accordance with the Father's will. When Jesus was crucified for the sins of the people of the world and arose from the dead on the third day, victory was won for everyone.
When He returned to heaven following the resurrection, Jesus left the Holy Spirit to serve as our Comforter and Counselor. He promised to return to earth a second time to complete His plan of salvation and take His people to heaven. Adventists are among the believers who look forward to that day.
Adventists believe that God is concerned with the quality of human life, and that everything—the way we live, eat, speak, think, treat each other, and care for the world around us—is part of His plan. Our families, our children, our jobs, our talents, our money, and our time are all important to Him.
The entire Plan of Salvation is no short story; it’s more like a saga.
Each part of the bigger story involves several events and concepts that inspire profound exploration and study.
It’s also a story that isn’t finished yet… though God Himself has declared how it will end.
Fortunately for us human beings, the ending God has planned is in our favor. In its finality, it will matter most on the personal level. It all comes down to a choice: Where do you really want to be, and Who do you really want to be with?
All the rest is taken care of by Jesus Christ.
Wow. That’s a pretty simple deciding factor for whether or not we receive salvation. All we have to do is choose? It seems unbelievable—too good to be true. It’s almost too easy.
BUT HERE’S THE IMPORTANT PART: JESUS WILLINGLY TOOK THAT RESPONSIBILITY UPON HIMSELF.
He accepted the sins of everyone in the world, throughout all of history, and died in our place. That means everyone who accepts Jesus as their Savior can be saved. Understanding Jesus’ sacrificial role in the plan of salvation is foundational for Adventists.
After Jesus died on the cross, He was buried in a tomb. A group of guards were placed in front of the tomb to guard Jesus’ body. But even the strongest of soldiers could not stop God’s plan.
Jesus spent the weekend in the tomb. However, on the third day, the stone was miraculously rolled away, and Jesus got on His feet and walked out.
Our Savior conquered death!
When God Said Remember
John was a committed Christian. He and his wife were faithful believers. They wanted to do God’s will. As they attended a series of meetings I conducted on Bible prophecy, they were challenged with new truths they had never heard before. Questions loomed large in their minds. The Bible Sabbath particularly troubled them. They were convicted it was truth from the Bible, but their pastor raised some serious questions in their minds. They began to doubt. They seemed confused and needed their questions answered. As we studied the Bible together, their understanding of truth deepened. They found solid answers for their questions. Their doubts disappeared and they discovered the true joy and blessing of Sabbath keeping.
Possibly, you too have some questions regarding the Bible Sabbath. There may be some Bible passages which are difficult for you to understand. The Bible provides clear answers to our questions. In fact, throughout the Bible, our Lord invites us to ask questions, and He provides solid answers in His Word.
Jesus declared, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17, KJV). Peter adds, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).
The apostle Paul counsels Timothy to be someone who is “Rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Isaiah, the Old Testament prophet, asks, “Whom will he teach knowledge? . . . For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line” (Isaiah 28:9, 10).
In other words, be sure to see the scope of the Bible’s teaching on a particular topic. Do not build your understanding on one obscure text. If you want to truly understand what the Bible says on a particular topic, study that topic from Genesis to Revelation. Let the Holy Spirit speak to your mind throughout the teachings of Scripture.
Ask yourself, Where is the weight of evidence on this topic? What do the majority of passages teach? Never let something which is not as clear to you, overshadow what is clear. If there is a text you do not understand, let the plain passages in the Bible explain it. Do not disregard texts and passages of
Scripture which are abundantly plain in order to cling to something that is not as clear, simply to defend a doctrine you have previously been taught.
Here are four principles in discovering truth:
Approach the Bible with an open mind, willing to do whatever Christ asks you (John 7:17).
Ask God to send His Holy Spirit to your mind to reveal truth (Matthew 7:7; John 16:13).
Compare each relevant passage of Scripture on a given topic (1 Corinthians 2:13).
Act on the truth God reveals, and He will reveal more truth. Do not wait for all the truth to act on the truth you know (John 12:35).
As we approach His Word with sincere hearts, He will reveal His truth. He will enlighten our minds. He will impress us by His Holy Spirit. You may have questions, but God has answers. As you read through some of the most commonly asked questions in the next few pages, and the biblical answers I have provided, pray God will give you wisdom and understanding. You are not alone in your search for truth. Tens of thousands of others have asked similar questions and found solid answers in God’s Word. So read on.
Commonly asked questions regarding the law of God
Didn’t Jesus come to do away with the Ten Commandments and establish a new commandment of love? What about Matthew 22:37–40, “ ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, . . . [and] your neighbor as yourself” ’ ”? Isn’t love to God and our neighbors all Jesus requires? These are the new commandments.
It may surprise you to discover the Jesus was summarizing the law as given in the Old Testament. Deuteronomy 6:5 declares “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart.’ ” Leviticus 19:18 adds, “ ‘ “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ’ ” The God of the Old Testament is a God of everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). In Matthew 22:40, Jesus declared, “ ‘On these two commandments [love to God and our fellow man] hang all the Law and the Prophets.’ ” The first four commandments reveal how human beings tangibly demonstrate their love to God. The last six commandments show how they demonstrate their love to their fellow man. Jesus did not come to “ ‘destroy the Law . . . but to fulfill’ ” it (Matthew 5:17). He revealed how to lovingly keep the law. He came to magnify the meaning of the law (Isaiah 42:21). Jesus reveals how love is the fulfilling of the law (Romans 13:10). He adds, “ ‘If you love Me, keep My commandments’ ” (John 14:15).
Does Paul teach that Christians saved by faith do not have to keep the law?
Paul teaches that Christians are saved not by faith, but by grace through faith. Faith is the hand that takes the salvation freely offered by Jesus. Faith does not lead to disobedience but to obedience. Paul states in no uncertain terms, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid” (Romans 3:31, KJV). Romans 6:1, 14, 15 adds, “Shall we continue in sin [breaking the law], that grace may abound? . . . God forbid” (KJV).
Is it true that in the Old Testament people were saved by keeping the law, while in the New Testament salvation is by grace?
In both the Old and New Testaments, salvation is by grace through faith. God does not have two methods of salvation. Titus 2:11 affirms, “For the grace of God which bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men” (KJV). In the Old Testament, men and women were saved by the Christ that was to come. Each lamb sacrificed pointed forward to the coming of the Messiah (Genesis 3:21; 22:9–13). In the New Testament, men and women are saved by the Christ who has come. Jesus is the only means of salvation (Acts 4:12).
Since we are under the new covenant, is it really necessary to keep God’s law?
The new covenant is actually older than the old covenant. It was given by God Himself in the Garden of Eden when He promised that the Messiah would come to break the deadly hold of Satan upon the human race. The new covenant contains the promise of redemption from sin through Jesus Christ. He saves us! He writes the principles of the law in our hearts. Love becomes the motivation for obedience. There is a new power in the life (Hebrews 8:10; Ezekiel 36:26; Psalm 40:8). Under the old covenant, Israel promised to obey God’s commandments in their own strength. They declared, “All that God says, we will do” (see Exodus 19:8; 24:3, 7). All attempts at external conformity to God’s law lead to frustrated defeat. The law which we cannot keep in our own strength condemns us (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Under the new covenant, we belong to a new Master—Jesus Christ. We have a new heart and a new standing before God (John 1:12; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 8:1).
Since Paul declares, “Let no one judge you regarding the Bible Sabbath,” isn’t Sabbath keeping unnecessary (see Colossians 2:16, 17)?
This passage, Colossians 2:16, 17, is one of the most misunderstood passages in the Bible. One principle of Bible interpretation is that you do not allow what may be somewhat unclear to keep you from doing what you understand. The Bible teaching on the Sabbath is plain. It was given at Creation (Genesis 2:1–3). Jesus observed it (Luke 4:16). Paul observed it (Acts 13:42–44), and it will be observed in heaven (Isaiah 66:22, 23). The Bible mentions two kinds of sabbaths: the seventh-day Sabbath and the yearly sabbaths. The seventh-day Sabbath, instituted at Creation and part of the Ten Commandment law, is a weekly reminder of the loving, all-powerful Creator.
The yearly sabbath relates specifically to the history of Israel. Colossians 2:16, 17 specifically states, “Let no one judge you . . . regarding . . . sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come.” Hebrews 10:1 connects the law of shadows with animal sacrifice. Ezekiel 45:17 uses the exact same expressions in the exact same order as Colossians 2:16, 17, and connects it all with the ceremonial systems of feasts and sacrifices (meat offerings, drink offerings, feasts, new moons, and sabbaths, to make reconciliation for the house of Israel. Leviticus 23:5–32 discusses the ceremonial sabbaths (Passover, verse 5; unleavened bread, verse 6; sheaf of first fruits, verse 10; first fruits, verse 17; trumpets, verse 24; tabernacles, verse 24; and the Day of Atonement, verses 27–32; these are all specifically called sabbaths.)
These annual sabbaths were intimately connected to events foreshadowing Christ’s death and His second coming. They were designed by God to be shadows or pointers to the coming Messiah. Leviticus 23:37 uses the language of Colossians 2:16, 17 to describe these ceremonial sabbaths. Leviticus 23:38 distinguishes the ceremonial sabbaths from the seventh-day Sabbaths by using the expression, “ ‘Beside the sabbaths of the Lord.’ ” Since Christ has come, the shadowy sabbaths of the ceremonial law have found their fulfillment in Him. The seventh-day Sabbath continues to lead us back to the Creator God who made us. God’s people will keep it as a distinguishing sign of their relationship to Him (Revelation 14:12; Ezekiel 20:12, 20).
What about Romans 14:5? “One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind” (KJV). Really, what difference does a day make?
Sometimes it’s helpful to carefully notice what a Bible text does not say, as well as what it does say. Verses 5 and 6 say nothing about the worship of the Sabbath. They simply talk about regarding a day. To say this particular day is the Sabbath, is an unwarranted assumption. Romans 14:1 sets the tone for the entire passage, indicating that the discussion focuses on “doubtful disputations” (KJV), or disputes on doubtful matters. Is the seventh-day Sabbath set apart by God at Creation (Genesis 2:1–3), placed within the heart of the moral law (Exodus 20:8–11), a doubtful matter?
Certainly not! The key to our passage is found in Romans 14:6, which states, “He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks” (KJV). The issue revolved around fast days, not Sabbath days. Some Jewish Christians believed there was particular merit in fasting on certain days. They judged others by their own standards. The Pharisees fasted at least twice a week and boasted about it (Luke 18:12). In Romans 14, Paul is pointing out that to fast or not to fast on a certain day is a matter of individual conscience, not a matter of God’s command.
Didn’t the disciples meet on the first day of the week? See Acts 20:7.
The reason this meeting is mentioned in the narrative is because Paul was leaving the next day and worked a mighty miracle in raising Eutychus from the dead. It is clear that the meeting is a night meeting. It is the dark part of the first day of the week (verse 8). In Bible times, the dark part of the day preceded the light part (Genesis 1:5).
The Sabbath was observed from Friday night at sunset to Saturday night at sunset (Leviticus 23:32; Mark 1:32). If this meeting is on the dark part of the first day of the week, it is in fact a Saturday night meeting. Paul has met with the believers all Sabbath.
He will depart the next day, Sunday, so the meeting continues late into Saturday night. The next day, Sunday, Paul traveled by foot to Assos, then sailed to Mitylene. The New English Bible reading of Acts 20:7 also confirms this as a Saturday night meeting, with Paul traveling on Sunday. If Paul considered Sunday sacred in honor of the Resurrection, why would he spend the entire day traveling and not worshiping? The record indicates that Paul was a Sabbath keeper (Acts 13:42–44; 16:12, 13; 17:2; 18:4).
Can we really tell which day the seventh day is?
There are at least four ways which we can tell for certain that Saturday is the seventh day.
The Bible: It clearly reveals that Jesus was crucified on the Preparation day (Luke 23:54). His closest followers rested as commanded on the Sabbath day (Luke 23:56; Mark 16:1). Most Christians recognize Jesus died on Friday, the Preparation day; He rested the next day, and rose the first day, Sunday. The Sabbath is the day between Friday and Sunday, or the seventh day—Saturday.
Language: In more than one hundred and forty languages in the world, the word for the seventh day, which we call Saturday, is the word Sabbath. Language testifies to the Sabbath’s preservation through the centuries.
Astronomy: The leading astronomers in the world testify to the fact that the weekly cycle has never changed. Centers such as the Royal Naval Observatory in the U.S. and The Royal Greenwich Observatory in England affirm the fact of a constant weekly cycle.
History: The Jewish people have kept an accurate record of the Sabbath. For more than four thousand years, they have preserved the true Sabbath on Saturday.