Dig Deeper: SDA Issues: To the anti-trinitarian rebels among us who misquote DA 785

Friday, December 1, 2023

SDA Issues: To the anti-trinitarian rebels among us who misquote DA 785

“All things Christ received from God, but He took to give. So in the heavenly courts, in His ministry for all created beings: through the beloved Son, the Father’s life flows out to all; through the Son it returns, in praise and joyous service, a tide of love, to the great Source of all.” E.G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 21

"Our opponents use this statement to prove that Jesus received His life from the Father. All means all, including His life. However, careful look into the statement proves otherwise:

A. The statements plainly tells us the purpose of receiving "all", and that is to give. For whom? "For all CREATED BEINGS." What he received from the Father was for the benefit of all created beings

NOT FOR HIMSELF.

B. This is in perfect harmony with her other statement in the same book.
"ALL CREATED BEINGS live by the will and power of God. They are dependent RECIPIENTS OF THE LIFE OF GOD. From the HIGHEST SERAPH TO THE HUMBLEST ANIMATE BEING, ALL ARE REPLENISHED FROM THE SOURCE OF LIFE." DA 785.

Does "ALL life" include the life of Jesus? NO. Only the life of "all created beings." These created beings are "recipients of the life of God." Jesus is not recipient because He is not a created being.

The Bible tells us that his "goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." Micah 5:2. He is the "Alpha and Omega. The beginning and the End."
So, When DA21 says "THRHOUGH THE BELOVED SON, the FATHER'S LIFE FLOWS OUT TO ALL; THROUGH THE SON IT RETURNS...to the GREAT SOURCE OF ALL," remember DA785 that it means "the Father's life flows to all created beings" and returns "to the great source of all created beings."

C. We can also see that, "all created beings," "through the Son IT RETURNS, in praise and joyous service, a tide of love, to the GREAT SOURCE OF ALL."
Notice: "Created beings" return praise and joyous service to the Father through the Son. But the statement doesn't say that Jesus also returns praise and service to the Father. This destroys the intent of the statement.

First, it says "all created beings."

Second, the focus is on the ministry of Jesus for us not for the Father.

D. The life of Jesus is "exclusively the property of God. The Word, who was with God, and who was God, had this life." 1SM 296. Here we see "the property of God (singular)" but mentioned "the Word (God) who was with God (Father)." Singular God but two persons. It plainly puts Jesus into equality with the Father as God and have equal life as God. This imortality was and is "in Him." No one gave it to Him because IT'S HIS PERSONAL PROPERTY AS GOD.

Then it goes on to say that "Physical life is something which each individual receives." If we continue, even immortal "life is not inherent in man...it is GIVEN him as a free gift."

Both physical life and immortal life are given to man.

Remember that Ellen is contrasting our life and the life of Jesus here. Man's life is given. "But the life of Christ was unborrowed...In Him was life, original, unborrowed, underived." Basically, if the life of man is "given," then the life of Jesus is not given. Very clear contrast.
Why would Ellen White say that man's life is given and contrast it with the unborrowed and underived life of Jesus when in reality she was also teaching that Jesus recieved His from the Father? That's a blatant contradiction.

They also argue that Jesus inherited His divinity from the Father by virtue of birth. Just like our children inherit our nature by birth. But the question is, when you received your life from your parents, does it become your original, unborrowed and underived life? Our life is inherited. But the life of Jesus is inherent in Him in contrast to ours. To inherit means to receive it by inheritance or by genetic transmission. But inherent doesn't include any of that. It means it's your permanent nature. It's your essence. No one gave it to you." JoelRidgeway

What We BELIEVE

* And now abideth faith, hope, LOVE, these three; but the greatest of these is LOVE. 1 Corinthians 13:13

* Genesis 1-11 is actual HISTORY

* The 10 Commandments WAS - IS - & WILL BE the LAW of GOD

* REVELATION is written in symbols for actual end time events

* The SANCTUARY lays out the Plan of Salvation (Justification / Outer Court + Sanctification / Inner Court = preparation for your Judgment / Most Holy Place)

* The solemnity of the 7th day SABBATH (Saturday) was NEVER transferred to the 1st day of the week (Sunday) by God

* The modern charismatic movement is a counterfeit Latter Rain

* The Mark-of-the-beast will involve some sort of counterfeit Sabbath

* "Soul Sleep" for the State of the Dead (dead until the resurrection)

* The Godhead (Trinity) are 3 separate beings who work together in unity

* The GODHEAD's Existence is ETERNAL (in other words-The arrow of time stretching for Infinity in both directions)

* The GREEN RELIGION (modern environmental movement) is a cleverly cloaked spiritualism for the "sophisticated" modern world

* The Little Horn of Daniel & the Beast of Revelation (a.k.a. the anti-christ to some) is one & the same institution - the same institution the Reformers declared it to be during the Reformation

* Marriage is between ONE man & ONE woman

* The Emerging Church movement -- & spiritual formation are modern day GNOSTICISM & have NO place within Christendom

* Women Ordination is an ASSAULT on the foundation of the Godhead (as God is the head of Christ in an ecclesiastical setting - so too was the man placed as the head of the woman in an ecclesiastical setting -- outside this setting they are equal as Christ is with the Father)

* Baptism is by Immersion at an age of consent

* Justification + Sanctification = TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH....(Justification) Neither do I condemn thee: (Sanctification) go, and sin no more. John 8:11

* God is NOT homophobic -- rather He is sexual immorality phobic (HE places adultery, fornication, rape, bestiality, cross dressing AND homosexuality ALL in the same category)

* "HELL" is NOT an eternally burning place -- rather it is the Lake of Fire where the wicked will be destroyed together once & for all when this Great Controversy between God & His opponent comes to an end....God does NOT torment people for eternity

* The "Great Controversy" theme is the prism to make sense of this universal conflict between God & His opponent, of which we play a part on this space fabric of time as a "spectacle" (as Paul calls it) before all watching

* Biblical "speaking in tongues" was a GIFT of known foreign languages for Evangelization (not the gibberish "tongues" uttered in churches today)

* Historicism is the way to interpret eschatology from the view of the prophetic porch (NOT preterism, futurism or idealisim)

* The 3 Angel's Message (of Rev.14) is the central Mission of the SDA Church & the Sanctuary Doctrine (& it's sub-doctrine of the Investigative Judgment) is the Cornerstone Doctrine of the Denomination

* The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is a SYMBOLIC Remembrance

* The 2nd Advent of Christ will be a literal, visible, physical return where EVERY EYE SHALL SEE HIM & that is when the dead will rise & the living be caught up-- Not at some sort of a "secret rapture" before His return...

* On the Nature of Christ - He was born with our sinful fallen nature / propensities--yet did NOT sin - hence His ability to be the spotless Lamb of God - the Lamb without blemish to cover ours

* 7th Day Adventism did not rise up at the end of the time-frame of Daniel 8:14 to be just another denomination to hang upon the wall of Christendom...

* The Dispensations around the Cross are 1) Before the Cross the Plan of Redemption laid out in the earthly Sanctuary in Types & Symbols patterned after the Heavenly Sanctuary {from the Altar of Sacrifice to the Mercy Seat} 2) After the Cross shifts to the REALITY of the Heavenly Sanctuary {from the Cross to the Judgment Seat}. ---- We REJECT the Dispensationalism that says "before the cross we were saved by the Law & after the Cross by Grace" ---- (the reason is because on BOTH SIDES OF THE CROSS we were never saved by the Law and always saved by Grace)

* We REJECT the DISGUSTING "Prosperity Gospel" as many see TV (so-called) Evangelists preach today

* Justification & Sanctification Simplified - God draws the BOUNDARIES with His LAW. When we step outside of them it's called SIN. (He offers JUSTIFICATION to remedy it). But afterwards He expects us to step back within those Boundaries (called SANCTIFICATION ).

* EndTime "BABYLON" - Confederacy of the Counterfeit Trinity of the "Dragon", "Beast" & "False Prophet" of Rev.16:13. (Also a term of Reference for the Fallen Condition of Christendom)

*The OLD TESTAMENT is simply the NEW TESTAMENT in Types & Symbols- therefore both are valid for Study & Doctrine.

* "A Minister's words are only of Value as long as his word's are an Echo of the Word's of God." {Dwayne Lemon}

* We REJECT the Church being involved with the ECUMENICAL movement....where do you see in Scripture God's people ever being told to be Ecumenical with neighboring religions?.. Nowhere....

*We believe in "Replacement Theology", that "Israel" in prophetic terms and spiritually is God's people...NOT Literal, Modern Day Israel in the Middle East.

* Tithing is Biblical: MONEY (1/10 to God) TIME (1/7 to God- the 7th day of the week, called the SABBATH)

* Soteriology: We believe in total FREE WILL as a component. - Therefore we Reject Sacramentalism, Predestination, Once-Saved-Always-Saved, Universalism & Pluralism.

* The HEALTH MESSAGE-Live it as best you can. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest....be in health... 3 John 1:2

* And always remember - "If you feel yourself to be the greatest sinner, Christ is just what you need, the greatest Savior. Lift up your head and look away from yourself, away from your sin, to the uplifted Savior; away from the poisonous, venomous bite of the serpent to the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world." Ellen White {JUSTIFICATION}

* "God has given us His commandments, not only to be believed in, but to be obeyed." Ellen White {SANCTIFICATION}

* SUMMARY: "Every chapter and every verse of the Bible is a communication from God to men." Ellen White

* WARNING: "...by beholding we become changed. The mind gradually adapts itself to the subjects upon which it is allowed to dwell. It becomes assimilated to that which it is accustomed to love and reverence." Ellen White

Are Ashes Upon Your Lips?

The love of God still yearns over the one who has chosen to separate from Him, and He sets in operation influences to bring him back to the Father's house.
--Have you, reader, chosen your own way?
--Have you wandered far from God?
--Have you sought to feast upon the fruits of transgression, only to find them turn to ashes upon your lips?
Now that voice which has long been speaking to your heart but to which you would not listen comes to you distinct and clear, Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest; because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction. Micah 2:10. Return to your Father's house. He invites you, saying, Return unto Me; for I have redeemed thee. Isa. 44:22.
E.G.W.