Why the "C" in CSDA?

Questions and conversation about religious beliefs, Scripture, the Spirit of Prophecy, and Creation 7th Day Adventism
Siegfried
Posts: 1
Joined: July 6th, 2012, 7:08 am

Why the "C" in CSDA?

Postby Siegfried » July 6th, 2012, 7:26 am

Is there a special reaon that in the name CSDA there is also the C "Creation". I have been always under the impression that in the SDA church they believe as well in the Creation as mentioned in Genesis, although some of the pastors not believe for 100% anymore as far as I am informed.

David Aguilar
Posts: 63
Joined: May 28th, 2012, 4:28 pm

Re: Why the "C" in CSDA?

Postby David Aguilar » July 7th, 2012, 1:12 pm

Hello Siegfried,

Thank you for the question.

We read these words: “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ saith Yahweh. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” (Isa 55:8, 9)

When our Father does something, the reasons why are often deeper than we are given to know at the time. Because of this, I can tell you the reasons that have been revealed to us thus far, but there may be others as well that will become apparent as the Plan of Salvation continues to unfold its final pages.

So far, there are three main ones:

1) As you have pointed out, not all of the Adventist pastors completely believe in the Genesis account. Some have, indeed, begun to accept the world’s timeline, the world’s geology, and even the world’s biology, rather than the truth of our origins. We believe that the Creation of man was both a physical AND a spiritually significant event, revealing that we are truly made in the image of the Almighty, not by some guided process involving death and a struggle for food and other resources, but by a special and love-based action of our Father.

In my view, the most grievous error of those who reject the Creation account while claiming to be Christians is this: they must necessarily place death before sin. This completely destroys the economy of the plan of salvation – that death is the direct result (wages) of sin, and that the cross, by conquering sin, restores unto man everlasting life. Death had NO place whatsoever in Yahweh’s original plan, and therefore any system that relies upon a struggle for survival and the extinction of less “fit” species is completely irreconcilable with both the Old and New Testaments.

2) Although I haven’t heard too much about it recently, I know there was (and perhaps still is) a move to emphasize Monday as the first day of the week. In some countries, I believe, this is already the way the calendars are set up, and so a “Seventh Day” Adventist Church would not actually indicate that the Seventh Day is a Sabbath in that land. By saying that we are “Creation Seventh Day” Adventists, we indicate what kind of Adventists we are – those who observe the “Creation Seventh Day,” or the seventh day as it was at the creation of the world, as the time set apart by Yahweh for righteousness.

3) Perhaps most importantly, many Adventists have become “spiritual evolutionists.” They believe that their Christian walk follows a path similar to that of biological evolution: a series of “ups and downs” with gradual improvements over time and occasional backsliding into old ways. Biblically-defined Christian growth, however, is different. We believe that “love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2Cor 5:14, 15, 17)

The Adventist pioneer A.T. Jones gave an excellent study on this called “Creation or Evolution: Which?” and can be found in the book “Lessons on Faith.” A PDF of that book can be downloaded for free from here: Lessons on Faith

Creation Seventh Day Adventists are Seventh Day Adventists of the truest type, those who believe in the “new creature” or the “new creation” that we become through our acceptance of the Gospel. While there is Christian growth, the putting away of newly-discovered sins and defects of character, conversion and baptism indicate the END of one life and the BEGINNING of a new life in Christ. We are new creations, created anew in the image of the Father and Son, and that is what makes us Christians, and Adventists indeed.

The name Creation Seventh Day Adventist is therefore a “standing rebuke” against the prevalent errors of this generation, as has been the case with every name that Yahweh has even given his people. Just as “Christian” was not sufficient for the early Adventist Church because it was not specific enough, so today a “Seventh Day Adventist” can indicate several groups of people. It can be the mainstream Church, that once-faithful body that has now become a persecuting power. It can be the independent ministries, who believe that it is acceptable in Yah’s sight to be doctrinally diverse and disorganized. It can be the Remnant Church of Christ: those who keep the commandments of Yah and the faith of Yahshua, who believe in victory over sin, purity of doctrine and unity of faith while waiting for the soon-return of our Lord. The Creation Seventh Day Adventist Church is the name that our Father has given to this last group, to those who believe a) in both physical and spiritual creation as opposed to evolution, and b) in keeping the “seventh day” holy according to the timeframe of the creation calendar.

All that our Father does is perfect, and we rejoice that we bear both a “former name” and “another name” according to the prophecy given regarding the Remnant of Yahweh. (Isa 65:15)

Adriel
Posts: 463
Joined: May 29th, 2012, 8:41 pm

Re: Why the "C" in CSDA?

Postby Adriel » July 8th, 2012, 12:30 am

Thank-you David for a thorough, concise explanation of why Creation was added to the "former name"


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