Postby JamesPrest » August 6th, 2013, 4:26 pm
The intention of this article is to bring to view several different Bible texts and Ellen White statements that are presented as Adventist arguments which validate Catholicism to its core. The reason that it is desired for these arguments to be exposed is because they actually hinder the furtherance of the gospel of Jesus and all true reformation.
While there has been much hesitancy to use the following statement from Ellen White, for the reason that it can be used to justify practically every sin and abomination in the book, it finds its proper application in this article. Here it is:
“God wants us all to have common sense, and He wants us to reason from common sense. Circumstances alter conditions. Circumstances change the relation of things.” {Manuscript Releases, Vol. 6, 354.3}
Now we enter our list of Adventist/Catholic arguments:
#1: (Adventist/Catholic Argument): “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.” Romans 16:17.
During the reformation of the 16th century, those faithful reformers of their times protested against the corruptions and false doctrines held by the Roman Catholic Church. Romans 16:17 is a wonderful verse for Catholic clergymen to use in aiding them in their efforts to shut away the light of heaven from shining on their flocks. True reformation often results in separation and division, and just because someone is preaching a message or teaching a doctrine that causes divisions and offences contrary to what we have learned, does not always mean that we should avoid them. “Circumstances alter conditions. Circumstances change the relation of things.” Catholics would love for their members to avoid listening to the Protestants and Adventists that teach doctrines contrary to what they have learned in the Catholic Church. Adventists use this same verse in a way that effectually cuts them off from being corrected if they are in error, just like the Catholics do.
“The fact that there is no controversy or agitation among God’s people should not be regarded as conclusive evidence that they are holding fast to sound doctrine. There is reason to fear that they may not be clearly discriminating between truth and error. When no new questions are started by investigation of the Scriptures, when no difference of opinion arises which will set men to searching the Bible for themselves to make sure that they have the truth, there will be many now, as in ancient times, who will hold to tradition and worship they know not what.” {Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, 707.1}
#2: (Adventist/Catholic Argument) “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” 1 Corinthians 1:10.
Is Paul saying that we should all speak the same errors and that we be perfectly joined together in doing evil and judging wrongly? Of course not. Please consider the following statements carefully.
“God calls for unity among His people in these last days, but there cannot be unity without firm adherence to right principles.” {Manuscript Releases, Vol. 10, 46.2}
“Christ calls for unity. But He does not call for us to unify on wrong practices. The God of heaven draws a sharp contrast between pure, elevating, ennobling truth and false, misleading doctrines. He calls sin and impenitence by the right name. He does not gloss over wrongdoing with a coat of untempered mortar.” {Manuscript Releases, Vol. 17, 306.2}
“After a long and severe conflict, the faithful few decided to dissolve all union with the apostate church if she still refused to free herself from falsehood and idolatry. They saw that separation was an absolute necessity if they would obey the word of God. They dared not tolerate errors fatal to their own souls, and set an example which would imperil the faith of their children and children’s children. To secure peace and unity they were ready to make any concession consistent with fidelity to God; but they felt that even peace would be too dearly purchased at the sacrifice of principle. If unity could be secured only by the compromise of truth and righteousness, then let there be difference, and even war.
“Well would it be for the church and the world if the principles that actuated those steadfast souls were revived in the hearts of God’s professed people. There is an alarming indifference in regard to the doctrines which are the pillars of the Christian faith. The opinion is gaining ground, that, after all, these are not of vital importance. This degeneracy is strengthening the hands of the agents of Satan, so that false theories and fatal delusions which the faithful in ages past imperiled their lives to resist and expose, are now regarded with favor by thousands who claim to be followers of Christ. {The Great Controversy, 45.3-46.1}
Now back to our Catholic argument. “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” 1 Corinthians 1:10.
How fitting would this verse be for Catholicism back in the days when the reformers were teaching things that were different from the teachings and doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church, which reformed teachings caused divisions and ended up causing a great separation? Were the protesting reformers and the Catholic Church all speaking the same things and being perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment? Well of course not. And praise the Lord for that! This argument is used by Adventists today, in many cases hindering all true reformation in the church, just like it had done back in the Dark Ages. “Circumstances alter conditions. Circumstances change the relation of things.”
#3: (Adventist/Catholic Argument) “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.” Proverbs 11:14.
This verse appears to be greatly abused by churches today and clergymen of the same. Says Christ:
“Be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.” Matthew 23:8-10.
Thus we have one Teacher, one Father, one Master, one above us—Jesus Christ—and the rest of us are all brethren; we are all equals. This being the case—that we are all equal before God—having only one true Teacher over us, we too are part of that multitude of counselors.
Churches abuse this and similar verses in different ways, one of which will be addressed here. Says Peter:
“No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” 2 Peter 1:20.
This is simply to mean that no man nor group of men have the right or place to get together and independently and privately interpret the Scriptures for others, much less require others to accept their interpretations on pain of excommunication. What happens, however, is that the clergymen of the church get together, privately interpret the Scriptures and require others to accept their interpretations, and then say, “In the multitude of counsellors there is safety.” Anyone who opposes the interpretations of this group by holding different views, are told that they are privately interpreting the Scriptures, falling to see that this is exactly what they have done themselves. They also fail to realize that since we are all brethren in Christ, that we too are part of the Bible’s “multitude of counsellors” and actually have a say in that counsel.
It is claimed by these independent groups of counselors that we should accept their private interpretation of the Scriptures because there is safety in group counsel. While it is true that there is safety in group counsel, it doesn’t change the fact that we are all part of the counsel. Nor does it change the fact that sometimes the multitude of counselors are corrupt and/or in error. The Roman Catholic Church is a great example of this. The Jewish counsel of Jesus’ time is an even better example. Virtually the entire Jewish counsel was corrupt and in grave error, with the exception of Gamaliel and perhaps a few others. Remember, “Circumstances alter conditions. Circumstances change the relation of things.” If the council is corrupt or in error, is there any safety in it? Of course not.
Adventists today use the respected text above to justify their getting together and privately interpreting the Scriptures for others and requiring acceptance of their interpretations in order for one to become a member of God’s church. All of this is out of harmony with the plain teachings of the word of God.
“The church is built upon Christ as its foundation; it is to obey Christ as its head. It is not to depend upon man, or be controlled by man. Many claim that a position of trust in the church gives them authority to dictate what other men shall believe and what they shall do. This claim God does not sanction. The Saviour declares, ‘All ye are brethren.’ All are exposed to temptation, and are liable to error. Upon no finite being can we depend for guidance.” {Desire of Ages, 414.3}
#4: (Adventist/Catholic Argument) “Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.” Proverbs 19:27.
“Circumstances alter conditions. Circumstances change the relation of things.” It is dangerous to just assume that if someone is teaching something against what you believe, that listening to them may cause you to err from true knowledge. It is dangerous to just assume that they are speaking lies. It is our responsibility to listen to what they are saying and to test it by the word of God before we rashly shut our ears away from hearing what we believe is error (See Bible text and statement below). Imagine Roman Catholicism using this verse to compel their members not to listen to the message of Adventism. What then? “Circumstances alter conditions. Circumstances change the relation of things.”
“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21.
“Precious light is to shine forth from the Word of God, and let no one presume to dictate what shall or what shall not be brought before the people in the messages of enlightenment that He shall send, and so quench the Spirit of God. Whatever may be his position of authority, no one has a right to shut away the light from the people. When a message comes in the name of the Lord to His people, no one may excuse himself from an investigation of its claims. No one can afford to stand back in an attitude of indifference and self-confidence, and say: ‘I know what is truth. I am satisfied with my position. I have set my stakes, and I will not be moved away from my position, whatever may come. I will not listen to the message of this messenger; for I know that it can not be truth.’ It was from pursuing this very course that the popular churches were left in partial darkness, and that is why the messages of heaven have not reached them.” {Testimonies on Sabbath School Work, 65.1}
#5: (Adventist/Catholic Argument) “There have ever been in the church those who are constantly inclined toward individual independence. They seem unable to realize that independence of spirit is liable to lead the human agent to have too much confidence in himself and to trust in his own judgment rather than to respect the counsel and highly esteem the judgment of his brethren, especially of those in the offices that God has appointed for the leadership of His people. God has invested His church with special authority and power which no one can be justified in disregarding and despising, for he who does this despises the voice of God.” {Acts of the Apostles, 163.2}
The claim is that Acts of the Apostles 163.2 says that to disregard or despise the authority of the church is to despise the voice of God. Therefore, it is claimed, we should just believe and do whatever the General Conference says.
Let us read another statement:
“O, my very soul is drawn out in these things! Men who have not learned to submit themselves to the control and discipline of God, are not competent to train the youth, to deal with human minds. It is just as much an impossibility for them to do this work as it would be for them to make a world. That these men should stand in a sacred place, to be as the voice of God to the people, as we once believed the General Conference to be,--that is past. What we want now is a reorganization. We want to begin at the foundation, and to build upon a different principle.” {The General Conference Bulletin, April 3, 1901 par. 25}
In other words, the voice of the General Conference represents the voice of God only when the voice of the General Conference is representing the voice of God. If the General Conference is speaking contrary to the law and the testimony, they aren’t representing the voice of God. It was the same with the Jewish church, and it is the same today. Again, “Circumstances alter conditions. Circumstances change the relation of things.”
#6: (Adventist/Catholic Argument) “There are a thousand temptations in disguise prepared for those who have the light of truth; and the only safety for any of us is in receiving no new doctrine, no new interpretation of the Scriptures, without first submitting it to brethren of experience. Lay it before them in a humble, teachable spirit, with earnest prayer; and if they see no light in it, yield to their judgment; for ‘in the multitude of counselors there is safety.’” (Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, 293.1)
We believe that the reader has sufficient enough information to answer this argument so long as it is understood:
a. That God does not sanction the claim that those in positions of trust have a right to tell others what to believe. (See DA 414.3)
b. That the Bible only is to be our creed, the standard of all doctrines and the basis of all reforms. (See GC 595.1 and RH, December 15, 1885 par. 16)
c. That God wants us all to have common sense, and He wants us to reason from common sense. That circumstances alter conditions and change the relation of things. (See 6MR, 354.3)
d. That the Roman Catholic church would love to use this statement to see to it that no one believes contrary to her dogmas.
e. … etc.
And in this we make defense of our case, not because we feel a need of it, but for the sake of those honest inquirers who may be benefited by it.
All further objections that might be given hereafter against said series of articles may not be answered, not because there are no answers to give, but merely because of how easy it is to come up with hundreds of objections which could easily eat up our time should we choose to spend it unnecessarily in answering objections made by those only desiring a battle. “Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” Romans 14:5.