|
|
||
|
|
|||
I am thinking of a certain Church. Its members are very devout. They are seventh-day Sabbath-keepers. They are non-Trinitarian. They practice the health laws as written in the Book of Leviticus, and eat no unclean meats. They live among people who believe as they do, and so they have removed from themselves many of the temptations of the world. They study the Scriptures diligently, and discuss the principles of the Word often among themselves. They pray consistently and confidently, and they see the blessings of obedience.
The Savior Himself visited them. He went to live among them, and to bring them new light to go with that which they already practiced. And yet these people, these chosen and pious people, rejected Him, insulted and assaulted Him, condemned Him to death, and executed Him with cruel zeal.
Why did they do this? Why, for all their dedication and strict obedience, did they not recognize the Giver of the very Law to which they had devoted themselves?
It is because they were not willing to see beyond the familiar, the comfortable. Their ancestors had been chosen by Yahweh, and yet, over the generations, truths became traditions. The Word of Yahweh became, to them, something handed down, something like an heirloom, rather than a living, breathing, changing Word. And that last one is important… while the principles of the Law do not change, their application is constantly changing. We even have, written down, some applications of the Law that we no longer use. We do not, for example, stone disobedient children to death. We do not offer sacrifices in the mornings and in the evenings. We do not dress in a particular type of clothing that separates us visually from Gentiles.
Obedience to the Law does not change the character. It does not kill sin in the heart. It is written, “I do not frustrate the grace of God, for if righteousness come by the Law, then Christ is dead in vain.” (Gal 2:21) Now, we know what some have done with this and similar verses. Based on Paul’s words, they have concluded that righteousness has nothing to do with the Law. But that is not what the Bible teaches. Righteousness does not come by the Law, but that does not mean they are disconnected. In fact, they are very closely connected. We read in another place, “For what the Law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Rom 8:3, 4)
There is a “righteousness of the Law,” and we fulfill it when we walk after the Spirit, rather than the flesh. Paul tells us that righteousness does not come by the Law, not that righteousness is disconnected from the Law. Paul tells us that Christ condemned sin in His flesh, not that He condemned the Law in His flesh.
Galatians 2:21 is actually revealing what happens when the effect is put before the cause. We do not say “Lung cancer causes smoking,” because it doesn’t. That doesn’t mean they are disconnected, it just means that those who err have it backwards. The Law does not make one righteous, but a righteous man, one who lives by faith and worships the Creator, is in perfect harmony with the Law. In fact, since the Law is written on his heart, rather than on tablets of stone, he is able to see how the applications of the Law change over time and, while not living and acting as if he was in the time of Moses, or Isaiah, or even Yahshua, He perfectly fulfills the righteousness of the Law. His obedience is perfect.
The saints understand this. The 144,000 understand it perfectly.
There are many false brides out there, who claim to be Yahshua’s betrothed. They seek out members to fill their ranks and to justify their existence. They say they have “the truth” about key doctrines, and by following them, and learning with them, one can be saved. How does the honest seeker know which of these many, clamoring, groups is composed of those who are truly Christ’s chosen people?
Many fear being deceived, and perhaps rightly so. They realize that in order to draw disciples after themselves, cults, sects, and offshoots will put on their best faces, be on their best behavior, when addressing the public, but once one is initiated, once one is a member, then the secrets start being revealed. At that point, for many, it is too late. They are already conditioned to be loyal to the group, and so these new, strange, hidden doctrines are much more likely to be accepted, and while they feared being deceived by some unstable individual or fellowship, the very thing they feared has come upon them.
Well, the CSDA Church has a “secret doctrine.” It is a doctrine that is unknown to the world. You may read about us online, you may go through our studies, and you might still not see the doctrine that I am speaking about. Our secret doctrine is revealed only to those who are close to us, who are, or who are near to being, covenanted Church members.
If this sounds very dark and sinister… there is absolutely darkness involved. You see, this doctrine is not a secret because we don’t tell people. It is not a secret because we keep it hidden. It is a secret because of the condition that this Bible passage describes: “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not. They have ears, but they hear not; noses have they, but they smell not. They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not, neither speak they through their throat.” (Psalm 115:4-7)
Because they love the things of the world, idols of silver and gold, men will not see, even if they are shown, and will not hear, even when they are told, this secret doctrine. It is a secret, because Satan has bewitched them, hypnotized them, so that they will not recognize it even if it is placed right in front of their faces.
Shall I tell you what the CSDA secret doctrine is? You will hear it, but you will only truly hear it, and rejoice, if you hunger and thirst after righteousness.
The secret, the great secret doctrine, of the CSDA Church, is that you are free.
Christ has lived, so that you may be free, and He lived successfully. Christ has died, so that you may be free, and as painful as that was, He died successfully. Christ has returned to life, being resurrected by the Father, so that you may be free, and surely He was successfully resurrected. So then, when we read Galatians 5:1… let us read it: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” (Gal 5:1)
Despite what we read in that verse, why do so many still live as if they were bound? The operation to provide us with freedom was a complete success. This is something only the very last generation, who live in perfect righteousness, will fully understand. Even Ellen White, for all her gifts, did not understand the fullness of Christ’s freedom. She spoke of certain foods, and certain drinks, and certain other things, saying that of those things it was better to “touch not, taste not, handle not.” Do you know, she was misquoting the Bible when she did that? We extend a certain amount of prophetic license to our teachers, and even the Bible’s inspired writers sometimes used a passage, or a verse, in a way different from its original setting.
But this particular passage was used in a way precisely the opposite of the apostle’s intent. Here is the full passage: “Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; which all are to perish with the using) after the commandments and doctrines of men?” (Col 2:20-22) In other words, don’t live that way!
Now, I realize how that might sound to a “traditional” Adventist. We, on whom the ends of the earth have come, have a most delicate job to perform. We find that apparent obedience to the Word of Yahweh fluctuates, it oscillates, down through Church history. Sometimes it is too liberal, sometimes too strict, and back again… each time narrowing a little closer to the true point of equilibrium. The Pharisees became legalistic due to their fear of violating the letter of the Law. Christ and His apostles appeared, to them, scandalously liberal. “How dare you pick and eat grain on the Sabbath? Why don’t you ritually wash your hands before eating? Healing the sick on the Seventh day is work, and prohibited. Why aren’t you paying the temple tax?” Christ said, “You have heard Moses say this, but I say unto you…” In doing this, He was not changing the principles, but speaking in a way relevant to that generation. We find that, in these last days, we must sometimes do the same with the writings that constitute the “Lesser Light.”
Yahshua’s ministry, in part, was a rejection of the legalism of the Jews. In the Church ages, however, these reforms were taken too far to the other side of the road, and there was licentiousness, salvation in sin, violation of the 4th commandment, ignorance of a Biblically healthy diet, and closeness with the principles and policies of the world.
Once again came a reformation, this time in the opposite direction to approach balance. Adventism, correctly teaching against works-based religions and legalism, began to move back to that point of balance. It advocated abstinence from unhealthy things, a return to Sabbath-keeping, an anti-typical Day of Atonement, and an Investigative Judgment.
These are all true teachings, but so were the reforms before. These are all solemn considerations, but are not to be seen as a cause for distress, sorrow, or a swing back too far in the direction of legalism. Unfortunately, that is precisely what Seventh-day Adventism in this day and age has done. We do not notice it so much, because many of the members have rejected it, and do not live legalistically. The problem is, they think that they are sinning by rebelling against the legalism. They believe that the 28 fundamental elements of faith in their creed is correct, the proper and balanced interpretation of the Will of God, and so they cannot believe that they can ever, truly be righteous since they do not meticulously obey these commandments of men. They cannot accept the “secret doctrine,” made secret to them by Satan’s influence. They cannot rest in the Sabbath blessing, because they have not been taught that they are free.
If you unlock a slave’s chains and let him out of a cage, but do not teach him what freedom means, he remains a slave still. This is what modern Adventism is. It teaches the right doctrines, it says, “In Christ you are free,” but its members believe that they are not free. We know this: “Yahshua answered them, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.’” (John 8:34) The word “committeth” is not describing an ongoing, persistent state. It just means “to make,” or “to do.” The word “servant” as used there means “slave,” one in bondage. What we have, then, is a contradiction – the contradiction found in all of Satan’s handiwork. Adventists are a people who are taught that Christ has set them free, but that they continue to “do sin,” to “commit sin,” which the Savior Himself defined as slavery. How does the mind of man deal with this? It retreats from the problem. It refuses to engage in finding a solution, because it seems like an impossible puzzle, whether they consciously consider it this way or not.
And so, when a messenger of Yahweh, when a CSDA evangelist, comes to them and says, “No, no… Yahshua meant exactly what He said. When He set you free, He actually set you free. Believe in Him and accept His freedom, and then you will be free, exactly as He defined it, as someone who does not ‘commit sin,’ thus proving to be a slave of sin.” When they hear this, they reject it. The knowledge is right in front of them, but it remains a secret doctrine, because seeing, they do not see, and hearing, they do not hear.
“It can’t be that simple,” their deceived minds tell them. “They must be lying, exaggerating, or deceived. They must be trying to trick me, or are hiding something. That verse can’t really mean what they interpret it to mean.” You see how suspicion arises. These are the thoughts Satan uses to keep the doctrine a secret. “I know I cannot stop sinning until the close of probation, so anyone who claims otherwise is wrong. Jesus must mean those who always sin, not those that commit an occasional sin.” But how do they know this? Is it based on the Word of God, or their own experiences as a carnal Christian? If the Word of God has told them that they cannot stop sinning until Christ returns, that is one thing… but if they base that conclusion entirely on their own understanding, and if they can realize that this is what they are doing, then perhaps there can be hope of such a person being made truly free. They can be free from the Law, and at the same time, fulfill the righteousness of that Law. They can put away the “religion of works” that they have endured their whole lives, and yet do righteous works with invariable consistency.
The secret doctrine of the CSDA Church is that you are free.
One may ask, “Why does God permit the minds of the carnal to be blinded?” It is a legitimate question. Here is a pair of verses containing wording that can be seen as rather unusual: “And [Yahshua] said unto [His twelve disciples], ‘Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the Kingdom of God, but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables, that seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.’” (Mark 4:11, 12)
Yahshua explains to His disciples that He speaks in parables so that those who are His followers will understand, but those that are not won’t. He does not want them to understand “lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.” Doesn’t that sound really counter-productive? Should He not want everyone to understand, and be converted, and have their sins forgiven? Isn’t it Satan that is keeping the people away from this salvational knowledge? What He is saying is that the meaning behind His parables are secret doctrines.
This isn’t a translation issue. If you go through any version of the Bible, it says exactly the same thing. Yahshua appears to be keeping knowledge, valuable knowledge, from the world. But… the truth is that He is actually telling them. He is telling them all the truth that they need, but in such a way that only the Holy Spirit can reveal its meaning to them when they are permitted to see beyond the symbols. Yahweh allows Satan to cloud the minds of sinners, because while some will realize the truth and be converted, others will pervert it and more souls would be lost than saved.
Most Christians today do not keep the Sabbath. They do not know what the “holy kiss” is, and have only heard of “New Moons” in passing. These things are all true. They are all plainly revealed to them in the Bibles that they all own. Even if they only have the New Testament, these teachings are all in the writings of Paul. God has told them, and is telling them. These things have been made secret by Satan, but Yahweh permitted it, because if a sinner were to attempt to keep the Sabbath according to the letter of the Law, he would only pollute it. One must be holy in order to properly keep a day holy. Despite the aim of many Sabbatarian ministries, converting Sunday-keepers into Saturday-keepers will not gain the entrance of a single additional soul into Heaven. A Church that was not living by the Spirit would pervert the Holy Kiss, and unclean practices would spread throughout the congregations. A Church that permitted carnality and sin would be torn apart by the intimacy and examinations of New Moons; jealousy, fault-finding and suspicion would abound. It was Satan that stole these gifts, but it was Yahweh’s infinite wisdom that permitted him to do so for the good of the history of the reformation. All that the Enemy can do is refine Yahweh’s people. These things have all been restored at their proper times.
Yahshua did not keep salvation from the world. CSDAs do not keep the Gospel of freedom in Christ from the world. Nevertheless, they remain secret doctrines to those who are not permitted to understand by the Holy Spirit lest they mis-understand, or pervert the teachings, and end up further in darkness than when they began. Yahshua did not say that everyone would be filled with spiritual nourishment, but “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.” (Mat 5:6) They will understand His parables. They will receive the message of the CSDA Church with joy.
We teach everyone that they are free in Christ, and see who responds with love, with gratitude, with understanding. These, who are willing to be led by the Spirit, are our brethren. The others will misunderstand, but from the outside, and they do not seal their judgment yet. They may have a chance to repent. Even so, Satan will use them meanwhile to slander, to gossip, to misrepresent our teachings as Holy Flesh or Ecumenism, and that is how things have gone for the past few decades. Despite this, we count it all as a blessing, knowing that even in controversy, the truth will be made known.
Only the Holy Spirit can reveal this teaching about freedom to people without them interpreting it as either too legalistic or too liberal. We can talk about freedom, but it must be clearly explained and properly understood, because while we say, and truly, that we do not have a religion of works, we also acknowledge that works, actions, reinforce the thoughts and feelings that prompted them. One cannot commit sinful acts and say, “My soul is free from sin.” That is Gnosticism, and John is clear that only those who “do righteousness” can be accurately identified as the righteous in spirit. (1John 3:7) Ecumenism and Holy Flesh teachings insist that our works do not matter. They very much do matter, because they reveal the genuine faith, and they testify to the world what Christ has done for and within His people.
A sane, holy, people will always do righteousness. Thus, since we are truly free, because we are also made righteous by the Father and Son, “whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin.” (1John 3:9) That is the reason for it. It is not an arbitrary rule, but the effect that is caused by justification in Christ.
If a doctrine does not make you more free, it is not from Yahweh. We teach that the 10 Commandments are right, but “Thou shalt not kill” is not a restriction to a man who loves his neighbor, and would never wish to harm him. “Thou shalt not steal” is not a restriction to one who is content with what he has been given. We could go through all ten of them, and say the same. The commandments of men, on the other hand, are contradictory, and often either too permissive, or too severe. They cannot be consistently kept, even by the righteous, and so we reject them. The difference between CSDAs and members of the apostate Church is that, while we both reject the creeds and commandments of men, CSDAs don’t feel guilty about it. We don’t accept the accusations of Satan that we are sinners simply because we believe that the Commandments of God and the Faith of Yahshua are the only standard of the Christ-like character.
The implications of the commandments and the applications of the true faith touch every aspect of our lives, yes. But this devotion to the principles of love does not make us legalists. We obey because we love, and we do not feel restricted or bound by a proper understanding of the principles of the Law. Again, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor” is not a limit to our freedom, because we honor our neighbor, and would rather die than betray him.
Now, some may read this and wonder, “Isn’t this dangerous? If each Church member is truly free, including free to individually understand and obey the Law according to the dictates of his own conscience, then how does the Church control its members’ behavior? How does it preserve its reputation, and show the world that it is teaching righteousness and sanctification? Don’t we need the Law to enforce truth?”
I would ask, does such a person understand what baptism is? Does such a person understand what conversion is? Is such a person familiar with a Church whose members are actually born again, and who do obey the Law, but not because of compulsion? Such a person who asks this question sees the Church as a controller, and the Law as a barrier to bad behavior rather than a description of good behavior. They think, “If everyone is free to understand the Law individually, wouldn’t that mean that they would all be testing the limits, to see what they can get away with?”
Without a creed, yes, there will be times when converts will act out of ignorance, and discover for themselves where the limits of conscience lie. They will make mistakes, and be corrected one way or another. They will counsel together, and give each other inspired advice. In all this, there is no condemnation, nor any fear. There is genuine trust in the Father, and a genuine desire to learn His will, so that we will do, and continue to do, always those things that please Him.
Here is a verse that is applicable here: “Yahshua answered, ‘My Kingdom is not of this world; if My Kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews, but now is My Kingdom not from hence.’” (John 18:36)
You may see this as that “prophetic license” I mentioned earlier, but I think there is a very real application here to understanding the doctrine of freedom in Christ. “If My Kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight.” We have taken this to mean that true Christians do not need to engage in warfare or lawsuits to defend the Church. This is a true and proper interpretation of the Savior’s words, and allows us to identify His Enemy in the Mark of The Beast and the unions of Church and State.
There is an application here to the People of Yahweh as well. Seeing this through spiritual eyes, those who understand that Yahshua’s Kingdom is not of this world will not use worldly methods to accomplish divine purposes either outside of or within the Church. They will not beat each other up with verses. They will not commit the violence of trying to force others to live by their personal convictions. They will be open about their opinions, but not “fight” for them to be accepted. When they speak by the Holy Spirit, they trust and know that their brethren will hear them in love, and consider their insights as a united people. Yahshua’s Kingdom is not of this world. It does not operate the way the world does, or the way that the worldly churches do.
There are some who are not comfortable with freedom. They are not emotionally or spiritually mature yet and so, like children, they need rules, regulations, and guard rails. This is okay for a new believer, for a fresh convert, and for a Church that, like the 1st century Church of the Apostles, or the Pioneer SDA Church, or “Phase One” of Creation Seventh Day Adventism, is coming out of apostate denominations. A time of relative legalism may be necessary to transition from corruption into perfect balance. We have not erred; we did what we were called to do, but we continue to grow, and not everyone will follow at the same pace. Paul speaks on this, that we should be gentle with such as these: “Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all things; another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.” (Rom 14:1-3) The hope, of course, is that over time there will be no “weak” brethren. In this last generation, we are all called to be mature, according to the fullness of the stature of Christ, and none will stumble at the words and actions of another.
Even though we, the true converts, are “safe” to be left alone with the commandments of God and the faith of Yahshua, and do not need the extra walls of the Pharisees to protect us, some do genuinely fear freedom.
I remember as a new SDA, one of the five friends with whom I was baptized said, later that same day, “I just wish God would take total control of me, so I would never do anything bad again.” It was a lament, because she felt “clean” due to her recent baptism, but did not trust herself to be righteous continually, and so she wanted to trade her free will for the guarantee of everlasting life. At the time, I did not know enough to correct her, or even object, but the line sticks in my mind, even all these years later, because it was clear to me even then that there was something wrong with it. This could not be what our Father wanted, to have robots, programmed creatures, who serve Him almost against their will, only for the reward, and not from self-directed love. As I have grown, and learned the truth about our Father, it occurs to me that this one statement perfectly identifies the difference between the nominal faith and the true Faith of Yahshua. My friend was saying, “Box me in. Imprison me in the Law, so that I don't stray outside and die.” The Faith of Yahshua, though, says, “The Law has set me free. I see where the borders are, and because I desire the righteousness of my Father, and because I have received it by faith already, I know now how to live and be safe. I do not need the cage.”
I do not need the cage. The Law does not need to act as a cage to me. My obedience comes from within, like all true worship. Those who do not obey, it is not because they cannot. It is not because they are weak, for Yahweh would give them all His strength if they asked for it. It is because they do not understand the “secret doctrine,” used “in quotes,” because our Father has TOLD us repeatedly what it is. Christ, acting within the Law, has set us all free. When one understands why the Law is there, and what effect it has when kept, any with the true desire to be righteous will desire to keep it more than they would ever desire to resist it, bend it, or break it. They will hate the transgression of that Law to the very degree they understand and value it, therefore they will not do what they hate.
If anyone says, “I hate sin, but I still do it,” we may know that their hatred is an emotional one, rather than spiritual. It reveals that they have not submitted to freedom in Yahshua. They have seen the verses, but a veil is over their eyes. The have heard the preaching, and read the Bible studies, but there is a gauze within their ears. Because of this, freedom frightens them. They want order, structure, and safety, as they should, but they seek it through carnal means, not within the freedom that Christ offers.
Paul understood the slavery of sin, and he said of his time under the Law, (Rom 7:5) his time in the flesh, “For the good that I would I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do.” (Rom 7:19) We hear this today from many who claim to be Christ’s. But how did Paul solve this problem? It was not by denying it. It was not by saying, “Someday I will be free. Someday, right before Yahshua returns, I will be able to stop doing what I hate.” No, not by waiting. He said this instead, “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” (Rom 8:8-10)
Paul did not run from his death-sentence. He did not try to escape his guilt by hiding behind doctrine or waiting for some future enlightenment. He said, “I have sinned. I am worthy of death. I cannot undo what I have done. Come, then… let me have my sentence. Let me be dead indeed, but dead in Christ, by His work, so that I may rise again like Christ did, and walk according to His Spirit.”
That is what baptism means. That is what being born-again means. That is what membership in the Body of Christ means. It is not some formality, or some cold, corporate display. It is a deeply meaningful acknowledgement that the life we once lived is another life, a different life, to this new one that Christ has given us. It is not a life of fear, or bondage, or failure. It is a life of victory, and freedom. This truth, this simple truth, has been made a secret to the world, and it will remain so to those who are not willing to be made willing to learn, and believe, and obey.
But we do our good work, we go about seeking those whom we may teach about cleaning the inside, so that the entire vessel may be clean. That is what freedom looks like. Let us pray for those who hear us, that the veil may be lifted, that the ears may be opened, that the secret may be a secret to them no longer, and indeed, seeing they may see, and hearing they may hear, so that they will be converted, and their sins will be forgiven, and that they will join us in life everlasting.
David.
An Enduring Witness
“We call the churches Babylon, not because they covenant together to obey God. I am still of the opinion I advanced sometime since through the Review: The first step of apostasy is to get up a creed, telling us what we shall believe. The second is, to make that creed a test of fellowship. The third is to try members by that creed. The fourth to denounce as heretics those who do not believe that creed. And, fifth, to commence persecution against such. I plead that we are not patterning after the churches in any unwarrantable sense, in the step proposed.” [The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, October 8, 1961, p. 149]
“True liberty and independence are found in the service of God. His service will place upon you no restriction that will not increase your happiness. In complying with his requirements, you will find a peace, contentment, and enjoyment that you can never have in the path of wild license and sin.” [The Review and Herald, August 26, 1994]
“The love which Christ diffuses through the whole being is a vitalizing power. Every vital part – the brain, the heart, the nerves – it touches with healing. By it the highest energies of the being are roused to activity. It frees the soul from the guilt and sorrow, the anxiety and care, that crush the life forces. With it come serenity and composure. It implants in the soul, joy that nothing earthly can destroy – joy in the Holy Spirit – health-giving, life-giving joy.” [Counsels for The Church, p. 216]