CORRECT_DOCTRINE

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY CORRECT DOCTRINE BUT RATHER BY THE DOING AND DYING OF JESUS CHRIST !

*COME UNTO ME, ALL YE* *THAT LABOR AND ARE HEAVY LADEN,* *AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST.* *TAKE MY YOKE UPON YOU , AND LEARN OF ME ; FOR I AM MEEK * *AND LOWLY IN HEART: AND YE SHALL FIND REST UNTO YOUR SOULS .*

I didn’t intend to comment; but changed my mind. There is a strange aberration in contemporary Seventh-day Adventism which contends that all that is required for salvation is a ”profession” of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; and this is a repudiation of all that both the early Christian Church and the Advent Movement believed and practiced. This ignores the admonitions of both Old and New Testament Scriptures:

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Hosea 4:6

Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Tim. 2:15.

We prove our belief in Jesus Christ by the knowledge of Truth and obedience to His Word:

But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. Rom. 6:17-18.

The Bible speaks clearly on the respective roles of "correct" (true/sound) doctrine in securing salvation, and false doctrine by which salvation is lost. The text quoted to support the contention that “WE ARE NOT SAVED BY CORRECT DOCTRINE” is misapplied beyond logic and reason. What the Bible does say in contradiction to the contention is clear and unequivocal. Let us begin with two statements of the Apostle Paul in 1 Tim. 4 which categorically refute the contention:

¹Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils . . .¹⁶Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Matt. 15:9.

Among his numerous exhortations (Cf. 2 Tim. 3:16-17, Titus 1:8-9, Titus 2:1, Heb. 13:9) on the critical importance of sound doctrine, the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Tim. 4:

²Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. ³For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; ⁴And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

The prophecy is fulfilled in our times. Paul, writing about the spiritual gifts, made this statement in Eph. 4:

¹³Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: ¹⁴That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.

Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 2 John 1:9.

Thus we see the critical role of doctrine in the lives of those who would abide in Jesus Christ and the Father. If we do not abide in the Godhead we are lost! THE WORD OF GOD SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.

From: Webmaster [mailto:webmaster@adventistlaymen.com]
Sent: Wednesday, May 22, 2013 2:33 PM
To: 'Jack Walker'
Subject: CORRECT DOCTRINE AND SALVATION

Consider the first great principle of salvation for humankind from the lips of Jesus Christ Himself:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:16-18.

Clearly salvation is conditional on belief. The second chapter of Acts describes how Peter preached the gospel on the Day of Pentecost and the results of his sermon:

Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? (Verse 37)

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized . . . (Verse 41, first part)

And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship . . . (Verse 42, first part)

The gospel message brought conviction to the hearers. A large number believed and were baptized; and note that they “continued stedfastly in the apostles” doctrine . . . First must come the preaching or presentation of the Gospel, which is doctrine. If this were not so, all preaching and teaching would be superfluous, including yours. WE ARE SAVED BECAUSE WE BELIEVE. WE DO NOT BELIEVE BECAUSE WE ARE SAVED.

The Bible speaks clearly when freed from the doctrinal preconceptions of men. As the late Editor of Watchman, What of the Night? stressed repeatedly, the study of the Bible must needs be exegetical (finding the meaning within the text, and comparing Scripture with Scripture) rather than eisegetical (making the text conform to an existing belief or bias.)

It is also imperative that we progress beyond first principles. Consider again the words of Jesus Christ:

I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. John 16:12-13.

But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. Gal. 1:11-12.

This was not a simple “Jesus loves me this I know.” As the Apostle Peter said of Paul’s writings:

Speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures. 2 Peter 3:16. (NRSV)

Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec. Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God. Heb. 5:10-14, 6:1

Not surprisingly, Paul wrote this in his epistle concerning the work of Jesus Christ as High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary; and so that we should understand clearly the scope of his message to the Hebrews, he explicitly excluded the Most Holy:

And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly. Heb. 9:5

Why do I make this point? Because there are two phases of Christ’s ministry in the heavenly sanctuary, as there were two phases in the earthly sanctuary services, with forgiveness of sin resulting from the daily ministration, and forgiveness and cleansing resulting from the services of the Day of Atonement. Paul was not dealing with the second phase in the book of Hebrews. The first phase in the heavenly sanctuary ended in 1844, be it ever so much denied by some contemporary Seventh-day Adventists and fellow-travelers. Then the antitypical Day of Atonement began, and it will soon result in the cleansing of the final generation of God’s people. THERE IS A DUAL ATONEMENT! This is clearly established by a careful study of Lev. 4 & 16. We cannot reject the promise of the FINAL ATONEMENT and expect to survive spiritually in the time of Jacob’s trouble that is rapidly approaching.

I don’t expect you to agree with the foregoing statements of doctrine; however, all that I have just written is a part of the “the gospel of God, . . .Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord . . . Rom. 1:1,3, of which Paul wrote the following:

And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Thess. 1:7-8

May we heed the warning and be diligent to know the gospel and be obedient to it by the grace of Jesus Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

¹ The focus of the comment is on "WE ARE NOT SAVED BY CORRECT DOCTRINE BUT RATHER BY THE DOING AND DYING OF JESUS CHRIST!" The reference to a day of rest was overlooked. However, the texts quoted apply as much to the Sabbath doctrine as to the other great doctrines of the Bible.