C U L T S S Part 7
Seventh-day Adventism
Here graphically illustrated with exact quotations from published material is
what Seventh-day Adventists believe about Jesus Christ, Salvation, Atonement
B y Louis T . Talbot
H aving first applied the test of what they do with the Word o f God to Adventism, we will now make the second test: How do they deal with the Lord Jesus Christ? We have seen from their slavery to the writings of Mrs. White that they dishonor the Word o f God. So they failed the first test, and it is not surprising that they fail in this one as well. What does Adventism do with our Lord Jesus Christ in His deity and His sinless humanity ? In 1916 the Pacific Press Association of Mountain View, Calif., published a book of 794 pages entitled, Bible Read ings for the Home Circle, evidently a favorite book of mem bers o f the Adventist church. On page 173 of this book appears this question: "How fully did Christ share our common humanity?” And here is the answer: "Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.” Then there is this further note: "In His humanity Christ partook of our sinful, fallen nature. If not, then, He was not made 'like unto His brethren’, was not 'in all points tempted like as we are’, did not overcome as we have to overcome, and is not, therefore, the complete and perfect Saviour man needs and must have to be saved. The idea that Christ was born of an immaculate or sinless mother [Protestants do not claim this for the virgin Mary], inher ited no tendencies to sin, and for this reason did not sin, removes Him from the realm of a fallen world, and from the very place where help is needed. On His human side, Christ inherited just what every child of Adam inherits — a sinful, fallen nature. On the divine side, from His very conception He was begotten and born of the Spirit. And this was done to place mankind on vantage-ground, and to demonstrate that in the same way every one who is 'born of the Spirit’ may gain like victories over sin in his own sin ful flesh. Thus each one is to overcome as Christ overcame (Rev. 3:21). Without this birth there can be no victory
over temptation, and no salvation from sin (John 3 :3 -7 )” (ital. are mine). A nalyze this terrible statement for a moment. If Christ did not have a sinful nature, then He was not a complete and perfect Saviour. On the human side, He had a sinful nature, exactly like ours, and had the same battle with the flesh that we do. This puts Him on a par with us, and takes away His deity. It is almost unbelievable that a sect that talks so much about the Lord would deal so unjustly with Him. Not one word of this statement is backed up by Scrip ture. We read in Hebrews 7:26,27: "For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacri fice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.” And here are other verses from the Word of God that show the awfulness of the lie that Adventism is here per petrating : "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness o f God in him” (2 Cor. 5 :21). ". R the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me” (John 14:30). "And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin” (1 John 3 :5 ). "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree” (1 Pet. 2 :24 ). This verse indicates clearly that while Christ bore our sins in His body, He did not bear them in His nature. Further, when the angel announced the coming of the Messiah to Mary, note the language as so carefully recorded by Luke, the physician: "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born o f thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). O f course, "that holy thing” referred to His sinless humanity, His holy human nature. We are not born with sinless natures. But He was God. "Let no man say when he is tempted, I
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