Seventh Day Adventism

Problematic Beliefs and Exclusionary Practices

There can be a lot of confusion in Christianity around whom the Seventh Day Adventists are and what they teach. On one hand, they can appear as orthodox Christians with their teaching on the Trinity, Jesus being God and man, the infallibility and supremacy of Scripture, and more. On the other hand, they seem to have weird practices like worshipping on Saturday and strict dietary laws. So who are they, and can they be identified as Christian?

In the 1840s, there was a man named William Miller who decided to sit and calculate when Jesus would return using Daniel 8.14–16. He found that Jesus would return in 1843 — but He didn’t. But he admitted this error and recalculated and found Jesus would actually return in 1844! — but He didn’t. After these failed prophecies, the Millerite movement mostly dissipated in their Great Disappointment. The few who continued argued that the date was correct, but that Christ’s 1844 return wasn’t a physical return, but a spiritual entering of the holy of holies in the heavenly sanctuary (more on that later). Soon after, the early Adventists began practising seventh-day Sabbatarianism — or worshipping on Saturday rather than Sunday. Present for all of this was a young Ellen G. White. Ellen was 16 during the Great Disappointment and soon received her first vision (of 2000+). In addition to this, Ellen became the author of ~150 books that were hundreds of pages long. Her visions and writings led the Adventist movement to accepting her as a prophetess.

Now that we have a short historical basis for who they are, let us see what they teach. The Seventh Day Adventist movement holds 28 fundamental beliefs as their theological basis. I will be summarizing the main points of their beliefs. A lot of these beliefs seem to be solid Biblically, but there are some major points of contention, bolded below. Additionally, there are some non-mainstream views they hold that are not necessarily exclusionary, italized below.

1. The Scriptures, both Old and New Testament, are inspired by God and are the supreme, authoritative, and infallible revelation of God’s will.
2. There is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a unity of three co-eternal Persons.
3. God the eternal Father is the Creator, Source, Sustainer, and Sovereign of all creation.
4. God the eternal Son became incarnate in Jesus Christ. Through Him all things were created, the character of God is revealed, the salvation of humanity is accomplished, and the world is judged. Forever truly God, He became also truly human, Jesus the Christ… He suffered and died voluntarily on the cross for our sins and in our place, was raised from the dead, and ascended to heaven to minister in the heavenly sanctuary in our behalf. He will come again in glory for the final deliverance of His people and the restoration of all things.
5. God the eternal Spirit was active with the Father and the Son in Creation, incarnation, and redemption. He is as much a person as are the Father and the Son. He inspired the writers of Scripture. He convicts believers and extends spiritual gifts to the church.
6. God created the world in 6 24-hour days and rested on the seventh, establishing the Sabbath as a perpetual memorial of the work. God created one man and one woman, created in His image, to have dominion over the world and take care of it.
7. Humans are created as an indivisible mind, body, spirit union who are free in their actions. When the first humans disobeyed God, they fell from their role, marred the image of God, and introduced death into the world. Their descendants inherit this fallen nature and its consequences. However, Christ reconciled the world in His death, and the Spirit restores the image. Created to glorify God, humans are called to love one another and take care of the environment.
8. All humanity is involved in a great controversy between Christ and Satan. Satan rebelled in heaven, causing a portion of the angels to fall with him, and introduced the spirit of rebellion to Adam and Eve. Observed by the whole creation, this world became the arena of the universal conflict, out of which the God of love will ultimately be vindicated. To assist His people in this controversy, Christ sends the Holy Spirit and the loyal angels to guide, protect, and sustain them in the way of salvation.
9. In Christ’s life of perfect obedience to God’s will, His suffering, death, and resurrection, God provided the only means of atonement for human sin, so that those who by faith accept this atonement may have eternal life, and the whole creation may better understand the infinite and holy love of the Creator. This perfect atonement vindicates the righteousness of God’s law and the graciousness of His character; for it both condemns our sin and provides for our forgiveness. The death of Christ is substitutionary and expiatory, reconciling and transforming. The bodily resurrection of Christ proclaims God’s triumph over the forces of evil, and for those who accept the atonement assures their final victory over sin and death. It declares the Lordship of Jesus Christ, before whom every knee in heaven and on earth will bow.
10. In infinite love and mercy God made Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, so that in Him we might be made the righteousness of God. Led by the Holy Spirit we sense our need, acknowledge our sinfulness, repent of our transgressions, and exercise faith in Jesus as Saviour and Lord, Substitute and Example. This saving faith comes through the divine power of the
    Word and is the gift of God’s grace. Through Christ we are justified, adopted as God’s sons and daughters, and delivered from the lordship of sin. Through the Spirit we are born again and sanctified; the Spirit renews our minds, writes God’s law of love in our hearts, and we are given the power to live a holy life. Abiding in Him we become partakers of the divine
    nature and have the assurance of salvation now and in the judgment.
11. By His death on the cross Jesus triumphed over the forces of evil. Now the Holy Spirit dwells within us and empowers us. In this new freedom in Jesus, we are called to grow into the likeness of His character, communing with Him daily in prayer, feeding on His Word, meditating on it and on His providence, singing His praises, gathering together for worship, and participating in the mission of the Church. We are also called to follow Christ’s example by compassionately ministering to the physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual needs of humanity. As we give ourselves in loving service to those around us and in witnessing to His salvation, His constant presence with us through the Spirit transforms every moment and every task into a spiritual experience.
12. The church is the community of believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour who join together for worship, for fellowship, for instruction in the Word, for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, for service to humanity, and for the worldwide proclamation of the gospel. The church gets her authority from Christ and at His return in triumph, He will present her to Himself a glorious church, the faithful of all the ages, the purchase of His blood, not having spot or wrinkle, but holy and without blemish.
13. The universal church is composed of all who truly believe in Christ, but in the last days, a time of widespread apostasy, a remnant has been called out to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. This remnant announces the arrival of the judgment hour, proclaims salvation through Christ, and heralds the approach of His second advent. Every believer is called to have a personal part in this worldwide witness.
14. The church is one body with many members, called from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. In Christ we are a new creation; distinctions of race, culture, learning, and nationality, and differences between high and low, rich and poor, male and female, must not be divisive among us.
15. By baptism we confess our faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and testify of our death to sin and of our purpose to walk in newness of life. Baptism is a symbol of our union with Christ, the forgiveness of our sins, and our reception of the Holy Spirit. It is by immersion in water and is contingent on an affirmation of faith in Jesus and evidence of repentance of sin.
16. The Lord’s Supper is a participation in the emblems of the body and blood of Jesus as an expression of faith in Him, our Lord and Saviour. As we partake, we joyfully proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes again. Preparation for the Supper includes self-examination, repentance, and confession. The Master ordained the service of foot-washing to signify renewed cleansing, to express a willingness to serve one another in Christlike humility, and to unite our hearts in love. The communion service is open to all believing Christians.
17. God bestows spiritual gifts on all believers by the Holy Spirit, and these gifts include such ministries as faith, healing, prophecy, proclamation, teaching, administration, reconciliation, compassion, and self-sacrificing service and charity for the help and encouragement of people.
18. The Scriptures testify that one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. This gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church and we believe it was manifested in the ministry of Ellen G. White. Her writings speak with prophetic authority and provide comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction to the church. They also make clear that the Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested.
19. The great principles of God’s law are embodied in the Ten Commandments and exemplified in the life of Christ. The Ten Commandments remain binding on all people in every age. These precepts are the basis of God’s covenant with His people and the standard in God’s judgment. Salvation is all of grace and not of works, and its fruit is obedience to the Commandments.
20. The gracious Creator, after the six days of Creation, rested on the seventh day and instituted the Sabbath for all people as a memorial of Creation. The fourth commandment of God’s unchangeable law requires the observance of this seventh-day Sabbath as the day of rest, worship, and ministry in harmony with the teaching and practice of Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a day of delightful communion with God and one another. It is a symbol of our redemption in Christ, a sign of our sanctification, a token of our allegiance, and a foretaste of our eternal future in God’s kingdom. The Sabbath is God’s perpetual sign of His eternal covenant between Him and His people. Joyful observance of this holy time from evening to evening, sunset to sunset, is a celebration of God’s creative and redemptive acts.
21. We are God’s stewards, entrusted by Him with time and opportunities, abilities and possessions, and the blessings of the earth and its resources. We are responsible to Him for their proper use.
22. We are called to be a godly people who think, feel, and act in harmony with biblical principles in all aspects of personal and social life. This means that our amusement and entertainment should meet the highest standards of Christian taste and beauty. Clothing is to be simple, modest, and neat, and we are to adopt the healthiest diet possible and abstain from the unclean foods identified in Scripture. This would also include abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, and other narcotics.
23. Marriage was instituted in Eden to be between one man and one woman. Mutual love, honor, respect, and responsibility are the fabric of this relationship, which is to reflect the love, sanctity, closeness, and permanence of the relationship between Christ and His church. Divorce is not permittable except in the case of fornication. God blesses the family and intends that its members shall assist each other toward complete maturity. Increasing family closeness is one of the earmarks of the final gospel message. By their example and their words they are to teach them that Christ is a loving, tender, and caring guide who wants them to become members of His body, the family of God which embraces both single and married persons.
24. There is a sanctuary in heaven, the true tabernacle that the Lord set up and not humans. In it Christ ministers on our behalf, making available to believers the benefits of His atoning sacrifice offered once for all on the cross. At His ascension, He was inaugurated as our great High Priest and, began His intercessory ministry, which was typified by the work of the high priest in the holy place of the earthly sanctuary. In 1844, at the end of the prophetic period of 2300 days, He entered the second and last phase of His atoning ministry, which was typified by the work of the high priest in the most holy place of the earthly sanctuary. It is a work of investigative judgment which is part of the ultimate disposition of all sin, typified by the cleansing of the ancient Hebrew sanctuary on the Day of Atonement. In that typical service the sanctuary was cleansed with the blood of animal sacrifices, but the heavenly things are purified with the perfect sacrifice of the blood of Jesus. The investigative judgment reveals to heavenly intelligences who among the dead are asleep in Christ and therefore, in Him, are deemed worthy to have part in the first resurrection. It also makes manifest who among the living are abiding in Christ, keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and in Him, therefore, are ready for translation into His everlasting kingdom. This judgment vindicates the justice of God in saving those who believe in Jesus. It declares that those who have remained loyal to God shall receive the kingdom. The completion of this ministry of Christ will mark the close of human probation before the Second Advent.
25. The second coming of Christ is the blessed hope of the church, the grand climax of the gospel. The Saviour’s coming will be literal, personal, visible, and worldwide. When He returns, the righteous dead will be resurrected, and together with the righteous living will be glorified and taken to heaven, but the unrighteous will die. The almost complete fulfillment of
    most lines of prophecy, together with the present condition of the world, indicates that Christ’s coming is near. The time of that event has not been revealed, and we are therefore exhorted to be ready at all times.
26. The wages of sin is death. But God, who alone is immortal, will grant eternal life to His redeemed. Until that day death is an unconscious state for all people. When Christ, who is our life, appears, the resurrected righteous and the living righteous will be glorified and caught up to meet their Lord. The second resurrection, the resurrection of the unrighteous, will take place a thousand years later.
27. The millennium is the thousand-year reign of Christ with His saints in heaven between the first and second resurrections. During this time the wicked dead will be judged; the earth will be utterly desolate, without living human inhabitants, but occupied by Satan and his angels. At its close Christ with His saints and the Holy City will descend from heaven to earth. The unrighteous dead will then be resurrected, and with Satan and his angels will surround the city; but fire from God will consume them and cleanse the earth. The universe will thus be freed of sin and sinners forever.
28. On the new earth, in which righteousness dwells, God will provide an eternal home for the redeemed and a perfect environment for everlasting life, love, joy, and learning in His presence. For here God Himself will dwell with His people, and suffering and death will have passed away. The great controversy will be ended, and sin will be no more. All things, animate and inanimate, will declare that God is love; and He shall reign forever.

Of their beliefs, the ones that serve as extremely problematic and potentially excluding them from Christ would be:

1. Their teaching that the Sabbath is an ongoing institution that all believers must uphold.
2. Their teaching that the Ten Commandments are binding over all believers.
3. Their teaching that the foods labelled unclean in the Old Testament continue to be unclean.
4. Their teaching around the heavenly sanctuary and investigative judgement.
5. Their teaching of a great apstacy, and as we will see later the connection of that to the Sabbath and the mark of the Beast.

Of their beliefs, the non-mainstream beliefs would be:

1. The acceptance of William Miller’s prophecies about 1844 as being accurate.
2. The acceptance of Ellen G. White’s teachings as prophetic and instructive to the whole of the church.
3. The practice of foot-washing before the Lord’s Supper.
4. The necessity of immersion in water for baptism to be valid.
5. The soul-sleep of all the dead before the resurrection.
6. The annihilation of all the unrighteous, Satan, and the demons.

All of this does not delve into the weird and wacky world of Ellen’s many “visions” and “prophetic” works.

I am strongly of the persuasion that the Seventh Day Adventist movement is not a valid Christian church. Their strong exclusion of almost every other Christian group is extremely concerning, along with their belief in strictly holding the Sabbath and unclean food laws. I find their teachings to be far too sectarian, violate Scripture’s clear teachings in Galatians, and give a “gospel” that finished by the flesh what is started by the Spirit.

Remember the words of Scripture:

1 Timothy 4.1–5 — The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

Colossians 2.16–23 — Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

Titus 3.9–11 — But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.

Galatians 2.15–16 — We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

Galatians 3.10–12 — For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”

Romans 7.4–6 — So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

Galatians 5.16–18 —So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Romans 16.17–18 — I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.

The Scriptures are clear, we are now dead to the whole of the law and are not under any portion of it. Instead of living by the law, we who are Christ’s are led by the Spirit. Those who teach that we must abstain from certain foods or uphold Sabbaths are being led astray by demonic influence and show themselves to not be a part of Christ. Stay vigilant that you are not led astray by those who teach false doctrines to capture you under the dead works of the law which cannot justify anyone. Although they seem to have the essentials of the gospel, they corrupt it with their insistence on obedience to the law.

I hope in the future to bring deeper exegesis to the specific teachings of the Seventh Day Adventist church, such as heavenly sanctuary and their understanding of the end times.

May God bless you and keep you now and forever.