In this issue:
Atonement, Christology and the Trinity
The Mark of Perfection
David Clayton
And the dragon was wroth with the
woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the
commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Rev
12:17)
Many of us have used this verse in proving to people that we belong to
the true movement of God in these last days. We have pointed out that
there are two marks of the remnant, firstly, they keep the commandments
of God, and secondly, they have the testimony of Jesus Christ and of
course the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. (Rev. 19:10).
These two things have been the key proofs in demonstrating that we are a
part of God’s Remnant Movement.
It is true that in the context of Revelation, God gives us these two
identifying marks. However, Revelation is a book of figures and symbols
and it is possible to misunderstand or misinterpret much of what it is
really saying. There is a mark described in the Bible which is more
fundamental, more basic and really more unmistakable which is identified
as the true mark of a perfect Christian. What is this true mark? Let us
see what it says in 1 Cor. 12:28
And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily
prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings,
helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
Notice all the gifts which God put in the church. All these
outstanding gifts are things to be coveted. The Mormons claim to have
twelve apostles and a prophet. The Jehovah’s witnesses claim that Judge
Rutherford, their founder was a prophet, and Seventh-day Adventists make
the same claim for Ellen White. The gifts of the spirit are things to
be coveted and are often seen as an indicator of God’s calling, the mark
of the people of God. However, the apostle Paul continued with his
argument in verses 29-31:
Are all apostles? are all
prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the
gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? But covet
earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.
(1 Cor 12: 29-31)
What was Paul talking about? He was about to show a way which was
more excellent, but more excellent than what? A way which was more
excellent than having the gifts of teaching, apostleship, prophecy,
miracles, healing etc. There is a greater way than having the spirit of
prophecy, there is a greater way than even keeping “the commandments of
God” and having the “testimony of Jesus Christ,” in the way that we
usually understand these two identifying marks. In other words he is
saying, “if you desire to set up a standard as the goal to be attained
in your Christian life, here is what you are to go for.”
The greatest gift
Now this chapter, first Corinthian 12 is followed immediately by one
of the greatest chapters in the Bible. It is 1 Corinthians 13, and of
course you know that this is the chapter which speaks of love and its
importance and in general, deals with love in its different facets. It
begins,
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not
charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. (1 Cor
13:1)
I am one of the people who feels most comfortable with gentle sounds
such as guitar music. The clash and clang of cymbals is not quite my
kind of sound. At times the guitar almost seems to speak when it is
played properly, but from my perspective, a cymbal only makes a
meaningless noise.
Now Paul says, “it doesn’t matter what gift of the spirit you have, if
that is all you have you might as well be out there making a noise like
an empty drum that is being beaten.” It doesn’t make any sense. He
says, “if I have all those things and I don’t have love I am only a
noise maker.”
“And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries,
and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove
mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all
my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and
have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. (1 Cor 13:,3)
Love fulfills the law
Romans 13:8 gives us some additional insight into this subject of
love. Let us see what it says. Here we begin to put Revelation 12:17 in
its proper context. It says,
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth
another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit
adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear
false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other
commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou
shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his
neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (Rom 13:9,10)
Whichever angle we approach it from the ultimate goal of Christianity
is that we love each other. That is what Christ wants. Paul says the
only obligation I have towards you is that I am bound to love you. If I
could get up each morning and the only thought in my mind be, “what good
thing can I do for you?” And if I could carry this attitude out in my
life in a practical way each day, then according to the Bible I would
have fulfilled the law. If that is my only motivation, not to seek my
own good or my own aggrandizement or my own uplifting but the well-being
of others, then the Bible says I have fulfilled the law. Is this the
meaning of the text? This is what the Scripture means when it says that
“love fulfills the law.” Properly understood and exercised, love is the
fulfilling of the law.
Now, you will notice it speaks about five of the commandments and it
says, “if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in
this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” Of
course that needs a little explanation, so let’s go to Matthew 22 and
look at verse 37. This is the same quotation we use all the time to
prove which is the greatest commandment of all but I want us to read a
little further this time.
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first
and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love
thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and
the prophets. (Mat 22:37-40)
The whole emphasis of these verses is love but it is love directed in
two ways, directed first of all to God and then secondly directed to our
neighbors.
When Paul says that love fulfills the law it is clear that in this
passage he is speaking of the second part of the law. “Love thy neighbor
as they self,” fulfills the second part of the law. That is the second
commandment, but Jesus says the first is, “love God with all your
heart,” and this covers the first section of the law of God. However, I
can put the law in a negative setting. I can say “please don’t come and
pick my oranges, or, please don’t come in my house with your dirty
shoes,” or, “don’t speak to me in that way.” This is the negative way of
presenting it, but suppose I say “you are to love me and treat me like
you would treat yourself.” It covers everything without going into the
details and that’s what it means when it says “love is the fulfilling of
the law.” Love does not think ill or seek ill for its neighbor so love
fulfills the law. On these two commandments hang all the law and the
prophets.
Love Forbears and Forgives
Lets look at Colossians 3:12-14 and you will find that this is an
emphasis which is very prominent in the scriptures. It says,
“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of
mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
Forbearing one another,” and forgiving one another, if any man have a
quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” (Col
3:12-13)
What does it mean when it says, “forbearing one another?” It means,
bearing with one another. Now if a person does not have faults do you
need to bear with him?
Think for a moment and ask yourself the question, “what was my state
when Christ forgave me?” Christ died for me when I had no desire to
please Him. Which of us can stand up and say ‘today I have not offended
Christ, I have not hurt Him, I have not sinned.’ I mean, if we look at
the things our brothers and sisters have done to hurt us, how does that
compare with what we have done to hurt Christ? The word here says that
“just as Christ forgave you,” that is the measure in which you are to
forgive your brother or your sister.
Furthermore Jesus told a parable that makes us know very clearly that
if you don’t forgive your brother and sister; then the forgiveness that
God gave to you He is going to take it back. (Matt. 8:3-35). He told of a
man who owed many thousands of pence to a certain king, but was freely
forgiven by the king. However this same man went and caught a man who
owed him a penny or two, grabbed him by the throat and threw him into
prison. When the king heard about it he was highly displeased. The man
was called back before the king who said, “You wicked man. I forgave you
freely so you should also have forgiven your brother. Because you
didn’t forgive I am withdrawing my forgiveness. You are going to be sent
to prison until you pay every penny that you owe.” Jesus concluded the
parable by saying, “that is how my father will deal with those of you
who do not from your heart forgive one another.”
It is true that these verses do not deal with all the issues.
Sometimes human relationships are very complex and there are things that
are not as simple as just forgiveness. There are also the issues of
having confidence in one another and trusting one another. There are
some issues that forgiveness alone does not cover, but if we start out
on the principle of having God’s attitude towards one another, then we
begin on the correct foundation and make it possible for wrongs to be
made right, and for true harmony to exist among God’s people.
I believe that my eternal salvation does not depend on anybody else
apart from Christ and me. But I also believe that Jesus made me a part
of His body and I believe that as a part of His body He wanted me to be
responsible for every single person who is also a part of that body. I
could not have a rotting finger and say, “I don’t care about it, let it
take care of itself.” Similarly, I could not be a part of the body of
Christ and not care that there is a part of that body which is sick and
in need of help.
The truth is that if we need to forgive one another it will be because
some of us offend others, isn’t that right? If we don’t offend each
other there will be no need to forgive each other, if we don’t have
faults there will be no need to forbear with one another. It is evident
that He is talking to people with the recognition that there are faults,
there are problems, there are weaknesses and we are to bear with each
other and be patient with each other.
If it ever comes to the point where you say “I have to lose this
finger,” it must be because this finger cannot be recovered as in the
case of cancer or some other diseases that begin to rot away the limb
and you know that if it spreads any further it is going to destroy the
body then you cut it off but you cut it reluctantly.
Have you ever known anybody who happily goes to the surgeon and says
“cut this hand off!” When you go to the dentist with a bad tooth they
tell you, “try to fill the tooth and not to extract it.” You try to save
it and the only reason you extract it is if it cannot be saved. There
are times when it must be pulled, there are times when you must cut out
the cancer but it is the extreme measure that you try to put off as long
as possible because you care for the limb. We’re all a part of the body
of Christ and so we need to think about this.
Above all else
Now as we continue reading from Colossians chapter 3, it says,
“And above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness.” (Col 3:14)
Above what things? Above meekness, longsuffering, kindness, humbleness
of mind, mercies, forbearing with one another, forgiving one another. I
may say to somebody “I forgive you, I will be patient with you, I will
bear with you,” but there is something greater than this and it is to
have true love for the person. I’ve seen parents bearing with their
children in a way that is marvellous. Sometimes these children are rude,
disobedient and stubborn, but when I watch the parents bearing with
them, I realize that love truly is patient and longsuffering. Something
inside of them reaches out to that child so much that they can hardly
bring themselves to hurt the child even a little bit, and even when it
is very necessary. If we felt that way about one another we would be far
more slow to condemn and to estrange ourselves from each another.
It says “above all these things put on love because this is the bond
of perfectness.” Why is it that love is chosen? Why is it that love is
singled out as the mark of perfection? Notice, the mark of perfection is
not the testimony of Jesus Christ or the keeping of the commandments;
the mark of perfection is love. Why is that so? 1 John 4:8 says,
“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”
If God is love and I experience true love I have become like God and
God is perfect. Love is the mark of perfection because love is the
character of God.
This is my commandment
One of the favorite verses of most Adventists is, John 15:10.
“If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.”
This is similar to verse 14 where Jesus says,
“Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.”
The truth is that we often misunderstand the true meaning of these
verses. Verse 12 emphasizes the point which Jesus was really making. It
says,
“This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you.”
In the context of John chapters 13, 14, and 15, when Jesus talks about
the commandments, He is speaking the commandment to love one another.
When Jesus was about to go back to heaven that was the great burden on
His heart. These disciples had just been a little while before
quarreling about who was going to be the greatest. The other ten
disciples had discovered that James and John had gone around in quiet
with their mother to Jesus to ask Him to give them a big position in the
kingdom over the others? Imagine what kind of resentment was brooding
in their hearts against these two disciples. Do you think there was any
kind of charitable feelings toward those two?
Jesus did not get them together and say, “James and John you were out
of place,”and He didn’t put them in their place before the other
disciples. He just said to all of them, “there’s a burden on my heart.
I’m going to die and I’m going to leave you all and you are going into
the greatest sorrow that you have ever experienced and there’s a burden
on my heart.” So He tried to tell them, “the thing I want most is that
you love one another as I have loved you.” He knew that if James and
John came to understand this they would never want to lord it over on
their brethren. He knew that if those brethren came to understand this
love they would never mind having James and John in a higher position
than them. He knew it did not matter to people who loved one another. He
knew that people who loved one another would be thinking, “It is better
that he should have it than that I should have it.”
When we talk about love we are not talking about sentimentalism. Look at what it says in 1 Cor 13:4-6:
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity
vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly,
seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth
not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth.” (1 Cor 13:4-6)
Love “suffers long.” Does this mean that you can stand up in the fire
or put your hand in the fire and hold it there for a long time? Is that
the kind of longsuffering which Paul means? What is it talking about? It
is talking about when somebody hurts you again and again and what do
you do? You allow it, you endure it for long. You put up with it again
and again and again. That is what love is like. It suffers long “and is
kind;”
“Charity envieth not.” Love does not care that this brother is getting
up here and you are down here, you are glad for your brother. You don’t
try to exalt yourself or put yourself in the first place. “seeketh not
her own,” meaning what? We don’t seek for our own interest and that’s
very interesting because what do we do from morning till night but seek
our own interest? But it says that true love does not seek its own
interest.
Think about the life of heavenly beings. At the beginning of each day
what is the first concern on the mind of my guardian angel? It is me
isn’t it. I am his interest, I am his hobby, his life. All his energies
are exerted for my salvation, he doesn’t concern himself about himself
because he knows that the Father is thinking about him. Now we are
supposed to be God’s messengers on earth but we get up in the morning
and what is the first thing we think about? You can fill in the blanks.
But true love is not self-seeking. the passage goes on to say,
“Love is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil,”
Would to God that this might rivet itself into our hearts. Little
things annoy us so easily, sometimes something so innocently said. This
ability to withstand provocation goes hand in hand with the virtue of
thinking “no evil.” What does that mean? I want to rephrase it; “love is
not suspicious.” Love does not put a bad motive to your actions even
when it seems that way. I don’t think that when you did this it was
because you wanted to slight me or to show off yourself. Love puts the
best construction on a person’s actions.
The finishing of the work
You know we can put perfection in any kind of language or context that
we want but ultimately perfection means being like God, and being like
God means experiencing and having and demonstrating the love that God
has. There is a beautiful comment by Ellen White which expresses it in a
thrilling way.
“when we love the world as He (Jesus) has loved it, then for us His
mission is accomplished. We are fitted for heaven for heaven is in our
hearts.” – The Desire of Ages p. 641
Every time I read this, it stirs me. What does perfection mean? How do
I become perfect? How should I perceive of perfection? When we love the
world as Christ loves it then Jesus’ work on our behalf is finished. We
may talk about the Atonement, we may talk about the blotting out of
sins, the perfecting of the saints, or the sealing of the 144,000, but
here is a simpler way: When we love the world as Christ loved it then
His work for us is finished. We are ready for heaven because at that
point, when that kind of love is in us, heaven is in our hearts. It’s a
simple way of putting it, it’s a marvelous way of putting it, but it’s
the way that we really ought to come to see it.
How can people know that we are His disciples? How can people know
that we are Christians? Not because we keep the commandments of God and
have the testimony of Jesus Christ. How can people know that you are
Christians? Jesus says “this is how people are going to know that you
are Christians, this is how people are going to know that you follow me,
it is when you have love one for another.”(John 13:35).
But how will they know that we love one another? Will it be when we
walk around and say, “I love the brethren?” doesn’t everybody do that?
How are people going to know that we have love one for another?
The apostle John suggests that if we don’t love our fellowmen whom we can see then it is not possible to love
God whom we cannot see. (1 John 4:20). A person might say, “I love God
and I’m seeking the glory of God,” but if we don’t demonstrate love for
our fellowmen it shows that we don’t have love for God at all.
If an unbeliever should do an examination of our lives over the past
year will they truly come to the conclusion that we love one another?
What then will they conclude about the kind of people we are with
respect to the Christianity of the Bible?
In 1 John 3:18 it says,
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:18)
Could we paraphrase that? “Let your actions show your love, not your mouth.”
There is one other thing which probably needs to be emphasized and it
is this. My chief concern, if I read the Bible right, is not to be that
another person does not love me. My concern should be that I love that
person! That’s what the Scripture emphasizes. It emphasizes my duty to
love the world. Do I expect the world to love me? If I expect the world
to love me it is because I don’t understand the word of God. God’s word
says that the world will hate me but I must love the world as Christ
loved the world, I’m to love my brethren regardless of how they regard
me and if everyone of us gets this concept right then a lot of the
things that are wrong will become right.
Remember ….
Restoration Ministries Campmeeting
Will be held on April 8-12, 2004
at the Youth With A Mission Campsite at Rudds Corner, Manchester, Jamaica West Indies.
(15 minutes away from the Restoration Ministries chapel)
Special guest speakers include: Brother Willis Smith & Doctor Steven Burks (both from Ohio in the USA)
Make early plans to attend
For more information call (876) 625-2785
or email: info@restorationministry.com
Isaiah 9:6
(Isa 9:6) For unto us a child is
born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his
shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty
God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
This verse has often been used by defenders of the Trinity as
evidence that Jesus is God Himself. Here it states quite clearly that
“His name shall be called … mighty God,” and this, it is declared, makes
it evident that Jesus is God Himself. Some go further and note that His
name is also called, “everlasting Father,” and draw the conclusion that
this indicates that Jesus is God the Father! This is one of the key
texts used by those who believe in the “Jesus only,” doctrine, to prove
that the Father and Son are one and the same person. Most Trinitarians
however, ignore the part where it says He will be called the,
“everlasting Father,” while they make a big thing of the fact that He is
called the, “mighty God.”
Let us not forget as we examine this verse that it also says that
Jesus would be called, “wonderful counselor,” as well as the “Prince of
Peace.”
The interesting question is this: Was Jesus ever called by any of
these names? Is He called by these names today? Well, the angel who
announced His birth told Mary specifically to call His name “Jesus.”
This was the name by which He was known all His life apart from a few
times when He was referred to as “Christ,” “Messiah,” “Lord,” or
“Master.” Even today He is referred to as “Jesus,” “Lord,” “Christ,” or
“Jesus Christ.” He is never referred to as, “everlasting Father,” or
even “wonderful Counsellor.”
What is the explanation of this? Did Isaiah make a false prophecy? The
answer is no. The fact is, that people, as they so often do, have
misinterpreted and misunderstood this prophecy and read a meaning into
it which God did not intend.
The phrase, “his name shall be called,” or some variation of it
appears several times in the Bible and especially in the book of Isaiah.
Often we find that the person or the institution referred to was never
in fact actually called by that particular name. Here are some examples
of what I mean:
Isa. 7:14 – “call his name Immanuel…”
Isa. 1:26 – “shalt be called the city of righteousness”
Isa. 4:1 – “Let us be called by thy name”
Isa. 4:3 – “Jerusalem shall be called holy.”
Isa. 58:12 – “thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach …”
Isa. 61:3 – “be called trees of righteousness …”
Isa. 62:4 – “thou shalt be called Hephzibah…”
Jer. 23:6 – “His name … the Lord our righteousness.”
In these verses we do not have a difficulty in understanding what is
being said. We understand that the emphasis in these names is on the
character which they describe, rather than that the individuals or
institutions referred to were to be actually addressed by such titles.
The names described the characteristics of the persons or institutions
referred to and God’s only intent was that as we read these names we
should focus on the characteristics. He was not saying that they would
actually be addressed by these titles.
So in these names ascribed to Jesus in Isa. 9:6, what characteristics
are we being directed to? The meaning and implication of most of the
titles is self evident. But let us briefly look at the meaning of the
two phrases which usually cause the most controversy, the names, “Mighty
God,” and “Everlasting Father.”
In Jesus there is the character, the qualities of God. Firstly, He had
the character of God and secondly He has the power of God. His name or
His character is that of the mighty God.
This is not saying that Jesus is God Himself, any more than the title,
“everlasting Father,” means that He is God the Father. His character
shall be that of the mighty God. In Him will be found the qualities of
the everlasting Father, therefore in that sense, this would be the name
by which He would be called.
In Exodus 23:21. Speaking of Christ, the “angel” whom He would send before the Israelites, God stated,
“Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.”
Thus the angel rightly had the name of God because He possessed the
power, the authority and the character of God. However, this did not
mean that He was God Himself.The name of Christ in His preexistence is
“Michael,” which means, “He who is like God.” This emphasizes the fact
that Jesus has the qualities and in this sense, the names of God,
without being God Himself. Notice it says, “His name shall be called …”
This is how people would regard Christ. These are the qualities which
they would see in Him. He would be ruler, the government would be upon
His shoulder and the people would “call” Him, or would see in Him the
qualities of counselor, the qualities of God or of divinity, the
qualities of a father, even those of God the Father Himself, and finally
the qualities of a king who would bring peace, hence, the Prince of
Peace.
Atonement, Christology, and the Trinity
The following article is an
excerpt from the book, The Sanctuary and the Atonement, Biblical,
Historical and Theological Studies Prepared by the Biblical Research
Committee of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, pages
530-533. Many Seventh-day Adventists are persuaded that Leroy Froom was a
dependable historian and that the criticisms we have made of him both
for his beliefs and for his misrepresentations of SDA history
are unfounded and unfair. In light of this, it is interesting to see
what the Biblical Research Committee of the General Conference of
Seventh-day Adventists has to say about Leroy Froom’s representation of
the doctrine of the Trinity in Early Adventism.
That some kind of Arianism was present among pioneer
Seventh-day Adventists is well known. The extent, nature, and reason for
its presence is less well known. Confusion has been contributed by the
success of L.E. Froom’s Movement of Destiny. Written to defend genuine
Adventism from critics outside of and within the ranks, Movement of
Destiny treats early Adventist Arianism like an encapsulated cancer,
gross but confined. That it was held by leaders and was taught in the
Review and in widely circulated books and pamphlets did not deter Froom
from his restricted appraisal.
Had Froom been able to grasp the Arian aspect of early Adventism
more perceptively, he would have realized its general pervasiveness –
and, at the same time, would likely have been less embarrassed by it.
Erwin Gane in a master’s thesis and Russel Holt in a research paper
have demonstrated that for several decades Sabbath-keeping Adventists
were about as uniform in opposing Trinitarianism as they were in
advocating belief in the second coming. The situation was general and
widespread.
Explanation for this situation involves early Adventist understanding
not only of Trinitarianism but also of the atonement. The atonement is
one of the themes of the present paper.
J.M. Stephenson may be regarded as a spokesman for his brethren in
this area. A series by him entitled “The Atonement” appeared in the
Review in nine front-page installments between August 22 and December 5,
1854. Editor James White urged readers at the beginning of the series
to “carefully peruse each article when published.” Immediately after the
series closed, he rejoiced that this “valuable assistant” in the study
of the atonement was now available in book form. Even though Stephenson
soon withdrew his fellowship, his book on the atonement was advertised
until sometime in 1861 when, presumably, the supply of copies ran out.
At the outset, Stephenson made a nice distinction between atonement
and reconciliation. Atonement he defined as having “exclusive reference
to the mind of an offended God, “whereas reconciliation, he said,
“refers to the mind of offending men.” He used the distinction to
demonstrate that Christ’s atonement should not lead to the doctrine of
Universalism.
Stephenson dealt with Trinitarianism when he discussed Christ’s
fitness to offer God an adequate atonement. Trinitarians, he charged,
“claim that the Son of God had three distinct natures at the same time;
viz., a human body, a human soul, united with his Divine nature: the
body being mortal, the soul immortal, the Divinity co-equal,
co-existent, and co-eternal with the everlasting Father. Now, none of
the advocates of this theory, claim that either his soul or Divinity
died, that the body was the only part of this triple being which
actually died “the death of the cross;” hence, according to this view
(which makes the death of Christ the grand atoning sacrifice for the
sins of the world) we only have the sacrifice of the most inferior part —
the human body — of the Son of God.”
In place of so inadequate a sacrifice as a mere human body, Stephenson
(and other early Sabbatarian Adventists) taught a Christ who was able
to offer God the death of a whole man, body and soul – yet not of an
ordinary man by any means. Christ, in Stephenson’s thought, was created
somewhere in eternity in the special sense of being “only begotten.” He
was deathless, divine, and Son of God before His incarnation. At His
incarnation, His divinity did not take on humanity, as Trinitarians
claimed; it was exchanged for humanity while Jesus nonetheless remained
the Son of God. He “did not lose his personal identity in his transition
from God to man.” Said Stephenson, commenting on John 1:14, “‘The Word
was made flesh.’ The natural import of this language is, that the only
begotten of the Father, was actually converted into flesh, . . . that
the Divine nature was made human; nay, that the very substance of which
he was originally composed was converted into flesh.”
The present paper is not oriented to tracing the development of
Christology and anti-Trinitarianism in Seventh-day Adventism. We touch
on it here because of its relationship to the doctrine of the atonement.
A few further comments in passing, however, may be helpful.
First, Stephenson’s objections to Trinitarianism were related not only
to the atonement but also to the question of the soul’s immortality.
His views on both Trinitarianism and Conditionalism are traceable, in
part at least, to Henry Grew, who, via the writings of his disciple
George Storrs, influenced many Millerites to adopt conditionalism.
Conditionalism has always been a major feature of Sabbatarian Adventism.
Conditionalism influenced early Adventists to be anti-Trinitarian.
Second, some of Ellen White’s later statements about Christ’s human
and divine natures gain meaning when read in the context of Stephenson’s
theology. In the Review for June 15, 1905, she said that Christ “veiled
his divinity with the garb of humanity, but He did not part with His
divinity. A divine-human Saviour, He came. . . .” In the Review for
February 18, 1890, she said, “In Christ, divinity and humanity were
combined. Divinity was not degraded to humanity; divinity held its
place, but humanity by being united to divinity withstood the fiercest
test of temptation. . . .” In QOD, p. 650, she is quoted as saying,
“when Christ was crucified, it was His human nature that died. Deity did
not sink and die; that would have been impossible.” Such a statement
would have bothered Adventist pioneers if first published in the 1850s
(instead of in 1904). Her statement in DA, p. 530, “In Christ was life,
original, unborrowed, underived,” caused consternation in the 1890s, but
it also nudged Adventism effectively toward appreciation for a concept
of Trinitarianism that was consonant with Conditionalism.
Third, Stephenson’s Christology intended definitely to honor Christ
and also to correct popular misconceptions about Christ’s sufferings:
“Having investigated the original nature, glory and dignity of our Lord
and Master; having gazed a few moments upon the face of him who is the
fairest among ten thousand, and altogether lovely; having had a glance
at the celestial glory he had with the Father, before the world was, and
beheld that matchless form which is the image of the invisible God; and
having looked with wonder and admiration upon this august personage,
exalted far above angels and thrones and dominions, principalities and
powers; we are prepared, as afar as our feeble perceptions can
comprehend, to appreciate that amazing love and condescension which
induced our adorable Redeemer to forego all the glories and honors of
heaven, and all the endearments of his Father’s presence.”
Indeed, according to Stephenson, so great was Christ’s condescension
in giving up His divinity in order to become a man, that we need to
realize that His earthly experience was only a portion of His sacrifice
on our behalf: “The great difficulty with most writers on the atonement
is this; they do not commence this sacrifice at the proper place: they
commence with the poverty of our Redeemer’s birth, and reason correctly
in reference to his subsequent history: whereas they should commence
with his highest nature, as “the only begotten of the Father,” and
“beginning of the creation of God,” and follow him through every degree
of his humiliation, from the moment he consented to divest himself of
the glory of the Father, to his descent into the depths of the grave.
His sacrifice covers the whole ground between these two points. But, by
far the greater portion of the sacrifice had been made before his advent
in the flesh. It consisted in the Word’s consenting to become flesh; in
the Divine nature, consenting to become human: in him who was rich
voluntarily becoming poor.
Whatever criticism may be leveled at early Adventist
anti-Trinitarianism, it cannot fairly be accused of intending to
downgrade our Lord. It labored lovingly to upgrade popular conceptions
of the atonement. Movement of Destiny need not have been embarrassed!
From the book, The Sanctuary and the Atonement, Biblical,
Historical and Theological Studies Prepared by the Biblical Research
Committee of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, pages
530-533
Others may, you cannot!
If God has called you to be really
like Jesus, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility,
and put upon you such demands of obedience that you will not be able to
follow other people, or measure yourself by other Christians; and in
many ways He will seem to let other good people do things which He will
not let you do.
Other Christians and ministers, who seem to be very religious and
useful may push themselves, pull wires and, work schemes to carry out
their plans, but you cannot do it; and if you attempt it, you will meet
with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as will make you sorely
penitent.
Others may boast of themselves, of their work, of their success, of
their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such
thing; and if you begin it …. will lead you into some deep
mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good
works.
Others may be allowed to succeed in making money, or may have a
legacy left to them; but it is likely God will keep you poor, because He
wants you to have something far better than gold, namely, a helpless
dependence on Him, that He may have the privilege of supplying your need
day by day out of an unseen treasury.
The Lord may make others be honoured and put forward, and keep you
hidden in obscurity, because He wants to produce some choice, fragrant
fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade. He
may let others be great,, but keep you small. He may let others do a
work for Him, and get the credit for it, but He will make you work and
toil without knowing how much you are doing; and then, to make your work
still more precious, He may let others get the credit for work which
you have done, and thus make your reward ten times greater when Jesus
comes.
The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch over you, with a jealous
love, and will rebuke you for little words and feelings, or for wasting
your time and money, which other Christians never seem distressed over.
So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign, and has a
right to do as He pleases with His own. He may not explain to you a
thousand things which puzzle your reason in His dealings with you; but
if you absolutely sell yourself to be His love slave, He will wrap you
in an inexpressible love and bestow upon you many blessings which come
only to those who are in the inner circle.
Settle it forever, then, that you are to deal directly with the Holy
Spirit, and that (God) is to have the privilege of tying your tongue,
or chaining your hand, or closing your eyes, in ways that He does not
seem to use with others. Now when you are so possessed with, the living
God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this
peculiar, personal, private jealous guardianship and management of the
Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of heaven.
G.D. Watson in Living Waters
The Experience of Abiding
To maintain an awareness of the
indwelling presence of God and Jesus, we must learn to look at the world
through God’s eyes. We must educate, train, discipline ourselves to
think the thoughts of God. We must know ourselves to be holy beings as
the word of God tells us that we are. To recognize ourselves as being
truly partakers of the divine nature and as such to have the very mind
of God. To realize that our actions are the very actions of God; our
attitude to a brother or sister, the very attitude of God. that it is
God HIMSELF, by His Spirit in actual fact who lives inside of us. This
is what it means to “walk in the Spirit”. To walk as spirit beings, that
is, beings who are an extension of God Himself, through the indwelling
of His Spirit.
My words are not mine, but His. My relationship to the world is His
relationship to it. The attitude of others to me, whether to ignore,
abuse, curse or bless, is not an attitude towards me (why should it
bother me?) but is an attitude towards an untouchable being. One who is
infinite, sovereign, who knows His inherent worth and needs not men’s
approval to prove who He is. By faith this relationship is attained.
Because we believe God, it becomes real and so we live the actual life
of God.
“He that is born of God does not commit sin.” The illustration of birth
is not perfect. In birth, a father Implants the seed of life which
becomes his son. However, the Son becomes a separate entity, though with
similar characteristics. He partook of, but does not partake of the
Father’s life.
When one is born of God, the seed (The Holy Spirit) is placed in Him,
linking Him to God, not as a separate being, but making Him a part of
God. The challenge before us and the battle which we have to fight, is
the battle to believe and to remember and to live the reality of this
experience, every moment of every day.
Letters
I have received the Tape you sent me about the Meat Offering. I
believe you understand what I mean when I say, it came right on time!
Thank you! God is good to us. – Germany
I had the privilege of watching your “Roots of the Trinity”
video presentation shared by a brother and I truly appreciate the
resource. I intend to share the tape with others in my former church
group whom I’ve officially ‘left’. There is the issue of separation
from corporate worship. We can’t call them out while we’re still in. I’m
a lay person thanking God that He has shown His light on me on the
truth about Him and His only begotten Son. – New Jersey
I’m so truly thankful that God has led me to find this website. I
purchased this computer spring of 2001 for the sole purpose of finding
others that believe God is one God and not three in one. That He indeed
sent His Only-Begotten Son. At that time I was working 2 part time jobs
to make ends meet. I’ve been blessed with a full time position at work,
but I work night shift that include Friday to Saturday mornings.
I was unable to attend a schedule meeting in Tampa on July 19th,
because of a lack of sleep and other engagements. Please pray for me
that the Lord bless me with a new assignment with the full Sabbath off. –
Florida
I’ m very glad to have the opportunity to send you our greetings from here our poor country !!
I’m sorry I didn’t see you before you left Romania. I have to tell you
that I gave out all the books and sold a lot of books, I also, see, how
confused are the people in their minds !!
I have already receive a phone for our Conference (Romanian one) I
think that they are looking for some reasons to disfellowship soon- just
because of the tithe I’m in a little war with them. I’ll see !! –
Romania
I totally agree on NOT having a ‘Fundamental Statements’! I know you
are aware of the quote by Loughborough on setting up a creed. If there
is one, it should be Rev 14:12. I also totally agree of NOT forming a
‘monolithic’ structure. Our Adventist pioneers did not intend to become a
denomination but a movement. Let’s keep it this way. It’s a movement,
not a denomination. Let’s learn from history. God leads this movement
and there is no need for an ‘official’ denomination.
As an aside, I am planning to go to the Philippines next year and
start a fire. Please include this in your prayers. The Biblical
principle is “kindred, tongue, people” and I intend to follow this.
Instead of waiting to be ex-communicated, I’ve voluntarily requested the
church board to remove our names (my wife and I) from the church books.
– New Jersey
Greetings in the name of Jesus. How are you brother since you left us
in Nairobi? How is brother Howard Williams? How is the message touching
people where you are? I have seen the light of God because I was in
darkness. Pray for me very much to teach more about this truth of the
word of God. I also I’m praying for you very much for God to strengthen
you in this truth. I have written this because you saved me from the
faith which was of false spirit. Send me more books, tracts and your
preaching cassettes. – Kenya
We are really thankful of the good news we are getting from the trip. I
thank God that we met you. Really you introduced something which God is
driving into our hearts and we had been blessed by the message and the
fine understanding of the love of our Father.
We got that photocopying machine and we are copying currently materials to distribute to some of the brethren
. At the end of September we had a trip to another province where we
held meetings with some people and they were quite happy to hear the
truth being taken from the bible and enjoyed the truth. On the 1st of
November again we will be having another trip again to the same
province. They are scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We are
really happy to share this message with other people at whatever cost.
If you can send any material we can now copy and distribute it.
There are those brothers who were very arrogant (opposed) to the
message, thank God now they believe and are champions in spreading the
truth as it is. Brother, do not forget to send that disc with your
publications as we now have a computer we can print. We give praises to
God and thank you again for the assistance as we have already been
sidelined from their denomination. The work has begun, our aim with the
help of God is to visit all the provinces.
Greetings are sent also to you and blessings of God through His Son to
you and your wife and children, Brother Howard and all other brethren. –
South Africa
I have already started to work with publication/typing and translation of the books which are:
The Mystery Demystified, The Spirit of Antichrist, The Formulation of
The Doctrine of The Trinity, The Holy Spirit, (all these are already
translated) The following are being worked on.
Who is Telling The Truth About God, God’s Plan To Save Us, The Omega
of Apostasy, Adventist Review Perpetuates The Trinity, This is The
Church, From Babylon to New Jerusalem, Love of God, God of The Bible,
and Satans Deadliest Lie. Books which are not yet translated and that I
am still working with are: A Time to Choose and 100 and more Facts on
the Trinity. The work above is going on in a good time I will let you
know each step of this work. It is very difficult to translate the books
but am trying to do my best and I hope God will help as I am determined
to do this work. – Tanzania
Arlene Bailey has been forwarding your e-mail editions of Open Face to
me. It was such a blessing to hear of the work you have done for the
Lord in Africa. It is so awesome to know that Jesus is coming in our
lifetime. I want to encourage you in your work for the Lord. – Arizona
We just read Old Paths Vol. 12 No. 9 about report on the work in
Europe. It is amazing what you and Allen are doing and we are praying
continually for you that God may bless you. Also we were listening and
watching the Tape (Video) “The Holy Spirit,” together with our youngest
son and his family. We all of us are very impressed by that
presentation. That is just what we always believed and we are now 50
years in the advent message.
David, I like your dialect because you pronounce letters in the way we
do, in the German way and not in the English way but we understand both
ways, we have to because we live in Australia.
It is wonderful to know that on this planet are lots of people who believe in the Truth about God.
Our spirit and prayers are always with you in your efforts to find
people who keep the word of Christ’s patience whom Christ will also keep
from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to
try them that dwell upon the earth Rev. 3:10 and we think that is the
Trinity’s problem
God be with you and with all the others – Australia
Thank you for taking the time out to visit with me on the phone last Monday Nov. 4. You are a tireless worker.
The Roots of the Trinity video is clear and informative, like all your
presentations. I wish everyone could receive its message.
I’m grateful for all the spiritual help you provide me. – USA
Thank you for the tapes you sent us. We are looking for ways to spread
the Gospel in our area. We have some ideas, these include setting up
stands at the train station, airport, port area and other tourist areas
round town. We would like to distribute material that directs people to
God not a denomination (or to preconceived ideas). – Australia
We recently had a visit from my aunt in Germany who was brought up as a
Lutheran but who has married a Catholic and lives in a small village
where everyone is Catholic and religion is a part of life. She stayed at
Mum’s and I went to visit them there as well. She received the truth
with an open heart and started keeping the Sabbath while she was there.
We were all praying that her husband would see the truth as well and our
prayers were answered above expectations. He accepted the truth also
with open arms, the whole family (5 children included) now keep the
Sabbath and know the truth about God and His Son. The husband said for
the first time his life has meaning and it is as if he has been reborn.
Also my grandparents who live with them are a bit skeptical but are very
interested in reading Ellen White. Our God is such a good and loving
Father. – Australia
Open Face was waiting in the mail for us when we returned from church
this morning. Your words were especially meaningful to me today, and I
thought I should let you know. This is true not just for this issue but
for past sermons and articles also and I want you to know how I
appreciate your work. I don’t wish to be critical of the conference
church, its pastors or the Sabbath School teachers but I am often left
with an emptiness of soul, and/or an inner anger over the
misrepresentation of truth and lack of study to know the truth. – West
Virginia
Convention Report
Sabbath December 6, 2003 was a
high day for the believers in Jamaica. They came together from several
different places in Jamaica to fellowship together in a Convention at
Albion in the parish of Manchester. Believers were there from Kingston,
St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Trelawny, St. Catherine, and of course
Manchester. Unfortunately the brethren from St. James were unable to
attend because of transportation problems.
Our theme for the day was “The Victorious Life,” and it was a day
filled with spiritual blessing from the various presentations, but this
was enhanced by the fellowship which we enjoyed throughout the course of
the day.
The first service for the day, the Sabbath School was taken by brother
Peter Barnz from Kingston. He chose to give a study which focused on
the indwelling of Christ in the believer. This was a challenging
presentation which blessed all who were present. The mid-day speaker was
brother David Clayton. His topic was, “The Missing Component,” and he
focused on the place of surrender in the Christian’s life. These
presentations were followed in the afternoon by testimonies and reports
from the various groups. The day was concluded with a discussion on the
various ways in which we could work to get the message out. Brother
Neville Morris led out in this discussion.
An additional feature of the day was the musical items which were
presented during the day. We were delighed and blessed by the singing of
Sister Joy Morris, the brethren from Duncans, the Albion Group, and
Ayon & Kaydeen.
The only shadow which hung over the day was the fact that several of
our number were absent because of illness. This added a sobering note to
the day’s proceedings which only caused us to pray more earnestly. We
are happy to note that all those who were sick, some quite seriously,
have by the grace of God made a full recovery.
How to Know God
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. John 3:16.
How can we understand God? How are we to know our Father? We are to call Him by the endearing name of Father. And how are we to know Him and the power of His love? It is through diligent search of the Scriptures. We cannot appreciate God unless we take into our souls the great plan of redemption. We want to know all about these grand problems of the soul, of the redemption of the fallen race. It is a wonderful thing that after man had violated the law of God and separated himself from God, was divorced, as it were, from God –that after all this there was a plan made whereby man should not perish, but that he should have everlasting life. . . . God gave His only-begotten Son to die for us. . . . When our minds are constantly dwelling upon the matchless love of God to the fallen race, we begin to know God, to become acquainted with Him. . . .
Right here on this little atom of a world were enacted the grandest scenes that were ever known to humanity. All the universe of heaven was looking on with intense interest. Why? The great battle was to be fought between the power of darkness and the Prince of light. Satan’s work was to magnify his power constantly. . . . He was all the time placing God in a false light. He was presenting Him as a God of injustice, and not a God of mercy. He was constantly stirring up their minds so that they would have an incorrect view of God.
How was God to be rightly represented to the world? How was it to be known that He was a God of love, full of mercy, kindness, and pity? How was the world to know this? God sent His Son, and He was to represent to the world the character of God. . . .
We want to keep this perfect Pattern before us. God was so good as to send a representation of Himself in His Son Jesus Christ, and we want to get the mind and heart to unfold and reach upward. . . . Let yours be the prayer, Reveal Thyself to me, that in Thy matchless grace I may lay hold on the golden link, Christ, which has been let down from heaven to earth, that I may grasp it and be drawn upward.
In Heavenly Places, p.11
Open Face is published bi-monthly and is sent free to all who desire to receive it.
David Clayton: Editor and Publisher
P. O. Box 23 Knockpatrick
Manchester, Jamaica W.I.
Phone: (876) 904-7392
email: david@restorationministry.com
