As we go to press, Ferrell's "Waymarks" attack against Beyond Belief has come to our attention. Anyone who has read Beyond Belief carefully will immediately see how wildly inaccurate is this supposed expose of Sequeiras teachings.
A striking example of how Ferrell misrepresents Sequeira can be seen in his Part Three (p. 12). He says: "Sequeira ... equates sinful human nature with sin. 'A sinful human nature is itself sin.' (BB 42). Did you know that your nature was sin? He did not say 'sinful,' but 'sin itself.' That appears to be a step lower than Augustine's view of the matter" (emphasis is Ferrell's). But, that brief quotation is Sequeiras statement of what the Reformers taught and also "many Evangelical Christians today," which he opposes! One does not like to believe that this misrepresentation on Ferrell's part is deliberate; but if not, then it has to be gross carelessness. And to publish such pseudo-scholarship is morally irresponsible. Unfortunately, it is characteristic of Ferrell's entire presentation.
He begins with a wild accusation that again is untrue: " [Sequeira] ridicules Ellen White s writings, and says we should not use them." In fact, Sequeira believes her writings and urges us to read them, follow them, and use them privately or publicly in the way that Ellen White herself wants us to use them—as the "lesser light" to guide us to the "greater light." Never does she say we should use her writings as a substitute for diligent Bible study or as an excuse for lazy or careless study of it. She specifically asks us not to use her writings to settle a controverted point of Bible interpretation (Selected Messages, Book 1, p. 164). Sequeira does not refuse "to use the Spirit of Prophecy in his sermons, papers, books, or replies to critics." Ferrell slanders Sequeira, who refuses only to use her writings out of context or to allow others to wrest them in an effort to contradict plain Bible teaching, or as a substitute for diligent Bible study.
Ferrell charges Sequeira with teaching that "Christ's atonement was totally finished on the cross, and our salvation was assured and fully completed at that time." Sequeira actually says the opposite, that the atonement was not finished at the cross: "The work of the Holy Spirit could not begin in the fullest sense until Christ's sacrifice of atonement was complete. Now that Christ is in heaven, having prepared salvation full and complete by a perfect sacrifice, it is the work of the Holy Spirit to finish the work of atonement in sinful men and women who are willing to believe (see Romans 5:11)" (p. 135). Never does Sequeira say that the "atonement was totally finished" at the cross; the sacrifice was.
Ferrell charges Sequeira with saying "that cooperation with God in working out our salvation is 'Galatian legalism.'" Again, this is distortion. What Sequeira actually says is that the idea of salvation by faith plus works is the Galatian heresy, because such "works of the law" are motivated by self. Never does he disparage "cooperation with God" in genuine obedience by faith.
Ferrell makes another wild charge: Sequeira, he says, "insists that the Final Crisis will be fought over acceptance of the finished atonement, instead of over obedience to the law of God." What he says is this: "The final showdown ... will occur in the great controversy between salvation by faith, symbolized by God's Sabbath, versus salvation by works, symbolized by man's Sunday.... The conflict will be between the seventh-day Sabbath, signifying salvation by faith alone, and Sunday, signifying salvation by human effort.. .. The true nature of the controversy between God's Sabbath and man's Sunday is also not clearly understood. But when the two opposing methods of salvation come clearly into focus, then the true importance of the Sabbath will also be clearly seen. At that time Sabbath keeping will become a test of faith" (pp. 182, 185, 186).
A powerfully true statement! It is in harmony with Ellen White s prediction that the final message which will meet the final issue will be "CHRIST OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Review and Herald Extra, Dec. 23, 1890).
One can appreciate how stern denunciation of heresy may sometimes be appropriate in the final crisis. But it must be honest, accurate, and always spoken in Christian charity. It must never be harsh and vicious. While Seventh-day Adventists maintain great reverence for Ellen Whites writings, it is a phenomenal "sign of the times" that 100 years after 1888 some have no respect for simple, obvious truth.
Vance Ferrell's attack on Jack Sequeira's ministry gives no evidence of accuracy. Instead of such an attack he should have demonstrated a common Christian charity that even a genuine heretic deserves.
Ferrell misrepresents Sequeira as teaching that "the work of the Holy Spirit within us has no effect on whether or not we will be saved. Our salvation was totally completed 2,000 years ago." He charges Sequeira with teaching total moral irresponsibility, that "it is all right to sin under grace," that "we don't have to keep the law anymore," "it is not necessary to keep the Sabbath. You can just as easily be a Sundaykeeper and be just as assured of salvation. If you try to keep the Sabbath ... you will be condemned in the judgment as a legalist.... There is no such thing as imparted righteousness, but you can totally lack it and still be fully saved in the kingdom.... %u need only profess Christ one time in your life, and you will be eternally saved because of it" (pp. 13-15). One wonders, where did Ferrell get such ideas? These charges are simply false: they are serious distortions of what the book actually says.
Another example of such misquoting is on his p. 16:
“Did you know you were born to receive eternal death? At least, that is how Sequeira sees it. ... Sequeira says that God condemns [men] to the flames for what their ancestors did thousands of years before.... Jack: 'All humanity stands condemned to death in Adam.'—Beyond Belief, 53. Jack: Adam's sin brought all humanity under the death sentence—both the first and second deaths.'—Beyond Belief, 61”
According to Ferrell, Sequeira is teaching a monstrous heresy worse than anything from the Dark Ages. But what does his book say?
"Just as Adam's sin affected all humanity for death, likewise, what Christ did as the second Adam also affected all humanity for life.... Christ... brought the verdict of 'justification of life' to all men" (pp. 54, 55).
Ferrell cites tapes of sermons Sequeira preached some years past, alleging heresy. This present critique is concerned with the actual published book, Beyond Belief. Statements from tapes can be notoriously wrested from context. If Ellen White were living in this age of tapes, she would doubtless repeat what she said— that if one wants to know what she believes, "read my published writings" rather than crediting hear-say or word of mouth reports. Sequeira solidly affirms his belief in the two-phase ministry of Christ as High Priest, the second phase beginning in 1844 (see Appendix A). He has never denied the two-apartment reality of the heavenly sanctuary, but simply refuses to get bogged down in an over-literal discussion of the architecture of the "two rooms." He insists that our primary concern should be the spiritual application to human hearts of Christ's Day of Atonement ministry.
In his Parts Four, Five, and Six, Ferrell demonstrates how selective quotations from Ellen White can be twisted to force her to deny not only the plainest teachings of the Bible, but her own writings as well. In her MS 36, 1890, she establishes an unequivocal truth:
"Salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ alone.... Should faith and works purchase the gift of salvation for anyone, then the Creator is under obligation to the creature. Here is an opportunity for falsehood to be accepted as truth. If any man can merit salvation by anything he may do, then he is in the same position as the Catholic to do penance for his sins" (see pp. 19, 20 of this book).
Nevertheless, Ferrell would have Ellen White say that faith and works do purchase salvation. Rightly understood, she taught that our "title to heaven," or qualification for heaven, was totally the work of Christ by His great sacrifice, and that our good works in sanctification have no merit whatever but simply demonstrate "our fitness for heaven."
On page 19 Ferrell falsely charges Sequeira with teaching that "the law is no longer binding on Christians." The fundamental issue between Ferrell and Sequeira narrows down to whether (a) salvation is by faith and works, or (b) salvation is by faith alone which works. Ferrell seems mysteriously alarmed at the clear teaching of (b), and is motivated to attack it and denigrate it by any way possible, even by misrepresentation. The spirit of these attacks is phenomenal, suggesting an unprecedented arousal of the same principalities and powers that rose to attack the message of Jones and Waggoner in the 1888 era. However, historical records do not indicate that any of the opposition Jones and Waggoner had to meet was as ruthless as what we meet today.
Ferrell strongly dislikes Sequeira's last chapter about the Sabbath:
"Although he gives lip service to the true Sabbath, Sequeira claims the [final] issue is ... the importance of not obeying! Commenting on the Final Crisis, he says: Jack: 'The fundamental issue throughout Scripture is salvation by faith versus salvation by works. At the heart of the Bible message is salvation by grace made effective through faith alone.'—Beyond Belief, 185."
Sequeiras last chapter clearly upholds true obedience to the Sabbath commandment without the slightest doubt or hesitancy. For example:
"The only way we can acceptably keep the fourth commandment, the Sabbath commandment, is by faith—entering by faith into God's rest. The Sabbath becomes, in this context, the seal of righteousness by faith. ... In the end time, those who have deliberately turned their backs on God's free gift of salvation in Christ will worship the dragon that gives power to the beast.... They will exalt Sunday as man's day of rest in defiance of God's rest day. The issue, then, in the final conflict will not be between two groups of Christians, or even between two rest days, but between two opposing methods of salvation. The conflict will be between the seventh-day Sabbath, signifying salvation by faith alone, and Sunday, signifying salvation by human effort... .
Every person will have to make a choice—either for or against Christ. ... At that time, the Sabbath will become God's seal, representing righteousness by faith. Sunday keeping, in contrast, will represent the mark of the beast, signifying mankind's rejection of God's saving grace in Christ.... Those who will stubbornly cling to the seventh-day Sabbath will manifest a faith in God that is unshakable" (pp. 184, 185).
Any further comment is superfluous, as has perhaps been any of this comment on Ferrell s attacks.
A pattern is becoming visible. In order to sustain their positions, critics of Beyond Belief are rather consistently misquoting, taking statements out of context and in general misrepresenting the author. Their common method is to to tear down without offering a more credible "good news" message. They share a disregard, sometimes disdain for the agape motivation that constrains the believer to serve Christ apart from a fear of being lost or a hope of reward. However we may view this strange phenomenon, it is increasingly evident that a sharply defined principle is emerging out of the fog of confusion. The issue has become Galatianism versus the pure gospel of righteousness by faith.