In the 1880s, God sent His people an awesome warning through His messenger. In vision she was shown the condition of God's remnant people and declared: "I have been shown that, as a people, we are departing from the simplicity of the faith and from the purity of the gospel. Many are in great peril. Unless they change their course, they will be severed from the True Vine as useless branches."[1] Is it possible this is still true today?
A friend of mine said not long ago, "there is not much difference between us and the Baptists." To many this may seem to be a shocking statement, but I was not at all startled by her comment for I have heard such things numerous times in recent years. A minister friend once declared of all the various churches (including the "remnant"): "after all Joe, we all preach the same gospel." Many others are saying the same thing, but is this true? And if it is, then why is only one church portrayed in Scripture as having "the everlasting gospel" in contrast to the perverted gospel of all others? (See Revelation 14:6; 16:13; 17:1-5; 18:1-4).
The uniqueness of Seventh-day Adventists is their gospel. But which Gospel do you believe? What is meant by the gospel? Many have been educated to think of the gospel in a very limited sphere, but in reality it is older, broader, deeper, and involves more than many think. Following are a few examples to help illustrate this.
"If Adam had not transgressed the law of God, the ceremonial law would never have been instituted. The gospel of good news was first given to Adam in the declaration made to him that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head; and it was handed down through successive generations to Noah, Abraham, and Moses. The knowledge of God's law, and the plan of salvation were imparted to Adam and Eve by Christ Himself. They carefully treasured the important lesson, and transmitted it by word of mouth, to their children, and children's children. Thus the knowledge of God's law was preserved."[2]
Here we see that the gospel was first given to Adam in the Garden of Eden and that it contained the good news about the Messiah, God's law, and the plan of salvation. We are further informed that "The message proclaimed by the angel flying in the midst of heaven is the everlasting gospel, the same gospel that was declared in Eden when God said to the serpent, 'I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel' (Gen. 3:15) Here was the first promise of a Saviour who would stand on the field of battle to contest the power of Satan and prevail against him. Christ came to our world to represent the character of God as it is represented in His holy law; for His law is a transcript of His character. Christ was both the law and the gospel. The angel that proclaims the everlasting gospel proclaims the law of God; for the gospel of salvation brings men to obedience of the law, whereby their characters are formed after the divine similitude."[3]
"The word of God includes the Scriptures of the Old Testament as well as of the New. One is not complete without the other. Christ declared that the truths of the Old Testament are as valuable as those of the New. Christ was as much man's Redeemer in the beginning of the world as He is today. Before He clothed His divinity with humanity and came to our world, the gospel message was given by Adam, Seth, Enoch, Methuselah, and Noah. Abraham in Canaan and Lot in Sodom bore the message, and from generation to generation faithful messengers proclaimed the Coming One."[4]
Notice the interwoven relationship of the law and gospel that has been lost sight of by so many today.
"There are those who profess to believe and to teach the truths of the Old Testament, while they reject the New. But in refusing to receive the teachings of Christ, they show that they do not believe that which patriarchs and prophets have spoken. "Had ye believed Moses," Christ said, "ye would have believed Me; for he wrote of Me" (John 5:46). Hence there is no real power in their teaching of even the Old Testament.
"Many who claim to believe and to teach the gospel are in a similar error. They set aside the Old Testament Scriptures, of which Christ declared, 'They are they which testify of Me' (John 5:39). In rejecting the Old, they virtually reject the New; for both are parts of an inseparable whole. No man can rightly present the law of God without the gospel, or the gospel without the law. The law is the gospel embodied, and the gospel is the law unfolded. The law is the root, the gospel is the fragrant blossom and fruit which it bears."[5]
Not only is the law of God, the teachings of His word, and the gospel an inseparable whole, but many do not realize the gospel also includes health reform.
"The sanitariums which are established are to be closely and inseparably bound up with the gospel. The Lord has given instruction that the gospel is to be carried forward; and the gospel includes health reform in all its phases. ... It is the Lord's design that the restoring influence of health reform shall be a part of the last great effort to proclaim the gospel message."[6]
"But God did not design that the medical missionary work should eclipse the work of the third angel's message. The arm is not to become the body. The third angel's message is the gospel message for these last days, and in no case is it to be overshadowed by other interests and made to appear an unessential consideration. When in our institutions anything is placed above the third angel's message, the gospel is not there the great leading power."[7]
As previously stated, but few realized the far reaching ramifications of the gospel into every doctrine and saving truth of God's word[8], but there are some remnant preachers who even deny that the Sabbath is a part of the gospel. This position is held in distinct opposition to the clear declaration of the Apostle Paul in Hebrews. "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works" (Hebrews 4:1-4).
That the gospel and the teachings of Jesus are the same become evident from a simple comparison of two Bible passages. "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen" (Matthew 28:19, 20). "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:15, 16). As can be seen here, the preaching of the gospel and teaching "all things" are one and the same. The Scriptures are clear that the gospel is not just something to be believed, but it is also something to be obeyed (Romans 10:16) and those who do not obey the gospel shall be lost (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; 1 Peter 4:17).
The word "gospel" is found 100 times in the Bible. Of this number it is used: Fifty-five times as "the gospel." Ten times as "the gospel of Christ." Once as "the glorious gospel of Christ." Once as "Christ's gospel." Once as "the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." Once as "the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son." Once as "the gospel of his Son." Seven times as "the gospel of God." Once as "the gospel of the grace of God." Once as "the glorious gospel of the blessed God." Four times as "the gospel of the kingdom." Twice as "this gospel." Once as "that gospel." Three times as "my gospel." Three times as "our gospel." Twice as "any other gospel." Twice as "another gospel." Twice as "the gospel of peace." Once as "the gospel of your salvation." Once as "the everlasting gospel."
It is an irrefutable fact that the uniqueness of Seventh-day Adventists is their gospel. Even the evangelicals claim that we are preaching different gospels and yet we say, "Oh, no we're not." But we are! And as such only one can be truth. And when we try to mingle or intermix the two, we will still end up with a perverted gospel. We need to find out what went wrong and how to right it. We need to discover what makes us unique and what it means to be a peculiar people.
Many errors, much falsehood, are being accepted as truth, and the light from heaven is being disregarded and called by various uncomplimentary names. What should we, as a people, do about it? What should each of us, individually, be doing? The word of God is clear concerning this matter and gives us an explicit example. "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people" (Acts 17:11-13). Let us now begin to search God's word with an open mind.
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