Creeds

[skyblue888]

In the Review and Herald of October 4, 1906, p.6, there is found an article which was taken from The Interior, a Presbyterian journal. It was quoted,

"Let the descendants of the reformers who love the word of God above any word of man hold steadfastly to the Protestant vantage ground. Let us never suppose we can buttress the testimony of the Bible by the dictum of the church."

The Revew and Herald then commented on the quote: "This is, the platform of the Advent Movement. A consistent adherance to this principle will result in a return to all those truths which were perverted or lost during the time when human authority took the place of divine commands. If the dictum and the tradition of the church should be set aside, the Lord's Sabbath would be observed by every Christian believer. What glorious results would follow if Presbyterians as well as other professed Protestants would be true to this Protestant principle."

Is this still the position of the Seventh-day Adventist church? Is not the addition of the General Conference Working Policy book, the Church Manual, and the 27 Statements of Beliefs an abrogation of the testimony of the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy?

Notice these words very carefully and prayerfully:

"In the commission to His disciples, Christ not only outlined their work, but gave them their message. Teach the people, He said, 'to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.' The disciples were to teach what Christ had taught. That which He had spoken, not only in person, but through all the prophets and teachers of the Old Testament, is here included. Human teaching is shut out. There is no place for tradition, for men's theories and conclusions, or for church legislation. (GC Working Policy book, Church Manual and Creed) No laws ordained by ecclesiastical authority are included in the commission. None of these are Christ's servants to teach. 'The law and the prophets,' with the record of His own words and deeds, are the treasure committed to the disciples to be given to the world. Christ's name is their watchword, their badge of distinction, their bond of union, the authority for their course of action, and the source of their success. Nothing that does not bear His superscrïption is to be recognized in His Kingdom." The Desire of Ages, p.826.

Then what is the good and what is the use of church legislation, of constitutions, laws, resolutions--any or all of our laws ordained by ecclesiastical authority?

"None of these are Christ's disciples to teach." D.A.826.

In 1909, the Lord sent this testimony:

"God declares, 'I will be glorified in My people;' but the self-confident management of men has resulted in putting God aside and accepting the devisings of men." Testimonies to Ministers, p.481.

Since then, has anything changed for the better or for the worse?

[skyblue888]

Any comments?

[John317]

SDAs don't have a creed per se. Our creed is really the Bible. Our Fundamental Beliefs are not a creed but a list or description of the beliefs of the church. The church in General Conference session can change or add to those beliefs at any time the church votes for it. The same Review & Herald that made the statements you refer to also printed a list of the church's beliefs, leaving me to conclude that the editors saw no contradition between being opposed to a creed and the description of our beliefs.

I don't believe that Ellen White's counsels should be understood to mean she opposed such a description. She said nothing against them when the first such descriptions were written in the Review and Herald, nor did she say anything against them when Wilcox wrote such a list early in the twentieth century. In fact, she selected Wilcox to be one of the members of her Estate in her last will, which shows she trusted his judgment.

[skyblue888]

John, as we all should know, it was not God's idea for Israel to have kings any more than we should have a creed but since they insisted on having kings like the other nations, God gave them the desire of their hearts. This meant that they had rejected Him. 1 Samuel 8:7. But that did not stop Him from speaking to the people through the prophet Samuel. God was still willing to instruct them even after they had rejected Him as their King. 1 Sam.8:7. He did the same with us. We too have rejected Him by choosing to have a man presiding over the church. In spite of that, God was still willing to instruct us and He did through Mrs. White but that does not mean that God approved of having one man presiding over the church. This is asking for the church of Christ to have a visible head. It is no different than the Catholic Church and that is why the Lord sent testimonies warning us that we were following in the track of Romanism.

Why are we always trying to defend "the church" or "the oganization" as if "the church" could do nothing wrong. We have the same Jewish mentality that "the church" will always be exalted as the church of God no matter what. (C.O.L.294,304). We are no different than them. In the days of Christ the majority took side with the Sanhedrin. They did not have enough discernment to see that the very leaders they revered and feared were planning to kill the Messiah. They were the blind following the blind. We are just as blind as they were. We are no different. We are worse than them. We are ready to to die for "the church" even when God Himself has told us that "the church" has put God aside and accepted the devisings of men. And the Lord has even warned us that if this order of things (putting God aside and accepting the devisings of men) was allowed to continue, our faith would soon become extinct. (T.M.481) Did you know that W.C. White kept that testimony away from the church for one year and a half?

This order of things has been allowed to continue and even today when the Lord brings these things to our attention, we literally close our eyes and shut our ears and by doing so we are saying, as did the Jews of old, "We will not have this Man rule over us."

sky

[Ron Amnsn]

SDAs don't have a creed per se. Our creed is really the Bible. Our Fundamental Beliefs are not a creed but a list or description of the beliefs of the church.

In the mid 90's when the local church elders told me I had to affirm all 27 of the 27 Fundamental Beliefs or be disfellowshipped, they were not using the Fundamental Beliefs as merely a list or description of the church, but they were using them as a creed.

[Gerr]

Skyblue: Why are we always trying to defend "the church" or "the oganization" as if "the church" could do nothing wrong.

Gerry: Defend her when she's right. Criticize her when she is wrong.

[Guest]

Originally Posted By: John317

SDAs don't have a creed per se. Our creed is really the Bible. Our Fundamental Beliefs are not a creed but a list or description of the beliefs of the church.

In the mid 90's when the local church elders told me I had to affirm all 27 of the 27 Fundamental Beliefs or be disfellowshipped, they were not using the Fundamental Beliefs as merely a list or description of the church, but they were using them as a creed.

This is true John. The church does have a creed.

[skyblue888]

The reason the true disciples of Christ do not have a creed is simple: the truth is ever advancing.

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