The leadership of this website ministry have made a conscious choice to avoid, as much as possible, the negative citation of names in our discussion of current issues in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, provided the names in question belong to persons in good and regular standing in the denomination.
However, because the individual named in the title of this article commands a considerable following among theologically conservative Adventists, we believe direct identification of theological error in his recent public pronouncements to be regrettably necessary.
The Teachings of Walter Veith
Many will associate the ministry and testimony of one Walter Veith with his rejection years ago of an atheistic, evolutionary worldview, and his eventual acceptance of the Christian faith as represented by Seventh-day Adventism. Others have noted his unfortunate fascination with conspiracy theories of the “New World Order” genre, a mindset fundamentally at odds with the Bible/Spirit of Prophecy perspective on the Antichrist and end-time events, and historically rooted in a century-old aggregate of culturally conservative fears, many of them mingled with anti-Semitism [1].
We will desist in the present context from addressing Veith’s conspiracy speculation. Tragically, he appears to have embraced teachings vastly more dangerous relative to the gospel and the possibility of character perfection in this life.
We therefore find it necessary to call out this man’s ministry for its blatant departure from the clear teachings of Scripture and the writings of Ellen G. White, which we will demonstrate in the observations to follow.
The Everlasting Gospel
Our principal sources for this article’s concerns are two online videos by the speaker in question, to which we will make reference from time to time. We will begin with Veith’s understanding of the everlasting gospel. In his words:
Now when you study the Bible, and you want to know about the everlasting gospel, what is it about? What does the word “gospel” mean? The gospel means “good news;” That’s what it is. So the gospel is the record of what God has done. It is not the record of what God has done in us; neither is it the record of what God will do in us. The gospel is the record of what God has done outside of us. The gospel is about what God did for us in Christ. Now that’s the gospel. And that’s what the Bible teaches [2].
Where he thinks the Bible teaches this narrow view of the gospel, he doesn’t explain. But the fact is that the phrase “everlasting gospel” is found only once in the Scriptures, and that is in the context of the first angel’s message in Revelation 14:
And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue and people.
Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come, and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters (Rev. 14:6-7).
Quite obviously, the everlasting gospel as defined by this passage involves a command to fear God and give Him glory in the hour of His final judgment, and to worship the Creator-God. Most assuredly this describes what God does, and is capable of doing, in and through the believer. In no way does this passage depict the everlasting gospel as exclusively the record of what God has done for the believer in Christ, as distinct from what He will do in and through the believer through imparted divine grace.
Popular as this narrow theory of the gospel has become in various circles of modern Adventism, the reader can clearly see that the first angel’s message—something every Adventist should know by heart—directly contradicts this theory. The writings of Ellen White are equally clear that the gospel includes the work of Christ in and through the converted Christian. Such statements as the following are plain on this point, beyond the possibility of misunderstanding:
The very essence of the gospel is restoration [3].
Perfection of character is attainable by every one who strives for it. This is made the very foundation of the new covenant of the gospel. The law of Jehovah is the tree; the gospel is the fragrant blossoms and fruit which it bears [4].
The law is the gospel embodied, and the gospel is the law unfolded. The law is the root, the gospel is the fragrant blossoms and fruit which it bears [5].
The gospel message proclaimed by Christ’s disciples was the announcement of His first advent to the world. It bore to men the good tidings of salvation through faith in Him. It pointed forward to His second coming in glory to redeem His people, and it set before men the hope, through faith and obedience, of sharing the inheritance of the saints in light. This message is given to men today, and at this time there is coupled with it the announcement of Christ’s second coming as at hand [6].
The Lord desires His servants today to preach the old gospel doctrine, sorrow for sin, repentance, and confession [7].
Said the apostle, speaking of the gospel, “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” [8].
Teach them the first principle of the gospel, which is Christ formed within, the hope of glory [9].
The gospel of Christ is the law exemplified in character [10].
Repentance is associated with faith, and is urged in the gospel as essential to salvation [11].
The gospel of Christ requires penitence for sin, and sin is the transgression of the law [12].
Individual responsibility, individual effort, personal sacrifice, is the requirement of the gospel [13].
The union of Christlike work for the body and Christlike work for the soul is the true interpretation of the gospel [14].
When temperance is presented as a part of the gospel, many will see their need of reform [15].
The Lord has given instruction that the gospel is to be carried forward, and the gospel includes health reform in all its phases [16].
The inspired pen is therefore clear, both in Scripture and the writings of Ellen White, that the gospel is not restricted to what Jesus did for the Christian two thousand years ago, as distinct from what He does in and through Christians as individuals. The inspired evidence is unmistakable that the gospel includes both.
Perfection in This Life
Contrary to the teachings of both Scripture and the writings of Ellen White, Walter Veith teaches that it is impossible for persons with a fallen, sinful human nature to live perfectly sinless lives here on earth. In his own words:
This idea that we will stand and be perfect while we have a fallen nature, and that we will have the perfect character of Jesus, is not Biblical, neither is it in the Spirit of Prophecy [17].
We will never attain unto His perfect character [18].
I’m a sinner. I have a sinful nature. But I make a decision, and in my sphere I don’t want to sin. I hate sin, and I will avoid it as much as I am capable within my nature to do so [19].
It would seem that Brother Veith has overlooked vast portions of both the Bible and the writings of the Spirit of Prophecy, if indeed this is his conclusion regarding the possibility of sinless obedience—character perfection—this side of heaven. The fact is that more Bible verses can be found which teach the imperative of sinless conduct through heaven’s power here on earth than teach the imperative of observing the seventh-day Sabbath. In both the Old and New Testaments, the command to live without sinning through imparted divine strength is consistently upheld (e.g. Psalm 4:4; 119:1-3,11; Zeph. 3:13; Rom. 8:4; I Cor. 15:34; II Cor. 7:1; 10:4-5; Eph. 5:27; I Thess. 5:23; I Peter 2:21-22; 4:1; II Peter 3:10-14; I John 1:7,9; 3:2-3,7; Jude 24; Rev. 3:21; 14:5).
Such verses as the following, from the above list, are among the plainest in this regard:
Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.
Blessed are they that keep His testimonies, and that seek Him with the whole heart.
They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways. . . .
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee (Psalm 119:1-3,11).
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (II Cor. 7:1).
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds,
Casting down imagination, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (II Cor. 10:4-5).
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9).
In particular is the Bible clear that this character requirement applies to the last generation of believers:
The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies, neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid (Zeph. 3:13; see also Rev. 14:5).
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (I Thess. 5:23).
But thou, O man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession:
That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ (I Tim. 6:11-14).
Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? . . .
Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless (II Peter 3:11-12,14).
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure (I John 3:2-3).
Veith’s insistence that while we have fallen natures we cannot develop characters fully free from sin [20], is expressly denied by the theology of Ellen G. White. She is clear, of course, that our fallen natures will in fact remain with us till the coming of Jesus:
So long as Satan reigns, we shall have self to subdue, besetting sins to overcome; so long as life shall last, there will be no stopping place, no point which we can reach and say, I have fully attained [21].
So long as life shall last, there will be need of guarding the affections and the passions with a firm purpose. Not one moment can we be secure except as we rely upon God, the life hidden with Christ. Watchfulness and prayer are the safeguards of purity [22].
Appetite and passion must be brought under the control of the Holy Spirit. There is no end to the warfare this side of eternity [23].
Just as long as Satan urges his temptations upon us, the battle for self-conquest will have to be fought over and over again; but by obedience, the truth will sanctify the soul [24].
But Ellen White is equally clear that while our sinful nature remains with us till Jesus returns, we are expected through heaven’s power to obey God’s commandments just as Jesus did (Rom. 8:3-4; I Peter 2:21-22). In her words:
The Lord now demands that every son and daughter of Adam, through faith in Jesus Christ, serve Him in human nature which we now have. The Lord Jesus has bridged the gulf that sin has made. He has connected earth with heaven, and finite man with the infinite God. Jesus, the world’s Redeemer, could only keep the commandments of God in the same way that humanity can keep them [25].
By His own obedience to the law, Christ testified to its immutable character, and proved that through His grace it could be perfectly obeyed by every son and daughter of Adam [26].
In another statement she specifically warns against the belief that our inherited fallen natures make perfect obedience impossible for the sanctified Christian:
There are many who in their hearts murmur against God. They say, “We inherit the fallen nature of Adam, and are not responsible for our natural imperfections.” They find fault with God’s requirements, and claim that He demands what they have no power to give. Satan made the same complaint in heaven, but such thoughts dishonor God [27].
Like the Bible verses we cited earlier, Ellen White is crystal clear that through divine strength the earthly believer can in fact live a sinless life. The following statements, like those on the gospel cited earlier, are too plain to be misunderstood:
In our world, are to remember the way in which Christ worked. He made the world. He made man. Then He came in person to the world to show its inhabitants how to live sinless lives [28].
Paul writes to the Corinthians, “Casting down imaginations, and every high think that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” When you come into this position, the work of consecration will be better understood by you both. Your thoughts will be pure, chaste, and elevated, your actions pure and sinless [29].
To everyone who surrenders fully to God is given the privilege of living without sin, in obedience to the law of heaven [30].
But it is God’s purpose that man shall stand before Him upright and noble; and God will not be defeated by Satan. He sent His Son to this world to bear the death penalty of man’s transgression, and to show man how to live a sinless life. There is no other way in which man can be saved. “Without Me,” Christ says, “ye can do nothing.” Through Him, and Him alone, can the natural heart be changed, the affections transformed, the affections set flowing heavenward. Christ alone can give life to the soul dead in trespasses and sins [31].
Thus He (Christ) placed us on vantage ground, where we could live pure, sinless lives. Repentant sinners stand before God justified and accepted, because the Innocent One has borne their guilt. The undeserving are made deserving, because in their behalf the Deserving became the undeserving [32].
Christ bore the sins of the whole world. He was the second Adam. Taking upon Himself human nature, He passed over the ground where Adam stumbled and fell. Having taken humanity, He has an intense interest in human beings. He felt keenly the sinfulness, the shame, of sin. He is our Elder Brother. He came to prove that human beings can, through the power of God, live sinless lives [33].
The Saviour is wounded afresh and put to open shame when His people pay no heed to His word. He came to this world and lived a sinless life, that in His power His people might also live lives of sinlessness. He desire them by practicing the principles of truth to show to the world that God’s grace has power to sanctify the heart [34].
In the day of judgment the course of the man who has retained the frailty and imperfection of humanity will not be vindicated. For him there will be no place in heaven. He could not enjoy the perfection of the saints in light. He who has not sufficient faith in Christ to believe that He can keep him from sinning, has not the faith that will give him an entrance into the kingdom of God [35].
Christ is ready to set us free from sin; but He does not force the will; and if by persistent transgression the will itself is wholly bent on evil, and we do not desire to be set free, if we will not accept His grace, what more can He do? [36].
The religion of Christ means more than the forgiveness of sin; it means taking away our sins, and filling the vacuum with the graces of the Holy Spirit. It means divine illumination, rejoicing in God. It means a heart emptied of self, and blessed with the abiding presence of Christ. When Christ reigns in the soul, there is purity, freedom from sin [37].
To be redeemed means to cease from sin. . . . Christ says, “Blessed are they that do His commandments.” The heavenly benediction is pronounced upon those who keep the law. “They shall have right to the tree of life,” the Saviour declares, “and shall enter in through the gates into the city. We must decide for ourselves whether or not these words will be spoken to us. A right decision will be revealed by action in harmony with the law of God. But we can not possibly keep the commandments without the help of Christ. He alone can save us, by cleansing us from all sin [38].
In His life He (Christ) has given us a representation of what repentant sinners may become. He was pure and undefiled. From His lips escaped no word that could leave a stain upon His character. All through the Scriptures He has given us assurances that through His grace we may attain the same perfection of character that He attained [39].
Echoing Scripture once again, Ellen White especially underscores the need for the total expulsion of sin from the lives of those awaiting Christ’s return:
Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above, are to stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator. Their robes must be spotless, their characters must be purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling. Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort they must be conquerors in the battle with evil. While the investigative judgment is going forward in heaven, while the sins of penitent believers are being removed from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of putting away of sin, among God’s people upon the earth. . . .
When this work shall have been accomplished, the followers of Christ will be ready for His appearing [40].
Now, while our great High Priest is making the atonement for us, we should seek to become perfect in Christ. Not even by a thought could our Saviour be brought to yield to the power of temptation. . . . He had kept His Father’s commandments, and there was no sin in Him that Satan could use to His advantage. This is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble [41].
I also saw that many do not realize what they must be in order to live in the sight of the Lord without a high priest in the sanctuary through the time of trouble. Those who receive the seal of the living God and are protected in the time of trouble must reflect the image of Jesus fully. . . . I saw that none could share the ‘refreshing’ (latter rain) unless they obtain the victory over every besetment, over pride, selfishness, love of the world, and over every wrong word and action [42].
Those who come up to every point and stand every test, and overcome, be the price what it may, have heeded the counsel of the True Witness, and they will receive the latter rain, and thus be fitted for translation [43].
[From a chapter titled, “Pray for the Latter Rain”] By the power of the Holy Spirit the moral image of God is to be perfected in the character. We are to be wholly transformed into the likeness of Christ . . . Every individual must realize his own necessity. The heart must be emptied of every defilement, and cleansed for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit [44].
Only those who have withstood temptation in the strength of the Mighty One will be permitted to act a part in proclaiming it (the third angel’s message) when it shall have swelled into the loud cry [45].
Not one of us will ever receive the seal of God while our characters have one spot or stain upon them. It is left with us to remedy the defects in our characters, to cleanse the soul temple of every defilement. Then the latter rain will fall upon us, as the early rain fell upon the disciples upon the day of Pentecost [46].
What are you doing, brethren, in the great work of preparation? Those who are uniting with the world, are receiving the worldly mold, and preparing for the mark of the beast. Those who are distrustful of self, who are humbling themselves before God and purifying their souls by obeying the truth—these are receiving the heavenly mold, and preparing for the seal of God in their foreheads. When the decree goes forth, and the stamp is impressed, their characters will remain pure and spotless for eternity.
Now is the time to prepare. The seal of God will never be placed upon the forehead of an impure man or woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of the ambitious, world-loving man or woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of men or women of false tongues or deceitful hearts. All who receive the seal must be without spot before God—candidates for heaven [47].
The latter rain will come, and the blessing of God will fill every soul that is purified from every defilement. It is our work today to yield our souls to Christ, that we may be fitted for the time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord—fitted for the baptism of the Holy Spirit [48].
May the Lord help His people to cleanse the soul temple from every defilement, and to maintain such a close connection with Him that they may be partakers of the latter rain when it shall be poured out [49].
The refreshing or power of God comes only on those who have prepared themselves for it by doing the work which God bids them, namely, cleansing themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God [50].
Are we seeking for His fullness, ever pressing toward the mark set before us—the perfection of His character? When the Lord’s people reach this mark, they will be sealed in their foreheads. Filled with His Spirit, they will be complete in Christ, and the recording angel will declare, “It is finished” [51].
“As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.” God will have a people zealous of good works, standing firm amid the pollutions of this degenerate age. There will be a people who will hold so fast to the divine strength that they will be proof against every temptation [52].
No impurity can enter the pearly gates of the golden city of God. And the question for us to settle is whether we will turn from all sin and comply with the conditions God has given us, that we may become His sons and daughters. . . .
When you are all ready, having overcome your sins, having put away all your iniquity from you, you are in a condition to receive the finishing touch of immortality [53].
Every living Christian will advance daily in the divine life. As he advances toward perfection, he experiences a conversion to God every day; and this conversion is not complete until he attains to perfection of Christian character, a full preparation for the finishing touch of immortality [54].
Jesus sits as a refiner and purifier of His people; and when His image is perfectly reflected in them, they are perfect and holy, and prepared for translation. A great work is required of the Christian. We are exhorted to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God [55].
When our earthly labors are ended, and Christ shall come for His faithful children, we shall then shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of our Father. But before that time shall come, everything that is imperfect in us will have been seen and put away. All envy and jealousy and evil surmising and every selfish plan will have been banished from the life [56].
We can never see our Lord in peace unless our souls are spotless. We must bear the perfect image of Christ. Every thought must be brought into subjection to the will of Christ [57].
We must not think that we can wait till we get to Heaven before we perfect pure, chaste, lovely characters. The Christian will be Christlike here. There is diversity among us. We each have traits of character, tastes, gifts, and capacities peculiar to ourselves, all of which have been established or modified by education and habit. But by the grace of God all these varied characteristics may be brought into harmony with the will of God [58].
When He comes, He is not to cleanse us of our sins, to remove from us the defects in our characters, or to cure us of the infirmities of our tempers and dispositions. If wrought for us at all, this work will be accomplished before that time. When the Lord comes, those who are holy will be holy still. . . . The Refiner does not then sit to pursue His refining process and remove their sins and their corruption. This is all to be done in these hours of probation [59].
If in fact all our sins and corruption are to be removed “in these hours of probation” [60], and if the same author is clear that our fallen natures remain with us till Jesus comes [61], the conclusion is inescapable that through heaven’s power, living sinless lives while possessing sinful human natures is God’s expectation of His end-time people.
“I can only be perfect in Him”
Veith declares in one of these video presentations, “I can only be perfect in Him” [62]. Though he doesn’t explain what this means in practical terms, the clear implication from Veith’s other remarks is that he has accepted the theory—sadly popular in certain circles of contemporary Adventism—that to be “in Christ” is to be covered by justifying righteousness while occasional, presumably “unavoidable” sin persists in the life.
But the Bible’s definition of the phrase “in Christ” is very different. Never do either Scripture or Ellen White use this phrase to refer to declarative righteousness covering the believer while “unavoidable” sin continues. The following verses define this phrase with reference to practical, divinely-empowered change and obedience:
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (II Cor. 5:17).
And he that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him (I John 3:24).
“Perfect in Our Sphere”
We noted earlier a statement by Veith that “in my sphere I don’t want to sin” [63]. Veith doesn’t explain exactly what “in my sphere” means, but in light of his other statements about the alleged impossibility of sinless obedience while possessing a sinful nature, it would appear that like other modern Adventists who deny the possibility of character perfection in this life [64], he understands “sphere” to mean the limitations allegedly imposed by such a nature.
Ellen White, of course, speaks in a number of statements of being “perfect in our sphere.” The following two statements are often cited when this language is discussed:
In His (Christ’s) life upon earth He plainly revealed the divine nature. We should strive to be perfect in our sphere, as He was perfect in His sphere [65].
With our limited powers we are to be as holy in our sphere as God is holy in His sphere [66].
But the statement below gives us a clearer picture as to what “sphere” Ellen White is talking about:
He tells us to be perfect as He is, in the same manner. We are to be centers of light and blessing to our little circle, even as He is to the universe. We have nothing of ourselves, but the light of His love shines upon us, and we are to reflect its brightness. “In His borrowed goodness good,” we may be perfect in our sphere, even as God is perfect in His [67].
A similar statement reads as follows:
When perfect faith and perfect love and obedience abound, working in the hearts of those who are Christ’s followers, they will have a powerful influence. Light will emanate from them, dispelling the darkness around them, refining and elevating all who come within the sphere of their influence, and bringing to a knowledge of the truth all who are willing to be enlightened and to follow in the humble path of obedience [68].
In other words, the "sphere" Ellen White is talking about is the environment in which we live, defined by the limitations of time and space. We cannot serve equally all the billions living on this planet, nor can we avail ourselves of unknown opportunities. Our physical strength, the time at our command, the hours in the day, the need to balance our various responsibilities, impose a variety of restraints on our potential in God’s service.
This is the "sphere" Ellen White is describing, in which we are to be perfect just as God is perfect in His own, much larger sphere. In no way does she say, in this context or elsewhere, that "perfect in our sphere" means we can only be perfect within the limitations imposed by a presumably unconquerable sinful nature.
In fact, earlier in the context of one of the above statements, we find the following words, which comment on Matthew 5:48: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect”:
The conditions of eternal life, under grace, are just what they were in Eden--perfect obedience, harmony with God, perfect conformity to the principles of His law. The standard of character presented in the Old Testament is the same that is presented in the New Testament. This standard is not one to which we cannot attain. In every command or injunction God gives there is a promise, the most positive, underlying the command. God has made provision that we may become like unto Him, and He will accomplish this for all who do not interpose a perverse will and thus frustrate His grace [69].
Claiming vs. Being Sinless
Veith quotes, without citation, Ellen White’s declaration that she “had never said that I am sinless or perfect” [70]. Without question, Ellen White never made such a claim. But Veith, like so many others, seems not to understand the difference between not claiming to be sinless and simultaneously affirming that, through God’s grace, sinless obedience is possible for the earthly believer.
The First Epistle of John declares the possibility of sinless obedience while at the same time denying that one can claim such an attainment:
But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:7-9).
The reason that even one who by God’s grace is living a sin-free life cannot claim to be doing so, is because God alone knows our hearts. Solomon declared in his Temple dedication prayer, “Thou, even Thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men” (I Kings 8:39). We can certainly know if we’ve made progress in the sanctified life—if we used to do certain things that by God’s grace we no longer do, we can be aware of this. But as God alone knows the depths of our hearts and what is found there, only He is able to declare, “Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Rev. 14:12).
The experience of the patriarch Job offers a good example of this. God declared Job to be “a perfect and upright man, one who feared God, and eschewed evil” (Job 1:1,8). Despite the horrific trial he was forced to endure, the Bible declares that “in all this Job sinned not” (Job 1:22; 2:10). Yet Job pointedly refused to make such a claim regarding himself, as the following passage bears witness:
If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me; if I say I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.
Though I were perfect, yet I would not know my soul; I would despise my life (Job 9:20-21).
So while it is not possible for any fallen being to claim sinlessness, because God alone knows every heart (I Kings 8:39), it is most assuredly possible—as the Bible/Spirit of Prophecy evidence surveyed in our study bears witness—for human beings with fallen natures to in fact live lives free from sin.
The Case of Brother K
Veith quotes an Ellen White testimony written to one Brother K [71], who Veith apparently believes was teaching that sinless obedience was possible in this life, a belief for which Ellen White was purportedly rebuking him. Here is the statement Veith quotes in his effort to prove his point:
Lead the people to look to Jesus as their only hope and helper; leave the Lord room to work upon the mind, to speak to the soul, and to impress the understanding. It is not essential for you to know and tell others all the whys and wherefores as to what constitutes the new heart, or as to the position they can and must reach so as never to sin. You have no such work to do [72].
In context, several hints emerge as to what this Brother K was teaching:
1. Striving to be original. It appears this man was teaching ideas which he considered both creative and essential for the church to accept, often using strong language and taking extreme views in the process. In Ellen White’s words, in the context of the above statement:
While you strive to be original and take such extreme views, and use such strong language in presenting them, there is danger of doing much harm [73].
2. Technical and narrow definitions. This man apparently was promoting technical and likely speculative views as to the work of conversion and sanctification. This seems evident in Ellen White’s warning to him against his perceived need “to know and tell others all the whys and wherefores as to what constitutes the new heart” [74]. Ellen White doesn’t elaborate as to what in fact all these “whys” and “wherefores” were. Apparently she didn’t consider such elaboration necessary, leaving for the reader the task of comparing all theories and suggestions to the consensus of both Scripture and her own writings.
3. Insisting that all must agree with his peculiar views. In this same context Ellen White warns as follows:
Our ministers must cease to dwell upon their peculiar ideas with the feeling, “You must see this point as I do, or you cannot be saved.” Away with this egotism [75].
4. Teaching a future “coming out” from the Advent movement of a “purer, holier people.” A very telling indicator of Brother K’s views is found in the following statement, two pages following the reference quoted by Veith:
You will take passages in the Testimonies that speak of the close of probation, of the shaking among God’s people, and you will talk of a coming out from this people of a purer, holier people that will arise. Now all this pleases the enemy [76].
As Ellen White’s writings are clear that the end-time shaking will remove the apostate majority from the organized body [77], as distinct from a “coming out from this people of a purer, holier people” [78], Brother K’s views obviously differed from both the Spirit of Prophecy consensus on the shaking process and the views of the great majority of contemporary Adventists who hold to the doctrinal construct known as Last Generation Theology, with its Bible/Spirit of Prophecy focus on the imperative of divinely-empowered sinless obedience on the part of the end-time saints.
Whatever there is that we don’t know of Brother K’s teachings, one can hardly use Ellen White’s rebuke to him as a contradiction to the overwhelming testimony of her own writings—not to mention those of Scripture—on the subject of perfection and sinless obedience, of which this article has cited so many examples. It seems that this man was teaching very extreme and narrow views as to what conversion and sanctification constitute, leaving little if any room for God to work with the individuality of human hearts [79]. Under no circumstances can we read Ellen White’s statements to this man as denying the teaching found throughout the Bible and her own writings affirming the possibility through heaven’s power of sinless obedience here on earth.
False Issues
Like other opponents of perfection theology in the church, Veith uses the acknowledged fact that “for all eternity we will grow in grace” [80] as alleged proof that sinless conduct is beyond the reach of the earthly Christian.
First of all, while everyone agrees that character growth will continue throughout the ages of eternity, it is incorrect to speak of this as growth “in grace.” According to Ellen White, grace is something needed only in the battle with sin. Speaking of the sinless angels, she writes:
God loves the sinless angels, who do His service and are obedient to all His commands, but He does not give them grace. These heavenly beings know nought of grace [81].
So grace, whether pardoning or transforming, is something not needed by unfallen beings. It is solely a product of the age of sin. But if Veith is simply saying that character growth will occur throughout the eternal ages, this is a point on which all in the present discussion agree. The following Ellen White statement is very clear on this point:
It is your work to advance toward perfection, making constant improvement, until at last you are pronounced worthy to receive immortal life. And even then the work of progression will not cease, but will continue throughout eternity [82].
But not only do all in the Adventist perfection controversy agree that character growth will continue throughout eternity; all likewise agree that no one will be sinning throughout eternity. Whether one believes sinful choices will cease in advance of probation’s end or at the second coming of Christ, either way they won’t occur in heaven or the new earth.
And the bottom line is this: Constant growth, whether on earth or in heaven, is not inconsistent with sinless obedience. If in fact character development will persist throughout eternity in the total absence of sin, why cannot character development take place on earth following the total conquest of sin in the Christian life?
But perhaps the biggest false issue raised by Veith in these presentations is the claim that those holding to Last Generation Theology believe that the victorious saints of the final generation “will not and cannot sin anymore” [83]. At one point he even claims that this teaching removes freedom of choice from the believer, and that it would produce “pickled Christians on [God’s] shelf that cannot sin” [84].
This is total fiction. I am not familiar with any advocate of perfection theology, Last Generation Theology (whatever label one prefers), at any time in Seventh-day Adventist history, who teaches, or has ever taught, that anyone at any time in the Sacred Story who has or will attain to the perfect character of Jesus is incapable of ever sinning again. Like a happily married husband and wife, who still retain the freedom to break their marriage vows, the saints who attain through heaven’s power the perfection of Jesus’ character will still throughout eternity retain the right of choice. Veith’s allegation that those Adventists teaching perfection theology envision “pickled Christians” supposedly losing their freedom to transgress the divine law, is utterly false.
Typology vs. Teaching
Another perilous argument used by Veith involves typology based on the Old Testament story of Abraham’s journey into Egypt. Abraham, Veith says, is a type of the end-time people of God, whom God delivers through plagues on their enemies just as He sent plagues on Pharaoh as a means of setting Abraham and Sarah free (Gen. 12:17-19) [85]. Based on this story, which of course includes Abraham’s lie to Pharaoh regarding his relationship to Sarah (Gen. 12:11-13,19), Veith maintains that God will deliver His end-time saints despite their continuing imperfections [86].
But it is quite inappropriate to use a Bible story as a means of contradicting Biblical teachings. The latter are clear that the final generation of Christians, who will escape the seven last plagues and meet their Lord in peace when He comes, will be free from all sin through His power in advance of His return (Zeph. 3:13; I Thess. 5:23; II Peter 3:10-14; I John 3:2-3; Rev. 1:17; 14:5,12). Far from being guilty of the falsehood told by Abraham to Pharaoh, the Bible is clear that no guile will be found in the mouths of those taken to heaven at Jesus’ return (Zeph. 3:13; Rev. 14:5)—-the exact same condition depicted in the Bible as belonging to their Lord (Isa. 53:9; I Peter 2:21-22).
Conclusion
Walter Veith’s ministry has long been problematic for thoughtful church members troubled by the ill-founded conspiracy speculation with which it has long been associated—a genre of thought historically baseless, ideologically perverse, and most of all at odds with Bible/Spirit of Prophecy teachings regarding the Antichrist power of both history and end-time prophecy. But his now vocalized opposition to the heart of Seventh-day Adventist theology—God’s summons to history’s final generation to achieve, through His power, perfect obedience to God’s Ten Commandments (Zeph. 3:13; Rev. 12:17; 14:5,12)—is vastly more dangerous.
Faithful Seventh-day Adventists cannot lend support to a ministry that denies God’s power to produce sinless obedience in human hearts and lives. Let us pray that Brother Veith will embark on a deeper study of both Scripture and the writings of Ellen White relative to this and other problems in his public witness to the church and to the world.
REFERENCES
1. “New World Order (conspiracy theory),” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Order_(conspiracy_theory)
2. Walter Veith, “The Cornerstone of Protestantism: Darkness Before Dawn,” https://www.zguduireaadventismului.ro/nouateologie/nuante-de-gri/
3. Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 824.
4. ----Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 212.
5. ----Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 128.
6. Ibid, pp. 226-227.
7. ----Evangelism, p. 179.
8. ----Review and Herald, June 11, 1889.
9. ----Sermons and Talks, vol. 2, p. 73.
10. ----Maranatha, p. 18.
11. ----Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 365.
12. ----Review and Herald, Sept. 3, 1901.
13. ----The Ministry of Healing, p. 147.
14. ----My Life Today, p. 224.
15. ----Testimonies, vol. 7, p. 75.
16. ----Medical Ministry, p. 159.
17. “Walter Veith despre perfectiunea caracterului,” https://vimeo.com/367543025/acfa8b7af6
18. Ibid.
19. Ibid.
20. Ibid.
21. White, Acts of the Apostles, pp. 560-561.
22. ----Prophets and Kings, p. 84.
23. ----Counsels to Teachers, p. 20.
24. ----From the Heart, p. 297.
25. ----SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 929.
26. ----Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 49.
27. ----Signs of the Times, Aug. 29, 1892.
28. ----Evangelism, p. 385.
29. ----Testimonies, vol. 3, p. 83.
30. ----Review and Herald, Sept. 27, 1906.
31. ----Youth’s Instructor, April 16, 1903.
32. ----Signs of the Times, June 17, 1903.
33. Ibid, Aug. 9, 1905.
34. ----Review and Herald, April 1, 1902.
35. ----Selected Messages, vol. 3, p. 360.
36. ----Steps to Christ, p. 34 (italics original).
37. ----Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 419-420.
38. ----Review and Herald, Sept. 25, 1900.
39. ----Signs of the Times, June 10, 1903.
40. ----The Great Controversy, p. 425.
41. Ibid, p. 623.
42. ----Early Writings, p. 71.
43. ----Testimonies, vol. 1, p. 187.
44. ----Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 506-507.
45. ----Review and Herald, Nov. 19, 1908.
46. ----Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 214.
47. Ibid, p. 216.
48. ----Evangelism, p. 702.
49. ----SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1055.
50. ----Testimonies, vol. 1, p. 619.
51. ----SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1118.
52. ----Testimonies, vol. 3, p. 472.
53. ----From the Heart, p. 44.
54. ----Testimonies, vol. 2, p. 505.
55. Ibid, vol. 1, p. 340.
56. ----Selected Messages, vol. 3, p. 427.
57. ----Review and Herald, May 30, 1882.
58. ----Signs of the Times, Oct. 22, 1885.
59. ----Testimonies, vol. 2, p. 355.
60. Ibid.
61. ----Acts of the Apostles, pp. 560-561; Prophets and Kings, p. 84; Counsels to Teachers, p. 20; From the Heart, p. 297.
62. “Walter Veith despre perfectiunea caracterului,” https://vimeo.com/367543025/acfa8b7af6
63. Ibid.
64. See Edward Heppenstall, “Let Us Go On to Perfection,” Perfection: The Impossible Possibility (Nashville, TN: Southern Publishing Assn, 1975), p. 77.
65. White, Testimonies, vol. 8, p. 86.
66. ----Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 337.
67. ----Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 77.
68. ----Testimonies, vol. 2, p. 694.
69. ----Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 76.
70. “Walter Veith despre perfectiunea caracterului,” https://vimeo.com/367543025/acfa8b7af6
71. Ibid.
72. White, Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 177.
73. Ibid.
74. Ibid.
75. Ibid, p. 178.
76. Ibid, p. 179.
77. ----Selected Messages, vol. 2, p. 380; Testimonies, vol. 4, p. 89; The Great Controversy, p. 608; Manuscript Releases, vol. 12, p. 327; vol. 20, p. 320.
78. ----Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 179.
79. Ibid, p. 178.
80. “Walter Veith despre perfectiunea caracterului,” https://vimeo.com/367543025/acfa8b7af6
81. White, In Heavenly Places, p. 34.
82. Ibid, p. 186.
83. “Walter Veith despre perfectiunea caracterului,” https://vimeo.com/367543025/acfa8b7af6
84. Ibid.
85. Ibid.
86. Ibid
Pastor Kevin Paulson holds a Bachelor’s degree in theology from Pacific Union College, a Master of Arts in systematic theology from Loma Linda University, and a Master of Divinity from the SDA Theological Seminary at Andrews University. He served the Greater New York Conference of Seventh-day Adventists for ten years as a Bible instructor, evangelist, and local pastor. He writes regularly for Liberty magazine and does script writing for various evangelistic ministries within the denomination. He continues to hold evangelistic and revival meetings throughout the North American Division and beyond, and is a sought-after seminar speaker relative to current issues in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He presently resides in Berrien Springs, Michigan