A recent report on a GYC gathering outside of the United States [1] illustrates yet again how lies about the construct known as Last Generation Theology have become, at least in certain denominational circles, what sociologists call “urban legend.”
I was not present at the conference being reported on, nor have I watched or listened to any of the recordings. But two notable falsehoods about Last Generation Theology characterized the report in question: (1) the allegation of “moral perfectionism” [2], and (2) the claim that Last Generation Theology teaches “the need to stand on one’s own merits without an intercessor in earth’s final days” [3].
“Moral Perfectionism”
Like such labels as “communist,” “socialist,” “Marxist,” and “woke” in the secular political arena just now, the “perfectionist” label in modern and contemporary Adventism functions as a toxic epithet, usually undefined, with the effect in most cases of closing minds and shutting down conversation.
Only once does Ellen White use the word “perfectionism” in her writings—in the following statement:
God will not entrust the care of His precious flock to men whose mind and judgment have been weakened by former errors that they have cherished, such as so-called perfectionism and Spiritualism, and who, by their course while in these errors, have disgraced themselves and brought reproach upon the cause of truth. Although they may now feel free from error and competent to go forth and to teach this last message, God will not accept them. He will not entrust precious souls to their care, for their judgment was perverted while in error, and is now weakened [##4|Ellen G. White, Early Writings, p. 101.##].
In her description of those who taught what she describes here as “perfectionism,” it becomes clear that the theory she is describing is far removed from the doctrine of divinely-empowered sinless living taught both in Scripture and throughout her own writings. A passage which, in another of her books, identifies the misguided “perfectionism” noted in the above statement, is worth quoting in full for the sake of clarity on this point:
During family prayer that night, the Spirit of the Lord rested upon me, and I was shown many things in vision. These men were presented to me as doing great injury to the cause of God. While professing sanctification, they were transgressing the sacred law. They were corrupt at heart, and those in union with them were under a satanic delusion, obeying their carnal instincts instead of the word of God.
They held that those who are sanctified cannot sin. And this naturally led to the belief that the affections and desires of the sanctified ones were always right, and never in danger of leading them into sin. In harmony with these sophistries, they were practicing the worst sins under the garb of sanctification, and through their deceptive, mesmeric influence were gaining a strange power over some of their associates, who did not see the evil of these apparently beautiful but seductive theories.
Terrible was their power over the people, for while holding their attention and winning their confidence through a mesmeric influence, they led the innocent and unsuspecting to believe that this influence was the Spirit of God. Therefore those who followed their teachings were deceived into the belief that they and their associates who claimed to be wholly sanctified, could fulfill all the desires of their hearts without sin.
Clearly the deceptions of these false teachers were laid open before me, and I saw the fearful account that stood against them in the book of records, and the terrible guilt that rested upon them for professing complete holiness while their daily acts were offensive in the sight of God.
Some time after this, the characters of these persons were developed before the people, and the vision given in reference to them was fully vindicated.
“Believe in Christ,” was the cry of these claimants of sanctification. “Only believe; this is all that is required of you. Only have faith in Jesus.”
The words of John came forcibly to my mind. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8. I was shown that those who triumphantly claim to be sinless, show by their very boasting that they are far from being without taint of sin. The more clearly fallen man comprehends the character of Christ, the more distrustful will he be of himself, and the more imperfect will his works appear to him, in contrast with those which marked the life of the spotless Redeemer. But those who are far from Jesus, those whose spiritual perceptions are so clouded by error that they cannot comprehend the character of the great Exemplar, conceive of Him as altogether such a one as themselves, and dare to talk of their own perfection of holiness. But they are far from God; they know little of themselves, and less of Christ [##5|——Life Sketches, pp. 83-84.##].
It isn’t difficult for anyone reading the above statement to see the clear difference between the Biblical doctrine of divinely-empowered sinless living here on earth and the false sanctification, or “perfectionism,” condemned in the above statement and elsewhere by Ellen White [##6|——The Sanctified Life, p. 7; Acts of the Apostles, p. 561; Review and Herald, June 6, 1878.##]. The three most obvious differences between these two doctrines are as follows:
1. Claiming to be sinless. Both Scripture and Ellen White uphold the divinely-empowered possibility of sinless obedience here on earth (e.g. Psalm 4:4; 119:1-3,11; Zeph. 3:13; Rom. 6:14; 8:4; 1 Cor. 15:34; 2 Cor. 7:1; Eph. 5:27; Phil. 4:13; 1 Thess. 5:23; 1 Peter 2:21-22; 4:1; 2 Peter 3:10-14; 1 John 1:7,9; 3:2-3,7; Jude 24; Rev. 3:21; 14:5) [##7|——The Desire of Ages, p. 311; Steps to Christ, p. 34; Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 419-420; Evangelism, p. 385; Testimonies, vol. 3, p. 83; Selected Messages, vol. 3, p. 360; Review and Herald, Sept. 25, 1900; April 1, 1902; Sept. 27, 1906; Signs of the Times, June 10, 1903; June 17, 1903; Aug. 9, 1905; Youth’s Instructor, April 16, 1903.##], together with the simultaneous impossibility of any earthly being to claim to have achieved this goal (I Kings 8:39; Job 9:20-21; I John 1:8) [##8|——Acts of the Apostles, pp. 560-561; Selected Messages, vol. 3, pp. 355-356; Signs of the Times, May 16, 1895.##]. Unlike the perfectionism condemned in Ellen White’s writings, Last Generation Theology as taught in contemporary Adventism—and throughout most of our denominational history—upholds both these parallel truths.
2. Trusting one’s natural affections and desires. Both Scripture and Ellen White are clear that the affections and desires of the lower nature, though not a source of guilt in themselves (James 1:14-15) [##9|——That I May Know Him, p. 140; The Adventist Home, p. 127.##], must nevertheless be subdued through divine strength by the higher nature (1 Cor. 9:27) [##10|——The Ministry of Healing, p. 130; Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 114; The Adventist Home, pp. 127-128; Messages to Young People, p. 237; Review and Herald, Aug. 11, 1887.##]—a victory demonstrated for the Christian in the incarnate life and experience of Jesus (Luke 22:42; John 5:30; Rom. 8:3-4; 15:3; Heb. 2:14-17; 4:15). According to Ellen White, the Christian’s struggle against the fleshly nature will continue till Jesus returns [##11|——Acts of the Apostles, pp. 560-561; Prophets and Kings, p. 84; Counsels to Teachers, p. 20; Selected Messages, vol. 2, p. 33; SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 2, p. 1032.##]. By contrast, the “perfectionism” condemned by Ellen White in the above statements promised its adherents a purification of their fleshly urges so that these could be safely trusted. The Bible/Spirit of Prophecy doctrine of divinely-empowered sinless conduct teaches no such thing.
3. “Only believe” as the condition of salvation. Here again the advocates of the “perfectionism” described above departed from inspired teaching. Both Scripture and the writings of Ellen White are clear that both forgiveness for our sinful past and obedience accomplished through divine grace are the prescribed conditions for Biblical salvation (Rom. 3:24; Eph. 1:7; Matt. 7:20; 19:16-26; Luke 10:25-28; Rom. 2:6-10; 8:3; Heb. 5:9) [##12|——The Desire of Ages, p. 523; Testimonies, vo. 2, pp. 561,679,694; Signs of the Times, Nov. 24, 1887; Dec. 15, 1887; Nov. 15, 1899; Review and Herald, June 22, 1890; Oct. 26, 1897; June 26, 1900; SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, pp. 920,972; This Day With God, p. 72; From the Heart, p. 181; Manuscript Releases, vol. 18, pp. 73-74.##].
In light of the above, any use of the term “perfectionism” to describe and disparage the Bible/Spirit of Prophecy teaching of divinely-empowered sinless living in the experience of earthly, fallen believers, is both false and confusing. In speaking negatively of “perfectionism,” Ellen White is describing a teaching fundamentally different from what Scripture, her own writings, and the vast majority of Adventist Last Generation Theology advocates have taught since the start of our church history, and continue to teach today. This is the simple reason why, in the words of one contemporary author, “last generation theologians reject as misrepresentation the perfectionistic tag” [13]—because Ellen White’s inspired use of this label condemns a teaching entirely at odds with what has come to be known in recent times as Last Generation Theology.
“The Need to Stand On One’s Own Merits”
As we noted above, the report in question regarding the GYC Brazil meeting alleges that Last Generation Theology teaches “the need to stand on one’s own merits without an intercessor in earth’s final days” [14]. Like so many false statements, in the sacred as well as the non-sacred realm, this one is a blend of both truth and falsehood.
The Bible is clear that a time will come, during the last days of human history, when our Lord’s mediation will cease (Rev. 8:5; 15:8; 22:11). Ellen White says the same thing, in such statements as the following:
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 earth….
When this work shall have been accomplished, the followers of Christ will be ready for His appearing [##15|White, The Great Controversy, p. 425.##].
When He (Christ) leaves the sanctuary, darkness covers the inhabitants of the earth. In that fearful time the righteous must live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor [##16|——The Great Controversy, p. 614.##].
But in no way does this mean, nor does anyone that I know teach that this means, that the righteous at this time—or any time—will stand “on their own merits.” At no time will the victorious saints stand on any merits but those of Jesus. The problem with too many in modern and contemporary Adventism is that they wrongly associate the term “merits of Christ” with justification (or forgiveness) only. But in the writings of Ellen White—the only body of inspired writings where this language is used—the merits of Christ refer both to the forgiving righteousness which covers our past sins and to the transformative, empowering righteousness which gives victory over sin.
In the following statement, Ellen White speaks of the merits of Christ as forgiveness:
By faith he (the sinner) can bring to God the merits of Christ, and the Lord places the obedience of His Son to the sinner’s account. Christ’s righteousness is accepted in place of man’s failure, and God receives, pardons, justifies, the repentant, believing soul, treats him as though he were righteous, and loves him as He loves His Son [##17|——Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 367.##].
But in the following statements, Jesus’ merits are also depicted as transformative and empowering:
Becoming partakers of His divine nature, we are to learn to discern the temptations of Satan, and, in the strength of His grace, overcome the corruptions that are in the world through lust. He who was once a sinful human being may be refined and purified through the imparted merits of Christ, and stand before his fellow men as a laborer together with God [##18|——This Day With God, p. 151.##].
The more we contemplate these riches, the more we will come into possession of them, and the more we shall reveal the merits of Christ’s sacrifice, the protection of His righteousness, His inexpressible love, the fullness of His wisdom, and His power to present us before the Father without spot or wrinkle or any such thing [##19|——In Heavenly Places, p. 34.##].
When the law of God is thus implanted in the soul of the believer, he is approaching eternal life through the merits of Jesus….
Here in this life is the testing, trying time. The angels of God are watching the development of character, and weighing moral worth. The whole question is settled in this, Is he obedient or disobedient to the commandments of God? has the sinner been transformed in this world, through the merits of Christ…so that he is fitted to join the heavenly society? [##20|——Sons and Daughters of God, p. 50.##].
Through the merits of Christ man may be able to exercise the noblest powers of his being, and expel sin from his soul [##21|——This Day With God, p. 124.##].
Those who are loyal to the truth will, through the merits of Christ, overcome all weakness of character which has led them to be molded by every varying circumstance of life [##22|——This Day With God, p. 148.##].
Through the merits of His blood, you may overcome every spiritual foe, and remedy every defect of character [##23|——Sons and Daughters of God, p. 227.##].
What this basically means is that the term “merits of Christ” in Ellen White’s writings is an exact synonym for the righteousness of Christ. This righteousness, these merits, are both imputed and imparted to the believer, which is why she writes in another statement:
The righteousness by which we are justified is imputed; the righteousness by which we are sanctified is imparted. The first is our title to heaven, the second is our fitness for heaven [##24|——Messages to Young People, p. 35.##].
But whether imputed or imparted, it is all the righteousness (merits) of Jesus. After the close of probation, when God’s people are standing without a Mediator—that is, without the continuous availability of forgiveness—they will still be standing entirely in their Lord’s spotless righteousness, because sanctification is every bit their Lord’s spotless righteousness as is justification.
In the Bible, the righteousness which saves the Christian includes both justification (forgiveness) (Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14) and sanctification (II Thess. 2:13), both the work of Christ for us (II Cor. 5:21) and His work in us (Titus 3:5). And according to Ellen White, the Christian’s sanctification is in fact to be perfect this side of the second coming of Christ:
What is sanctification? It is to give one’s self wholly and without reserve—soul, body, and spirit—to God; to deal justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God; to know and to do the will of God without regard to self or self-interest; to be heavenly minded, pure, unselfish, holy, and without spot or stain [##25|——Our High Calling, p. 212 (italics supplied).##].
True sanctification is nothing more or less than to love God with all the heart, to walk in His commandments and ordinances blameless. Sanctification is not an emotion, but a heaven-born principle that brings all the passions and desires under the control of the Spirit of God; and this work is done through our Lord and Savior [##26|——From the Heart, p. 298.##].
Sanctification consists in the cheerful performance of daily duties in perfect obedience to the will of God [##27|——Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 360 (italics supplied).##].
Conclusion: Lying About Last Generation Theology
It is always dangerous to use inspired language in a way contrary to its usage in the inspired writings themselves. Those who use the term “perfectionism” to represent the belief that through heaven’s power here on earth, Christians can live without sinning in thought, word, and deed, are using this term in a manner totally different from how it is used in the inspired writings of Ellen White. Such misrepresentation has brought confusion rather than clarity to the minds of many students of this issue in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
As to the claim that Last Generation Theology anticipates a time when Christians will “stand on [their] own merits” [28], the inspired writings are clear that both justification and sanctification constitute Jesus’ perfect righteousness. Whether one relies on one or both, the righteousness (merit) is all His. To the present writer’s knowledge, no teacher of Last Generation Theology in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, whether now or in the past, has ever taught anything else. For anyone to represent this doctrinal construct as teaching reliance on humanly-generated merit of any kind is to bear false witness against fellow believers.
REFERENCES
1. Felipe Carmo, “GYC Brazil and Parachurch Ministries: Bad Fellows or Bedfellows?” Spectrum, Sept. 6, 2024 https://spectrummagazine.org/news/gyc-brazil-and-parachurch-ministries-bad-fellows-or-bedfellows/
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ellen G. White, Early Writings, p. 101.
5. ----Life Sketches, pp. 83-84.
6. ----The Sanctified Life, pp. 7-17; Acts of the Apostles, p. 561; Review and Herald, June 6, 1878.
7. ----The Desire of Ages, p. 311; Steps to Christ, p. 34; Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 419-420; Evangelism, p. 385; Testimonies, vol. 3, p. 83; Selected Messages, vol. 3, p. 360; Review and Herald, Sept. 25, 1900; April 1, 1902; Sept. 27, 1906; Signs of the Times, June 10, 1903; June 17, 1903; Aug. 9, 1905; Youth’s Instructor, April 16, 1903.
8. ----Acts of the Apostles, pp. 560-561; Selected Messages, vol. 3, pp. 355-356; Signs of the Times, May 16, 1895.
9. ----That I May Know Him, p. 140; The Adventist Home, p. 127.
10. ----The Ministry of Healing, p. 130; Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 114; The Adventist Home, p. 127-128; Messages to Young People, p. 237; Review and Herald, Aug. 11, 1887.
11. ----Acts of the Apostles, pp. 560-561; Prophets and Kings, p. 84; Counsels to Teachers, p. 20; SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 2, p. 1032; Selected Messages, vol. 2, p. 33.
12. ----The Desire of Ages, p. 523; Testimonies, vol. 2, pp. 561,679,694; Signs of the Times, Nov. 24, 1887; Dec. 15, 1887; Nov. 15, 1899; Review and Herald, June 22, 1890; Oct. 26, 1897; June 26, 1900; SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, pp. 920,972; This Day With God, p. 72; From the Heart, p. 181; Manuscript Releases, vol. 18, pp. 73-74.
13. Dan-Adrian Petre, “Striking a Balance: Adventism and the Quest for Perfection,” Reflections #84, October-December 2023, p. 7. https://www.adventistbiblicalresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/Reflections-84-October-December.pdf
14. Carmo, “GYC Brazil and Parachurch Ministries: Bad Fellows or Bedfellows?” Spectrum, Sept. 6, 2024 https://spectrummagazine.org/news/gyc-brazil-and-parachurch-ministries-bad-fellows-or-bedfellows/
15. White, The Great Controversy, p. 425.
16. Ibid, p. 614.
17. ----Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 367.
18. ----This Day With God, p. 151.
19. ----In Heavenly Places, p. 34.
20. ----Sons and Daughters of God, p. 50.
21. ----This Day With God, p. 124.
22. Ibid, p. 148.
23. ----Sons and Daughters of God, p. 227.
24. ----Messages to Young People, p. 35.
25. ----Our High Calling, p. 212 (italics supplied).
26. ----From the Heart, p. 298.
27. ----Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 360 (italics supplied).
28. Carmo, “GYC Brazil and Parachurch Ministries: Bad Fellows or Bedfellows?” Spectrum, Sept. 6, 2024 https://spectrummagazine.org/news/gyc-brazil-and-parachurch-ministries-bad-fellows-or-bedfellows/
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