Years ago, a man and his wife sent me a paper on the doctrine of sin that someone in their church had circulated. The paper tried to establish from both Scripture and the writings of Ellen White that babies are born sinners because of their inherited fallen natures, and that consequently Jesus couldn’t have been born with that same nature when He came to this earth, else He would have needed a Savior Himself.
There really was nothing complicated about the paper; all it contained for the most part were statements from Ellen White’s writings. Yet the couple who e-mailed me the paper asked me to analyze it and offer a response, claiming in their cover letter, “This is beyond our pea-pickin’ brains.”
The Loss of the Berean Principle
It isn’t my purpose to demean or condemn this particular couple; I consider them true friends, deeply committed to Christ, to Scripture, and to the writings of the Spirit of Prophecy. But if their experience had been unique, I likely wouldn’t be tracing these lines. Unfortunately, I have lost track of how many times seemingly consecrated church members have sent me papers, articles, recordings, etc, asking for my assessment and critique. You begin to wonder what these folks would do if those they consider “experts,” in which they apparently repose great trust, were no longer around to help.
Requests like these leave me with a cocktail of mixed feelings. Yes, you feel honored by the respect such persons invest in you and your ministry. You recognize how busy most people are, thus understanding their inclination to “farm out” theological challenges to pastors and scholars whose knowledge and mastery of issues they highly regard. But in more reflective moments you wonder what has happened to the spirit of the noble Bereans, who were praised by the ancient apostles because they “examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11, NIV).
The following Ellen White statements soberly remind even the simplest persons among us of the Christian’s duty so far as testing all teachings and practices are concerned:
The Bible was not written for the scholar alone; on the contrary, it was designed for the common people. The great truths necessary for salvation are made as clear as noonday; and none will mistake and lose their way except those who follow their own judgment instead of the plainly revealed will of God.
We should not take the testimony of any man as to what the Scriptures teach, but should study the words of God for ourselves [##1|Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 89.##].
When errors arise and are taught as Bible truth, those who have a connection with Christ will not trust to what the minister says, but, like the noble Bereans, they will search the Scriptures daily to see if these things are so [##2|——From the Heart, p. 297.##].
This helps us understand one of the most negative consequences of the so-called “Jesuit infiltration” conspiracy theory, used by certain folks to explain the prevalence of heresy and wrongdoing in the church. Many who subscribe to these theories get scared that those teaching error in our schools and congregations are presumably so brilliant, so carefully schooled in the arts of persuasion and deception, that “puny little me” doesn’t have a chance.
The bottom line is not that such infiltration is impossible, only that it really doesn’t matter. What matters is that whether a teacher of falsehood—in the pulpit, the classroom, or wherever—is an infiltrating Jesuit or just a self-indulgent Adventist trying to find excuses for his favorite sins, all that is needed by the humblest church member to resist the lies being advanced is a plain “thus saith the Lord.” Like the smooth little stone that brought down Goliath, the written counsel of God can fell every giant intellect arrayed against the truth, regardless of how seemingly formidable.
Recovering the Berean Principle
How, then, can we recover the Berean principle and become proficient in the Sacred Word? Here are some suggestions:
Adopt or put together a systematic plan to acquaint yourself with Scripture and the writings of the Spirit of Prophecy. A number of such study plans exist already, and many are using them. Immerse yourself on a daily basis in the inspired writings, any number of chapters per day. The Bible, of course, should come first, but beyond that, read from start to finish the Conflict of the Ages series by Ellen White, together with such major works as Steps to Christ, Christ’s Object Lessons, The Ministry of Healing, and Education. The nine volumes of the Testimonies should likewise be made a priority. Add to these the Ellen White devotionals, primarily such books as In Heavenly Places, Sons and Daughters of God, That I May Know Him, and Our High Calling.
All of Ellen White’s writings should be on our regular reading list, but the books noted above are an excellent start. Saturate your mind with Scripture and the content of the above books, and the various issues being debated in contemporary Adventism will become amazingly simple to understand. A mind immersed in the worldview contained in these writings will much more easily recognize doctrinal and moral error, quickly detecting the violation of context which so often characterizes the use of Scripture and Ellen White by those teaching such errors. The contrast will become clear between lectures, sermons, articles, and books which adhere strictly to the inspired text, and those that stray beyond that text into errant constructs of spirituality and theology.
One likely indicator of doctrinal or moral straying is the heavy use by an author, pastor, or lecturer of uninspired theological or spiritual commentary, especially if such commentary is used as a lens through which to read the inspired writings. Authors, pastors, and lecturers must do all in their power to open before others the self-interpretive clarity of God’s written counsel, and to keep their own reasoning as much out of the listeners’ way as possible. Religious lectures, sermons, books, and articles are certainly essential, but if they employ man-made arguments and commentary as bridges to the conclusions they reach, rather than the self-explanatory voice of Inspiration, they become a curse rather than a blessing.
First Things First
It isn’t wrong to read uninspired religious material, but it becomes dangerous when such material crowds the inspired writings out of our busy schedules. So much uninspired religious commentary abounds out there, even in Seventh-day Adventist libraries. Devotional books for men, devotional books for women, devotional books for couples, practical manuals on how to do this and that within the spiritual realm—so many of these clamor for our attention and introduce concepts into Seventh-day Adventist minds which veer from the worldview of Scripture and the writings of the Spirit of Prophecy.
First things need to come first. What God has inspired must take precedence over all other spiritual writings. Once our minds are saturated with the former, we can peruse the latter with an alertness that enables us to see more clearly the difference between right and wrong, truth and error, even when the difference is subtle. This is where our priority belongs when it comes to religious life and thought. The inspired writings must dominate our religious thinking and become the supreme measure by which all ideas, worldviews, and moral agendas are tested.
Conclusion
Tear-jerking testimonies of experience, winsome discourses by charismatic scholars, mentors, and preachers—none can take the place of the written counsel of God as the supreme lodestar of faith and practice (Isa. 8:20; Acts 17:11). Those that allow the persuasive tone and pleasing demeanor of an author or lecturer to take the place of careful, often arduous study of the inspired writings, are preparing to be deceived. The modern prophet says it so well, in language difficult to equal in candor or simplicity:
Only those who have been diligent students of the Scriptures, and who have received the love of the truth, will be shielded from the powerful delusion that takes the world captive [##3|——The Great Controversy, p. 625.##].
Men may get up scheme after scheme, and the enemy will seek to seduce souls from the truth, but all who believe that the Lord has spoken through Sister White, and has given her a message, will be safe from the many delusions that will come in these last days [##4|——Selected Messages, vol. 3, pp. 83-84.##].
REFERENCES
1. Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 89.
2. ----From the Heart, p. 297.
3. ----The Great Controversy, p. 625.
4. ----Selected Messages, vol. 3, pp. 83-84.
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