FALSE TEACHING # 1: A GOSPEL OF GRACE PLUS LAW
Seventh-day Adventism professes to teach salvation by grace through faith, but they redefine this to add works to grace.
According to Adventist doctrine, grace is the power and forgiveness God gives to enable a sinner to keep God’s law and to thereby build a holy character fit for Heaven. The individual that fails to build the right character by God’s grace will never see Heaven. Faith and works are said to be the two oars by which the believer is propelled to glory.
These false teachers are aptly described by the apostle Paul in his epistle to the Galatians: “And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage” (
Gal. 2:4).
It is important that we carefully document the Seventh-day Adventist doctrine of salvation, since it is very subtle. Often, in their literature produced for the general public, the Seventh-day Adventists modify what they believe in an attempt to appear orthodox. The Christian should beware of the deceitfulness of the false churches. They are like the chameleon that changes colors according to varying situations. On one hand they try to appear orthodox. “We are just like you,” they protest. On the other hand they promote all sorts of heretical teachings and attempt to draw converts away from the Bible-believing churches. This should not surprise us. The New Testament refers frequently to the deception of false teachers. Jesus called false teachers wolves in sheep’s clothing (
Mat. 7:15). He warned that they would try to deceive many (
Mat. 24:4-5). The apostle Paul called them “deceitful workers” (
2 Cor. 11:13). He said they use “cunning craftiness” (
Eph. 4:14). He said they “speak lies in hypocrisy” (
1 Tim. 4:2).
Consider carefully the following statements about salvation from Adventist publications. While professing to believe in salvation by grace alone through faith alone, they redefine grace. The result is a false gospel that mixes grace and law.
From a Seventh-day Adventist Tract:
“Christ says to every man in this world what He said to the rich young ruler: ‘If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments,’
Matthew 19:17. In other words, THE STANDARD FOR ADMISSION INTO HEAVEN IS A CHARACTER BUILT ACCORDING TO THE TEN SPECIFICATIONS, OR COMMANDMENTS, OF GOD’S LAW. ...... THE MASTER BUILDER WILL STAND RIGHT WITH YOU AND IN YOU, AND SEE TO IT PERSONALLY THAT YOUR LIFE COMES UP TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF GOD’S LAW” (Charles Everson,
Saved by Grace, pp. 45-46).
From a Seventh-day Adventist Correspondence course:
“Do you want to be a Christian? ... The steps to Christ are few and plain and easy to understand, and we will turn to God’s Guidebook now for information. ... Believe; that’s the first step toward becoming a Christian. ... the second step is repentance ... repentance is simply being sorry for our sins and putting them away ... the next step in becoming a Christian is confession ... real repentance and confession mean not only to stop sinning, but to do everything possible to make past wrongs right ... The next step is baptism, and the proof for that is found in
Acts 2:38-39 ... Fifth, obedience through Christ in us ... So we have clearly outlined the steps that we need to take in order to become a Christian: to believe in God, to repent of and to confess our sins, to be baptized, AND TO OBEY ALL THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD. ... He may stumble and fall, but he gets up and presses forward again, determined to overcome by God’s enabling power. Such a fall is not counted against him when he repents and asks forgiveness and divine help to live the right life” (
New Life Voice of Prophecy Guide, #12).
Adventism labels this doctrine “salvation by grace,” but it is not the grace that was preached by the Lord’s apostles.