If you go to https://www.adventist.org/documents/sabbath-observance/ and scroll down to "6. Sabbath and the Authority of God’s Word," you can see that White's teaching on the Sabbath still informs SDA belief and practice. It's not as clear as White makes it in The Great Controversy but it's there when you read between the lines.
For example the article states, "Ellen White points out that the Sabbath commandment is unique, for it contains the seal of God’s law." In other words, Sabbath keeping seals those who are dedicated to God's law (specifically, the 10 Commandments). All others, as White spells out in The Great Controversy, are sealed with the mark of the beast. Failure to keep the Sabbath is equivalent to rejecting the 10 Commandments according to SDAs.
It goes on to say, "Human beings have the freedom to enter into a relationship with the Creator of the universe as with a personal friend." But if you read what comes directly before this it's clear it's talking about Sabbath keeping as the way ones enters into this personal friendship.
And, "To those who do not recognize God as their Creator, it seems arbitrary or inexplicable for someone to cease from all work on the Sabbath day for merely religious reasons." Those who don't keep the Sabbath don't acknowledge God as the creator. SDAs teach that since God spent six days creating and rested on the seventh, keeping the Sabbath is the way we acknowledge God as creator. If you don't keep the Sabbath, well, you simply don't believe in the creator.
The deeper you dig, the clearer it becomes that SDAs really trust more in their Sabbath keeping to save them than they do in Christ's gift of grace. You put all the gloss on it you want but you can't change the facts.
For example the article states, "Ellen White points out that the Sabbath commandment is unique, for it contains the seal of God’s law." In other words, Sabbath keeping seals those who are dedicated to God's law (specifically, the 10 Commandments). All others, as White spells out in The Great Controversy, are sealed with the mark of the beast. Failure to keep the Sabbath is equivalent to rejecting the 10 Commandments according to SDAs.
It goes on to say, "Human beings have the freedom to enter into a relationship with the Creator of the universe as with a personal friend." But if you read what comes directly before this it's clear it's talking about Sabbath keeping as the way ones enters into this personal friendship.
And, "To those who do not recognize God as their Creator, it seems arbitrary or inexplicable for someone to cease from all work on the Sabbath day for merely religious reasons." Those who don't keep the Sabbath don't acknowledge God as the creator. SDAs teach that since God spent six days creating and rested on the seventh, keeping the Sabbath is the way we acknowledge God as creator. If you don't keep the Sabbath, well, you simply don't believe in the creator.
The deeper you dig, the clearer it becomes that SDAs really trust more in their Sabbath keeping to save them than they do in Christ's gift of grace. You put all the gloss on it you want but you can't change the facts.
