Some time ago in Romania, I heard of an old woman, exiting from the church she usually attended; and on her way back home a group of women asked her, “Well, we see you are coming from the church, what was the message all about that you listened to in there?” The woman considered the question for a few moments and then replied, “Well, I don’t really know what the message was about, but what I can tell you is that it was nice, the priest talked so nice.” Is that the way we feel when we come to such important matters as our personal and individual salvation? How is God looking at me when I let my salvation be centered in what others may say or think? Shall I not go to the Bible and search for a “Thus saith the Lord?”

Many people in the world today go to their churches and come back home, receiving no message at all. We may smile at such a story. We may even doubt its truthfulness, but there are millions of people just like that old woman today, professing Christians who could not give any testimony of what they learned from the priest or minister while they attended their church. You see, my friend, when we go to church we go to a place where we expect to be taught and to receive a message from the Bible, inspired through the one who is speaking there. The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:11 “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God.” I believe that if I am a sincere searcher for the truth, God will reveal Himself through the pages of the Bible. Jesus promised us His Holy Spirit, the Comforter, who is the One that leads us to, and teaches us all the truth. Some people go to church for the simple reason that their mother and father taught them to go to that particular church or congregation, though they really know little of the church’s teachings. There are people who go to their churches only for social reasons, namely that they have friends and relatives there and they just want to spend family time with them and nothing else. Others go to church to give them social standing; the message that is going to be preached does not matter very much, but as long as they are seen there, it will make others think that they are good people. We also find people attending church for business reasons; it is good for business to have their names on a certain church register and to be seen at the house of worship from time to time.

Millions of people fall into these categories. Those same millions could not tell you why they attend a particular church or what they really believe. When it comes to understanding doctrinal points, there are some people who just simply say, well, let me ask my pastor regarding this and that point because he knows better. Is this right before God when it comes to matters regarding our salvation? Can I be safe when I let my personal salvation be placed in the hands of others? Can even my priest or pastor decide what I should believe and what I should not believe? Why do people decide to follow their church leaders and what they say, even when they are wrong? I don’t want to say that we should not trust our church leaders, especially when they are approved by God and they stand for a “Thus saith the Lord.” These are some questions we have to consider.

The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:15, “Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you.” The apostle Peter said that we have to give an account to everyone who asks us of the hope that we have in our Saviour Jesus Christ. We have to give an account to everyone who asks us why we believe differently than they do when it comes to doctrinal points in the Bible. You and I must understand correctly what we believe in matters of religion and be ever ready to explain the reasons for our beliefs to others when we are asked about them.  In view of Peter’s counsel I would like to give some of the reasons as to why I am what I am, why I believe what I believe, and why I am a committed Christian, following a “Thus saith the Lord,” and not based on what people say or what church customs or traditions are.

As I was brought up in a family that believed in the Orthodox creed, from time to time I was taught to keep Sunday holy and to abstain from meat, eggs and milk on Wednesdays and Fridays each week, to fast one week before Easter and Christmas and to go to church to confess my sins to the priest. All of these things made no sense to me, but I did them, although not always. As I recall, my mother taught me to keep them and follow the traditions of the church, because she believed that this church was the only one which was sure and safe for our salvation. I wasn’t a committed Orthodox Christian, but I had respect towards my parents, especially my mother, because she was and still is the faithful one, respecting and keeping the traditions of her family’s faith. The Lord in His mercy gave a light to shine on this family and to enlighten them because He loves them. Although they believed in something that wasn’t truth, they still have a chance to be saved if they accept the truth and only the truth as it is in the Bible, not mingled with the traditions of men.

When I began to study the Bible at the age of 23, I had never studied it before; I had wrong ideas about death, the need of a Saviour, forgiveness, and Jesus’ second coming. As I didn’t live to the standards of the Orthodox Church, I said to myself, there is no salvation for me—trying to get rid of the idea of heaven and the chance to be saved. I believed that there was no heaven or hell, no judgement, no second coming of Jesus and the end of the world. I said to myself, “This is our life here on earth; it is short and full of worries—that’s why it is not important to God how we live, once we are sinners we cannot make it to heaven.” I believed at that time that there was no second chance. Sinners are condemned to die and that’s final. What about Jesus’ death on the cross? I didn’t hear too much about it in the church that I occasionally attended. The Bible? Until I was 23 years old I didn’t read it. So then I left the church, in total confusion about the truth. Praise be to God that He didn’t allow me to be swept away by the traditions of men; rather He revealed to me His wonderful love and the truth found in Jesus. He led me to the Bible, guiding my thoughts and opening my heart to the wonderful present truth. I felt the necessity of forgiveness; He gave me a Saviour, Jesus Christ, as mentioned in that magnificent Bible verse in Acts 4:12. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

Peter and John didn’t recognize any other name under heaven by which they could be saved except the Holy Name, the Name above all names, which is Jesus Christ the Messiah, the Anointed One, Immanuel, or God with us. My brother, my sister, there is no other name by which you and I can be saved, except Christ Jesus. Peter and John preached about this wonderful Name; although they had to suffer persecution, they suffered it with Christ and for Christ, the risen Christ. This was their motto: “Christ is risen, Christ is risen from the dead, and this Christ is our personal Priest and Saviour in heaven. They said that “we can only speak about the things we have seen and heard;” this is also what we have to speak, if we walk with Jesus. They spoke about the risen Christ in the 1st century, and we can speak in the 21st century about the Three Angel’s Message and Jesus’ second coming. They were prepared to receive the early rain and we should be prepared to receive the latter rain, which is promised to each sincere believer in Christ—seeking for the present truth and its sanctification. That was a time of destiny for them and this is a time of destiny for us. The question is: Do I want to set my destiny forever in Christ? Do I want to search for the truth and to be set free by Him forever? If that is the case then we are on the way to heaven.

In fact, I would like to outline some special reasons as to why I am a committed Christian, a Seventh-Day Adventist Reformer.

  1. The doctrine is pure. Many of you, when you hear the word “doctrine,” perhaps you don’t like it too much, but you need to be still and listen, because the doctrine comes from Jesus and with Jesus. I cannot imagine faith without doctrine. In fact, what does the word “doctrine” mean? Do we find any statement in the Bible where doctrine is mentioned and is important? “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” 1 Timothy 4:16

 

“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” 1 Timothy 3:15. Paul advised Timothy how to behave in the church of God, which is the pillar and the ground of the truth. Why do we need a pillar and a foundation? That the structure may be sure, strong and powerful enough to sustain the building. This same concept we can apply in spiritual matters; we need Bible doctrine for building upon a good and solid foundation, the true foundation that is Jesus.

People may think, “Why do I need doctrine? All that I need are the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Bible is full of doctrine. In fact, from the very first pages of the Bible, in the book of Genesis, we find very important doctrines essential for our salvation such as: Divinity, Creation, Temptation and the Fall, Food, Marriage, Sabbath, Tithe, Health,  Moral Law or Ten Commandments, Church, Salvation, Death, Spirit of Prophecy, Preaching, Gospel, Christ’s coming, Organization, Circumcision, Baptism, and so forth. We can mention many other points of Bible doctrine which I believe with all my heart are important to our salvation.

We are not saved by keeping points of doctrine, but rather, because we are already saved through the grace of God and faith in Jesus, we accept and keep them. When I first started walking with Jesus and I received Him as my personal Saviour, there were many things in the Bible that I didn’t understand at the time, but, praise be to God, that while walking with Jesus by faith the Holy Spirit guided me through the pages of the Scriptures, enlightened my mind and impressed me with the wonderful simplicity of the truth. I acknowledged it as coming from God and being necessary for my salvation. I want to say that if you have doubts regarding the church you wish to attend, doubts that come when the Holy Spirit impresses your mind about new truth and what you ought to do, in the name of the Lord, I beg you, don’t hesitate in embracing it; go to the Bible and let the inspired words guide you to Jesus and His salvation.

There is a danger in rejecting the light, especially when you have been impressed by the Holy Spirit to accept it. Many nominal Christians—ones who have had the privilege to know all the truth but reject it, will finally find themselves committing the sin which cannot be forgiven—as the Bible calls it—the unpardonable sin. “Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.” Mark 3:28–29. Christ doesn’t want you and me to commit that sin; in His mercy and goodness He shows us how to live a perfect life while living on this Earth. He went before us to make sure that we can follow Him by faith. Claiming the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives we can represent Him in our families, churches and society. This is what He wants and expects from us individually, and do not think that it will be possible without Christ, because Christ said: without Me ye can do nothing. So, in conclusion to this point regarding doctrine, I advise you not to be afraid of doctrine. Remember, the Bible is full of doctrine and Jesus Himself taught many doctrines while He was on this earth. Doctrine comes from Jesus and with Jesus. I am a committed Christian Seventh-Day Adventist Reformer because I like our doctrines, they come from the Bible, they fit together, they are logical, they are reasonable, they give assurance, they build confidence, they make sense, they strengthen my faith, they bring hope, they are believable and Biblical.

For example, let us take the doctrine of death. There is so much confusion among many Christian denominations around the world regarding death. The Orthodox Church teaches about life immediately after death and not only they, but many others do the same, while the Bible is crystal clear regarding death. According to the Bible, we believe and teach as a church, that death is a sleep in the dust of the earth, an unconscious state where there is no mental or physical activity. The dead remain asleep in their graves until the second coming of Jesus when He calls them from the tomb in a glorious resurrection. The Bible never indicates that man is immortal now, that there is no part of him that cannot die. Immortality is bestowed on the resurrected dead at the first resurrection, as the Bible calls it, the resurrection of the righteous ones which will take place at Jesus’ second coming. I like the way Paul explains it in 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” What a wonderful promise for us—either we die in the Lord or we will be alive when He comes.

There is hope for us, hope that many people in the world today don’t have, because they go a wrong way, attending congregations where is preached smooth things and pleasing to their hearers, churches that once had light, but because of rejecting God’s reproof they turned their back on God and opened themselves to error. They have made it possible for Satan to confuse them and to believe a lie. I thank God for showing me mercy, love and compassion. I thank God for bringing me out of darkness and confusion. I thank God He has a Church on this earth, a group of people, a remnant, as the Bible describes them, as the body, with Christ being the Head. It is in this church you will find the biblical fulfillment of “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12.

  1. I am a committed Christian Seventh-Day Adventist Reformer because I know my origin, heritage and mission, as it is outlined in the Bible.

The origin of my faith and belief is found in the Scriptures. I am not a Seventh-Day Adventist Reformer just because the Minister told me this is so. Oh, no. In my case, when I realized that Jesus died for me, that He loves me and wants me to be saved in His kingdom, I started searching the Scriptures, just as Jesus mentioned in John 5:39: “Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me.” In the book of Revelation chapter 10 I found the origin of my faith and God’s remnant people. We read of the sealed book of Daniel 12:4 “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, even to the time of the end.” Where do we find this little book from Daniel 12 in the book of Revelation? Let us read Revelation 10:2: “And he had in his hand a little book open.” You see, this little book in Revelation is the book that Daniel was told to seal. This little book that was opened, that John saw in the hands of the angel from Revelation 10 is the content of the book of Daniel, starting with chapter 8 until chapter 12. Here we find the doctrine of the Sanctuary in heaven and Jesus’ ministry in our behalf as a High Priest in the work of judgement that started on October 22, 1844. Here in this chapter of Revelation 10:8–10 we find the disappointment that occurred from misunderstanding the doctrine of the heavenly sanctuary by William Miller and his followers in 1844, based on Daniel 8:14. In Revelation 10:11, John was told to prophesy again—in fact that occurred exactly just as it was predicted by the angel to John. This prophecy was fulfilled exactly on October 22, 1844.

Not only do we have an origin, but we also have a heritage. In Revelation 12:5 we find how Jesus leaves earth to direct the work from heaven. Satan persecutes the church since he cannot attack Christ. Revelation12:6 says, “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three-score days.” Then verse 12 says, “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” Now in verse 17 the same chapter 12 we find that the church emerges from hiding and is identified as those who keep the ten commandments and have the “testimony of Jesus Christ” which is the gift of prophecy in their midst.

Finally, not only do we have an origin and a heritage but we also find out something more; namely that we have a mission, and that mission is pointed out in the book of Revelation 14:6–12 where we find three messengers, flying in the midst of heaven with the following messages to the entire world:

  • The everlasting Gospel to be preached to the entire world. The good news of salvation.
  • Fear God and give glory to Him because the hour of His judgement has come. We find here the doctrine of the sanctuary. The judgement has come. We live in this time right now.
  • Worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the fountains of waters. How do we call the One who made the heavens and the earth? The Creator. The battle in the universe between good and evil is a battle over worship. It centers on God’s Law. The Sabbath is at the heart of this controversy over worship. We also know that the Sabbath is a sign between God and His people. Then we may ask ourselves: Isn’t it logical that Satan, the great deceiver would attack the Creator by challenging the symbol of creation? God is calling back people to worship Him as the Creator of the heavens and the earth.
  • God’s remnant people acknowledge that Babylon has fallen and invite people to join the remnant who keep all of God’s commandments and have the faith of Jesus. Revelation 18 is God’s last invitation to come out of her (Babylon), my people. Why? Lest you share in her sins and lest you receive of her plagues, the seven plagues which we find in Revelation chapter 16.
  • God’s remnant people refuse the mark and image of the beast by keeping God’s commandments, including the fourth commandment, which is the Sabbath of the Lord, the memorial of God’s creation.

So, my dear brother, sister, and friend, we have seen in the Scriptures the foundation of our faith in Jesus. We have a supreme mission from our Saviour and nothing, absolutely nothing, must be allowed to distract us from the task given to us by Jesus. The church’s mission is to go and make disciples, teaching them to observe all things that Jesus has commanded to His church. Revelation 14 is the reason for our existence; we bear God’s final message for humanity, Revelation 12 is our heritage and Revelation 10 is our origin.

May our heavenly Father give us the wisdom and power to do His will and fulfill the holy and sacred duty He has entrusted us with. What a challenge! What a responsibility! What a mission! May God’s grace and peace be with us all is my wish and prayer. Amen!

Nicholas Anca

Canada