As most of you know, some of our top leaders just attended a Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) symposium about Conscientious Objection and Non-Combatancy in Germany. At the symposium, some interesting discussions took place and questions were asked to us by the SDA group. Some of the questions that were commonly asked include, “How many members do you have around the world?” Just like the Jews of old, they ask, in essence, “Have any of the scribes and Pharisees believed on Him?”
“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:13–14. Strait is the gate and narrow is the way, and few there be that find it. . . . What the church went through in 1888 was actually the beginning of our movement—just as it was prophesied to happen—over the subject of war and the keeping of God’s Commandments—it came. But at that time in 1888, the outward issues were the law in Galatians, the covenants and who were the three extinct horns in Western Europe. Not very essential issues—but what a controversy began just over those little things. And this was prophesied, as well.
What happens if we fail to repent? “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” Revelation 2:5
All quotes from the E.G. White CD, 2007 Edition: “We must not end with a narration of the evils and the virtues of the Minneapolis meeting. We need to learn important lessons from the experience of our forefathers. These lessons need to be pointed out, meditated upon, and acted upon, or we will be in danger of repeating the mistakes they made a century ago.
“First, we must individually humble our souls before God and put away our idols. Some have wondered whether the Seventh-day Adventist Church today should, in a General Conference action, make a formal apology to the Lord for the sins of our brethren at Minneapolis. Ellen White recognized the responsibility of leadership in correcting evils and in setting the proper spiritual tone in the church.
“But in the 27 years she lived following the Minneapolis meeting she never once suggested that we should pass an official action in which we would formally disassociate ourselves from the unChristlike attitude manifested by so many at Minneapolis. She did, however, urge the individuals involved to confess their own sins. She warned, ‘The words and actions of [all] who took part in this work will stand registered against them until they make confession of their wrong.’ ‘Repentance,’ she said, ‘is the first step that must be taken by all who would return to God.’ And, ‘no one can do this work for another. We must individually humble our souls before God and put away our idols.’
[This same lesson was applied in the attempt for reunification with the ’51 Movement approximately 20 years ago. There is no such thing as corporate repentance for individual sins.]
“Second, we should ‘pray without ceasing’ (1 Thessalonians 5:17). We cannot afford to neglect our prayer life, even for a day. Elder C. C. McReynolds described the prayerless spirit at Minneapolis: ‘In our lodging house we were hearing a good many remarks about Sister White favouring Elder Waggoner, that he was one of her pets. The spirit of controversy was up, and when the delegates came in from the last meeting of the day there was simply babble, with much laughter and joking and some very disgusting comments were being made, no spirit of solemnity prevailing. A few did not engage in the hilarity. No worship hour was kept, and anything but the solemnity that should have been felt and manifested on such an occasion was present.’
“Because many delegates did not maintain constant connection with God, the door was opened for Satan to control their thinking for a time. We must not allow such a sad chapter to be repeated.
“Third, we should learn to love all our brethren, including those who do not share our individual interpretations of Scripture. Referring to Minneapolis, Ellen White lamented: ‘A difference in the application of some few scriptural passages makes men forget their Christian principles. Elements become banded together, exciting one another through the human passions to withstand in a harsh, denunciatory manner everything that does not meet their ideas. This is not Christian, but is of another spirit.’
“She admonished the brethren: ‘A. T. Jones and Dr. Waggoner hold views upon some doctrinal points which all admit are not vital questions. . . . But it is a vital question whether we are Christians, whether we have a Christian spirit, and are true, open, and frank with one another.’
“The law in Galatians and the 10 kingdoms of Daniel 7 were not ‘vital questions’—non-negotiables, such as the Sabbath and the investigative judgment doctrines. They were in that class of Biblical interpretations where some latitude of belief must be tolerated. On issues that all agree are not vital, is it right to be cool toward our brethren and sisters whose views are not identical with our own?
“To manifest an un-Christlike spirit toward those in the church who differ with us on these or similar issues is to repeat the spirit of Minneapolis. Just before the Minneapolis meeting Ellen White exhorted the brethren: ‘Heaven’s enlightenment is what is needed, so that when we look upon the faces of our brethren, we may consider: These are they that have been purchased by the price of the blood of Christ. They are precious in His sight. I must love them as Christ has loved me.’
[Surely this is good counsel for us today.]
“Fourth, we should search the Scriptures for ourselves and not allow others to do our thinking for us. At Minneapolis Ellen White could see that many of our ministers were simply following the lead of Elders Butler and Smith in their understanding of Scripture. They were not doing their own thinking. Loyalty to Leadership—a commendable virtue—became a serious weakness when it led to following leadership blindly.
“On October 19 Ellen White cautioned the delegates: ‘Do not believe anything simply because others say it is truth. Take your Bibles, and search them for yourselves.’
“Again, on October 24, she entreated: ‘I want our young men to take a position, not because someone else takes it, but because they understand the truth for themselves.’
“And on November 3, the last Sabbath of the conference, she once more appealed to the brethren: ‘We should be prepared to investigate the Scriptures with unbiased minds, with reverence and candour. It becomes us to pray over matters of difference in views of Scripture.’
“The following day, November 4, Ellen White wrote her daughter-in-law: ‘The ministers have been the shadow and echo of Elder Butler about as long as it is healthy and for the good of the cause. . . . [Elder Butler] thinks his position gives him such power that his voice is infallible. To get this off from the minds of our brethren has been a difficult matter.’ Let us not fall into the trap of putting any man where God alone should be.
“Fifth, we should emphasize righteousness by faith in our preaching, we should make the subject as clear as crystal to our people, and we should be sure that we ourselves enjoy a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Ellen White urged: ‘Faith in Jesus Christ’s righteousness in behalf of every individual soul should be held before the people for their study and for them to contemplate thoroughly. This theme cannot be dwelt upon too often and too earnestly.’
“Probably all the delegates at Minneapolis would have insisted that they believed in the doctrine of righteousness by faith in Christ. However, many did not act or sound that way, either at the 1888 conference or in the months following. In addressing the 1889 General Conference session, Ellen White stated: ‘The true religion, the only religion of the Bible, that teaches forgiveness through the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour, that advocates righteousness by the faith of the Son of God, has been slighted, spoken against, ridiculed. It has been denounced as leading to enthusiasm and fanaticism.’
“Even Uriah Smith’s thinking on the subject appeared to have been fuzzy at times. For example, he editorialized in the June 11, 1889, Review: ‘The law is spiritual, holy, just, and good, the divine standard of righteousness. Perfect obedience to it will develop perfect righteousness, and that is the only way anyone can attain to righteousness. . . .’
“There is a righteousness we must have, in order to see the kingdom of heaven, which is called ‘our righteousness,’ and this righteousness comes from being in harmony with the law of God. In Deuteronomy 6:24–25, we read: ‘And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as He hath commanded us.’ The Lord would not command them to do what He had not made adequate provision for them to do; and if they did do it, it would be their righteousness.
[Is this true and right- what Uriah Smith wrote? What do you think? Is it our righteousness that allows us to obey the law of God, and that we receive by that obedience?]
“A week after this editorial was published someone asked Ellen White, ‘What does Brother Smith’s piece in the Review mean?’ She responded publicly, ‘He doesn’t know what he is talking about; he sees trees as men walking. . . . It is impossible for us to exalt the law of Jehovah unless we take hold of the righteousness of Jesus Christ.’
“In a manuscript ‘Looking Back at Minneapolis,’ written a few weeks after the conference closed, Ellen White stated: ‘I bore testimony that the most precious light had been shining forth from the Scriptures in the presentation of the great subject of the righteousness of Christ connected with the law, which should be constantly kept before the sinner as his only hope of salvation. . . .’
“‘It is a study that can tax the highest human intelligence, that man, fallen, deceived by Satan, taking Satan’s side of the question, can be conformed to the image of the Son of the infinite God—that man shall be like Him, that, because of the righteousness of Christ given to man, God will love man, fallen but redeemed, even as He loved His Son. . . .
“‘This is the mystery of godliness. This picture is of the highest value. It is to be meditated upon, placed in every discourse, hung in memory’s hall, uttered by human lips, and traced by human beings who have tasted and known that the Lord is good. It is to be the groundwork of every discourse.’
“Sister White could hardly have expressed herself more plainly and more decidedly than when she said: ‘The point which has been urged upon my mind for years is the imputed righteousness of Christ. . . .’
“‘There is not a point that needs to be dwelt upon more earnestly, repeated more frequently, or established more firmly in the minds of all, than the impossibility of fallen man meriting anything by his own best good works. Salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ alone.’
“Sixth, we should ‘despise not prophesyings’ (1 Thessalonians 5:20). If Uriah Smith had only heeded this admonition at Minneapolis he would have saved himself and many others much heartache. But the devil convinced Smith that Ellen White had contradicted herself. She had told J. H. Waggoner in the 1850s that his view of Galatians 3 was wrong. Now in 1888 she appeared to support the younger Waggoner, who had essentially the same view as his father.
“Actually, Ellen White did not take a position on Galatians 3 at the Minneapolis conference. She carefully avoided taking sides on this issue. She pointed out, in fact, that her understanding of this passage was different in some respects from that of Dr. Waggoner.
“But Smith was not listening. He allowed himself to brood over what he thought were Ellen White’s mistakes. His coolness toward God’s prophet continued for more than two years. Finally, on January 7, 1891, he made a full confession. Of this Ellen White wrote: ‘[Brother Smith] took my hand as he left the room, and said, “If the Lord will forgive me for the sorrow and burdens I have brought upon you, I tell you this will be the last. I will stay up your hands.” . . . It is seldom that Elder Smith sheds a tear, but he did weep, and his voice was choked with the tears in it.’”
But Uriah Smith could not take back all of the bad influence that he had been on others, nor the wrong ideas that he had taught and believed—many of which may exist still to this day in Adventism.
Let us remember: Just because a church is prophesied doesn’t mean it cannot fall. Revelation chapter 3 tells us about those who are individually lukewarm and self-satisfied—what happens to them? They are spued out.
Looking back at that time, we must remember that most of those converted to Adventism were already Christians, so the leaders thought that they didn’t have to preach Christ; all they had to do was preach the law—and by this, they did have success.
So when Jones and Waggoner, these two young men preached such powerful sermons on Christ and how He is the only way that we can obey the law—many of the older leaders thought it was completely unnecessary—they already had Christ, didn’t they?
May the good and merciful God help us to always uplift Christ in every sermon, every Bible study or lesson that we have—because indeed, He and the love of God are at the center of every doctrine that we have and hold to. Because ultimately, it comes down to this question: Who or what are we trusting in for salvation? The law—can the law alone save us? Our own obedience? If so, then we are like the Jews who leave Christ and His righteousness out. No, we must forsake even ourselves at the foot of the cross and flee to the stronghold, the tower of God’s righteousness—this is our only safety.
We cannot look to any other church or individual to obtain an experience for us, to tell us what to believe, or how to practice, that which we see to be right. We must obtain that experience for ourselves through prayer, study and sharing God’s word with others. We need to walk so close to Christ every day, that by the power of the Holy Spirit, we will be enabled to have a faith that works by love to purify the soul. Amen.
Quotes taken from “1888–Issues, Outcomes, Lessons,” by Robert W. Olson, secretary, EG White Estate. Originally published as a supplement to Australian Record, June 8, 1981.
Jerry Eaton