“TRUE CHURCH” STUDY

“TRUE CHURCH”STUDY Prepared & Compiled by Rolando T. Corpus Based on: “A Remnant In Crisis” – JW Provonsha Selected Quotes of EG White

Pluriformity in Adventism • Traditionalists • Moderates • Liberals • Cultics • Celebratory • Emergent Movement

E.G.White on “Advancing Truth” “We must not think, ‘Well, we have the truth, we understand the main pillars of faith, and we may rest on this knowledge.’ The truth is an advancing truth and we must walk in the increasing light.” Review & Herald Article – March 25, 1890

E.G.White on “Investigating Truth” “But we are not safe when we take a position that we will not accept anything else than that upon which we have settled as truth. We should take the Bible and investigate it closely for ourselves. We should dig in the mine of God’s word for truth.” Review & Herald Article – June 18, 1898

E.G.White on “Infallibility” “There is no excuse for anyone taking the position that there is no more truth to be revealed, and that all our expositions of Scripture are without error. The fact that certain doctrines have been held as truth for many years by our people, is not a proof that our ideas are infallible.” Review & Herald Article – December 20, 1892

E.G.White on “Improving Our Light” “Greater light shines upon us than shone upon our fathers. We cannot be accepted or honored of God in rendering the same service, or doing the same works that our fathers did. In order to be accepted and blessed of God as they were, we must imitate their faithfulness and zeal – improve our light as they improved theirs – and do as they would have done had they lived in our day.” 1T 262

E.G.White on “Progressive Truth” “The Word of God presents special truths for every age. The dealings of God with His people in the past should receive our careful attention. We should learn the lessons which they are designed to teach us. But we are not to rest content with them. God is leading out His people step by step. Truth is progressive. The earnest seeker will be constantly receiving light from heaven.” 2SDA BC 1000

E.G.White on the “Christian Journey” The Christian journey is a march rather than an encampment. “Whenever the people of God are growing in grace, they will be constantly obtaining a clearer understanding of His Word.” 5T 463 “…when no difference of opinion arises which will set men to searching the Bible for themselves, to make sure that they have the truth, there will be many now, as in ancient times, who will hold to tradition and worship they know not what.” CWE 38.39

E.G.White on “Our Privileges & Accountability” “The Lord has been revealed to us in ever increasing light. Our privileges are far greater than were the privileges of God’s ancient people.” COL 317 “Our responsibility is greater than was that of our ancestors. We are accountable for the light which they received, and which was handed down as an inheritance for us, and we are accountable also for the additional light which is now shining upon us from the Word of God.” GC 164

E.G.White on “Progressive Knowledge” “Every faculty will be developed, every capacity increased. The acquirement of knowledge will not weary the mind or exhaust the energies…and still there will arise new heights to surmount, new wonders to admire, new truths to comprehend…And the years of eternity, as they roll, will bring richer and still more glorious revelations of God and of Christ. As knowledge is progressive, so will love, reverence, and happiness increase. The more men learn of God, the greater will be their admiration of His character.” GC 677, 678

Vincent Donovan(Roman Catholic Missiologist) “Never accept and be content with unanalzyed assumptions, assumptions about the work, about the people, about the church or Christianity. Never be afraid to ask questions about the work we have inherited or the work we are doing. There is no question that should not be asked or that is outlawed. The day we are completely satisfied with what we have been doing; the day we have found the perfect, unchangeable system of work, the perfect answer, never in need of being corrected again, on that day we will know that we are wrong, that we have made the greatest mistake.” Christianity Rediscovered, p. 146

Adventist Perceptions • Adventists have stressed their “peculiarity” as a “called” people. • SDAs have perceived themselves as “special” – the “remnant”, the “people of God”, the “true church”, and that they had “the truth”. • It is this sense of specialness that is the major source of energy to deliver God’s special message to the world for the end time.

The Traditional “True Church” Teaching of the SDA ChurchMARKS OF THE “TRUE CHURCH” • Small in membership • A remnant • Commandment keeping (esp. the 4th) • Evangelizes the world • Preaches the “Three Angel’s Message” • Has the gift of prophecy

Traditional “Remnant Church” Teaching of the SDAs Identifying them as the “True Church”SUCCESSION OF ENTITIES • Israel of old • New Testament Church • “Church in the Wilderness” (Waldenses) • Church of the Protestant Reformation • Today’s standard-bearer – the true, and “remnant church” – the SDA Church

The World The World “INVISIBLE” CHURCH God’s “True Church” “INVISIBLE” In the world (black circle) is God’s “True Church” (white circle) which is visible only to God but is invisible to human beings.

‘Spirit of Prophecy’ passages indicatingthat the “Invisible” Church is God’s “True Church” • Acts of the Apostles, pp. 11, 12 • Desire of Ages, pp. 638, 33 • Great Controversy, p. 390

Acts of the Apostles, pp. 11 • “The church is God’s fortress, His city of refuge, which He holds in a revolted world…From the beginning, faithful souls have constituted the church on earth. In every age the Lord has had His watchmen, who have borne a faithful testimony to the generations in which they lived. These sentinels gave the message of warning; and when they were called to lay off their armor, others took up the work. God brought these witnesses into covenant relation with Himself, uniting the church on earth with the church in heaven.” – EG White, AA, p. 11 (italics supplied)

Acts of the Apostles, pp. 12 • “During ages of spiritual darkness, the church of God has been a city set on a hill. From age to age, through successive generations, the pure doctrines of heaven have been unfolding within its borders. Enfeebled and defective as it may appear, the church is the one object upon which God bestows in a special sense His supreme regard. It is the theater of His grace, in which He delights to reveal His power to transform hearts.” – EG White, AA, p. 12 (italics supplied)

Desire of Ages, p 638 • “Even among the heathen are those who have cherished the spirit of kindness…Among the heathen are those who worship God ignorantly, those to whom the light is never brought by human instrumentality, yet they will not perish. Though ignorant of the written law of God, they have heard His voice speaking to them in nature, and have done the things that the law required. Their works are evidence that the Holy Spirit has touched their hearts, and they are recognized as the children of God.” – EG White, DA, p. 638 (italics supplied)

Desire of Ages, p 33 • “Outside the Jewish nation there were men who foretold the appearance of a divine instructor. These men were seeking for truth, and to them the Spirit of Inspiration was imparted…Among those whom the Jews styled heathen were men who had a better understanding of the Scripture prophecies concerning the Messiah than had the teachers of Israel. There were some who hoped for His coming as a deliverer from sin.” – EG White, DA, p. 33 (italics supplied)

Great Controversy, p.390 • “Notwithstanding the spiritual darkness and alienation from God that exist in the churches which constitute Babylon, the great body of Christ’s true followers are still to be found in their communion. There are many of these who have never seen the special truths for this time. Not a few are dissatisfied with their present condition and are longing for clearer light.” – EG White, GC, p. 390 (italics supplied)

The World GOD’S TRUE CHURCH “From the beginning…” “From age to age…” “Even among the heathen…” “Christ’s true followers are to the found in their (Babylon’s) communion “Even the Gentiles who do not have God’s written law…” “Faithful souls have constituted the church on earth." Nature of God’s True Church

Scripture Passages Indicating that the “Invisible” Church is God’s “True Church” • Romans 1: 18 – 20 • Romans 2: 13 – 15 • John 10: 14 – 16 • John 17: 20 – 23 • Colossians 1: 18 • Ephesians 1: 22, 23

Romans 1: 18 – 20 (NLT) • 18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who push the truth away from themselves. • 19 For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. • From the time the world was created people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.”

Romans 2: 13 – 15 (NLT) • 13 For it is not merely knowing the law that brings God’s approval. Those who obey the law will be declared right in God’s sight. • 14 Even when Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, instinctively follow what the law says, they show that in their hearts they know right from wrong. • 15 They demonstrate that God’s law is written within them, for their own consciences either accuse them to tell them they are doing what is right.

John 10: 14 - 16 (NLT) • 14 I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me. • 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. • 16 I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice; and there will be one flock with one shepherd.

John 17: 20 - 23 (NLT) • 20 I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me because of their testimony. • 21 My prayer for all of them is that they will be one, just as you and I are one, Father – that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me. • 22 I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are. • 23 I in them and you in me, all being perfected into one. Then the world will know that you sent me and will understand that you love them as much as you love me.

Christ is the Head of the Church • Colossians 1: 18 (NLT) – Christ is the head of the church, which is his body. He is the first of all who will rise from the dead, so he is first in everything. • Ephesians 1: 22, 23 (NLT) – And God has put all things under the authority of Christ, and he gave him this authority for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is filled by Christ, who fills everything everywhere with his presence.

Remnant in Crisis, p.42It is only the “church invisible” made up of “faithful souls in every age” and united with the church in heaven that warrants the title “the true church.” Its “books” or “membership rolls” are kept in heaven. Its kingdom is that which Christ said was “not of this world.” Membership is based on integrity and compassion, not on material, institutional, or social structures. When one day the “church invisible” becomes visible, we shall discover that it wore a variety of superficial labels. – JW Provonsha

Remnant in Crisis, p. 43 • Integrity rather than institution is the identifying mark of the invisible church, but this does not mean that institution is necessarily bad or irrelevant. • As institutional Adventists, we must never allow material evidences of success – such as numbers, buildings, and public acclaim – to become more important than the quality of our church’s witness to the world.

The World The World “VISIBLE” CHURCH Christian Churches Religious Denominations Non-denominational or Independent Churches, Ministries, Fellowships or Communities The institutionalized church “visible” are those who publicly identify themselves as belonging to the “body of Christ” through institutional symbols, names and labels, even the label “Christian”.

“INVISIBLE CHURCH” or God’s True Church “INVISIBLE CHURCH” “VISIBLE CHURCH” Not all members of the “Visible Church” belong to the “Invisible Church” or God’s “True Church”

“INVISIBLE CHURCH” “INVISIBLE CHURCH” “VISIBLE CHURCH” Matt. 15:8,9 Matt. 7:21-23 1 John 2:19 There are members of the “Visible Church” who think they belong in God’s “True Church” but are not recognized by God as such.

Matthew 15: 8,9 (NLT)Jesus rebuking the tradition of the elders, and quoting Isaiah 29: 13 • 8 These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. • 9 Their worship is a farce, for they replace God’s commands with their own man-made teachings.

Matthew 7:21 – 23 (NRSV)Jesus rebuking the tradition of the elders, and quoting Isaiah 29: 13 • 21 Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. • On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name? • Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’

1 John 2: 19 (NLT)John warning against antichrists and last day deceivers • 19 These people left our churches because they never really belonged with us. When they left us, it proved that they do not belong with us.

External evidence, or membership in “visible” churches, is obviously not a sure indication of union with Christ. • Some who claim membership in the “visible church” may, in fact, actually be separated from Him. • The term “visible church” is intended as a counter to sectarian exclusivism. It recognizes that God is not bound to any single fragment of Christendom. God is nobody’s private property, not even ours.

“INVISIBLE CHURCH” God’s “True Church”; The body of Christ “VISIBLE CHURCH” Only portions of the memberships in various visible churches belong in God’s “True Church” Other churches, ministries, religious organizations, denominations, fellowships Seventh-Day Adventist Movement

Should not the church be most concerned about being part of that larger church, a church that includes as well as transcends all human structures and institutions and is united with the church in heaven? • How can we speak of the church invisible and the church visible and of all men and women being our brothers and sisters and at the same time think of ourselves as the “people of God”, “the remnant”, “God’s special church” having “the truth” for our time? • But if we lose the sense of specialness that such terms affirm, will we not have lost the very reason for our existence? Certainly we will have lost the crucible out of which is fired the energy that has brought us to where we are.

There will probably always be an institutional Seventh-day Adventist Church that will be floating around 1,000 years from now. But without our historic sense of specialness, it will not make any pressing difference whether it continues or not. • Do labels matter to God at all? Are we not all His children? • Does it matter to God whether one is an Adventist, a Baptist, a Roman Catholic, a Muslim, a Jew, a Hindu or an atheist?

To God there are no labels! • All human beings are His children – created in His very own likeness. No one can claim sonship if there is no connection whatsoever to his origin. • Not only ‘christians’ or those who accept Christ are His children. • Christ reconciled (forgiven) the sins of the world to Himself – not only of those who have accepted Him.

The SDA Church is privileged to carry God’s special message for the end-time. • God is using the SDA Church to remind God’s “remnant” people everywhere of the Three Angel’s Messages. • But does the task of carrying the “remnant message” necessarily make the bearer of that message the “remnant church”? • Is the messenger more important than the message itself? • Shouldn’t the SDA Church identify itself more as a prophetic movement rather than a denomination?

Summary Statements • A people may be called prophetically – called to be God’s mouthpiece and not His treasure. We are a prophetic movement and not God’s “true church” in this sense. God’s “true church” is bigger than anything human beings can turn into an exclusive institution. • A prophetic movement derives its mission and reason for being from its message. To be true to God’s call then, this movement should be clear about what it has to say. This includes truths that we share with all Christians as Christians. But it especially concerns those truths that represent truth’s progression at its growing edge. Such truth will continue to develop while it maintains continuity with its roots. • A prophetic movement must maintain an openness to new truth.

What do you Believe or Teach?Are they on the ‘same page’? • The “Remnant Church” is the “True Church” • The “Remnant Church” is part of the “True Church” • The “Remnant Church” is really not an organized religious denomination or institutionalized church • God’s “True Church” is not necessarily the “Remnant Church” • God’s “True Church” is identifiable along denominational lines • God’s “True Church” is “Invisible” • The SDA Church is the “Remnant” of Rev. 12:17 • The SDA Church is exclusively God’s “True Church” • The SDA Church, as a whole, is only part of God’s “True Church” • Only a part of the SDA Church belongs to God’s “True Church”

Seventh-day Adventists Believe12th Fundamental Belief • “The universal church is composed of all who truly believe in Christ, but in the last days, a time of widespread apostasy, a remnant has been called out to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. This remnant announces the arrival of the judgment hour, proclaims salvation through Christ, and heralds the approach of His second advent. This proclamation is symbolized by the three angels of Revelation 14; it coincides with the work of judgment in heaven and results in a work of repentance and reform on earth. Every believer is called to have a personal part in this worldwide witness.”

“Remnant” Usage in Scripture • NIV – 65 times; NRSV – 76; KJV – 95 • “Remnant” occurs 3x in Revelation – only in the KJV. It is not used in the NKJV, NIV, NRSV or NLT. • Rev. 11:13 – referred to survivors of an earthquake • Rev. 19:21 – referred to the remaining who were slain by the sword of the one riding on the white horse • Rev. 12:17 – referred to the dragon declaring war with the “remnant” or “the rest of her children/offspring” – surviving children of the woman whom the dragon tried to drown; (who were the other offspring of the woman?)

Revelation 12:17“remnant of her seed” or “the rest of her offspring/children” identified • The remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. – KJV • The rest of her offspring – those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus. – NIV • The rest of her children, those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus. – NRSV • The rest of her children – all who keep God’s commandments and confess that they belong to Jesus. - NLT

Revelation 12:17“remnant of her seed” or “the rest of her offspring/children” identified • And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. – NKJV • Then the dragon was very angry at the woman, and he went off to make war against all her other children – those who obey God’s commands and who have the message Jesus taught. - NCV

Revelation 19:10“testimony of Jesus” • The context of this text is WORSHIP – the angel refuses John’s worship and pointed him to Jesus Christ. • “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” – KJV, NIV, NRSV • “For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus” – NLT • “the witness which proceeds from Jesus” • The New Century Version describes “all her other children” as those who “have the message that Jesus taught” this indicates clearly that the testimony of Jesus is not a specific ministry but, rather, a message that they believed Jesus taught.

“They Shall Be Mine, Saith the Lord of Hosts”- EG White • The world is preparing for the last great conflict, nation rising against nation. The vast majority of human beings are taking their stand against God. But in every age the Lord Jesus has had His witnesses,--a remnant who trusted in the Word of God. And today, in every place, there are those who hold communion with God. A vital undercurrent of influence is leading them to the light, and when the question comes to them. "Who is on the Lord's side?" they will take their position for Him. Their characters have been moulded after the divine similitude, because they have read and practised the teachings of His Word. -Signs of the Times, November 23, 1904 par. 1

“TRUE CHURCH” STUDY