2012-10-12 Infallible

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Dear Brothers and Sisters in IAUA (ee-ah-oo-ah) our Father, Greetings on this day of preparation for the weekly Sabbath. I pray this newsletter finds you in good health and happy in the service of IAUA. This is the 26th day of the 7th month of God's Sacred Calendar in the estimated year 6016 Anno Mundi. The Fall Holy Day season has passed. The New Year and the Spring Holy Day season begin with the first Sabbath of Unleavened Bread in about six months starting the evening of the 15th day of the 1st month (Wednesday, March 27th on the 2013, Gregorian Calendar, beginning sunset on Tuesday, March 26th). I begin the month on the day after lunar conjunction and the year with the Spring Passover Rule dates my research, and others, has determined for the Gregorian Calendar dates of God's Sacred Calendar. Those who follow the Millerite Calendar (Spring New Moon Rule) will be observing the Spring Holy Days a month later and the Jewish Calendar begins a day early in spring. Continuing a transcript of the discussion I started on LinkedIN. The subject has turned to the Spirit of Prophecy. I believe the contents of the discussion are valuable to share with you. Joe Morrato • Hey Frank, Thanks for a very thoughtful post. It raised a question in my mind - How much authority do we give the SoP? Some people give it the same authority as Scripture (e.g., I have seen some posts on other SDA websites that say "according to God's word ..." and they quote "Desire of Ages" or "Great Contraversy") I am also in the school that believes we are saved totally by grace - not works. IMO, thinking that we can do anything to make God love us more or less than He already does; or to think we can influence or earn our salvation is presumption. That is not to say the law is out the window. If we are not conforming to the image of Christ - who had no sin - are we really properly using the power of the grace that God so freely gives? I consider myself to be a "recovering legalist". For over a decade, I was a staunch member of several "independent ministries" like Hope International and Steps to Life. However, I was always worried that I wasn't "good enough" or "safe to be saved" until I fully embraced salvation by grace. Now, besides being much more comfortable with my salvation and my relationship with Jesus, I find I have much more power to overcome sin than before; because I am relying on His power rather than my own. This philosophy frequently gets me in trouble with the "saved by the law" crowd, because they accuse me of cheapening Christ's grace. I respond that it is they who cheapen His grace by limiting it to forgiveness of sin; and denying that it as the source of power to overcome. This discussion (in it's various forms and iterations) is what I believe will eventually bring about the shaking. Which side will the denomination take? Frank T. Clark • Joe, I always place the Bible ahead of anything Ellen White says, though I have never known her to disagree with the Bible. I seek truth and inspiration first from the Bible and only secondly from those whom God has clearly inspired for additional guidance and inspiration. Isaiah 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. I have never been a legalist. I have never thought "Am I good enough?" I have always known He can change me when I submit to His guidance. I seek to submit to all of His guidance and I no longer try to make excuses about what parts of His guidance I will accept and follow. Philippians 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Joe Morrato • Amen, Frank! I have to admit that EGW says (or her stuff was edited or "compiled" to say) some things that I don't find in scripture. Nonetheless, I find her inspired and truly gifted with the prophetic as defined in the New Testament. As I am in the "saved by grace" camp, I feel assured of my salvation; and confident that "He who began a good work in [me] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Phil. 1:6) "Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus"! Randy Brehms • As Seventh-day Adventists we have a tendency to lock everything into what was taught up to 1915, or the death of the prophet. We have a process of looking into "new light" that is so cumbersome that at any stage of the process, the new light can be rejected before it can ever come to a vote by the world church. While this protects the doctrinal purity of the church it also makes it nigh unto impossible to understand anything outside of what we already understand. This type of thinking is very dangerous. It locks out any possibility of new light from entering into the church until it passes through a plethora of committees, passes muster at the BRI, and works it's way up to the General Conference in session. Of course Ellen White suggested that we submit new light to men of experience. However had Luther submitted his teachings to the men of experience, the reformation might never had gained the traction it needed to work the reform. I can already hear a hue and cry that Luther was dealing with the Whore of Revelation, and certainly Randy, you are not suggesting that our organization is allied with that? No, but, while the church will not become Babylon, she exists in Babylon, and often there are those who ally themselves with "The remnant" who are not genuine, and perish the thought they can even rise in the ranks of the organization. "The Straight Testimony" is something that has been discussed over and over again, and whatever it is, it will no doubt be divisive. It will divide the wheat from the tares, the chaff from the precious grain. What if it is something that is outside of our box thinking. What if it doesn't necessarily disagree with something the church has taught, but it is different, and there are those who will reject it because it is outside the box. (see the platform in Early Writings) Then trust me, when declared it will cause a shaking, and the individual with the temerity to suggest it, or even worse advance it in the face of opposition will find themselves demonized, declared heretics, even excluded from the ranks of those who only consider orthodoxy. The word of God is not static. It is active, and unfolding. The Jewish people missed the first advent because of per-conceived ideas. Are we in danger of missing the second coming for the same kind of box thinking? One could have missed the first coming and recovered, but the second coming? well you miss that, and you misunderstand that, you lose everything. Joe Morrato • Hey Randy, Very interesting comment. We have discussed this very issue in our Sabbath School class on several occasions. Three of the areas where this has come up are : - Is the papacy really the Antichrist? Today, radical Islam bears a much closer resemplance (that is not to say that the papcy won't have any role whatsoever in the end-times). - Will the millenium really be spent in heaven rather than here on earth? There are some biblical references that seem to indicate otherwise (e.g., why would Christ need a rod of iron to rule His Kingdom if everyone there is saved and compliant?). - Did Christ enter the Most Holy Place right after His ascension or in 1844? Hebrews seems to indicate it was right after His ascension. I'm no theologian; so I don't know the answers. All I know is these issues keep coming up in our class, even though the denomination's position on them has been "present truth" for over 150 years now ... Robin Willison • Dear friends. Today is the Day of Atonement. What does this mean to us? It is a day to reflect over the sanctuary system that God set up, patterned on the sanctuary in heaven. It is a day to recall the issues of the great Day of Atonement, to reflect on our lives, guided by the Holy Spirit so we can deal with any issues separating between us and God and deal with them. It is a day in which we are told to fast and afflict ourselves as we plead for God's purity to be worked out in our lives and overcoming our sin. It is a day to remember our heavenly High Priest ministering for us in the heavenly sanctuary and agonising over how far we are from Him, and pleading His blood for us. Thank you, Joe, for bringing up some of the issues we need to resolve. Why do they remain issues? Why is new light so difficult to accept? Why do we find it so hard to comprehend what our Lord is so willing to share with us and what He wants us to know? Why are our hearts so hard to penetrate so that our Lord after another 2,000 years still has to say He has many things to share with us but we cannot bear them now? John 16:12 "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father." I agree fully with you, Randy. We all need shaking, and the trumpet of the day of trumpets needs to sound in our hearts, waking us up so that we can be God's true people and we dont need to go through so many committees to accept truth. God is working on many of His people right now to prepare them for the final events, but our Lord said that "strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Matthew 7:14. May our Lord have mercy on us, and may we set aside every earthly thing that distracts us and "Press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14. Frank T. Clark • Joe, I am fascinated by your comment "I have to admit that EGW says (or her stuff was edited or "compiled" to say) some things that I don't find in scripture." It makes me really curious. I assume we can agree nothing she says contradicts, attempts to replace, or adds anything significant to scriptural doctrine. I would have to agree sometimes she adds a fascinating detail or insight, which scripture is not clear about. Do you see something more than this? I suspect you have something specific in mind. Joe Morrato • Frank, I'm too much of a newbie on this site to push the envelope too far yet; so let's just say that I am not in the camp that finds the words of EGW infallible; or puts them on the same plane with scripture - especially when so much of her published stuff is in the form of compilations and (IMO) taken out of context. It's not so much her as it is the people who manage her writings. If you wish to pusue this further, feel free to contact me privately. Frank T. Clark • I agree, I don't think she is "infallible" and yes, sometimes the compilations can confuse the issues. I also agree her writings are not on the same plane as scripture though I confess, the more I study them the more impressed I am. I also give her a lot of leeway on the fact that almost every word she wrote is "canonized" and I don't think she really wanted that to occur. Is your faith in God and the Bible alone or do you trust in the arm of man? I pray we may all continue to seek love, peace, and unity in truth preparing for the soon coming of IAUShUO (ee-ah-oo-shoo-oh) Messiah, the Son of God. Frank T. Clark Eliau@IAUA.name www.IAUA.name Next: 2012-10-19 Deep Truth

Revised 2012-10-19