Editorial

Editorial – The Incurable Wound of God’s People

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Jeremiah 30 talks about the time of Jacob’s trouble, and the promise that God’s people (the 144,000) will be delivered. The Bible speaks of three times of trouble, which are described as greater than anything before or after. Jacob’s trouble is one of these. The prophet says, “Alas for that day is great so that none is like it, it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble but he shall be saved out of it.” Jeremiah 30:7.

During this time, Jesus says,  “I make a full end of all nations” Jeremiah 30:11.  He will break the yoke of Babylon from off the neck of His people, (See Jeremiah 30:8; See also Isaiah 14:3-6) and will restore health to His people and heal them of their wounds. (See Jeremiah 30:17.)

God’s people need to be healed of their wounds because their wound is incurable (See Jeremiah 30:12), there is no medicine that will heal their wound because it is so grievous. (See 30:12, 13.) What is this grievous, incurable wound?  It is not a physical wound, but a spiritual wound—the wound of sin. (See Jeremiah 30:14, 15.)

Although all sin is incurable without the blood of Christ and repentance, inspired writings specifically speaks of some sins as incurable. Could it be that these sins are afflicting God’s people in the last days?  The reason they are incurable is not because the blood atonement of Christ will not cleanse the sinner from them, but because the victim of these sins will almost never humble himself to take the cure that God has provided.  We can only be saved in God’s appointed way. Here is a brief list:

  1. Pride and self-sufficiency: There is nothing so offensive to God or so dangerous to the human soul as pride and self-sufficiency. Of all sins it is the most hopeless, the most incurable. Christ’s Object Lessons, 155.
  2. Rebellion: It would not have been safe to suffer any who united with Satan in his rebellion to continue to occupy heaven. They had learned the lesson of genuine rebellion against the unchangeable law of God, and this is incurable…. Lift Him Up, 19.
  3. Pride of opinion: The sin that is most nearly hopeless and incurable is pride of opinion, self-conceit. This stands in the way of all growth. 2 Mind, Character and Personality, 726.
  4. Envy: Men often confess and forsake other faults, but there is little to be hoped for from the envious man. Since to envy a person is to admit that he is a superior, pride will not permit any concession. If an attempt be made to convince the envious person of his sin, he becomes even more bitter against the object of his passion, and too often he remains incurable. 5 Testimonies, 56.
  5. Bigotry and prejudice: The most cruel, and the most incurable thing is bigotry and prejudice and it lives just as firmly in human hearts today as when Christ was upon the earth. 1888 Materials, 800, 801.
  6. Men who have large opinions of themselves: Men who have large opinions of themselves are often in error, but they will not confess this. Envy and jealousy are diseases which disorder all the faculties of the being. They originated with Satan in Paradise. After he had started on the track of apostasy, he could see many things that were objectionable. After he fell he envied Adam and Eve in their innocency. He tempted them to sin, and to become like himself, disloyal to God. Those who accept of his attributes will demerit others, misrepresent and falsify in order to build up themselves. These persons are generally incurable, and as nothing that defileth can enter heaven, they will not be there. They would criticize the angels. They would covet another’s crown. They would not know what to do, or what subjects to converse upon unless they could be finding some errors, some imperfections, in others. The Paulson Collection, 358, 359.

“There are existing evils in the church that no human power can heal…. All misapprehension produces unkindness, consciously or unconsciously, and then unkindness provokes retaliations, and strife propagates itself.” 18 Manuscript Releases, 348.

To the church and the church member who is incurable, Jesus is making the same plea as He did 1900 years ago: “Would you be made whole?”

Editorial – Of What Spirit Are We?

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The Word of the Lord states, “I will  overturn, overturn, overturn, it; and it shall be no more until He come whose right it is; and I will give it Him.”  Ezekiel 21:27.

When the Jews were taken into captivity, never again were God’s professed people to have a king until Christ Himself would set up His kingdom.  Therefore, any one who should attempt to become king over God’s people would, in that very act of usurpation, become an antichrist.  To claim to be a “Vicar of Christ” is to claim to be an antichrist, because vicarius in Latin is equivalent to anti in Greek.  Both words are defined as one who acts in place of another.  While ministers may act in the place of Christ as an apostle to spread the gospel, no minister or clergyman may act in the place of Christ as Lord.  (See Matthew 23:8; I Peter 5:3.)  An antichrist is either a person who professes to stand in the place of Christ or one who is against Christ.  The Christian religion teaches that man has only one spiritual Lord, so anyone attempting to be Lord over other Christians is an antichrist.

In the days of the apostles there were many antichrists, just as there are today.  It is even possible to become an antichrist within your family by usurping the place meant for Christ alone.

“The prevailing spirit of our times is that of infidelity and apostasy.  The spirit manifested in the world is one of pride and self-exaltation.  Men boast of illumination, which in reality is the blindest presumption; for they are in opposition to the plain word of God.  Many exalt human reason, idolize human wisdom, and set the opinions of men above the revealed wisdom of God.  This affords opportunity for the working of Satan, and the spirit of antichrist is far more wide-spread than any of us imagine.

Among the great mass of professed Christians, the grievous character of the transgression of the law of God is not understood.  They do not realize that salvation can be obtained only through the blood of Christ, through His imputed righteousness; but this alone will avail to make fallen man what he should be, and exalt him to become a member of the royal family.”  Review and Herald, November 8, 1892.  [Emphasis supplied.]

“There are men among us in responsible positions who hold that the opinions of a few conceited philosophers, so called, are more to be trusted than the truth of the Bible, or the testimonies of the Holy Spirit.  Such a faith as that of Paul, Peter, or John is considered old-fashioned and insufferable at the present day.  It is pronounced absurd, mystical, and unworthy of an intelligent mind.

“God has shown me that these men are Hazaels to prove a scourge to our people.  They are wise above what is written.  This unbelief of the very truths of God’s word because human judgment cannot comprehend the mysteries of His work is found in every district, in all ranks of society.  It is taught in most of our schools and comes into the lessons of the nurseries.  Thousands who profess to be Christians give heed to lying spirits.  Everywhere the spirit of darkness in the garb of religion will confront you.

“If all that appears to be divine life were such in reality; if

all who profess to present the truth to the world were preaching for the truth and not against it, and if they were men of God guided by His Spirit, —then might we see something cheering amid the prevailing moral darkness.  But the spirit of antichrist is prevailing to such an extent as never before.  Well may we exclaim: ‘Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.’  I know that many think far too favorably of the present time.  These ease-loving souls will be engulfed in the general ruin.  Yet we do not despair.  We have been inclined to think that where there are no faithful ministers there can be no true Christians, but this is not the case.  God has promised that where the shepherds are not true He will take charge of the flock Himself.  God has never made the flock wholly dependent upon human instrumentalities.  But the days of purification of the church are hastening on apace.  God will have a people pure and true.  In the mighty sifting soon to take place we shall be better able to measure the strength of Israel.  The signs reveal that the time is near when the Lord will manifest that His fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor.”  Testimonies, vol.  5, 79, 80.  [Emphasis supplied.]

Today God is purifying a people.  When Ellen White was alive, the spirit of antichrist had permeated throughout the Seventh-day Adventist church, and that spirit is prevalent today as never before.

While it is true that the devil is the real antichrist, and while it is true that he has human vicegerents working under him who have claimed for many years to be antichrist, let us be sure that we do not also become antichrists by adopting a position of kingly power that only Christ is to fill.

Editorial – Character Perfection

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Some people have said that nobody is perfect, but that is not correct. Jesus is perfect, and you and I are to become as He is.

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.  And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure” (1 John 3:2, 3).

When the Lord returns He is coming back to receive a church—“That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27).

“And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27).

“The longest journey is performed by taking one step at a time. A succession of steps brings us to the end of the road. The longest chain is composed of separate links. If one of these links is faulty, the chain is worthless. Thus it is with character. A well-balanced character is formed by single acts well performed. One defect, cultivated instead of being overcome, makes the man imperfect, and closes against him the gate of the Holy City. He who enters heaven must have a character that is without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Naught that defileth can ever enter there. In all the redeemed host not one defect will be seen.” The Youth’s Instructor, January 17, 1901.

When has a person reached perfection? “When self is merged in Christ, love springs forth spontaneously. The completeness of Christian character is attained when the impulse to help and bless others springs constantly from within—when the sunshine of heaven fills the heart and is revealed in the countenance.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 384.

“Love to man is the earthward manifestation of the love of God. It was to implant this love, to make us children of one family, that the King of glory became one with us. And when His parting words are fulfilled, ‘Love one another, as I have loved you’ (John 15:12); when we love the world as He has loved it, then for us His mission is accomplished. We are fitted for heaven; for we have heaven in our hearts.” The Desire of Ages, 641.

Editorial – Living By Every Word, Part I

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According to Matthew 4:4, when Jesus was tempted by the devil, He quoted from Deuteronomy saying, “‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”  This clear statement makes it evident that every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God is important and should be the standard by which we live.   The problem is, how can you live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God if you do not know what words proceeded from the mouth of God?

This was the situation in the Dark Ages.   There was an attempt to keep people in the dark, even after the printing press was invented.  If you are saved in the kingdom of heaven, you will meet printers (men and women) who were burned at the stake,  because they printed the Bible for people to read.  Eventually, however, it became impossible for either kings or priests to stop the printing press.   Bibles began to be printed in ever larger quantities.

Before this time, the common people only had access to those portions of the Bible that were read in church.   In many churches a portion of the Bible was read every week from a lectionary.   This has been a custom from ancient times and seems to go all the way back to the Jewish church before the time of Christ.  (See, for example, Luke 4:14-20.)  We still use lectionaries.   In the back of the hymnal, published by the Review and Herald in 1985, there is a rather informal lectionary containing over 200 scripture readings which can be read in church.  (Some lectionaries contain a year of readings, which are read in sequence through the year.)

When the common people gained access to the Bible, as a result of the invention of printing, they found some very interesting things.   One of the most interesting things they found was that the sacred book contained no instruction or teaching about the worship of saints, or Mary the mother of Jesus, or prayers for the dead, or indulgences, or Peter and his successors being the head of the church, or many other things that were part of their worship.  This resulted in the development of Protestantism.  One of the primary foundation points on which Protestantism was built, was the idea that “the precepts of Scripture, conveyed through the understanding, are to rule the conscience; in other words, that God speaking in the Bible, and not the church speaking through the priesthood, is the one Infallible Guide.’—Wylie, b. 3, ch.  2.”   The Great Controversy, 102.

“As Protestants, the Bible, and the Bible alone, is the foundation of our faith; but by many ‘the Fathers’ are quoted as authority.  They do not come as humble learners in the school of Christ, saying, ‘Lord, what I know not, teach me.   “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.”’”  Signs of the Times, August 5, 1886.

From this extremely brief, historical review, it is possible to draw  broad, but accurate, conclusions.   First of all, since “the Bible and the Bible alone is the foundation of our faith” as Protestants, any device, philosophy, or teaching that will weaken a person’s faith in the Bible will have the effect to eventually destroy Protestantism.   Many devices and philosophies and teachings have been introduced to the world in the last 400 years, which have had this result.  Examples would include the theory of evolution, the theories of higher criticism, the theories of atheistic socialism (related of course to the theory of evolution), the various skeptical theories about the existence of God, the teachings of the spirit world, and the errors of popular theology which contradict the Bible.  “There is nothing that he [the devil] desires more than to destroy confidence in God and in His Word.” The Great Controversy, 526.

It is not our purpose here to present the evidences for the divine character of the Word of God.   There is sufficient internal evidence for this within the Bible itself, even if you had no access to a history book; but, “While God has given ample evidence for faith, He will never remove all excuse for unbelief.  All who look for hooks to hang their doubts upon, will find them.  And those who refuse to accept and obey God’s Word until every objection has been removed, and there is no longer an opportunity for doubt, will never come to the light.”  Ibid., 527.

A second conclusion is that destruction of faith in the Bible not only will not destroy Catholicism but can actually foster its growth and success, since Catholicism is not built on the foundation of the Bible alone.

Editorial – Living by Every Word, Part II

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Before the Protestant Reformation, there was only one Bible.  Now, there were many manuscripts of the Scriptures, and the manuscripts of the New Testament in Greek (the language in which the New Testament was written) had many variant readings in them.  For example, in mainly those manuscripts of the Byzantine text-type (a major text-type of the New Testament which is the text type from which the “Received Text” was developed in the Sixteenth  and Seventeenth centuries),  John Mill published, in 1707, a Greek New Testament with a listing of about 30,000 variant readings, most of which did not alter the sense of the passages.

In addition to this, the New Testament had been translated into many other languages in the early Christian centuries.  It had been translated into Aramaic, and today we have several different ancient translations of the New Testament into Aramaic, the most famous of which is the Peshitta. We have over 1,000 manuscripts of the Aramaic Scriptures, and these manuscripts agree closely with one another, making us confident that they were copied with great care and accuracy.

The New Testament was also translated early into Latin. People in the Western part of the Roman Empire could read Latin much better than Greek.  Many, of course, could not read Greek, so very early in Christian history the New Testament was translated into Latin.  Relatively few of these old Latin manuscripts survive, and we have very few of the earlier copies.  It was called the Itala.  This Old Latin, or Itala, New Testament was the Bible that the Waldenses had and later translated into the Romaunt language, which was the language of the people in Northern Italy and Southern France several hundred years later. In the fourth century, Jerome gathered the best Greek manuscripts that he could find of the New Testament and revised the Old Latin text to harmonize with these Greek manuscripts. This version (the Old Testament he translated directly from Hebrew) became known as the Vulgate.  The Vulgate was about the only Bible in existence in Europe for most of the Dark Ages.  It was the Bible that Martin Luther studied in the library in the university and later in the convent.  It was the Bible that John Wycliffe used to translate the Scriptures for the first time into English.  We have more copies of the Vulgate than we have even of the Greek New Testament.  Unfortunately, as the Vulgate was copied over and over, it became corrupted so that the later copies were very far from the actual Latin Vulgate that Jerome had translated.

In addition to these two most important ancient versions of the New Testament, we also have several other ancient versions such as the Sahidic (Coptic dialect), the Bohairic (Coptic dialect), the Armenian translation, the Georgian translation (language spoken by a group of people living between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea), the Gothic translation (East Germanic language translation  by Ulfilas), the Ethiopic and a few others.

Although there are thousands of variant readings in the different versions and in the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament themselves, any one of them, if studied carefully, will lead the reader to the gospel and salvation.  They are an infallible guide to salvation, even though we do not possess a single autograph of a single verse of the New Testament.  The Protestant Reformation started as a result of men like Martin Luther and John Wycliffe studying from the Latin Vulgate, which was the only Bible available to them at first.

But when the Protestant Reformation began, the future of the papacy was in jeopardy.  If the new teachings were not met and opposed and proved in error, the future of the papacy was at an end.  Because the Roman church was burning people for even printing the Bible, and because the Bible that was being printed before the middle of the Sixteenth century taught a completely different religion than was being taught by Tetzel and the leaders of the Roman church, it was becoming evident that there was an irreconcilable difference between the Church of Rome and the religion of the Bible.  Both could not be right, because their teachings contradicted.  For example, the Bible forbids a person to bow down in front of an image (Exodus 20:4–6) and commands men to keep the Sabbath holy (Exodus 20:8–11), but the Roman church teaches men to adore images and to keep Sunday instead of the Sabbath.  The Bible forbids not only adoration or worship of dead images but also of living images; we are forbidden to give the adoration of worship to any man (Acts 10:26), in direct contradiction to Roman practice.

Because of the threat of Protestantism to the papacy, the Council of Trent was called from 1545–1563.  At this council four propositions were made which have affected Bible translations ever since that time.

(to be continued)

Editorial – The Weight of Evidence

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Some Christians believe that everything should be absolutely proved, or they will not have anything to do with it. One Christian stated that it would not be fair if God had not given us a perfect Bible!

People had similar troubles in Ellen White’s time. Look at her response to a physician: “In your letter you speak of your early training to have implicit faith in the testimonies and say, ‘I was led to conclude and most firmly believe that every word that you ever spoke in public or private, that every letter you wrote under any and all circumstances, was as inspired as the Ten Commandments.’

“My brother, you have studied my writings diligently, and you have never found that I have made any such claims, neither will you find that the pioneers in our cause ever made such claims.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 24.

“We have many lessons to learn, and many, many to unlearn. God and heaven alone are infallible. Those who think that they will never have to give up a cherished view, never have occasion to change an opinion, will be disappointed. As long as we hold to our own ideas and opinions with determined persistency, we cannot have the unity for which Christ prayed.” The Review and Herald, July 26, 1892.

She is not claiming infallibility for herself, nor claiming infallibility for the words in the Bible either.

“The Lord speaks to human beings in imperfect speech, in order that the degenerate senses, the dull, earthly perception of earthly beings may comprehend His words. Thus is shown God’s condescension. He meets fallen human beings where they are. The Bible, perfect as it is in its simplicity, does not answer to the great ideas of God; for infinite ideas cannot be perfectly embodied in finite vehicles of thought. Instead of the expressions of the Bible being exaggerated, as many people suppose, the strong expressions break down before the magnificence of the thought, though the penman selected the most expressive language through which to convey the truths of higher education. [Notice the strong expressions are not exaggerations, but actually understatements because we do not have speech sufficient to express the thought.] It is not the words of the Bible that are inspired, but the men that were inspired. Inspiration acts not on the man’s words or his expressions but on the man himself, who, under the influence of the Holy Ghost, is imbued with thoughts.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 21.

Somebody may ask, how am I to believe if there is not something perfect upon which to place my faith?

Jesus is perfect and you can place your faith in Him, but everything in this world, including human language, is imperfect. God expects us to make our decisions, not on perfect knowledge, which we will never have in this world, but rather on the weight of evidence. If you are waiting for perfect knowledge you will never be saved: The unbelief that demands perfect knowledge will never yield to the evidence that God is pleased to give. He requires of His people faith that rests upon the weight of evidence, not upon perfect knowledge.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 258.

“Those who desire to doubt will have plenty of room. God does not propose to remove all occasion for unbelief. He gives evidence, which must be carefully investigated with a humble mind and a teachable spirit, and all should decide from the weight of evidence. God gives sufficient evidence for the candid mind to believe; but he who turns from the weight of evidence because there are a few things which he cannot make plain to his finite understanding will be left in the cold, chilling atmosphere of unbelief and questioning doubts, and will make shipwreck of faith.” Ibid., vol. 5, 675, 676.

“‘But there are some things that are not explained.’ Well, what if everything is not explained? Where is the weight of evidence? God will balance the mind if it is susceptible to the influence of the Spirit of God; if it is not, then it will decide on the other side. They will come just exactly where Judas came; they will sell their Lord for thirty pieces of silver or something else. They will sacrifice everything to unbelief.” Sermons and Talks, vol. 1, 145.

Editorial – Living by Every Word, Part III

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At the Council of Trent, convened to determine how to stop Protestantism (1545-1563), four propositions were made which have affected Bible translations ever since that time.  These four propositions were four condemnations that first condemned the Protestant doctrine that the Holy Scriptures contained all things necessary for salvation, and that it was impious to place apostolic tradition on a level with Scripture.

This condemnation is two-fold, first condemning the doctrine that the Bible contains all things necessary to salvation.  What do the Scriptures teach in regard to what is necessary for Salvation?  Is there any moral duty required of man that God somehow did not have put in His holy book so that the church had to develop it over the next few thousand years?  (Tradition is still developing, for instance look at the debate over the role of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the plan of salvation.  Traditions which are totally absent from the New Testament, but have been developing for hundreds of years.  Does the Bible say anything specific in regard to this question?  Indeed it does: “Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for discipline [or could be translated “instruction” in the sense of instruction a child receives from his parents, or “upbringing.”] in order that the man of God might be complete, fully equipped for every good work.” II Timothy 3:16, 17.  The word translated “complete” is much more than “perfect.” A blade of wheat first coming up can be perfect, but it is not complete. To be complete means much more than to be perfect—it means to be lacking in nothing, which of course implies full maturity.  This is one of the strongest texts in the Bible teaching that the Protestant position is correct and the position of the Council of Trent is in error.  (For other texts teaching the same see Matthew 4:4; 15:1-9; Ecclesiates 12:13, 14; Matthew 28:19, 20, Deuteronomy 4:2 and Revelation 22:18, 19.)

Ellen White wrote, “The very beginning of the great apostasy was in seeking to supplement the authority of God by that of the church. Rome began by enjoining what God had not forbidden, and she ended by forbidding what He had explicitly enjoined.”  The Great Controversy, 289, 290.  This is always the end-result of any church adding any moral duty to what God has given.  So-called “apostolic tradition” has resulted in doctrines that are contradictions to what the apostles actually wrote.  It was for this reason that the Protestant reformers rejected “apostolic tradition,” and all other tradition, except that found in the inspired Word of God.

A second condemnation by the Council of Trent had to do with what writings should compose, or be a part of, the Bible.  This is a very important subject for any Protestant to understand.  Since the foundation of the Protestant faith is the Bible and the Bible alone, any change that is made, either in the translation of the Bible or in the text of the Bible or in what writings compose the Bible, becomes extremely important.  It was for this very reason that the Protestants had been studying Greek and Hebrew and were publishing the New Testament in Greek from the language in which it was originally written.  And it was for this very reason that the various editions of this Greek New Testament had been edited and corrected, over and over again, to obtain the most accurate New Testament possible.  It was for very similar reasons that the Protestant reformers rejected the apocrypha as being part of the Old Testament.  But the Council of Trent condemned the Protestant doctrine that certain books accepted as canonical (as part of the Scriptures) in the Latin Vulgate were apocryphal and not canonical.  One of the results of this was, and is, a difference in Bibles—before the Protestant Reformation there was only one Bible, but since the Protestant Reformation there have been “Catholic Bibles” and “Protestant Bibles.”  One of the principle differences between Catholic and Protestant Bibles is that Protestant Bibles do not contain the apocrypha in the Old Testament, but Catholic Bibles do.

to be continued . . .

Editorial – Living by Every Word, Part IV

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In the previous editorial, we briefly reviewed the first two positions on the Bible taken by the Council of Trent, which distinguishes Roman Catholics and Protestants. Now we will look at the last two.

The third position taken by the Council of Trent has even been abandoned by the Roman Catholic Church, at least since 1943, according to the introduction to the New Catholic Bible! Unfortunately, although Catholic scholars recognized the mistake made by their church on this issue, fundamentalist Protestants have not yet learned the lesson that the Catholic Church learned, during which time she lost 100’s of millions of adherents, partly because of this false position. The third position condemned the idea that the Bible needed to be studied in the original languages. The reason this was condemned was because they believed they already had an inerrant or infallible Bible, the Latin Vulgate. Fundamentalist Protestants are in almost the same quandary today. There is the same distrust of scholarship in Biblical study and some feel that only scholars can understand the scriptures, and it is a waste of time and energy for anybody to study Greek and Hebrew. The reason is the same too—just as the papacy felt in the mid-16th century, that they did not need to study the original languages in which the Bible was written because they already had a perfect Bible. So Fundamentalist Protestants feel the same today about the King James Version of the Bible. The same reasoning will result in the same kinds of errors.

Ellen White was not in this group, and neither should we be in this group. She used other versions hundreds of times in her writings and felt free to correct the King James Version in places where it was in error. All other Bible students should have the same freedom which has been delivered to us by the Protestant Reformation.

Notice the practice of Martin Luther (who of course was able to read the Bible in Latin), “I am going through the Bible in Hebrew and Greek. I mean to write a discourse in German touching auricular confession, also to continue the translation of the Psalms, and to compose a collection of sermons.” Signs of the Times, October 11, 1883.

“Nearly every minister in the field, had he exerted his God-given energies, might not only be proficient in reading, writing, and grammar, but even in languages. It is essential for them to set their aim high. But there has been but little ambition to put their powers to the test to reach an elevated standard in knowledge and in religious intelligence. Our ministers will have to render to God an account for the rusting of the talents He has given to improve by exercise. They might have done tenfold more work intelligently, had they cared to become intellectual giants.” Testimonies to Ministers, 194.

The Council of Trent’s fourth condemnation of Protestantism was the Catholic rejection of their claim that the Bible was a book, plain in meaning, that could be understood, without use of commentary, by the help of God’s Spirit. This, until the present day, is one of the key differences between Catholics and Protestants and we will have to devote an entire editorial to that subject.

The Latin Vulgate was a very accurate translation when Jerome translated it, but it had become full of errors as a result of repeated copying. Modern scholars recognize that the Latin Vulgate was the most corrupted of all extant manuscripts of the New Testament. It was apparently copied more than any other Bible, judging from the extant copies, even more than the Byzantine text-type of the Greek New Testament, the Bible of the Greek Orthodox Church. Part of the schism between the Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church involves the difference between their Bibles, with each group attempting to prove that theirs is best.

Editorial – Living By Every Word, Part V

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Among the Jews, in the time of Christ, a large tradition had been built up attempting to explain the Bible (Old Testament). There were laws explaining what it meant to keep the Sabbath—the fourth commandment. There were laws regarding every other aspect of the moral law. There were extensive laws explaining under what conditions a divorce could be procured. As you might expect, the Rabbis disagreed on some of these laws which were to explain the moral law of God and thus regulate human behavior.

One of the most radical of all the teachings brought to the world by Jesus, was that not only were these laws not necessary and not essential, but they actually caused people to break the law of God rather than keep it (see Matthew 15:1–9), and they made the law of God of none effect rather than protecting it.

The world today is in a similar condition, in regard to human traditions claiming to explain the meaning of the Word of God as it was in the days of Christ. This is true not only for Judaism, but also for the vast majority of Christian Churches. Almost every church has formulated at least a few traditions that are not from the Bible at all. Although the Roman Catholic Church probably has the largest stock in tradition, today many Protestant churches are also following traditions saying this is from early Christian times, etc.

A big part of tradition is the idea that the common man must have help in explaining or interpreting the Word of God. This help is supposed to be given him by the church, through tradition purporting to be from either the apostles or from ancient times. Also the church is supposed to approve explanations of scriptures. This was a teaching of the Jews in the time of Christ and also of the Roman Catholic Church through her official catechism today. A few inspired statements on this are as follows:

“And this is the religion which Protestants are beginning to look upon with so much favor, and which will eventually be united with Protestantism. This union will not, however, be effected by a change in Catholicism; for Rome never changes. She claims infallibility. It is Protestantism that will change. The adoption of liberal ideas on its part will bring it where it can clasp the hand of Catholicism.

“The Bible, the Bible, is the foundation of our faith,” was the cry of Protestants in Luther’s time, while the Catholics cried, “The Fathers, custom, tradition.” Now many Protestants find it difficult to prove their doctrines from the Bible, and yet they have not the moral courage to accept the truth which involves a cross; therefore they are fast coming to the ground of Catholics, and, using the best arguments they have to evade the truth, cite the testimony of the Fathers, and the customs and precepts of men. Yes, the Protestants of the nineteenth century are fast approaching the Catholics in their infidelity concerning the Scriptures. But there is just as wide a gulf today between Rome and the Protestantism of Luther, Cranmer, Ridley, Hooper, and the noble army of martyrs, as there was when these men made the protest which gave them the name of Protestants.” The Review and Herald, June 1, 1886.

“‘As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him; rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.’ For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power…

“When enemies appealed to custom and tradition, or to the assertions and authority of the pope, Luther met them with the Bible and the Bible only.” The Great Controversy, 132.

“The last great conflict between truth and error is but the final struggle of the long-standing controversy concerning the law of God. Upon this battle we are now entering—a battle between the laws of men and the precepts of Jehovah, between the religion of the Bible and the religion of fable and tradition.” Ibid, 582

Editorial – The Overwhelming Surprise, Part I

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Many times, in these editorials, our attention has been called to the fact that all people, including born-again Christians, are in danger of being surprised by the sudden end of all things earthly. This is the message of the prophets, of Jesus, of the apostles, and of the testimonies of the Holy Spirit in the last days. Because we are all in danger of being surprised, and almost all of us will be totally surprised at the suddenness of the end, our only safety is to be ready at all times. What is involved in being ready for this surprise will be the subject of later editorials in this series.

The following statements show that the end will come as a great surprise:

“When they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them.…And they shall not escape.” 1 Thessalonians 5:3.

“The solemn fact is to be kept not only before the people of the world, but before our own churches also, that the day of the Lord will come suddenly, unexpectedly.…Let no one feel that he is secure from the danger of being surprised. Let no one’s interpretation of prophecy rob you of the conviction of the knowledge of events which show that this great event is near at hand.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 335.

“Ought men to be surprised over a sudden and unexpected change in the dealings of the Supreme Ruler with the inhabitants of a fallen world? Ought they to be surprised when punishment follows transgression and increasing crime? Ought they to be surprised that God should bring destruction and death upon those whose ill-gotten gains have been obtained through deception and fraud? Notwithstanding the fact that increasing light regarding God’s requirements has been shining on their pathway, many have refused to recognize Jehovah’s rulership, and have chosen to remain under the black banner of the originator of all rebellion against the government of heaven.” Prophets and Kings, 276.

“Character is revealed by a crisis. When the earnest voice proclaimed at midnight, ‘Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him,’ the sleeping virgins roused from their slumbers, and it was seen who had made preparation for the event. Both parties were taken unawares, but one was prepared for the emergency, and the other was found without preparation. Character is revealed by circumstances. Emergencies bring out the true metal of character.…It will be made manifest whether or not there is any real faith in the promises of the word of God. It will be made manifest whether or not the soul is sustained by grace, whether there is oil in the vessel with the lamp.” Review and Herald, September 17, 1895.

“We know not when the Master will come to settle the accounts of His servants. Let us be always prepared to meet Him in peace. The probation of any one of us may cease in a moment. Death by accident may suddenly and unexpectedly close our earthly history. How stands our life-record today?” Ibid., July 2, 1901.

“The Lord is anxious to save us. He is anxious that everything separating us from Him should be put away, that our hearts may beat in unison with heaven. It is time to be in harmony with God.…When probation ends it will come suddenly, unexpectedly—at a time when we are least expecting it. But we can have a clean record in heaven today, and know that God accepts us; and finally, if faithful, we shall be gathered into the kingdom of heaven.” Sermons and Talks, vol. 1, 378.