Question:
Can eating cheese keep me out of heaven?
Answer:
If you have already read John Pearson’s article Following Counsel, then you know that Sister White is very specific regarding the consumption of cheese: Counsels on Diet and Foods, 370; Testimonies, Vol. 2, 68; Counsels on Health, 114; The Ministry of Healing, 302, to name a few.
The decision to eat, or not eat, cheese, as with all things that the Bible and Inspiration provide counsel for, is a matter of obedience.
“Obey, obey, for Christ’s sake and for your own soul’s sake. Obey that which your conscience tells you is truth. Accept the grace and righteousness of Christ. God is tenderly calling you, ‘Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light’ (Matthew 11:28–30). If you refuse the invitation to repentance, to freedom from sin, the great day of God will find you hopeless, shelterless, disobedient, a transgressor of His law. He will not then be able to give you a place in His kingdom. God help you to come now, is my prayer.” This Day With God, 153
“We must make it our lifework to understand the will of God. … Your every word and action is to be in accordance with the will of God … .” Our Father Cares, 272
“It is by following in the path of obedience in simple faith that the character attains perfection. …
“Christ has promised us sufficient power to reach this high standard. He says, ‘Whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in My name, I will do it. If ye love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive’ (John 14:13–17). …”
“We cannot overestimate the value of simple faith and unquestioning obedience.” That I May Know Him, 116
If God asks me to do, or not to do, anything for which the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy provide clear direction, then I must obey, for nothing in this world should be more important to me than obedience to God. Disobedience is an outward expression of selfishness within and a sign that I have not surrendered my will to God. Obedience is the outward expression of my love for and surrender to Him.