Reformation and the Seventh Day Adventist Church

Why was reform needed?

The Reformation was a pivotal time in history when God's Holy Spirit led a movement to weed out apostasy and correct the Church's course. Why was this reform needed? The Church had progressively, relentlessly over the course of hundreds of years, become riddled with apostasy. The Reformation was not just a historical event; it was a divine response to the creeping in of false doctrine and the obscuring of truth.

A completely fundamental and foundational truth from God's perspective and the perspective of His Church, is that whenever there is apostasy, it must be countered by reformation.

The historical context of reformation

We know from history that the Roman Papal Church had since its inception had, over the course of 1,200 years, become a grossly paganized sham of real Christianity. The Holy Bible had been intentionally and systematically removed from circulation by the Catholic Church and spurious and clearly non-biblical doctrines had been promulgated. This period of suppression of God's Word became known as the Dark Ages. Due to the work of the reformers, many of whom actually translated the Bible into their native tongue, eventually the Dark Ages came to an end.

Many people mistakenly believe that reformation is a one-and-done proposition. However, history shows us that whenever truth is obscured, reformation must occur. The Reformation of the 16th century, spearheaded by figures like Martin Luther, was just the beginning. The Protestant denominations that emerged were meant to correct the errors of the past, but the need for reformation didn't end there.

The role of Seventh Day Adventism

The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, which emerged in the mid-1800s, was part of this ongoing reformation. It aimed to correct apostate doctrines such as Sunday worship, the immortality of the soul, and eternal torment in Hell. Instead, it claimed to be "sola scriptura" or, the Bible as the sole source of doctrinal truth. However, like the Protestant churches before it, the Adventist Church has faced challenges that require continuous reformation.

Early Adventist pioneer James White quoted in the Reivew and Herald in 1856, "The greatest fault we can find in the Reformation is the reformers stopped reforming. Had they gone on, and onward, till they had left the last vestage of Papacy behind, such as natural immortality, sprinkling, the Trinity, and Sunday keeping, the church would now be free from her unscriptural errors."

So, the Seventh Day Adventist movement, which happened more than 300 years after the time of Martin Luther, was specifically raised up because reformed churches had stopped reforming.

Reform and the One True God movement

This brings us to the One True God movement that is currently growing within the ranks of the Seventh Day Adventist Church. This movement is an open acknowledgment that something is not right within the Church. Martin Luther didn't just randomly decide one day to become a reformer. You see, he was deeply convicted of grave errors that existed within the Church. God's Church was broken and it needed to be fixed. So when One True God believers share their belief in this truth, they are saying that something is seriously broken and it needs to be fixed.

How can a church claim to be "sola scriptura" when one of its fundamental beliefs (Number 2: Belief in the Trinity) is blatantly not supported by scripture? Furthermore, how can they be considered God's Remnant Church when they are no longer following the incontrovertible directive of Revelation 18 to, "Come out of her my people"? Instead, the organization has stubbornly promoted ecumenical initiatives, held seats on ecumenical councils, failed to support its members on the basis of religious freedom regarding the COVID 19 vaccinations mandate, and has promoted ecumenism between the Seventh Day Adventist Church and the Roman Catholic Church.

Is there apostasy within the Seventh Day Adventist Church?

The short answer is YES, which makes reformation not just necessary, but urgent. Just like in historical times, the fact remains, that whenever there is apostasy within God's Church, it must be countered by reformation. The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, like all religious institutions, must continually evaluate its teachings and practices to make sure that they are in complete alignment with Biblical truth. Whenever a doctrinal error is discovered, it must, after much prayer and guidance from God's Holy Spirit, be corrected.

Call to action

The Definition of Reform

To improve something by changing or correcting its faults, making it better, restoring it to a good state, often by removing corruption, abuse, or defects.

There is something inherent within this definition, and that is the recognition that something needs to be changed, something needs to be corrected. There is the realization that something is, in fact, broken. Reformation within our church must start here, by identifying that we have a problem so that we can take the necessary steps in order to fix that problem.

Reformation is not a historical footnote; it is an ongoing process. As members of the faith, we must not become complacent. We must continually seek truth, preach truth, and live truth. The phrase "It ain't over till it's over" reminds us that the battle for truth is ongoing. Satan will not cease his efforts to corrupt, and we must not cease our efforts to reform.

Let us pray for reformation within our churches and within ourselves. May we be ever vigilant, ever discerning, and ever committed to the truth as revealed in God's Word.

If you enjoyed this post please watch the entire video at: It Ain't Over, Till Its Over.