For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
Ron Hepburn
It's interesting to note that SDAs have been seen as a group that may or may not be considered "Christians" by a definition of what a "Christian" is. This definition is recognized historically as a believer in Christ Jesus as Savior and as a follower of Him of how to truly live a life that glorifies God.
The etymology of the term "Christian" is not a good one. It resembles in nature and definition to racial slurs today like, "n-----," "spi-," "chin-," "hon--," and the like. Why? Because Jesus' mission was gravely missunderstood by those who were supposed to have the clear evidence of what it meant to live in insync with God's will.
When Jesus was on Earth, the people lost their sense of what it meant to be a person that glorifies God. There was a need to have a "re-formation" ("...Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand" Mat 3:2). So, the ministry of Jesus is a, (Religion: "religare" to bind fast between humans and God), model of how "to bind fast" to God from a human perspective. So if we look closely at the detailed life of Jesus, we can clearly see what is the definition of a Christian, a Christ follower.
1: Ex. 20:3 "...a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 'Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?' Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'" Mat 22:35 - 37
2: Ex. 20:4 - 6 ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ Mat 4:10
3: Ex. 20:7 "I and My Father are one." Jn 10:30; "O righteous Father!...and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name,..." Jn 17:25, 26
4: Ex. 20:8 - 11 "And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day," Lk 4:16. "For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." Mat 12:8
5: Ex. 20:12 "...He said to His mother, 'Woman, behold your son!' Then He said to the disciple, 'Behold your mother!' And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home." Jn 19:26, 27; "...but I honor My Father...'If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God." Jn 8:49, 54
6: Ex. 20:13 “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” Mk 3:4; "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life,..." Jn 10:10
7: Ex. 20:14 See Matt 5:32; "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her..." Eph 5:25
8: Ex. 20:15 "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s." Mat 22:21; "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?...Nevertheless, lest we offend them,...you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you." Mat 17:24, 27
9: Ex. 20:16 "Verily..." Mat 5:8, 26; 6:5, 16; 8:10; 10:15, 23, 42; 11:11; 13:17; 16:28; 17:20; 18:3, 13, 18; 19:23, 28; 21:21, 31; 23:36; 24:2, 34, 46; 25:12,40, 45; 26:13, 21, 34
10: Ex. 20:17 "...being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God." Phil 2:5, 6
Christ to be my Savior had to keep the commandments (Js 2:10, Jn 15:10) as a follower I must do the same (Jn 14:15) not as a means for salvation but as proof that He IS my Savior. "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him." 1 Jn 3:4 - 6.
See also Mat 24:14; Jn 3:5 - 8; Jn 16:8 - 14; 2 Cor 3:18; Col 1:27; 1 Jn 2:3 - 6; 1 Jn 3:8, 9, 24. So if the Holy Spirit's job is to "re-form, re-born, re-create" Jesus in me, is He then going to use a "different" Jesus that does not keep THE law because now they don't exist? How can the Holy Spirit convict me of sin, if the law is null and void? 1 Jn 2:29; 2 Jn 1:9 - 11. He too longed for His advent Jn 14:3. I'm humbled to be an SDA & follow THE truth Jn 5:32, 33; 14:6; Heb 12:2
joyce Osazuwa
I think for me the day u choose to serve The Lord does not matter. The most important thing is to be born again and be a true Christian which is what the New Testament emphasized on. Remember in the Old Testament sacrifice of animal was made to God but when Jesus came things change.
The Civilization and the World has change many things because people with different profession have to work Saturday or Sunday . In the old days there was no sickness like today that takes people to hospital. Which leads to the question if people that in the hospital should be left alone on Saturday and Sunday to die? If we really want observe Saturday and Sunday after service we should all stay at home and do nothing.
Jennifer Rothnie
I do not think it follows that if one chooses to keep the Sabbath they would have to let sick people die. Jesus taught that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:23-28). He also healed on the Sabbath (John 7:14-24) and pointed out that people would circumcise children on the Sabbath, or if an animal fell on the pit, it's owner would save it - and that this was a good thing (Matt 12:10-12).The Sabbath was to be a delight to man (Is 58:13-14), not a list of rules and restrictions. Perhaps you are referring to the extra rules and rituals the Jews added?
We do not have to keep the rituals of the Sabbath, it is up to our own conscience there. This also applies to groups - if one group chooses strictly to keep the Sabbath, then we should not judge them for choosing so.
However, we should 'Remember' the Sabbath to keep it Holy. What this remembrance looks like will vary (some people actually choosing to rest on the day, others in daily living treating it like any day); but at the very least we should 'Remember' that God rested from work on the Sabbath, and this helps us understand our true Sabbath, rest in God, wherein we rest from dead works (Heb 4:1-11).
The flip-side to remembrance is forgetting or rebelling, such as never bothering to understand our rest in God (which can lead to works-based salvation), or trying to replace or erase the Sabbath (such as the Council of Laodicea sought to do by force of command).
Mart Eleonora
We should not dispise eachother on what we eat or dont eat, or about which day we we see as holy. Roman 14 1:7 makes this clear.
The outward rituals mean nothing, if you don't have believe, because Its all about belief and thanking the Lord .The Son of God, Jesus made clear how we should live in harmony and peace with eachother.
DEAN R. DONAHUE
I was born a Seventh-day Adventist. I attended SDA schools including college and university. I studied the writings of Ellen G White and worshipped God each Friday evening to Saturday evening. I was even a vegetarian and practiced the old testament eating requirements. Everything was great with one exception. Though unspoken, works and law keeping were held in greater esteem than the Grace of Christ..
It was during private study that the clarity of Grace became paramount and that law keeping was not the measurable method to attain heaven. If you look closely, you can see the SDA faith never clearly omitting the Grace factor, but the culture, while speaking of it, tends to gravitate to works rather than faith.
I am a sinner from word "GO"... My works are usually concealing a private gain, yet, this comes from my distain of what Seventh-day Adventism does to those of us who refuse to conceal their sins. Rather than being thankful and humble for the gift of Grace, the "pillars" of the church will separate from the common and make sure you are in their shadow.
I was asked to leave our local SDA church and was never given a good reason why. Apparently, my lack of interest in conspiracy theories and love of red meat may have caused this. I am not sure why. All I know is that a ministry I had started there flourished beyond the Sabbath attendance. My message had too much Jesus and not enough Ellen G. White.
Jesus speaks to a woman at a well. He does not condemn her, he merely acknowledges her sins and offers His ability to affect her life and the lives of those who drank from the well at "Sika". The change is affected by faith in Christ and believing in His Gift, not by affecting accusation and assuming all should confine to the SDA culture.
This SDA culture is very dangerous, where if you read the doctrine of the church, which is Biblically grounded, does not reflect clearly through the SDA persona. If the leaders would exalt Christ rather than Ellen White and admit the fact we all are sinners, perhaps the role of "former" Adventists would not exceed the current church membership.
The church is afraid of a revival where Christ's freedoms can flourish in the Christian existence. Confinement and law are held in high reserve for it's elite and they use this to rank and file it's members. Where one may be openly thankful for Grace, one better be prepared to live the perfect perception.
The culture varies from church to church, yet the culture in my local SDA church is committed to the substantiated golden rule that whoever has the gold makes the rules. I am disliked by the upper crust of this church and must admit I have struggled with not pointing a finger back at them. As they go through pastor after pastor, my family being SDA raised are omitted from a Sabbath keeping home of worship. The outreach, or lack of it, assumes a "cult" like existence.
I challenge anyone to prove to me Biblically the error of Seventh-day Adventism Theology, but I can not defend the miss-use of the Truth it has been given. Not all SDA churches reflect this image, yet here in Show Low, Arizona, Adventism has been reduced to a wealthy cult.
James Kraft
Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus paid our sin debt in full, and gives us eternal life as a free gift. And no one ever got saved by their own works.
Romans 11:6 Salvation is all grace without works. Ephesians 2:8-9. Salvation is a free gift from God when we believe on Jesus as the only way of salvation plus nothing.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the GIFT of God is ETERNAL LIFE. Gentiles are not under the old testament law, but under grace. Galatians 2:21 I do not void the grace of God, for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. No one is saved by keeping the law. The law was given to show us we are all sinners. Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
If there was a law given that could save us, then Jesus died in vain. Now we are justified by faith, apart from the deeds of the law. Romans 3:28.
John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me HATH EVERLASTING LIFE.
If you go back to Jesus telling about the rich man who went to hell and Lazarus the beggar who went to Abrahams bosom, you can see that our soul spirit never dies Jesus said hell is where our worm dieth not. It is forever the same as heaven. No one wants to go there.
And there is only one way to be saved from Hell. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. John 6:40 And this is the will of Him who sent me, that all that seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
Only true believers can understand the gospel is all grace without works. A free gift by faith alone in Christ alone plus nothing. Romans 4:4-8. Romans 11:6.
Salvation is the instant we believe Jesus paid our sin debt in full, and we can no longer be condemned. John 3:18.
I do not know who is saved and who is not I can only know I am saved because I know Jesus can not lie. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER, BELEIVETH in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. Jesus said it, I believe it, and that settles it.