God is Always Faithful

Hello again my friends!  Are you ready to dive back in?

All right, you who call yourselves Adventist believers, like the Jews before you, are relying on God’s law, and you brag about your special relationship with Him (Micah 3:11).  You know what He wants; you know what is right because you have been taught His law.  You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in the darkness.  You think you can instruct the ignorant and teach children the ways of God.  You are so certain that God’s law gives you complete knowledge and truth! (II Tim. 3:5)

Well then, if you teach others, why don’t you teach yourself?  You tell others not to steal, but do you steal?  You know that it’s wrong to commit adultery, but do you commit adultery?  You condemn idols (TV, internet, etc.), but do you take do the very same things? (Matt. 23:3, 4)  You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it.  No wonder Isaiah (52:5) and Ezekiel (36:20) say: “The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.”

Take the Jewish ceremony of circumcision, for example.  It only has value if the Jews obey God’s law.  But if they don’t obey God’s law, they aren’t any better off than anyone else (Gal. 5:3).  And if everyone else obeys God’s law, won’t God call them all His own?  In fact, non-Adventists who keep God’s law will condemn you Adventists who possess God’s law but don’t obey it.

You aren’t a true Christian because you were born to Adventist parents or because you went through the Adventist education system.  No, a true Christian is one whose heart is right with God.  And true religion is not merely obeying the letter of the law but it is a change of heart produced by God’s Spirit (Deut. 30:6).  And a person with changed heart seeks praise from God, not other people (II Cor. 10:18).

So then what is the advantage of being a Christian (Adventist or otherwise)?  Is there any value in religious ceremonies?  Yes, there are great benefits!  For starters, we were entrusted with the whole Word of God (Deut. 4:7, 8), starting with the Jews and passed on to us.

Now it is true that some Christians are unfaithful (just as some of the Jews in Jesus’ day were); but just because they are unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful?  Of course not!  Even if everyone else in the entire world is a liar, God is always true!  As the Psalm says (51:4):

“You will be proved right in what you say,
      and you will win your case in court.”

“But,” some people might say, “our sinfulness serves a good purpose because it helps people to see how good and righteous God is.  So wouldn’t it be unfair for Him to punish us?” (This is quite obviously a human point of view.)  Of course not!  If God were not absolutely and entirely fair, would He be qualified to judge the world?  “But,” some people still argue, “how can God condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty just highlights His truthfulness and serves to bring Him even more glory?”  And some take it even further, distorting the Christian message by saying: “The more we sin, the better it is!”  But believe me, those who say things like that deserve to be condemned.

Well then, should we conclude that we Adventists are better than everyone else?  No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, of any Christian denomination or otherwise, are under the power of sin.  As the Bible says:

   “No one is righteous—
      not even one.
     No one is truly wise;
      no one is seeking God.
     All have turned away;
      all have become useless.
     No one does good,
      not a single one.” (Ps. 14:1-3, 53:1-3)
  “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.
      Their tongues are filled with lies.” (Ps. 5:9)
   “Snake venom drips from their lips.” (Ps. 140:3)
   “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” (Ps. 10:7)
  “They rush to commit murder.
  Destruction and misery always follow them.
  They don’t know where to find peace.” (Is. 59:7, 8)
  “They have no fear of God at all.” (Ps. 36:1)

In conclusion, it should be obvious that the law applies to those to whom it was given because its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God.  No one can can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands (Gal. 3:11).  The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

I’ll stop there for tonight, but I’m excited because this does not end with the law!  But I’m getting ahead of myself.

You friend in Christ,

Paul