Commentary on "Victory Over Sin"

RICHARD PEIFER

 

Day 1: Sabbath Afternoon, August 7, 2010 - Introduction

 

Overview

“Sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14). (Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide; July, Aug, Sept, 2010,Page 77)

 

Observations

This lesson is the to-be-expected follow-up to the last week’s lesson on Romans 5. Recall that Seventh-day Adventists believe salvation equals forgiveness and that a person can lose salvation. Since this is the case in Adventist theology, then their approach to Romans 6 is completely consistent.

This week’s lesson is all about sanctification. Here is my working definition of it, based on the entire lesson plan for the week: Sanctification, the work of a lifetime, is the ongoing transformation of a person from lost and sinful to completely holy and sinless, which eventually results in eternal life.

The means to reach this holiness is found in the Ten Commandments. At the beginning of this transformational journey we need lots of help from the Holy Spirit. By the end of the journey we will be able to stand alone in our own ability to live perfectly. We will no longer need the Holy Spirit, which is a good thing since the Holy Spirit will be withdrawn from the earth and won’t be available to us anyway.

There is one big problem with this belief system. It simply is not true. In fact, this lesson is a complete repudiation of Romans 6:14, climaxing in Tuesday’s exegetical nightmare.

Salvation is so much more than forgiveness—it is nothing less than eternal life now. Sanctification takes place the moment we accept Jesus as our Savior. We are set apart, or sanctified, by the indwelling Holy Spirit, Who never will be removed from us, to serve God. Sanctification is ours as the result of God’s initiative on our behalf, not as the result of our ability to keep the Law. “Works” are described by Paul in Ephesians 2:10 (NASB, emphasis added) – “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” The Law has no part in this, because it has already completed its role in the salvation story by pointing out our hopeless condition apart from Jesus. Having done that, it is finished with us and we with it.

Rather than writing an in-depth treatise on this issue I have chosen to limit my comments to the most non-Biblical elements of Adventist teaching contained in each day’s lesson.

Do all Adventists believe what is written in the Adventist Quarterly? No. Unfortunately, most of the Adventists I know don’t really know what they believe. I hope the contrasts I point out between Adventism and the Bible will encourage them to dig into the Bible – only the Bible – for themselves. Don’t take my word for it. Don’t take the church’s word for it. Study it for yourself. God never will dishonor an honest search for truth.

 

Summary

1. The lesson claims that we are expected and required to improve our ability to be victorious over sin. After all, because Jesus did it, so can we. This victory is “given” to us by Jesus, but is only made real by our ongoing and ever improving success at keeping the Law.
2. Attempting to live this Adventist approach to holiness will result in failure every time, because the very means used to attain it are singularly inappropriate to that use.

 

GO TO DAY 2

 

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The Sabbath School Bible Study Guide and the corresponding E.G. White Notes are published by Pacific Press Publishing Association, which is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist church. The current quarter's editions are pictured above.

 

Official Adventist Resources

Standard Edition Study Guide Week 7

Teacher's Edition Study Guide Week 7

Easy Reading Edition Study Guide Wk 7

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