G
Gary
Guest
Errors of the SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISM cult
MATTHEW 18:23–35â€â€Can one’s forgiveness be canceled once it is given, as Seventh-Day Adventists claim?
MISINTERPRETATION: Based on the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matt. 18:23–35), Seventh-day Adventists teach that one’s forgiveness can be canceled after it has been bestowed. They claim that “the actual blotting out of sin, therefore, could not take place the moment when a sin is forgiven, because subsequent deeds and attitudes may affect the final decision. Instead, the sin remains on the record until the life is completeâ€â€in fact, the Scriptures indicate it remains until the judgment†(Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine, 1957, 441).
CORRECTING THE MISINTERPRETATION: This is a parable, and parables should not be taken literally. They have a point to make, and that point is illustrated in the parable of which not every aspect is to be taken literally. For example, God is illustrated as an “unjust judge†in one parable (Luke 18:1–18), but the point is not to teach about the attribute of God’s justice but that he is merciful in answering persistent prayer.
The Bible makes it unmistakable that God does not renege on his promises. Paul declared that “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable†(Rom. 11:29 niv). God does not take back what he gives in grace. Many other passages of Scripture teach that salvation is an unconditional gift (John 10:26–29; Rom. 8:36–39). And God’s Word does not contradict itself.
Source: Geisler, N. L., & Rhodes, R. (1997). When cultists ask : A popular handbook on cultic misinterpretations (Page 120). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.
MATTHEW 18:23–35â€â€Can one’s forgiveness be canceled once it is given, as Seventh-Day Adventists claim?
MISINTERPRETATION: Based on the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matt. 18:23–35), Seventh-day Adventists teach that one’s forgiveness can be canceled after it has been bestowed. They claim that “the actual blotting out of sin, therefore, could not take place the moment when a sin is forgiven, because subsequent deeds and attitudes may affect the final decision. Instead, the sin remains on the record until the life is completeâ€â€in fact, the Scriptures indicate it remains until the judgment†(Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine, 1957, 441).
CORRECTING THE MISINTERPRETATION: This is a parable, and parables should not be taken literally. They have a point to make, and that point is illustrated in the parable of which not every aspect is to be taken literally. For example, God is illustrated as an “unjust judge†in one parable (Luke 18:1–18), but the point is not to teach about the attribute of God’s justice but that he is merciful in answering persistent prayer.
The Bible makes it unmistakable that God does not renege on his promises. Paul declared that “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable†(Rom. 11:29 niv). God does not take back what he gives in grace. Many other passages of Scripture teach that salvation is an unconditional gift (John 10:26–29; Rom. 8:36–39). And God’s Word does not contradict itself.
Source: Geisler, N. L., & Rhodes, R. (1997). When cultists ask : A popular handbook on cultic misinterpretations (Page 120). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.