Demons Of Righteousness

Demons of Righteousness (High road to hell) Some of the devil's most devoted disciples are among the best-behaved people on earth. The most deceived of them experience victory over sin. Some are Seventh-day Adventists devoted to doing the will of God but who are victims of satanic delusions. Should it surprise us that demons can deceive and empower well-intentioned people? Well, think of the beaming faces of young Moonies testifying how they used to be slaves of drugs and sinful relationships before the "divine principles" of "Reverend" Moon sanctified them. Consider also the New Agers who exchange cigarettes for carrot sticks through the power of Hindu-style meditation. The pagan power channeled to them in New Age meditation chambers certainly isn't the Holy Spirit. New Agers and Moonies, rejoicing in victory over sinful habits, know not that their spiritual state is worse than before they became overcomers. Well, why would the devil bestow victory over sin? Before addressing this, let's affirm once again that genuine victory over sin is a basic fruit of the gospel. God has plenty of power that He intends for us to claim. But so does Satan! Our crafty foe wants to seize our souls through his deceptions. Thus for all that God offers, the devil has a counterfeit—even a counterfeit victory over sin, to lure us away from the cross so we trust in our own character attainments and thus forfeit salvation by grace. All true believers yearn for total victory over sin, and the devil knows it. As we reach out for Jesus to pull us out of one gutter, Satan tries to snatch our

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hand and drag us into another. Bad as it is to be snared in the slime of sinful indulgence, the ultimate deception is the opposite ditch off the gospel freeway: legalism. People imagine they are following God when in reality another force is empowering them. Remember the Pharisees, those paragons of piety. They had conquered the flesh and its lusts to the point that they fasted twice a week. But Jesus said these trophies of self-discipline and the disciples of their zealous evangelism were actually sons of hell (see Matt. 23:15). "Lord, I thank Thee for what Thou art doing in my life," prayed the Pharisee in the sanctuary as he scorned the struggling soul who cast himself upon God's mercy. That model of self-mastery knew not that his own soul was in bondage to demons-not demons of self-indulgence but demons of self-righteousness! Demons of righteousness? Yes! The Bible warns of spiritual zealots who preach Christ-but not Christ as our only hope. They preach a gospel, but one of merit rather than mercy (see 2 Cor. 11:2-4). This false gospel brings them "into bondage" (verse 20) —bondage to demons of righteousness: "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness" (verses 13-15). White magic Satan's wolf-in-sheep's-clothing strategy multiplies his power to deceive. Take witchcraft, for example. According to the Encyclopedia Americana, "magic to cause harm is often called black magic or sorcery, and magic intended to help or cure is frequently

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termed white magic."1 Do you see the deception? For those eager to indulge in evil, the devil has black magic (I lament the racial overtones of that term, but such is the world of witchcraft). And for those who admire the miracles of blessing Jesus performed, Satan has white magic. Black magic or white magic—he doesn't care whether people do evil or do good as long as he is in control. In Christ's day, Herod by the demons of indulgence killed John the Baptist for the sake of lust, while the Pharisees by demons of righteousness killed Jesus for the sake of law. In succeeding centuries the emperors of Rome were playboys in their palaces, as the bishops of Rome venerated monastics in the desert and promoted perfectionism (with purgatory as a fire escape for those not quite worthy of heaven). Today, Satan continues his two-pronged assault from opposite extremes. The singer Madonna embodies immorality, while the virgin Madonna images celibacy. No church is immune from demonic attack. You can be sure that this church, entrusted by God with the truths of the final remnant, is a special target of both the demons of indulgence and the demons of self-righteousness. In some Seventh-day Adventist churches, demons of indulgence champion a cheap gospel that compromises lifestyle and doctrine. Sin isn't taken seriously. Sabbath rest becomes just a vacation from the office and classroom. To many, hell and the judgment are outmoded myths. The pleasures of the world become a chosen lifestyle in which people celebrate their supposed freedom in Christ with a glass of California wine. Meanwhile, demons of righteousness pull other church members toward the opposite extreme, promoting obedience and victory apart from gratitude 1

"Magic," Encyclopedia Americana (Danbury, Conn.: Grolier, 1991), v. 18, p. 84.

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and assurance in Jesus. Members under their influence are zealous for doctrine but devoid of God's love. They live in the desert at Mt. Sinai. Their lives are like the burning bush, but with the flame of God's blessing gone out. Not satisfied with burning off sin's dead leaves, they have broken off life's innocent branches. Finally they become an unadorned stump of stern spirituality. Counterfeit victory Recently I interviewed a member who told me how Satan had given him victory over sin. Through reading various private publications he became obsessed with acquiring a sinless character worthy of heaven. As he prayed, he received a power that brought victory over every sin on his checklist. Meanwhile, a hard-hearted, critical spirit displaced his love, joy, and peace. Then an inner voice told him to join an independent group. He became deeply involved with them, but eventually their Waconian-style mind control methods opened his eyes. Having come to his senses, he fled to Calvary for refuge from the demons of righteousness. He's back in church, eager as ever to keep God's commandments, but now he trusts in the blood of Christ rather than in his own attainment of sinlessness to qualify him for heaven. His wife told me how terrible it had been to live with a man that attained "perfection." She discerned that his spiritual power was inspired by an alien force. Though amazingly victorious over the usual besetments, he had ceased being a loving husband. "By their fruits you shall know them," Jesus said. And the fruit of the Spirit above all is "love, joy, peace" (Gal. 5:22). God's true Spirit always works through the joy and peace that come from believing in Jesus (see Rom. 15:13). We might fast all day and pray all night for the Holy Spirit, but without faith in

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the blood of Jesus our earnest incantations are in vain. Another spirit may possess us. Remember, evil spirits are deceptive, luring us from opposite directions. We can steer away from one ditch and plunge into the other extreme. At stake is our eternal destiny.

Legalism versus liberalism This colossal conspiracy between demons of indulgence and demons of righteousness manifests itself in a tug of war between legalism and liberalism. The liberalism here warned against is not warm-hearted, open-minded, Christianity that calls for a commitment to social justice for the poor and oppressed. Liberation in Christ from all injustice is a basic element of koinonia. But false liberalism from the demons of indulgence is a counterfeit spirituality that marches in step with secular humanism, carelessly and flagrantly violating God's law while waving the banner of love. Such liberalism maximizes love and minimizes law; whereas legalism majors in law and tends to minor in love. Not realizing that living God's love involves keeping His commandments —and vice versa—both liberals and legalists have a superficial concept of religion. Both groups are skating on thin ice, yet they are true Christians if their faith, though shallow, is sincere. The blood of Christ covers honest ignorance—but not willful blindness (see Acts 17:30; John 9:41). Intense religiosity isn't necessarily sincerity. The clergy who crucified Christ retained zeal while succumbing to hypocrisy. Spiritual fervor can be a smoke screen for secret sin and also an attempt to atone for bad habits with good works. Only God knows when legalists and liberals go so far as to forfeit what feeble faith they might have. The church at Galatia crossed that line into damnation, having turned away from "the grace of Christ, to a different

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gospel" (Gal. 1:6). In abandoning their faith to legalism they were taking the high road to hell: "You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace" (Gal. 5:4). Zeal is no substitute for faith. When ignorance becomes willful unbelief, people squander their salvation. Before proceeding, we must further clarify our terms. Legalism is not strict faithfulness to God in harmony with His law out of an appreciation for salvation in Christ. Rather, it's an attempt to be good enough through one's personal spiritual attainment instead of through Christ's atonement. We must avoid church legalism—but we also must steer clear of illegalism. Lukewarm legalism and liberalism Many legalists and liberals have a superficial spiritual commitment that accompanies their superficial concept of God's law and grace. Jesus said of them: "These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me" (Matt. 15:8). Lukewarm legalists and liberals are more religious than they are secular, yet their worship is more an exercise than an experience. They claim Jesus as Saviour while not knowing how much they need His salvation. They sing about a closer walk with Christ when, more than that, they should be clinging to Him for their very lives. Lukewarm liberalism is not outright worldliness but a subtle yet serious undermining of behavioral principles to which faith must remain faithful. Lukewarm legalism even more deceptively compromises Christianity, because it vigorously promotes God's law while shunning fanatical extremes—yet it neglects the caring and compassion that are the essence of true commandment keeping. Lukewarm legalists and liberals don't have the

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commitment to join the self-denying ministries that represent their respective beliefs; they would rather sit back and send donations (tax deductible, of course). Lukewarm liberals talk about following Christ's loving example like Mother Teresa, but they would rather applaud her than go and do likewise. Lukewarm legalists also speak much about following Christ's example, in terms of fulfilling the law's requirements as He did. But they fail to entirely devote themselves to the high standards they champion. Two roads to hell Carnally-minded liberals take the low road to hell. God says love not the world, but they heed not His warning. They do what the world does, watch what the world watches, eat what the world eats, and dress like the world dresses. They claim the name of Christ as their ticket to heaven, but unless they repent, they will tragically wake up 1,000 years too late facing hellfire. And who will be with them in the second resurrection unto damnation? The legalists, who took the high road to hell, having rejected comfort in Christ as well as the pleasures of the world. They spurned the blood of Jesus to make health reform their gospel, sipping lukewarm soy milk and eating oil-free tofu burgers sprinkled with organic bean sprouts (and perhaps raw wheat germ). Imagine their surprise when they wake up in the resurrection of damnation and find themselves keeping company with good-time Charlies and sultry harlots. "God!" they shout with shaking fists. "If we knew we were going to hell, we wouldn't have fasted twice a week! At least we would have watched MTV!" All their good works amounted to nothing in the judgment. They had taken the high road to hell. Let's recall that it wasn't a gang of hungover drug

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addicts or a commune of leftover hippies from the sixties who crucified Jesus. His murderers were the sternest, strictest religionists of history, and they killed Him in the name of Moses, the lawgiver. With sweat pouring down their clenched faces, they scaled the Alps of spiritual discipline, determined to plant the banner of self-righteousness on the snowcapped heights. Often they peered below them, scorning the wretched sinners cruising in their convertibles down easy street, the low road to hell. "Commandment-breaking fools!" they scoffed. "Maybe you're having a good time now, but you don't know what's waiting for you around the bend in the road on the other side of Mt. Sinai. Then, redoubling their efforts, they pressed onward and upward to what they imagined was their just reward. Occasionally they would strenuously sing: "I'm pressing on the upward way, new heights I'm gaining every day!" They imagined that when they finally gained the summit, God Himself would be obliged to step aside respectfully and let them march on through heaven's golden arch of triumph. Finally, after endless self-denial and exertion, they proudly reached the top. But—nobody was there waiting for them. No smiling angels handing them crowns of jewels never worn before. It was bleak, foggy and cold. Very slippery, too. They wandered around up there, shivering and sliding, trying to keep warm. Suddenly their feet slipped on a patch of ice and they found themselves skidding down the other side of the mountain. Screaming in terror, they plunged over an unseen cliff and down, way down, all the way down to hell. Having rejected the gift of God in Jesus Christ, they reaped the same reward as those who took the easy way out of religious responsibility. "What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a

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righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the 'stumbling stone.' As it is written: 'See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame'" (Rom. 9:30-33, NIV). Unfair? No. God owes us nothing but wrath. "There is none righteous, no, not one" (Rom. 3:10). Nobody gets the wages deserved in the vineyard of the Lord. All we deserve is death (see Rom. 3:23). It's only "through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not" (Lam. 3:22). Well, if we all are unworthy, can we just live as we please? No, that's the low road to hell. We must surrender what fallen Adam offers us in exchange for God's gift in Christ. He leads us up and away from this world on the straight and narrow road to eternal life—the way of the cross. The way of the cross leads home! Let's not confuse this with Satan's counterfeit straight and narrow road: not the way of the cross but away from the cross up the toilsome slopes of self-righteousness, then plunging over the cliff into damnation. The high road to hell. Demons of indulgence or demons of righteousness, the devil doesn't care which team you're on as long as your playing on his ball field. Black magic or white magic, Satan doesn't care which you involve yourself with as long as you are under his spell. Carnal liberalism or legalism, he doesn't care whether you take the low road or the high road, as long as you end up with him in the lake of fire. The playpen and the workbench All of us are vulnerable to both legalism and liberalism; in fact, to some extent both legalism and liberalism afflict every human being, saved or un-

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saved. We know what it's like to be tempted to indulge appetite, thanks to the demons of indulgence. And we all know what it's like to feel guilty about sins confessed and forsaken. God has forgiven us, but we still feel guilty. What's wrong? Spiritual harassment from the demons of righteousness. Whereas the passions are the playpen of the demons of indulgence, the conscience is the workbench of the demons of righteousness. Depending upon one's personality, environment and attitude, there may be a predisposition that puts either legalism or carnal liberalism on center stage— yet the other is also there, hiding behind the curtains. Even straightlaced legalists experience wild fantasies that they dare not indulge or even acknowledge. And on the other hand, reprobates despite their sinful lifestyle have invisible, unfulfilled yearnings for legalism. Their conscience may be rusted and warped, but it still works. When particularly troubled by conviction they sin with a frenzy, seeking to silence God's still small voice. In their sober moments they make sporadic resolutions to overcome addictive or abusive habits, hoping to work their way back to the Father's house from the playpens and pigpens of their far-off land. But they are deterred by the steep stairway to God they think they would have to climb. Many fear they could never be forgiven, or if they got past that hurdle they could never walk across the tightrope of divine expectations for daily living. Thus hopeless, they remain helplessly trapped by the latent legalism that often smolders underneath the surface of sinfulness. Liberalism and legalism may both be active, often in binge/purge behavior. Demons of indulgence tempt people to go on a binge of sinning. Then demons of righteousness take over and tempt the defeated ones to purge themselves of sin and climb the steep stairs back to God. This is how guilt from

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an ice cream feast is followed with a week of atonement fruit fast. Extremes of both liberalism and legalism sometimes get entangled in an incongruous mess. One zealot whose family I counselled assigned his wife daily readings in health and dress testimonies, forcing her to adopt rigid and outmoded standards. Meanwhile he enjoyed the charms of well-adorned girlfriends and regularly molested his daughter. Most church members wouldn't descend to such degradation, but all of us suffer cravings for both legalism and liberalism. Without the moment by moment intervention of the Holy Spirit, unenlightened conscience pulls us toward legalism and unrestrained flesh pulls us toward liberalism. We may train ourselves not to heed these cravings or to suppress one kind beneath the other, but the fact remains that both legalism and liberalism in varying proportions attract each of us. Despite disagreements about theology and differences in lifestyle, we have much more in common with fellow believers and lost sinners than we realize or might want to admit. Unaware of their shared weaknesses, proponents of legalism and liberalism view the errors of the opposing camp and thank God they don't participate. Their continual contention is fueled by extremism on both sides. Christ-centered legalists and liberals We must not condemn extremist legalists and liberals; many are tragically sincere. They may even devoutly follow Jesus as their example. Christcentered legalists pursue a relationship with Him mostly for the sake of strength to fulfill the law as He did so they can be saved. Trusting in their own attainments rather than in Christ's accomplishments on their behalf, they unwittingly compete with His

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substitutionary merits. It matters not whether they depend on their own strength or on Christ's; the fact is they are trying to become good enough to go to heaven. This is legalism—Christ-centered legalism. Its victims want to love Jesus with all their hearts, but they worry more about their own love for Him than they rejoice in His love for them. Christ-centered liberals also seek a relationship with Jesus, more for His comfort and companionship than for strength to obey His requirements. They feel uneasy about the commandments, seeing them as a set of strictures generating guilt and legalism. Declaring that relationships are more important than rules, Christian liberals devote themselves to following Christ's example by relieving suffering. Their misguided compassion on moral matters such as homosexuality and abortion is based more upon human reasoning than upon Bible principles. Many regard misconduct as moral sickness and an expression of low self esteem rather than as sin. They see humanity as inherently good but deprived of love. Their solution is the popular gospel of affirmation and self worth that denies or downplays the Bible doctrine of human depravity and regards Christ more as an understanding friend than as a Saviour from the condemnation of the law—when He is both. Identical solutions Solving the shortcomings of liberalism begins with gaining respect for God's law. Humanistic morality is insufficient; "there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death" (Prov. 16:25). Lest we drift away from God on the shifting tides of relativism, we need the anchor of His absolutes. Genuine love does not deny or downplay the law but fulfills it (see Rom. 13:10). Liberals need the Ten Commandments to teach them truth. They must learn that being good citizens isn't enough to make

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them good people. God is absolutely holy and none can ever become righteous enough to deserve acceptance; the only hope of relieving sin's debt is the gift of God's grace in Christ. Perhaps surprisingly, the solution for legalists also is a deeper understanding of God's law. They would hunger and thirst for Christ's righteousness—His alone—if they fathomed the hopelessness and sinfulness of their own supposed goodness. Before they can truly appreciate the Saviour, they must comprehend what He is saving them from. For that, they need the convicting testimony of God's law. Legalists major in minors but have "neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness" (Matt. 23:23, NIV). They try to pry out the specks of dust from the liberals' eyes while neglecting the beams of their own blindness. They speak of "raising the standards," not knowing that Sinai's righteous standard is much higher than their own comprehension. To God, the inhumanity of man toward man is our greatest sin, while heaven-born love fulfills the law. The irony of such legalism—any kind of legalism, lukewarm or otherwise—is that its own standard is too low. It cannot adequately measure and quantify the absolute holiness required by God's commandments. Remember, the law condemns not just obvious sins of commission such as killing, stealing, and fornicating, but also sins of omission. Neglecting to bear one another's burdens violates the law of Christ. Withholding an encouraging word of witness is a sin. Any failure to show the total love of Christ in every situation is sinful behavior. Thus by God's standard, all of us are sinners, unworthy servants. We all fall short of accurately reflecting Christ's character of caring. Our only hope is to come to the cross and lay hold upon His mercy to atone for our guilt before God's law.

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Any time the law is mentioned, though, those who tend toward liberalism will raise the charge of legalism. Actually, those who rightly regard God's law can never live as legalists, hoping to be saved through success in keeping the commandments. Honoring the high demands of the holy law produces what the Bible calls "the fear of God," which involves respect for His righteousness. Convinced that we cannot do business with Almighty Yahweh on the basis of our merit, we crave His mercy. Fleeing Mt. Sinai, we find refuge at Calvary, crying "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Thus saved from the curse of condemnation, our gratitude for life-giving grace unites us to the Saviour. We become Christ-centered instead of law-centered. We also cease being sin-centered, since faith in Christ requires that we shun the world's counterfeit fulfillments. Ancient Lot learned this the hard way after pitching his tent toward Sodom. Today's environment is even more treacherous; even the airwaves around us have sodomized with televised temptation. Many liberals let the devil ravage them with his allurements. They need to repent of this spiritual fornication, but they don't welcome warnings about breaking God's law. They want a pastor who affirms them in loving themselves rather than one who guides them in loving God and losing themselves for Christ's sake. Without old-fashioned repentance for sin, however, confidence in God's mercy amounts to presumption. Mere infatuation with God's forgiveness is not faith. Remember, happy songs of praise and even fervent prayers can be an exercise in damnation: "One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be an abomination" (Prov. 28:9). Assurance of salvation Having forsaken what the world offers for what

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God offers us at Calvary, we may rejoice in His salvation. Carnally-minded liberals overlook the importance of repentance before claiming assurance in Christ. They refer to the welcoming arms of the prodigal's father, forgetting that the repentant son came home empty-handed. He wasn't bringing back the wine bottles of his former lifestyle. When listening to lukewarm liberals, one pictures St. Peter at heaven's gate happily handing out lollipops to everyone alike, no matter how they lived. Going to the other extreme, legalists would portray the mythical gatekeeper with his arms crossed, wearing a suspicious scowl, grimly disqualifying any poor soul who had recently indulged in a chocolate milk shake. Many legalists consider any assurance of salvation as something of a questionable amusement. Others have fallen prey to a cruel and deceptive counterfeit: "Sure you can have the assurance of salvation! Just pray for the Holy Spirit's power to overcome all sin, and then based on your victorious experience, you can know you are saved." That sounds simple enough, except that all of us are sinners. So who can have any assurance? We had better find a better basis than our own perfection. Since liberals who are carnally minded enjoy assurance, mistaken though it is, their worship is emancipated from anxiety about the Almighty. Sometimes their services are sophisticated and sometimes boisterous. Legalists, by contrast, have an aura of counterfeit reverence that may reflect spiritual apprehension. They are solemn and subdued. Everything is decent and in order—as it should be—yet there is no heartbeat in their worship. But watch them come alive Sunday afternoon during the Redskins' football game. See them clapping and celebrating. Does their refusal to rejoice in heavenly things while they adore the things of this world say

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anything about their spirituality? Not that it's necessarily wrong to watch a football game, nor is enthusiastic praise the only proper worship format. The point is that whatever our style, we must worship God in spirit as well as in truth, with our hearts and souls as well as with our minds. If we are incapable of spiritual emotion but full of enthusiasm as sportsaholics, perhaps our faith is fundamentally flawed. God alone can judge. And remember, He will do just that. A holy God must ultimately punish sin in even the least of its manifestations. So let us hide ourselves in Christ. Only through the Lord's mercies are we not consumed, thus we must cease making sinlessness our hope of salvation. Whatever good is in our lives is never good enough to make us worthy. When we learn to respect the height and depth of God's law, we will become ashamed of our own works and glorify the works of Jesus Christ. We will cease being enamored with all we are doing for Him and feel our utter need of what He offers us. We will consistently and exclusively present the truth as it is in Jesus. Then the Sabbath will no longer be a tightrope on which to perform our holy acts; we will honor it as the memorial of Christ's accomplishments. Heaven's sanctuary will no longer be a furniture showroom of denominational antiquities; when we think of Christ's final phase of priestly ministry, as symbolized by the second apartment, we will focus on the mercy seat, the throne of grace. For a long time, God has been waiting there to meet with us. As we make ourselves at home in His merits, Christ's coming will no longer be the cursed threat of those who lack assurance of salvation; it will indeed become our blessed hope. Is the church going through? Speaking of assurance, it's amazing how many Ad-

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ventists have none regarding personal salvation— they don't even believe in it—yet they proclaim once-saved always-saved for our organizational structure: "No matter what happens, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is going through to the kingdom!" One man told me: "Even if the General Conference president and I are the only ones left in the church, I'm staying with the ship." Let us thank God for spiritual leadership, but then we must pause and consider for ourselves: What is this "ship" of salvation? Merely having our names recorded on the books of the Adventist Church? Or is it the gospel of Jesus Christ in the context of biblical truth? And what do we mean by "the church" that is "going through"? Do we mean that God will preserve a remnant in the last days who keep His commandments and have the faith of Jesus? Or do we imagine that the Seventh-day Adventist organization is guaranteed a once-saved, always-saved status? While some Adventists are harsh and irrational in their criticism of the church and its institutions, others are caught up in blind denominational patriotism. Have they forgotten the principle of conditional prophecy? Obedience to God's covenant has always been the condition of salvation—and that goes for organizations as well as individuals. So how can we insist that it is impossible for our church to forfeit favor with God, no matter what we do? The arrogance of such a statement is exceeded only by its ignorance. Do we imagine ourselves immune from the rejection suffered by the Jewish nation—God's chosen people—when they rejected the gospel? Let me affirm again my personal appreciation for those leaders of integrity God has given to our church. How sad that we tend to criticize them more than we pray for them. If we could look past our own limited perspective and see the multi-faceted di-

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mensions of the problems they wrestle with, we might cherish greater appreciation for what they are doing. Speaking personally, I'm not an administrator; I just don't have that talent. Whatever mistakes are being made in this church, I'm certain that I'd be making 10 times as many if I tried to do the job. (If that sounds humble, let me assure you that I have every reason to be!) So I had better pray more than criticize. How about you? And let's not allow the things that are wrong keep us from rejoicing in all that is right about our church. While we praise God for whatever He is doing, we also need the courage to confess and confront our undeniable spiritual problems. While our songs and sermons insist that we want Jesus to return, perhaps many of us are no more eager for Christ to come than for Attila the Hun to come and invade our prosperity. Such seems to be is the spiritual state of many members. We don't smoke, but we're not on fire. We don't drink, but we refuse to be under His influence. We don't dance but neither do we delight in His salvation. This lethargic attitude causes our Lord to lament: "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot" (Rev. 3:15). We Adventists have long recognized the relevance of this rebuke to our own generation. We could be rejoicing in the New Jerusalem but instead are languishing in Laodicea. Being selfish and indolent, we are yet somehow proud of ourselves for possessing the pillars of truth. Many Adventists have yet to learn the truth within the truth. Like the Pharisees of old, are we zealous sabbatarians who have resisted Sabbath rest? We know where the dead are but we have not been alive in Christ. We accept the sanctuary doctrine but we ignore the daily intercession of our Priest. We

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talk of His soon return, yet we live as if He never will. God attempted a breakthrough in 1888 with the truth as it is in Jesus. Still we slumber, more than a century later. Yet the pillars of our truth remain. And since this is the only denomination that has claimed those pillars of truth, we are indeed the fold God seeks to prepare for His sheep from Babylon. No question about it. Enfeebled and defective though we be we are still God's chosen movement of destiny. But where do we go from here? Thank God, there's still hope. Christ's warning to Laodicea closes with a heart touching invitation to His lukewarm church and a glorious promise for eternity: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne" (Rev. 3:20,21). Our church has here a wonderful glorious promise if we repent, but a fearful warning if we refuse to get down to business with God. One thing is certain. Jesus wasn't bluffing when He threatened rejection of Laodicea. Ellen White recognized this when she warned in 1888 that "if the Church should go into darkness the Lord would raise up others to finish the work—that He had agents that He could call into action at any moment."2 Evidently we Adventists don't have an exclusive franchise on God's truth, nor is He obligated to wait forever until we finally sing His song. One hundred and fifty years ago, the Lord entrusted a New England man with a special message for the community. He hesitated and squandered his opportunity, perhaps thinking that God was obliged to 2

Ellen G. White, quoted in LeRoy E. Froom, Movement of Destiny, p. 255. Emphasis supplied.

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wait. Then one morning he woke up and somebody else was singing his song. The Lord chose a humble teenager to take his place. The rest of the story is history, the history of Ellen White and the Seventhday Adventist Church. Four essentials Let us beware that history does not repeat, this time against our favor. To preserve our heritage, I see four essential goals we must achieve and maintain: 1) Uphold Christ crucified as the central focus of our public proclamation and personal beliefs. Remember our mandate: "Of all professed Christians, Seventh-day Adventists should be foremost in uplifting Christ before the world."3 Until this actually happens, we will never be the people God wants us to be. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Any belief or lifestyle standard that denies or diminishes this is a doctrine of devils. 2) Keep the Bible alone as our rule of faith and teaching. Some fellow Christians consider us a cult because too many of us have done with Ellen White what the Pharisees did to Moses. While some Adventists ignore her prophetic gift, others seek to enthrone her as lord over the Word, its final authority. The way to truly honor Ellen White is to do what she says and keep the Bible first and foremost in our teaching. 3) Keep the law of God as our standard of holiness, not cultural standards that don't make sense. Let us put the emphasis where God does on faithful obedience and loving service, not exaggerating the importance of trinkets and trivia. There must be sufficient tolerance for individual worship styles and the freedom to serve God according to one's individual 3

Ellen G. White, 1888 Manuscripts, p. 68N.

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talents and personality. "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (2 Cor. 3:17). 4) Affirm the historic doctrines of the church but be open to learn more about the truth as it is in Jesus. We must guard every pillar of our faith, while seeking constantly to upgrade our appreciation of truth as it is in Jesus. Remember, "the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day" (Prov. 4:18). God wants us to be ever growing, never holding back. Perhaps right now many of us need to get jolted by some lightning and thunder from Mt. Sinai. That might wake us up from both liberalism and legalism. Then we will be able to hear that still, small voice from Calvary: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Drawn by that tender love to make an uncompromised commitment, we will welcome lifestyle standards—but we will also acknowledge that vegetarian virtues are not kosher enough to qualify us for the kingdom. Realizing that we have been forgiven much, we will love much. Filled with hope, joy and peace through believing in Jesus, we will have the Holy Spirit's power in our lives. See Romans 15:13. With the faith of Jesus in our hearts, we will finally be keeping the commandments of God. No longer will we be satisfied offering merely the turtledoves of tithe. Restored to the joy of His salvation, we will offer bullocks of personal sacrifice. That's what it will take to finish the work of God. Nothing less will do. The final overcomers From the tragedy of the Titanic, we get a symbol of the saints who survive the shipwreck of legalism and liberalism in the last days. Imperiled passengers on that sinking ship no longer segregated themselves into first class, second class and steerage. They crowded together on the sloping decks, pray-

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ing and singing as they waited for the lifeboats. Likewise, when our human institutions and organizations collide with the icebergs of earth's final crisis, we will not mind mingling with one another while waiting for Jesus, our lifeboat. No longer will we segregate ourselves along racial, cultural and economic lines. Huddled together under the shelter of His wings, we will sing "Nearer My God to Thee." And we will mean it. The church will then finally experience koinonia, that quality of community that the earliest Christians enjoyed after Pentecost. Meanwhile, may God save us from both the demons of indulgence with their carnal liberalism, and the demons of righteousness with their legalism. In the final time of trouble so soon to burst upon us, the world will be caught in the clutches of Satan's deceptions. But there will be a remnant people who "keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus" (Rev. 14:12). By keeping God's commandments, the final remnant overcome the demons of indulgence. And by cherishing faith in Jesus, they overcome the demons of righteousness. So let us beware and be wise. Amid the worldliness around us, God offers His church victory over sin, but so does the devil. May we resist his temptation to jump from the frying pan with the demons of indulgence into the fire with the demons of righteousness. ___________________