The Principles of Our Name
he following article is adapted from a recent email.
Dear I,
I just noticed that I had this email yet to respond to. The past week has been quite a busy one, but I have a little time now, so here is my reply. You asked:
As Seventh-day Adventists we know of the importance of the name given to us by Yah, but how would the necessity (of faith) of having the name (Creation) Seventh Day Adventist be sustained by the Bible and Bible only?
Quoting: “God will have a people upon the earth to maintain the Bible, and the Bible only, as the standard of all doctrines and the basis of all reforms.” [The Great Controversy, page 595]
Referring to The Controverted Name article, I can see the importance of a name, though how can the importance of the name Seventh-day Adventist be sustained by the Bible alone?
There are two ways I generally answer this question, depending on what the asker is really looking for. If they are interested primarily in what the name “Seventh Day Adventist” means, and why Yah gave it to us, I give one answer, and if their primary interest lies in what authority we have for saying that the latter-day Christian Church WILL have the name “Seventh Day Adventist,” I give another. It will probably be a more complete response if I give you both.
First, why did Yah give us the name Seventh Day Adventist? According to Mrs. White, it was as a rebuke to the protestant nations, but from the Bible alone we can draw the principle, that the name Yahweh gives a people is descriptive of their character and mission. I gave some examples previously, so we need now undertake only to examine the specifics of a couple of those name changes:
Jacob to Israel: The name Jacob meant “Supplanter,” and in a sense that would have been an appropriate name for the holy nation, since they were indeed to supplant the Canaanites from their land, and to supplant the pagan religions with the true worship of Yahweh. But this was not the aspect of the nation Yah wished to emphasize. Israel – this means one who prevails with Yahweh; in two senses, this is appropriate, for they both prevailed upon Him to provide them with their needs, and in another sense they prevail “with” Him, which is to say, over their enemies with His help, and according to His will. In this case, Yahweh Himself changed the name.
Pashur to Magor-missabib: This one is even more obvious; Pashur was in favor of a false freedom, but the end result of his doctrine would be terror, and loss. In this case, Yahweh changed the name by means of a prophet.
So here is the principle we draw from the Bible (and the Bible only): when a people or an individual involved DIRECTLY in the course of spiritual history has a name that is not appropriate, Yahweh will provide a new name, either doing so Himself, or doing so through a human agent. For this we have adequate precedent, and so we can label that: Doctrine.
As to the name SDA itself, this name is unique in history and spiritually, for it encapsulates entirely every single aspect of the Christian religion. Two of the main principles we teach about are the very things Paul saw as being most key: Law and Grace. Most individuals, most Christians, in the world have no idea how to balance these two concepts, going too far either one way or the other. In the “Seventh Day,” however, in the Sabbath, we see the commandment (of Law) that is the most misunderstood, the most prone to making legalists, and yet it is the most talked-about commandment in all the Bible (Old and New Testaments) that testifies to the mercy, grace and love that the Creator holds toward His creation.
The Sabbath is the great “centerpiece” of the Ten Commandments, for it is the only one that is unique among religions. Even the pagan religions include versions that say dedicate yourself to a particular deity, respect the being’s name, honor parents, do not kill or steal, do not commit adultery or fornicate, etc. But only the Sabbath indicates Yahweh’s desire to bring us into such close communion with Him, and contains the seal of His authority as Creator – i.e., keep this commandment BECAUSE in six days Yahweh (the true God) created all things.
In the name Adventist (those who await the appearing) we see the perfect summary of the Gospel message. For what are these people “waiting?” It is for the soon return of Christ, which points back to His first Advent and all that this involved: the teachings, death and resurrection. We could have been called “Seventh Day Resurrectionists,” and that would have been adequate for most of the Gospel story, but that would have left out the concept of judgment that accompanies the Messiah’s return in power.
Thus, a “Seventh Day Adventist” is, by the very name Yahweh has given him, in a position to stand against the errors of modern Christendom. He bears in his mortal frame the sure testimony of the Law and Grace, and is an open epistle to the death, resurrection, return and judgment of Yahshua the Messiah. This is the reason why we were given that title which reflects those concepts; and each concept individually is clearly stated in scripture, and is therefore Doctrine.
But why THAT name? After all, we could, even if we agree that those concepts should be reflected in the character (and thus, name) of the Church, word it differently. For example, we could be called Sabbatarian Awaiters. We could be called Rest-Day Returners. Inspiration, through a latter-day prophet, gave us the precise phrase we use. And, this gets into the second question, “by what Biblical authority do we claim the right to know the name Yah intended for us?”
First, let’s list the doctrines we have thus far accepted, and if you have need for clarification or references, just let me know.
Biblical doctrines:
1) Yah’s people have always had, and will always have, a distinct name.
2) This name will reflect the character or mission of these people or this nation.
3) This name will reflect, specifically, that aspect of the character or mission that is most relevant to the state of affairs of the religious world at the time the name is given and will be used.
4) This name may be given either by Yahweh Himself through a theophany (divine appearance) or by means of a divinely inspired messenger (an angel or prophet)
5) The people of Yahweh in the last days WILL have the following characteristics:
a) They will keep the commandments of God.
b) They will have the faith of Yahshua
c) They will be separate from the authoritarian control of the worldly systems
d) They will include members that possess spiritual gifts (including the gift of prophecy)
e) They will receive instruction and guidance from Yahweh by means of the Holy Spirit
Now, all the above was obtained strictly from the Bible. Without using anything written after the book of Revelation, we should see based on the above that we should expect to have a divinely given name in the last days that will serve to point out the truth, thus setting it in contrast with the errors in the false religions (those currently relevant to the state of affairs of the religious world). The question then becomes: who will give us this name, and how will we know it when it appears to us?
Again, directly from the Bible, we find yet another thing we may label as Doctrine, for it appears in the mouth of two witnesses, and strengthens points 5d and 5e:
“Surely Adonai Yahweh will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:3)
“Believe in Yahweh your Almighty One, so shall ye be established; believe His prophets, so shall ye prosper.” (2Chronicles 20:20b)
Biblically, doctrinally, if we are not members of a group of people, a Church, possessing genuine spiritual gifts, we must keep looking. If we are not members of a group of people, a Church, that have a name reflective of its character and mission that is RELEVANT to the modern state of spiritual affairs, we haven't yet found the right one. If we are not members of a Church that preaches powerfully and unmistakably, “whosoever is born of Yahweh does not commit sin,” we are being misled, because that means this people is not preparing for the judgment to come and the fulfillment of the Gospel message. Now, after establishing all that from the Bible alone we must turn to the modern world and ask, “What are the errors in Christendom today? What name would be appropriate to protest them? Where are the prophets? Where are the messengers we were promised?”
Then, then we are equipped to speak about latter day prophets like Mrs. White. After showing that the Bible points to such, we can say to those who are interested, “believe His prophets, so shall ye prosper.” The individual must first believe in Yahweh, must understand the methods He uses to communicate with human beings, and then we will have a sure foundation to be able to claim with authority, “Ellen White was a messenger of God, and through that human agent, the Almighty gave us the name ‘Seventh Day Adventist,’ and... if you want to know the reason WHY He gave us that name...” and then you go back to the first answer and show the Biblical significance of the title ‘SDA.’
Some say, “But the name ‘Seventh Day Adventist’ does not appear in the Bible.” This is clearly true, but when that statement is raised as an objection to something it means, obviously, that they are not believers in the methods Yahweh uses to communicate with human beings (see the list of Doctrines above). What they need is either more faith, or more discernment, or merely more education. Now, if they need a defense of Mrs. White’s writings (of those things her critics have called her ‘difficult sayings’) we are equipped to provide that, and that’s a somewhat different (and bigger) topic. The same argument is made, “Well, the word ‘Saturday’ isn’t in the Bible. How do you KNOW (because you weren't there the whole time) that somehow the calendar didn't get shifted around and the whole thing covered up? Since you can’t prove to me which day the Sabbath is, I’ll keep any day I want.”
This sounds a little different, a little more extreme, but it’s really the same spirit: a lack of trust for Yahweh, and His ability to communicate clearly with mankind. He has preserved His Law, and knowledge of the Gospel, and His people, and His right to give us the name He has chosen for us. Like the Gospel itself, it is a matter of faith what that name is, because the phrase “Seventh Day Adventist” does not appear in that form in the Scriptures. What DOES appear, however, from the Bible alone, is the promise that in the last days the people of God will have a name, and a messenger to provide them with that name, AND the discernment to test the validity of that messenger! We have, on Biblical authority, “all things that pertain to life and Godliness,” as Peter put it. We have come to accept, through faith, that the Adventist tradition was inspired by God, and that therefore the messengers that came in through that channel of inspiration were the right ones. As Paul said about a slightly different matter, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit,” (Rom 8:16) as confirmation.
Of course, we cannot expect other people to accept our confirmation, but we can show them the principles from sola Scriptura, and then let the Spirit work in them, as It did in us, to bring them to the Fountain of Life. We have doctrines, and then we have the logical conclusions to draw based on those doctrines, and this results in a firm foundation of our faith.
Yours in the Messiah,
David.
“We cannot keep silent on this subject [of nominal Christianity]
while 'Christian churches' keep growing larger and larger in
numbers and smaller and smaller in influence.”