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Working Definitions and Glossary,
With Notes
A.D. 1844. Year when the 2300 day/year apocalyptic prophecy of Daniel 8:14 marked the predicted time for the beginning of the cleansing of the sanctuary, the antitypical day of atonement. See also year for a day.
ad hominum. In rhetoric and argumentation, attacking the presenter of a view rather than the view itself. “During recent decades a number of writers have attempted to make a case for their belief that Christ took the pre-Fall nature of Adam. Their biblical proof-texts seem strong only when interpreted according to the presuppositions they have brought to them. On occasion they have even employed an ad hominum approach in which they have endeavored to discredit well-respected Adventist teachers and ministers who have held to the post-Fall view. As I see it, their attempts have been patterned after the lawyer who is reputed to have said, ‘If you have a strong case, stick to the facts. If you have a weak case, try to confuse the issue. If you have no case, rail on the jury.’” Kenneth H. Wood in Preface to TWOF, p.19).
anthropology. The “word about humanity.” In Christian doctrine the teaching of inspiration concerning man’s nature, creation and design, fall, and the potentialities for restoration with reference to that nature.
antitypical. In theology, “type” is the shadow, the figure, pointing to the true, hence pointing to the “antitype.” If not a type, then reference is to the real, the substance. Thus, offering a lamb in the days before the coming of Christ was the offering of a type of Christ. But when Christ Himself died as sacrifice, He was not type but antitype. The types had pointed to Him.
Apollinarian controversy. A Christological controversy occurring roughly between A.D. 360 - 388. Apollinarius taught that Christ had a human body but a divine mind.
atonement. Hebrew meanings: 1. kaphar, to cover, to address. 2. kippurim coverings. 3. Greek katallage, reconciliation (Romans 5:11). “We are in the great day of atonement, and the sacred work of Christ for the people of God that is going on at the present time in the heavenly sanctuary should be our constant study. We should teach our children what the typical Day of Atonement signified and that it was a special season of great humiliation and confession of sins before God. The antitypical day of atonement is to be of the same character” (Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 520).
Augustine, Aurelius. One of the principle figures in the development of doctrine in Western Christianity. The principle popularizer of the doctrine of Original Sin, asserting that all the progeny of Adam are guilty for Adam’s sin. See Wikipedia Entry.
B.C. 457. Starting date for the 2,300 year prophecy of Daniel 8:14 and of the 490 year prophecy (part of the 2,300 years) as indicated in Daniel 9:24-27. William Miller and early Adventists concluded, based on their study, that the 2,300 year prophecy began in 457 B.C. and ended in A.D. 1844. Bible scholars point to 457 B.C. as the year Artaxerxes issued the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. This decree is outlined in Ezra 7:12-26. This is actually the third of four decrees. These decrees are listed as follows: 1st Decree: 537 B.C., Ezra 1:1-4, to rebuild the temple. 2nd Decree: 519 B.C., Ezra 6:1-12, to reactivate the first decree. 3rd Decree: 457 B.C., Ezra 7:12-26, to restore autonomy to Jewish nation, restore Jerusalem as capital, return currency, set up magistrates and judges (v. 25). 4th Decree: 444 B.C. Nehemiah 2:3-5; 6:15, to restore recently burned gates and broken down walls. See also day for a year.
character. “The thoughts and feelings combined make up the moral character” (Ellen G. White, Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 310). “The character is revealed, not by occasional good deeds and occasional misdeeds, but by the tendency of the habitual words and acts” (Steps to Christ, pp. 57, 58).
character, perfect reproduction of Christ’s. “When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own” (Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 69).
character, vindication of God’s. “Through the last generation of saints God stands finally vindicated. Through them He defeats Satan and wins His case. They form a vital part of the plan of God. They go through terrific struggles; they battle with unseen powers in high places. But they have put their trust in the Most High, and they will not be ashamed…. It is a wonderful privilege vouchsafed this people to help clear God’s name by our testimony. It is wonderful that we are permitted to testify for Him. It must never be forgotten, however, that this testimony is a testimony of life, not merely of words. ‘In Him was life. And the life was the light of men.’ John 1:11. ‘The life was the light.’ It was so with Christ, it must also be so with us. Our life should be a light, as His life was. To give people the light is more than to hand them a tract. Our life is the light. As we live, we give light to others, Without life, without our living the light, our words abide alone. But as our life becomes light, our words become effective. It is our life that must testify for God” (TSS, pp. 319, 320).
character maturity. “Character maturity is the goal of the Christian experience. It is the matured Christian character that provides the best evidence testifying to God’s goodness and unselfishness” (Ref. CC, p. 48, adapted). “God will wait for the maturing of Christian character in a significant number of people as the chief condition determining those events, such as the latter rain, loud cry, sealing, and Sunday law, which affect the time when probation for the world shall close, and thus the time of the Second Coming” (Ref. CC, p. 112; LGT14 Point 12).
character perfection. “Perfection of character is attained and maintained throughout our Christian lives if we persist in character surrender. Whatever light Heaven is shining on us at a given time, we want to be whole-hearted in our response” (Ref. CC, p. 45).
character surrender. “The only condition, really, for salvation, is character surrender. We live up to all the light granted us; we turn to God at every occasion of testing; we surrender to him every idol just as He reveals it to us. Thus we may be perfect at every stage of growth” (Ref. CC, p. 45).
Christ, humanity of. “Christian experience has shown a direct relationship between our understanding of Christ’s human nature and His work of salvation—in other words, between Christology and Soteriology. To be mistaken about the meaning of the Incarnation and the reality of Christ’s humiliation leads inevitably to the consequence of being mistaken about the reality of His work of justification” (TWOF, p. 271). The major positions on the kind of humanity that Christ took may be thus enumerated: (1) pre-Fall, the humanity that Adam had before he disobeyed God, (2) Synthetic, encompassing some of pre-Fall and some post-Fall elements, and (3) Post-Fall. During the first century of Seventh-day Adventism, the post-Fall position sharply predominated. From the 1950s to the present, certain ones strongly pushed first the pre-Fall view and then the Synthetic view. However, these shifting positions indicate the precarious nature of the arguments in their favor. The reason for views other than the post-Fall view has to do with presuppositions involving sin and guilt. If man’s basic nature is not only one with “weaknesses and tendencies to evil” (See SDA Fundamental Belief #7), but includes condemnation or guilt, then Jesus cannot inherit such a humanity, for He then would be born condemned or guilty and would be disqualified from being our Savior. A variety of passages, including Romans 8:3, 4; Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 2:7-18; 4:15, make clear that Jesus “took our nature, and passed through our experiences, and as our representative He assumed our responsibilities” (Signs of the Times, May 30, 1895). “That He [Jesus] might accomplish His purpose of love for the fallen race, He became bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh” (Signs of the times, September 24, 1902). Jesus took “upon Himself man’s nature in its fallen condition…” (Manuscript releases, vol. 16, p. 117). “Christ took our nature, fallen but not corrupted, and would not be corrupted unless He received the words of Satan in the place of the words of God” (Manuscript Releases, vol. 16, p. 183). Thus, the LGT14 (See points 7 and 8) teaches that Jesus took our post-Fall nature.
condemnation. To be condemned; found to be morally wrong. See guilt.
condition, necessary. One or more conditions that are necessary in order to bring a change in situation. For example, in order to make a man and a woman a married couple, one party must propose, one party must accept, a marriage license must be purchased, and one vested with authority to conduct the marriage ceremony must conduct it. It is not sufficient only to ask someone to marry you; the realization of a marriage involves multiple parties and the exercise of multiple wills.
condition, sufficient. A single condition, sufficient in itself, to bring a change in situation.
cooperation. “Willing and doing are bound together. The salvation of the soul requires the blending of human and divine strength. God does not propose to do the work that man can do to meet the standard of righteousness. Man has a part to act. Humanity must unite and cooperate with divinity. Grace and sufficiency have been abundantly provided for every soul. But in order to receive this, man must unite with his divine Helper. Unless of his own accord man consents to renounce his sinful practices, Christ cannot take away his sin. Man must heartily cooperate with God, willingly obeying his laws, showing that he appreciates the great gift of grace. Feeling his dependence upon God, having faith in Christ as his personal Saviour, expecting efficiency and success only as he shall keep the Lord ever before him,—it is thus that man complies with the injunction, ‘Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.’ (Manuscript Releases, vol. 6, p. 16).
corruption. “The divine nature, combined with the human, made Him [Christ] capable of yielding to Satan’s temptations. Here the test to Christ was far greater than that of Adam and Eve, for Christ took our nature, fallen but not corrupted, and would not be corrupted unless He received the words of Satan in the place of the words of God” (Manuscript Releases, vol. 16, p. 182).
cultivation. To cultivate is to choose to nurture, choose to strengthen. The concept comes from gardening, where one carefully prepares the soil, carefully plants, waters, weeds, protects, prunes, harvests an intended crop. “Christ has given His Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress His own character upon His church” (The Desire of Ages, p. 671).
Day of Atonement. See sanctuary, cleansing of. See Yom Kippur.
degeneration. “Satan had pointed to Adam's sin as proof that God's law was unjust, and could not be obeyed. In our humanity, Christ was to redeem Adam’s failure. But when Adam was assailed by the tempter, none of the effects of sin were upon him. He stood in the strength of perfect manhood, possessing the full vigor of mind and body. He was surrounded with the glories of Eden, and was in daily communion with heavenly beings. It was not thus with Jesus when He entered the wilderness to cope with Satan. For four thousand years the race had been decreasing in physical strength, in mental power, and in moral worth; and Christ took upon Him the infirmities of degenerate humanity. Only thus could He rescue man from the lowest depths of his degradation” (The Desire of Ages, p. 117).
delay. In the discussion of LGT, “delay” usually has reference to the concept that modern-day Christians have delayed the Second Coming of Christ. (Ref. CC, pp. 103-111; LGT14 point 11)
depravity. “There are persons with a diseased imagination to whom religion is a tyrant, ruling them as with a rod of iron. Such are constantly mourning over their depravity and groaning over supposed evil. Love does not exist in their hearts; a frown is ever upon their countenances. They are chilled by the innocent laugh from the youth or from anyone. They consider all recreation or amusement a sin and think that the mind must be constantly wrought up to just such a stern, severe pitch. This is one extreme. Others think that the mind must be ever on the stretch to invent new amusements and diversions in order to gain health. They learn to depend on excitement and are uneasy without it. Such are not true Christians. They go to another extreme. The true principles of Christianity open before all a source of happiness, the height and depth, the length and breadth of which are immeasurable” (Adventist Home, p. 493). “And let none flatter themselves that sins cherished for a time can easily be given up by and by. This is not so. Every sin cherished weakens the character and strengthens habit; and physical, mental, and moral depravity is the result. You may repent of the wrong you have done, and set your feet in right paths; but the mold of your mind and your familiarity with evil will make it difficult for you to distinguish between right and wrong. Through the wrong habits formed, Satan will assail you again and again” (Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 281).
depravity, total. The theory that as a result of the Fall, the capacity of men to do right or desire right was totally destroyed. A false theory, since even evil people desire good gifts for their children (Matthew 7:11). And, because “Not only intellectual but spiritual power, a perception of right, a desire for goodness, exists in every heart” (Education, p. 29).
DHO. Shorthand reference for “Disordered Human Organism,” a reference to the fallen human nature. Refers to our fallen human nature as apart from our chosen character. After probation has closed we will each of us still have our DHO. DHO will not be changed previous to glorification. DHO is not condemned but character willfully aligned with evil can be condemned.
evil. The effects of sin manifest in the world, but not sin itself. Evil is an amoral category. All who die the first death do so, not because of their own sin, but because they are denizens of the section of God’s universe where unselfishness is temporarily allowed loose in the laboratory. The impersonal counterpart of sin and guilt, which are personal. (Ref. See FTFWTRG, pp. 27-35; CC, pp. 23-26).
fall (the). In Christian theology, the point in time when Adam chose to sin and rebel against God. From the Fall, man’s nature was damaged, dramatically disordered. However, there are two concepts of “the Fall.” One focusing on one Fall; the other recognizes that there have been many falls. “If the race had ceased to fall when Adam was driven from Eden, we should now be in a far more elevated condition physically, mentally, and morally. But while men deplore the fall of Adam, which has resulted in such unutterable woe, they disobey the express injunctions of God, as did Adam, although they have his example to warn them from doing as he did in violating the law of Jehovah. Would that man had stopped falling with Adam. But there has been a succession of falls. Men will not take warning from Adam’s experience. They will indulge appetite and passion in direct violation of the law of God, and at the same time continue to mourn Adam’s transgression, which brought sin into the world… From Adam's day to ours there has been a succession of falls, each greater than the last, in every species of crime. God did not create a race of beings so devoid of health, beauty, and moral power as now exists in the world. Disease of every kind has been fearfully increasing upon the race. This has not been by God’s especial providence, but directly contrary to His will. It has come by man’s disregard of the very means which God has ordained to shield him from the terrible evils existing. Obedience to God’s law in every respect would save men from intemperance, licentiousness, and disease of every type. No one can violate natural law without suffering the penalty” (Confrontation, pp. 73, 74).
fallen nature. Man’s basic underlying nature. God made man upright (with a nature inclined to good), but he chose rebellion (Ecclesiastes 7:29). Thus, all humans born begin with a disordered nature, a nature that cleaves to itself, that is sharply inclined toward selfishness. When we join ourselves to this nature, we develop a carnal nature, not just inclination, but propensities of sin. “…the fallen nature of Adam always strives for the mastery” (Review and Herald, October 25, 1892).
FB28. Abbreviation for the 28 Fundamental Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, key points agreed upon as constituting a general representation of the faith of the world church as a body, and agreed upon in General Conference Session.
fitness. The result of a lifelong process of revealing and removing sin from the penitent believer, equated in the writings of Ellen White with sanctifying righteousness (Messages to Young People, p. 35).
forensic. Status on the basis of counting or legal procedures which may not reflect the actual facts.
free will. The power of decision or choice. “What you need to understand is the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will. The power of choice God has given to men; it is theirs to exercise. You cannot change your heart, you cannot of yourself give to God its affections; but you can choose to serve Him. You can give Him your will; He will then work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure. Thus your whole nature will be brought under the control of the Spirit of Christ; your affections will be centered upon Him, your thoughts will be in harmony with Him” (Steps to Christ, p. 47). “Through Jesus Christ every man may overcome in his own behalf and on his own account, standing in his own individuality of character” (That I May Know Him, p. 291).
gospel. Some limit the gospel to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. But a true definition of the gospel is much broader. Jesus’ whole ministry focused on the therapeutic and transformative. Far from a focus on salvation as predominantly an issue of law, Christ’s gospel is His appointed means for healing broken people in the here and now. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Romans 1:16). “The law and the gospel are so blended that the truth cannot be presented as it is in Jesus, without blending these subjects in perfect agreement. The law is the gospel of Christ veiled; the gospel of Jesus is nothing more or less than the law defined, showing its far-reaching principles” (Review and Herald, May 27, 1890). “The gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. The Holy Spirit will take the passions of the heart and bring them into subjection to Jesus Christ” (Review and Herald, September 10, 1895). “The gospel is the power and wisdom of God, if it is correctly represented by those who claim to be Christians. Christ crucified for our sins should humble every soul before God in his own estimation. Christ risen from the dead, ascended on high, our living Intercessor in the presence of God, is the science of salvation which we need to learn and teach to children and youth” (Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 262)
Gregory of Nazianzus (A.D. 329 - 389). One of the “three Capadocians.” He said, “If anyone has put his trust in Him as a man without a human mind, he is really bereft of mind and quite unworthy of salvation. For that which He [Jesus] has not assumed He has not healed; but that which is united with His Godhead is also saved. If only half Adam fell, then that which Christ assumes and saves may be half also; but if the whole of his nature fell, it must be united to the whole nature of Him that was begotten, and so be saved as a whole.”
guilt. Origin, Old English “gylt.” Moral condemnation for willful rebellion to God’s will.
hamartology. See sin.
Harvest Principle. “Heaven has put it in our power by consecrated, Christ-reflecting lives, to hasten Jesus’ return. God will wait for the maturing of Christian character in a significant number of people as the chief condition determining those events, such as the latter rain, loud cry, sealing, and Sunday Law, which affect the time when probation for the world shall close, and thus the time for the Second Coming” (Ref. LGT14 Point 12. CC, p. 112). (See also CC, pp. 115-118; TE, pp. 65-82).
hasten. To speed up or accelerate an event. An important verb in 2 Peter 3:12.
hermeneutics. Principles of interpretation.
hygiene, mind. A systematic approach to cleansing the mind of that which is detrimental to the attainment of spiritual maturity while disciplining it to facilitate spiritual advance. Mind hygiene has three divisions: the filtering of new mental food, sifting of the current mind, and an intentionality in modeling the thought-life for others.
incarnation. The en-flesh-ment of Christ; God the Son becoming human. See Christ, Humanity of.
inheritance. With reference to man’s nature, what we receive from our ancestors. for example, we receive a disordered human organism, a sinful nature, but we do not receive guilt or condemnation for sin via inheritance. See law of heredity.
justification, declarative. The act of God replacing the past sins of a penitent sinner in the heavenly records with the obedience of Christ (see Steps to Christ, p. 62; Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 367). In the writings of Ellen White, this act—called forensic by some—applies to past sins (The Desire of Ages, p. 762; Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1092) and sins of ignorance (Early Writings, p. 254).
justification, transformative. The removal of known, surrendered sin from the heart of the penitent believer. In the Bible, the same word used for the forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14) is used for deliverance and liberty (see Luke 4:18). Ellen White is equally clear that God’s forgiveness is not merely a judicial act, but includes transformation as well as pardon (Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 114). This is how Ellen White can say, “By receiving His imputed righteousness, through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, we become like Him” (Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1098; see also Testimonies, vol. 6, p.424; Messages to Young People, p. 29).
kenosis. From the Greek, literally, “to empty.” An important thought with reference to the incarnation, since the Greek of Philippians 2:7 says that Jesus heauton ekenwsen, Himself emptied, (emptied Himself). And Ellen G. White points out that “When Jesus was awakened to meet the storm, He was in perfect peace. There was no trace of fear in word or look, for no fear was in His heart. But He rested not in the possession of almighty power. It was not as the ‘Master of earth and sea and sky’ that He reposed in quiet. That power He had laid down, and He says, ‘I can of Mine own self do nothing.’ John 5:30. He trusted in the Father’s might. It was in faith—faith in God’s love and care—that Jesus rested, and the power of that word which stilled the storm was the power of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 336).
law of heredity. Spoken of by Mrs. White: “It would have been an almost infinite humiliation for the Son of God to take man’s nature, even when Adam stood in his innocence in Eden. But Jesus accepted humanity when the race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin. Like every child of Adam He accepted the results of the working of the great law of heredity. What these results were is shown in the history of His earthly ancestors. He came with such a heredity to share our sorrows and temptations, and to give us the example of a sinless life” (The Desire of Ages, p. 49).
legalism. Concept or practice of seeking to obey the claims of the divine law in one’s own, unaided strength. In the words of Ellen White: “The spirit of bondage is engendered by seeking to live in accordance with legal religion, through striving to fulfill the claims of the law in our own strength” (Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1077).
LGT14. A list of theological points constituting the core essence of Seventh-day Adventism and of the Third Angel’s Message. Stands for “Last Generation Theology in 14 points.” See also Last Generation Theology.
merit. That which is earned, which has value toward salvation. “If any man can merit salvation by anything he may do, then he is in the same position as the Catholic to do penance for his sins. Salvation, then, is partly of debt, that may be earned as wages. If man cannot, by any of his good works, merit salvation, then it must be wholly of grace, received by man as a sinner because he receives and believes in Jesus. It is wholly a free gift” (Faith and Works, p. 19).
Millerite Movement. The group of those who accepted the teachings of William Miller (1782 - 1849) who believed that Jesus would come to earth in 1843/1844. See also, Awakening, the Great Advent.
nature. 1. In biblical usage, from the Greek Testament, Gr. phusis. To speak of origin, natural endowments, original characteristics, the natural order. 2. In the writings of Ellen G. White, “nature” (English) is used to signify spiritual state of being, whether inherited or chosen. In some inspired passages the word applies to inherited equipment (see The Desire of Ages, p. 122), in others, to one’s chosen condition. This distinction becomes clearest when Ellen White speaks in one statement of how, in preparation for Jesus’ coming, “our natures must be pure and holy” (Our High Calling, p. 278)—nature in this setting being a synonym for character—while in other statements she speaks of how our fallen nature with its tendencies will remain with us till the coming of Jesus (see Acts of the Apostles, pp. 560, 561; Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, p. 20; Selected Messages, vol. 2, p. 33).
nature, carnal. The Bible uses the term “carnal,” (Gr. sarx) but not “carnal nature.” Ellen G. White does however, use the term. “He is working to remove from us everything of a spiritual nature, and in the place of the precious graces of Christ to crowd our hearts with the evil traits of the carnal nature—hatred, evil surmising, jealousy, love of the world, love of self, love of pleasure, and the pride of life. We need to be fortified against the incoming foe, … for unless we are watchful and prayerful these evils will enter the heart and crowd out all that is good” (In Heavenly Places, p. 312). “Carnal nature” here signifies that which can “enter the heart,” can “crowd out” all that is good. Thus, “carnal nature” is seen to be that which is chosen, developed, stimulated. The nature we are born with is not developed, but inherited. “Carnal nature” is a new layer developed by each choice to act in harmony with the inherited clamors of our fallen nature. We should differentiate between that which we inherit as nature, and that which we develop as nature.
nature of Christ. See Christ, humanity of.
objective. With reference to the external in relation to man, that which occurs outside of us and apart from us.
perfection. 1. An unbroken exercise of faith that keeps the soul pure from every stain of sin or disloyalty to God. 2. The dynamic growing lifestyle of the person who reflects the life of Jesus. (Ref. CC, p. 46). (See also FTFWTRG, pp. 66-83).
perfectionism. 1. Emphasizes an absolute point beyond which there can be no further development. 2. Focus on a quality in man that can exist independently of the abiding Christ. (Ref. CC, p. 46).
postlapsarian. After Adam’s Fall.
prelapsarian. Before Adam’s Fall.
probation, close of. The Bible teaches that, eventually, all who are willing to join themselves to God’s kingdom of unselfishness do so. Eventually the Investigative Judgment is concluded. Jesus finishes His atoning work in the sanctuary, and comes to earth to retrieve His people. There is a short period of time during which the power of the Holy Spirit is available to us for holy living, but sin has been discontinued in the experience of God’s people, and the ministry of forgiveness has been ended. This point in time is indicated by such texts as Revelation 22:11, 12; 7:1-3; Genesis 7:1-10; Exodus 12:3-13; Thessalonians 1:7, 8. “I also saw that many do not realize what they must be in order to live in the sight of the Lord without a high priest in the sanctuary through the time of trouble. Those who receive the seal of the living God and are protected in the time of trouble must reflect the image of Jesus fully” (Early Writings, p. 71). See also The Great Controversy, pp. 425, 614, 623; Story of redemption, p. 403; “God, to make the demonstration complete, does one more thing. He hides Himself. The sanctuary in heaven is closed. The saints cry to God day and night for deliverance, but He appears not to hear. God’s chosen ones are passing through Gethsemane. They are having a little taste of Christ’s experience those three hours on the cross. Seemingly they must fight their battles alone. They must live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor. But though Christ has finished His intercession, the saints are still the object of God’s love and care… [God] supplies grace and power for holy living” (TSS, pp. 317, 318). “The primary reason for a short delay before Christ’s coming during which there is no Mediator is to dramatize before the watching universe the reality of God’s complete power over sin in the lives of those whose wills are totally and forever united to His own… The close of probation will play an important part in the final demonstration that God is making before His universe: that indeed, it is possible for fallen man to obey God’s law, which is righteous and good and holy” (FTFWTRG, p. 86). See also CC, pp. 97-99.
propensity. Tendency or predisposition, whether to good or evil. Can refer, in the writings of Ellen White, either to inherited promptings (Testimonies, vol. 4, p. 235) or to chosen, cultivated habit patterns (Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 943).
reformation. 1. Protestant Reformation. The three branches in Western Christianity that compose the bulk of the Reformation are Magisterial (Luther, Calvin), Elizabethan (Anglican Church, Church of England, from whence sprang Methodism), and Radical Reformation (Anabaptists, Mennonites, Baptists, Adventists). 2. Personal reformation. Personal growth in discovering and shaping one’s life with reference to Christian principles and standards.
righteousness, imparted. See justification, transformative.
righteousness, imputed. See justification, declarative.
sanctification. The lifelong process of character surrender and perfection begun in justification. In the words of Ellen White: “What is sanctification? It is to give one’s self wholly and without reserve—soul, body, and spirit, to God; to deal justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God; to know and to do the will of God without regard to self or self-interest, to be heavenly-minded, pure, unselfish, holy, and without spot or stain” (Our High Calling, p. 212).
sanctuary, cleansing of. The 2300 day/year prophecy of Daniel 8:14. Beginning in 1844, Jesus moved from the holy to the Most Holy Place. The Investigative Judgment has been under way since then and one by one the life of every believer is coming in review before God. The hearts of believers are being cleansed even as the sanctuary in heaven is being cleansed. Parallel to the Day of Atonement. Also, see Yom Kippur.
sin. To willfully violate God’s law. “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). Other texts helping us understand the meaning of “sin” include James 4:17 and Romans 14:23. Temptation is not sin, but choosing to sin is likened in Scripture to the process of birth. See James 1:14, 15. The topic of understanding the definition of sin is called “hamartology,” from one of the principle Greek words for sin, hamartia.
sin, original. Teaching promoted in Western Christianity, especially popularized by Aurelius Augustine (A.D. 354-420), Bishop of Hippo. A theory of sin insisting that the progeny of Adam not only receive the consequences of Adam’s sin, but actually participate in that sin and are also guilty of Adam’s sin. In an attempt to soften the absorption of the idea into the Seventh-day Adventist Church, those advocating a like position tend to affirm that we are born sinners, or more subtly, that we are born condemned. This idea or any of its aunts or uncles, namely, any theory which proclaims a kind of sin that is involuntary, is erroneous and leads to a variety of errors.
sinless. To consistently make choices in harmony with the revealed will of God, thus eschewing the transgression of the law defined by Scripture as sin (1 John 3:4).
sinlessness. Quality or state of being free from sinful choices. According to Ellen White, such a chosen state is attainable by Christians, and expected of them, here on earth: “He (Christ) came to this world and lived a sinless life, that in His power His people might also live lives of sinlessness” (Review and Herald, April 1, 1902). “Those who believe on Christ and obey His commandments are not under bondage to God’s law; for to those who believe and obey, His law is not a law of bondage, but of liberty. Every one who believes on Christ, every one who relies on the keeping power of a risen Saviour that has suffered the penalty pronounced upon the transgressor, every one who resists temptation and in the midst of evil copies the pattern given in the Christ-life, will through faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ become a partaker of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Every one who by faith obeys God’s commandments, will reach the condition of sinlessness in which Adam lived before his transgression (Signs of the Times, July 23, 1902).
sins of ignorance. Decisions that oppose God’s will, yet which are made without intentional rebellion. See CC, pp. 26-28).
soteriology. The word about salvation. From the Gr. soterion and verb sodzo.
straw man. A rhetorical technique caricaturing the opponent’s position, thus making it easier to attack. Derived from the metaphor of one building a straw man or scarecrow and then knocking it down and gloating over his accomplishment. But the idea attacked is not the one held by the opponent in the first place.
subjective. With reference to the internal affect upon man.
temptation. To be tempted or tested. But to be tempted is not to sin. Our foe may suggest and arouse thoughts but we need not embrace them. “There are thoughts and feelings suggested and aroused by Satan that annoy even the best of men; but if they are not cherished, if they are repulsed as hateful, the soul is not contaminated with guilt, and no other is defiled by their influence” (Review and Herald, March 27, 1888). “What is temptation? It is the means by which those who claim to be the children of God are tested and tried. We read that God tempted Abraham, that He tempted the children of Israel. This means that He permitted circumstances to occur to test their faith, and lead them to look to Him for help. God permits temptation to come to His people today, that they may realize that He is their helper” (Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, p. 1094).
Theology, Last Generation. Originally somewhat of an epithet applied to those determined to those seeking to live out the full implications of the belief system set forth in the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy writings for the end-time. The LGT14 is a positive systematization of certain points central to this emphasis. Last Generation Theology (LGT) is the designation given to a line of theological emphasis connected with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, teaching that Jesus Christ was not only Substitute but Example, insisting that Christians must cease from sin before the Second Coming, and confessing that the close of the age has been delayed by unconsecration in Christians but can be accelerated through their living of holy lives.
Third Angel’s Message. 1. The end-time message especially highlighted in Revelation 14:1-5, 6-12; 18:1-5. Message one (Revelation 14:6, 7) is connected to Daniel 8:14 and the 2300 day prophecy, culminating with the beginning of the cleansing of the sanctuary on October 22, 1844. Message two (Revelation 14:8) is Heaven’s declaration of the religious groups constituting Babylon experiencing a moral collapse in consequence of their rejection of light in the first angel’s message. Message three (Revelation 14:9-12) urges the believer to avoid the mark of the beast, hence implicitly urges the reception of God’s seal (Revelation 7:1-3). 2. A general reference to the points of faith that constitute the message to be presented by Seventh-day Adventist Church. Many who speak of the message seem to know next to nothing of its content.
title. Declaration of righteousness encompassing both the crediting of Jesus’ righteousness as a substitute for past sins (The Desire of Ages, p. 762; Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1092) as well as the surrender and consequent removal of those sins from the heart of the penitent believer (Psalm 51:10; Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 114). In the writings of Ellen White, this title is equated with justifying righteousness (Messages to Young People, p. 35).
translation. Hebrews 11:5. Gr. metathesis, transferral, transportation, change, removing. 1 Corinthians 15:51-54. “Those who are sanctified through the truth will show that the truth has worked a reformation in their lives, that it is preparing them for translation into the heavenly world. But as long as pride and envy and evil-surmising predominate in the life, Christ does not rule in the heart. His love is not in the soul. In the lives of those who are partakers of the divine nature there is a crucifixion of the haughty, self-sufficient spirit that leads to self-exaltation. In its place the Spirit of Christ abides, and in the life the fruits of the Spirit appear. Having the mind of Christ, His followers reveal the graces of His character” (Lift Him Up, p. 301).
univocal. To speak at the same time. (Ref. CC, pp. 64, 65; RGRP, pp. 91, 92, 96, 105, 106, 110-115, 118, 121-123. 125, 128, 129).
war, great controversy. The conflict between good and evil, otherwise known by Seventh-day Adventists as “the Great Controversy.” This conflict centers around God’s character, whether He is truly selfless or selfish. This conflict is highlighted in Revelation chapter 12. See also CC, pp. 123-141. See GAR, pp. 207-222.
year for a day. In apocalyptic Bible prophecy, a day is figurative for a year. See A.D. 1844, B.C. 457. See texts such as Number 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6.
Yom Kippur. The Day of Atonement, lit. the Day of Coverings. “Once a year, on the great Day of Atonement, the priest entered the most holy place for the cleansing of the sanctuary. The work there performed completed the yearly round of ministration…. Important truths concerning the atonement were taught the people by this yearly service. In the sin offerings presented during the year, a substitute had been accepted in the sinner's stead; but the blood of the victim had not made full atonement for the sin. It had only provided a means by which the sin was transferred to the sanctuary. By the offering of blood, the sinner acknowledged the authority of the law, confessed the guilt of his transgression, and expressed his faith in Him who was to take away the sin of the world; but he was not entirely released from the condemnation of the law. On the Day of Atonement the high priest, having taken an offering for the congregation, went into the most holy place with the blood and sprinkled it upon the mercy seat, above the tables of the law. Thus the claims of the law, which demanded the life of the sinner, were satisfied. Then in his character of mediator the priest took the sins upon himself, and, leaving the sanctuary, he bore with him the burden of Israel’s guilt. At the door of the tabernacle he laid his hands upon the head of the scapegoat and confessed over him ‘all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat.’ And as the goat bearing these sins was sent away, they were, with him, regarded as forever separated from the people. Such was the service performed ‘unto the example and shadow of heavenly things.’ Hebrews 8:5.” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 355).
Abbreviations:
Unless otherwise noted (as in the below), all quotations are from the writings of Ellen G. White.
- CC = Cleanse and Close: Last Generation Theology in 14 Points, by Larry Kirkpatrick
- FTFWTRG = Face-to-Face With the Real Gospel, by Dennis Priebe
- RGRP = Real Grace for Real People, by Larry Kirkpatrick
- TE = The End, by Herbert E. Douglass
- TSS = The Sanctuary Service, by M. L. Andreasen
- TWOF = Touched With Our Feelings, by J. R. Zurcher LGT