Question QUESTION: i am looking for a church and found a home in a sda church and have not heard this things you are talking about. i see no specifics or scripture in your comments could you please explain. everything i have learned i see in the bible so if all i have learned is wrong i think i want nothing to do with this god thing, as soon as i think i have found some truth and i am obeying god i find out it is wrong and my pastor is a liar.i am confused are all Christian like this? there is only one bible why so many problems, i hope i never get so smart i push people away from a church, i know god knows my heart i love him and if i am making mistake i hope the holy spirit will help me. thanks
ANSWER: Hi Jeff,
I have answered a few questions and am not sure which one you are talking about? Please specify.
This is very good that "everything i have learned i see in the bible"...this is how it should be! :) I don't think that your pastor (and or SDA church) is a liar either which is why its so important that you let me know which question and comment you are talking about.
I like what you stated, "i know god knows my heart i love him and if i am making mistake i hope the holy spirit will help me". The prayer for the Holy Spirit to guide us in our study and daily lives is SO important! I think you are already ahead of the game with this understanding.
Look forward to your reply.
God Bless!
Matt
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: thanks Matt
i guess in short when one church corrects another in public forum are we spreading light? i know we should teach and correct,but i can not think of any church that has it all right. i may have pick the wrong person when i hit the ask a question someone on this web site made comments about the Sabbath and i see that Jesus kept it Paul kept it and so did all Christians until the roman church change it i see this clearly and others do not so know as followers of god how do we fix our differences with out calling each other cults and the like. i know this is a lot but i do not understand it is one book how can there be so many opinions how do i know who is right thank again for your time Jeff
Answer Hi Jeff,
First off, that is awesome that you have accepted the Sabbath truth!
From what I gathered your question is, "why is there so many denominations, when there is only ONE Bible?"
Here are a few different types of people who read the Bible:
1. There are those who study with an open mind wanting to gain anything they can from the Word.
2. There are those who study merely to prove their own lifestyle.
3. There are those who have grown up in a church their whole life and can’t really see past those doctrines to even understand why someone would believe something else.
4. There are earnest people to truly study but stop when the truth of the Word would force them to change.
5. I know of pastors who are Sunday keepers and know the Sabbath truth but don’t want to take back all their teachings for the past years.
6. There are those who study and don’t want to hear anyone else’s opinion about it. Yet they feel they have the "whole truth".
7. Then there are those who don’t really know how to study the Word. Like taking things literally when they should be metaphorical (book of Revelation for example).
And I’m sure many other different types of people…
Yet most differences are considered to be stemmed from different interpretations of scripture. These "different interpretations" have honestly more to do with the types of people reading them, than what the verse is actually saying. Some things people choose as an “accepted” form of interpretation are only accepted because if it wasn’t that way they would either have to give up their current religion, and or admit that they were wrong (pride) for who knows how many years.
Lets say that someone is brought up from birth in a certain religion, than at the age of 32 (give or take) find out that there is a religion out there that is more aligned with the Bible than theirs…well…they would have a serious spiritual identity crises on their hands! Ones spirituality is usually linked to the most basic parts of a persons identity. It is very hard to change at this level, yet if one is a true seeker for truth and depends on the Holy Spirit for guidance they will take this reproof in step and move on knowing that they go further into Gods truth and a further understanding of His Word.
Me personally…I have never been one to accept things for face value. I have studied the scriptures with an open mind being highly critical of the SDA theology. I did not want Seventh-Day Adventism to be the religion that was most closely aligned with the Bible (past issues)…but indeed I could find nothing in the Bible that went against it. Now with even more study I have only more fully embraced its Biblical truths.
I encourage ALL Christians to pray sincerely, put their religious doctrines to the test, accept the consequences, and move on in truth. As you have said there is truly only one truth…just as there is only one Bible, and only one remnant church as explained by the Bible (Revelation 14:12) of which it can only be one church.
I hope that this somewhat answers your question Jeff.
