Threats to the Purity of the Church - [Women Ordination]
Seventh-day Adventists claim to be the pure church because all our doctrines and practices are understood from the Bible. "Thus saith the Lord" is a requirement. "It is written" is a must.
We also understand that other denominations are impure because they have redefined Sabbath and baptism. maybe for reasons of convenience or previous unsubstantiated practice they resort to defending their practices instead of going back to the Bible. So others have the wrong sabbath (spurious sabbath according to egw) and also the wrong mode of baptism. But adventists are not like them. In their defense of their practices they call themselves "apostolic church" meaning giving themselves license to redefine things like how apostles added or redefined things in the new testament. This is very dangerous position.
However there seem to be current threats to the purity of the Seventh-day adventist church with regarding to the definitions of women elders and women pastors. We should demand "where in the Bible". And as EGW's credentials are have an erasure, we also should go back to the bible with our definitions.
EGW's ordination credentials are erased, she returned them without complaint. This is a good example for women who had been ordained unbiblically. Biblically we have not found women pastors and women elders but there are women prophets.
So, stay with, (revert to, backoff from otherwise, reconsider towards,) the biblical definition of elders and pastors, as strictly as we subscribe ONLY to the biblical definitions and prescriptions of Sabbath and baptism (etc...).
Biblical prescription is a requirement for every belief and practice of the pure church.
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Non-negation is not sufficient biblical filter. The correct biblical filter is "if they speak according to this Word". "According" means positive biblical recommendation/command/example.
Isa 8:20 "If they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them".
We also understand that other denominations are impure because they have redefined Sabbath and baptism. maybe for reasons of convenience or previous unsubstantiated practice they resort to defending their practices instead of going back to the Bible. So others have the wrong sabbath (spurious sabbath according to egw) and also the wrong mode of baptism. But adventists are not like them. In their defense of their practices they call themselves "apostolic church" meaning giving themselves license to redefine things like how apostles added or redefined things in the new testament. This is very dangerous position.
However there seem to be current threats to the purity of the Seventh-day adventist church with regarding to the definitions of women elders and women pastors. We should demand "where in the Bible". And as EGW's credentials are have an erasure, we also should go back to the bible with our definitions.
EGW's ordination credentials are erased, she returned them without complaint. This is a good example for women who had been ordained unbiblically. Biblically we have not found women pastors and women elders but there are women prophets.
So, stay with, (revert to, backoff from otherwise, reconsider towards,) the biblical definition of elders and pastors, as strictly as we subscribe ONLY to the biblical definitions and prescriptions of Sabbath and baptism (etc...).
Biblical prescription is a requirement for every belief and practice of the pure church.
--------------
Non-negation is not sufficient biblical filter. The correct biblical filter is "if they speak according to this Word". "According" means positive biblical recommendation/command/example.
Isa 8:20 "If they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them".
Non-negation vs Accordingness
| Belief | negative / Discouraged by Bible? | positive / "According" / Encouraged by Bible? | SDA Believe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant baptism | no | no | no |
| Baptism by immersion | no | yes | yes |
| 7th day observance | no | yes | yes |
| Spurious sabbath | no (but yes derivable from prophecy) | no | no |
| gays/lesbians | yes | no | no |
| purgatory | no(but mutually-exclusive with other truth) | no | no |
| women ordination equiv to men | no | no | ? (should be no) |
