10_04 Another Gospel

Document #10_04, Another Gospel, attacks, head on, a Satan-inspired diversion
from our MESSAGE that is invading our reform movement. We have studied the
teaching of the Feasts of the Lord. Should we, for the sake of reform, be keeping the feasts? Are they, or are they not still to be kept? The answer comes from the Bible itself – the teaching against “the Judaizers” during the apostolic times. This problem is too similar to miss. Use this document (photocopy it) to help those who are being led astray by this deception!

Title: Another Gospel

Scripture: Galatians 1:6,7

Many Seventh-day Adventists are today being persuaded by offshoot groups that they must keep the Feasts of the Old Testament. This is become the message of these offshoot groups. Is it a necessary reformation back to Bible religion, as they claim, or is it instead a divisive doctrine that is a perversion of (“to lead astray from”- pervert – Dictionary) the gospel of Christ?

I have been very concerned about the effect of this teaching that we must keep the feasts of the Old Testament. In seeking the answer from the Bible, I was led by Holy Spirit to a direct parallel to our problem. Turn again to our Scripture text for today, Galatians, chapter one, verses 6 and 7. (read)

The early New Testament church proclaimed the wonderful gospel, or “good news,” that Jesus had died in our place for our redemption, and that His victory over sin could be ours (sanctification) by faith in His side of the New Covenant, that Christ takes the throne in your Temple within your soul as your Priest and King. By submission to His will, you can overcome sin!

Satan, continuing his warfare against Christ, caused the Judaizers to arise with a divisive doctrine. That doctrine, that Gentile Christians should be made to practice circumcision, as well as keep all of the law of Moses “contained in ordinances,” which includes the Feasts, became their message, their gospel.

“Ordinances” are “religious rites or ceremonies” – Dictionary definition. It did not seem to be another gospel to Jewish Christians, for it was fully a part of the first Covenant under Moses. Any Jewish Christian was easily convinced of its validity and would zealously keep the Mosaic law. But Paul taught in many places in the Scriptures, that keeping “the law contained in ordinances,” exemplified by circumcision, is not required of anyone, Jew or Gentile, as a requirement for salvation!
Turn to the book of Acts, chapter 15, to see the problem clearly. Have your pen handy, because you should underline a couple of important key words in what we will choose out of the text. The book of Acts, chapter 15. First, verse 1. (read). Underline in your Bible the words “you cannot be saved.”

Next, look to verses 5 and 6. (read). Continuing, read verses 7 to 11 (read). James, the brother of Jesus, decided the issue, in verse 19, and wrote unto them, verse 20. (read). The action was taken beginning in verses 23 to 29, but I want you to first underline the word “subverting” in verse 24. Remember that word of similar meaning, in our text from Galatians 1? Similar to “pervert,” to “subvert” means: “to undermine the faith of.” – Dictionary Definition.

Are you ready? Let’s read verses 23 to 29. (read). No one is saved by works. Turn to Ephesians 2, verses 8 to 18.(read). Salvation is by the cross of Christ, not by works of the law, be it Mosaic law or even the Moral Law!

Turn back just a page or two, to Galatians 5, verses 1–6. (read). We are saved only by faith – that works by love of Jesus!

Jewish Christians continued to keep all the Law, including both the Ten Commandments and the “law contained in ordinances” (except the sacrifices). But the Gentiles were not required to become Jews, and thus were not required to keep the “law contained in ordinances,” including circumcision, ritual cleansing, and the Festivals! Note that James, in His decree, did not stipulate that Gentiles must keep the feasts!

Now, turn to Acts 21, verses 18 to 26. (read). NOTE first, v. 25. Read it carefully – the Gentiles were to observe no such thing, save only the stipulations written to them from the Counsel and James.
Paul did not tell the Jewish Christians that they should not keep the “law contained in ordinances,” written by Moses, but he did teach them that they were not saved by keeping them.

Therefore, no Gentile was required to become a Jew (be circumcised) and keep all
of the law of Moses. Now turn to Colossians 2, verses 10 – 16 (read). Carefully note verses 11 and 12. Baptism, at least for the Gentile, takes the place of circumcision! Colossians 2:10 to 16. Read it again!

Since 1888, the Advent Movement has taught the same Everlasting Gospel as was preached by the apostles in the 1st century. Waggoner and Jones taught righteousness by faith in Jesus: righteousness imputed – Jesus’ righteousness “put” to your account : and righteousness imparted to us (sanctification) through Christ in you. Adventists had become too legalistic. Salvation is by faith which works by love of Jesus. Galatians 5:6b. That’s what saves you. You keep His Law because you are saved by Jesus! It was not about keeping the law of Moses, and the Festivals (feasts).

By submission to the will of His Holy Spirit, we can refuse to sin and thus overcome sin. Jesus thus causes us to not sin, so He becomes our righteousness, imparted to us. Note: The true Gospel is: “Christ our righteousness.” Jeremiah 23, v. 6. [Re-read this paragraph till you are sure you understand it: then apply it in your
decisions from now on, when tempted.]

But Satan is still at war with the true Everlasting Gospel. He especially wants to destroy the faith of Seventh-day Adventists! So once again he is bringing in doctrines that pervert the Everlasting Gospel!
Paul taught that the Gentiles were not to be made to keep the law of Moses, as we have already read from Acts 21, verse 25. Are you a Jew or a Gentile? Is it a requirement for salvation that either Jew or Gentile keep the law of Moses “contained in ordinances?”
No! A thousand times No! All are saved by Grace, through faith in Jesus and what He has done for us, and not by works of any law!

Why, then, did Paul, and all of the other apostles, continue to keep the Festivals? Because they were Jews, and as Jews, they could keep them properly, without detracting from the Everlasting Gospel, if they now understood that they were under the New Covenant, built on better promises. [Their promise in the Old Covenant, made with God at Sinai, was, “All that Thou hast said, we will do!”
Exodus 19, verse 8. Their Covenant, of works, failed, and was therefore replaced by the NEW Covenant.
The NEW Covenant is based on obedience by LOVE (because of the cross Jesus endured for all of us) even loving SUBMISSION to the Holy Spirit-revealed WILL of God!
Jesus did not want that the Gentiles be burdened with having to literally become Jews, tying them to the OLD Covenant, of works, as they sought to understand salvation by faith! You can see why, when you know about the legalistic way of the Jews still practiced by Jews today.
Again, I say: are you a Jew or a Gentile Christian? Must you keep the Festivals?
(which mainly reminded them of the Jewish Exodus, so that they would not forget the marvelous works of God on behalf of the Israelite nation.

However, the Feasts still teach us the way-marks of Salvation history. They retain that value for study. That is why I include the document 09-04 on the Feasts.

I say unto you, this teaching by offshoot groups that you must keep the Feasts is a Satan-inspired attempt to pervert the gospel of Christ! It is a good thing to have knowledge of the Festivals, as they reveal the major way-marks of Salvation history, and are even prophetic, but new Gentile Christians are not to be made to keep the Festivals, nor other ordinances of the Law of Moses (circumcision, ritual washings, animal sacrifices, etc.). No man is saved by works of his own will!

As you see today, and even in Christ’s time, they were divisive! Is it not dividing your church? How many have been led away from your church, and no longer attend? Often these off-shoot groups add Futurism in place of historicism, or Jewish study of Torah instead of the gospel.

This doctrine that you should be made to keep the Festivals is a deceptive attempt to take your focus away from the Everlasting Gospel, and the warnings against deceptions from that Gospel inspired by the “beast,” which are given in the Three Angel’s Messages!
Satan wants Seventh-day Adventists to be drawn away from learning and proclaiming the Four Angel’s Messages. That is what all of these “perversions” are about!!
WE are the people God has called to proclaim the Everlasting Gospel and the Four Angel’s Messages. The prophet of the Lord wrote the following in the book
Evangelism, and we had better take heed. “The trumpet is to give a certain sound [ – an authoritative sound]. The attention of the people is to be called to the Third Angel’s Message. …In a special sense Seventh-day Adventists have been set in the world as watch-men and light-bearers. To them has been entrusted the last warning for a perishing world. On them is shining wonderful light from the Word
of God. They have been given a work of the most solemn import – the  proclamation of the First, Second, and Third Angel’s Messages. There is no other work of so great importance. They are to allow nothing else to absorb their attention.” NOTE THIS LAST very carefully! Evangelism pp.119, 120. (emphasis mine).
People, we are to allow nothing else to turn us away from the work of learning and proclaiming the Present Truth messages of Revelation 14.

The teaching that we must keep the Festivals is a divisive doctrine. Is it not dividing your church? It is dividing even the leaders of our denomination.

All animal sacrifices, including those attached to the festivals, ended at the cross of Christ. Since antitype Pentecost, Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Tabernacles and 8th Day continue after the cross, the festivals remain to teach us the way-marks of Salvation history.
Though not required, they may be kept by Jew and Gentile Christians, thus possibly enhancing the teaching; but being careful not to impose them on anyone, nor be against the keeping of them.
Here is Paul the apostle’s final teaching regarding the issue. Colossians 2:16: “Let no man therefore judge you in meat or in drink, or in respect of an holyday [feasts] or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days [feast Sabbaths], which are a shadow of things to come, but the body [that casts the shadow] is of Christ.” No new convert, especially, is to be made to keep the festivals.
That is “another gospel;” a divisive doctrine. Their message is designed to “lead you astray” from your real Message. Do not be drawn away from your God-given Message into such controversies.

Further Study:
Satan is presently at war with the Everlasting Gospel on another front also. He has brought in a heresy among us known today as Celebrationism. I want to make sure that you are not deceived by this heresy either. It has invaded our Movement at even leadership levels.
A number of years ago, at Camp Meeting here at Hope, B.C, the main speaker taught Celebrationism. Here is the essence of that heresy: “Jesus did it all for you. You don’t have to strive to perfectly keep the Ten Commandments, just accept that Jesus perfectly kept them for you. Celebrate your complete freedom in Him.”
NO WAY. That heresy leads to carelessness about obedience to the Ten Commandments.

God said through Paul:
“Work out your own salvation, with fear and trembling [that you might fail of the standard set by God] for it is God that works in you, both to will, and to do of His good pleasure.” Philippians 2, verses 12 and 13.

Think about it…Can the murderer, or the thief, or the adulterer, inherit eternal life unless he/she turns from their sin and keep the Law?
Check out Mt. 19, verses 16 to 19. (read)

Can the worshippers of the “beast,” who keep his commandments, while they knowingly break the Commandments of God, attain eternal life unless they come out of Babylon into the kingdom of God?

Beware of false gospels! You may have noticed that most of the saints of the Remnant are not fooled by this deception, which has come to us from ecumenism.
This too shall pass. Watch that you are not deceived by such winds of doctrine.

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