@Bill Sorensen: You refuse to admit we are born guilty. But …

Comment on What does it take to be a true Seventh-day Adventist? by Sean Pitman.

@Bill Sorensen:

You refuse to admit we are born guilty. But the bible and EGW affirm it in no uncertain terms.

Did I not specifically affirm the concept that all of us are born in a state of separation from God? with a fallen nature inherited from Adam?

To be morally “guilty” of something, however, requires that one is consciously aware of what is right, but deliberately chooses to do what is wrong instead (James 4:17). Without the interplay of free will, there is no moral “guilt”. Otherwise, one could accuse a mechanical robot or an animal of “sin” – which is obviously ludicrous. Sin can only exist where free will and moral knowledge exist. And, free will can only exist where the will actually has knowledge of good and evil and is able to actually choose the good.

It was Jesus Himself who made this point quite clear when He said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin…” John 9:41. Paul also points out that death (eternal death) has passed on all men because all have sinned (not simply because Adam sinned independent of deliberate personal sins of the rest of us) – Romans 5:12.

I’m not sure, then, how any concept could be any more Biblical?

As far as the position of Mrs. White is concerned, I don’t see her contradicting this idea. In fact, she seems to support the notion that God can uphold even very young children through the faith of the parents:

Even the babe in its mother’s arms may dwell as under the shadow of the Almighty through the faith of the praying mother. John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from his birth. If we will live in communion with God, we too may expect the divine Spirit to mold our little ones, even from their earliest moments.

More to the point, however, what doctrinal position of the SDA Church do you believe to be in error? Now, I don’t mind discussion in this forum, even among those who are opposed to my own opinions (obviously), as long as it is actually relevant to the topic at hand…

Sean Pitman
www.DetectingDesign.com

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You didn’t answer my question as to what you would do if you happened to have been in a place like Sandy Hook Elementary School when a shooter entered the building. Or, what you would do if someone threatened the lives of your own family. Also, don’t tell me that Australia has no police force or that the police there don’t carry guns…


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