What does it take to be a true Seventh-day Adventist?
Professor Kent

I agree, Jesus did gently chide Thomas but it is also true that Thomas had had plenty of “evidence” beforehand on which to base his faith in a sacrificial Christ but he, and the other disciples, did not base their faith on the evidence given. They not only had the Scriptures but the words spoken by Jesus himself. It doesn’t appear to me that “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe” necessarily mean there was no previous evidence does it?

What does it take to be a true Seventh-day Adventist?
Sean Pitman

I was going to bow out of this discussion but now you have gotten my attention and I am seeing that up to this point I have never had any real clarity on this issue. Nor did “weight of evidence” as an issue ever hold any “weight” with me (smile) as I have never really thought about it nor have had occasion to “weigh” the “evidence”. Scuse the puns but they fit here. You have given some very convincing quotes from EGW and I am really excited to consider this, for me, new line of thinking. I can even see where it would be necessary for our schools to “weigh the evidence” for creation versus evolution. I am glad that I did come on here because it strikes me this a.m. that God is indeed speaking to “rational intelligent persons” and this being so, would appeal to evidence on which we could base our “faith”. I will think on this.

What does it take to be a true Seventh-day Adventist?
Sean Pitman:
I went back and read what you were saying about the teaching of creationism in our schools. Should have done this first as I see where I am not on track with your argument for empirical (got sp. right lol) evidence in our schools. That is, of course, the right thing to be done. I guess my difference with you would be that I find that much of Bible truths are faith-based, not proof-based. Much of the Bible seems like a fairytale without faith to believe, which is God-given. The difference between say believing in the Book of Mormon and the Bible alone is deep within the heart that no one but God can see and understand. It would not be sin to believe a lie if the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, were not available to every man to bring us into “all truth”. Anyway, thanks for your patience and courtesy.

What does it take to be a true Seventh-day Adventist?
@Sean Pitman.
No, I do not believe in feelings versus what EGW calls “living faith”. Even the devils believe and tremble. And they have the greatest imperical evidence but it does them no good. Why, because it is not mixed with faith. And I would suggest that there are more scientists, biologists, geologists, etc. who lack living faith and are essentially non-believers. I had a teacher once who taught that “believing is seeing” not “seeing is believing”.

But I do believe there is plenty of “imperical evidence” in the Word of God and life itself for the humble seekers of truth. Pride and prejudice, however, bar any true faith to take hold in the heart and if evidence were enough the scientific world would be preachers of righteousness instead of teachers of a godless evolution theory, big bang theory, etc. Nature itself, our miraculous bodies that produce life are all evidence for believing in the God of Scripture. The older I get, the more I am overwhelmed with imperical evidence and the truths of God’s Word. And I am not a scientist on any level and I believe the same evidence is available for anyone. So if that is what you seem to be referring to, I agree wholeheartedly. If you are referring to faith based on the imperical evidence of an earth billions of years old and man evolving from something in the ocean or whatever, then I do not agree because I take the Word of God as it reads and I don’t need a scientist proving what the Bible does not plainly teach. Faith comes first and without it, no amount of imperical evidence will lead to the belief of the Bible which leads to everlasting life. And that is based on the acceptance of the Holy Spirit to guide us into “all truth”. Those who believe and are deceived such as you described are no argument against those who believe unto salvation. They just prove the Bible true because it plainly teaches, sadly, that the majority of earth’s population both deceived believers and unbelievers for whom Jesus died will not be saved. All because of unbelief, not a lack of proof of imperical evidence.

What does it take to be a true Seventh-day Adventist?
@Sean Pitman:
Sean Pitman:
The concept that the Bible is the “sure Word of God” is also based on interpretation – picking between various competing options all making this very same claim. Without an evidentiary basis, what you have is a faith based on wishful thinking – which is not the type of faith that the Bible itself promotes.

I think I just became out of step with you, my friend. I have a hard time believing what this paragraph seems to be saying. For one thing, the Bible is not based on “interpretation” but on “spiritual discernment” from the Holy Spirit given only to those whose hearts are free from preconceived opinions and prejudice and open to Him. So many are not and that is the reason for “various competing options”. Why is it that the theory of creation as given in Genesis (without interpretation) necessarily must have an “evidentiary basis” when Scripture is stock full of the miraculous which in no way have an evidentiary basis try as the puny mind of man would try to do so, only making himself look desperate and ridiculous. Again, why just the subject of the earth’s creation, does that not make one suspect?? It sure does me! And I would believe that the master of deception is behind this because if he suceeds here (which with most he has) the Sabbath day is done away with along with anything one wishes to interpret according to their own perception and God’s Word does indeed then become “wishful thinking”. If one does not have enough faith to believe the Word as written, then the problem isn’t with lack of “proof” but with lack of belief. We do not need “evidentiary basis” for anything written in the Word of God. What we desperately in these end days need is BELIEF! Belief in God and belief in His Word! Is there a need to prove to our young people evolution in any form, young earth/old earth? If yes, then we have a big job ahead of us proving much of the rest of Scripture.

“Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29

I am not basing my belief nor faith on how even the best of the scholars of the SDA church “interpret” them. I love this church as is but I believe it will be cleansed by God’s own hand and there will yet be unity and the thought of allowing dissension to cause me to “abandon ship” is unthinkable. God still has his 7,000 who have not bowed the knee to Baal.

I believe the verse in Scripture that states we must “prove all things” is in regard to spiritual things, not the physical. If so, we need minds “evolved” far ahead of the present because this would indeed be an impossible task today.