A Response to the Video:
Seventh-day Adventism, the Spirit Behind the Church

by Bob Pickle

Answers to Questions Raised by:
Mark Martin, Sydney Cleveland
Dale Ratzlaff, The White Lie
. . . and Others

Discern Fact from Fiction

Salvation, Grace, and Obedience

#144 & #145: "The Adventist view of salvation is that Jesus made the down payment for our salvation at the cross, but once you've accepted his offer of salvation you've got to keep making up the monthly installments."—Mark Martin.

#144: Adventists believe that Jesus made the down payment for our salvation. Assuming that Adventists base their beliefs on Mrs. White, which they don't, Mr. Martin is contradicting himself.

Two sentences and a quotation ago he said, "Ellen G. White stressed the keeping of the letter of the law along with many added rules to put one on the road to salvation." So which is it? Did Jesus make the down payment? Or must we keep the law in order to put ourselves on the road to salvation? It can't be both. Either one or the other (or both) of Mr. Martin's statements is incorrect.

Jesus paid it all.

#145: But they believe we must make the monthly installments. Thus it is suggested that Adventists believe we partially earn our salvation. This is false.

First of all, and most importantly, such a position contradicts the Scriptures: "Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" (Gal. 3:3).

Secondly, and less importantly, such a position contradicts Mrs. White: "The proud heart strives to earn salvation; but both our title to heaven and our fitness for it are found in the righteousness of Christ."—Desire of Ages, p. 300.

Title? Fitness? What does that mean?

The righteousness by which we are justified is imputed; the righteousness by which we are sanctified is imparted. The first is our title to heaven, the second is our fitness for heaven.—Review and Herald, June 4, 1895.

So both our justification ("down payment") and our sanctification ("monthly installments") are found in the righteousness of Christ. We can earn neither. [p. 97]

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