The Sin Of Certainty

Asking for forgiveness for a lifetime of sinning

I’m about to confess something. I committed the “sin of certainty” in the past.

Oh, and another one, too: “the sin of not wanting to dig in deeper, afraid of unsettling the status quo I have always enjoyed as a Seventh-day Adventist member-then-pastor-then-member all my life.”

What made me think that our denomination got it right? What gave me the right to dismiss millions of people who deeply love Jesus but have come to a different understanding of key biblical themes?

A prophet. We got a prophet.

Without her, we can’t defend many of our doctrines or the so-called “28 fundamental beliefs of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.” Adventist pastors will tell you that we don’t need Ellen G. White (EGW) to “defend” our biblical interpretation. But it is not valid. I was one of them, and I gave up trying to reconcile the EGW writings with what the Bible says.

Don’t worry; I’m not leaving the denomination. But I’m challenging the church I love.

I can stay (I think so) where I am and lift Jesus among us because it is all about Jesus and our trust in God more than our “correct” beliefs. We come to God through Jesus, not through accurate doctrines.

SDA church, show me you are humble by baptizing individuals when they accept Jesus as their personal saviour, NOT when they accept and faithfully practice all the manufactured requirements as stipulated by the Church Manual.

For decades I thought I was certain.
No more.

I am not sure I’ve held the right beliefs all my life. But honestly, I care no more, for I’m only interested in growing closer to Jesus and diving into a trusting relationship with him.