Sticking a Stake and Refusing to Pull It Up If Evidence Demands?

Peter, in 1 Pet. 3:15, admonishes us to be ready to defend our position, our hope, with a reason. And we should have these reasons at the ready. In other words, we ourselves should know the reason we believe something. And these should not be any old reason, but one that would actually serve to defend our belief.

The word "reason" in the Greek is "apologia," where we get the word "apologetics" from. An "apologia" is a "reasoned statement or argument." Unfortunately, many Christians do not have defensible reasons for their beliefs. Their reasons for believing things do not make for sound arguments.

The lesson this week asks us how we can protect ourselves from a hardness to the truth - to avoid the pitfall some fell into in the days after Jesus rose from the dead. Some believed the evidence that was fairly presented, some didn't believe after having the exact same evidence presented to them. 

In this study, we look at admonishments and counsel from Ellen White that assures us that dealing fairly with evidence is always the right thing to do. It is imperative for our salvation that we do not hesitate to pull up that steak in our old beliefs and advance when irrefutable evidence is presented that demands acknowledgment - of course only upon scriptures that Ellen White did not have light on in her lifetime, so did not expound upon. (No prophet of God ever had all the light on everything). There were many beliefs that the early SDAs held to be true in common with the other Churches. They were part of the common Christian understanding of their day. God hadn't corrected them on everything, and we shouldn't think we are in no need of correction even now. 

When presented with evidence, we must either acknowledge the truthfulness of the evidence or address the problems with it. This, as Ellen counseled, is the only fair way to interact with people and with reality. And if we acknowledge Ellen White's writings to have come from inspiration of the Holy Spirit, then we must be consistent and abide by the principles of dealing with evidence. And abiding by these principles is critical to our salvation - critical to our finally being able to land with the rest of the remnant "without fault" on the heavenly Mount Zion.

For deeper study on new light for the SDA people, please see:

"The Spirit of Prophecy" tag cloud,

http://www.bdsda.com/tag/spirit-of-prophecy/ 

Sabbath School Q4 2022: On Death, Dying, and the Future Hope - Week 9, "Contrary Passages?"

A Branch Davidian Seventh-Day Adventist perspective on the Sabbath School lesson.

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