Bible Studies

An Open Letter to My Seventhday Adventist Friends

by Michael Edwards 
06/01/26
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I have read many writings from within the Seventh-day Adventist community expressing deep concern about deception, false gospels, and the need for obedience to God’s commandments. I respect the passion and sincerity I see in those writings. Like you, I love the Lord, value His Word, and want to guard against anything that leads people away from truth. It is in that spirit that I write this open letter.

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Rom 6:14 -15 ESV In other words sin will have dominion over you if you are under the law or even think you are under the law and not under grace alone.

The entire book of Galatians was written because false teachers had come into the church saying that faith in Christ was not enough — you also had to keep the entire Law of Moses in addition to believing in Christ in order to be truly saved. Paul’s response was extremely strong. He called this a “different gospel” and declared.

“I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel… But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” — Galatians 1:6-8

The entire gospel is presented in 1 Cor 15:3-4: For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

His term accursed refers to those who failed to keep all of the law, they were under the curse. He was saying if you want to be under the curse, so be it. “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.’” (Galatians 3:10)

He repeats the warning twice. Paul was clear: adding law-keeping to faith in Christ brings people under the curse of the law. That is why he asked the Galatians this pointed question:

“This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” — Galatians 3:2-3

And again: “You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace” (Galatians 5:4). This is how a person falls from grace according to scripture, not through sinning. We do not fall from grace by sinning, because “where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” (Romans 5:20). We fall from grace when we turn from simple faith in Christ back to law-keeping as a means of justification or final acceptance with God. “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ… for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” (Galatians 2:16)

In Acts 15, there were some who were teaching that the Gentiles must keep the law of Moses to be saved in addition to faith in Jesus. The council that met came to this conclusion: Acts 1528 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond these essential requirements: 29You must abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.

In Jewish tradition, the Law of Moses (Torah) is considered a single, unified covenant given by God to Moses at Mount Sinai, encompassing both the written and oral law McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia Online. It is not seen as a loose collection of unrelated moral rules, but as a complete system of divine instruction for the Israelites. Therefore, when the Bible teaches we are not longer under the law but under grace, it is speaking of the entire Mosaic law including the 10 Commandments.

Jesus fully fulfilled the Father’s law for us (Matthew 5:17). “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” If you fulfill your mortgage obligation, it means you paid it off in full. You no longer are in debt and make payments on your home. When Jesus said “It is Finished” on the cross the word he used was "Tetelestai" which means paid in full. Our sin debt was paid in full. He now calls us to something deeper and better: to love God with all our heart, love our neighbor as ourselves, and believe the gospel. That is everything. “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

Paul opens and closes the book of Romans speaking of “the obedience of faith” (Romans 1:5 and 16:26). It is obedience that flows from faith, not obedience to the written law as a requirement for final acceptance. Jesus Himself asked, “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). He said faith — not law-keeping.

Scripture is clear: “The law is not of faith” (Galatians 3:12), and “whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:20)

Paul explains our freedom in Romans 7 using the example of a married woman who is bound to her husband as long as he lives. When he dies, she is released. In the same way, we have died to the law through the body of Christ so we can belong fully to Him. He even uses one of the Ten Commandments (the commandment against adultery) to make the point. We are now to serve “in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter” (Romans 7:1-6). This clearly shows us that when a believer is crucified with Christ, they are dead to the law, including the Ten Commandments as seen in Romans 7. “Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.” (Romans 7:4)

This is why Paul repeatedly says, “You are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14) and “If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law” (Galatians 5:18). The law was a tutor to lead us to Christ. Now that we have come to Him, we are no longer under that tutor (Galatians 3:24-25). “But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.” (Galatians 3:23-25)

But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. Rom 11:6

Love is the fulfillment of everything God commands:

“Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘You shall not covet,’ and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” — Romans 13:8-10

When we walk in love for God and others, the Holy Spirit produces in us what the written code never could (Galatians 5:22-23). Real obedience flows from love and faith in Christ’s finished work, not from fear of failing a final investigation or breaking a Sabbath. “For the love of Christ compels us…” (2 Corinthians 5:14)

The New Testament never presents Sabbath-keeping as an end-time test of loyalty, nor does it teach an Investigative Judgment beginning in 1844 to determine who is worthy of salvation. Instead, it offers this confident assurance:

“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” — Romans 8:1 How can there be no condemnation in Christ if we are still under the dominion of the law, including the Ten Commandments? “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:14)

“By one offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” — Hebrews 10:14

We can know we have eternal life (1 John 5:13).

Jesus invites every weary, burdened soul: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). You do not have to carry the heavy load of proving yourself through perfect commandment-keeping. Jesus fulfilled the law. His grace is sufficient. His blood is enough. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29)

To every Seventh-day Adventist reading this: I believe many of you genuinely love the Lord and trust in Jesus. My heart’s desire is that you would rest completely in what He has already done for you.

I pray you will know the deep peace, freedom, and joy that come from resting fully in the finished work of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Common SDA Objections and Biblical Responses

1. “We keep the Ten Commandments, especially the Sabbath, because we love God — not to be saved.” Response: I understand this reasoning, but Scripture shows that adding any form of law-keeping as necessary for final acceptance with God is exactly what Paul condemned as a different gospel. Love is indeed the fulfillment of the law: “Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:8-10). However, Paul also writes: “You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace” (Galatians 5:4). Obedience is the fruit of salvation, not the root or the means of maintaining it: “For by grace you have been saved through faith… not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). We died to the law so we might belong to Christ and bear fruit to God (Romans 7:4-6). “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’” (Romans 4:2-3)


2. “Only the ceremonial law was abolished. The moral law (Ten Commandments) is eternal and still binding.” Response: Paul makes no such clear distinction in his letters. In Romans 7, he deliberately uses one of the Ten Commandments — the commandment against adultery — to prove that believers have died to the law’s dominion: “Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ…” (Romans 7:4). “Now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter” (Romans 7:6). The law was our tutor to bring us to Christ. Once we have come to Him, we are no longer under that tutor (Galatians 3:24-25). The New Covenant is written on the heart, not on stone (Hebrews 8:7-13; 2 Corinthians 3:3-6). Jesus set us free from the law of sin and death, that includes the 10 commandments that brought us condemnation. The law is specifically what gave sin its power to bring us into condemnation: The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 1 Cor 15:56 KJV “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross… Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” (Colossians 2:14, 16-17)

Galatians 5:18 “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

Romans 10:4 “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”

3. “Without the law as a standard, especially the Sabbath, people will fall into lawlessness.” Response: Paul anticipated this exact objection and answered it: “Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!” (Romans 6:15). The solution is not the written law but the Holy Spirit: “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). The Spirit produces far greater holiness than the law ever could: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). The law is holy, just, and good, but it cannot give life or power (Galatians 3:21; Romans 8:3). “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son…” (Romans 8:3)

Additionally, the Apostle Paul directly addresses Sabbath judgments: “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” (Colossians 2:16-17). The Sabbath, like the other shadows, pointed forward to Christ. We are not to allow anyone to judge us regarding it.

Early Church Teaching on the Lord’s Day: The early church fathers consistently taught that the Sabbath command found its fulfillment in Christ and that Christians were to gather for worship on the Lord’s Day (Sunday), the day of His resurrection. For example:

• Ignatius of Antioch (c. A.D. 110): “Those who were brought up in the ancient order of things [the Jews] have come to the possession of a new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord’s Day, on which also our life has sprung up again by Him and by His death.”


• The Epistle of Barnabas (c. A.D. 100-130): “We keep the eighth day [Sunday] with joyfulness, the day also on which Jesus rose again from the dead.”


• Justin Martyr (c. A.D. 150) explained that Christians gathered on Sunday because it was the day Jesus rose from the dead and the first day God created light.

This practice was widespread in the early church long before the time of Constantine, showing that the shift to Sunday worship was an apostolic-era development rooted in the resurrection of Christ, not a later corruption. “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread…” (Acts 20:7) “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside…” (1 Corinthians 16:2)

4. “Hebrews and other passages warn we can lose salvation, so we must keep the law to endure to the end.” Response: The warnings in Hebrews are serious and should be taken to heart. However, the answer is not to return to law-keeping. The answer is to continue in simple faith and dependence on Christ. We are “kept by the power of God through faith” (1 Peter 1:5). Jesus is “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy…” (Jude 24). Endurance comes from abiding in Christ, not from law-keeping (John 15:4-5). “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” (John 10:28)


5. “Ellen White was given the spirit of prophecy to guide the church in these last days.” Response: Paul gave one of the strongest warnings in all of Scripture: “Even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8-9). In actual practice, Ellen G. White’s writings carry very high authority in SDA theology. Many distinctive doctrines — the Investigative Judgment beginning in 1844, the Sabbath as the final test of loyalty, specific dietary rules, and unique interpretations of end-time events — come primarily from her visions rather than from a plain reading of Scripture alone. When extra-biblical revelation becomes the controlling lens for understanding the Bible and adds requirements to the gospel (such as ongoing law-keeping for final salvation), it goes beyond what Paul preached and risks violating the strong warning in Galatians 1.


6. The standard for a prophet in the Bible has to be perfect or they are not a prophet.Ellen White made many failed prophecies. Here is an interesting article on some of them written by former SDA members:            https://lifeassuranceministries.org/2020/08/13/5-failed-prophecies/  (You may need to copy that link and paste it in your browser window to work)       Here is a quote from that article where she teaches those who keep the Sabbath on Sunday will receive the mark of the beast, being lost forever.


7. 
   

   "Ellen  White’s  letter,  written  shortly  after  she  received  that vision, makes it certain her vision convinced believers the door of salvation was shut on October 22, 1844.  She was wrong — again.

   This same error, modified two years later to include Sabbath keeping as a prerequisite for salvation, is still taught and believed by many Seventh-day Adventists. In their minds, Sunday-keepers are law-breakers and thus have received, or will soon receive, the Mark of the Beast (see pages 40, 53, 54).  The door of salvation is closed to them. These errors originated in Ellen White’s false visions and in her false teachings that a person’s good works assist in the reception of salvation."



8. “The Investigative Judgment helps explain end-time truth and shows who is truly worthy of salvation.” Response: This doctrine is not found in Scripture. The New Testament gives believers strong assurance right now: “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). “By one offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14). John wrote so that believers could know they have eternal life (1 John 5:13). Our standing with God is based on Christ’s finished work, not on an ongoing heavenly examination of our lives that began in 1844. “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.” (Romans 8:33-34)

Here is a solid list of 12 NKJV verses that clearly show salvation as a completed, past-tense reality the moment a person believes and trusts in Jesus Christ. These emphasize that we are already transferred, justified, reconciled, and secure in Christ — with no need for a future investigative judgment to determine final acceptance. There are many more verses that clearly show us Jesus finished the work of our salvation and we are saved upon faith and trust in Jesus. It is Finished.

Immediate Salvation – Past Tense Verses (NKJV)

1. Colossians 1:13 “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.”


2. John 5:24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”


3. Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”


4. Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.”


5. Ephesians 2:5-6 “Even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”


6. Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”


7. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”


8. Romans 5:9 “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”


9. Colossians 2:13-14 “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us…”


10. 1 John 5:13 “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.”


11. Romans 8:30 “Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” (Note the past tense — already done in God’s sight.)


12. John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

These verses powerfully show that the moment we believe in Jesus, we are already:

• Delivered / transferred


• Justified


• Saved


• Given eternal life


• Made new


• Free from condemnation

In closing, we are not encouraging sin by teaching that believers are no longer under the law’s dominion. Jesus Himself advocated love for God and others as the fulfillment of the law. That is the only thing. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (John 13:34)

FaithWriters faith statement is very clear that we firmly believe that we are saved by grace through faith alone and not of works so no man can boast. Articles that differ from our faith statement will be removed if discovered.

I share these things with love and respect. My prayer is that we would all return to the simplicity and purity of the gospel Paul preached — salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. This is not a green light to sin, we are against sin. Love keeps us from sinning not the letter of the law. Just compare Jesus to the Pharisee’s. Jesus walked in the Spirit of the law, love. The Pharisee’s walked by the letter of the law and used it to crucify the Savior. The letter can and is often twisted for wrong purposes, but the Spirit, love cannot be.

Supplement

Freedom from the Law in General (Including Moral Aspects)

Romans 6:14 “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”

Romans 7:4-6 “Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.”

Romans 7:6 especially emphasizes release from the “written code” (the letter of the law, including the stone tablets).

Galatians 3:23–25 “Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.”

Galatians 5:18 “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

Romans 10:4 “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”

Specific to the Old Covenant / Handwriting of Ordinances (Including the Commandments)

Colossians 2:13–14 “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.”

The “record of debt” / “handwriting of ordinances” refers to the entire Mosaic Law, including the Ten Commandments as the foundational legal demands.

2 Corinthians 3:7–11 (contrasting the old and new covenants) “Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.”

This directly references the Ten Commandments (“carved in letters on stone”) as the “ministry of death/condemnation” that is “being brought to an end.”

Hebrews 8:13 “In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.”

The entire Old Covenant (including the Decalogue at its heart) is obsolete under the New Covenant.

Summary of the Biblical Teaching

The New Testament presents the whole Mosaic Law (ceremonial, civil, and moral—including the Ten Commandments) as one indivisible covenant. Christians die to that entire system through union with Christ’s death and are now under the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2), led by the Spirit, and motivated by love (Matthew 22:37–40; Romans 13:8–10).

The moral principles reflected in the Ten Commandments (e.g., no murder, no adultery, no stealing) are reaffirmed in the New Testament because they reflect God’s character and are fulfilled in love. However, believers are not under them as a legal code or “covenant of works” for righteousness or condemnation. We are under grace.

2^nd Supplement

The Purpose of the Law and the Believer’s Freedom in Christ

The Bible teaches that God’s law is holy, righteous, and good (Romans 7:12). Yet Scripture also clearly explains that the law was never given as a means of salvation or as a way for fallen man to become righteous before God. Its primary purpose was to reveal sin and lead us to our need for Christ.

Paul wrote:

“I would not have come to know sin except through the Law.”
— Romans 7:7 NASB

The law functions like a mirror. A mirror can reveal dirt on a man’s face, but it cannot cleanse him. In the same way, the commandments reveal the sinfulness of the flesh but cannot give the power to overcome it.

Paul also explained:

“Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.”
— Galatians 3:24–25 NASB

The “tutor” or “schoolmaster” was never meant to be permanent. The law was designed to expose man’s helplessness so he would stop trusting in himself and place his faith fully in Jesus Christ.

This is why righteousness cannot come through commandment-keeping:

“Because by the works of the Law none of mankind will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes knowledge of sin.”
— Romans 3:20 NASB

Some point to Jesus’ words:

“Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law.”
— Matthew 5:18 NASB

But Christ was not teaching that believers remain under the Mosaic Law as a covenant system for righteousness. Rather, He was affirming the enduring truth and purpose of the law. The law still stands as God’s perfect standard revealing sin, restraining evil in society, and demonstrating mankind’s need for grace.

Even today, the law continues to serve as a schoolmaster for unbelievers by exposing sin and pointing people to Christ. It also serves an important civil purpose in restraining human corruption and protecting society from the destruction caused by fallen human nature.

But for the believer, the relationship to the law has fundamentally changed.

The Christian is not justified by the law, sanctified by the law, or kept saved by the law. The believer has died with Christ and now lives under grace:

“For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
— Romans 6:14 NASB

This does not produce lawlessness. True believers receive a new heart and the indwelling Holy Spirit. Obedience becomes the fruit of salvation rather than the means of obtaining or maintaining it.

The Christian’s focus is no longer outward conformity to written regulations but inward dependence upon Christ Himself:

“Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”
— Romans 10:4 NASB

The law reveals sin. Christ removes it.

The law condemns the flesh. Christ gives new life through the Spirit.

The law can point a sinner to salvation, but only Jesus saves.

3rd Supplement based on three brochures the SDA church hands out. If you would like a copy of these pamphlets, go to: Sabbath Truth Book Library and search for these three titles: The Beast by Gary Gibbs, The Sabbath Truth, and Why God Said Remember by Joe Crews — all from Amazing Facts.

Analysis of the Three SDA Pamphlets (The Beast by Gary Gibbs, The Sabbath Truth, and Why God Said Remember by Joe Crews — all from Amazing Facts)

Here is a clear, point-by-point summary of what these three pamphlets teach about salvation, the law, and the Sabbath, with direct notes on where their distinctive claims lack clear scriptural support and instead rely on Ellen White’s prophetic interpretations (which the pamphlets assume as authoritative without stating it explicitly).

1. Requirements for Salvation

Pamphlets’ Teaching: Salvation begins with grace through faith in Jesus, but final salvation requires continued obedience to all of God’s Ten Commandments (especially the Saturday Sabbath) so that one’s character is perfected and passes the investigative judgment. The “saints” are defined as those who “keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12), which they interpret as mandatory Saturday Sabbath-keeping. Failure to do so, especially in the end times, results in receiving the mark of the beast and eternal loss.

Scriptural Support Assessment:

• The pamphlets cite verses like Revelation 14:12, James 2, and Galatians 5:6, but they redefine “righteousness by faith” as active law-keeping and character perfection.


• Not supported by clear Scripture: The New Testament repeatedly states that believers have full assurance now (John 5:24, Romans 8:1, 1 John 5:13) and are not under law but under grace (Romans 6:14). There is no biblical “investigative judgment” process after the cross that determines final acceptance based on law-keeping.


• Ellen White origin: The 1844 Investigative Judgment doctrine, the idea that character must be perfectly perfected before the “close of probation,” and the link between Sabbath-keeping and passing final judgment are distinctive Ellen White teachings, not found in Scripture.

2. Keeping the Law and Saturday Sabbath as a Requirement

Pamphlets’ Teaching: The entire Ten Commandments, including the fourth (Saturday Sabbath), remain fully binding on Christians. The Sabbath was made at Creation for all mankind, is the “seal of God,” and is the ultimate test of loyalty and love for God. Sunday-keeping is a man-made tradition from paganism and papal authority. Obedience (especially Sabbath-keeping) is essential evidence of genuine faith and love for God.

Scriptural Support Assessment:

• Verses about Creation (Genesis 2) and the moral law are used, but the pamphlets ignore or downplay New Testament passages that show the old covenant law (including the Decalogue as a unit) was fulfilled and set aside in Christ (Colossians 2:14-17; Romans 7:1-6; Galatians 3:24-25; Hebrews 8-10).


• Romans 14:5-6 and Colossians 2:16 explicitly say not to judge others regarding Sabbath days — directly contradicting the pamphlets’ claim that it is the dividing line for salvation.


• Not supported by clear Scripture: The New Testament never once commands Christians to keep the seventh-day Sabbath as a requirement. The true rest is in Christ Himself (Hebrews 4:9-10; Matthew 11:28-30).


• Ellen White origin: The heavy emphasis on the Sabbath as the end-time “seal of God” versus Sunday as the “mark of the beast,” and the claim that the Ten Commandments are still the exact test for Christians, come directly from Ellen White’s writings and visions.

3. Will Sunday-Keepers Receive the Mark of the Beast?

Pamphlets’ Teaching: Yes. Sunday observance, especially when enforced by law in the final crisis, is the mark of the beast. The “ultimate end-time expression” of receiving the mark or the seal is whether or not one keeps the seventh-day Sabbath (The Beast, p.28). The other two pamphlets reinforce that rejecting the true Sabbath for Sunday means following human/papal authority over God.

Scriptural Support Assessment:

• Revelation 13-14 is cited, but there is zero mention in Scripture of Sunday, a papal change of the Sabbath, or any day of the week being the mark of the beast.


• Not supported by clear Scripture: The mark of the beast is about worship of the beast and its image — not a specific day of worship.


• Ellen White origin: This specific identification of Sunday as the mark of the beast and Sabbath as the seal is a cornerstone of Ellen White’s eschatology (e.g., The Great Controversy).

4. Are Other Christians Who Disagree Considered Unsaved?

Pamphlets’ Teaching: Yes. Those who continue in Sunday-keeping (especially during the final test) are deceived and will receive the mark of the beast. Many sincere Christians in other churches are part of “religious humanism” and will be lost unless they accept the full SDA truth on the law and Sabbath.

Scriptural Support Assessment:

• Scripture warns against deception but never makes acceptance of a particular day of worship the test of salvation. John 3:16, Ephesians 2:8-9, and Romans 10:9-10 define saving faith without any reference to Sabbath observance.


• Not supported by clear Scripture.


• Ellen White origin: The idea that the “remnant church” (Sabbath-keeping Adventists) alone will be saved, while other Christians are in Babylon and must come out, is straight from Ellen White.

5. Critique of “Saved by Grace, But Must Keep the Sabbath/Law”

Pamphlets’ Teaching: They affirm “righteousness by faith” and “the everlasting gospel,” but immediately define it as faith that produces perfect obedience to the law, including Sabbath-keeping. They say it is done “because we love God,” yet present it as necessary to be sealed and saved.

This is the core contradiction: It is functionally works-based salvation. If keeping the Saturday Sabbath and the law is required to receive the seal of God, pass the investigative judgment, and avoid the mark of the beast, then grace is not sufficient — works are added as a requirement for final salvation. This undermines the biblical truth of Christ’s finished work (John 19:30; Hebrews 10:14 NASB) and the believer’s complete justification by faith apart from works of the law.

Ellen White origin: The blending of justification and sanctification into a system where final salvation depends on law-keeping and character perfection is a hallmark of her theology.

Final Assessment

These three pamphlets consistently present classic Seventh-day Adventist distinctives that go well beyond clear biblical teaching. While they quote many Scriptures, the distinctive connections they make — particularly about the Saturday Sabbath as the end-time test/seal, Sunday as the mark of the beast, the 1844 investigative judgment, and the requirement of ongoing law-keeping for final salvation — are not supported by Scripture alone. They depend heavily on Ellen White’s interpretations and visions as the authoritative lens through which the Bible is read.

This creates a different gospel (Galatians 1:6-8) that adds requirements to the finished work of Christ, leading to fear and uncertainty rather than the rest and full assurance offered in the New Covenant.

4th Supplement

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

This is the gospel Paul preached — simple, powerful, and complete. Yet today, some well-meaning Christians add requirements to this gospel, teaching that while we are saved by grace, we must still keep the Ten Commandments (especially the Saturday Sabbath) to be finally accepted by God. Is this the true gospel, or is it what Paul called “a different gospel”?

Let us compare side by side with a teaching that on the suface appears to be Biblical. This is just one example that could be compared. This is not an attack on SDA or any other teaching, it is a defense of Pauls teaching. You can decide for yourself based on what the Bible teaches, letting Scripture speak for itself. I have known several great people who are SDA members, but the truth is more than important here, it is eternal. 

Side-by-Side Comparison - Based on Three SDA brochures, Mark of the Beast, Why God Said Remember and Sabbath Tract. 

Paul’s Clear Warning

The apostle Paul was very strong on this issue. He wrote to the Galatians who were being influenced by those who wanted to add law-keeping to the gospel:

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel… If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!” (Galatians 1:6-9)

Paul was not talking about minor disagreements. He was confronting the exact error of adding works of the law to the finished work of Christ.

The Glorious Freedom of the New Covenant

Under the New Covenant, the law served as a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ (Galatians 3:24). Once we have come to Him, we are no longer under that schoolmaster. We are now led by the Holy Spirit, who produces love, joy, peace, and true holiness in our lives — not by placing us back under the old system.

Jesus Himself is our Sabbath rest (Matthew 11:28-30; Hebrews 4). True worship is no longer about a specific day, but about a Person — the Lord Jesus Christ.

A Loving Invitation

If you have been taught that you must keep the Saturday Sabbath (or any part of the old covenant law) in order to be finally saved or sealed by God, I urge you to return to the simplicity of Paul’s gospel. Christ’s finished work is enough. You can have full assurance today because of what He has done, not because of how well you perform.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

This is the true gospel — the one Paul preached, the one the early church believed, and the one that sets people free.