Question: Do Seventh-day Adventists preach that salvation can be obtained by keeping the law? Did Mrs. E. G. White endorse in her writing this view?
Answer: Various aspects of this charge have been discussed already. We therefore shall confine our present answer to the claim that Mrs. White believed and taught that salvation is found, not in Christ, but in the law. We shall let her answer for herself, by quoting from an article she wrote in the year 1889.
Mrs. White speaks
"One time when I was traveling in Oregon on a steamer, a number of persons collected upon the hurricane deck, just outside of my stateroom, the door of my room being open. A _______ minister was talking to them concerning the law. After a while he said: "Mrs. White is on board, and she is a great stickler for the law. She says that no one can be saved except through keeping the law. She places all our salvation on the perfect keeping of the law."
After he had misrepresented me and the Seventhday Adventists for some time, I went to him and said: "Elder B., Mrs. White is here to speak for herself. I have listened to your words, and will assure you that Mrs. White believes no such thing. There is no quality in law to save the transgressor. It was because the law was broken, and there was nothing but death before the sinner, that He who was equal with the Father, came to earth and took upon Him the garb of humanity. It was because of man's sin that Christ stepped down from the royal throne, laid aside His royal robe, and clothed His divinity with humanity. He came to bring to man moral power, to unite the fallen race with Himself, that through faith in Jesus Christ we may become partakers of the divine nature and escape the corruptions that are in the world through lust. Says the apostle, 'Sin is the transgression of the law.' But Christ was manifested to take away sin, to save His people from their sins. The soul that believes in Christ may be cleansed from all defilement, and, through the grace of Christ, may be restored to divine favor.
"The law points to Christ, and every transgression of the law can be atoned for only by the blood of the Son of God. The law is like a mirror, to reveal to man his defects of character, but there is nothing in the law that will remedy the defects it points out. Paul declares: 'I have kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews and to the Creeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.' Why did he preach repentance toward God? Because man had broken the law of God, and therefore was not in harmony with God. Why did he preach faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ? Because Christ had died on Calvary, and had opened a fountain for sin and uncleanness for Judah and Jerusalem to wash in, and be cleansed. ..."
"The death of Christ is an unanswerable argument that demonstrates the unchangeable character of the law of God. If God could have changed one precept of His law, then Christ need not have died."
I said to the minister, "Did you ever hear me speak?" He answered that he had not. "In the thousands of pages I have written, have you ever read anything to the effect that I believe the law will save us?" He answered, "No." "Then why have you made the statements which you have? I hope you will not repeat them again." Mrs. E. G. White in Signs of the Times, Sept. 23, 1889, p. 578, "The Unchangeable Character of the Law." (Footnote states that it was a sermon preached at Chicago, Illinois, April 9, 1889.)
Comment on Mrs. White's Words
Those who present the objection we are here considering will agree with us that if they were studying the Bible they would insist that the Bible writers be allowed to speak for themselves. We agree, insisting only that Mrs. White also be allowed to speak for herself. When she is thus permitted to speak, the whole objection before us disappears, for Seventhday Adventists subscribe without reserve to what Mrs. White here says.
From the book Answers to Objections pp. 387, 388.
