AN EVIDENT EVASION by A. Smith

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Tuesday, April 28, 1885

FromThe Review and Herald, Vol. 62, No. 17

AN EVIDENT EVASION.

By A. Smith

BY A. SMITH.

A PROMINENT minister of a popular church, in a sermon recently preached at ——, Mich., had occasion to speak of sin; and is said to have defined it as “Not doing what God requires of us.” Occupying the official position that the reverend gentleman does in the church, it is supposable that he has quite a thorough knowledge of what the Scriptures teach on the fundamental principles of the Christian religion; and must, therefore, know that the Bible plainly declares sin to be “the transgression of the law.” Then why withhold the proper definition from the people, and give them instead a sort of milk-and-water solution? Why, if it is not because he knew very well that to give the Bible definition would cite the people to the law of God as being binding in its obligation, and, perforce, to the fourth precept as its central figure; and no doubt the unpleasant associations it would call up in his own mind and the minds of his hearers concerning Adventism and its energetic work in defense of the integrity of the law of God, and especially of the downtrodden seventh-day Sabbath, was a specter whose manifestation it was desirable to avoid.

If this were an isolated case it would scarcely be worthy of notice; but so prevalent has it become to read or quote favorable texts of Scripture, and to smooth over or avoid entirely those passages that bring prominently to view the distinctive doctrines of Seventh-day Adventism, that it compels attention.