In an article for the Review and Herald written in 1892, Ellen G. White (one of the founders of our denomination) wrote: “There is no excuse for any one in taking the position that there is no more truth to be revealed, and that all our expositions of Scripture are without an error. The fact that certain doctrines have been held as truth for many years by our people, is not a proof that our ideas are infallible. Age will not make error into truth, and truth can afford to be fair. No true doctrine will lose anything by close investigation. We are living in perilous times, and it does not become us to accept everything claimed to be truth without examining it thoroughly; neither can we afford to reject anything that bears the fruits of the Spirit of God; but we should be teachable, meek and lowly of heart. There are those who oppose everything that is not in accordance with their own ideas, and by so doing they endanger their eternal interest as verily as did the Jewish nation in their rejection of Christ. The Lord designs that our opinions shall be put to the test, that we may see the necessity of closely examining the living oracles to see whether or not we are in the faith.”
The example she gives us to illustrate her point is powerful and, if taken to heart, alarming. The leaders of the Jewish nation were so certain of their understanding regarding the Messiah that when the Messiah actually came, they ended up killing Him. It was, too many, simply unbearable to be wrong. And to be clear, they were not 100% wrong! The Messiah would indeed be of a royal bloodline and He would indeed free them from their enemies. The problem, tragically for many, came with how these truths played out.
Early in our denomination’s history, our pioneers coined the idea of “present truth”. It was a way for them to express the fact that truth is not lifeless, made of stone. Truth is Jesus Christ, and as such, we are always, and will always be, learning new things and unlearning old things about Him. If we understand that we are finite beings in the journey of knowing the unknowable, the heart of God and his work on our behalf, it cannot be any other way. Thus, our pioneers were cautious to consider anything but the very pillars of the faith settled. They were also allergic to the idea that examination was unnecessary or dangerous. That doesn’t mean that truth was relative or constantly tossed around by individual opinions. It means that they were not afraid to ask questions about why they believed what they believed and they were not shy to do the work to study, from Scripture, why they believed it. If, after further study, error was discovered, they rejoiced in gaining greater understanding. If their study revealed that they were on the right path, they praised God for walking with the Truth. Friends, the example of our early pioneers, are not limited to a certain time and space. This process should always be how we exist as a community of faith!
White finishes her article the following way: “Many who claim to believe the truth have settled down at their ease, saying, “I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing.” But Jesus says to these self-complacent ones, Thou “knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” Let us individually inquire, Do these words describe my case? If so, the True Witness counsels us, saying, “Buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see.”
