ThesecretoftheL iswiththemthat fear him; and he will shew

Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask forthe old paths, where is the good way, andwalk therein, and ye shall find rest foryour souls. Jeremiah 6:16

The secret of the LORD is with them thatfear him; and he will shew them hiscovenant. Psalm 25:14

Vol. 30, No. 9 Straight and Narrow September 2021

Upon all things, from the least to the greatest, the Creator’s name iswritten, and in all are the riches of His power displayed.

(EllenWhite,The Great Controversy, p. 677.3)

More on the Holy Flesh Movement:The Doctrine of Sin

by Allen Stump

Old Paths – 2 – September 2021

In the first study of this series, we examined whatM. L. An‐dreasen, in his Letters to the Churches, called “the acme ofall heresy” (M. L. Andreasen, Letter 1, “The Incarnation–Was Christ Exempt?”). This heresy was that God, in someway, exempted Christ in the incarnation from having a na‐ture that did not experience the same temptations that weencounter in our daily lives.

As we noted, there was a movement in the IndianapolisConference from 1899 to 1901 that became known as theHoly Flesh Movement. In this movement it was taught thatJesus in his fight against sin and temptation was only simi‐lar to that which sanctified believers experience.

The late Elder William Grotheer wrote in possibly thebest summary of the Holy Flesh teaching:

The leaders of the “Holy Flesh” Movement taught thatChrist took the nature of Adam before the Fall; thatChrist was a stranger to the fallen nature of man, exceptin its physical characteristics. He appeared as a man, yetwas fully God, and therefore, Satan did not overcomeHim by temptations from without, and not having as‐sumed man’s sinful nature, He could not be temptedfrom within. (William Grotheer, The Holy Flesh Move‐ment, p. 36)In the last issue of Old Paths, we noted that one of the

leaders of this movement was the president of the IndianaConference, R. S. Donnell. Donnell wrote:

Now we know why Christ did not sin while He washere on earth. It was because He was God, and James hastold us that God cannot be tempted with evil. Then Hewas not in sinful flesh, neither did He have sinful ten‐dencies in Him. (R. S. Donnell, “The Nature of Christand Man,” p. 3)

We also noted in this first study that the term sinless fleshused in the Holy FleshMovement did not refer to the phys‐ical nature of man; instead, it referred to the inner nature.Some people today would call it instinct. To those whowere teaching the Holy Flesh doctrine, mind and naturewere synonymous and represented the fallen inheritanceman receives as the result of the fall.

Concerning this movement, Ellen White made a verypointed statement:

None are to pick up any points of this doctrine andcall it truth. There is not a thread of truth in the wholefabric. (Ellen White,White Estate D. F. #190, from state‐ment of G. A. Roberts, June 11, 1923)

Emotional frenzyAccompanying this teaching was a type of emotionalfrenzy. Grotheer called it an emotional extravaganza. It wasan emotional fever that accompanied the worship, and wehave records of people who had observed the worst thatwas going on in this movement. The first record is a state‐ment by G. A. Roberts, dated June 11, 1923, accessed at theWhite Estate and quoted by Grotheer:

The followers of this doctrine would gather in thecleared basement of the church, and a large number ofthem would dance in a large circle, shouting and liftingup their hands. The children would be placed uponboxes or barrels, and they too would shout and lift uptheir hands. In their church services, they would preachand shout and pray until someone in the congregationwould fall unconscious from his seat. One or two menwould be walking up and down the aisles watching forjust this demonstration, and would lay hold of the per‐son who had fallen, literally dragging him up the aisle

Vol. 30, No. 9 – 3 – http://www.smyrna.org

and placing him on the rostrum. Then a number, per‐haps a dozen, would gather about the prostrate form,some shouting, some singing, and some praying, all atthe same time. Finally the individual would revive, andhe was then counted among the faithful who had passedthrough the Garden. (G. A. Roberts, White Estate D. F.#190, June 11, 1923, quoted by William Grotheer, TheHoly Flesh Movement)The similarities between these events and modern-day

Pentecostal services are hard to miss.

The services would have drums and tambourines, muchlike the Salvation Army would have at that time. HettyHaskell, the wife of Stephen Haskell, wrote to Miss SaraMcInterfer, a secretary of Ellen White:

They have a big drum, two tambourines, a big bassfiddle, two small fiddles, a flute and two cornets, and anorgan and a few voices. They have “Garden of Spices” asa song book and play dance tunes to sacred words. Theyhave never used our own hymn books except when El‐ders Breed, or Haskell speak, then they open and closewith a hymn from our book, but all the other songs arefrom the other book. They shout “Amens” and “Praisethe Lord,” “Glory to God”, just like a Salvation Army ser‐vice. It is distressing to one’s soul. The doctrinespreached correspond to the rest. The poor sheep aretruly confused. (Hetty H. Haskell, Letter to Miss SaraMcInterfer, September 17, 1900, Muncie, Indiana)In a second letter, Sister Haskell wrote:

Last Sabbath they (Indiana ministers) took the earlymeeting also the 11:00 o’clock hour, and called themfront to the altar as they call the little fence they havearound the pulpit. The poor sheep came flocking up un‐til they were on the ground three rows deep. The minis‐ters kept up their shouting and, shall I call it yelling.They invited Elder H. and Elder Breed to come down tothe altar and help. They went down, and Elder Breed gotdown and tried to talk to some, but he felt so out of placehe got up on his feet and stood and looked on. Elder H.left the tent and went to our own tent. Finally they had aseason of prayer, then they got up and began shouting,“Praise the Lord,” “Glory” etc., falling on one another’sneck and kissing and shaking hands, keeping their mu‐sic going with the noise, until many of them looked al‐most crazy. (Hetty H. Haskell, Letter to Ellen G. White,September 22, 1900, Muncie, Indiana)Another individual, who later became an Adventist and

who had seen what was going on, said that seeing it turnedhim away. He decided to have nothing to do with the Ad‐vent people because it was a repulsive kind of worship, andit was about ten years later that he finally came to the truth.

Burton Wade was a lay member from Denver, Indiana.In his later years, he recorded the nature of the services forArthur White, writing:

They worked themselves up to a high pitch of excite‐ment by the use of musical instruments, such as: trum‐pets, flutes, stringed instruments, tambourines, and or‐gan, and a big bass drum. They shouted and sang theirlively songs with the aid of musical instruments untilthey became really hysterical. many times I saw them,after these morningmeetings, as they came to the diningtent fairly shaking as though they had the palsy. (BurtonWade, Letter to ArthurWhite, January 12, 1962, BerrienSprings, Michigan)Ellen White wrote to the Haskells:

The things you have described as taking place in Indi‐ana, the Lord has shownme would take place just beforethe close of probation. Every uncouth thing will bedemonstrated. There will be shouting, with drums, mu‐sic and dancing. The senses of rational beings will be‐come so confused that they cannot be trusted to makeright decisions. And this is called themoving of the HolySpirit. (EllenWhite, SelectedMessages, bk. 2, p. 36; Letter132, 1900)Some of these are references to a camp meeting that was

being held at that time, and this is why there are referencesto tents.

EllenWhite took these reports and what she had seen invision and wrote about it. You can find what she wroteprinted in Selected Messages:

The things you have described as taking place in Indi‐ana, the Lord has shownme would take place just beforethe close of probation. Every uncouth thing will bedemonstrated. There will be shouting, with drums, mu‐sic and dancing. The senses of rational beings will be‐come so confused that they cannot be trusted to makeright decisions. And this is called themoving of the HolySpirit. (Ibid.)God showed Ellen White what would occur just before

the close of probation, and we can see it now exactly in thecelebration movement within the Adventist Church today.Because the same kind of music, shouting, and dancing isseen today within Adventism, we know we are at the veryend of time.

Again, because of the importance of the matter, we wantto emphasis that the Holy Flesh teaching did not refer tothe physical nature of man when the term sinless flesh wasused. The proponents of Holy Flesh were talking about theinner nature. To those teaching the Holy Flesh doctrine,mind and naturewere synonyms and represented the falleninheritance of man received as the result of the fall.


HamartiologyAt the heart of this issue is the understanding of sin. Thisportion of theology is what divides the two main branchesof Protestant theology into Calvinism and Arminianism.

If you go to virtually any seminary of any denominationand study systematic theology, you will find that there aretwo great pillars upon which all theology rests. One ofthose doctrines is the doctrine of Christ, and the other isthe doctrine of sin. These two teachings are important be‐cause they affect not only the rest of one’s theology, butthey also affect each other greatly. What you alter in one, ofnecessity, makes an alteration in the other.

The understanding of sin, again, is the great divide be‐tween the two main branches of Protestant theology,Calvinism and Arminianism, and between predestinationand free will.

The Greek word in the New Testament for sin is ἁμαρτία(hamartia).This is why the study of sin is called hamartiol‐ogy.

While there are depths to all biblical studies, at the basiclevel the study of sin is fundamentally simple but when er‐ror is injected into the mix, the issues become confused.

As a people, we have been given counsel through theSpirit of Prophecy about the importance of the doctrine ofsin. While there are many statements in the testimony ofJesus on the importance of understanding sin, we will onlyshare three statements. The first is from Manuscript 87,written in 1900, at the very time the events of the HolyFlesh movement were occurring in the Indiana Confer‐ence:

There should be a clear understanding of that whichconstitutes sin, and we should avoid the least approachto step over the boundaries from obedience to disobedi‐ence. (Ellen White, Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 234.2; Ms87, 1900; all emphasis in this article supplied unless oth‐erwise noted)Whatever sin is, it has something to do with obedience

and disobedience. We are also told:

The people know so little of the Bible that practical,definite lessons should be given concerning the nature ofsin and its remedy. (Ellen White, Gospel Workers,p. 369.2)The first three chapters of the Bible are about the en‐

trance of sin into this world, and the last three chapters ofthe Bible tell about the exit of sin from the world. All thatis between them teaches how to have forgiveness of sin andhow to overcome sin. We are further told:

If we are to have pardon for our sins, we must firsthave a realization of what sin is, that we may repent and

bring forth fruits meet for repentance. (Ellen White,Faith and Works, p. 49.1)To repent means to turn away from something or to turn

around. To have repentance means we have turned awayfrom something; therefore, whatever sin is, it must besomething from which we can turn away. It is somethingfor which we can be sorry and something that can bechanged in our lives. With this in mind, let us look at somebiblical texts that help us understand sin. The first one isthe classical definition in 1 John:

Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also thelaw: for sin is the transgression of the law. (1 John 3:4)If you were asked to define an automobile, youmight say

an automobile is a Ford, a Honda, or a Toyota; however,these are examples of automobiles and do not define an au‐tomobile. If we are defining sin, we might say sin is killingor stealing, but, again, these are examples of sin. What issin? When you are reading a dictionary to get a definitionof something, the dictionary definition will be formattedsomething like _____ is _____. In 1 John 3:4 we have thefundamental textbook definition of sin—sin is equal to thetransgression of the law.

It is plain that the law John is writing about is the TenCommandment law because of what of Paul says in Ro‐mans 7:7:

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid.Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had notknown lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt notcovet. (Romans 7:7)It is the Ten Commandment law that says thou shalt not

covet.

Another text to consider is 1 John 5:17, where we readthat “all unrighteousness is sin.” Righteousness is right do‐ing, or doing the law of God. The opposite of that is said tobe sin.

There are two other texts we wish to consider that some‐times are used to try to give another definition of sin.

The first of those two is Romans 14:23, where Paul writesthat “. . . whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” While at first thismay appear to be a definition, it is really stating a cause andeffect. Here we have the result of what is done outside offaith. Since obedience can only result from faith, anythingwithout, or outside of, faith can only result in sin.

The second of the two misunderstood texts is James4:17:

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doethit not, to him it is sin.Here, instead of having a definition of sin, we have an

example of sin. You might ask, How is that so? Suppose I


have an event I wish to attend, perhaps a church service. Iam traveling down the road and see an older womanwhosecar has a flat tire. She obviously needs help, but I want to goto the meeting, so I do not stop to help her. James says thiswould be sin. How is doing nothing breaking the com‐mandment of God and which one would I be breaking? Insuch a case, I have put myself and my interests above Godand by my selfish interests (even for good things), I havebroken the tenth commandment and by putting my inter‐ests above God’s interests, I have broken the first com‐mandment.

The point I wish to make clear is that the scripture fun‐damentally gives one definition of sin. The Bible does notpresent multiple definitions of sin. While the Bible givesmany illustrations of sin, there is only one definition of sin,and the Spirit of Prophecy substantiates this very strongly.

Ellen White and the definition of sinLet us now consider three, of many, statements EllenWhitewrote on the definition of sin, and please notice the lan‐guage carefully:

The only definition we find in the Bible for sin is that“sin is the transgression of the law.” [1 John 3:4] (EllenWhite,The Signs of the Times, December 5, 1892, par 1)This is from the first paragraph of the article and states

that the only definition we find in the Bible for sin is thatsin is the transgression of the law, making reference to1 John 3:4. Notice the reference uses the phrase the only.Only does not mean two or three or more. If I say the onlybook I have, I cannot have three books; furthermore, shesays definition, which is singular.

The second statement is also from an article inThe Signsof the Times, and she begins by quoting 1 John 3:4:

“Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also thelaw; for sin is the transgression of the law.” Here we havethe true definition [singular] of sin; it is “the transgres‐sion of the law” (Ellen White, The Signs of the Times,June 20, 1895, par 5).Notice again we find the word definition, and it is pre‐

ceded with the phrase the true. Thus we find here the (sin‐gular) true definition of sin. Sin is not defined in pluralways.

The third reference is from a sermon EllenWhite gave inWilliamstown, Australia, on February 11, 1894:

It is the privilege of every sinner to ask his teacherwhat sin really is. Give me a definition of sin. We haveone in 1 John 3. “Sin is the transgression of the law.” Nowthis is the only definition of sin in the whole Bible. (EllenWhite, Sermons and Talks, vol. 1, p. 228.2)

Here again the testimony of Jesus is very plain. We haveone definition of sin, and that is the transgression of the law.

These are just three representative statements that re-flect a broad sample of Ellen G. White’s writings whichclearly, without ambiguity, give one view of the definitionof sin, and they all resonate with the same clear, pure tone.

There will be people who will say, Well, you know, EllenWhite was a good woman, and God used her in a specialway, but she wasn’t a theologian, you can’t expect her to helpsolve theological problems.

The truth is that EllenWhite was a far greater theologianthan anyone is in our schools today, regardless of degrees.She understood and had insights into things that men onlydream of, and we can trust the truth that came from herpen.

It might be important to note that 1 John 3:4 has alsobeen translated,

Every one who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness;sin is lawlessness. (Revised Standard Version)The phrase “sin is lawlessness” is also so translated in

the New King James Version, the New International Ver-sion, and the American Standard Version. Some take thisto mean that instead of defining sin as an action of thought,word, or deed, sin is defined as a state of being, but whatis lawlessness? Is it really a state of being as opposed to anaction? The Greek word anomia, translated lawlessness ortransgression of the law, is from ἄνομος (anomos), whichhas the alpha at the beginning, signifying the word has theopposite meanng, and νόμος (nomos), the Greek word forlaw.

Calvinistic theology teaches sin to be primarily the na‐ture of the person. This theology speaks about being borna sinner, that you are a sinner by what and who you are, notby what you do in thought, word, or deed.

First John 3:4 has also been translated:

Every one who is guilty of sin is also guilty of violatingLaw; for sin is the violation of Law. (Weymouth Version)Every one that practises sin practises also lawlessness;

and sin is lawlessness. (Darby Version)Every one who is doing the sin, the lawlessness also he

doth do, and the sin is the lawlessness, (Young’s LiteralVersion)Notice these other verses that use anomia:

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you:depart from me, ye that work iniquity (anomian fromanomia). (Matthew 7:23)


Jesus is speaking about those who work iniquity. Christis clearly speaking of an action, whether it is in thought,word, or deed, rather than a state of being.

Another use of anomia is found in Romans 6:19:

I speak after the manner of men because of the infir‐mity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your membersservants to uncleanness and to iniquity (anomia) untoiniquity (anomian); even so now yield your membersservants to righteousness unto holiness.As in Matthew 7:23, the use of anomia here cannot be

in reference to a state of existence, especially one that weare born into, for we are commanded not to yield toanomia. How can you not yield to how you were born?How can any person change that?

One more usage of a form of anomia is found inMatthew:

The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and theyshall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend,and them which do iniquity (anomian). (Matthew 13:41)Notice that Jesus does not say to gather out of his king-

dom those that are iniquity, but those that do iniquity.

Those who do iniquity are the ones who are going to beset aside and not taken to heaven.

Someone asked me recently, Can you give me a Bibletext that says we have to stop sinning before Jesus comes?Matthew 13:41 says that those who do iniquity, those whosin, will be outside the kingdom. Beloved, if we are stilltransgressing God’s law when Jesus comes, then we arenot going to heaven.

Now there is a so-called idiom that we should look atbecause someone brought this up to me recently. First ofall, we should understand what an idiom is. An idiom is “agroup of words established by usage as having a meaningnot deducible from those of the individual words (e.g., raincats and dogs, see the light)” (Oxford English Dictionary).

Two other well-known idioms are to spill the beans andto kick the bucket. If you have to translate idioms into an-other language, they probably will not be understandable,if you translate them literally. Every language has idioms.With this in mind, let us proceed to Strong’s Concordance.

Under anomia, we have this definition:

458. ἀνομία anŏmia, an-om-ee´-ah; from 459; illegal‐ity, i.e. violation of law or (gen.) wickedness:—iniquity,× transgress (-ion of) the law, unrighteousness.In the definition, you see a small “x” after iniquity and

before transgress. What is the “x” supposed to mean? If youopen to the front of your Strong’s Concordance, in the sec‐

tion on how to use the reference work, you will find thisstatement:

x (multiplication) denotes a rendering in the A.V. thatresults from an idiom peculiar to the Gr.It is stating that anomia is an idiom, By definition, an id‐

iom is formed by a group of words and is not just a singleword. While anomia has the alpha (ἀ) character added tonomos, it cannot mean something outside of what the neg‐ative of nomos is.The reason is that when you add the alpha(ἀ) character to the front of a word, it takes on the oppositemeaning by the very grammar of the language. Strong issimply stating that to be opposed to the law of God is thesame as being in transgression.

Another point on 1 John 3:4 which we wish to consideris the word also in the verse.

Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law:for sin is the transgression of the law.This may appear to mean that those who commit sin

also, or in addition to, transgress the law, thus making sin‐ning and transgressing the law two different things. Canthis be?

The Greek word translated also is καί (kai). While kai istranslated also five hundred twenty-six times, it is usuallytranslated and. In fact 8,161 out of 9,085 times it is trans‐lated and. In 1 John 3:4 it is used in the sense of saying thatthis one thing is the same as the other thing. For instance,we might say the man is big and tall. This is not stating twodifferent things, but, rather, it is just a way of saying some‐thing again to emphasize it. One could even say the man isbig, even tall, and that is how John is using this word. Johnis not saying that sin is one thing and also another thingbecause if he were saying so, then the statements of EllenWhite are false which say there is only one definition of sin.

We can be of good cheer. The Spirit of Prophecy is notwrong, and the Bible does not give multiple definitions ofsin.

Remember again that there are two main branches ofProtestant theology—Calvinism with predestination andArminianism with free will? Calvinism states that sin isprimarily one’s nature, while Arminianism says that sin isthe transgression of the law.

Another problem that arises when we accept the Calvin‐istic view of sin is in understanding Isaiah 59:2:

But your iniquities have separated between you andyour God, and your sins have hid his face from you, thathe will not hear. (Isaiah 59:2)Isaiah says “your iniquities have separated between you

and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you,”but a variation of the Calvinistic theology teaches that sin


is separation from God. Your nature is deprived, and youare separated from God. As a result, you do wrong. Doesthe transgression come first or does the separation whichleads to transgression? Some have tried to say the problemis like did the chicken or the egg come first? If you do notbelieve in creation, you cannot answer that question, butwe believe in creation, so we can answer the question cor‐rectly. We believe in the Bible and know the chicken camebefore the egg. We know this based upon the Scriptures,and we know, based upon the Bible, that separation comesafter the sin, not before.

Nearly forty years ago, a co-worker who had beentrained in the new theology but who had come out of it,was clearing out his file cabinet and desk one day and askedif I would like to have his theology notes from college. Thisbrother had taken his theology at what was then calledSouthern Missionary College but is now Southern Univer‐sity. He had taken theology classes under Norman Gulley,who is a very well-known theologian in the AdventistChurch. In fact, he has written a large four-volume serieson systematic theology. At that time, this worker was en‐amored with the new theology teachings he was learning atSouthern. Thank the Lord he has seen the light.

I certainly wanted the notes so I could see firsthand whatwas being taught at that time. Remember earlier it wasnoted that there are two things really fundamental in sys‐tematic theology? One is Christology, and the other ishamartiology, or the doctrine of sin. In these notes, I foundthese two pivotal points. I still have those notes, and I wantto share with you what was being taught then and, I prom‐ise, still is within Adventist institutions.

These notes say the definition of sin is equal to a brokenrelationship, sin is not something you do, and sin relates toa relationship. The notes also recorded the professor asteaching that when Jesus became sin for us, he “got a bro‐ken relationship” on the cross.

Have you ever heard of what is sometimes termed rela‐tionship theology? It teaches that if sin equals a broken rela‐tionship, then doing God’s will equals a connection, or arelationship, with God.

Do you see anything about 1 John 3:4 being quotedhere? This is what happens in so many of the seminariesand Bible colleges. People talk about philosophy or abouttheir ideas, but they do not talk about the Bible.

The notes below state that “sin” equals “to choose tobreak relationship with God,” but remember in Isaiah 59:2the Bible says your sins have separated you from your God.

The professors of theology say the opposite. Gulley said,according to the notes, that the “opposite of sin” is equal “tochoose to keep connected with God.” So, sinning is choos‐ing to break a relationship with God, and the opposite ofsin is to choose to keep connected with God.

If you leave the Bible out and think about that from justa philosophial standpoint, it may sound good and reason‐able, but it denies the fundamental biblical basis of sin.

One more point from these notes concerns the propen‐sity to sin.The notes says that the “propensity to sin is [the]result of [a] broken relationship.”

The new theology teaches that “Christ didn’t have [a]broken relationship, so he didn’t have propensity to sin.”This new theology states there was no tendency fromwithin Jesus Christ to be tempted to sin, and this statementcan be made because of how you define this relationship.Some other points taught were:

• We sin because we are sinners.• Perfection is having a perfect relationship.• We are not to try to overcome sin, for this takes effortaway from forming our relationship with God.

• Perfection is having the Holy Spirit within and hasnothing to do with obedience to the commandments.


1. Heteros and allos are Greek words usually translated other oranother in the New Testament. Heteros means another of adifferent type, while allosmeans another of the same kind.

Beloved, if we have the Holy Spirit within us, will we bewalking in accordance with God’s law. The Bible states:

And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is alsothe Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them thatobey him. (Acts 5:32)

ConclusionSin is not the way man is but is the way man chooses. Sinis when the mind consents to what seems desirable andthus breaks its relationship with God. To talk of guilt interms of inherited nature is to overlook the important cat‐egory of responsibility. Not until we have joined our ownwill to mankind’s rebellion against God, not until we haveactively entered into opposition to the will of God doesguilt enter in. Sin is concerned with a man’s life, his rebel‐lion against God, his willful disobedience, and the dis‐torted relationship with God which ensues. Sin isconcerned with a man’s will rather than his nature. If re‐sponsibility for sin is to have anymeaning, it cannot also beaffirmed that fallen human nature makes the man in‐evitably guilty of sin. Inevitability and responsibility aremutually exclusive concepts in the moral sphere; thus, sinis defined as choosing willfully to rebel against God inthought, word, or action. Sin is our willful choice to exer‐cise our fallen nature in opposition to God’s will.

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, chooseyou this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods whichyour fathers served that were on the other side of theflood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land yedwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve theLORD. (Joshua 24:15)Sin is a choice that we make.

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let himthat heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come.And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.(Revelation 22:17)God has given humanity free will. God has not predes‐

tined that only a certain elect group of people are going tobe saved.

Adventism from its inception until about the time thebook Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrinewas published was clearly a type of Protestant theology thatwas Arminian in nature, not Calvinistic. Since 1957, how‐ever, this Calvinistic thought about sin and human naturehas been permeating Adventism, and the sad truth is thatit does not stop within the doors of the corporate church.Some of the best-known ministries in the One True Godmovement (OTG ), or the Truth about God movement, areteaching these Calvinistic philosophies about sin and thecorresponding mode of salvation that goes with them.MayI remind you that the servant of the Lord instructed us that

there is not a thread of truth in the whole fabric of this the‐ology.

The things that R. S. Donnell taught are virtually identi‐cal to the teachings of some of the most popular OTGteachers. Amazingly, the people hear these preachers, andthey think the theology is good, just like the Bible workerwho was in the theology class of Norman Gulley and whotook the notes that we read earlier. He thought what he washearing was the greatest thing and that it was wonderful toknow and understand these things, but he did not under‐stand how far it was taking him from the Scriptures andfrom the Spirit of Prophecy.

To thy tents, O Israel!We need to have an understandingof sin and its nature because so many other things dependupon it. If we are wrong, we end up with a different (het‐eros, not allos1) Christ because our view of Christ and ourview of sin are not separate islands. They are two main,connected pillars, and what you believe about one is goingto eventually affect what you believe about the other.

Today much of our movement is in a situation that Pauldescribed in writing to the churches of Galatia. Many haveanother (heteros) Jesus and another (heteros) gospel, andthat gospel will not prepare the saints for translation. Weneed to understand these issues and understand themclearly. May God bless you, friends, to understand them, toknow who Jesus Christ really is, to know what sin really is,and to realize that we are to be living without sin when Je‐sus comes and that all the power to do this comes fromChrist and Christ alone. We cannot do this of ourselves,but he will empower us, and he will help us. He will enableus to live the perfect life. Yes, that is what Jesus is calling foryou to do. He says:

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which isin heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)Our Father is as perfect as perfection can be. That is the

perfection Jesus calls us to. That is the highest standard ofperfection. It is called for by the one infinite in power, andif we will submit to him, then he will do marvelous thingsin and through us. ✍

“None are to pick up any pointsof this doctrine and call it truth.There is not a thread of truth in

the whole fabric.” EGW


(This is the third study in a series on the Holy Flesh move‐ment that was in the Seventh-day Adventist Church from1899 to 1901.)

It has been said that those who do not learn history aredoomed to repeat it.That may be true to a great degree. Wemust at least understand the errors and the pitfalls of thepast so we can more easily avoid them in the future. At theheart of this series on the Holy Flesh movement is the de‐sire to educate our people on the main points and issues ofthat movement and then to warn against repeating thoseerrors, for we see the revival of some of these very sameconcepts in our movement today.

At the core of all this is the doctrine of the incarnation.One point that concerns many is the issue of propensities.Did Jesus have any sinful propensities?This we will discussin the next installment of this series, but first we need to laysome groundwork.

The focus of this study will be the first part of John 1:14:

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,(John 1:14)We will use both Scripture and the testimony of Jesus as

we examine this subject.

The Gospel of John was the last account of the life ofChrist that was written and preserved in the Bible. In fact.it was probably one of the last books of the New Testamentthat was penned. For the final portion of the canon to befinished, it had to have this book to complete the view ofJesus Christ, his incarnation, and his teachings.

The New Testament was written in Greek, and wordsand concepts understood in Hebrew had to be adapted orintroduced in the Greek. One of the words used most inadaption in the Greek was λόγος (logos). Logos is the Greekword that is most often translated word in the New Testa‐ment.

In the beginning of John, we read very simple but sub‐lime words about Jesus.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word waswith God, and theWord was God. (John 1:1)The Greek that is translated word is λόγος (logos). In the

Old Testament, the words of God were closely associatedwith God himself and his presence. One Hebrew word wewish to examine is רבד (dabar). Dabar has the meaningof speech or word. Dabar is used over one thousand four

hundred times in the Old Testament. We will share a fewexamples to illustrate how it was used:

And God spake all these words (dabar), saying, (Exo‐dus 20:1)In 2 Samuel dabar is translated as oracle:

And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselledin those days, was as if a man had enquired at the oracle(dabar) of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophelboth with David and with Absalom. (2 Samuel 16:23)An oracle was a person or a prophet through whom sup‐

posedly God was to speak, and here it was as if a man hadinquired at the oracle or the word of God. WhenAhithophel spoke, it was just as if God was speakingthrough him.

In Psalms, we read:

Concerning the works of men, by the word (dabar) ofthy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.(Psalm 17:4)Dabar could be equated as an audible expression of the

Shekinah glory. Looking at the above texts in the Greektranslation the Old Testament (LXX), we see that the He‐brew word dabar is translated as logos. So, the translators ofthe LXX considered dabar and logos as equivalents.

But even with this background, what the apostle Johnwrites in 1:14 must have been a bombshell:

And the Word (logos) was made flesh (σάρξ [sarx]),and dwelt (ἐσκήνωσεν [eskēnōsen]) among us, (and webeheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of theFather,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)John writes that the word (logos) was made flesh (sarx)

and dwelt, or tabernacled, among humanity. The Greekword for dwelt is eskēnōsen, and it means to tabernacle. Sothis word, this divine wisdom, if you please, this audiblepresence of God, came to earth to dwell in flesh.

Now, we might ask why this was considered such anoverwhelming surprise to those people who read thisverse. Today we might not see the significance in this, butthe Greek word logoswas a very loaded word, with culturalimplications to those early people. For example, we read:

Logos, as a technical term, seems to have originatedwith the Stoics, who used it to denote divine wisdom asthe integrating force of the universe. (The Seventh-dayAdventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 894)

TheWordWas Made Fleshby Allen Stump


To the Greek mind imbued with the dualism of thephilosophers, such a transformation would be unthink‐able, since logos is spiritual and, therefore, good, and flesh,or sarx, is physical and, therefore, intrinsically vile, cor‐rupt, and evil.

This is the background of the good soul in a vile bodydualism of medieval Christian theology. To the Greekmind, the statement “the logos became sarx,” is equivalentto saying the good became evil.

Of course, we are not Hellenists and are not people ofthat Greek culture or philosophy. We are Christians, thespiritual children of the Hebrews and by seeking the gift ofinspiration, we can find out how God came and taberna‐cled in flesh. Christ is not the logos in the Hellenistic senseof thinking, but he is rather the dabar of the Hebrew mind.Christ is the audible presence of God. He is the Shekinah,the glory that came and tabernacled in flesh.

Ellen White’s meaningsIn connection with this concept, many statements in thewritings of Ellen White have, to some people, seeminglycaused confusion or misunderstanding, so it is importantthat we understand how she used certain words, especiallyin connection to the incarnation. Those familiar with mybook,The Foundation of Our Faith, know that in the chap‐ter “Ellen G. White and the Atonement” is a section on“Whiteisms,” in which it is demonstrated how Ellen Whiteused certain phrases when speaking about the completeatonement, the final atonement, etc., and a consensus is at‐tempted as to what she meant by these terms. In the samesense, there are several theological terms that Ellen Whiteused in connection with the incarnation that we should ex‐amine at this point, so we can have a comprehensive un‐derstanding of how she used those terms in relationship tothe incarnation.

The first point is that Ellen White used the terms natureand flesh interchangeably in the context of the incarnation.For instance:

He was ever pure and undefiled; yet He took uponHim our sinful nature. (Ellen White, The Signs of theTimes, July 30, 1902, par. 1; all emphasis supplied unlessotherwise noted)The next statement is also fromThe Signs of the Times:

It should be to us a cause of continual gratitude andrejoicing that Jesus knows our weakness and is ac‐quainted with our temptations. We are too much in thehabit of thinking that the Son of God was a being so en‐tirely exalted above us that it is an impossibility for himto enter into our trials and temptations, and that he canhave no sympathy with us in our weakness and frailties.This is because we do not take in the fact of his oneness

with humanity.He took upon him the likeness of sinfulflesh, and was made in all points like unto his brethren,that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest inthings pertaining to God. He has engaged himself tosave every son and daughter of Adam who will consentto be saved in God’s appointed way. (Ellen White, TheSigns of the Times, May 16, 1895, par. 7)1

According to this statement, we should be grateful andrejoice because Jesus knows our weakness and is acquaintedwith our temptations. Does Jesus know our weaknesses?Yes. Is he acquainted with our temptations because he hadsupernatural knowledge without experiencing them? No,that is not what inspiration means. It is because Jesus cameand dwelt as a man, because the logos dwelt in sarx that hecould, firsthand, become acquainted with our weaknessesand our temptations.2

Now two more statements:

. . . He took upon Him our sinful nature. (EllenWhite,The Signs of the Times, July 30, 1902)He took upon him the likeness of sinful flesh . . .

(Ellen White,The Signs of the Times,May 16, 1895)As we compare these statements, we see that EllenWhite

equated sinful nature with sinful flesh.

Before proceeding, we need to understand a principlethat will help as we go forward.This idea is found in aman‐uscript written in 1888:

. . . the flesh of itself cannot act contrary to the will ofGod. (EllenWhite,The Adventist Home, p. 127.2; Manu‐script 1, 1888) [More on this statement later.]

SinfulLet us now examine some of the Whiteisms on the incar‐nation which have the word sin as their root word and seehow Ellen White used them.

The first term is sinful. What does it mean to be sinful?Many times the suffix ful means to be full of, and at timesEllen White used it as such, but not always. The suffix fulcan also have other meanings. For example, according to

1. It is interesting to note that this particular statement was pub‐lished two weeks prior to the May 30 edition in which you findthat very famous statement that declares, Christ is “not a sonby creation, as were the angels, nor a son by adoption, as is theforgiven sinner, but a Son begotten in the express image of theFather’s person . . .” (par. 3).

2. John also recorded: “But Jesus did not commit himself untothem, because he knew all men, And needed not that anyshould testify of man: for he knew what was in man” (John2:24–25). Not by supernatural omniscience did Jesus knowwhat was in the nature of man. It was by his own experiencethat he understood humanity.


Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, ful can mean “to have atendency toward.”The American Heritage Dictionary statesthat ful can mean “tendency or ability.”

I propose to you that when Ellen White was writing ofthe incarnation, this is her usage, and this is how this termshould be defined when the word sinful is considered. Thisunderstanding makes the most sense and carries a consis‐tency with the other statements in her writings.

With this definition, the word sinful certainly falls shortof describing an act. According to this usage, the term sin‐ful does not refer to any act of sinning, much less being fullof sin. It means having a tendency toward sin.This conceptaccurately describes the flesh or nature in which fallen hu‐mans live. In discussing the nature in which Christ madehis earthly tabernacle, Ellen White consistently used theterm sinful.

Over eighty times Ellen White quotes Romans 8:3,where the Bible states that Jesus was “made in the likenessof sinful flesh.”

Some people have problems with the word likeness.When they read the likeness of sinful flesh, they think,Well,that means it was something like sinful flesh but it wasn’t sin‐ful. Maybe it looked like it, but it really wasn’t. On the sur‐face this might make sense, but let us look a little deeper.The word translated likeness in the Greek, ὁμοίωμα (ho‐moiōma), means that which is made like something.

Another place homoiōma is used is Philippians 2:7:

But made himself of no reputation, and took uponhim the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness(homoiōmati from homoiōma ) of men:Was Jesus really a man, or was he just some kind of ap‐

parition or cardboard human cutout? The Bible teachesthat Christ really was a man, and the word likeness inPhilippians 2:7 is from this same Greek word used in Ro‐mans 8:3. He was a man and a man who took upon his sin‐less nature our sinful nature. (See Medical Ministry,p. 181.3.)

SinlessThe suffix less is usually defined as without and incapableof. A fearless person is a person not capable of feeling fear.A powerless person would be a person who has no power.A sinless nature would be, then, a nature without sin or notcapable of sinning.

Over and over Ellen White affirmed that Christ neversinned, but she never described him as having sinless flesh.While his divine nature was sinless, his human nature, orflesh, was never given that attribute. She never believedthat Christ was incapable of sinning. She believed his

temptations were real and that he could have sinned. Forexample:

He could have yielded to Satan’s lying suggestions asdid Adam, but we should adore and glorify the Lamb ofGod that He did not in a single point yield one jot or onetittle. (Ellen White, Selected Messages, bk. 3, p. 130.2)According to this testimony, Ellen White says that Jesus

could have sinned. Christ had a free will. He could haveyielded, and he could have sinned, but he did not! EllenWhite never mentions Christ’s human nature as being sin‐less or incapable of sinning.

During the time Ellen White was in Australia, at theheight of the Holy Flesh movement, she received a letterJune 1, 1900, from an Ida V. Hadley. Arthur White com‐ments on it:

The questions asked in this letter throw some light onthe holy flesh teaching. Some of these questions were:Was Mary’s body made holy, sinless, in her flesh be‐

fore conception, so that Christ was born from sinlessflesh? AndHis own body sinless flesh of itself? (Hebrews10:5). . . . (Arthur White, The Early Elmshaven Years,p. 103)The Catholic doctrine of the immaculate conception

does not deal with the conception of Jesus Christ. The doc‐trine of the immaculate conception says that Mary wasconceived without any taint of what is called original sin. Inother words, Mary had a sinless nature and because shehad a sinless nature, she could pass along a sinless natureto Jesus, and he would be incapable of doing wrong. Thiswas part of the teaching of the Holy Flesh movement, butplease remember what Ellen White said concerning theHoly Flesh movement:

None are to pick up any points of this doctrine andcall it truth. There is not a thread of truth in the wholefabric. (Ellen White,White Estate D. F. #190, from state‐ment of G. A. Roberts, June 11, 1923)The concept of Christ supposedly coming in sinless flesh

is the very heart of the Holy Flesh movement, and EllenWhite said there is not a thread of truth in the whole fabric.

SinfulnessThe next term we want to look at is sinfulness. Ness is equalto a state of being. This is very different and far from a ten‐dency toward something. Sinfulness involves the actualpractice of sinning. Ellen White applies this term to hu‐mans, but never to Jesus Christ. Ellen White would never,for a moment, want to convey the idea that Jesus sinned.Notice these two statements fromThe Signs of the Times:

Clad in the vestments of humanity, the Son of Godcame down to the level of those He wished to save. In


Him was no guile or sinfulness; He was ever pure andundefiled; yet He took upon Him our sinful nature.Clothing His divinity with humanity, that He might as‐sociate with fallen humanity, He sought to regain forman that which by disobedience Adam had lost, forhimself and for the world. (Ellen White,The Signs of theTimes, July 30, 1902, par. 1)He was to take His position at the head of humanity

by taking the nature but not the sinfulness of man. Inheaven was heard the voice, “The Redeemer shall cometo Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression inJacob, saith the Lord.” (Ellen White, The Signs of theTimes, May 29, 1901, par. 11)As we examine Ellen White’s statements, it is very clear

that she did not think of sinful and sinfulness as equivalent.

SinlessnessAgain ness is a state of being, and inspiration does not hes‐itate to use the expression sinlessness in relationship to Je‐sus because Jesus never sinned, and he was never in thestate of being a sinner. Ellen White spoke of Jesus’ sinless‐ness in sinful flesh and that this was to be what we wouldimitate as we become one with Christ and experience vic‐tory as he experienced victory.

We should have no misgivings in regard to the perfectsinlessness of the human nature of Christ. (Ellen White,Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 256.2)For nearly six weeks the Sinless One fought a battle

with the powers of darkness in the wilderness of tempta‐tion, overcoming not on His account, but on our ac‐count, thus making it possible for every son and daugh‐ter of Adam to overcome through the merit of His sin‐lessness. (Ellen White, Letters and Manuscripts, vol. 16,Ms 110, 1901, par. 29)Every one who by faith obeys God’s commandments,

will reach the condition of sinlessness in which Adamlived before his transgression. (Ellen White, The Signsof the Times, July 23, 1902, par. 14)I recently received a letter in which the writer asked if I

knew of any biblical text that speaks about people livingwithout sin when Jesus comes. One of the verses that cameto my mind was:

That he might present it to himself a glorious church,not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but thatit should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:27)Jesus is coming back for a church without spot, wrinkle,

or any such thing. I promise you the idea of sin is includedin this. Sin causes wrinkles and spots on our characters.

There is no mention that these people will have lost theirfallen, sinful natures. Their condition will be sinlessness insinful nature.

In taking upon Himself man’s nature in its fallen con‐dition, Christ did not in the least participate in its sin.(Ellen White, Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 256.1)We can, therefore, say that sinful nature simply means a

nature, or flesh, that has tendencies, propensities, or urg‐ings towards sin. It is not sin to be tempted.

Ellen White was careful in how she used these terms,and the biblical writers were also careful in the use of theseterms.

While there may appear to be contradictions in theBible, we realize that they are not contradictions whencarefully and fully studied out. Such areas appear to be inerror because of a lack of our understanding.The same canbe said for the testimonies. Further study usually clearsdifficulties up.

Another statement that is pertinent to what we arestudying and which helps prepare the way for future inves‐tigation is found below:

But many say that Jesus was not like us, that he wasnot as we are in the world, that he was divine, and thatwe cannot overcome as he overcame. (Ellen White, TheReview and Herald, March 1, 1892, par. 10)After this are quoted the following verses:

For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; buthe took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in allthings it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren,that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest inthings pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for thesins of the people. For in that he himself hath sufferedbeing tempted, he is able to succour them that aretempted. (Hebrews 2:16–18)For we have not an high priest which cannot be

touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in allpoints tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let ustherefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that wemay obtainmercy, and find grace to help in time of need.(Hebrews 4:15–16)To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in

my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set downwith my Father in his throne. (Revelation 3:21)God has given all for us that we might overcome sin and

be like the heavenly character:

He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him upfor us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us allthings? (Romans 8:32)The logos was made sarx for us. He who was holy and

pure in the most infinite sense took upon his sinless natureour sinful nature so that we might overcome as he over‐came, but what about the passions and propensities we


Report onReorganizationMeetingsby Allen Stump

OnAugust 15–16, right after theWest Virginia campmeet‐ing, meetings discussing the reorganization of the workwere held at the Smyrna campus. The meetings were at‐tended by over thirty people, representing various churchgroups, ministries, and individuals. The need for order inthe work has been recognized, and the idea of a charter andbylaws was discussed, especially a set of bylaws to guide inhow such order can be used for the advancement of thegospel message.

This reorganization is theologically based upon theBible. While the Scriptures state that “the path of the just isas the shining light, that shineth more and more unto theperfect day” (Proverbs 4:18), new light does not and can‐not contradict or undermine the foundation, or pillars, ofour faith as revealed in the word of God. We believe thatthe word of God is our creed.The 1889 Fundamental Prin‐ciples of the Seventh-day Adventists, however, most clearlydefines and illustrates our current biblical beliefs.

For example, the Bible, as expressed in the 1889 princi‐ples, teaches that the seventh day of the week is the Sab‐bath. This is calculated each week and is not subject to themovement of the moon or or any other celestial object;therefore, those who believe in the lunar Sabbath wouldnot find harmony with those reorganizing. The biblicalprinciple of the completeness of the work of Jesus on thecross teaches us that the handwriting of ordinances wasnailed to the cross; therefore, those who believe in the ne‐cessity of keeping all the feasts of the Pentateuch would notfind harmony with those reorganizing. The biblical princi‐ple of repentance for sin and the understanding of the bib‐lical view of sin teach us that the various shades of originalsin are out of harmony with the Bible, and those who be‐lieve original sin would not find harmony with those reor‐ganizing.

Those who firmly are in harmony with the 1889 Funda‐mental Principles are urged to pray for the reorganizationprocess and to watch in order to learn how they can be apart of this work.

As we prepare this paper for press, another reorganiza‐tional meeting is being planned, and we should have a fur‐ther report and, we pray, an invitation to join such areorganization to those who are happily in harmony withits purposes, methods, and teachings. ✍

read about in the Spirit of Prophecy? What we will find ina careful study of the writings is that Ellen White followeda pattern she found in the biblical writers:

The Bible must be given in the language of men. Ev‐erything that is human is imperfect. Different meaningsare expressed by the same word; there is not one wordfor each distinct idea. The Bible was given for practicalpurposes. (Ellen White, Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 20.2)As we study the concepts of passions and propensities,

we will find that there were some passions and propensitiesof which Ellen White wrote which must be controlled andsome which must be eliminated. Those that must be con‐trolled are of a nature that of themselves are not sin andthose that must be eliminated are of a nature that will causeus to be lost. That is the subject of the next study in thisseries, which will be published next month. ✍

Upcoming MeetingsWe wish to announce upcoming meetings for October andNovember.

We are planning on meetings in the Littleton, NewHampshire, area on October 9. We will also be making vis‐its in the area, so if you cannot attend the meetings butwould like a visit, please contact Allen Stump to request avisit or for meeting details. You may reach him by phone at304–732–9204 or by email at [email protected].

On November 4–7, we are hoping to hold meetings inthe area of Fresno, California. We are still working on thedetails, but the plan is to have a mini camp meeting forthose in the western part of the United States. The meet‐ings will begin Thursday evening and conclude Sundayevening. The scope of the meetings is still being deter‐mined, but a focus on prophecy relevant to our time will beincluded. Some of the speakers will be Daniel Mesa, RobertMotsinger, and Allen Stump. You may call 304–732–9204or email [email protected] for more details. ✍

QR code for 20121WestVirginia camp meeting

video playlist


AndThey Knew Notby Allen Stump

(This message was the Keynote Address for the 2021 WestVirginia camp meeting.)

The theme of the camp meeting is taken from Luke17:26:

And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also inthe days of the Son of man.We who are living in the days just before the coming of

Jesus Christ are going to see many parallels between ourtime and the time of Noe, or Noah. To appreciate that fully,we certainly will need to have an understanding of what itwas like in the days of Noah. I am probably going to ad‐dress this theme a little differently in this Keynote Addressthan you might expect. I would like to examine a part ofthis theme as taken from the book of Matthew:

Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branchis yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that sum‐mer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all thesethings, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I sayunto you, This generation shall not pass, till all thesethings be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, butmy words shall not pass away. But of that day and hourknoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but myFather only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also thecoming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that werebefore the flood they were eating and drinking, marry‐ing and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe en‐tered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came,and took them all away; so shall also the coming of theSon of man be. (Matthew 24:32–39)They “knew not until the flood came.” What does it

mean they “knew not”?

Other ways this has been translated are:

. . . and they were unawareuntil the flood came andswept them all away (English Standard Version). . . yet they did not realize what was happening until

the flood came and swept them all away (Good NewsBible)They were not aware of what was happening until the

flood came and swept all of them away. (God’s WordTranslation)The Greek word translated knew in Matthew 24:39 is

ἔγνωσαν (egnōsan). It is from γινώσκω (ginōskō). Egnōsanis the third person plural, aorist, active, indicative form ofginōskō, but what does ginōskōmean?

To come to know, recognize, perceive (New AmericanStandard Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible)

An indicative statement is a statement of fact, somethingthe writer sees as a reality.

Let us look at some other usages of egnōsan, so we canget a better grasp on how to understand it.

Because that, when they knew God, they glorifiedhim not as God, neither were thankful; but became vainin their imaginations, and their foolish heart was dark‐ened. (Romans 1:21)And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy chil‐

dren within thee; and they shall not leave in thee onestone upon another; because thou knewest not the timeof thy visitation. (Luke 19:44)Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the

hour wherein the Son of man cometh. (Matthew 25:13)The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he

looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not awareof, (Matthew 24:50)And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ,

the Son of the living God. (John 6:69)And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the

prophet Esaias, and said,Understandest thou what thoureadest? (Acts 8:30)The word understandest means to perceive. Philip asked

if the eunuch understood, if he perceived, what the prophethad written.

The people in the days of Noah were not aware of—theydid not perceive—what was happening until the floodcame. Why? Why did they not perceive? Why were theyunaware? Was it because there was a lack of a witness? Letus go back over centuries before the flood and read aboutEnoch. The Bible does not say a lot about Enoch, but thethings it does say are important to us, and there are someimportant points in the testimonies about Enoch.

EnochGod sent prophets to the people to warn them, the first be‐ing Enoch:

And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesiedof these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thou‐sands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and toconvince all that are ungodly among them of all theirungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, andof all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners havespoken against him. (Jude 14–15)Enoch was given a panorama of the history of the earth

and of the plan of salvation, and that included the delugethat would come centuries later.

Enoch was the first prophet amongmankind. He fore‐told by prophecy the second coming of Christ to our


world, and his work at that time. (Ellen White, Lettersand Manuscripts, vol. 15, Ms 43, 1900, par. 5)This was not all that Enoch prophesied:

Amid the prevailing corruption, Methuselah, Noah,and many others labored to keep alive the knowledge ofthe true God and to stay the tide of moral evil. A hun‐dred and twenty years before the Flood, the Lord by aholy angel declared to Noah His purpose, and directedhim to build an ark. While building the ark he was topreach that God would bring a flood of water upon theearth to destroy the wicked. Those who would believethe message, and would prepare for that event by repen‐tance and reformation, should find pardon and be saved.Enoch had repeated to his children what God hadshown him in regard to the Flood, and Methuselahand his sons, who lived to hear the preaching of Noah,assisted in building the ark. (EllenWhite, Patriarchs andProphets, p. 92.2; all emphasis supplied unless otherwisenoted)Those who prepared for the flood needed to do so by re‐

pentance and reformation. This is equivalent to justificationand sanctification. Those who would prepare for the floodby repentance and reformation would find pardon and besaved. Enoch had repeated to Methuselah what God hadshown him in regard to the flood, and Methuselah and hissons assisted in building the ark.

MethuselahWho was Methuselah? He was a son of Enoch. His Hebrewname, Methushelach, means man of the weapon and issometimes considered to mean man of the dart or man ofthe javelin. The Greek version of Methushelach is Math‐ousala, meaningwhen he dies there shall be an emission. Anemission means a discharge. Mathousala also can be un‐derstood to mean when he is dead, it shall be sent.

For almost a millennium there was aprophecy about the coming deluge. For three-fifths of the time the earth had existed, therewas a message of warning!

The following chart shows the overlappinglifespans of the early patriarchs. The floodhappened in the 1,656th year of the existenceof the earth. The life of Methuselah comesright to that end; he died the year of the flood.Methuselah’s son, Lamech, died just five yearsbefore the flood. No doubt he helped work onthe ark, also, and that is why neitherMethuse‐lah nor Lamech were in the ark.

The Spirit of Prophecy is in agreement withthese calculations.

Methuselah, the grandfather of Noah, lived until thevery year of the flood, and there were others [Lamach]who believed the preaching of Noah, and aided him inbuilding the ark, who died before the flood of waterscame upon the earth. (EllenWhite, Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3,p. 65.1)That is why Methuselah was not on the ark. He was the

oldest human ever. Perhaps he was too tired and too weakto live through the flood. Perhaps he prefigured anothergroup of people:

Many will be laid away to sleep in Jesus before thefiery ordeal of the time of trouble shall come upon ourworld. (Ellen White, Letters and Manuscripts, vol. 7, Ms26a, 1892, par. 9)The good news is that all who die in the faith of the third

angel’s message will be in the special resurrection to see Je‐sus come in the clouds of glory.

Graves are opened, and “many of them that sleep inthe dust of the earth ... awake, some to everlasting life,and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Daniel12:2. All who have died in the faith of the third angel’smessage come forth from the tomb glorified, to hearGod’s covenant of peace with those who have kept Hislaw. (Ellen White,The Great Controversy, p. 637.1)

NoahIt was not for a lack of a witness that the antediluvians werelost because, most of all, there was Noah the preacher ofrighteousness.

And spared not the old world, but saved Noah theeighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing inthe flood upon the world of the ungodly; (2 Peter 2:5)Noah was and could be a preacher of righteousness be‐

cause he was a just and perfect man:


These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a justman and perfect in his generations, and Noah walkedwith God. (Genesis 6:9)We speak of Enoch walking with God, but Noah also

walked with God. In fact, we are told:

Noah was the most pious and holy of any upon theearth, and was the one whose life God preserved to carryout his will in building the ark and warning the world oftheir coming doom. (White, Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3,p. 65.1)I do not know what that means to you, but if God said

Allen Stump was the most pious and holy man on earth,that would mean everything to me.

Let us not forget that as it was in the days of Noe, so shallit be also in the days of the Son of man. While there will belots of wickedness upon the earth in the last days, God isgoing to have holy, righteous saints, too, at least 144,000,who will perfectly represent the character of Jesus uponthis earth.

My mind goes back to being in the Andrews Universityseminary chapel a few years ago. One of the church’s well-known theologians was speaking, and he said, “I’m so gladthat Jesus will be mediating right until the moment hecomes.” What he was saying, in effect, is that you do nothave to live in the sight of a holy God without a mediator.You do not have to be holy and righteous when Jesuscomes. Perfection of character is not essential for last gen‐eration saints because Jesus is going to make up the differ‐ence until the very moment he comes.

My dear reader, I love God too much to tell you a lie. Iwant you to know the truth, for it is only the truth that canmake you free. The truth is that if you live to the coming ofJesus, you will have to live holy, without a mediator.

Those who are living upon the earth when the inter‐cession of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above areto stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator.Their robes must be spotless, their characters must bepurified from sin by the blood of sprinkling. Throughthe grace of God and their own diligent effort they mustbe conquerors in the battle with evil. (White, The GreatControversy, p. 425.1)Beloved, you will not be able to gain that experience in

just an instant, at the last moment of time. You need tomake a commitment, by the grace of God, to live holy andupright now.

Noah had faith, and his faith worked. He did somethingwith his faith. He built a physical ark of safety, and we needto build a spiritual ark of safety.

Noah understood this principle:

My little children, let us not love in word, neither intongue; but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:18)The building of the ark proved Noah’s faith and love.

What about us?

It is not enough just to talk the talk. We have to walk thewalk. Noah walked the walk, and for one hundred twentyyears he was preaching, and every nail or peg driven intothe ark was a sermon unto itself.

It takes persistence, patience, and a lot of dedication todo that for one hundred twenty years. I have an exerciseprogram I have been on for over four years now. Every dayI exercise. Sometimes it is after sundown on Saturday nightthat it happens. It has taken a good bit of persistence to dofour years without missing a single day. It seems so smallcompared to Noah who, for one hundred twenty years, wasbusy doing God’s work. Noah did not miss a beat. He wasright there with the program, building the ark, and thatproved Noah’s faith and love!

What about us, beloved? Have we allowed COVID–19 tomake us lazy Christians? Instead of getting up early anddressing, traveling to worship with others, do we just lieback in bed in our pajamas and watch the online services?I am thankful that we have online services for those whocannot attend a live service. That is great, but today it iseasy to lie back and watch services and even tomiss the on‐line service altogether because we know a recording will beposted to the Internet!

Noah was a righteous man, and he was a righteous wit‐ness, too. He was a faithful witness, and he was heard!Noah was heard well.

As God sent His servant to warn the world of thecoming Flood, so He sent chosen messengers to makeknown the nearness of the final judgment. And as Noah’scontemporaries laughed to scorn the predictions of thepreacher of righteousness, so in Miller’s day many, evenof the professed people of God, scoffed at the words ofwarning. (White,The Great Controversy, p 339.1)What a parallel! The people were not unaware, intellec‐

tually, that Noah was preaching about the coming flood.They heard him well, but they scoffed and laughed him toscorn. Today, after almost one hundred eighty years, peo‐ple have in their minds even more reason to laugh us toscorn than they did William Miller and his associates.Where is the promise of Christ’s coming, they say. It’s been along time, and Jesus hasn’t come yet. You said his coming wasimminent over one hundred eighty years ago.Where is Jesusnow? Remember, beloved, as it was in the days of Noe, soshall it be also in the days of the Son of man.

The apostle Peter wrote:


Knowing this first, that there shall come in the lastdays scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying,Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathersfell asleep, all things continue as they were from the be‐ginning of the creation. For this they willingly are igno‐rant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old,and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed withwater, perished: (2 Peter 3:3–6)Why does Peter use the the flood as the point of the

scoffers’ mocking? Because the antediluvians mocked, too.

Of the vast population of the earth before the Flood,only eight souls believed and obeyed God’s wordthrough Noah. For a hundred and twenty years thepreacher of righteousness warned the world of the com‐ing destruction, but his message was rejected and de‐spised. So it will be now. Before the Lawgiver shall cometo punish the disobedient, transgressors are warned torepent, and return to their allegiance; but with the ma‐jority these warnings will be in vain. (White, Patriarchsand Prophets, p. 102.2)The church does not need preachers who teach a sloppy

agapē that says you can believe and live any way you want.That is not what we need because if we are found amongthe disobedient when Jesus comes, we will be lost.

Let us think back to Noah’s time. If we had lived in thatday, what would have been the kind of arguments that wewould have heard from the scoffers? They might have said,Well, Noah has been preaching this message a long time, butit has never rained once! It has never rained in 1,656 years.Noah is the leader of a dangerous cult. He only has a few peo‐ple following him. Look at the great majority we have. Hecan’t possibly be right. No doubt the scientists of that timeagreed, declaring that rain coming from the sky was im‐possible. Furthermore, all the pagan priests preachedsmooth sermons, telling the people that all things wouldcontinue as they were from creation.

As it was in the days of NoahThe people of this generation have the accumulated warn‐ings of advent preachers, teachers, ministers, medical mis‐sionary workers, and colporteurs for almost one hundredeighty years. They have the clarion calls of Jospeh Bates,James and EllenWhite, Jones andWaggoner, and, today, byyou and me. The warning has been given.

We do not have long, beloved. The warning has beengiven. How do I know? Let us carefully read and considerthe following statement. It may not be well known or pop‐ular among those who know it, but it speaks truth, and wemust receive truth if we are to be saved.

After the truth has been proclaimed as a witness toall nations, every conceivable power of evil will be set inoperation, and minds will be confused by many voicescrying, “Lo, here is Christ, Lo, he is there. This is thetruth, I have the message from God, he has sent me withgreat light.”Then there will be a removing of the land‐marks, and an attempt to tear down the pillars of ourfaith. A more decided effort will be made to exalt thefalse Sabbath, and to cast contempt uponGod himself bysupplanting the day he has blessed and sanctified. Thisfalse Sabbath is to be enforced by an oppressive law.(Ellen White, The Review and Herald, December 13,1892, par. 2)Has there been a removing of the landmarks and an at‐

tempt to tear down the pillars of our faith? This is well doc‐umented to have been going on since at least the early1930s, gaining great speed with the 1980 statement of fun‐damentals, and peaking today with new theology being thestandard in almost all of the churches.

We are told that a more decided effort will be made to ex‐alt the false Sabbath and to cast contempt upon God himselfby supplanting the day he has blessed and sanctified. Thisfalse Sabbath is to be enforced by an oppressive law. If youthink COVID–19 restrictions are bad, you have not seenanything yet.

Paul writes, concerning Noah:

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things notseen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the sav‐ing of his house; by the which he condemned the world,and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.(Hebrews 11:7)Noah could not see the flood coming with his physical

eyes. Noah did not see the clouds forming. He did not feelthat warm breeze you get in the air when you know it isabout ready to rain, but he had been warned by the word ofGod. We, too, have been warned by the word of God aboutwhat is coming upon this earth and coming very rapidly.Like Noah, we are to move with fear, and by faith we are toprepare, if you please, an ark of safety.

Dear reader, wickedness is present today like in the timeof the flood. Jesus also said “as it was in the days of Lot . . .thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed”(Luke 17:28, 30). Of course, when we think about Lot, wethink about Sodom and its crimes of lust. Today we haveLGBTQ issues, and who knows what will come next?While we have all these lifestyles of indulgence, there is an‐other aspect to this. Noah and his family prepared an arkfor the saving of their souls, and we are today to prepare anark for the saving of our souls.


The ark in the sanctuary was a symbol of the presence ofGod. The ark of Noah was preserved by the power of Godand Christ through the ministry of the holy angels. It wasnot just a representation of safety, it was safety! Today Godwants us to have a personal relationship with him and withhis Son, Jesus Christ, and by doing this we will place our‐selves into an ark of safety because Christ is that ark for ustoday.

Like Noah, not only can we prepare an ark for ourselves,but for our neighbors and families, as well.

All can labor for the salvation of those who are out ofthe ark of safety. When church members stand pledgedto the service of God, pledged to do missionary work,when they take hold of the work unselfishly because theylove the souls for whomChrist has died and are desirousof uniting with the great Medical Missionary, the Lordwill come very near to them to instruct them. Life is fullof opportunities for practical missionaries. Every man,woman, and child can sow each day the seeds of kindwords and unselfish deeds. (Ellen White, Medical Min‐istry, p. 317.2)Was it easy for Noah to build his ark? Not at all.

The building of this immense structure was a slow andlaborious process. On account of the great size of thetrees and the nature of the wood, much more labor wasrequired then than now to prepare timber, even with thegreater strength which men then possessed. (White, Pa‐triarchs and Prophets, p. 92.3)It will take effort for us to build our ark of spiritual safety.

Paul writes:

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, notas in my presence only, but now much more in my ab‐sence, work out your own salvation with fear and trem‐bling. (Philippians 2:12)We have also been told:

But Christ has given us no assurance that to attainperfection of character is an easy matter. A noble, all-round character is not inherited. It does not come to usby accident. A noble character is earned by individualeffort through the merits and grace of Christ. God givesthe talents, the powers of the mind; we form the charac‐ter. It is formed by hard, stern battles with self. Conflictafter conflict must be waged against hereditary tenden‐cies. We shall have to criticize ourselves closely, and al‐low not one unfavorable trait to remain uncorrected.(Ellen White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 331.1)How many unfavorable traits must we correct? Every

one. Not one unfavorable trait may be left, but the goodnews is that God wants to work in you. We are told to work

out our salvation with fear and trembling but right afterthat, we are also told:

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and todo of his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)God wants to work in us, if we will just simply let him.

God is the master workman and if we will surrender ourlives to him, his perfect work will be done.

Perhaps things are holding you back that you know arewrong and, at a minimum, are weights holding you back.Remember the command that we are to “lay aside everyweight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us” (Hebrews12:1). The race ahead is too hard and too long to carry anyextra weight or sin.

One of my favorite texts is 1 John 4:4:

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcomethem: because greater is he that is in you, than he that isin the world.Noah was a just and perfect man. He was “the most pi‐

ous and holy of any upon the earth.” God will have a piousand holy people upon the earth when Jesus comes. Theyare called the 144,000 in Revelation 7 and 14.

Let us strive with all the power that God has given usto be among the hundred and forty-four thousand. Andlet us do all that we can to help others to gain heaven.(Ellen White, The Review and Herald, March 9, 1905,par. 4)You can strive with all the power of your being to be a

part of that people. If you will wage “hard, stern battleswith self,” you will at last, by the power and merits ofChrist, be an overcomer. ✍

2021West VirginiaCampMeeting Report

The 2021West Virginia campmeeting theme, “As It Was inthe Days of Noah,” was a spot-on choice.

After not having a physical camp meeting last year dueto COVID–19, many were eager to physically attend campthis year. We chose late summer, as opposed to early sum‐mer, in the hopes that COVID–19 would be less of an issue;however, we could not know of the Delta variant thatwould come on stronger as the summer progressed.Thankfully, there were no cases of COVID at camp or re‐ported cases after people arrived at their homes. For thiswe give thanks.

The camp opened with the message “And They KnewNot.” This study is included in this issue of Old Paths. (Seepage 14.) Why did the people not know that destruction


was coming?This message, as well as all the rest, was a realblessing.

Brother Robert Motsinger brought two messages thatshowed the parallels of wickedness between the times ofNoah and today.

Dr. Glenn Waite shared information in five health talksabout COVID–19, issues of vaccination, and medical mis‐sionary work.

Pastor Martin Barlow presented the Sabbath worshiptalk, which was entitled “From Babylon to Rome” and cov‐ered some vital points of Ezekiel 8 and 9.

Pastor Daniel Mesa helped to keep the afternoon meet‐ings interesting, and Pastor Thomas Akens brought a verymeaningful sermon to us for our communion service.

The Brown family, with the help of Pastor Isaac Lewin,prepared a youth testimony video.

Another of the highlights of the camp was the foodpreparation classes held by Sisters Raquel Akens andBrooke Motsinger. Such items as coconut milk scallopedpotatoes, fruit pizza, and artichoke salad were demon‐strated and then enjoyed by the campers at lunch.

To find out about all the messages you will just have tolisten to the presentations! All thirty-four of the videosfrom camp meeting are available at our YouTube websiteunder the playlist 2021 West Virginia Camp Meeting.The URL is: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list‐=PLsE-5c918fZHcHtUb-kGIg4-1UBdOizN_. You canalso scan the QR code on page 13 to go straight to theplaylist:

DVDs have also been made and can be requested byDVD number, as given in the accompanying list.

If you did not attend in person, please take time to studythe presentations that are online or available on DVD. I amsure you will be blessed. ✍

List of Presentations

DVD # AUTHOR TITLE

WVCM 2021–01 Thomas Akens Man’s Best Friend andWorst Enemy & InRemembrance of Me

WVCM 2021–02 Martin Barlow The Truth About BabylonWVCM 2021–03 Martin Barlow From Babylon to RomeWVCM 2021–04 Jean-Christophe Bolotte Demonic Possession 1WVCM 2021–05 Jean-Christophe Bolotte Demonic Possession 2, 3WVCM 2021–06 Onycha Holt In the Footsteps of Noah

WVCM 2021–07 Daniel Mesa Familiar Spiritualism &Thrice without a Mediator

WVCM 2021–08 Robert Motsinger Lovers of Pleasure &The Serpent’s SeedWVCM 2021–09 R. Akens and B. Motsinger Cooking with Brooke and Raquel 1, 2WVCM 2021–10 R. Akens and B. Motsinger Cooking with Brooke and Raquel 3WVCM 2021–11 Irina Raylean As in the Days of NoahWVCM 2021–12 David Sims The Days of Noah 1, 2

WVCM 2021–13 Allen Stump AndThey Knew Not & Holiness, Noah,and the Last Generation

WVCM 2021–14 Allen Uhl History and the Days of NoahWVCM 2021–15 Various TestimoniesWVCM 2021–16 GlennWaite The Days of Noah 1, 2, 3WVCM 2021–17 GlennWaite The Days of Noah 4, 5WVCM 2021–18 AndrewWhite The Sufferings of ChristWVCM 2021–19 Michael Woodward Gods of the ImaginationWVCM 2021–20 Youth & Speakers Youth Program and Q&A Session


Old Paths is a free monthly newsletter/study-paper published bySmyrna Gospel Ministries, 750 Smyrna Road, Welch, WV24801–9606 U. S. A. The paper is dedicated to the propagationand restoration of the principles of truth that God gave to theearly Seventh-day Adventist pioneers. Duplication is not onlypermitted, but strongly encouraged.This issue, with other gospelliterature we publish, can be found at our website. The url is:http://www.smyrna.org. Phone: 1–304–732–9204.Editor ...................................... Allen Stump—[email protected] Editor ...................Onycha Holt—[email protected]

Youth Corner—Kim ofKorea

We had gone northeast to plant a Christian mission on thecoast of Korea. We found a home and then announced tothis strange people the object of our coming. On the firstday of meeting, the room was filled and in the farthest cor‐ner sat a little, oldish man, with face afire, listening while Iread. At the close he stood andmade an address of his own.

“This doctrine” said he, “tells a man to hate his fatherand mother and marry his brother’s wife. Wrong? Ofcourse! Away with it! Everybody knows it’s wrong.”

He left indignant, but he came again, and the fiery facegrew pinched with listening. He drank in the words:

“Rest for the wanderer; bread for the hungry; all who aretroubled, come! And the man that was dead heard God’svoice; and the poor outcast woman found that God caredfor her; and the thief, who deserved to die, was promisedheaven; and Jesus himself suffered with his hands nailedthrough and his feet torn, and his garments bedraggledwith blood.”

The tears came, and old Kim was on his feet. With ten‐derness in his voice, he told the people that he did notknow how or why, but the story of Jesus was for him. Hetrusted that his heart was at peace with God, the first timein fifty years.

There was great consternation among the people. Kim’sface was changed, the look of woe upon it was gone and anexpression of peace written upon it. He went to the eldersof the village and told them what had been done for him.They were all upset, and the town was in confusion, forKim prayed so loud at night that he terrified the people.They, in turn, offered sacrifice and cried to their gods tosave the town from the spirit that had entered it.

One, bolder than others, defied God, threatened Kim,and blasphemed in a spirited way, and left for his home un‐derneath the hills. But a great rain came, and a part of thehill slid off and buried the man.Then Kim prayed that Godwould save the people and stop the landslides.

Gradually, from a wicked man, Kim became what all thetownsfolk called a good man. They nicknamed him ChomYung Kam, (Little Old Man). Little he was in the eyes of hiscountrymen, but older than his age in his belief in the lifeto come. Only a year of life on earth remained for him, andit was a hard year of suffering.

“Once,” he said, “I was cutting grass for fuel, and theweariness was so great that I knelt down among the reedsto tell God of it. Then he gave me such peace and such in‐describable delight. Oh! If the people only knew it, theywould all believe in him.”

But we had no suitable meeting house in which the peo‐ple could gather to hear about God, and times were veryhard. I told Kim I feared it was out of the question, but herebuked me, saying:

“Brother! who runs this world?”

With that he went out to the end of the veranda andprayed and shouted so loud that all the people in the towncould hear him. He wanted a meeting house in which topreach the good news, and he thanked God for the promiseof an answer.

Themeeting house is built now, but Kim never saw it, forhis body was sleeping in the dust waiting the resurrectionwhen it was built. To the last he was faithful, and when lifewas nearly ended and strength gone, he gave us who wereleft strength and encouragement.

Death and the resurrection! The wisest seek in vain bywisdom to find out what they are and have to give up thesearch and die forgotten; while a poor, old man who hasnever known anything finds the secret and dies tri‐umphantly.

On a sunny slope among the pines, near his little mudcabin, there is a green mound that marks his grave. Weknew him less than two years. He was a poor, backwoodsKorean, but his going meant loneliness to us and his mem‐ory brings the tears. (James Gale, “Kim of Korea,” FiftyMis‐sion Stories, Belle M Brain, ed.; 1903) ✍

Coast of South Korea (Republic of Korea_flickr)

Documents

ThesecretoftheL iswiththemthat fear him; and he will shew