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Doing Theology: Appeals To Human Authority-1
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August 31 - Doing Theology: Appeals To Human Authority-1

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What saith The scripture? Rom. 4:3.

What does the Bible have to say on the topic? That was the query of Paul as he thought about righteousness by faith in the book of Romans. It had also been the question of the early Sabbatarian Adventist. A people radically committed to the Bible, they had refused to use tradition, church authority, academic expertise, or any other form of religious authority to settle their theological inquiries. THey were a people of one Book.

Things had changed among the Adventist leadership by the late 1880s. In the Minneapolis era they would seek to use at least four forms of human authority to settle the theological contreoversies troubling the church.

The first centered on authoritative position. The iron-willed Butler particularly found himself susceptible to that approach. His concept of leaders having "clearer views" and more important positions than followers, set him up for authoritative abuses. Ellen White chided him in October 1888 for favoring those who agreed with him, while looking with suspicion on those who "do not feel obliged to receive their impressions and ideas from human beings, [acting] only as they act, [talking] only as they talk, [thinking] only as they think, and in fact, [making] themselves little less than machines"(Lt 21, 1888).

The General Conference president's approach in encouraging Adventists "to look to one man to think for them, to be conscience for them" had in the eyes of Mrs. White created too many weaklings who were "unable to stand at their post of duty"(Lt 14, 1891).

Denigrating authoritative position in doctrinal and biblical issues, Ellen White pointed out in December 1888 that "we should not consider that either Elder Butler on Elder Smith are the guardians of the doctrines for Seventh-day Adventists, and that no one may dare to express an idea that differs from theirs. My cry has been: Investigate the Scriptures for yourselves. . .No man is to be authority for us"(Lt 7, 1888; italics supplied).

And so it is. God's Word as found in the Bible is the authority for every Christian. It was so in 1888. And it is still so today. With that in mind, we with the apostle Paul need to begin each day with a "What saith the Scripture?"

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The essence of all righteousness is loyalty to our Redeemer. This will lead us to do right because it is right-because right doing is pleasing to God(COL 97).
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