Authority of the Church and General Conference

 

Scripture:

Scripture alone contains all the knowledge, commandments, and warnings that are needed for human beings living on the earth, even in the last days. The Holy Spirit has been given as the final authority and guide for each individual for discernment of truth.

  • "All scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; so the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17

 

  • "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away." Mark 13:31

 

  • "Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105

 

  • "If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:31-32

 

  • "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." John 14:25-26

 

  • "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth." John 16:13

 

Ellen G. White:

Ellen stated in 1875 while her husband James was still the presiding General Conference president, Ellen claimed God had ordained the General Conference as the highest authority that God had on the earth. Later, and interestingly when James was no longer the presiding president, Ellen disregarded the authority of the General Conference. The General Conference is a man-made construct and holds no more authority than the Papacy or any other church body. Scripture teaches that the promised Holy Spirit is to be the guide above any human organization. Ellen's added instructions in "present truth" are not in agreement with scripture. 

  • "I have been shown that no man's judgment should ever be surrendered to the judgment of any one man. But when the judgment of the General Conference, which is the highest authority that God has upon the earth, is exercised, private independence and private judgement must not be maintained, but surrendered." Testimonies to the Church, vol 3, p. 492-493 (1875) https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/14042.264#265 

 

Ellen later renounces her faith in the General Conference , despite her message from God beforehand:

 

  • "I feel a special interest in the movements and decisions that shall be made at this Conference regarding the things that should have been done years ago, and especially ten years ago, when we were assembled in Conference, and the Spirit and power of God came into our meeting, testifying that God was ready to work for this people if they would come into working order. The brethren assented to the light God had given, but there were those connected with our institutions, especially with the Review and Herald Office and the Conference, who brought in elements of unbelief, so that the light that was given was not acted upon. It was assented to, but no special change was made to bring about such a condition of things that the power of God could be revealed among his people. The light then given me was that this people should stand higher than any other people on the face of the whole earth, that they should be a loyal people, a people who would rightly represent truth. The sanctifying power of the truth, revealed in their lives, was to distinguish them from the world. They were to stand in moral dignity, having such a close connection with heaven that the Lord God of Israel could give them a place in the earth." ..."Men who have not learned to submit themselves to the control and discipline of God, are not competent to train the youth, to deal with human minds. It is just as much an impossibility for them to do this work as would be for them to make a world. That these men should stand in a sacred place, to be as the voice of God to the people, as we once believed the General Conference to be, -that is past. What we want now is a reorganization. We want to begin at the foundation, and to build upon a different principle." Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 9, p. 260 (1909) https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/703.2#33 

 

Ellen stated that the church as an organization religion was the voice of God, and was authoritative over an individual's personal convictions. As much as the SDA teachings warn against Catholicism, these statements deeply coincide with Catholic teachings regarding the church's authority. 

  • "God has invested His church with special authority and power which no one can be justified in disregarding and despising, for in so doing he despises the voice of God." Testimonies for the Church 3:417 (1875). https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/39.238#268 

 

  • "God has bestowed the highest power under heaven upon His church. It is the voice of God in His united people in church capacity which is to be respected." Testimonies for the Church 3:451 (1875) https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/39.238#268 

 

  • "I tell you, my brethren, the Lord has an organized body through whom He will work.... When anyone is drawing apart from the organized body of God’s commandment-keeping people, when he begins to weigh the church in his human scales and begins to pronounce judgment against them, then you may know that God is not leading him. He is on the wrong track." Selected Messages, Vol 3, p.17-18 (1893). https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/39.238#295 
    • In other words, let no one use their individual judgment to discern and disagree with the decisions of the church; no different that the catholic church. 

 

  • “God has a church on earth who are lifting up the downtrodden law, and presenting to the world the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world." ..."There is but one church in the world who are at the present time standing in the breach and making up the hedge, building up the old waste places." ..."Let all be careful not to make an outcry against the only people who are fulfilling the description given of the remnant people, who keep the commandments of God and have faith in Jesus."..."God has a distinct people, a church on earth, second to none, but superior to all in their facilities to teach the truth, to vindicate the law of God." ..."My brother, if you are teaching that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is Babylon, you are wrong." Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 50, 58, 59 (1893) https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/39.238#240 
    • Ellen ignored the fact that there was another denomination who was "keeping the commandments of God" in terms of honoring the Sabbath; namely, the Seventh Day Baptists. This denomination was formed and had been keeping sabbath for nearly two centuries prior to Seventh-day Adventists. In-fact, it was because of a Seventh Day Baptist woman named Rachel Oakes Preston that Joseph Bates learned of keeping the Sabbath, whom subsequently taught many Adventists on the subject, including Ellen and James White. The entire SDA organization owes a thank you to the Seventh Day Baptists for first teaching them of Sabbath obedience. 

 

  • “Some have advanced the thought that, as we near the close of time, every child of God will act independently of any religious organization. But I have been instructed by the Lord that in this work there is no such thing as every man’s being independent.” [From manuscript read before the delegates at the General Conference Session, Washington, D.C., May 30, 1909.] Testimonies for the Church, Vol 9, p. 257-258 (1909). https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/39.238#265 

 

  • “The men who have been connected with the greatest interest upon this earth have tainted and corrupted the work of God. The instrumentalities which He designs shall be used in advancing His cause have been used to forward unlawful schemes, which are in direct opposition to the work which God has specified as His. God has been forsaken by the men who have voiced decisions regarding His work, which has thereby become entangled. Men have seemed determined to place the mold and superscription of their human wisdom upon the work of God. They refused to be worked by the Holy Spirit, and brought in their own wisdom and devising. The result of this has been in various ways. The sacred character of the cause of God is no longer realized at the center of the work. The voice from Battle Creek, which has been regarded as authority in counseling how the work should be done, is no longer the voice of God; but it is the voice of—whom? From whence does it come, and where is its vital power? This state of things is maintained by men who should have been disconnected from the work long ago. These men do not scruple to quote the word of God as their authority, but the God who is leading them is a false god.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, p. 185  https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/63.974#997 
    • By Ellen claiming the voice from Battle Creek was no longer the voice of God, she shows that at one point beforehand it was to be considered as the voice of God.