Good Works — Evil Works
Adventists claim and believe that they would sin if they worked on the Sabbath, and claim that anyone who works on the Sabbath sins.
Jesus said good works are lawful on the Sabbath; not sin, and He contrasted good works with evil works.
So to reiterate, Adventists admit that were they to work on the Sabbath, they sin. So they refrain from working on the Sabbath, so as to not sin. They admit their works are sin; sinful works, on the Sabbath.
Sin, from the Greek “hamartia” – ‘missing the mark’ in relation to the glory of God, ALSO is the Greek, “anomia” which is translated into three different English words: lawlessness, evil, and iniquity. This is what 1John 3:4 relates, so that sin; missing the mark, is also lawlessness, evil, and sin.
What Adventism does is further define “lawlessness” to mean it is only in the context of the Decalogue; the 10 Commandments, to the exclusion of any other lawlessness, iniquity, or sin.
It also would have to mean that when a Greek speaking person in a Greece were to use “anomia” it would be lawlessness also in relation to the Decalogue of the Hebrews, which is quite a stretch way beyond credibility. They had their own laws and would have had no interest or even knowledge of the laws of other countries, let along the law of Israel and the Hebrews.
Getting back to what God Incarnate said publicly, good works were lawful; not lawlessness, on the Sabbath; a lawfulness He contrasted to lawlessness, evil, and iniquitous works, so that, if you worked on the Sabbath and God charged you with sin, it would be because your works were evil; lawlessness and iniquity, as contrasted to good works; lawful works. Works that did not fall into the category of lawlessness, evil, and iniquitous.
But Adventism insists that some otherwise good works if performed on the Sabbath result in those same works being lawless, sinful, and iniquitous.
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! — Isaiah 5:20
Now for a question that shouldn’t be difficult to answer… who would call good works evil, and evil works good? A good person, or an evil person?
An evil person, who will in turn attempt to define evil and good works in relation to the Sabbath, instead of the merits of the works themselves and those performing the works based upon their motive of heart for doing so.
Good Works
The evil person’s perception is based on appearance. They “see” someone working on the Sabbath works that they themselves have not concluded to be exempt from the prohibition against working on the Sabbath. Their perception is that it is the law that makes the determination, and not them, when in fact it is really them and their lawless use and abuse of the law.
If you are not an Adventist, then you are the target of charges of sins against the “law of God” where they wield it unlawfully in order to accuse and persecute those God has declared righteous, and whose works now, wrought in the Spirit, are seen by God who judges according to the heart and not the law, as good works, ONLY — Christians who are now “good trees” producing ONLY good fruits to the glory and honor of God.
When Jesus performed miracles, there were times the people who witnessed them gave glory to God for the miracles they witnessed. But the Pharisees who taught the law, only, did not so celebrate and give glory to God. They attributed the miracles to the devil and the works of the devil, with Jesus being a spawn of the devil. Good works, even miraculous works He performed intentionally on the Sabbath exposed their evil hearts for all to see, where they declared good works evil, sinful, lawless and iniquitous.
A good heart, provided by God Himself, results in good works done to the glory of the God who gave them the good heart; aka His Holy Spirit that converts a person into a new creation, led now by the Spirit, and no longer the flesh, where those led by their flesh and evil heart, could only produce evil works or fruits.
And this, according to Adventism, is twisting Scripture, which is much more easy to do than try to refute good works being the fruits of those led by the Holy Spirit in an attempt to continue to defend how an otherwise good work one day is a sin if performed on their sabbath.
Good works are always good works. Evil works are always evil works. Good hearted people with the new heart from God produce only good works, and evil hearted people who lack God’s Holy Spirit produce only evil works, and it was the evil hearted Hebrews with a deceitful heart of stone; an evil heart of unbelief, who were given the law with the Sabbath commandment where they were to refrain from their evil works of the flesh, born of an evil heart.
Wherever you read "Adventist" feel free to plug in your flavor of Sabbatarianism
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It is important that you understand; Everything on this blog is based on the current understanding of each author. Never take anyone's word for it, always prove it for yourself, it is your responsibility. You cannot ride someone else's coattail into the Kingdom. ; )
Acts 17:11
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