Sola Scriptura upholds the Sabbath!

The early Protestant Christians held to what they called the "Five Solas". Let's look at them.

1.) SOLA SCRIPTURA (Scripture Alone) [This would include the true Saturday Sabbath]

2.) SOLA GRATIA (Grace Alone)

3.) SOLA FIDE (Faith Alone)

4.) SOLUS CHRISTUS (Christ Alone)

5.) SOLI DEO GLORIA (Glory Of God Alone)

And to all five the Seventh Day Adventist Church holds! The word "protestant" means to "protest". What were these Christians protesting? They were protesting against the "babylonian" false teachings of the Roman Church. Seventh Day Adventist's are still protesting against this power, many churches have stopped protesting. Thus, false teachings are still entering the Christian Church.

The first of the "five solas" is, SOLA SCRIPTURA. This is what it means; The inerrant Scripture is the sole source of written divine revelation,which alone can bind the conscience. The Bible alone teaches all that is necessary for our salvation from sin and is the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured.

The Seventh Day Adventist Church has been falsely blamed of not believing in this "sola" because we believe in the "gift of prophecy". As Seventh Day Adventist Christians we do not believe that the New Testament gift of prophecy add's anything to the teachings of the Scriptures and we believe that it cannot ever add anything to the completed 66 books of the Protestant Cannon.

Adventist author Ellen G. White states this very clearly in her own writings. Let's look at some of her statements;

"The word of God is sufficient to enlighten the most beclouded mind and may be understood by those who have any desire to understand it. . . . To leave men and women without excuse God gives plain and pointed testimonies, bringing them back to the word that they have neglected" (2T 454, 455).

"The written testimonies [Ellen's writings] are not to give new light, but to impress vividly upon the heart the truths of inspiration already revealed" (ibid. 605).

Ellen White referred to her counsels as "a lesser light to lead men and women to the greater light" (Review and Herald 80:15, Jan. 20, 1903).

"The Spirit was not given--nor can it ever be bestowed--to supersede the Bible; for the Scriptures explicitly state that the word of God is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested" (GC vii).

Her writings are a gift to the church to edify and uplift it. To encourage the body of Christ is why her gift of prophecy was given. Here we need to understand that no Seventh Day Adventist Christian need's the writings of Ellen G. White, John Calvin, Martin Luther, or any other reformer to teach what the Bible teaches.

God has sent reformers and the NT gift of prophecy to help guide His church. The Holy Spirit alone is our ultimate teacher! And to this all true Seventh Day Adventist's hold!


Ellen G White's chief burden was to direct attention to the Holy Scriptures. She wrote: "Little heed is given to the Bible, and the Lord has given a lesser light to lead men and women to the greater light" (Review and Herald, January 20, 1903). She believed that although her writings are a "lesser light," they are light, and that the source of this light is God.

This being said, this would mean that if one truly believes in the "Scriptures Alone" for their rule of faith they would recognize that the Sabbath of the Lord God is Saturday! The "sunday" sabbath was added...it is not a sola scriptura teaching! As Seventh Day Adventist Christian's we protest against the Papal heresies!

So where did the "false sabbath" come from? Let's look;

"Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change (Saturday Sabbath to Sunday) was her act... And the act is a MARK of her ecclesiastical authority in religious things.” H.F. Thomas, Chancellor of Cardinal Gibbons.

"Sunday is our MARK of authority. . .the church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact" Catholic Record of London, Ontario Sept 1,1923.

"Perhaps the boldest thing, the most revolutionary change the Church ever did, happened in the first century. The holy day, the Sabbath, was changed from Saturday to Sunday. "The day of the Lord" was chosen, not from any direction noted in the Scriptures, but from the Church's sense of its own power .... People who think that the Scriptures should be the sole authority, should logically become Seventh-day Adventists, and keep Saturday holy." (Saint Catherine Church Sentinel, Algonac, Michigan, May 21, 1995.)

"The [Catholic] Church took the pagan philosophy and made it the buckler of faith against the heathen. She took the pagan Roman Pantheon, temple of all the gods, and made it sacred to all the martyrs; so it stands to this day. She took the pagan Sunday and made it the Christian Sunday. She took the pagan Easter and made it the feast we celebrate during this season . . . The Sun was a foremost god with heathendom . . . The sun has worshipers at this hour in Persia and other lands . . . Hence the Church would seem to say, 'Keep that old pagan name [Sunday]. It shall remain consecrated, sanctified.' And thus the pagan Sunday, dedicated to Balder, became the Christian Sunday, sacred to Jesus"--William L. Gildea, "Paschale Gaudium," in The Catholic World, 58, March, 1894, p. 809 [A Roman Catholic weekly].

"Some non-Catholics object to Purgatory because there is no specific mention of it in Scripture. There is no specific mention of the word Sunday in Scripture [either]. The Sabbath is mentioned, but Sabbath means [a keeping of] Saturday. Yet the Christians of almost all denominations worship on Sunday not on Saturday. The Jews observe Saturday. Nowhere in the Bible is it stated that worship should be changed from Saturday to Sunday."--Martin J. Scott, Things Catholics are Asked About, 1927, p.236 [Roman Catholic].

"It is quite clear that however rigidly or devotedly we may spend Sunday, we are not keeping the Sabbath . . . The Sabbath was founded on a specific, divine command. We can plead no such command for the observance of Sunday . . . There is not a single line in the New Testament to suggest that we incur any penalty by violating the supposed sanctity of Sunday."--Dr. R. Dale, The Ten Commandments, p. 106-107 [British Congregationalist].

"And where are we told in the Scriptures that we are to keep the first day at all? We are commanded to keep the seventh; but we are nowhere commanded to keep the first day. The reason why we keep the first day of the week holy instead of the seventh is for the same reason that we observe many other things, not because the Bible, but because the church, has enjoined [commanded] it."--Isaac Williams, Plain Sermons on the Catechism, vol 1, pp. 334, 336 [Anglican].

"The Roman [Catholic] Church reversed the Fourth Commandment by doing away with the Sabbath of God's Word, and instituting Sunday as a holiday"--Nicholas Summerbell, History of the Christian Church, 3rd edition, 1873, p. 415 [Christian Church (Christian Connection)].

"Sunday is a Catholic institution and its claim to observance can be defended only on Catholic principles .... From beginning to end of Scripture there is not a single passage that warrants the transfer of weekly public worship from the last day of the week to the first." (Catholic Press, Sydney, Australia, August, 1990.)

Question: How prove you that the church had power command feasts and holydays?Answer: By the very fact of changing the Sabbath into Sunday, which Protestants allow of; and therefore they fondly contradict themselves by keeping Sunday strictly, and keep most other feasts commanded by the same church.Question: Have any other way of proving that the church has power to institute festivals precept?Answer: Had she not such power, she could not a done that in which all modern religionists agree with her;-she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday the first day of the way, for the observance of Saturday the seventh day of the week, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority. "-Stephen Keenan, a doctrinal catechism, p. 174

"It was the Catholic church by the authority of Jesus Christ, which has transferred this rest to Sunday in remembrance of the resurrection of our Lord. Therefore the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the Catholic church." - Mgr, Segur Plain Talk about Protestantism of today page 213

"From this we may understand how great is the authority of the church in interpreting or explaining to us the commandments of God- an authority which is acknowledged by the universal practice of the whole Christian world, even of those sects profess to take the holy Scriptures as their sole rule of faith, since they observe as the day of rest not the seventh day of the week demanded by the Bible, but the first day. Which we know is to be kept holy, only from the tradition and teaching of the Catholic church." - Henry Gibson "Catechism Made Easy" No 2 ninth edition volume one pp. 341, 342 Authoritative quotations on the Sabbath and Sunday.

"Reason and sense demand the acceptance of one or the other of these alternatives: either Protestantism and the keeping holy of Saturday Catholicism and the keeping holy of Sunday. Compromise is impossible. -James Cardinal Gibbons. Catholic mirror, December 23, 1893

So as the Seventh Day Adventist Church points out, those who claim "Sola Scriptura" and argue for Sunday sabbath observance are not really "Sola Scriptura" after all.

Lets look at the second "sola". SOLA GRATIA. This simply means; In salvation we are rescued from God's wrath by His grace alone. It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that brings us to Christ by releasing us from our bondage to sin and raising us from spiritual death to spiritual life.

We deny that salvation is in any sense a human work. Human methods, techniques or strategies by themselves cannot accomplish this transformation. Faith is not produced by our unregenerated human nature.

To this all true Seventh Day Adventist Christian's hold! Look what Adventist author Ellen G. white has said regarding this issue;

"We do not earn salvation by our obedience; for salvation is the free gift of God, to be received by faith." [from SC]

"We look to self, as though we had power to save ourselves; but Jesus died for us because we are helpless to do this." [from SM1p.351]

"My brethren, are you expecting that your merit will recommend you to favor of God, thinking that you must be free from sin before you trust His power to save? If this is the struggle going on in your mind, I fear you will gain no strength, and will finally become discouraged." [from SM1p.351]

What about the third sola? SOLA FIDE. This simply means; Justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. In justification Christ's righteousness is imputed to us as the only possible satisfaction of God's perfect justice.

We deny that justification rests on any merit to be found in us, or upon the grounds of an infusion of Christ's righteousness in us, or that an institution claiming to be a church that denies or condemns sola fide can be recognized as a legitimate church.

This does not mean that good works will not show in the character of a Christian. Truly there is no such thing as “instantaneous” sanctification. True sanctification is the work of the Christian. It is a life long work. What is gifted to us to help along our growing path is the “righteousness of Christ” and the “grace of Christ Jesus”.

These [faith,righteousness,justification] are given to us by the Holy Spirit, our Divine Comforter. True “born again” Christians have the Holy Spirit to help guide them along the way.

Ellen G. White has said;

“It is the righteousness of Christ that makes the penitent sinner acceptable to God and works his justification. However sinful has been his life, if he believes in Jesus as his personal Saviour, he stands before God in the spotless robes of Christ’s imputed righteousness.” SignsTimes.1892-July, EGW

What about the fourth sola? SOLUS CHRISTUS. This simply means; Salvation is accomplished by the mediatorial work in the sanctuary of Heaven by the true and historical Christ alone. His sinless life and substitutionary atonement alone are sufficient for our justification and reconciliation to the Father.

We deny that the gospel is preached if Christ's substitutionary work is not declared and faith in Christ and his work is not solicited.

Ellen G. White pointed to Christ alone! Only He can save us! Look what she said;

"The sacrifice of Christ as an atonement for sin is the great truth around which all other truths cluster. In order to be rightly understood and appreciated, every truth in the Word of God, from Genesis to Revelation, must be studied in the light that streams from the cross of Calvary. I present before you the great, grand monument of mercy and regeneration, salvation and redemption--the Son of God uplifted on the cross" (Gospel Workers, p. 315.)

“It is impossible for us, of ourselves, to escape from the pit of sin in which we are sunken. Our hearts are evil, and we cannot change them. “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.” “The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” Job 14:4; Romans 8:7. Education, culture, the exercise of the will, human effort, all have their proper sphere, but here they are powerless. They may produce an outward correctness of behavior, but they cannot change the heart; they cannot purify the springs of life. There must be a power working from within, a new life from above, before men can be changed from sin to holiness. That power is Christ. His grace alone can quicken the lifeless faculties of the soul, and attract it to God, to holiness. ” -Ellen White [from SC]

The final and fifth "sola", SOLI DEO GLORIA. This simply means; Salvation is of God and has been accomplished by God, it is for God's glory and that we must glorify Him always. We must live our entire lives before the face of God, under the authority of God and for his glory alone.

We deny that we can properly glorify God if our worship is confused with entertainment, if we neglect either Law or Gospel in our preaching, or if self-improvement, self-esteem or self-fulfillment are allowed to become alternatives to the gospel.

Seventh Day Adventist Christians believe in the on-going process of spiritual growth and development of Christian character. We call this process, progressive sanctification. We understand that it is by God's unmerited grace alone that this process is even possible.

Ellen G. White has said;

"God does not give us up because of our sins. We may make mistakes, and grieve His Spirit; but when we repent, and come to Him with contrite hearts, He will not turn us away." [from SM1p.350]

Christian author Ellen White has also said; “The closer you come to Jesus, the more faulty you will appear in your own eyes; for your vision will be clearer, and your imperfections will be seen in broad and distinct contrast to His perfect nature. This is evidence that Satan’s delusions have lost their power; that the vivifying influence of the Spirit of God is arousing you.” SC.065.001

There are so many other things that have been written by true Christians on these important subjects that not all of them could be read in one lifetime. I hope I have answered your questions regarding what Seventh Day Adventist Christians believe regarding the five solas!

May God richly bless you in your studies of His sacred Word.

Written by Eric W. King [December 22,2007]

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