The Undercover Adventist

  Church discipline can be one of the most difficult responsibilities a congregation faces. When someone has openly sinned or seriously harmed others, the church must respond. Yet Scripture shows that discipline is never supposed to be driven by anger, revenge, embarrassment, or a desire to punish. At its heart, biblical discipline should be an expression of love that seeks restoration . The church in Corinth had experienced a painful situation involving an offender. Paul had previously urged them to take action, and the congregation had responded. But now Paul encouraged them to move beyond discipline toward restoration. He wrote, “Ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such an one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow” (2 Corinthians 2:7, KJV). Then he added, “Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him” (2 Corinthians 2:8). That is a remarkable instruction. The same church that had been called to confront wrongdoing was now cal...

  How War, the Sabbath, and Military Service Divided Adventism The Seventh-day Adventist Church is often thought of as a single worldwide denomination, but its history contains a major and painful division that began during World War I . The controversy was not primarily about the Trinity, the Sabbath, Ellen G. White, or the Second Coming. It centered on a much more immediate question: Could a Seventh-day Adventist take part in war, carry a weapon, kill an enemy, and perform military duties on the Sabbath if the government required it? The answer given by some Adventist leaders in Europe in 1914 produced one of the most serious crises in Adventist history. Those who rejected that position were expelled from Adventist churches, and eventually a separate body emerged that became known as the Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement . Today, both groups still exist. The mainstream Seventh-day Adventist Church has millions of members worldwide, while the Reform Movement is a much smal...

  Misunderstood, But Still Faithful Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:18–22 Have you ever done something with the best intentions, only to have someone misunderstand your motives? You tried to help, but they thought you were being selfish. You tried to avoid making a situation worse, but they thought you did not care. Few things are more painful than having sincere motives questioned. Paul knew that pain. Paul had carefully planned his visits to Corinth, but circumstances changed. After receiving a troubling report about the church, he changed his plans. He eventually made a visit, but it was painful. Rather than immediately returning and risking making the situation worse, Paul went back to Ephesus and wrote them a letter. His decision was misunderstood by some Corinthians. They accused him of being unreliable and suggested that his changing plans meant he did not love them. But Paul explained that his intentions were not driven by selfishness or indifference. In fact, his decision not t...

  The resurrection is one of the central teachings of the Christian faith. In 1 Corinthians 15, the apostle Paul gives one of the clearest and most comprehensive explanations in the Bible of what the resurrection means, why it matters, and what believers can look forward to when Christ returns. Paul’s message is especially important because Christian hope is not based merely on the idea of life continuing after death. It is based on the promise that God will raise the dead and give His people immortal, transformed bodies. The Resurrection of Jesus Is the Foundation of Christian Faith Paul begins by reminding the Corinthians of the gospel he preached to them. At the heart of that gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul declares that Christ “was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:4). The resurrection of Jesus is not presented as a minor part of Christianity. It is foundational. Paul explains that if ...

“For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity…we have had our conversation in the world.” — 2 Corinthians 1:12 Few things are more painful than having our motives questioned when we know our intentions were sincere. We may have tried to help, encourage, serve, or do what we believed was right, only to have someone interpret our actions in the worst possible way. Even when we can explain ourselves, the experience can leave us frustrated and wounded. Paul knew something about this. In 2 Corinthians 1, some of the believers in Corinth had apparently questioned his sincerity because he had changed his travel plans. What Paul intended as a decision made with care was interpreted by some as inconsistency or unreliability. Instead of responding with anger, Paul explained his heart and appealed to the integrity of his conscience. He wrote, “For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity…we...