God's Magnificent Eight: 8 Essential Non-negotiable Pillars of the Faith Centered in Christ

By Dr. Ernan Norman

“AND SAMPSON SAID TO THE YOUNG MAN WHO HELD HIM BY THE HAND, ‘LET ME FEEL THE PILLARS ON WHICH THE HOUSE RESTS, THAT I MAY LEAN AGAINST THEM’” (Judges 16:26, ESV)

Mark Finely has rightly said that there are “seven basic teachings” on which God has built His church. “Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn out her seven pillars.” These seven pillars are essential, and “the non-negotiables:”

Scripture (John 17:17)

Salvation (John 3:16)

Second Coming (John 14:1-3)

Sabbath (John 14:15)

State of the Dead (John 11:11-26)

Sanctuary (John 17:4, 11, 24)

Holy Spirit and Spirit of Prophecy (John 14:15-17)

(Prov. 9:1; Mark Finely, Solid Ground, p. 374)

“The house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” is built on these seven pillars, 1 Tim. 3:15. Because of this, Dr. Norman identifies the church as an eight pillar. This eight pillar rests on the other seven “non-negotiables.” These “non-negotiables” are in turn rooted and grounded in Christ, and they define who we are as a biblical community of faith.

Tragically though, great uncertainty concerning the pillars abound. The “non-negotiables” are under assault. And this assault will intensify as a mighty sifting sieve. “Those who seek to remove the old landmarks . . . bring in theories that would remove the pillars of our faith concerning the sanctuary . . . [they are] working as blind men . . . [they are] seeking to bring in uncertainties and to set the people of God adrift without an anchor,” (E. G. White, Manuscript Release No. 760. P. 9, 1905).

If there ever was a time, we needed the resolve of Sampson, it is now! The author hopes that this book will inspire this resolve—a resolve that will lead us back to the pillars; back to the “non-negotiables.” Like Sampson, may we feel the pillars once again, and lean on “the non-negotiables” centered in Christ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781645845935

Book preview

Pillar No. 1

The Scriptures

The Scriptures

The Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, are an eternal and essential source of truth. They are variously referred to as the Word of God or the Holy Bible. Jesus validated both the authenticity and the salvific nature of the Scriptures when He prayed, Sanctify them by Your truth, Your word is truth, and He also confronts us with the central testimony of Scripture by stating, You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. Jesus also taught that His Word is the means by which we come to a knowledge of the truth, and consequently, we are set free from the power of sin in our lives: Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed in Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free’ (John 17:17, 5:39, 8:31–32, NKJV).

The Bible is a nonnegotiable source of truth, and its message bears testimony to Christ who is the truth. God Himself has identified the Old and the New Testaments as being His two witnesses or the two anointed ones, ‘And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.’ These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth (Rev. 11:3–4). Note, the apostle John, under the full inspiration of the Holy Spirit, borrowed this symbolism from the conversation between the angel and the prophet in Zechariah 4:1–14.

While as of yet the New Testament had not been written in Zechariah’s time, the significance of the symbolism of two olive trees and the golden lampstands would be different to some degree, as pertained to the work to be accomplished under the leadership of Zerubbabel and that of Joshua—the one (Zerubbabel) represents the civil leadership and administration of the nation, and the other (Joshua) represents its religious leadership. Within that present context, the angel answered the question posed by the prophet, Then I asked the angel who was speaking with me, ‘What are these, my Lord?’ ‘Don’t you know what they are?’ replied the angel who was talking with me. I said, ‘No, my Lord.’ So he answered me, ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by strength or by might, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts (Zech. 4:4–6, HCSB).

The efficiency and success of the work to be realized under the leadership of both Zerubbabel and Joshua were not by human effort and ingenuity, but by the light and power imparted by the Holy Spirit to human instrumentalities. Thus, the symbolism of the two olive trees that poured oil into the golden lampstands signified the light and power that is imparted by God’s Holy Spirit.

In Revelation 11:4, John employs the symbolism of the two olive trees, paralleling them with the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. This indicates that he is identifying the two witnesses as the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament.¹

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and while in apocalyptic vision, John saw the difficult task facing these anointed instrumentalities personified as the two witnesses, the two lampstands, and the two olive trees. John used these symbols to represent the Old and New Testaments by applying the principle of repetition and enlargement, within a wider cosmic context.

In this wider cosmic context, the work that is now carried forward by these two witnesses is their prophetic message concerning God’s new covenant plan for a new Israel. Under the new covenant, the original intent of God’s salvific plan is realized by transcending the old theocracy defined by a specific geographical boundary—national Israel. The prophetic witness of these two witnesses also announces that we are saved by grace through faith in the atoning blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Their prophetic witness is the basis of the Protestant motto of sola gratia, sola fide, sola scriptura—grace alone, faith alone, Scripture alone. Theirs was and still is a witness to the everlasting gospel, announcing a new spiritual relationship in Christ alone. Their prophetic witness signal that God’s salvific plan has no place for man-made traditions contained in pagan teachings and heathen religions. They thundered against the edicts of popes, papal indulgences, vain pilgrimages, humiliating penances, oft-repeated fasts, cruel scourging, midnight vigils, and a vast corrupt system of salvation by works. Their prophetic witness has no place for racial, national, political, social, ethnic, religious, or linguistic barriers—it is for both Jew and Gentile. Even though they bore testimony clothed in sackcloth, their prophetic voices heralded the glad tidings of God’s wonderful salvation that is free to all and upon all them that believe.

John identifies the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments (the inspired written testimony of apostles and prophets) as the two candlesticks, the two olive trees, the two anointed ones, the two witnesses, that stand before the God of the whole earth. They bear witness to Christ by prophesying to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. Like Zerubbabel and Joshua, these two witnesses faced trying circumstances and will yet continue to do so; they prophesied and will prophesy clothed in sackcloth. During the time of their testimony (referred to in Rev. 11), Christ’s faithful followers were oppressed and persecuted, lasting some 1,260 prophetic days. (See Rev. 11:3.) Just as the Holy Spirit imparted light and power to Zerubbabel and his companions in order that they might be effective and successful during their efforts for ancient Israel, so also the Holy Spirit imparted light and power to God’s downtrodden and persecuted people, in order that they might bear an effective and convicting witness by means of the then absconded Scriptures.

Be it known that the Word of God at the time here mentioned was held in obscurity. The masses of people were forbidden to read it by order of the established church on pain of death. Indeed, the Scriptures bore testimony clothed as it were in sackcloth, yes, they did. Ellen G. White addresses the contempt placed on the Word of God at that time:

The Bible was hated, and efforts were made to rid the earth of it. The people were forbidden to read it, on pain of death; and all the copies which could be found were burned… God had a special care for His Word. He protected it. At different periods there were but a few copies of the Bible in existence, yet He would not suffer His Word to be lost, for in the last days copies of it were to be multiplied that every family could possess it…there were but few copies of the Bible, it was precious and comforting to the persecuted followers of Jesus. It was read in the most secret manner, and those who had this exalted privilege felt that they had an interview with God, with His Son Jesus, and with His disciples. But this blessed privilege cost many of them their lives. If discovered, they were taken to the headman’s block, to the steak, or to the dungeon to die of starvation.²

In Revelation 11:3, John addresses this dark hour in the history of the experience of the true followers of Christ and states that God "[gave] power to [His] two witnesses [Old and New Testaments], and they…[prophesied for] one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth." During that period, God’s purposes in saving mankind, in bringing light and truth to those in darkness, and under severe persecution were accomplished not by mere human effort (and notwithstanding the iron fist of Rome in suppressing the Scriptures) but by His own Spirit and by His own power.

Yes, the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are God’s two witnesses that testify of Him; His love and mercy; His justice and holiness; His righteousness and peace; His wisdom and goodness; His precious salvation offered freely in Christ; these and so much more! Their central witness is that of Christ; He is the center of all Scripture: And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself (Luke 24:27, NKJV). Says Jesus, You search the Scriptures…and these are they that testify of Me, they are the two witnesses (John 5:39).

In applying the Old Testament’s historical experiences of God’s covenant people in their struggle to accomplish God’s purpose for ancient Israel, John and the other New Testament writers removed the ethnic and geographic limitations of these historical experiences while, at the same time, they maintained their Old Testament terminology and imagery. It is, therefore, this New Testament hermeneutics, particularly the principle of applied symbolism from the Old to the New, that demonstrates that the unifying theme of the Old Testament and New Testament is Jesus Christ and the redemption that centers in Him. Therefore, says LaRondelle,

We accept by faith the spiritual unity of the Bible on the basis that both the Old Testament and New Testament claim to be inspired by the same God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:1–2). If the whole of Scripture is the Word of God, its various teachings should all form a coherent unity, a religious-spiritual harmony, one Christ-centered and Spirit-filled message (John 5:39). In this presupposition of the Bible’s unity we find the fundamental principle and test of a sound hermeneutic: the Bible is its own interpreter. If the hermeneutical system is not able to demonstrate the Bible’s unity in Christ it must be an inadequate system.³

Since Jesus asserts that we search the Scriptures, because in them we think [we] have eternal life, and says He, These [same Scriptures] testify of Me (John 5:39), why not take the time to study the Bible and see what the Scriptures has to say about the one who is both its author and its subject. Why not study its pages and see what the Bible has to say about its origin, purpose, nature, and efficiency?

Friend, I encourage you to take the time to study the Word of God. You will discover that the Bible explains itself and testifies to itself. It is an all-sufficient source of divine revelation, the authoritative and the written source of truth. The Bible is God’s infallible rule for moral conduct and the final arbiter in matters of faith and doctrine. "For Seventh-day Adventists, the one standard, rule, and ultimate authority for doctrine is the Bible. All other doctrinal authorities are subordinate.

God will have a people upon the earth to maintain the Bible, and the Bible only, as the standard of all doctrines and the basis of all reforms… The Bible, and the Bible alone, is to be our creed, the sole bond of union… Let us lift up the banner on which is inscribed, The Bible our rule of faith and discipline.⁴

The Bible is not an ordinary book; it is a supernatural book because it was divinely inspired by the operation of the Holy Spirit moving on the holy men of old. The prophylactic nature of Scripture has served and continues to serve as a preventative against error, moral corruption, spiritual darkness, and satanic deception. The Bible also has the power to change our lives and bring us into a saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Bible is one of the seven essential nonnegotiable pillars of the faith on which God’s church rests. It is the source of truth that finds its center in Christ. One might say that while Christ is the central theme of Scripture, Scripture, on the other hand, finds its center in Christ. From Genesis to Revelation, the Scripture testifies of Him. The church rests it’s confession of Christ on the testimony of said Scripture, the Bible being the written Word, and Christ Himself is the living Word.

Christ is inseparable from His Word. He is the Word made flesh. He was disallowed indeed of men, but He became the living cornerstone in the spiritual temple of God. (See 1 Pet. 2:4–7.) In fact, the Bible says as much in Ephesians 2:20, "Now, therefore, you are…members of the household of God [that is the church], having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone. The Bible reveals Christ as the way, the truth, and the life." (See John 14:6.) It is for this reason that Scripture is an essential nonnegotiable pillar of truth within the fundamental beliefs of the church.

Accordingly, we believe that the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, are the written Word of God, given by divine inspiration through holy men of God who spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. This same Word testifies that the Word became flesh, see John 1:14. Jesus, therefore, is the living Word—the living, specific, and definitive revelation of God to man. It is through the study of the written Word that we come to know the living Word, which is Christ Jesus. On this point, the writer of Hebrews states that "God…at sundry times, and in diverse manners, spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son. Jesus Himself relied on the testimony of the prophets in order to open the spiritual eyes of His downcast disciples, concerning Himself, Then beginning with Moses and [throughout] all the Prophets, He went on explaining and interpreting to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning and referring to Himself." (See 2 Pet. 1:20–21; John 1:14; Heb. 1:1–2; Luke 24:7, KJV, AMPC.)

The meaning here is that God has revealed Himself in the inspired writings and sayings of the prophets but has ultimately and finally revealed Himself in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. In other words, the purpose of the prophets was to testify to the coming of this ultimate revelation of God in the person of His Son. Therefore, we conclude that in Scripture, God has revealed Himself and has committed to us the knowledge and the means necessary for our salvation, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. We also conclude that the Holy Scriptures are the supreme, authoritative, and the infallible revelation of His will. They are the standard of character, the test of experience, the definitive revealer of doctrines, and the trustworthy record of God’s acts in history.⁵ (See 2 Pet. 1:20–21; 2 Tim. 3:16–17; Ps. 119:105; Prov. 30:5–6; Isa. 8:20; John 17:17; 1 Thess. 2:13; Heb. 4:12.)

The Scriptures have time and again proven to be a source of joy, comfort, hope, faith, strength, light, life, and courage for countless thousands of Christ’s dear followers. Paul the Apostle reminds us that whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope (Rom. 15:4). A recent example of this is the comfort and hope experienced by two brothers, whose other brother was one of the 239 passengers aboard the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370. In response to a question by a news reporter, who wanted to know how they were holding up under the possibility that the airline may never be found and thus they may never see their brother again, the two brothers answered by quoting the following words from Scripture, If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:1–3). What the two brothers were trying to say is that base on this passage of Scripture, they were comforted and assured that no matter what betide, their brother’s life is in safekeeping with Jesus.

The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is at the right hand of the God of the universe, ministering and interceding for us, as our great High Priest. (See Heb. 8:1–2.) While He is ministering in the heavenly sanctuary as our High Priest, nothing on this earth that concerns His children goes unnoticed by Jesus. We are engraved on the palms of His hands, we are inscribed on His priestly breastplate, and every hair of our head is numbered. Everything that concerns our welfare and our eternal interest is infinitely important to Him. If the little sparrow does not fall without His knowledge and His tender care (see Matt. 10:29–31), then what about His redeemed ones who are of far more value than many sparrows! What wonderful assurance!

The two brothers were strengthened and comforted with the thought that even if they never saw their brother in this life again, they still had the blessed assurance that their brother’s life is hidden with Christ who is at the right hand of God. This does not mean that their brother is now in heaven. No, no. The Scripture says our life is hidden with Christ in God. That means that the two brothers, if proven faithful, someday soon, at the second coming of Christ, will be reunited with their loved one in the resurrection. This is the blessed assurance the Bible affords. The apostle Paul wrote the seminal passage on this comforting assurance:

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus [those who died believing in Christ] will God bring [not from heaven but back from the grave] with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep [resting in their graves]. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ [those whose life is hidden with Christ in God] shall rise [from their graves] first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thess. 4:13–18; special effects mine)

There are no words more comforting and assuring than these. Indeed, the second coming of Christ and the resurrection of those who died believing in Christ is called the blessed hope. (See Titus 2:13.) Many of us, like the two brothers, have found comfort and hope in like precious promises in Scripture. Whether we had relatives aboard flight MH370 that mysteriously disappeared on March 8, 2014, or whether we simply experience the pain of separation from loved ones by the cold hands of death or by some other experience, the fact remains that those of us who believe in God’s Word, find hope, and are comforted with its precious promises.

In the Scriptures, there are many precious promises. One estimate says, There are at least 5,000 promises in the Bible although they are not referred to as promises. The Holy God of the Bible cannot lie and thus every time He says He is going to do something it can be counted as a promise. Even as Jesus said as He ascended into heaven, ‘And behold I am with you even until the end of the age’ (Matt. 28:20).⁶

Time and space will not permit us to explore even a modest fraction of these promises. What we do know, however, is that God has placed in His Word exceedingly great and precious promises all which find their center and their affirmation in Christ. Paul the Apostle states that all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. (See 2 Pet. 1:4; 2 Cor. 1:20.) It is also through the Scriptures that we learn that his divine power hath given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.

We also learn that all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works, we are also admonished by Paul to let the word of Christ dwell in [us] richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs; within the Scriptures, we have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto [we] do well that [we] take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in [our] hearts. (See 2 Pet. 1:3; 2 Tim. 3:16–17; Col. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:19.)

Besides the few precious promises we have already considered, let us list at least four more—two from the Old Testament, and two from the New Testament:

Old Testament Promises

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jer. 29:11)

No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me, says the Lord. (Isa. 54:17)

New Testament Promises

All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. (John 6:37)

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. (Rev. 3:20)

The foregoing promises serve to barely scratch the surface of the vast array of promises that are given to us in Christ Jesus. All the promises of God can be found from Genesis to Revelation. In each book of the Bible, like a golden thread, we can trace these precious promises in Christ. As we prayerfully study God’s Word, digging beneath the surface as for hid treasure, we will be richly rewarded with the precious gem of truth, as it is in Christ Jesus. When we study the Bible, we can hear the voice of Christ saying to us in every chapter and on every page, I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Yes, when we study the Scriptures, we discover that Jesus is the one to whom they bear testimony. In them truly, we will find the way, the truth, and the life. That is why the Scriptures are an essential nonnegotiable pillar of truth that finds its center in Christ. All hail the Scriptures!

My Covenant

I _____________________________covenant with God this day to spend a thoughtful hour each day in a careful study and contemplation of His Word, also variously referred to as the Scriptures, and the Holy Bible. I believe that the Scriptures are God’s voice to me, leading me to discover and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Savior from sin and His Word as the Truth through which I am sanctified by faith in Christ Jesus.

Pillar No. 2

Salvation

Salvation

The doctrine of salvation is the second essential nonnegotiable pillar of the faith that finds its center in Christ. The plan of salvation went into effect as soon as man sinned in the garden of Eden. As soon as man sinned, mercy came running. Had it not been for the exercise of mercy on the part of God, man would have been the immediate subject of the divine wrath against sin; the Bible says, For the wages of sin is death, but thanks be to God the text doesn’t stop there, it goes on to say, But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 6:23). As soon as there was sin, there was a Savior. That is why Jesus is described in the book of Revelation as the lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8).

At the moment of the fall, God made the first announcement that reveals in symbolic terms His intent to save man from sin: And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel (Gen. 3:15). The message contained in this verse has all the elements involved in the salvation process, as for example:

Enmity—this term is used to highlight the effect of grace on man’s sinful heart that would enable man to hate sin and resist the power and temptations of the serpent—Satan. Grace is not only forgiveness for sin but also a power to overcome sin.

Thee (serpent, the devil, and/or Satan). The serpent was the agent through which Lucifer (the fallen angel) worked in order to deceive our first parents. (See Gen. 3:1–7.) Later in the book of Revelation, Lucifer is revealed as to his true character, notice the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him (Rev. 12:9). The serpent, having been used as the deceiving agent, became the fitting representation of the enemy of God and man.

Woman (church). In Scripture, the church has been symbolized as a woman—the true church as a pure woman, and an apostate and a corrupt church as an impure woman or a harlot. (See Rev. 12:1–2, 17:1–6.) As far back as the Old Testament, God chose to represent His people (the true church) as a pure virgin, notice, I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman (Jer. 6:2). Paul in the New Testament also refers to those who are followers of Christ as being a chaste virgin, notice, For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ; the church is also called the bride of Christ, Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready (2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 19:7).

Thy seed (the followers of Satan). The seed of Satan are the men and women who obey the devil rather than God. Jesus told the caviling and unbelieving Jews of His day that they were the children of the devil, notice, If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceed forth and came from God… You are of your father the Devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it (John 8:42, 44). Earlier in Genesis 4, we see this scenario played out between Cain and Abel, where Cain followed the desires of Satan by disobeying God and even murdering his own brother Abel because he (Abel) was loyal and obedient to God. Thus, it has been throughout the ages according to the prophetic