The August 2019 edition of the Adventist World magazine published the results of the 2017-2018 General Conference Global Church Member Survey. In this survey the participants were asked “Does diet and lifestyle contribute to one’s salvation?”
47% Agreed with this statement, and so would I. What I find troubling is their interpretation of the data, leading the survey’s question to look a little bit like a “gotcha” question:
“About 95 percent of the respondents agreed that salvation is only through Jesus Christ. However, the data also suggest that there is some confusion about the role of the Health Message in salvation. About 47% agreed that keeping the Health Message guarantees salvation (only 38% disagreed). (2017-2018 General Conference Global Church Member Survey, Meta-Analysis Final Report, October 2, 2018, pp. 10-11.)
Now just a minute there, didn’t the question ask about “contributing to salvation”? How do they get “guarantees salvation” out of that? Maybe because they want to portray health reformers as legalists? I don’t know, but there is big difference between contributing to, and guaranteeing one’s salvation.
Anyone would agree that washing my hands before a meal contributes to my health, but does it guarantee that I will not get sick, or worse, come down with cancer? Of course not!
So, does Health Reform Contribute to one’s Salvation? Are 47% of our members Wrong?
What does the Bible mean by “salvation”? A word study reveals that it often refers to our final deliverance from our enemies, as in Exodus 14,
“And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever” (Exodus 14:13).
The apostle Peter sees our salvation as being complete at the coming of Christ,
“And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see” (1 Peter 1:5, New Living Translation).
This truth is reaffirmed in 1 Peter 1:6-9.
Although Jesus’ death on the cross assures us of our salvation, this salvation is not fully realized until Jesus comes, takes us home, thus removing us from the threats of our enemies. That means that we have to pass through the tests placed before us by our enemies in the last days to reach our destination of salvation in heaven. Why else is there a Seal of God and a Mark of the Beast? These tests demonstrate to the onlooking universe what God knows in His heart, that these are His “elect” who will be true to Him regardless of circumstances.
This is why Jesus warned us,
“For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24).
Aren’t you glad He said “if possible”? The very elect will not be deceived by the powerfully convincing end time deceptions. Why? Because they are His “elect”.
This text suggests that the elect are particularly sharp, and thus cannot be deceived. The elect trust their God so completely, that they will do whatever He says, knowing that it is in their best interest to do so. This would include what He tells them about lifestyle matters.
Can Good Health Contribute to One’s Discernment in the last days?
After Nadab and Abihu were slain for using strange fire in the sanctuary, the remnant of Aaron’s family were warned,
“Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die” (Leviticus 10:9).
And why?
“That you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean” (Leviticus 10:10).
Do God’s elect need to distinguish between the holy and unholy, the unclean and clean in the last days? Of course, this discernment is why they are the elect and are not deceived!
Jesus’ own example reveals the importance of this. When they were about to nail Him to the cross,
“they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink” (Matthew 27:34).
This potion was given in mercy to those being crucified to deaden the pain. Why would He not take this?
Ellen White tells us why,
“To those who suffered death by the cross, it was permitted to give a stupefying potion, to deaden the sense of pain. This was offered to Jesus; but when He had tasted it, He refused it. He would receive nothing that could becloud His mind. His faith must keep fast hold upon God. This was His only strength. To becloud His senses would give Satan an advantage” (Ellen G. White, Desire of Ages, p.746).
On that cross, He was subjected to a temptation beyond what any of us will ever be called upon to face. He would be tempted to come down off of the cross to save Himself and prove His connection with the Father (Mt. 27:39-43). His mind needed to be clear throughout this ordeal to withstand this temptation to come down, walk away from this shameful ordeal, and leave us all to die in our sins.
As beclouding the senses gives Satan an advantage, so it does with us. So, what are the things that can becloud our senses? Is it only drugs or alcohol?
“The intellectual, the moral, and the physical powers are depreciated by the habitual use of flesh meats. Meat eating deranges the system, beclouds the intellect, and blunts the moral sensibilities” (Ellen G. White, Testimonies For the Church, vol. 2, p.63).
Ellen White also reveals that,
“A sound body is required for a sound intellect. (Ellen G. White, Fundamentals of Christian Education, p.37).
This makes perfect sense to me, for anything that affects our physical health, will also affect our mental health, and medical science has proven this time and again.
Dr. William Backus in his book “Telling Yourself the Truth” says that,
“The state of your biochemistry can affect the way you feel. There are ways to change your biochemistry; one of the ways is through drugs. Another way to change is to begin maintaining an adequate nutritional base and a properly functioning body. (Dr. William Backus, “Telling Yourself the Truth”, p.26).
The elect are primarily unaffected by the deceptions all around them because of their knowledge of the Word of God, and their diet contributes to their ability to understand the prophecies about the last days,
“Priceless gems are to be found in the word of God. Those who search this word should keep the mind clear. Never should they indulge perverted appetite in eating or drinking. If they do this, the brain will be confused; they will be unable to bear the strain of digging deep to find out the meaning of those things which relate to the closing scenes of this earth's history” (Ellen G. White, Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p.114).
The last thing any of us need in the final days is to be confused about “those things which relate to the closing scenes of earth’s history”!
Being “confused” sounds a lot like dementia, doesn’t it? My father had dementia in his later years, and his doctor told us that it was caused by a lack of blood flow to his brain. Being on the standard American diet (SAD) I know that this lack of blood flow was caused by arterial sclerosis, and thus the cause of his dementia.
God in His great mercy has given us a clear advantage in the final days against Satan’s deceptions, but if we do not take avail ourselves of every advantage he gives us, are we not putting our own salvation in jeopardy?
Let’s say that you are an Olympic wrestler, and you are 350 pounds of pure muscle, able to take on any opponent. Your trainer has come up with some new wrestling techniques, which if practiced and put to use, will give everyone on the team a distinct advantage in the competition. But you think to yourself; “No one can beat me, no one is as strong as me. I don’t need to bother myself with this new stuff!” And you do not practice these new techniques, trusting the abilities and strength you already have.
Then comes the big day, and in your first match, this guy from Russia who is 400 pounds of pure muscle takes you down. You lost because you did not take every advantage given you, things that would have given you the ability to defeat this bigger foe.
My friends, we are facing a foe in the last days that can take us down in a heartbeat, and he is determined to do so by any means possible. If we neglect to avail ourselves of every advantage God has given us to defeat him, we are taking a great risk. Who in their right mind would do this?
And yet there is this clear animosity among our leaders and clergy towards God’s merciful provision in our health message, an animosity that can lead to vicious attacks on the advocates of health reform.
I have seen so many suffer various health pathologies that could have be prevented or cured by the truths of our health message. But this animosity prevents them from knowing about or practicing health reform, causing them to look upon it as something only legalists do. (As in the interpretation of the data of the survey cited above). This causes a lot unnecessary suffering among our brethren, and beyond this, how many will fall prey to Satan’s deceptions, their minds being confused for lack of this precious knowledge?
I pray that God will be merciful to them that simply do not know better (Js. 4:17), but to those who do know, especially our leaders, do you not think God sees and knows how you placing these precious souls in great peril in these last days? God’s view of this is well captured by the pen of inspiration when it says,
“How would a father and mother feel, did they know that their child, lost in the cold and the snow, had been passed by, and left to perish, by those who might have saved it? Would they not be terribly grieved, wildly indignant? Would they not denounce those murderers with wrath hot as their tears, intense as their love? The sufferings of every man are the sufferings of God's child, and those who reach out no helping hand to their perishing fellow beings provoke His righteous anger” (The Desire of Ages, p. 825).
If this perverse interpretation of the data from this 2017-2018 General Conference Global Church Member Survey leads someone to look upon health reform as an optional item that only legalists are interested in, will not these church officials be held accountable if even one person succumbs to Satan’s deceptions because of this?
Conclusion
Make no mistake about it my friends, our health message does contribute to your salvation. It doesn’t guarantee it, but it will give you the distinct advantage of being able to bear the cognitive strain of deep Bible study, the kind that will make you one of God’s elect who cannot be deceived by the false christs and prophets of the last days. Do not allow anyone to take away from you what God in His great love and mercy has graciously granted you so that you can have every advantage in the struggle we will all face in the final conflict.
And may God grant sincere repentance to those who have falsely interpreted the data from this survey, and,
“that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:25b-26).
Remember that in the time of trouble, God has promised us,
“But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him” (Psalms 37:39-40).
Do you trust Him and what He says about our health? This is what the elect do, they trust Him unquestioningly.
Be one of God’s elect. Be thankful for His mercy and grace in giving us every advantage against our common foe in these final days!
Dale is an Iowa farm boy who has become a dedicated Christian who seeks to reconcile men to God. Dale serves as men's college dean at Ouachita Hills College.