We continue with our comparisons of the Seventh Day Adventist beliefs and the Bible Students in respects to the Church.

Seventh Day Adventist say: The church is God’s family; adopted by Him as children, its members live on the basis of the new covenant.

We will not go into detail here on this issue as this is thoroughly discussed under our blog posts entitled, “The Mediator and the New Covenant” and “The Church under the Abrahamic Covenant, not the New Covenant”, but suffice it to say there are three important reasons why the Church is not under the New Covenant.

1) the New Covenant has not yet gone into effect,

2) the New Covenant is made with Israel, and

3) the Church is to be the Mediator of the New Covenant.

If a proposition is made to make a NEW covenant with someone it implies that they were previously under an OLD covenant or contract prior to this and that this new contract is to supersede the former one established with them.

Now we ask what nation or people other than the nation of Israel has God ever entered into covenant or contract with?

Is it not written?

“Hear this word that Jehovah hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up out of the land of Egypt, saying, you only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore, I will visit upon you all your iniquities.” (Amos 3:1, 2)

“Now therefore if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant then you shall be a special treasure to me above all people; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation…” (Exod 19:5)

There is absolutely no Scriptural support for any theory that God was ever in covenant arrangement with any other nation or people other than the nation of Israel.

And so, we read:

“Behold the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah …

With whom did he say? Did he say the Gentiles? No! Did he say the Church? No! neither of these, he said with the house of Israel, “For this is my covenant with THEM, when I shall take away their sins” Rom 11:27)

…not according to the covenant (the Law Covenant) that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them says the LORD.”

“Jesus’ death (blood) constituted the blood which seals or makes effective the New Covenant. Our taking of this cup and drinking of it (Matt 26:27) shows our participation. The consecrated lives (blood) accepted by our Lord are counted in as a part of his own sacrifice (the sin-offering) which seals the New Covenant.”

“This New Covenant will not become operative until the cup of the Lord’s sufferings which is left behind has been completely drained in death by the last member of his Body.

“But this is the covenant (the New Covenant) that I will make with the house of Israel (Note once again with whom specifically this covenant is to be made with) after those days, says the LORD…” (Jer 31:31-33)

After what days? After the days of this Gospel Age, after those days in which the Church the body of Christ as joint sacrifices with their Lord will have finished their share in the Day of Atonement sacrifices, after the death of the Testator.

The New Covenant will not be made with any other nation but Israel; for God never purposed to make a covenant with the Gentiles, however even amongst these since the people are not worthy to enter directly into relationship with God, that covenant must have a Mediator, the Christ, Head and body complete. The New Covenant will not be made with rebellious sinners.

God’s Covenant will be WITH the Mediator FOR Israel, guaranteeing forgiveness and reconciliation to all of Abraham’s natural seed who will exercise the faith and the obedience of Abraham.

A mediator is one who negotiates peace between two parties who are at variance with one another, with the intent of negotiating an agreement or covenant between the two in order to restore and or establish peace, reconciliation between the two.

The two parties in dispute (at variance) one with another would be God on one hand and on the other hand “the sons of disobedience” upon whom God’s wrath abides (Eph 5:6). These are the two parties requiring reconciliation the parties in need of a Mediator.

Does the Church require mediation?

No!

A mediator implies hostility between two principals, requiring the intervention of a third party, and this is not the case with the Church.

“For it pleased the Father that in him (Christ) all the fullness should dwell, and by him to reconcile all things to himself, by him whether things on earth or things in heaven having made peace through the blood of his cross. And you who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now he has reconciled (made atonement for) in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in his sight…” (Col 1:19-22)

“We are not rebels, we are not alienated from God, but now through faith in the blood we are children of God, and our Redeemer assures us, “The Father himself loves you.” (John 16:27)

“For if when we (the Church) were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more having been reconciled (acquitted of all charges), we shall be saved by his life, and not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation (the atonement Greek, kattalage; the satisfaction of justice and restoration of God’s favor and harmony with himself).” Rom 5:10, 11

“The Lord is now gathering his Church, a “little flock,” to be members of the antitypical Prophet, Priest, King, Judge, Mediator between God and the world of mankind during the Millennium. These called, chosen, spirit-begotten, are “able ministers of the New Covenant,” after the same manner as their Lord–walking in his steps.

The Mediator is between God and men and NOT between God and the New Creature (the Church, the body of Christ).

We move on to our next subject in our comparisons between the beliefs of the Seventh Day Adventist and Bible Students, The Second Advent, in our next post.