Truth
Eliezer Roque Cisneros
FIRE AND BRIMSTONE
I'm a Jehovah's Witness. I believe I’ve been called to show the world the image of God through my personal lifestyle. I believe the name of God is mighty and worthy of reverence. I'm making God known.
I'm a Latter-day Saint. I believe the first ordinance of the gospels is to have faith in Jesus Christ. I believe we live in the latter part of human history. I'm learning to be more like the son of God as the end draws near.
I'm a Catholic. I believe there is only one faith and one movement that leads to God. I believe the church is one and united under the guidance of God. I'm part of the universal body of Christ.
I'm a Baptist. I believe baptism represents the death and resurrection of the promised Messiah. I believe we should all be baptized by immersion as Jesus was. I'm dead to sin; alive in Jesus.
I’m a Muslim. I believe there is no other god but the Creator God. I believe we should be a people according to the Book. I’m in submission before the Almighty.
I’m a Seventh-day Adventist. I believe the seventh day of the week is a sign between humanity and God. I believe the Son of Man will come in glory one day. I’m sure of the promises of my Redeemer.
“ . . . I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). It’s easy to find what we disagree on with those we don’t love. It’s natural to discover points of agreement with those we appreciate. Paul was able to find a way to relate to people where they were at and take them where he was going because he loved them. Some of us have a hard time admitting other churches have truth. Is it because we don’t love them?
Often Adventist Christians forget how much of Adventism’s light is borrowed and unoriginal. The Adventist movement didn’t happen out of doctrinal deviance. It was born in the diverse community of common ground.
Aside from the sanctuary doctrine, none of the truths that the Seventh-day Adventist Church holds are unique or original. Adventism borrowed all of its truth from other existing denominations. Adventism was aiming at taking the truth inherent in each religion and bringing it together, to unify all.
Although I hold this view about the broader dynamic between Adventism and Christianity, I still believe the Seventh-day Adventist Church is unique and called to be separate for a reason.
I’m not suggesting that because there is truth elsewhere, elsewhere is just as good as here.
Instead, I would contend that because the Seventh-day Adventist church can claim heritage from many Christian faiths, the members of our church are held to a higher standard, one that takes people outside the false comfort of denominational boundaries.
I’m a Seventh-day Adventist, and that doesn’t stop me from agreeing with someone who isn’t. It empowers me to find the truth that we can both hold onto.
Eliezer Roque Cisneros is a junior theology major.