03/03 Sabbath: The 7 Pillars of Our Faith [P1]

Part 1: Pillars 1 to 4
by Robert Lee Bian Tian
go to Part 2 (http://sdajb.blogspot.com/2007/03/0303-sabbath-7-pillars-of-our-faith-p2.html)

Pillar = Slender upright structure usually of circular or other symmetrical section serving to support arch, cornice, or other architectural weight or standing alone

Principle = Primary source or element, a fundamental truth as basis of reasoning, a law of cause and effect, a moral rule or settled motive by which conduct may be guided

Faith = Trust, belief in authority; believe implicitly; belief in religious doctrine esp as affecting character; belief in divine truth without proof; things believed.

Our faith involves our past, our present, and our future under God. Our faith is founded wholly upon God’s holy word. Today the whole of mankind faces a universal human problem. It does not matter who you are: rich or poor, black or white, whatever your religion, wherever you live. All human beings who are born into this present evil world all face one and the same problem, namely, death, and its cause, sin. As Solomon says in Ecclesiates 9:5: “For the living know that they shall die….”

Right from the beginning of time, God had foreseen this problem, and made provision for its solution. This solution involved God’s greatest sacrifice, even the sacrifice and death of the Son of God on this earth. Revelation 13:8 refers to Jesus Christ as “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”. It is true Jesus was crucified on Calvary’s cross 2,000 years ago. But the Bible refers to Him as “the Lamb slain”, not 2,000 years ago, but “from the foundation of the world”. So God’s plan from the foundation of the world was to conquer sin and death, and God paid a heavy price for it, which was the sacrifice and death of the Son of God on earth.

So the Bible begins with the creation of this world, and ends with the restoration of this world from sin and death to its original Edenic condition and beauty, and the abolition of sin and death. Thus Revelation 21:1-4 predicted: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

For us who live in this present world of sin and death, it is our privilege to live by faith, by the faith of the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us. It is our privilege, by God’s grace, to look beyond this present evil world to the better world that God is preparing for all who love God, and trust and obey God. God’s Word teaches that there are 7 pillars of our faith, and they all begin with the letter “S”. These 7 pillars of our faith are:


1 Sleep of death
2 Salvation
3 Sanctuary
4 Sanctification
5 Sabbath
6 Spirit of Prophecy
7 Second Coming

Let us consider each of these pillars of our faith.

The 1st pillar is Sleep of death. God’s Word teaches us what death is. And sinners expect to die twice. Every human being born into this world expects to die the 1st death unless translated without seeing death. God’s Word tells us that the 1st death is a sleep. It is a sleep because there will be a time for waking up called the resurrection. Hear the words of Jesus on this in John 5: 28, 29: “Marvel not at this: for the time is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation.”

So according to Jesus, who will awake from the sleep of the 1st death? The answer is, “Everyone”, “all that are in the graves”. There will be 2 resurrections: one is called “the resurrection of life”, and the other “the resurrection of damnation”. God’s word says that those who rise in “the resurrection of damnation” will die the 2nd death, which is final, and from which there will be no return to life again. The book of Revelation talks about the 2nd death. Revelation 20: 14-15: “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Therefore all those who rise in “the resurrection of damnation” are those “whosoever was not found written in the book of life”, and they are cast into the lake of fire to suffer the 2nd death, which is final, and from which there is no return to life again. Those who are saved to avoid the 2nd death are those whose names are “found written in the book of life” “of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

Today the world and many professed Christian churches are confused about death. But God’s word is clear about death beyond a shadow of a doubt. The 1st death is a sleep, from which there will be a waking up, on the day of resurrection...

The 2nd pillar of our faith is Salvation. What is salvation? The word “salvation” comes from the root word “save”. Save from what? Hear the angel’s words on this from the angel who appeared to Joseph in a dream. Matthew 1:21: “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” When Jesus saves us from our sins, he also saves us from death, because sin causes death. Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Salvation comes to you and I as a gift from God. God saves us from sin and its result, death. The Apostle Paul tells us that this salvation has appeared to all men, including you and me. Titus 2:11-14: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” These verses tell us that the grace of God brings salvation, and has appeared to all men. God’s grace that brings salvation has appeared to you, whether you know it or not, and whether you accept it or not.

The 3rd pillar of our faith is the Sanctuary. Before Jesus came to earth, there was the earthly sanctuary. Jesus as “the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29) has fulfilled everything that the earthly sanctuary pointed forward to. So the earthly sanctuary service ended when Jesus died on Calvary’s cross, as our sacrifice. After Jesus ascended to heaven, he became our High Priest of the heavenly sanctuary. The earthly sanctuary illustrates salvation. The earthly sanctuary is God’s object lesson to man about salvation.

The outer court of the earthly sanctuary has 2 items of furniture, namely, the altar of sacrifice, and the laver. The main sanctuary itself has 2 apartments, namely, the 1st apartment, or the holy place, and the 2nd apartment, or the holy of holies.

The holy place has 3 items of furniture, namely, the table of shewbread, the altar of incense, and the 7 branched candlestick. The holy of holies has one item, which was the ark of the covenant, which kept the 2 tables of stone containing God’s 10 commandments.

The outer court, the holy place, and the holy of holies represent or illustrate the 3 stages of salvation, namely,

the outer court is justification
the holy place is sanctification
the holy of holies is glorification or sealing for eternal life

Justification is our passport to salvation. Sanctification is our fitness for salvation. Glorification is our salvation. The outer court illustrates justification. The altar of sacrifice of the outer court stands for the cross of Calvary on this earth, where Jesus our sacrifice was offered for us, and paid the price of our salvation. The laver stands for baptism, or conversion, when a sinner, who receives Jesus as his Saviour and Lord and repents and is baptized, is justified, or receives justification, or forgiveness of his sins and begins a new life of faith in Christ. The holy place stands for sanctification, and the 3 items of furniture there illustrates the means for a believer’s sanctification. The table of shewbread stands for God’s word. A believer feeds on God’s word daily to be sanctified. In John 17:17 Jesus prayed: “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” The altar of incense represents prayer. A believer relies upon God, and prays without ceasing. The 7 branched candlestick stands for the believer’s witness by letting his light shine, and being empowered by the oil of the Holy Spirit. The holy of holies stands for glorification, or being judged as worthy to be sealed for Jesus for eternity.

The 4th pillar of our faith is sanctification. The word “sanctification” is from the root word “sanctify”. Sanctify means “consecrate, make holy, free from sin”. So sanctification means a life of consecration, holiness, and freedom from sin. To be sanctified means to be converted by God’s grace from a sinner to a saint, and to live the sanctified life for Jesus.

Jesus says that not every one who professes his name are sanctified and saved. To be sanctified is a choice we make daily, moment by moment, by God’s grace and power. We all need the oil of the Holy Spirit for our daily walk with God. The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to believers who obey God. Sanctification is our fitness for salvation. No one is ready to be saved without being sanctified, and living the life of sanctification for God. Listen to Jesus in Matthew 7: 21-23: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart, ye that work iniquity.” According to Jesus, those who are saved do the will of God. Doing the will of God is the opposite of working iniquity, or sinning. The Apostle Paul says that sanctification is the will of God for His people. 1 Thess. 4:3: “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification…” SDA


...to be continued...