Residents in the region recently received in their mailboxes a copy of The Great Controversy. The front cover and title pages provide little information about the contents of the book. The back cover promises an answer to the question, “If a political superpower and a religious superpower join forces, what will be the inevitable result?” The book is likely to grab the attention of those who have an interest in politics, religion and prophecy.

The Great Controversy is an official text of the Seventh Day Adventist Church written by Ellen G. White, a co-founder of the Seventh Day Adventism. The book provides an overview of Christian history and is filled with Biblical quotes. However, The Great Controversy is not to be trusted. The author makes serious historical errors. For example, she claims the Catholic church moved the Sabbath to Sunday. This is simply not true. The New Testament and early church history show Christians met together on Sunday to worship the risen Jesus.

Furthermore, the author makes many errors in Biblical interpretation. She upholds the teachings of William Miller who taught that Jesus was going to return to the earth in 1844. She fell into the error of believing the date of Jesus’ return could be determined ahead of time. This is contrary to the clear statement of Jesus, “That day and hour no one knows . . . Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.” (Mark 13:32-33) The New Testament teaches that the return of Jesus will happen at a time when no one expects. Her commitment to this error led her to devise many imaginative, but ultimately unbiblical, interpretations of the Bible.

These errors render the book untrustworthy, but its teachings regarding salvation make it spiritually dangerous. The teachings of The Great Controversy undermine the work of Jesus on the cross by effectively denying the completeness of Jesus’ work of atonement at Calvary. According to White the sins of “penitent believers . . . still remained upon the books of record.” In other words, before 1844 the sin of believers had not been removed. They still stood in the Heavenly records against the individual. They were forgiven because of the work of Jesus, but their sin had not yet been taken away. This is contrary to many clear Biblical statements. Jesus’ own words on the cross show salvation was fully accomplished and sin fully forgiven by His sacrifice, “It is finished.” (John 19:30) The promise made to all believers was a promise of complete forgiveness, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” (Hebrews 9:17) Hebrews presents this promised as already fulfilled in Jesus’ death on the cross, not waiting for a future, final cleansing.

Equally serious is the error that obedience to the law is necessary for salvation. White says, “All who have truly repented of sin, and by faith claimed the blood of Christ as their atoning sacrifice, have had pardon entered against their names in the books of heaven; as they have become partakers of the righteousness of Christ, and their characters are found to be in harmony with the law of God, their sins will be blotted out.” The condition of pardon is not just repentance and faith, but also having a character in harmony with the law of God. The entire 28th chapter of The Great Controversy discusses how a person is finally saved. According to White diligence in obedience, particularly to the Ten Commandments and especially the Fourth Commandment, is integral to salvation. According to White a life of obedience is necessary for a person to receive salvation.

This is not only erroneous doctrine, it is damning doctrine. The book of Galatians was written to correct an error incredibly similar to White’s. Galatians says, “you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen (short of) grace.” (Galatians 5:4) All who believe they must keep the law to keep their salvation will not be saved until they reject their own attempts to secure salvation Galatians also says, “A man is not justified by the works of the law . . . for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” (Galatians 2:16). “For as many as are under the works of the law are under the curse.” (Galatians 3:10) The teachings of Ellen G. White do not bring salvation, hope or victory. They condemn the sinner in a hopeless attempt to secure one’s own salvation by obedience to a law which can never bring eternal salvation.

Modern Seventh Day Adventism has pulled away from some of the doctrines taught by Ellen White, and some would disagree that Ellen G. White taught salvation by works. However, her teaching clearly ties obedience with salvation. By distributing her book the Seventh Day Adventist church is affirming and promoting false doctrine.

Instead of reading The Great Controversy read the Gospel of John. There you will see Jesus is God the Son and the only means of eternal life. “These are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31)