Historical Teachings on the
Human Nature Christ Took
in the Incarnation

by Jerry Finneman

The second fact to consider is "that there was a deliberate change in our Church’s teaching with regard to Christ’s humanity, during the 1950's." This change first appeared in Bible Readings, 1949 (See Appendix A), in Ministry, September, 1956 and April, 1957; next in Questions On Doctrine, 1957; and then in Movement of Destiny, 1971.

Reformed Scholar Geoffrey Paxton observed that at that time "the book Questions on Doctrine, was a real break through with past Adventist teaching on Christology, especially the matter of the sinful human nature of Christ." He continued, that to his knowledge

there was not one open acknowledgment of this to either the rank-and-file members of the Adventist Church or to the evangelical Protestant world. Why? Why was it covered up by saying that only a few on the "lunatic fringe" held and taught what had actually been the Adventist position before that time?

In July of 1962, Robert Lee Hancock wrote a term paper which he presented to the faculty of the Department of Church History at Andrew’s University. The following is part of his summary and conclusion:

"Regarding the specific question of Christ’s humanity, this study has revealed that:

1. from its earliest days the Seventh-day Adventist Church has taught that when God partook of humanity He took, not the perfect, sinless nature of man before the Fall, but the fallen, sinful, offending, weakened, degenerated nature of man as it existed when He came to earth to help man. …

2. that during the fifteen year period between 1940 and 1955 the words "sinful" and "fallen" with reference to Christ’s human nature were largely or completely eliminated from denominational published materials.

3. that since 1952, phrases such as "sinless human nature," "nature of Adam before the fall," and "human nature un-defiled," have taken the place of the former terminology. …

The findings of this study warrant the conclusion that Seventh-day Adventist teachings regarding the human nature of Christ have changed and that these changes involve concepts and not merely semantics."

Some have felt that the discovery of Ellen White’s letter to a William Baker warranted the change in our Christology during the fifties. Some think that Ellen White addresses the human nature of Christ more specifically, directly and extensively in that letter than any other place in her writings. In reality, her classic on the life of Christ, The Desire of Ages, deals with the kind of human nature that He took more specifically, directly and extensively than any other place. Some find it curious that church administrators and scholars would change their view on this topic primarily from this single source as a "proof text" in the face of the many other clear statements written by Ellen White. (See Appendix B for a discussion about the Baker letter.).

Fact number 3

Home  |  Articles Index  |  Bible Studies  |  10 Truths
Sabbath Issues  |  Bible Prophecy