Waggoner's Later Presentations
of the Everlasting Covenant
Waggoner continued to teach and publish
his core views of the covenants up until the turn of the century. He
was, however, to become involved with certain ideas that tainted the
thrust of his earlier presentations. He began to teach what he called,
"spiritual infinities," which proposed that one's spouse here
on earth might not be one's partner in heaven; thus it was proper to
form a "spiritual" union with someone now in preparation for
heaven.96 By
1897 he was also teaching what would be called a subtle form of
pantheism. This latter teaching was included in his final two books, Glad
Tidings, a study of the whole book of Galatians, and The
Everlasting Covenant, both published in 1900.
Glad Tidings97
reiterated the basic themes Waggoner had championed in his reply to
Butler in 1887. Most everything remained the same, such as the identity
of the "schoolmaster", the proper place of the ceremonial law,
the covenants, and the identification of "the elements of
bondage." A quick perusal of chapters three and four would convince
the reader that Waggoner had not changed his views. There are places,
however, where he interjects pantheistic sentiments in the form of
applications to one's personal spiritual life. This is best illustrated
by McMahon's comparison between the 1900 edition and the 1972 edited
reprint.98
The same evaluation of Glad Tidings can
also be applied to The Everlasting Covenant. The views to which
Waggoner first presented in the Sabbath School lessons of 1890 are still
prominent in this final book. He still taught that the problem at Sinai
was primarily with the promises of the people.99
The Abrahamic covenant was identical to the everlasting covenant.100
The purpose of God for Israel was for them to be His people by accepting
Him as their God and allow Him to make them obedient to His law which
would make them a special nation on earth.101
These are just a few examples of the continuity of Waggoner's message up
until 1900.
There is also a large section in The
Everlasting Covenant which distorts the original message, due to
pantheistic leanings. This section, chapters twenty to twenty-three,
speaks of Christ becoming a part of man through the intake of physical
food. This idea was to affect Waggoner's view of the incarnation, for he
would apply it to John 1:14, "and the Word became flesh and dwelt
among us." He reached this view by removing the distinction between
figurative speech and literal speech. Here is one example. Waggoner
answers the question, "But how can we eat His flesh and drink His
blood?" Then he states the truth that Christ's words are spirit and
life. Then he follows with this explanation,
The life that we get from bread is
the life of Christ, the Word of God, since everything that grows comes
from the Word … By ordaining that men shall live by eating, and
making them absolutely dependent on their daily bread for life, God
has preached the Gospel to every creature, and put before them and
into their hands, yes, into their bodies, the way of salvation and
life.102
Waggoner goes even farther by applying
this to the Lord's Supper, almost implying a form of transubstantiation.
So the bread of the Lord's Supper,
although it was the ordinary bread that was being eaten in every
Jewish family at that time, was nothing else than the body of Christ.
The words of Jesus are absolute and unequivocal, and admit to no
interpretation. They state a simple fact: "This is My body."103
The thrust is clear that Waggoner has
used some fanciful logic. By minimizing the distinction between
figurative speech and literal speech, he confuses the understanding of
God's person with nature. This confusion tainted Waggoner's earlier
understanding of faith. Instead of it being a heart appreciation of a
God transcendent and above man, it becomes an acceptance that God is in
man by means of physical things like food, water, and air.
There is much to be said for the simile
of eating food and accepting Christ personally as one's Saviour,104
But Waggoner's application is by far incorrect. One wishes that he could
have heeded his own words in 1890;
How the power of God can work in a
man, accomplishing that which he could not possibly do for himself, no
one can tell. It would be as easy to tell how God can give life to the
dead. (John 3:8 quoted). How the Spirit works in a man to subdue his
passions, and to make him victorious over pride, envy, and
selfishness, is known only to the Spirit; it is sufficient for us to
know that it is done, and will be done in everyone who wants that work
wrought in him, above all and who trusts God for the performance of
it.105
Waggoner's basic presentation of the
covenants, from 1887 to 1900, was consistent in respect to most of his
views. The major departure from that message is found in the
interjection of pantheism which, in essence, nullified his strong
emphasis of his earlier days of the nature of faith. Ellen White did
support Waggoner's earlier message both in her writings and in her
actions by rebuking the opposition. She by no means endorsed his
pantheism and was moved to write
him accordingly.106
Thus, when one reads Waggoner's latter works, he should be careful to
distinguish between the underlying consistent presentation and the added
foreign interpretations.
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