III. Significance of Keeping the “Faith of Jesus”

The intent of the “commandments of God,” of Revelation 14:12, was, the Adventists believed, crystal clear and unmistakable. It was the moral law, the eternal Ten, “written with the finger of God” on imperishable tables of stone (Exodus 31:18; Deuteronomy 9:10), as recognized in the creedal beliefs of most major Protestant bodies. But, tied inseparably to observance of these commandments of God, was the parallel keeping of the enabling “faith of Jesus.” Paul “kept the faith” in apostolic times (2 Timothy 4:7). So, they reasoned, must they too now keep the faith—the all-encompassing “faith of Jesus”—in the days of the “remnant” church.PFF4 1157.1

This would involve the close following of Christ’s own declared teachings, given through precept and example, as recorded in the New Testament. They were thus to be Christian commandment keepers, in these last days of lawlessness, following Christ’s teachings and practices on the fundamentals of the Christian faith. They were thus to keep the “faith of Jesus” concerning the all-sufficiency of the Scriptures, the oneness and power of the Godhead, and Christ’s own declared pre-existence. They were to keep the faith of Jesus concerning the beneficent work of the Holy Spirit, who, they came to see, was the third Person of the Godhead, and Christ’s representative on earth, operatively present during Christ’s absence in heaven.PFF4 1157.2

The same was true relative to Christ’s creatorship of all things (John 1:1-3); His teaching concerning sin and salvation, conversion and the new birth; His declarations concerning His own substitutionary, atoning death and His priestly mediation for man, in heaven above; the Bible teaching on death and the judgment, the first and second advents, the nature and destiny of man, the resurrection of the just and the unjust, the bestowal of immortality at the second advent, and the final punishment of evil. The list could, of course, be extended. For instance, it was upon Christ’s teaching and example, as well as on the Decalogue, that the Sabbatarian Adventists based their observance of the seventh-day Sabbath. And they likewise sought to follow His example in baptism, the Lord’s supper and its preparatory service, and the other gospel precepts and practices.PFF4 1157.3

Picture 1: THE FAITH OF JESUS AND THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD
These basic provisions constituted the two-fold platform of the Sbatarian adventists. Held in perfect balance and heaven-designed relationship, They are the natural Blwark against Either Legalism or Antinomianism
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And, as a definite part of the “faith of Jesus,” they accepted His own great prophecy of the last days, with its inescapable signs of the times (Matthew 24, Luke 21, and Mark 13). ^{4See Appendix H.} And the great outline prophecies, ending with the establishment of the eternal kingdom of God, were likewise included in the faith of Jesus. For not only did He enunciate His own clear outline prophecy, given while on earth and leading through to the second advent, but He later gave the inspired prophetic outline of the entire Apocalypse, expressly declared to be the “Revelation of Jesus Christ,” which “he sent ... unto his servant” the apostle John (Revelation 1:1), portraying the same great conflict of the ages and ending with the same approaching reign of righteousness.PFF4 1158.1

In thus keeping the faith of Jesus, which had been delivered unto the saints in apostolic times (Jude 3), they came in time to see that the beliefs and teachings of the Sabbatarians were therefore all to be Christ-centered, with Jesus as the declared Author, Foundation, and Finisher of their faith (Hebrews 12:2; Ephesians 2:20). And the “faith of Jesus” was to be kept by faith in His enabling power, and by reliance upon His obedience and His victory, by which they were thenceforth to live triumphantly for and in Him. That is righteousness by faith in verity. (1 Corinthians 15:57; Galatians 2:20.) Such was to be the source and authority—than which there could be none greater—on which they were to rely for their faith and practice. And this was all based on the Word.PFF4 1159.1