God's Magnificent Eight

"e;AND SAMPSON SAID TO THE YOUNG MAN WHO HELD HIM BY THE HAND, 'LET ME FEEL THE PILLARS ON WHICH THE HOUSE RESTS, THAT I MAY LEAN AGAINST THEM'"e; (Judges 16:26, ESV)Mark Finely has rightly said that there are "e;seven basic teachings"e; on which God has built His church. "e;Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn out her seven pillars."e; These seven pillars are essential, and "e;the non-negotiables:"e;Scripture (John 17:17)Salvation (John 3:16)Second Coming (John 14:1-3)Sabbath (John 14:15)State of the Dead (John 11:11-26)Sanctuary (John 17:4, 11, 24)Holy Spirit and Spirit of Prophecy (John 14:15-17)(Prov. 9:1; Mark Finely, Solid Ground, p. 374)"e;The house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth"e; is built on these seven pillars, 1 Tim. 3:15. Because of this, Dr. Norman identifies the church as an eight pillar. This eight pillar rests on the other seven "e;non-negotiables."e; These "e;non-negotiables"e; are in turn rooted and grounded in Christ, and they define who we are as a biblical community of faith. Tragically though, great uncertainty concerning the pillars abound. The "e;non-negotiables"e; are under assault. And this assault will intensify as a mighty sifting sieve. "e;Those who seek to remove the old landmarks . . . bring in theories that would remove the pillars of our faith concerning the sanctuary . . . [they are] working as blind men . . . [they are] seeking to bring in uncertainties and to set the people of God adrift without an anchor,"e; (E. G. White, Manuscript Release No. 760. P. 9, 1905). If there ever was a time, we needed the resolve of Sampson, it is now! The author hopes that this book will inspire this resolve-a resolve that will lead us back to the pillars; back to the "e;non-negotiables."e; Like Sampson, may we feel the pillars once again, and lean on "e;the non-negotiables"e; centered in Christ.