第三章 世俗化渗入的楔子

在上帝的勉言中非常清楚地说明了仇敌攻击的次序。撒旦开始时先聪明地在圣徒中引进擦边球似的妥协行为，这类行为很容易就吸引了那些没有亲自灵修的人。当这些伪装了的背离行为在教友中有了立足之地的时候，破口就慢慢扩大，以便通敌，与世界有更多往来合作。

先知说道：

“她属灵情况的转变，是逐渐而来，几乎是不知不觉的。在她开始寻求世人的赞美及友谊时，她的信心就黯淡，热心就衰退，恳切的虔诚也变成了死的仪文。向世界每进一步，就离开上帝更远一步。”——《证言卷五》，240面（另见《证言精选卷二》，十二 基督徒的团结）

因为变化总是在边缘发生，传道人就不愿予以重视，害怕被看为是律法主义或是论断人的。撒旦为要确保使城墙上的守望者缄默，就仔细地筹备规划，使任何起来反对的传道人看起来就像因信称义的仇敌。

撒旦以极大的精明在守安息日的人中间逐渐散布了一种狡猾的欺骗，使他们认为对谨慎顺从诫命的任何关注都是依赖律法主义。许多忠诚的牧师开始对宣讲成圣的道理感到愧疚；一种奇怪的重点移位，开始改变了复临教会中安息日的证道。

越来越少的信息谈到基督徒的责任，即活出对上帝律法的顺从。不久以后，耶稣圣德的副本——律法就被人看为是因信称义的仇敌了。一些神学领袖们开始否认圣经中对罪的定义：“违背律法”；他们宣称罪不是破坏（即违犯）了律法（breaking the law），而是“破坏了一种关系”(breaking a relationship)。像这样聪明地耍弄文字游戏，包含着一半真理与一半谬误，导致许多人实际上轻看了那“圣洁、公义、良善的”（罗7：12）律法。那些仍然相信顺从是必要的也是可能的基督徒，就被斥责为“以行为为导向”了，这是对“靠行为得救”的一种委婉说法。

撇去所有的泡沫，这种自由主义神学影响下的证道，宣称基督为我们做成了一切，包括顺从在内，我们只要相信和爱就够了。其实质就是仅仅承认称义与十字架——决不承认相应的顺从行为，而这相称的顺从行为乃是福音同等的要求。怀姐妹所描写的状况正是老底嘉教会所固有的。

“信仰生活曾经显出的是艰难，需要克己。现在一切都变得非常容易了。为什么这样呢？自称是上帝子民之人已经与黑暗的势力妥协了。

直截的证言必须复兴。现今的天路并不比救主当年平坦。我们必须抛弃一切的罪恶。必须断绝每一拦阻我们信仰生活长进的心爱的放纵。”——《证言卷五》，222面

这样的证言与那新“因信称义”所强调的是不一致的。复临教会的青年人被新“因信称义”警告：对他们的罪不要想得太多，特别是不要“试着”去战胜这些罪。他们被教导确信，越是多看自己的缺点，就越可能被试探去倚靠“行为”试图遵守律法。显然这样的计划就是拒绝真福音的律法主义。在这流行的廉价救恩的毒素影响下，许多牧师就不愿意宣讲反对的信息，反对这些世俗的原理在教会里的暗中侵蚀；这又有什么可奇怪的呢？

你看到撒旦为了把有问题的做法引进教会，其基础工作是如何作成的了吗？谁想要破坏那看起来是真正复兴的影响力呢？许多人都作见证说他们第一次经历了真实地悔改，逃脱了律法的束缚。但非常奇怪的是，那些乘驾着这种新自由的高昂情绪之人中的许多人，转而越来越多地批评那些关注标准流失的人。他们成了最大声的抗议者，反对任何涉及改变行为或改革的计划。对他们而言，关注衣服的裁剪或音乐的节拍都带有太多“行为”的风味了。并且因为每个人都很同意因信称义在过去普遍被忽视了，所以现在那使人兴奋的新的强调重点就迅速被人接纳了。任何人若提出一个关于在教会内世俗化增长的问题，就马上会被“律法主义！”的叫喊声镇压下去。对于那些突然出现在复临信徒生活方式中的小小改变，一种新的容忍的态度正在渐长。

因为上帝子民的心思意念慢慢适应了越来越多出现的“有控制的”看电视，结婚戒指，“适度的”化妆，“好的”电影，3%的咖啡因，“端庄的”泳衣与短裤，“特殊的”离婚案件，男女皆可的服装标码，所以已预言的对教义的混乱也就开始增长了。

撒旦已经制造出了适宜的思潮，为了引进对余民教会伟大支柱的不信与怀疑。一些受世俗教育的神学家利用理性主义，发起了对每一位忠心的基督复临安息日会信徒的猛烈攻击。这一攻击使许多人非常惊奇，因为很少人料想到信仰的主要诽谤者竟是我们自己中间的一位。在福特（Desmond Ford）的背信被发现以前，他的观念已被数百名景仰他的青年学生们所吸收，他们被他的个性与雄辩的言论迷住了。

CHAPTER 3 THE WEDGE OF WORLDLY INFILTRATION

The sequence is very clearly spelled out in the counsels of God. Satan began by cleverly introducing borderline compromises among the saints, which easily attracted those who were not studying for themselves. As these camouflaged deviations became established among the membership, the gap slowly widened to accommodate more collaboration with the world.

Said the prophet:

"The change in her spiritual state has come gradually and almost imperceptibly. As she began to seek the praise and friendship with the world, her faith diminished, her zeal grew languid, her fervent devotion gave place to dead formality. Every advance step toward the world was a step away from God." Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 240.

Because the changes were always marginal, ministers were reluctant to make issues over them for fear of being labeled as legalistic and judgmental. In order to assure the silence of watchmen on the walls, Satan carefully programmed a preparatory campaign to make any protesting preacher appear as an enemy of righteousness by faith.

With great shrewdness, Satan gradually introduced among Sabbathkeepers the subtle concept that any concern about careful obedience was tied to legalism. Many faithful pastors began to feel guilty about preaching sanctification, and a strange shift of emphasis began to alter the kind of Sabbath sermons being preached in Adventist churches.

Fewer and fewer messages dealt with the responsibility of the Christian in living a life of obedience to God's law. Before long the very law which is a transcript of the character of Jesus was coming across as an enemy of righteousness by faith. Some leading theologians began to deny the Bible definition of sin as "the transgression of the law," and declared that sin was not breaking the law, but "breaking a relationship." Such clever play on words, containing partial truth and partial error, led many actually to look with contempt upon that which was "holy, just and good." (Romans 7:12.) Christians who still believed that obedience was both necessary and possible were chided as being "works-oriented," a nice sounding euphemism for "salvation by works."

With all the froth skimmed away, the substance of the sermons preached under this liberated theology gave recognition only to justification and the cross-never to the corresponding activity of obedience equally demanded by the gospel. Christ did everything for us, including obedience, and our part was only to believe and love. The very condition described by Sister White settled over the Laodicean church.

"A religious life once presented difficulties and demanded self-denial. All is made very easy now. And why is this? The professed people of God have compromised with the powers of darkness. There must be a revival of the straight testimony. The path to heaven is no smoother now than in the days of our Saviour. All our sins must be put away. Every darling indulgence that hinders our religious life must be cut off." Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 222.

Such counsel was not compatible with the emphasis on this new "righteousness by faith." Adventist young people were warned not to think too much about their sins, and especially not to "try" to overcome them. They were made to believe that the more they looked at their shortcomings, the more they might be tempted to rely on the "works" of trying to obey the law. It came through very clearly that such a program would be a legalistic denial of the true gospel. Is it any wonder that, under this popular, easy-grace intoxication, many pastors were reluctant to preach against the stealthy encroachment of worldly elements into the church?

Do you see how the groundwork was laid for the introduction of questionable practices into the church? Who wanted to disrupt the influence of what appeared to be a genuine tool for revival? Many were bearing testimony that they had been truly converted for the first time, having escaped from the bonds of legalism. But strangely enough, many of those who rode the emotional high of this new freedom turned more and more critical of those who were concerned about the breakdown of standards. They became the most vocal protesters against any program that involved any change of conduct or reformation. To them it smacked too much of "works" to be concerned over the cut of clothes or the beat of music. And since everyone quite agreed that righteousness by faith had been generally neglected in the past, it was easy for the new, exciting emphasis to gain rapid acceptance. Anyone who raised a question about the increasing worldliness in the church was instantly silenced by cries of "Legalism!" A new, tolerant attitude developed toward the small changes that were cropping up in the Adventist lifestyle.

As the minds of God's people slowly adjusted to the appearance of more and more "controlled" television, the wedding ring, "moderate" makeup, "good" movies, three-percent caffeine, "modest" bathing suits and shorts, "special" divorce cases and unisex dress codes, the predicted doctrinal confusion began to develop.

Satan had created the appropriate climate for introducing doubts and questions about the great, supporting pillars of the remnant church. Utilizing the intellectualism of a few theologians with worldly educations, a massive assault was launched against the faith of every loyal Seventh-day Adventist. The attack took many by surprise, because few had anticipated that the major detractor of the faith would be one of our own. Long before his perfidy was recognized, Desmond Ford's concepts were being assimilated by hundreds of admiring young students who were captivated by his personality and powerful command of words