Sequeira-beyond

# Sequeira - Analysis of Beyond Belief

This basic study was sent to us by a friend in the Northwest. We have retypeset and partially arranged it for this presentation. You will find it to be an excellent study.

A quotation from Jack Sequeira’s book, Beyond Belief, is followed by one or more Spirit of Prophecy statements refuting Sequeira’s erroneous positions.

Sequeira: “This book presents the plan of salvation in a new light and, therefore, will require the reader to put aside all preconceived ideas in order to appreciate its message.”—Beyond Belief, 7.

“And he (the serpent) said unto the woman, ‘Yea, hath God said, “Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” ’ And the woman said unto the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, “Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it lest ye die.” ’ And the serpent said unto the woman, ‘Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.’ ”—Genesis 3:1-5.

Note: It was because Eve got rid of her “preconceived ideas” (what God told her) that she “took of the fruit thereof and did eat.”

“It is as certain that we have the truth as that God lives.”—4 Testimonies, 595.

“Men and women will arise professing to have some new light or some new revelation whose tendency is to unsettle faith in the old landmarks.”—5 Testimonies, 295.

“God has given us His Word that we may become acquainted with its teachings, and know for ourselves what He requires of us . . It is not enough to have good intentions. It is not enough to do what a man thinks is right or what the minister tells him is right. His soul’s salvation is at stake, and he should search the Scriptures for himself. However strong may be his convictions, however confident he may be that the minister knows what is truth, this is not his foundation, He has a chart pointing out every waymark on the homeward journey, and he ought not to guess at anything . . It is the first and highest duty of every rational being to learn from the Scriptures what is truth . . With divine help, we are to form our opinions for ourselves, as we are to answer for ourselves before God.”—Great Controversy, 598.

“If men would but take the Bible as it reads, if there were no false teachers to mislead and confuse their minds, a work would be accomplished that would make angels glad.”—Great Controversy, 599.

“The truth is our guide; it is like a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.”—Counsels on Sabbath School Work, 23.

Sequeira: “But the greatest discovery a believer can make is that he has been crucified with Christ and that now his life is hid in Christ (see Colossians 3:3). Such a discovery will bring to an end all self-effort in our lives.”—Beyond Belief, 29.

“Their robes must be spotless, their characters must be purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling. Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort, they must be conquerors in the battle with evil.”—Great Controversy, 425.

“So in the family if one member is lost to God every means should be used for his recovery. On the part of all the others let there be diligent, careful self-examination. Let the life practice be investigated. See if there is not some mistake, some error in management, by which that soul is confirmed in impenitence. If there is in the family one child who is unconscious of his sinful state, parents should not rest. Let the candle be lighted. Search the Word of God, and by its light let everything in the home be diligently examined, to see why this child is lost. Let parents search their own hearts, examine their habits and practices. Children are the heritage of the Lord, and we are answerable to Him for our management of His property.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, 194-195.

“But He cannot work though us if we make no effort. If we gain eternal life, we must work and work earnestly . . Let us not be deceived by the oft-repeated assertion, ‘All you have to do is to believe. Faith and works are two oars which we must use equally if we [would] press our way up the stream against the current of unbelief.”—Welfare Ministry, 316.

“He will not do our part of the work, neither does He require that we do His. It is God that worketh in us, but we must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling . . Faith must be sustained by works; the doers of the work are justified before God.”—2 Testimonies, 166-167.

“The sanctification now gaining prominence in the religious world . . an instantaneous work, by which, through faith alone, they attain to perfect holiness. ‘Only believe,’ say they, ‘and the blessing is yours.’ No further effort on the part of the receiver is supposed to be required.”—Great Controversy, 471.

“Let no man present the idea that man has little or nothing to do in the great work of overcoming . . In the judgement the sentence pronounced is according to what has been done or to what has been left undone.”—1 Selected Messages, 381.

“Man must work with his human power, aided by the divine power of Christ, to resist and to conquer at any cost to himself. In short, man must overcome as Christ overcame. And then, through the victory that it is his privilege to gain by the all-powerful name of Jesus, he may become an heir of God and joint heir with Jesus Christ. This could not be the case if Christ alone did all the overcoming. Man must do his part; he must be victor on his own account, through the strength and grace that Christ gives him. Man must be a co-worker with Christ in the labor of overcoming, and then he will be partaker with Christ in His glory.”—4 Testimonies, 32-33.

“Prayer and effort, effort and prayer, will be the business of your life. You must pray as though the efficiency and praise were all due to God, and labor as though duty were all your own.”—4 Testimonies, 538.

“Our claim to Christ’s righteousness is without a flaw, if we meet the conditions upon which it is promised.”—Youth’s Instructor, July 12, 1894.

“Jesus has purchased redemption for us. It is ours; but we are placed here on probation to see if we will prove worthy of eternal life.”—1 Testimonies, 199.

Sequeira: “The great mistake most people make when they first come to Christ is to think that their natural life of sin can be changed or reformed so that it will be made pleasing to God . . We have failed to see that the sinful life of the flesh is beyond repair. We have to recognize that our sinful human nature cannot be rebuilt into something that will be acceptable to God. That is why He included us in the death of His Son on the cross.”—Beyond Belief, 128, 129.

“Though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow; for I will cleanse you with my own blood. I will make you members of my family—children of the heavenly King . . I will clothe you with my own righteousness—the wedding garment—and make you fit for the marriage supper of the Lamb . . You will understand the truth, and your character will be molded by a divine influence.

“The heart in which Jesus makes His abode will be quickened, purified, guided and ruled by the Holy Spirit, and the human agent will make strenuous efforts to bring his character into harmony with God.”—Sons and Daughters of God, 98.

“Those who receive the seal of the living God and are protected in the time of trouble must reflect the image of Jesus fully.”—Early Writings, 71.

“When Christ shall come, our vile bodies are to be changed and made like His glorious body; but the vile character will not be made holy then. The transformation of character must take place before His coming. Our natures must be pure and holy; we must have the mind of Christ, that He may behold with pleasure His image reflected upon our souls.”—Signs of the Times, November 11, 1886.

“The Lord chooses His own agents not because they are perfect but because, through a connection with Him, they may gain perfection.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, 330.

“I will make a man more precious than fine gold.”—Isaiah 13:12.

“Exact obedience is required, and those that say it is not possible to live a perfect life throw upon God the imputation of injustice and untruth.”—Manuscript 148, 1899.

“There will be no future probation in which to prepare for eternity. It is in this life that we are to put on the robe of Christ’s righteousness. This is our only opportunity to form characters for the home which Christ has made ready for those who obey His commandments.”—Christ’s object Lessons, 319.

“But those who are waiting to behold a magical change in their characters, without determined effort on their part to overcome sin, will be disappointed.”—1 Selected Messages, 336..

“The condition of eternal life is now just what it always has been—just what it was in paradise before the fall of our first parents—perfect obedience to the Law of God, perfect righteousness. If eternal life were granted on any condition short of this, then the happiness of the whole universe would be imperiled. The way would be open for sin, with all its train of woe and misery, to be immortalized.”—Steps to Christ, 38, 39.

Sequeira: “That is why He included us in the death of His Son on the cross.”—Beyond Belief, 129.

Note: This has to be Catholic theology! It is known that Sequeira was “converted” from Catholicism. But, in the Sanctuary service, we find a correct understanding of the atonement:

“This work of ministration continued in the first apartment of the Sanctuary. The blood of Christ, pleaded in behalf of penitent believers, secured their pardon and acceptance with the Father, yet their sins still remained upon the books of record. As in the typical service there was a work of atonement at the close of the year; so before Christ’s work for the redemption of men is completed, there is a work of atonement for the removal of sin from the sanctuary. This is the service which began when the 2300 days ended . . So in the new covenant the sins of the repentant are by faith placed upon Christ and transferred, in fact, to the heavenly sanctuary. For eighteen centuries this work of ministration continued in the first apartment of the sanctuary. The blood of Christ, pleaded in behalf of the penitent believers, secured their pardon and acceptance with the Father, yet their sins still remained upon the books of record. As in the typical service there was a work of atonement for the removal of sin from the sanctuary. This is the service which began when the 2300 days ended.”—Great Controversy, 421.

“The intercession of Christ in man’s behalf in the sanctuary above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon the cross.”—Great Controversy, 489.

Sequeira: “Then, just as Christ rose from the dead and left sin in the grave . . ”—Beyond Belief, 115.

Note: Read again the previous rebuttal, as well as chapter 23 in Great Controversy, entitled “What Is The Sanctuary?”

Sequeira: “No individual member can fully display Christ completely for the simple reason that no individual member is the total body of Christ. Only through Christ as a whole, living in perfect coordination and conformity to the direction of the Holy Spirit, can the life of Christ be fully displayed. This will take place before Christ comes.”—Beyond Belief, 152.

Note: These theories of Sequeira are foreign to historic Adventism.

“In our own strength it is true that we cannot obey them (the commandments). But Christ came in the form of humanity, and by His perfect obedience He proved that humanity and divinity combined can obey every one of God’s precepts . . This power is not in the human agent. It is the power of God. When a soul receives Christ, he receives power to live the life of Christ.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, 314.

“Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of the Saviour shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim His own. It is the privilege of every Christian, not only to look for, but to hasten, the coming of the Lord.”—Counsels to Teachers, 324.

“In all true teaching the personal element is essential. Christ in His teaching dealt with men individually . . Even the crowd that so often thronged His steps was not to Christ an indiscriminate mass of human beings. He spoke directly to every mind and appealed to every heart.”—Education, 231.

“So it is through personal contact and association that men are reached by the saving power of the Gospel. They are not saved in masses, but as individuals. Personal influence is a power!”—Prophets and Kings, 232.

“God has given His law for the regulation of the conduct of nations, of families, and of individuals.”—1 Bible Commentary, 1104.

“God deals with men as individuals, giving to everyone his work.”—Testimonies to Ministers, 488.

“All the light of the past, all the light which shines in the present and reaches forth into the future, as revealed in the Word of God, is for every soul who will receive it. The glory of this light, which is the very glory of the character of Christ, is to be manifested in the individual Christian, in the family, in the church, in the ministry of the Word, and in every institution established by God’s people. All these the Lord designs shall be symbols of what can be done for the world. They are to be types of the saving power of the truths of the Gospel. They are agencies in the fulfillment of God’s great purpose for the human race.”—6 Testimonies, 11.

“It is by the Spirit that the heart is made pure. Through the Spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has given His Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress His own character upon the church . . The honor of God, the honor of Christ, is involved in the perfection of the character of His people.”—Desire of Ages, 671.

“Jesus cares for each one as though there were not another individual on the face of the earth.”—5 Testimonies, 346.

The lives of these men were an example of sanctification, in individuals:

“By the translation of Enoch the Lord designed to teach an important lesson . . Satan was urging upon men the belief that . . it was impossible for men to obey the divine statutes. But in the case of Enoch, God declares ‘that He is, and the He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him’ . . men were taught that it is possible to obey the law of God . . The godly character of this prophet represents the state of holiness which must be attained by those who shall be ‘redeemed from the earth’ at the time of Christ’s second advent.”—Patriarchs and prophets, 88, 89.

“The life of Daniel is an inspired illustration of what constitutes a sanctified character.”—The Sanctified Life, 23.

“In the life of the disciple John true sanctification is exemplified.”—Acts of the Apostles, 557.

Sequeira: “Christ will never take us to heaven as individuals, but only as members of His church.”—Beyond Belief, 115.

“There is earnest warfare before all who would subdue the evil tendencies that strive for the mastery. The work of preparation is an individual work. We are not saved in groups. The purity and devotion of one will not offset the want of these qualities in another.”—Great Controversy, 490.

“The halfhearted and superficial could no longer lean upon the faith of their brethren. Each must stand or fall for himself.”—Great Controversy, 395.

“So it is through personal contact and association that men are reached by the saving power of the Gospel. They are not saved in masses, but as individuals.”—Prophets and Kings, 232.

Sequeira: “So, as Christians, we may say with confidence that we are saved. But at the same time, we must confess that we are being saved and that we will be saved.”—Beyond Belief, 119.

“We are never to rest in a satisfied condition, and cease to make advancement, saying, ‘I am saved.’ When this idea is entertained, the motive for watchfulness, for prayer, for earnest endeavor to press onward to higher attainments, cease to exist. No sanctified tongue will be found uttering these words till Christ shall come, and we enter in through the gates into the city of God. Then, with the utmost propriety, we may give glory to God and to the Lamb for eternal deliverance.”—Maranatha, 236.

Sequeira: “In the same way, the Bible considers that when Adam fell, the whole human family fell ‘in him.’ Since Adam’s sin took place before he had children who could make their own moral decisions, his fall into sin plunged the entire human race into sin (see Rom. 5:12; 1 Cor. 15:21, 22). This view is difficult for the Western mind to grasp and accept because it is much more accustomed to thinking in individualistic terms. However, the idea of all mankind, as a corporate unit, participating in Adam’s fall is clearly taught in the Scriptures . . If the downside of the idea of corporate oneness is that we all fell in one man, Adam, the glorious upside of the idea is that God likewise has redeemed all of us in one man, Jesus Christ, who is the ‘Second Adam’ (see Rom. 5:12-21; 1 Cor. 15:19-23, 45-49). God has legally justified all mankind in Christ just as surely as Satan has brought about the condemnation of all mankind in Adam (see Rom. 5:18) . . At His incarnation, Christ assumed the corporate life of the entire human race in its fallen condition . . The entire human race is corporately one ‘in Him’ just as we are one in Adam. What Jesus did, we have done, because we are corporately one in Him. Thus His life and death, which fully met the positive demands of God’s holy law as well as its justice, are considered to be our life and death also. ‘In Him’ we are justified because His life and ours were forever linked at the incarnation. This, in brief, is Paul’s ‘in Christ’ motif . . The idea of corporate oneness—that all humanity was ‘in Christ’—gives new understanding to the Bible’s teaching of Christ as our substitute, a dilemma that is solved by the concept of corporate oneness . . ”—Beyond Belief, 34.

Note: Sequeira says, “Adam’s sin plunged the entire human race into sin.” He calls it corporate sin. Let us see what God’s Word says:

“Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned after the similitude of the figure of transgression who is a type of Him who is to come.”—Romans 5:14.

“Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin aboundeth, grace did much more abound.”—Romans 5:19.

“Mighty issues for the world were at stake in the conflict between the Prince of Light and the leader of the kingdom of darkness. After tempting man to sin, Satan claimed the earth as his and styled himself the Prince of This World . . He declared that men had chosen him as their sovereign. Through his control of men, he held dominion over the world. Christ had come to disprove Satan’s claim. As the Son of Man, Christ would stand loyal to God. Thus it would be shown that Satan had not gained complete control of the human race, and that his claim to the world was false. All who desired deliverance from his power would be set free.”—Desire of Ages, 114.

“The soul that sinneth, it shall die . . The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son.”—Ezekiel 18:4, 20.

“Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness.”—Ezekiel 14:14 (individual accountability).

“In comparison with the worth of one soul, the world sinks into insignificance.”—5 Testimonies, 614.

“He who has paid the price for its redemption knows the worth of the human soul.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, 140.

“One soul is of more value than the entire world.”—2 Testimonies, 541.

Note: We are not a “child of the church” but a “Child of the King.”

“God is love. He has shown that love in the gift of Christ. When ‘He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life,’ He withheld nothing from His purchased possession (John 3:16). He gave all heaven, for which we may draw strength and efficiency, that we be not repulsed or overcome by our great adversary. But the love of God does not lead Him to excuse sin. He did not excuse it in Satan; He did not excuse it in Adam or in Cain; nor will He excuse it in any other of the children of men. He will not connive at our sins or overlook our defects of character. He expects us to overcome in His name.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, 316.

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Truly, we live in such serious times, that we dare not trust our soul’s salvation to the theories of men. If you wish to make it safely through to the other side, cling to the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy!

Do not rely on men who have openly repudiated confidence in God’s messenger for these last days. See our other studies, which quote from Jack Sequeira’s sermons and writings:

Teachings of Jack Sequeira [WM–501-506], The Atonement: Finished or Unfinished? [WM–727-728], and Sequeira and Wieland Documentary Tractbook ($10.00 plus p & h).

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