Why is it that whenever Seventh-day Adventists and Ellen G. White emphasize obedience to the Ten Commandments, critics are quick to accuse them of being unbiblical or legalistic? Yet when a respected Baptist preacher like Charles Spurgeon, in his well-known sermon “The Perpetuity of the Law of God,” strongly affirmed that the moral law—the Ten Commandments—is eternal in nature and that Christ came not to abolish it but to fulfill it, he receives no such criticism. In fact, Spurgeon even acknowledged that the Ten Commandments existed from the very beginning, in Eden itself. Why, then, is the same belief praised when voiced by a Protestant leader, but condemned when taught by Ellen G. White and the SDA Church?
This double standard reveals a deeper issue of bias and inconsistency in how different Christian groups are treated. The message of both Spurgeon and Ellen G. White aligns with Scripture—affirming that God’s moral law reflects His unchanging character and remains the standard of righteousness for all time (Matthew 5:17–19; Romans 3:31). However, when Ellen G. White and SDAs proclaim the same biblical truth, emphasizing obedience as the fruit of salvation, critics often label it as “legalism" and unbiblical.
The real difference lies not in the message, but in perception: Spurgeon is revered as a Protestant hero, while Ellen G. White and the SDA Church are often misunderstood or prejudged because of their distinctive doctrines, such as the Sabbath. This inconsistency suggests that many criticisms are rooted not in theology, but in denominational bias and misunderstanding of SDA beliefs about law, grace, and salvation.
