Adventists have been handed a wildly unique and genuinely beautiful heritage — a message centered on the hope of Jesus’ soon return, a health message that actually changes people’s lives, an education system that punches way above its weight, the gift of Sabbath rest, strong family values, and a history full of committed believers who sacrificed a lot to follow their convictions.
But a heritage is a gift, not a flex. And sometimes we treat it like something we built instead of something we received. When that happens, we start drifting into territory that looks uncomfortably similar to the religious culture Jesus pushed back against — compliance over compassion, regulating each other’s spiritual lives like it’s a competitive sport, and using our identity as a spiritual status symbol instead of a calling to serve. That’s not faithfulness; it’s just pride in a pious outfit.
None of this means giving up on Adventism. Quite the opposite. It means staying humble. It means remembering that early Adventists didn’t assume they had everything right on day one — they wrestled, they studied, they disagreed, they grew. They experienced what we’d now call progressive revelation. If growth was essential then, why would it stop now?
Being Adventist without becoming a spiritual elitist means holding our heritage with gratitude rather than superiority, staying teachable enough to learn from other Christians, recognizing that God still has more to show us, and keeping our identity rooted in Christ rather than in comparison. The gifts we’ve been given are real — but they stay powerful only if we carry them with humility instead of entitlement.
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