Advent and remnant

It goes without saying that our view of the way in which the world is constituted will profoundly affect our behaviour and our perception of our status in that world. The doctrinal structure of Adventism has thus inevitably influenced the way in which its adherents have sought to discharge their moral responsibilities in the world. On the other hand, the ethical consequences of a complex doctrinal system such as that to be found in Adventism may not be at all self-evident. They may need to be uncovered by careful theological excavation. Those ethical consequences will certainly change in response to developments in the larger society.

Adventists have, like other Christians in recent years, given increasing attention to the business of formulating a mature moral response to the many dilemmas which present themselves. Adventists have become less comfortable about defining morality in terms of a set of traditionally acceptable behaviours. Times are undoubtedly changing within the church. However, there are perhaps two fundamental doctrinal positions which have always exercised, and continue to exercise, a profound influence on Adventist moral thought and action. Both concern the dimension of time. The belief in an imminent second advent emphasizes the transitory nature of our present existence. Earthly life is but a prelude to life in heaven to which the faithful will ultimately pass when Christ returns. In the intervening time, and particularly in the end time, there must exist a rallying point for the faithful.