When I refer to “Pastor” without specifically talking about the identity of the pastor, most of the time I am referring to Pastor Eric Calvin Ward. I am not sure why, but the other day I was thinking about the Pastor. I remembered Pastor Ward telling the congregation about a time when he was to be on a radio program. The program went long before Pastor Ward was to come on and Pastor Ward was told that he had only a few minutes to describe the essence of the Seventh-day Adventist faith.
The Essence of Adventism
Pastor Ward always seemed ready for a challenge like this. Ward said that Adventism is essentially about four C’s. It is about Jesus Christ. We believe in the Jesus Christ of the Bible. It is about Jesus’ Cross. We believe that we are saved by grace provided at the cross. And then he closed by saying we believe in Jesus’ Commandments. And finally his coming again. All 10 of them as defined in the Decalogue.
Christ, his Cross, his Commandments, and his coming again. The last time I heard Pastor Ward state the four C’s was probably around 1992. Pastor Ward now waits in the grave for the call of the Life Giver, but I shall always remember that short summary of our beliefs. And when we get to heaven, I will tell the Pastor about how much that short summary has helped me.