Every now and then we come across a book that, it appears, providence has placed in our hands as it warms and quickens our hearts with its message. This is such a book.
Taylor is both cognitive and pragmatic in his assertive approach to the fallacies of the inroads of "eternal security" in Christendom. In so doing, he exposes the superficial intellectualism found in the antinomianism of the "new theology." He does this by dealing with the common denominator of all salvation theology—sin in its relation to right thinking and right living. He contends that most of the errors that have intruded into Christian theology can be traced to a faulty conception of sin: "Because someone's notions of sin were a bit off-color, his entire trend of reasoning was misdirected.... To reason from a false premise is to start an endless chain of conclusions. Therefore we say that one who does not have correct views of sin is not apt to have correct views of any other fundamental question. This will especially be manifest in regard to his theory of the atonement and God's method of redeeming man." Therefore he asserts that "anything taught or preached which obscures the cruciality of sin becomes an enemy of the 'cross of Christ.'" And to insist on correct views of sin is to make it impossible to stray very far from essential truth.
The positive doctrine of righteousness by faith that this book teaches is in harmony with Adventism. It is a rare and tremendous exposition of salvation theology that needs to be taught and experienced by ministers and laypersons. Now, at a time of interest in the 1888 message, this book could prove timely and valuable.
Taylor writes in a simple, practical, and convincing style, but with a flavor of Christian love that recommends his theory of sin and salvation to us to cogitate upon and apply to our lives and ministry.
There is a lot of sermon material in this short volume. One statement that harmonizes with what I believe to be the Adventist message concerning salvation is found on page 28: "It made possible the pardon of past sins and released a grace for the repentant soul whereby he would be enabled to live free from sin, thus continuing to escape the sentence of death." He understands and contends for the truth that the shed blood of Christ not only pardons but regenerates and cleanses.
Here is a book that systematically exposes both the apparent and subtle errors of Calvinism as it relates to theology and religious experience.
