Stan was one of those people who put everything he had into whatever endeavor he pursued, and he wholeheartedly pursued keeping the doctrines of Worldwide. One Sabbath we went to their house for dinner. After dinner, they put the dirty dishes in the oven! We asked why they did that. They said that since they couldn't do the dishes on the Sabbath, and they couldn't have the kitchen messy, they always hid the dishes in the oven and washed them after sundown. He explained how the minister had given a sermon about "If Jesus came to your house on the Sabbath, what would He find?

Stan was an excellent athlete, and played on the church softball team. If the team was told to be at the game by 6:00 p.m., and sundown wasn't until 5:45 p.m., Stan wouldn't leave his house until it was exactly 5:46 p.m. He didn't care if he still had a half-hour drive to the game. He wouldn't put his uniform on until he arrived. Stan became quite agitated at the other players. He knew that the other members were getting dressed and driving to the ballgame during Sabbath time because they lived further away than he did, and they were there already dressed and warming up for the game. When a player would make a comment to him about being late, Stan would indignantly reply, "No, I'm on time. The Sabbath didn't end until 5:46!"

There was another couple whom we were friends with, and they both worked long hours at their family business. Since they didn't have time to prepare food during the week, they went out every Sabbath to eat. When Stan caught wind of this, he was clearly perturbed. He told us that the minister told him that eating in restaurants should be reserved for "special occasions" like anniversaries, and should not be done on a regular basis. He felt strongly that this couple was breaking the Sabbath and should be confronted. He couldn't understand why the ministry allowed it.

Whenever we would go out and eat in a restaurant with Stan and Cindy (during the week, of course), we launched into the usual "waitress interrogation procedure" to make sure that there wasn't any lard in our food. The waitress said she would ask the cook. When she returned with our meals, she said that there was no lard used in our food. When she left, I started to eat my meal when Stan said suspiciously, "How do you know she isn't lying?" Stan refused to eat his meal to prove that he wasn't as weak as the rest of us who did. He was not going to let anything unclean pass through his lips, and he was not going to believe any waitress either. He was sure that most of them lied out of convenience. I remember not enjoying that particular meal because of all the sharp glances cast our way. My husband, who admired Stan, stopped eating because he felt the tension of Stan's disapproval.

Whenever Stan and Cindy would come over, he would launch into a tirade about the weaknesses of others. It bothered him whenever he visited other church areas that the rules were different. He could see the discrepancies and inconsistencies. He wanted to know why Headquarters didn't print a booklet on exactly what one could or could not do on the Sabbath. He felt that members needed specific instructions on Sabbath-keeping so we could all be consistent. Stan was a perfectionist, but he understood the rules well. If one had to "qualify for the Kingdom," then he wasn't going to mess around. He was going to give it everything he had and he was going to do it right.

Now Stan was very zealous in his beliefs and admired by all those who knew him. He would never compromise on any issue. One would have thought Stan a spiritual giant by seeing all his works. He was involved with Y.O.U., the music, set up, and took down halls, organized work crews to help the elderly with home repairs, just to name a few. Then one day we got a call from Cindy. 

Cindy had come home from work to find a note and an empty home. She was devastated. Stan had decided that he didn't want to be married to her anymore, so he packed his bags and left. He told her later that because they had been living together prior to getting married, their marriage wasn't valid in God's eyes. He moved out of the church area and filed for divorce. Two months later he became engaged to another woman. He told Cindy that he and this other woman were now "doing it right in God's eyes" because they were going to wait until they were married before living together. Stan wanted to keep the Law so perfectly that he became absolutely obsessed. He could not see that he was doing anything wrong! He was sure that God was blessing his actions!

This taught me a lesson. Just because one keeps the Law and keeps it perfectly, doesn't mean one is converted and has fellowship with Jesus Christ. Stan kept the Law as well as Saul when he was a Pharisee. But it did not change Stan's heart! God understood this well. That's why He had to send Jesus. If law keeping didn't make the Israelites righteous, then why do we think it will save us now? Only Jesus can save us. Why do we resist looking to Him?

By Lindsey
Exit & Support Network™
October 4, 2003 

Footnotes by ESN:

¹ All names given are fictitious.

² Read: Mystery of the Ages (a critical review)

Must We Keep the Law For Salvation? (answers many questions)

Stories, Testimonies and Writings by Exiters  

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