T
he Bible emphasizes the vital importance of humility (Prov. 16:18; Micah 6:8; James 4:6; Matt. 11:29), and Jesus showed it by washing His disciples’ feet. He commanded them to do likewise (John 13:12-17). As Seventh-day Adventists we practice this “ordinance of humility” before we come to the Lord’s table. How did we discover this “ordinance”?
AMONG EARLY ADVENTISTS
Looking Back
The Ordinance of Humility: The Development of Foot Washing
24
October 2022 AdventistWorld.org
When William Miller preached on the Second Advent, he was joined by ministers of various denominations. Among them was George W. Peavey, who reported on a conference in Grafton, Vermont, where he was part of a group who washed one another’s feet after the Lord’s Supper.1 In 1845 Peavey wrote a letter in defense of foot washing to Joseph Marsh, editor of The Voice of Truth, who published Peavey’s story to refute him.2 Peavey’s arguments were biblical: a Christian shows his love for Christ by obedience (John 14:15), the command of Jesus in John 13:12-17 is distinct, and by practicing it we learn humility. Peavey’s letter and Marsh’s rebuttal started the discussion on whether foot washing is an ordinance like baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Opponents missed further biblical evidence and reduced it to an act of hospitality. A large body of Adventists rejected foot washing completely in May 1845 because a group of “Spiritualizers,” who saw themselves as angels for whom gender was irrelevant, practiced it among mixed genders or “promiscuously.” The early Adventists believed it to be “unscriptural” and “subversive of purity and morality.”3 This rejection challenged those who practiced foot washing to justify their view on it as an ordinance. Enoch Jacobs opened his periodical, Photo: Ginos Photos / iStock / Getty Images Plus / Getty Images
