"In every age, transgression of God’s law has been accompanied by the same result…. As it was then, so it is today… In the last days of this earth’s history, God’s covenant with His commandment-keeping people is to be renewed." Review & Herald, Feb. 26, 1914.
Lately, statements like the above have seemed to be inviting an ever-increasing number of honest Adventists to review and study. The anti-Semitism, which has plagued Protestantism for generations, may have distorted our view of God’s design for a Remnant more than most of us realize. The laws of Moses have been, for the past three hundred years, accepted in the Christian community as applying only to ancient Israel; so, why study them now? Of what significance could they possible have for the end-time people of God?
On the other hand, how could God have outlined a life-style for a nation He called His own, and then decided all that he had previously outlined wasn’t good enough, so He'd try something else? God is not as man; God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). Dichotomies, between my understanding of God’s dealing with His people in the past, and what was sometimes presented as truth for the present, began to appear. These demanded honest research, to know God’s choice life-style now. Certainly, if He was interested enough to spell out the details for His chosen remnant then, why not now?
If the words of God were committed to Israel - and they were (Romans 3:1,2) - and these oracles, which had been delivered at Mount Sinai, were to be passed down to us (Acts 7:38), certainly we need to know those oracles. Peter, in the New Testament, admonishes Christians to be focused and persuasive in sharing the Gospel, "As one who is delivering the oracles of God," (1 Peter 4:11 - The Twentieth Century New Testament ). Peter compared the earnestness of preaching the Gospel with the power with which God spoke the Law at Sinai. Both the Law and the Gospel are the oracles of God.
Another reason for studying God’s statutes, His oracles, ordinances, and commandments was that Jesus, Himself, had said, "One jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled " (Matthew 5:17, 18). The Greek word translated "law" in these verses, according to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, means:
"to parcel out,"
"law (through the idea of prescriptive usage),"
"(regulation), spec. (of Moses [includ. the volume]; also of the gospel."
Jesus was saying that no utterance from God - an oracle by definition, is an utterance of God - will ever be nil, or void in this life. In these verses Jesus is clearly referring to the Torah . Thus, according to Jesus, no prescriptive law, or oracle given by God to Moses could be changed in any detail, until all has been fulfilled.
That little word "fulfilled" has often come into question. This book will not exhaust all the objections fired at Bible students who choose to "Remember," "Keep," and "Do." The explanation here will be simple, and it is this: From the reading of Matthew 5:17, 18, we know that "fulfilled" cannot have the effect of taking something away. Even if we reason that "fulfilled" means "completed," there are some aspects of the great controversy, which have not yet been completed. An example is that the provision for our salvation was completed at the cross; however, the eradication of sin was not. "Not one word that has proceeded from the mouth of God will become void until prophecy becomes history ." Review and Herald , Feb. 27, 1900, (pg.160) Emphasis supplied.
We, as Sabbath-keepers, have always understood that the blood sacrifices pointing to the death of our Savior were fulfilled at the Cross. But Protestant pressure, backed by Catholic tradition, has persuaded well-meaning Sabbath-observers to conclude that the whole Torah was fulfilled, or "completed," at Calvary. This assumption is simply not Biblical. Too many evidences suggest otherwise.
Psalms 19, verses 7-10, 14, have often been sung in praise to God: "The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul [I want to be thoroughly converted]: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple [I long for that wisdom]. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart [Do you want your heart to be in the state of ‘rejoicing’?]; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean [it purifies] enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether…More to be desired are they than gold; yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb."
How could anything so perfect be useless? 1 Cor.13:10 reminds us that,
"When that which is perfect is come, that which is imperfect will be done away."
Since the reference here is clearly to a time in the future, this text cannot be referring to the Cross. Therefore, because sin is still here, we still need God’s perfect protection: His Laws.
Returning to Psalms 19, notice why David values all of God’s oracles: "By them is thy servant warned; and in keeping of them is great reward," (verse 11). Verses 12 and 13 explain that "great reward" to those who keep God’s testimony, His statues, commandments, and judgments. The benefit is great:
Once we see that all the words of God are righteous, and that includes His statutes and judgments (Deut. 4:8), we might then look for their purpose for each of our lives today. What possible application can there be from laws that applied to nomads thousands of years ago?
"And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it… Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image…And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heavens, and…be driven to worship them," (Deut. 4:14, 16, 19). So, God told Moses to teach His people how to safeguard the Ten Commandments. Verification of this purpose is clear in the writings of Ellen G. White.
"During the passing centuries, from generation to generation, Satan made repeated attempts to cause Israel to forget the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments (Deut. 6:1)…for he knew that if he could only lead Israel to forget God, and to walk after other gods,…the chosen nation would surely perish" (Review & Herald , Feb. 19,1914).Israel obeyed the statutes when under the authority of God-fearing leaders. They abandoned Him under the influence of worldly-minded ones. Is it any different today?"In consequence of continual transgression, the moral law was repeated in awful grandeur from Sinai. Christ gave to Moses religious precepts which were to govern the everyday life. These statutes were explicitly given to guard the Ten Commandments. They were not shadowy types to pass away with the death of Christ . They were to be binding upon man in every age as long as time should last. These commands were enforced by the power of the moral law, and they clearly and definitely explained that law" Review & Herald, Vol. 1 (page 164,) May 6, 1875. Emphasis supplied.
"God is now testing and proving His people. Character is being developed…Among God’s professed people are corrupt hearts; but they will be tested and proved. That God who reads the hearts of everyone, will bring to light hidden things of darkness where they are often least suspected, that stumbling blocks which have hindered the progress of truth may be removed, and God have a clean and holy people to declare His statutes and judgments " Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 1, page 333. Emphasis supplied.The Lord is purifying a people who will live by "every word of God," Luke 4:4. Will we be among them?
"In every age, transgression of God’s law has been accompanied by the same result…As it was then, so it is today…In the last days of this earth’s history, God’s covenant with his commandment-keeping people is to be renewed," (Review & Herald, Feb. 16, 1914)God is proving a people today, as of old, preparing those who will be safe to save for eternity. They have crucified the flesh daily that they might express their devotion and love for His inexpressible grace. These truly believe as they sing the hymn, "Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey." Deut. 8:1-3 tells us that God is testing His professed people. They could only expect the joy of the Promised Land as they submitted to the humbling, testing, experiences brought to those who were committed to live by every word of God.
Centuries later, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 (Luke 4:4), when he met His humbling, testing experience in the wilderness. He was humiliated and tested more than any of us will ever endure. Jesus has tested every trial that will come to you and me. He promises that you will not be tested beyond what you are able to bear, as you fend and defend your life by the Word of God, every word of God.
Both Deuteronomy 8:5, 6 and Hebrews 12:5 tell us that God disciplines His children so that they will grow up walking in the commandments of the Lord. See also Prov. 3:5-12. As it was then, so it is now. We know that God’s government is from eternity to eternity. We know that the "methods" of salvation have always been the same:
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Eph. 2:8-10, The New American Standard Bible).Here Paul is teaching that there is no difference between a Jew and Gentile’s approach to salvation. For us all, faith must link with God’s grace to produce a new creature who brings forth righteousness from that union. It is not our own righteousness, but Christ’s righteousness. The "just" in ancient Israel lived by faith (Hab. 2:4); the "just" in Christian Israel live by faith (Gal. 3:11).
The covenant before the cross and the covenant after the cross are one. Both look to the cross for ratification. On both sides of the cross is the promise of the Blood --Christ's’ blood, never the blood of animals, that is central in the covenant. We accept it by faith looking back via the testimonies of eye witnesses. Old Testament Israel looked forward by faith via the testimony of the sacrificial system. Nevertheless, then and now, God’s people have ever been languid in the pursuit of holiness. It is time for me to take seriously the admonition of Paul to the Corinthians:
God will have a pure people of whom it may be said: "He that is holy, let him be holy still…" Revelation 22:11. These "keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus," Revelation 14:12. The faith of Jesus cannot be separated from the keeping of the commandments. Both are evident in the covenant God has made with His own, then and now. That covenant will be re-established with God’s Remnant in the last remnant of earth’s history –now!"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God," (2 Cor. 7:1).
Why have some among us believed that the statutes were nailed to the cross? Does the Bible say so in the writings of Paul? Before we look at the texts that say something was nailed to the cross, consider what would happen to our doctrines if we nullify the statutes. There is a statute for tithing; shall we nail it to the cross? Another statute forbids incest; another, sexual relations with a relative or an animal. Are those laws "against us"? What about the laws dealing with health and sanitation? Shall we throw them out? Or the statutes requiring that one be honest in business, or helpful to the handicapped, or generous with the poor. Are these the rules that seem contrary to us, oppressive, or limiting our freedom in Jesus? No, of course not. In the next chapter, we will begin to look at each statute as it functioned then, and what keeping the statutes could mean to us now.
Some ordinances were nailed to the cross; this is true. It is unfortunate that many of us have lived so many years without distinguishing between what is, and what is not, part of that which ended with the death of Christ. Let us look at the complete reference from the previously quoted passage ( Review and Herald , Vol. 4. [2-27-1900], page 160):
"If we will practice the truth, at whatever self-denial and self-sacrifice, we shall follow on to know the Lord, and we shall know that his goings forth are prepared as the morning…Not one word that has proceeded from the mouth of God will become void until prophecy becomes history, as in the case of the sacrificial offerings that prefigured Christ . Type met antitype in the death of the Son of God." (Emphasis supplied.)
There we read that what ended at the cross was the "sacrificial offerings that prefigured Christ." Ezekiel (43:18) calls them "
ordinances of the altar
." Again, Ellen White explains in a number of places that the symbols pointing to Christ, -that is the sacrificial offering, were to cease (
Patriarchs and Prophets,
p. 365, i.e.). "When type met antitype in the death of Christ, the sacrificial
offerings
ceased,"
(4RH 193, 6-26-1900). Indeed, it was noted by Daniel that the coming Messiah would " cause sacrifices and oblations to cease ." And that is exactly what happened.
That brings us to Colossians 2:14. Evangelist John VanDenburgh explains this text in more detail in his book, Holy History, and in his videos on Colossians, Chapter 2. It would be worthwhile for the reader to review that book or video for a more comprehensive explanation of Colossians 2. This passage, unfortunately, has been used for decades by Christians who were seeking to defend their minimizing of the Ten Commandments and their exonerating of another day of worship.
For those of us who maintain that the Ten Commandments were not nailed to the cross, nailing the statutes to the cross shoots ourselves in the foot, for the statutes are to safeguard the Ten Commandments! In the chapters that follow, we will see that these statutes were given to elevate and refine. That which protects us from hurting or destroying ourselves, and others, certainly can’t be considered "against us," (Col.2:14). No, what is "against us" is the
record of our sins
. That record Christ bore on the cross. The Law of God is not the record of our sins; it is the transcript of His righteous character! In type, when we repent, the record of our sin is erased by His blood.
If I must appear before the judge for a speeding ticket, I have no hope that the judge will excuse me by telling the officer to go tear down the speed limit sign. If I am guilty of running a stop sign, would I be thankful that the officer was willing to remove the stop sign? With all the stop signs gone, and with no speed limit, would we feel safe to drive on the nation’s highways? Undoubtedly not; these laws are to protect us. They are not "against us." But if, when I appear before the judge for speeding, the officer does not come with the
record of my guilt
, my case in dismissed. You see, it is the written record of our guilt that stands "against us" in a court of law. The Law of God is never against us. God’s purpose has always been to redeem, not destroy.
Now, let us look at the scriptures often used to nail God's oracles to the cross.
Colossians 2:14 is such a text: Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.By looking up the word "ordinances" from Colossians 2:14, we find under number 1379, from 1378 in Strong’s Concordance, that it means "to prescribe by statute" or to "submit to rule." In 2 Chronicles 33:8 we read God’s promise repeated to Israel, if only they would be careful to do all that He had commanded them, all the law, the statutes, and the ordinances given through Moses.Ephesians 2:15, 16 is another such text: Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances ; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.
What ordinances are being spoken of here? These ordinances given through Moses had to do with the enmity (Ephesians 2:15) first recorded in Genesis 3:15: I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head and thou shall bruise his heel. Not between mankind and Satan was this enmity "slain," but between mankind and God. It was sin that brought the curse against us, that created a barrier between God and man. The strength of the curse was realized by the ordinances of the altar –the sacrifices that transferred the confessed sins of the people to the sanctuary, and ultimately to the Lamb of God. These ordinances of the altar (Eze. 43:18) defined what sacrifices were to be offered for various sins, various occasions, and by various socio-economic groups in Israel. They were to be object lessons of the damage sin causes. They were also rehearsals of the horrifying curse the Son of God would take upon Himself in order to bring to an end the curse of sin and its enmity.
We have already read that that which pertained to the sacrificial system went to the cross when type met antitype. Hebrews 9 describes the ordinances of the altar as "ordinances of divine service," or, as some versions read, "regulations for worship" (verse 1). All of these regulations were associated with the blood of animals prefiguring the new order of worship established by Christ: which [had] stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation (Heb. 9:10-14).
Thus, when we return to Deut.31:26, we find the instruction given to Moses to take the oracles of God (written down as an authoritative witness) which would declare whether or not this people obeyed the laws of God, and place them in the side of the Ark of the Covenant. If obeyed, they afforded a safeguard to the Ten Commandments. If disobeyed, they were a witness against the wayward people.
We must distinguish between the ordinances, which carried the "citation" of our guilt – the blood sacrifices (the legal bond for our evil deeds to hold us to justice); and the statutes, which guarded Israel - then and now - from behaviors of injustice. Following the parallels from court scenes and legal procedures today, we may more clearly see that Jesus took the handwritten record of our sins to the cross so that there could be no citation against us in the Judgment! That is Good News! Do we then make void the Law [ Torah ] through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law , Romans 3:31.
The Servant of the Lord makes it crystal clear that God’s people to the end of time are to observe God’s commandments, statutes, and judgments. Consider a few more such statements. May we be drawn closer to Christ, and farther away from the traditions of men. Then we may become the holy people, through which God may show forth His character of love to a dying world. Remember, God wrote the Ten Commandments Himself; He spoke the statutes and judgments Himself, and His words will not return unto Him void."The teaching which has become so widespread, that the divine statutes are no longer binding upon men, is the same as idolatry in its effect upon the morals of the people. Those who seek to lessen the claims of God’s holy law are striking directly at the foundations of the government of families and nations. Religious parents, failing to walk in His statutes, do not command their household to keep the way of the Lord. " Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 143, (Emphasis supplied ).
Why then should we study the statutes? We should study them because they are God’s principles for holy living. Whether ordinances, judgments, statutes, or testimonies; they are righteous altogether. Even the " civil laws breathed the spirit of the moral law ; they reflected and applied the principles of the Ten Commandments ," ( SDA Bible Commentary, Vol.1, p. 611 .)The sacred statutes which Satan has hated and sought to destroy, will be honored throughout a sinless universe, (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 342).
I counsel you to humble your heart and confess your wrongs. Consider the solemn charge David gave to Solomon on his dying bed: ‘I go the way of all the earth. Be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man; and keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself.’ Take this charge to your own heart, (Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, p. 509).
The principles set forth in Deuteronomy for the instruction of Israel, are to be followed by God’s people to the end of time …Never can we afford to compromise principle by entering into alliance with those who do not fear Him, (Prophets and Kings, p. 570).
The Lord Jesus gave these commandments from the pillar of cloud, and Moses repeated them to the children of Israel and wrote them in a book, that they might not depart from righteousness. We are under obligation to fulfill these specifications, for in so doing, we fulfill the specifications of the law of God, (Review and Herald, Vol. 3, December 18, 1894).
There are glorious truths to come before the people of God. Privileges and duties which they do not even suspect to be in the Bible will be laid open before the followers of Christ. As they follow on in the path of humble obedience , doing God’s will, they will know more and more of the oracles, and be established in right doctrine, (That I Might Know Him, p.114).
The statutes concerning marriage, inheritance, and strict justice in dealing with one another, were peculiar and contrary to the customs and manners of other nations, and were designed of God to keep His people separate from other nations. The necessity of this to preserve the people of God from becoming like the nations who had not the love and fear of God, is the same in this corrupt age , when transgression of God’s law prevails and idolatry exists to a fearful extent. If ancient Israel needed such security, we need it more , to keep us from being utterly confounded with the transgressors of God’s law, (Review and Herald, Vol.1, May 6, 1875).
The significance of the Jewish economy is not yet fully comprehended. Truths vast and profound are shadowed forth in its rites and symbols, (Christ's Object Lessons, p. 133).
It was Christ who had said, ‘Ye shall do My statutes, and keep My judgments.’ Christ had presented the same principles on the Mount of Beatitudes as He had on Mount Sinai, (Signs of the Times, June 11, 1896).
Christ, to enforce the will of his Father, became the author of the statutes and precepts given through Moses to the people of God. Christians who extol Christ, but array themselves against the law [Torah] governing the Jewish church, array Christ against Christ, (Review and Herald, May 6, 1875).
It would be a scene well-pleasing to God and the angels, would His professed followers in this generation unite , as did Israel of old [referring especially to the revival in the days of Nehemiah], in a solemn covenant to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes, (SDA Bible Commentary, Vol.7, p. 117, Emphasis supplied ).
These holy principles were passed down by word of mouth for centuries. Noah was taught these statutes, Genesis 7:1-3, for he knew which animals were clean and which were unclean. Abraham obeyed God’s statutes (Genesis 26:4,5), and received the promise of blessing because of his faithfulness. Moses had been taught to obey the statutes and lead the Children of Israel to observe them on their journey to Sinai, (Exodus 18:16, 20). Rebekah knew the statute when she connived for Jacob to be given the birthright, (Gen. 27). Is it not time that we, who are serious about our relationship with our Heavenly Father, discover the principles which He authored to prepare His own as a "chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people," (1 Peter 2:9) – then, and now?