From: Worth’s Scriptural Handbook of Proof
Texts Return to Home
By
Roland H. Worth, Jr. © 2012
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Chapter5:
Sabbath Observance and
the Ten
Commandments
053 The
Sabbath: Its Purpose and Extent
054 Sabbath
Laws that “Sabbath Keepers” Usually Neglect
055 “Eternal,”
“Forever,” and “Everlasting:”
Sabbatarian
Misuse of the Terms
056 Ten
Commandments: Abolished as Authority
057 Ten
Commandments: Nine are Rebound by the
New
Testament and are Binding for That Reason
Rather than
an Origin on Sinai
058 Seventh
Day Adventism’s Invalid “Law of God” / “Law of
Moses” Distinction
# 053 #
The Sabbath:
Its Purpose and Extent
1.
The observance of the Sabbath was not bound on mortals until the time of
the Hebrew Exodus from
A.
Those participating in the Jewish Exodus from Egypt were told to remember
the Sabbath, partially, in honor of God’s own creation “day of rest.”
Exodus
20:8 Remember the sabbath
day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt
thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But
the seventh day [is] the sabbath of the LORD thy God:
[in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy
son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor
thy stranger that [is] within thy gates: 11 For [in] six days the
LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the
seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath
day, and hallowed it. Note that the Israelites were instructed
to observe the Sabbath, in part, because they would be following the example of
their God in resting. They are
conspicuously not told that this custom had been enjoined on humans at
that earlier time or that their ancestors had followed it.
B.
Those participating in the Exodus from
Deuteronomy
(Today’s English Version) Deuteronomy
This reason did not exist at creation. Therefore there is no reason to expect it was
observed at a prior date. It could only
come into existence when both reasons given had occurred for, until
then, only one of the two prerequisites had been met.
C. The weekly Sabbath was not
observed from creation on, but only from the Exodus onward.
1.
Efforts to twist words in Genesis to prove otherwise: Genesis 2:3.
Genesis
2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he
had rested from all his work which God created and made.
However (1) It is conspicuously not a command to observe the Sabbath.
(2) It solely describes what God did and not what mankind is supposed to do: “blessed” means that God considered the day extraordinarily special—it was the day that all the work of creation was completed after all and it was the day the Jews would ultimately be instructed to worship on!
(3) It was “sanctified” (set apart) for the same two reasons—it was special in God’s sight but not the slightest hint is given that this uniqueness involved contemporaries worshipping.
Note: If we translate the first word in the verse
“then,” the text would most naturally refer to what happened on the seventh
day. If we translate it “and,” the time
factor of when this was done is not expressed—it could just as easily
refer to what was done at the time of the Exodus. The reader of comparative translations will
note that a goodly number avoid using both “and” or “then,” leaving the
timing issue even more “up in the air.”
2.
In light of the above, it is not surprising that the book of Nehemiah
presents the Sabbath as being revealed at Sinai through Moses rather
than at some earlier date like Creation.
Nehemiah
2.
Sabbath observance was bound by God only on Jews. It was not bound on Gentiles to obey.
A.
The Sabbath is labeled as specifically for
Exodus
31:12 And the LORD spake
unto Moses, saying, 13 Speak thou also unto the children of
Exodus
34:27 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after
the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with
B.
It is directly declared that the Gentiles did not possess the law given
to
Deuteronomy
4:5 Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD
my God commanded me, that ye should do so in
the land whither ye go to possess it. 6 Keep therefore and do
[them]; for this [is] your wisdom and your understanding in the
sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation [is] a wise and understanding
people. 7 For what nation [is there so] great, who [hath] God
[so] nigh unto them, as the LORD our God [is] in all [things that] we call upon
him [for]? 8 And what nation [is there so] great, that hath
statutes and judgments [so] righteous as all this law,
which I set before you this day?
Psalms 147:19 He sheweth
his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto
(RSV)
147:20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his
ordinances. Praise the Lord!
Romans
3.
God defined the Sabbath as the seventh day of the week. Hence if Sabbath observance is binding, Saturday
observance is an obligation. No
Scripture “transfers” the Sabbath to Sunday and no church possesses the
authority to do so.
Exodus
20:8 Remember the sabbath
day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt
thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But
the seventh day [is] the sabbath of the LORD thy
God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou,
nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy
cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates: 11 For [in]
six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is],
and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath
day, and hallowed it.
Exodus
31:15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh [is] the sabbath of rest, holy to the
LORD: whosoever doeth [any] work in the sabbath day,
he shall surely be put to death.
Exodus
34:21 Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh
day thou shalt rest: in earing
time and in harvest thou shalt rest.
(Jewish
Publication Society 1917) Exodus 34:21 Six days thou shalt
work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest; in
plowing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.
Leviticus
23:3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day [is] the sabbath of rest, an holy
convocation; ye shall do no work [therein]: it [is] the sabbath
of the LORD in all your dwellings.
4.
Jesus observed the Sabbath during His life not because it was an eternal
ordinance or binding today, but because he lived as a Jew subject to the Old
Testament. If He had not
observed it, He would have been a sinner rather than perfect.
Galatians
4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come,
God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5
To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption
of sons.
Thanks to the life and death of
Jesus, those who once were “under the law” were freed from that law—including
the provision for Sabbath keeping: Galatians 3:23 But before faith came,
we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be
revealed. 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us]
unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after
that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
5. After the death of Jesus, the apostles often attended Sabbath services on purely utilitarian grounds—it was the time when fellow ethnic Jews (whom they were trying to convert) gathered together to worship. Since Christians routinely gathered together on Sunday for worship with fellow believers (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1-4), they had their own day set apart to assemble. On Saturdays, they were trying to reach outsiders.
6.
The New Testament specifically tells us that the Sabbath was a mere
“shadow” of something much greater to come.
It also warns us to ignore the criticism of anyone who condemns
(“judges”) us for our attitude toward the Sabbath.
Colossians
2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision
of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14 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; 15 [And] having spoiled principalities and powers, he
made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in
it. 16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in
drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath [days]: 17 Which are a shadow of
things to come; but the body [is] of Christ.
Some argue that these are
special “Sabbaths” and not the weekly one.
The inspired writer, however, speaks in the broad terms of “the Sabbath
days” or “a Sabbath day” (according to translation). The broadness of the term requires it to be
considered as a reference to any day they labeled a “Sabbath.” There is no hint that any were exempted.
7. The early Christians worshipped on the
first day of the week, not the seventh day, not the Sabbath.
A.
They partook of the Lord’s Supper that day.
Acts
20:6 And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened
bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.
7 And upon the first [day] of the week, when the disciples came
together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the
morrow; and continued his speech until
Note that “seven days”
passed—which would include the Sabbath (seventh) day—and it was only on “the
first day of the week” that the Christians assembled to worship God. It was not on the Sabbath day! This shows conclusively that it was not the
day they utilized.
B.
They contributed to the work of the church on that day.
1
Corinthians 16:1 Now concerning the collection for the
saints, as I have given order to the churches of
The choice of day did not
grow out of local expediency. Paul had
“given order” about the subject—the same order he had given to “the
churches of
# 054 #
Sabbath Laws that
“Sabbath Keepers” Usually Neglect
Logically, if the Old Testament
Sabbath law is binding, then all parts of it are binding and not just
sections. In “real life,” few are
willing to try to observe it in its entirely.
1.
One must avoid work of all shapes and forms even inside the four walls
of one’s dwelling place.
Leviticus
23:3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day [is] the sabbath of rest, an holy
convocation; ye shall do no work [therein]: it [is] the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
Deuteronomy
2.
One must require all members of the family and household to abstain from
work on the Sabbath even if they don’t want to.
Exodus
Exodus
3.
Observing the Sabbath means more than just not working—it includes a
refusal to buy anything on that day as well.
Nehemiah
10:31 And [if] the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath day to sell, [that] we would not buy it of them
on the sabbath, or on the holy day: and [that] we
would leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt.
Some folk are strange: They will consider it sinful for themselves to work on the Sabbath but will find nothing
wrong in buying food at the grocery store, thereby forcing someone else to
work! (And, by their
standard, sin.)
4.
Carrying burdens out of your home or into a city is prohibited on the
Sabbath.
Jeremiah
17:20 And say unto them, Hear ye the word of the LORD, ye kings of
Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by
these gates: 21 Thus saith the LORD;
Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath
day, nor bring [it] in by the gates of Jerusalem; 22 Neither
carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath
day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath
day, as I commanded your fathers. 23 But they obeyed not, neither
inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor
receive instruction. 24 And it shall come to pass, if ye
diligently hearken unto me, saith the LORD, to bring
in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath
day, but hallow the sabbath day, to do no work
therein; 25 Then shall there enter into the gates of this city
kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on
horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of
Jerusalem: and this city shall remain for ever. 27 But if ye will
not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not
to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of
5.
The Sabbath must be a day to honor God and not center on personal
pleasure.
Isaiah
58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath,
[from] doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath
a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine
own pleasure, nor speaking [thine own] words:
14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in
the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and
feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath
spoken [it].
(NIV) 58:13 If you keep your feet from breaking the
Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a
delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, and if you
honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle
words.
6.
The death penalty as obligatory enforcement mechanism for Sabbath violation.
A.
One must prohibit others from working on the Sabbath as well—and to be
willing to resort to violence, if need be, to accomplish that end.
Nehemiah
13:15 In those days saw I in Judah [some] treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also
wine, grapes, and figs, and all [manner of] burdens, which they brought into
Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified
[against them] in the day wherein they sold victuals. 16 There
dwelt men of
19
And it came to pass, that when the
gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath,
I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be
opened till after the sabbath: and [some] of my
servants set I at the gates, [that] there should no burden be brought in on the
sabbath day. 20 So the merchants and
sellers of all kind of ware lodged without
(NASB)
Whether interpreted as rare
exception or ongoing policy, it clearly was an acceptable course at
least in extreme cases.
B.
Capital punishment was authorized for those who violated the Sabbath.
Exodus
31:13 Speak thou also unto the children of
Verse 13 can be introduced as
“proof” for the non-ending observance of the Sabbath but it is addressed to
“the children of
Furthermore if either verse 13 or
16 create the obligation for Gentiles to observe the Sabbath—and especially if
both do—how do we get rid of the double command in the intervening
verses to enforce it with the death penalty?
C.
Even lighting a fire on the Sabbath is a violation of it. Hence potentially
punishable by death.
Exodus
35:1 And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of
Frankly,
the text reads like more than “potentially;” it reads like obligatory!
D.
Even gathering firewood on the Sabbath was punishable by death.
Numbers
# 055 #
“Eternal,” “Forever,” and “Everlasting:”
Sabbatarian Misuse of
the Terms
To
repeat the points we made in the discussion of Jehovah Witness doctrine: These terms are used in two senses in the
scriptures:
(1) Literally—as indicated by their use and the absence
of any indication that there will be a time when something is no longer true or
present.
(2) From the practical standpoint
“forever,” because it extends far beyond our lifetime or ability to
imagine. This is the essential approach
to preserve the accuracy of scriptures in those cases where
(a) other passages explicitly
and clearly teach that the “forever” phenomena will cease to be and
(b) when “forever”
promises hinge upon obeying the prerequisites the scriptures themselves refer
to. (In human terms, think of the
Olympics: If you have a guaranteed spot
on the team, but then cease to meet their standards, you lose the spot.)
Jehovah Witnesses use
“forever” language to prove the current physical earth is eternal; Sabbatarians use it to prove the Sabbath (Saturday
observance) continues to be obligatory.
Both understand that other scriptures rule out the literal
“forever” being applied to what the other group teaches, but rebel
against the scriptures—though equally clear—being applied to their own
doctrine.
1.
The Old Testament spoke in terms of the Sabbath (Saturday) commandment
being permanent.
Exodus
31:15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh [is] the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD:
whosoever doeth [any] work in the sabbath day, he
shall surely be put to death. {holy: Heb. holiness}
16 Wherefore the children of
2.
The Jewish priesthood was also described in such “forever” terms.
Exodus
40:15 And thou shalt anoint
them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the
priest's office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood
throughout their generations.
Numbers 25:10 And the LORD spake
unto Moses, saying, 11 Phinehas, the
son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath
turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my
sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my
jealousy. 12 Wherefore say,
Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: 13 And he shall have it, and his seed after him, [even] the
covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his
God, and made an atonement for the children of
3.
The Passover was also enjoined with such language.
Exodus
Exodus
4.
The yearly atonement was to be a required ordinance forever.
Leviticus
16:29 And [this] shall be a statute for ever unto you: [that] in the
seventh month, on the tenth [day] of the month, ye shall afflict your souls,
and do no work at all, [whether it be] one of your own country, or a stranger
that sojourneth among you: 30 For on
that day shall [the priest] make an atonement for you, to cleanse you,
[that] ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. 31 It
[shall be] a sabbath of rest
unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever. 32 And
the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in
the priest's office in his father's stead, shall make the atonement, and shall
put on the linen clothes, [even] the holy garments: 33 And he shall make an atonement for
the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the
congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the
priests, and for all the people of the congregation. 34 And this
shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an
atonement for the children of
5.
The continuous burning of lamps outside and the regular changing of the
sacred showbread were both described in such terms.
Leviticus
24:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2
Command the children of
6.
Yet the Jewish Law is no longer authority and the priesthood has
been changed to an all inclusive one.
Galatians
5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by
the law; ye are fallen from grace.
Hebrews
7. Furthermore, the Christian is
specifically told that he is free from any obligation to observe the Sabbath.
Colossians
2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision
of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all
trespasses; 14 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; 15 [And] having spoiled
principalities and powers, he made a shew of them
openly, triumphing over them in it. 16 Let no man therefore
judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new
moon, or of the sabbath [days]: 17 Which
are a shadow of things to come; but the body [is] of Christ.
# 056 #
Ten Commandments:
Abolished as Authority
1.
The Ten Commandments were only addressed to
Exodus
34:27 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after
the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with
Deuteronomy
4:1 Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the
judgments, which I teach you, for to do [them], that ye may live, and go in and
possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth
you. 2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you,
neither shall ye diminish [ought] from it, that ye may keep the
commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
6
Keep therefore and do [them]; for
this [is] your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of
the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation [is] a wise and understanding
people. 7 For what nation [is there so] great, who [hath] God
[so] nigh unto them, as the LORD our God [is] in all [things that] we call upon
him [for]? 8 And what nation [is there so] great, that hath
statutes and judgments [so] righteous as all this law,
which I set before you this day? 9 Only take heed to thyself, and
keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine
eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life:
but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;
10
[Specially] the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people
together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me
all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and [that] they may teach
their children. 11 And ye came near and stood under the mountain;
and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness,
clouds, and thick darkness. 12 And
the LORD spake unto you out
of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no
similitude; only [ye heard] a voice. 13
And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to
perform, [even] ten commandments; and he wrote
them upon two tables of stone. 14 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.
Deuteronomy
5:1 And Moses called all
2.
All agree that at least part of the Old Testament was removed, but some
contend that the Ten Commandments were “the Law of God” and intended forever
while the other parts were called “the law of Moses” and were eliminated. Moses’ law, however, included the Ten
Commandments.
A.
All parts of the Torah (Genesis-Deuteronomy) were given by God
and, therefore, equally qualified to be called “the Law of God.”
B.
The commandment against murder was part of Moses’ law.
John
C.
The commandment requiring honoring parents was part of Moses’ law.
Mark
3.
The Ten Commandments do not even include two of the greatest—and
most fundamental--laws of the Old Testament.
Matthew
The
commandment to love God totally comes from--Deuteronomy 6:5 And thou shalt
love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy might.
The
commandment to love our fellow man comes from a part of the Old Testament we
most associate with ritual commandments and not moral ones-Leviticus 19:18 Thou shalt
not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself:
I [am] the LORD.
4.
The Ten Commandments were part of the “ministration of death” (verse 7)
and “ministration of condemnation” (vs. 9) that was “engraved on stones” (verse
7) and which was passing away in the first century to be replaced by the Spirit’s
revelation of the New Testament.
2
Corinthians 3:7 But if the ministration of
death, written [and] engraven in stones, was
glorious, so that the children of
5.
Part of “the law” from which the Christian is released is the Ten
Commandments.
Romans
7:1 Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that
the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?
2 For the woman which hath an husband is
bound by the law to [her] husband so long as he liveth;
but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of [her] husband.
3 So then if, while [her] husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an
adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she
is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.
4
Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are
become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married
to another, [even] to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring
forth fruit unto God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the
motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth
fruit unto death. 6 But now we are delivered from the law,
that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of
spirit, and not [in] the oldness of the letter. 7 What shall we
say then? [Is] the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the
law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
Note that one of the Ten Commandments is clearly and explicitly quoted
as being part of “the law” from which believers are freed. How much more evidence is required?
# 057 #
Ten Commandments: Nine are Rebound
by the New
Testament and are Binding
for That Reason
Rather than an Origin on Sinai
The state law of
1.
The first commandment is bound on the Christian by the New Testament.
A.
The Sinai commandment. Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have
no other gods before me.
B.
The New Testament reaffirmation of the principle. 1
Corinthians 8:4 As concerning therefore the eating of
those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol
[is] nothing in the world, and that [there is] none other God but one.
1
Corinthians 8:6 But to us [there is but] one God, the Father, of whom
[are] all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom [are] all
things, and we by him.
1
Timothy 2:5 For [there is] one God, and one
mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
2. The second commandment is
bound on the Christian by the New Testament.
A.
The Sinai commandment. Exodus 20:4 Thou shalt
not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is]
in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water
under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow
down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous
God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and
fourth [generation] of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep
my commandments.
B.
The New Testament reaffirmation of the principle. 1
Corinthians 10:7 Neither be ye idolaters, as [were] some of them; as it
is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
1 Corinthians
1 John
1 Thessalonians 1:9 For they
themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we
had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living
and true God.
3.
The third commandment is bound on the Christian by the New Testament.
A.
The Sinai commandment. Exodus 20:7 Thou shalt not
take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him
guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
B.
The New Testament reaffirmation of the principle. James
1 Peter 3:9 Not rendering evil
for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye
are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
Matthew
5:33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time,
Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine
oaths: 34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by
heaven; for it is God's throne: 35 Nor by the earth; for it is
his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy
head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 37 But
let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for
whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
4.
The fourth commandment (Sabbath observance) is conspicuously not
bound on the Christian by the New Testament.
A.
The Sinai commandment. Exodus 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six
days shalt thou labour, and
do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of the LORD thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter,
thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is]
within thy gates: 11 For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and
earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the seventh day:
wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and
hallowed it.
B.
The New Testament rejection of the principle. Colossians
2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision
of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all
trespasses; 14 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; 15 [And] having spoiled principalities and
powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing
over them in it. 16 Let no man therefore judge you in
meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of
the sabbath [days]: 17 Which are a
shadow of things to come; but the body [is] of Christ.
Acts
20:7 And upon the first [day] of the week, when
the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to
depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until
5.
The fifth commandment is bound on the Christian by the New Testament.
A.
The Sinai commandment. Exodus
B.
The New Testament reaffirmation of the principle. Ephesians
6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first
commandment with promise;) 3 That it may
be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the
earth.
6. The sixth commandment is
bound on the Christian by the New Testament.
A.
The Sinai commandment. Exodus
(New King James Version)
You shall not murder.
B.
The New Testament reaffirmation of the principle. 1 John
1
Peter
7.
The seventh commandment is bound on the Christian by the New Testament.
A.
The Sinai commandment. Exodus
B.
The New Testament reaffirmation of the principle. Hebrews
13:4 Marriage [is] honourable in all, and the bed
undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
1 Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that the
unrighteous shall not inherit the
8.
The eighth commandment is bound on the Christian by the New Testament.
A.
The Sinai commandment. Exodus
B.
The New Testament reaffirmation of the principle. Ephesians
1
Corinthians 6:8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that [your]
brethren. 9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit
the
9.
The ninth commandment is bound on the Christian by the New Testament.
A.
The Sinai commandment. Exodus
B.
The New Testament reaffirmation of the principle. Romans
(NKJV)
Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love [is] the fulfillment of the
law.
Ephesians
Ephesians 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger,
and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away
from you, with all malice.
Revelation
21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the
abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all
liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth
with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
10.
The tenth commandment is bound on the Christian by the New Testament.
A.
The Sinai commandment. Exodus
B.
The New Testament reaffirmation of the principle. Ephesians
5:5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean
person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in
the
Hebrews
13:5 [Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness [the love
of money, NASB]; [and be] content with such
things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
# 058 #
Seventh Day Adventism’s Invalid
“Law of God” / “Law of Moses”
Distinction
Adventists divide the Old Testament into the “Law of God” (moral matters in essence) and the “Law of Moses” (everything ceremonial, civil laws, etc). They argue that it is only the latter that the New Testament speaks of being abolished.
Two introductory comments: (1) Old Testament moral axioms may well still be binding—because they are repeated in the New! You don’t need to divide the OT the way they do to establish their modern application.
(2) Adventists are far from consistent in using
their two-fold division: Where do they
get tithing and instrumental music from?
The very “Law Of Moses” (i.e., ceremonial provisions) that, by their own
standard, we are not bound by!
1. The “Law of God” and the “Law
of Moses” are synonymous terms in the Bible.
A. In the book of Daniel they
are used as synonymous terms.
Daniel
9:11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law [i.e., clearly God’s
law], even by departing, that they might not
obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that
[is] written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have
sinned against him.
B.
Both laws regulated the same subject at the same time. Hence they must have been two terms for the same
Law.
(1)
The Law of God provided for burnt offerings.
2
Chronicles 31:3 [He appointed] also the king's portion of his substance for the
burnt offerings, [to wit], for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the
burnt offerings for the sabbaths, and for the new
moons, and for the set feasts, as [it is] written in the law of the LORD.
(2)
The Law of Moses provided for burnt offerings.
2
Chronicles 23:18 Also Jehoiada appointed the offices
of the house of the LORD by the hand of the priests the Levites, whom David had
distributed in the house of the LORD, to offer the burnt offerings of the LORD,
as [it is] written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing,
[as it was ordained] by David.
2.
That the “Law of Moses” and the “Law of God” in the Old Testament are synonymous
terms is a necessary deduction
from the fact both originated with God and both
came—simultaneously—through Moses. Hence
it is the “Law of God” from the standpoint of ultimate origin. It is the “Law of Moses” from the
standpoint of the human intermediary.
A.
The “Law of Moses” originated with God.
1
Kings 2:3 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.
2
Chronicles 25:4 But he slew not their children, but [did] as [it is] written
in the law in the book of Moses, where the LORD commanded, saying,
The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die for
the fathers, but every man shall die for his own sin.
Malachi 4:4 Remember ye the law
of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all
B.
The “Law of God” originated with God.
Nehemiah
10:29 They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and
into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the
servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our
Lord, and his judgments and his statutes.
C. That no distinction was made between the “Law
of God” and the “Law of Moses” can be seen in the fact that specific
injunctions are listed as of Divine origin without any specification “which”
Law they belonged to.
Exodus
35:4 And Moses spake unto all the congregation
of the children of
Leviticus
Deuteronomy 6:1 Now these [are] the commandments, the
statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you,
that ye might do [them] in the land whither ye go to possess it.
2
Kings 18:12 Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God, but
transgressed his covenant, [and] all that Moses the servant of the LORD
commanded, and would not hear [them], nor do [them]. [Notice how what God and Moses
commanded are paralleled; they gave the same law and not two ones.
Nehemiah 1:7 We have dealt
very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the
statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst
thy servant Moses.
3. The Adventist theory must be
wrong because more than the Ten Commandments and ethical matters were part of
the “Law of God/the Lord.”
A. The “Law of the Lord” banned
mediums and spiritists.
(1) The “Law of the Lord” was
found, unused, in the Jewish
2
Chronicles 34:14 And when they brought out the money that was brought
into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found a
book of the law of the LORD [given] by Moses. 15 And Hilkiah
answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found
the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah
delivered the book to Shaphan.
(2)
That “Law of the Lord” resulted in mediums and spiritists
being purged from the land in obedience to its commandments.
2
Kings 23:24 Moreover the [workers with] familiar spirits, and the
wizards, and the images, and the idols, and all the abominations that were
spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, that he
might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD. 25 And like unto him was there no
king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his
soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither
after him arose there [any] like him. Note
that the same law is “the law of the Lord” in 2 Chronicles 34:14 and is
“the law of Moses” here—there was no differentiation.
B.
The “Law of the Lord” provided for ceremonial matters such as animal
sacrifices.
Luke
1
Chronicles 16:39 And Zadok the priest, and his
brethren the priests, before the tabernacle of the LORD in the high place that
[was] at Gibeon, 40 To offer burnt
offerings unto the LORD upon the altar of the burnt offering continually
morning and evening, and [to do] according to all that is written in the law
of the LORD, which he commanded Israel
To bear down the altars built for
these sacrifices was to forsake / reject God’s covenant-- 1 Kings 19:10 And he said, I have been very jealous
for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant[= God’s covenant / God’s
Law], thrown down thine
altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, [even] I only, am left;
and they seek my life, to take it away.
1
Kings 19:14 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts:
because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant [=
God’s covenant / God’s Law], thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I,
[even] I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away
C.
The “Law of the Lord” provided for ceremonial matters such as fixed
annual festivals.
2
Chronicles 31:3 [He appointed] also the king's portion of his substance for the
burnt offerings, [to wit], for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the
burnt offerings for the sabbaths, and for the new
moons, and for the set feasts, as [it is] written in the law of the LORD.
D.
The “Law of the Lord” provided for a tithe to support the Levitical priesthood—which carried out the ceremonial
provisions of that law.
2
Chronicles 31:4 Moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in
(RSV)
2 Chronicles 31:4 And he commanded the people who
lived in
Note: (1) Tithing was not one of the Ten
Commandments but was still counted as part of “the law of the Lord.” (2)
Tithing was carried out to support the Levites and priests. Hence if tithing is required today, the Levitical priesthood must also be in existence and
functioning today. What right do
mere Protestant ministers have to take their place?
E. The “Law of the Lord” provided for all
firstborn to be considered “holy to the Lord.”
Luke
2:22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses
were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present [him] to the Lord;
23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male
that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the
Lord;) 24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is
said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.
(Contemporary
English Version) Luke
F.
God’s covenant included:
Abstaining from idolatry, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, all firstborn
belonging to the Lord unless redeemed, the Sabbath, the Feast of Weeks, three
annual festivals, the Passover, and the Ten Commandments. The “moral” and the “ceremonial” were all
lumped together as part of it.
Exodus
34:11 Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive
out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and
the Jebusite. 12 Take heed to thyself,
lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: 13
But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their
groves: 14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name [is]
Jealous, [is] a jealous God: 15 Lest thou make a covenant with
the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do
sacrifice unto their gods, and [one] call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;
16 And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their
daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after
their gods. 17 Thou shalt make thee no
molten gods.
18
The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt
eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from
19
All that openeth
the matrix [is] mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, [whether] ox or
sheep, [that is male]. 20 But the
firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb:
and if thou redeem [him] not, then shalt thou break
his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt
redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.
21
Six days thou shalt
work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt
rest.
22
And thou shalt
observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of
wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end. 23 Thrice in the year shall all your
men children appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel. 24 For
I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall
any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to
appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year.
25
Thou shalt
not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of
the feast of the passover be
left unto the morning. 26 The first of the firstfruits
of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the
LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his
mother's milk. 27 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these
words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee
and with