Law

Editorial – Types and Shadows, Part VI

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The great Teacher’s wisdom in limiting the measure of our researches in earthly directions, called the attention of all to his legislation from the very foundation of our world,—to a code of morals, pure, simple, and practical, unencumbered by the long years of types and sacrifices, which passed away when the only true Sacrifice, Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, was offered for the sins of the world. His lessons to his disciples are received by all who would become his disciples, to the end of time. These lessons discharge his followers from the bondage of the ceremonial law, and leave them the ordinance of baptism to be received by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as the only one who can take away sin.

“The ceremony of feet-washing and the Lord’s Supper, in its simplicity and spirituality, is to be observed with true solemnity, and with hearts full of thankfulness. Its participants are not to exhaust their powers of thought or their physical powers on outward forms and ceremonies. All the vigor of mind and the healthfulness of body are to be fresh to engage in the work of the gospel, to lead souls from sin into the upward path of holiness. In this ordinance is presented the necessity of economizing all the thoughts, all the energies, all the affections and faculties, to wear Christ’s yoke, to come into partnership with him in seeking to save the souls that are perishing without God and without hope in the world. . . .

“God treats the human agencies connected with himself with a heavenly respect. The whole of God’s law is of this character. Taking off every oppressive weight that man would lay upon his fellow man, he prescribes only that which is absolutely necessary for his physical, mental, and moral well-being. He imbues man with the attributes of God, and builds up the human character after the divine similitude, a goodly fabric of spiritual beauty and perfection.

“In order to do this, in order that man might be in partnership with the great firm of heaven, Christ’s lessons, from the beginning to the close of his life, taught humility before God. This would lead man to a love for his brother,—a spirit of love and forbearance toward all for whom Christ has died. Genuine humility is expressed in the words: ‘Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, and of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.’ [1 Peter 3:3, 4.] Humility is the lesson which Jesus has given in all his teachings all through his ministry, by both precept and example. He raised this precious attribute out of the dust in which it had been trodden, and clothed it with the garments of his own righteousness. ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit,’ he says; ‘for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ [Matthew 5:3.]” Review and Herald, June 21, 1898.

The Ten Commandments, Part IV: Idol Worship is Bad News

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“You shall not make for your self a carved image [an idol]—any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.” (Deuteronomy 5:8.)

The created is not to become the object of worship. The sun, the moon, and the stars in the heavens have been made objects of worship. The creatures of the earth and the creatures in the water have been made objects of worship, but God said, “No!” The reason is spelled out in the next verse, which says, “For I, the Lord thy God, [am] a jealous God.” Deuteronomy 5:9. (What it means for God to be a jealous God was discussed in the first article of this series.)

The second commandment is enforced by a threatened penalty and sustained by a precious promise. “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, And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.” Verses 9, 10.

Sins of the Parents

This is a very troubling statement to many people. They feel that it is an arbitrary decree, but it is not. It is the unalterable, eternal law of heredity and environment that the sins and the faults of the parents are handed down to their children and, in many ways, cannot be escaped.

Many children who have grown up in an alcoholic home hate alcoholism. But the environment, the setting, the passions, and the attitudes are passed on to those children, and, usually, 80 percent of children who grow up in alcoholic homes will become alcoholics. It is just the way it works. We grow up in a home with certain kinds of attitudes—whatever those attitudes may be—and those things are handed down to us, to our children, and to our children’s children. This is why the old story of the Hatfields and the McCoys is perpetual. The hatreds are passed on from generation to generation, and, many times, the current generation does not even realize why they have the hatreds.

The Christian call is for us to come to God’s Word, learn what He asks and requires of us, and then look at ourselves in the mirror of His Law. Are we then to ask, “What is my life all about? I see that I am a sinner, but I am incapable of dealing with this issue. Am I to be eternally lost? Should I just fall down in a pool of discouragement and say, ‘There is no help for me’?” No! In 11 Corinthians 5:17, we read: “If anyone [is] in Christ, [he is] a new creation.” We have another chance by being born again and growing up into the full stature and the measure of a person in Christ Jesus, as we are told in Ephesians 4:15.

This life changing experience can happen at the age of 12 years, or it can happen at 80 years. Even in older years, we can still go through this process of changing and maturing in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are young, God will allow the miracle to grow slower. If you are old, He will pour a lot of “fertilizer” on it, and you will grow very quickly. God has an answer for everything!

These sinful tendencies, which parents have passed on to the children, will be passed on and on, unless Christ intervenes in the lives. This is one of the reasons we hear little sayings such as, “He is acting just like his father,” or, “She is following in her mother’s footsteps.” But it does not have to be that way.

Idol of Fashion

Fashion, in its broadest sense, embraces idolatry. The word fashion means, “to conform to the prevailing modes, practices, and customs of the world.” Worldly fashions have to do chiefly with garments and ornaments with which the body is clothed and bedecked. Usually, we find that all exhibitions of pride and dress, which are contrary to the Word of God, constitute a species of idolatry, and God’s Word declares it so. This is why we, as Seventh-day Adventists, have special counsel relative to the areas of fashion, dress, and adornment. Those things constitute a species of idolatry, which is a transgression of the second commandment.

It is upon the Ten Commandments that hang all the law and the prophets. This second commandment is very profound. Women, as well as men, can be slaves to the idol of fashion. Your adornment should not be an outward thing; it should not be a display of ornaments and articles of dress.

Casebook/Codebook

When I attended Walla Walla College in Walla Walla, Washington, I had a professor by the name of Alden Thompson. Several years after I graduated, he wrote a book entitled, God’s Word: Casebook or Codebook? Codebook meaning that the Bible is just a code of laws and prohibitions, a code of “Thou shalt nots.” Casebook meaning the case histories of how God relates to the sinner through all the failings and difficulties that man encounters. Both aspects are found in the Bible. It is indeed a codebook, and it is indeed a casebook as well!

Nothing New

While studying recently, in the Book of Exodus, I came across something very interesting, in regard to the concept of casebook. Let us see if we can figure out what it was that was so displeasing to God, as we read this passage: “And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for [as for] this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.” Exodus 32:1.

What struck my interest is the next recorded event: “And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which [are] in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring [them] unto me.” Verse 2.

When I read this, I thought, “Surely there is nothing new under the sun!” Idolatry is a perpetual kind of thing that keeps reaping generation after generation after generation. I do not know about you, but I was very dismayed when I first saw an earring in a male’s ear. Then they began showing up in women’s noses; I have witnessed women with multiple earrings from the tops to the bottoms of their ears. From this text in Exodus, take note that this kind of ornamentation is a form of idolatry.

One Sin Leads to Another

“And all the people brake off the golden earrings which [were] in their ears, and brought [them] unto Aaron. And he received [them] at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These [be] thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw [it], he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow [is] a feast to the Lord.” Verses 3–5. Here was this object, fashioned by their hands, and they held it up before the children of Israel as that which represented Jehovah God! Is it not almost incomprehensible? Yet it took place.

“And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings;”—you can imagine—“and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.” Verse 6. One thing leads to another. If you break one of the commandments, you have broken them all. “He who willfully breaks one commandment, does not, in spirit and truth, keep any of them. ‘Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.’ James 2:10.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 51.

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted [themselves]: They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These [be] thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it [is] a stiffnecked people: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit [it] for ever. And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people. And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony [were] in his hand: the tables [were] written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other [were] they written. And the tables [were] the work of God, and the writing [was] the writing of God, graven upon the tables. And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, [There is] a noise of war in the camp.” Exodus 32:7–17.

Do you know what was taking place? They were shouting and singing and dancing. Verse 18 continues, “And he said, [It is] not the voice of [them that] shout for mastery, neither [is it] the voice of [them that] cry for being overcome: [but] the noise of [them that] sing do I hear.”

Then it goes on to tell how they not only became involved in the breaking of the second commandment but also got involved in singing and drinking and dancing, finally stripping off their clothes! “Moses saw that the people [were] naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto [their] shame among their enemies.)” Verse 25.

The second commandment is very deep. It is so deep that we will deal with more aspects of it in another article. God has a message for His people, as far as the second commandment is concerned. It was not just for the Old Testament Jews, because we can see that many of the issues to which the second commandment speaks are very relevant to us today. It is only as we come up to the standard to which God calls us that we will find His acceptance.

To be continued . . .

Editorial – Types and Shadows, Part III

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In the last editorial, we began looking at Colossians 2:14–17. A minimum of nine lines of evidence was given showing that the law described in this passage of Scripture could not have been the Ten Commandment Law. But it is not enough to begin to understand that this passage is not talking about the Ten Commandments. We want to know what this passage is really saying. Since very large treatises have been written about this passage, it is not possible to be exhaustive, and to conserve space, we will look one by one at a number of details.

  1. It has been recognized by Bible commentators for many years that Paul was attempting to correct certain Gnostic practices, which had crept into the church at Colossae. (Gnostics believed that they had secret knowledge about God, humanity, and the rest of the universe of which the general population was unaware.) Gnosticism was one of the major heresies which troubled the New Testament Church and which the apostles fought against so vehemently that the debate fills large sections of the New Testament. One of the major thrusts of the Gospel of John was to attack Gnostic teachings coming into the church. In 1 Timothy, 1 John, Philippians, Ephesians, and the Book of Revelation, some of the ideas of Gnosticism are again attacked. As with any major heresy, there were several branches or flavors, one of which was antinomianism (the belief that, under the gospel dispensation of grace, the moral law is of no use or obligation because faith alone is necessary to salvation).
  2. The Christian is not to let any person judge him in regard to eating and drinking and religious practices. Rather, he is to recognize that he will be judged by God and not by any human court. (See 1 Corinthians 4:3, 4.) In Romans 14, when Paul clearly teaches not to judge others concerning worship days, he states strongly that we will all give an account of ourselves concerning worship days to the Lord. (See Romans 14:4–13.)
  3. In addition to eating and drinking, there are three other religious observances about which the Christian is not to let any person (notice that person is singular, and this word is singular in the Greek text) judge him. These three religious observances are (1) feast, (2) new moon, and (3) sabbaths. Although the word for sabbath is in the plural, this plural word is often used in a singular sense and is often used to refer to the seventh day Sabbath. (For examples of the word sabbath used in the plural with a singular meaning in English, see Mark 1:21; 2:23, 24; Luke 4:16; 13:10; Acts 13:14; 16:13.)
  4. There is a stated reason that the Christian is not to allow any other person (i.e., a Gnostic) to judge him concerning religious observances and that is that, first of all, these religious observances are shadows of coming things. Second, these religious observances had been seized upon by Gnostics as a way to gain control of the church. Theology has been used numberless times to gain control of other people’s minds and finally to control them entirely. There are still people today with the same Gnostic attitude attempting to gain control of the church of God by dictating various practices for believers to follow in regard to eating, drinking, working, dressing, feast days, methods of Sabbath observance, ad nauseum.

To be continued . . .

The Ten Commandments, Part II: No Other Gods

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Before beginning this study of Deuteronomy 5, I would like to share, as an illustration, a personal experience.

When my wife and I moved from Washington State to the Los Angeles, California, area, our two dogs accompanied us. We were fortunate to find a house with about an acre and a half of land, which was fenced on two sides. One of my first tasks, when we moved into the house, was to fence the other two sides of the property, so the dogs would have plenty of room to run without having to be chained or cooped up in any way.

Interestingly, even with all of this space, the dogs kept trying to find a way out of the yard. We would frequently notice them running the fence, looking for an opening. They were unsuccessful, until one Sabbath. Returning from church that day, we found a note on our front door from an Animal Control Officer stating that he had been called, because our dog had been struck by an automobile and, not finding anyone at home, he was taking it to the veterinary hospital. I rushed to the hospital, and actually arrived before the Animal Control Officer. When he appeared, I told him that I was the dog’s owner and would gladly take her home and closely monitor her condition.

Arriving at home, I felt the dog all over and found no broken bones, but her back feet were scraped so badly that she could hardly walk. She would eat and drink, but it was obvious that she was very sore. She could not sit or lie down; she could only stand, hang her head, and whine, because of the pain. We gave her some Tylenol for the pain and tried to comfort her as best we could. Each day she showed signs of improvement, until, after a short period of time, she was doing quite well.

As I reflected upon this experience, I thought of how true this is of the way God deals with us. He has put a fence, the Ten Commandments, around us, and if we stay within this fence, there is safety to be found. We, like the dog, sometimes think that it is better to be outside of God’s fence to explore what is beyond. We want to see if there is something out there of interest to us, but we then find ourselves in the devil’s traffic. Many times we run headlong into a moving vehicle of the devil’s design.

The Whole Duty

Moses, on two occasions, brought the Ten Commandments down from the mountaintop. Upon his return the first time, he found the children of Israel cavorting around a golden calf, committing idolatry and adultery. He threw down the stone, upon which the Ten Commandments were written, and broke it.

The second time Moses went up on the mountain, God’s Law, the Ten Commandments, became the established covenant between God and His people. They stood, during those 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, as the very center of the sanctuary service, which God had instituted for His people.

All too often, we feel that we subscribe to the Ten Commandments, and we think that we know everything there is to know about God’s Law. After all, how much difficulty is there in reading the Ten Commandments? How much intelligence do we really have to have in order to understand ten precepts? Well, there is much more to God’s Ten Commandments than just reading them from Exodus 20 or Deuteronomy 5. We need to be reminded of just how important God’s Law is, because we are tricked, by our own sinful natures, into thinking that we can go contrary to what those ten precepts say.

The Bible says, in Ecclesiastes 12:13, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man.”

Our Duty

The first table of God’s Law contains the four commandments, which reveal man’s whole duty or responsibility to his Maker. The second table, with its six precepts, sets forth man’s whole duty to his fellow man. Jesus said that on these two tables, defining our love to God and our love to man, hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:40.) So, if we are to fear God and keep His commandments, this being our whole duty, and upon these commandments hang all the Law and the prophets, what was Jesus saying? He was saying that the Ten Commandments are that for which we are to be responsible to God.

The rest of the law—the five books of Moses—dealing with the sacrificial system, the civil laws, and the health laws, is ultimately based on the Ten Commandment Law. The words and writings of the prophets are nothing more and nothing less than dealing with man and his sinful waywardness concerning the commandments. The issues involved are centered on idolatry, waywardness from God, oppression of the poor, and the failure of man, which directly relate to God and to his fellow man. We often have the tendency, which the prophets tried to clarify, to simply look at how the prophets dealt with problems, to the neglect of a deeper study of the law.

As soon as Adam was created, the first table of the law began to govern and to regulate his duty toward his Creator. As soon as he was made, this law came into being, as far as he was concerned. Eve’s creation constituted another relationship, which had to be defined by law; the second table of the law came into being and became operational. It is quite evident that, as long as the Creator and any of His creatures are in existence, both tables of the law must continue in force.

Consider this for a moment. As long as there is a God, and as long as there is more than one creature, there has to be a law which governs how that creature relates to his Creator and to one another. This is why the law is eternal. This is why the law originated in the heart and mind of God, and as He began to create, this law became greater and greater in its application.

Written on Our Hearts

The Lord, at creation, wrote the principles of His moral law in the mind and upon the fleshly tables of man’s heart, and before sin came into the world, they operated naturally and spontaneously, as the laws of nature do in the physical world. It was as natural for man to do the will of God as it was for the birds to fly, for the trees to grow, and for the flowers to bloom. It was just as natural for man to respond to God through the law. But when Adam and Eve fell to Satan’s temptation, man’s nature was changed from righteousness to sinfulness. It was as though man had slipped on a long, slick slide, which would carry him away from the God who had created him and from the keeping of the divine law, which was to regulate his life and to make it productive and happy. But although sin has changed man’s nature, the Law of God has not been entirely erased from his mind, from the fleshly tables of his heart.

We see the evidence of this when we read Paul’s letter to the Romans, where he says, “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and [their] thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another.” Romans 2:14, 15.

Here the fact is stated that the law was placed in the heart of man in the very beginning when God created him, and man responded. When sin came along, it did not totally erase the obligation in man’s mind concerning the need to keep the law. This is why we find, in the realms of the world today, religions of every size, shape, and description, for man has a sense of sin and, to the best of his ability, he is trying to find some relief for this sin.

This is the reason there will be people in heaven who may never have heard the name of Jesus Christ or may never have known about the God of heaven. If they respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit, who is bearing witness with their consciences, God will continue to sanctify their lives, even though they know nothing of the law, because they are responding to the little bit of an impress of the law which is written in their hearts. When they get to heaven, they will inquire about the scars in Jesus’ hands and the scars on His head, and Jesus will tell them the story of salvation for the first time.

Righteousness by Faith

Perfection, keeping the law, is defined as “righteousness by faith.” Often times the definition of “righteousness by faith” is “doing right by faith” or “right doing.” But this meaning gets the cart before the horse. You cannot do right until you are right! Righteousness is, first of all, right being, which is far more fundamental and important than right doing. Right doing is the fruit, if you please, of right being.

We must be right, before we can do right, and if we are right, we will do right. The devil has tried, down through the ages, to turn this thing around and have people do right and then have them believe that they are right. Of course, this is nothing more and nothing less than salvation by works.

If Christians and/or heathens believe that they are right because they do right, they have really missed the boat. They first must be right, before they can do right and be accepted by God. This is why those who are right, because of their acceptance of what Christ has done for them, can say, “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law [is] within my heart.” Psalm 40:8.

This should be the experience of every Christian. The law is not to be done away with. The law is to find its proper response in the hearts of men. Our God, the One who created us, is ever seeking to help us live in harmony with the great principles of the heavenly government. None of His laws are arbitrary, but they are eternal principles—perfect and eternal as the Creator and Lawgiver Himself.

Brief but Complete

The Ten Commandments are both brief and comprehensive. They were given in a written form 3,500 years ago, yet, interestingly, there has never been a need for those ten laws to be altered or changed in any degree. They have never needed to be amended in the least particular. The Ten Commandments are just as current and applicable to the needs of mankind today as when they came from the mouth and the hand of the Creator Who gave them. This, in itself, is enough to convince us of the perfection and holiness of the law and of its divine origin.

It is estimated that man has enacted some 35 million laws, in an effort to regulate his conduct, but he has never yet attained the perfection of the Ten Commandments. The laws of men must be continually corrected and updated, often requiring change. Not so with God’s Law. God’s law was written in stone 3,500 years ago, and it is just as up-to-date as if it were written yesterday.

Recently, one bill passed through Congress which repealed more than 1,000 old and out-of-date laws. They did not apply any longer. Not many people need to be fined today because they have tied their horse to a hitching post and neglected to put a grain bag on it! There have been attacks on the Law of God, but the Bible tells us, “The law of the Lord [is] perfect,” and “The works of his hands [are] verity and judgment; all his commandments [are] sure. They stand fast for ever and ever, [and are] done in truth and uprightness.” Psalms 19:7; 111:7, 8.

The Devil’s Purpose

There is a spirit in the world which never tires of attacking God’s Law or God Himself, but these efforts, which are put forth, are for the purpose of deceiving and causing potential candidates of the kingdom of heaven to be lost. This is the devil’s number one purpose.

If a law can be changed in a man’s mind, then that which the Lord uses to point out sin will no longer do its work, and mankind can never develop a character like God, because the Law of God is a revelation of the character of God. This is why it is important that we obey and keep the Law of God. By so doing, our characters are changed.

Law as a Tool

The law is a tool, or instrument, in the hands of the Holy Spirit, by which men are convicted of sin. Sin is divinely declared to be the “transgression of God’s Law.” 1 John 3:4. The law and the gospel work hand in hand in the redemption of sinful man. The law cannot take away sin. It is only a mirror to point out the sin, to let us see how dirty our faces are. All it can do is convince us that we are guilty sinners and that we are under the penalty of eternal death. Pardoning and cleansing have to come through Christ and the gospel.

Before a sick man can seek a remedy, he must first understand that he has a sickness. He must be convinced that he is sick. Before man can realize his need of a Saviour, he must first realize that he is a sinner and that he is in need of help, because the law convicts him.

Original Presentation

Let us look at the circumstances when the Ten Commandments were originally given. Mount Sinai was located in an area where there was a large, sandy plateau, 4,000 feet above the Mediterranean Sea. The plain, about two miles long and one-half mile wide, was large enough to hold some two million people, who were there at the time the law was given.

Looking up, a granite mountain could be seen, rising up some 2,200 feet high out of this plateau. Isolated, precipitous, fissured, altar shaped, it was the mountain of Jehovah’s Law, the sublime throne from which the King of kings proclaimed the Ten Commandments of the covenant with His people.

In the midst of these craggy slopes, Moses had kept the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro. Here he had twice fasted, 40 days and 40 nights. Here Elijah found refuge from the wrath of Jezebel. Here it was that Paul spent three years preparing for his gospel calling.

It was here, on Sinai’s mountain, that Moses mediated between Jehovah and Israel. The words came down: “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and [how] I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth [is] mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.” Exodus 19:4–6, first part.

These were the words of God which came down to them, and as the people heard these words, they responded: “All that the Lord hath spoken we will do.” Verse 8.

Solemn Grandeur

On the third morning, after the ceremonial purification, came lightnings, thunders, a thick cloud, and the voice of a trumpet growing louder and louder until the mountain began to quake and smoke began ascending, like the smoke of a furnace. All of this made the preparation for the delivery of the law on Mount Sinai a scene of unparalleled solemnity.

Somehow we have lost sight of the awe and the solemnity with which we should look at the Law of God. We take for granted that the Ten Commandments are rules and regulations by which we are ordered to live, and we do not grasp the meaning of the grandeur and the solemnity with which this law was given.

The Covenant

“And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, [even] us, who [are] all of us here alive this day. The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire, (I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to show you the word of the Lord: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount).” Deuteronomy 5:1–5.

God made the covenant, at Mount Sinai, with the children of Israel. After they had been camped around the mount for two years, they began to make their way toward the Promised Land. They sent their spies over into that land and decided, from their report, that they did not want to go in because of the giants. So, the Lord turned them back into the wilderness, and He told them that all of them would die there. (Numbers 14:22, 23; 26:65.) Indeed, in the next 38-year period of time, they all died in the wilderness, with the exception of two—Caleb and Joshua.

What is meant by: “The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, [even] us, who [are] all of us here alive this day”? Is there something wrong here? No. It is all right, and it needs to be understood. “The law was not spoken at this time exclusively for the benefit of the Hebrews. God honored them by making them the guardians and keepers of His law, but it was to be held as a sacred trust for the whole world.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 305.

Ford Motor Company was incorporated in 1903 with many employees. Ford Motor Company is still operating today, but the first generation of employees has all died. One charge, which was made to the first employees, in 1903, is still a charge to today’s employees: Create an automobile of excellence.

Corporateness

God instills the idea of corporate-ness within every generation, and it never changes. It is a tribal concept. We are all individuals within the tribe, but there is a sense of corporateness, and God expects us to corporately respond to it.

This is one of the reasons why unity is as much a command of God as is obedience to the Ten Commandments, because the concept of unity has to be there in order for us to be His covenant people. This is why Jesus prayed, “Father, I want them all to be one, like You and I are one. I want them to understand that I am in You and You are in Me and I am in them and they are in Me.” (John 17:22, 23.)

There is a sense of corporateness in which God intends His people to participate and to understand. This is one of the reasons why there is absolutely no room for racial discrimination, for class distinction, for differences—as far as salvation is concerned—between male and female or between Jew and Greek. God made all of this clear. He wants us, more than anything else, to come into such a state of unity that we will be able to be one body, one corporate unit. Until we reach this point, we are never going to be able to have a part in the covenant, which God has for us.

This was the preamble which Moses gave in Deuteronomy 5:3. He was stating that the generation with which the covenant was made was dead and gone. And even though the current generation was not yet in the position of accountability when the covenant was made, they had matured to the point where the covenant now applied to them. They were as much there, in a corporate setting, as were we when Adam first sinned. How is it, do you think, that we are born with a sinful nature? It is because of what our father did. There is the sense of corporateness with which we, as a people, must come to grips, before we can come into a unity where we can keep God’s commandments, as He wants us to do, and thereby be found in a state of sanctification and holiness so the end can come. As long as we are fracturing, as long as we are at odds with one another, as long as we think that we are so important we cannot reconcile these differences, as long as we cannot come to terms with these feelings that we have about one another, we are as lost as if we had never come to Jesus. If we are harboring those kinds of feelings one for another, because we are not part of the covenant, we are not part of the corporate group. Those with such feelings are in that group which will come before the Lord and say, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? Have we not cast out devils in Thy name? Have we not done many wonderful things in Thy name?” And the Lord will turn to them and say, “I beg your pardon. What is your name? Do I know you? I am sorry; I do not know you at all. You are not part of the corporate group who are in unity, who are truly obedient to My Law; therefore, depart from Me, you that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:22, 23.)

“I am the Lord”

Deuteronomy 5:6 says, “I [am] the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.”

When we look at the phrase, “I am the Lord,” the word Lord is translated from the Hebrew word Jehovah or Yahweh. Today, a number of people are making a tremendous issue out of what they term “holy names.” If we do not pronounce the name of God correctly, according to them, they do not want anything to do with us. They believe in keeping all of the Ten Commandments, but they do not want to have anything to do with anyone who, they think, incorrectly pronounces the name of God. We are not a part of their fellowship, and we are lost, as far as they are concerned.

I would submit to you, first of all, that we do not even know how to correctly pronounce God’s name. This was lost centuries ago. Hebrew was made up strictly of consonants, and many centuries after the Hebrew language was developed, vowel points were inserted so we could pronounce the words. By this time, the pronunciation of God’s name was lost. All that was left were consonants—Yhvh.

For instance, look at the consonants grnd. There are no vowels. This is like God’s name, which has four consonants and no vowel points. If we were to insert the a vowel, we could spell grand. We could, instead, insert the i vowel, and we would spell grind. But then we could remove the i and replace it with ou and spell the word ground.

The one thing we need to understand about those four consonants is that this was the name of God, and it identified something about His character. It means that He was the eternal, self-existing, ever-living, ever-acting One. If we can understand this aspect, we do not need to know whether it is an a, an i, an ou, or whatever. All we need to know is that there is a God who is in control of everything; He always has been, and He always will be.

While Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, along one of the creek beds near the foot of Mount Sinai, there suddenly appeared before him a burning bush. You are familiar with this story. Out of it came a voice saying, “I [am] the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. . . . Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.” Exodus 3:6, 10.

One God

Moses remembered that his countrymen had long been exposed to the debasing effects of servitude and that they were still living in a polytheistic (multi-god) Egypt. He ventured to respond to God, “Behold, [when] I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What [is] his name? what shall I say unto them?” Verse 13.

And God told him: “i am that i am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, i am hath sent me unto you.” Verse 14. This is what the word Jehovah or Yahweh or those four consonants mean: “I am.”

The Israelites, who were listening at this moment to Jehovah’s voice, numbered close to two million, yet God addresses them as an individual corporateness with a singular “you,” not a plural “you all.” God regarded His people as a single, colossal personality or a corporate unit. It was this divine conception of the Jewish people as a single, corporate personality that gave Israel such a unique position among all the nations of the earth.

This concept has not really changed today. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. How He relates to us is the same. Where, before, He related to the children of Israel as a corporate nation, He now relates to them as a bride—not brides, but bride.

We, as a people, must understand this concept of unity, in the laying aside of our differences and in the coming together. If we do not, we are in no better shape than the sinner who is without Christ.

No Other Gods

“I [am] the Lord thy God, . . . Thou shalt have none other gods before me.” Deuteronomy 5:6, 7.

There is a reason why God gave this precept in this way. We are told, in Exodus 20:5, that He is a jealous God. Jealousy, to the human mind, is not a good thing, but there is nothing wrong, from a godly perspective, with being jealous. There is such a thing as good jealousy, such as being jealous for the things of God.

God says, “I am a jealous God.” Why is He jealous? Is it because He has some internal, selfish need to be pumped up, that He has the same feelings of jealousy that we have? No. It has nothing to do with this.

Those of us who are parents know what it means to be jealous of our child in the right way, in the watchful, careful guarding or keeping of that child. This occurs when we want the very best for that child, and we do not want any outside influences coming in to ruin that child’s life. We, as parents, have created that child; we do not want any interference of any kind destroying that child.

This is the kind of jealousy that God has. He sees His people, and He says, “I am a jealous God. I do not want to have second place to any other god.” Why? because there is only one God. Any other god has an evil intent, and God says, “I will not put up with it; I will not cooperate with it. I will not share you with anything. I am to be supreme, because I am the Creator; I am the One who called you into being as a corporate nation, and I want you as my bride in the kingdom of heaven.”

God said this, knowing that the children of Israel were coming out of the polytheistic country of Egypt and going to the polytheistic country of Canaan. In some places in Canaan, there were as many gods as there were villages. There were multitudes of gods—Baal, Ashteroth, Molech, and Dagon, to name a few. Israel, as far as their heritage was concerned, came out of a polytheistic society.

The Bible tells us, in Joshua 24:2, “Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, [even] Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.”

God says, “Look, we are going to correct this whole situation. We are going to bring you into a corporate unity where I am the only God that you are to worship.”

What About Today

How can we relate to this today? Who truly is this Jehovah God about which the Bible speaks? From the New Testament, we know this is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. (See John 1:3; Hebrews 1:1, 2.) It was Jesus who was on Mount Sinai, according to Nehemiah 9:6, 13. It was Jesus who spoke the Ten Commandments. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

When Jesus came as a babe to Bethlehem’s manger, the angel had told His parents that they would call His name Jesus, because He would save them from their sins. He is known as the Alpha and the Omega. The name Emmanuel means “God with us.” And the beauty of the gospel message is the fact that the God of heaven is ever working to restore us into fellowship with Himself. He loves us. He died for us. He was the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world, and His plans have never changed.

“I am the Lord, your God.”

Singularly. Personally. The fact that Jesus is a personal God, individually and corporately, is expressed in the concept that the church is called the bride of Christ. The church is also called the body of Christ. This same unity is still the high calling for the church today, as it was for Israel of old. The requirements of unity are still the same.

Law Passing Away

Is the law passing away? Heaven forbid! Can you imagine where we would be if we were worshipping other gods? What could they do for us? Oh, they can bring us the pleasure of sin for a season, but they cannot bring us salvation. They are totally impotent, unable to accomplish a thing for us.

The first commandment, which says, “Thou shalt not have any other gods before Me,” had its application to Israel as they were traveling from Egypt to Canaan, but it also has application to the church today. Nothing is to take God’s place in our lives.

We live in such a materialistic society today that there are things that are clamoring for our worship on every level. The Bible says that if we are angry with our brother, we have already committed murder. (1 John 3:15.) He is making a spiritual application. There is a spiritual application of the first commandment as well. Anything which commands our attention above and beyond God becomes something in the place of God.

There is an old saying, seen on bumper stickers, which reads, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” This is the mentality of people today, in this materialistic world. That person, in fact, is the loser, because when we take the spiritual application of this commandment, it calls us to turn our eyes upon just one God—the One who created us and redeemed us.

As we continue through the commandments, in Deuteronomy 5, we will review the original, physical application, and we will also learn the spiritual application.

To be continued . . .

Pastor Mike Baugher is Associate Speaker for Steps to Life. He may be contacted by e-mail at: mikebaugher@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Editorial – Types and Shadows, Part II

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In Colossians 2:14–17, Paul speaks about a law. This passage, garbled in some Bible translations and often used by theological opponents of Seventh-day Adventists as proof texts as to why Christians do not need to keep the Sabbath, requires detailed review.

For this law, Paul gives a number of clear specifications and descriptions: (1) He says that Jesus has “wiped away that which was against us,” called the (2) “handwriting of the decrees or ordinances.” (3) These decrees or ordinances “were contrary to us.” The Greek word used means to be opposed, hostile, contrary, in opposition or opposition to someone or something. (4) This law was taken out of our midst and (5) nailed to the cross. (6) He disarmed or despoiled the rulers and authorities, exposing them and publicly triumphing over them in the cross. (7) Therefore, do not let anyone judge you in food, (8) in drink, (9) in respect of a feast, (10) of a new moon, (11) or of Sabbath or Sabbaths, (12) which things are a shadow of things about to be, (13) but the body is of Christ. (Verses 18–23 help provide contextual understanding of these verses.)

We will consider each of these specifications:

(1) According to the New Testament, it was the ceremonial law, not the moral law, which was against us. For example, Peter refers to the ceremonial law (circumcision symbolized the whole law) as a yoke which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear. (Acts 15:10.) Paul refers to it as a yoke of bondage. (Galatians 5.) The moral law, or Ten Commandments, is never referred to as a yoke of bondage but is described as a law of liberty. (James 2:10–12.)

(2) The Ten Commandments are never referred to in Scripture as being handwritten. This one fact alone proves conclusively that Paul is not here referring to them. The Ten Commandments were written by the finger of God, and not by human hand. (Exodus 24:12; 31:18.)

(3) The ceremonial law was declared by the apostles to be “contrary to us,” but the moral law is described as being given to us because God loves us, and it is not burdensome to keep. (1 John 5:3; Deuteronomy 33:2, 3.)

(4) The Ten Commandments are described as impossible to ever be taken away (Luke 16:17; Psalm 89:34), but this law is taken away. We know, therefore, that this law cannot be the Ten Commandment Law.

(5) The New Testament is definite about which law was nailed to the cross. Paul says, in Galatians 3, that there was a law added because of transgression. As explained in the previous editorial, there could not even be transgression without the moral law. The law added, because of transgression, was the ceremonial law, which was only to exist until the coming of Christ. Also, Paul says that this added law was commanded through messengers, or angels, in the hand of a mediator. He says that a mediator is not of one, but God is one. This again proves that he was not talking about the Ten Commandment Law, because it was not given through angels or messengers, nor ordained in the hand of a mediator. This law was given by God Himself, not through messengers, and it existed before there was a mediator or a need for one. (Galatians 3:19, 20.) Therefore, the law that was nailed to the cross would have to be the ceremonial law.

(7) Colossians 2:16 begins with the word, “therefore.” The context is clear that Paul is talking about the ceremonial law, not the Ten Commandments. “Therefore,” shows that what he says next continues to refer to the ceremonial law.

(8–11) Each of these descriptions would have to be referring to the ceremonial law. To make this fact absolutely certain, Paul says, in verse 17, “which things are a shadow of things to come.” The ceremonial ordinances, whether new moons, feast days, or yearly sabbaths (these yearly sabbaths were “beside the sabbaths of the Lord,” Leviticus 23:4–38), were all shadows of things to come, but the seventh day Sabbath was never a shadow of things to come. It was a memorial of creation, as distinctly stated in Exodus 20:8–11.

The Ten Commandments, Part I: Hear, Listen, Keep, and Do

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When we refer to the Ten Commandments, we generally think of the Book of Exodus, chapter 20. However, in this series, I would like to study with you chapter 5 of the Book of Deuteronomy where the law is given again by Moses to the children of Israel, just before they cross over into the Promised Land. Forty years earlier, while they were camped at Mount Sinai, God came down in awful grandeur and spoke the Ten Commandment Law to the children of Israel. That law was to govern every moral aspect and attitude of their lives until they died. In conjunction with that, statutes and judgments were handed down to Moses, written down, and put into the side of the ark in the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary. The Ten Commandments were housed in the interior part of the ark.

Morality and the Law

There is the letter of the law and the spirit of the law, and then there is the morality that makes the law work. It is our morality that allows us to have freedom under the law. The less morality that a people have, the less freedom those people enjoy. That may sound like a strange statement, because many people think that if they are involved in immorality—which is no morality—they have all the freedom they could ever want, but, in fact, they are in slavery. This is why James calls the royal law, the Ten Commandment Law, the law of liberty.

Many of you will recall that just a few years ago there were reports concerning presidential scandals in the United States. As the scandals began to unfold in the news media, the reporters took polls to ascertain how the public was responding to the scandals. Interestingly, after the first couple of days, the report came back, “Do not tell us any more. We have heard enough. Leave us alone. We do not care what the President has done.” It seemed that the more information that was provided to the public, the higher were the ratings of the President. All the while, the reality was that the freedom in morality was vanishing. The less morality the people have, the less freedom they can enjoy and still have a civilization.

Do Not Indoctrinate

Too many of us have the idea that if something does not affect us directly, it does not concern us. This, I think, can be said of many, many issues of life. How did we come to a position where we accept this kind of thinking? It goes back a long way and a lot is involved. We cannot go through all the various stages and steps that brought us to this place, but the gist of it is that it started with the principle taught to young people that directs: Expose them to the ideas, but whatever you do, do not indoctrinate them. Give them the idea, and let them then make their own decisions. Let them do what they want to do. If they want to stay up late at night, let them stay up late at night. If they do not want to help with the chores, do not force them to help with the chores. Do not indoctrinate them.

In many areas, this is the popular thinking of today, especially, it seems, in regard to the bringing up of children. It has produced a generation that does not care about anything that does not directly affect them on a personal level.

Keep the Light Burning

The light is rapidly going out for the United States. The only hope that we have is to keep the light burning brightly in our own lives and then to try to share that light with others around us so they will see the light. That is basically Steps to Life’s mission. That is why the study of the Scriptures is so vitally important, because it contains for us light that we can, in turn, share with other people.

We know that we are in the last days, because the signs given to us in the Bible indicate that we are in that period of time when darkness is prevailing upon the earth. From what we read and hear concerning the daily events around the world, and as we look out on the horizon of society, we cannot doubt that we are living in the final time period of earth’s history. Therefore, it is important for us, as Seventh-day Adventists, to go back to the Bible—our foundation of morality and our foundation of freedom. There we find what God would have us to be and have us to do, so we can, with peace in our hearts, be ready to meet Jesus when He comes.

What to Say

This was the burden of Moses as he stood upon the mountain, knowing that he had lost the blessing of entering into the Promised Land. God had already told him, “Do not talk to Me anymore about this issue. It is over; it is settled. You are not going over.” So Moses had a burden. He searched for the words to say to those with whom, for the past 40 years, he had been in the wilderness. He wanted to share wisdom and encouragement, assuring that many would be in the kingdom of heaven with him when the saints would be resurrected. (He did not know that he was soon going to be raised and taken to heaven.)

“And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, [even] us, who [are] all of us here alive this day. The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire. (I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to shew you the word of the Lord: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount).” Deuteronomy 5:1–5.

This is the second Sabbath message delivered by Moses. In this message, similar words are repeated over and over to try to emphasize the point. There are some people who become tired of hearing the same thing over and over again, but there is a need to repeat these things, because sin has clouded their minds. These words, spoken once in the Garden of Eden to Adam and to Eve, would never have been forgotten. We, on the other hand, can have things said to us and two minutes later ask, “What was it you said?”

We Quickly Forget

I was visiting with someone in my office recently, and as we stepped through the doorway, he said, “Oh, I think I left my water bottle in your office.” He turned around, went back into the office, did not see it, but then discovered he was holding it in his hand. The frailty of our minds necessitates the repetition of things. We cannot remember like we should. The lot of humanity has a tendency to forget all too quickly the leading of God.

Look back on your own life. You know that there were times when God met you right where you were. He performed a miracle for you right when you asked. Yet, when faced with another trial, on down the road, you have a tendency to forget that there even is a God in heaven. “Is God really here?” you question. “Is He really going to take care of me?”

There is a familiar hymn that describes the kind of experience God wants us to have: “Sing them over again to me, Wonderful words of life; Let me more of their beauty see, Wonderful words of life. Words of life and beauty, Teach me faith and duty; Beautiful words, wonderful words, Wonderful words of life.” P. P. Bliss, “Sing Them Over Again to Me,” The Church Hymnal, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Takoma Park, Washington, D.C., 1941, 574.

This is the kind of experience that God wants us to have. This is the kind of experience that Moses desired for the children of Israel.

Four Steps

Notice how Moses began: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.”

There are four steps given here that we are to apply to our walk with the Lord, so we will not develop the “I do not care” attitude. The first step is to have open ears. The second step is to learn what we hear. The third step is to keep what we hear and what we learn. And the fourth step is to do it. These steps are very essential for the Christian life, because they form the very foundation of all that we are to become through sanctified living.

Open Ears

First, Moses says that we are to have open ears, so we can hear. You see, if we have open ears, we also have open minds. There is nothing more dangerous to our spiritual well-being than to have closed minds.

How often have we gone to an individual to try to clarify an issue, but he or she has closed his or her mind, not wanting to hear? That closed mind is indicative that there are other areas of difficulty and problem. The way that God works in our hearts and minds is that our minds are to be open continuously, to hear all the counsel that comes and to then measure that counsel by the Word of God. If it fits with the Word of God, it needs to be incorporated into our lives. This is why the Bereans were so much nobler than those in Thessalonica. The Bible says that they received the word with all readiness of mind. They were willing to listen to what the apostle Paul had to say, but they did not leave it there. They received the word with all readiness of mind; then they “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:11.

Let me tell you something. If someone comes to you with a particular message, when you begin to search and study the Scriptures in regard to this message, the promise is that the Holy Spirit will bring conviction as to whether it is true or whether it is false. This is what happened to those in Berea. “Therefore many of them believed.” Verse 12.

That is the kind of experience God wants us to have. So, we are to have open ears, which are indicative of open minds.

Learn What We Hear

We know that God had called Israel to a teaching ministry. That was the great gift that God gave to the entirety of Israel. Oh, He had His prophets; He had His pastors, but the great gift that God had given to Israel was that of teaching. The very first step in teaching is to find those who have open ears to hear the word. When Israel failed, God gave this teaching ministry to the church, and that teaching ministry is still to be operational today.

Ezekiel 12:2 says: “Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they [are] a rebellious house.” God wanted them to have open hearts and minds, so He could, through the prophets, pour His truths into them. Then they, in turn, could go out and teach what they learned to all the surrounding nations. But instead of having open minds, they rebelled and turned away. They closed their eyes and ears, because they were convinced that they would be all right if they followed their own way.

“Let Him Hear”

Jesus speaks to this problem, in Matthew 11:15, when He says: “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Jesus uses this same theme throughout all of His teaching. It was a little catch phrase to those who were listening to Him speak. He used it to get their attention.

If you have heard Pastor Kenny Shelton, of Behold the Lamb Ministries, speak, you probably remember him asking, during his sermon, the question, “Are you listening?” This device is similar to what Jesus used to capture the attention of the people. Usually what is spoken next is of tremendous importance, and Pastor Shelton wants to make sure the people hear it, as did Jesus.

Many times, throughout the gospels—in Matthew, Mark, and Luke—when Jesus taught a parable, He ended it by saying, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8; 14:35. (See also Matthew 13:9, 43; Mark 4:23; 7:16.) Then, of course, in Revelation we find the same phrase in the messages to the seven churches. Direct, stern counsel is given in those seven messages, and seven times the words are repeated: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22.

It is important that we have open ears, which open the minds to hear. The cleverest thing that the devil can do to God’s church is to get them to close their minds to truth. If he can accomplish this, he then has them right where he wants them, because by closing their minds, he has very effectively closed them out of the kingdom of heaven. Now that is an awesome thought, but it is a true thought. Just stop and think it through for a moment. If you have a closed mind, is that godly? No. A godly mind is an open mind. A closed mind is a devilish mind, and a devilish mind is going to be closed out of the kingdom of heaven, because communication between heaven and earth cannot take place.

We need to hear, and then we need to learn what we have heard, to become acquainted with what God has told us.

“In a special sense Seventh-day Adventists have been set in the world as watchmen and light bearers. To them has been entrusted the last warning for a perishing world. On them is shining wonderful light from the word of God. They have been given a work of the most solemn import—the proclamation of the first, second, and third angels’ messages. There is no other work of so great importance. They are to allow nothing else to absorb their attention.

“The most solemn truths ever entrusted to mortals have been given us to proclaim to the world. The proclamation of these truths is to be our work.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 19.

In order for us to fill this important position, we need to hear, and then we need to learn the lessons so that we can pass them on to others.

Jesus Was a Learner

Jesus was a learner. In studying His life, we read, in the Book of Luke, how He was born in Bethlehem’s manger, and then his parents fled with Him to Egypt to spare His life. After that, there is a period of silence. Ellen White tells us that, during these years, Jesus learned the Scriptures from His mother. (See The Desire of Ages, 70.) During those formative years, Jesus learned the great principles of God’s Word. The next reference to Jesus finds Him in Jerusalem during the Passover. When His parents began to make their way back to their home in Nazareth, they had to retrace their steps, looking for Him, and they discovered Him at the temple, confounding the Doctors of the Law concerning the things of God’s Word.

Jesus was a learner. He heard the words from His mother, which were words of life, the principles of Scripture. When it was time for Him to be called upon to share the things He learned, He did it in a marvelous way. Jesus has left for us an example.

Learn the Lessons

“Untried character is not reliable. We are to be tried by temptation in order that we may learn to seek wisdom from God, and to flee to the stronghold in time of trouble. He alone will be successful in resisting temptation who finds help and grace from God. Individually we stand as did our first parents—face to face with manifold temptations that solicit mind and heart. All heaven is watching with intense interest, to see whether we will look unto Jesus and submit ourselves to his will, or whether in the temptation we shall follow the inclinations of the natural heart and the solicitations of the evil one. O, how often you have lost the battle because you have acted independent of him who has made you his own by creation and by redemption!” The Youth’s Instructor, September 26, 1895.

How does that happen? Because we have not learned the lessons that God has for us.

“Restrain every hasty speech that struggles for utterance. Before you speak that fretful, impatient word, stop and think of the influence that, if spoken, it will exert upon others. Remember that the ears of children are quick to hear every word and to mark every intonation of the voice. Remember, too, that angels hear the words you speak. You are a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. Follow a course that will be an honor to Jesus, a course that will bring holy angels to your side. Let your home life be such that Christ can enter your dwelling as an abiding guest. Let it be such that people will take knowledge of you that you have been with Jesus, and have learned of him.” The Southern Watchman, January 19, 1904.

These are the things that God wants us to learn, so we can develop a character that will rightly represent the life of Christ to others. This is the sequence that Moses was outlining to the children of Israel. Remember, Moses had what we might call a vested interest in the children of Israel. He loved them. He desired, more than anything else, for them to be unified and all together in the kingdom of heaven. But what happens to most people, most of the time, happened to them as well.

Keep It

Many people will listen, and they will learn and remember what they hear. Many can even repeat back what they have heard. Some attendees at evangelistic meetings will have others ask them, “What are those Seventh-day Adventists teaching?”

The attendees will reply, “They are teaching that the seventh day is the Sabbath, and the text they are using is found in Exodus 20.” They heard it; they learned it; they can repeat it.

God wants the truths we learn to be in our hearts, so we will keep them. What does it say in Psalm 119:11? “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” That is why the Ten Commandment Law, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is to be written on our hearts. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15.

You cannot keep anything that is spiritual unless you love it. Jesus did not say, “If you love Me, hear My commandments.” He did not say, “If you love Me, learn My commandments.” We have to hear; we have to learn, but we also have to keep.

Keepers are Doers

“Some are hearers of the word but not doers. They receive the heavenly benefits, but feel no responsibility to advance the cause of truth and save souls by their personal efforts. The divine command is two-fold, to not only be hearers, but doers, of the word. We are to receive the word ourselves and impart to others the precious light we have received. As we accept the truth, we virtually pledge ourselves to be workers with Christ . . . .” The True Missionary, February 1, 1874.

Here, Ellen White is telling us that we, at the time we accept these words, enter into a covenant with God that involves more than just being hearers. We “pledge ourselves to be workers with Christ, and to be consecrated to his service, and no longer live to do our will, and serve ourselves, but to be faithful servants of the Master to whom we have yielded ourselves servants to obey. The commission of Christ to his disciples was, to go and preach the gospel to every creature.” Ibid. Then she says, “We have a world-wide message.” Ibid.

So, in this whole process that Moses was trying to get across to the children of Israel, they were to hear; they were to learn; they were to keep; and they were to do. If we put those all together, the process that God has ordained, which should take place in our lives, results in character transformation for us. Character transformation does not come from just hearing or from learning. Character transformation comes when all of the four steps are incorporated and put into process, so they can do something for us and for others as well.

God was giving to the children of Israel, and is giving to us, the calling to share this message.

Deuteronomy 5:2–4 says, “The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, [even] us, who [are] all of us here alive this day. The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire.”

Tribalism, Corporatism, Congregationalism

There may be some who question the need to review these happenings from times of old, but we need to remember that each new generation has to hear, has to learn, has to keep, and has to do. It is an experience that each generation needs to have for themselves.

When the people were gathered to hear Moses’ message to them, he said, “The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.” An interesting dynamic is coming into play here—the dynamic of tribalism or corporatism. The people hearing this needed to feel a part of something larger than just their group. The accountability of those who were hearing Moses’ spoken words at Horeb was not as great as the accountability of those who had originally listened at Sinai. Those of the current generation may not even have been old enough to comprehend what had happened at Sinai. They could sense something great was transpiring there, as far as their parents were concerned, but many of them did not have the ability to grasp that God Himself was speaking to them out of the cloud.

Now Moses is telling them, “Listen, what you, in this generation, need to understand is that you, the children of Israel, entered into a covenant with God at Sinai.” That means that there was a much larger feeling of congregation than what is sometimes understood.

Importance of Congregation

Let us consider this in today’s terms. There are times when we cannot meet together in a congregational setting. God honors us when we meet at home, but I do not believe that God is going to bless us if we have the opportunity to meet together as a church and we neglect that opportunity. The Word of God teaches that we are to come together to worship. (See, for example, Matthew 18:20; Hebrews 10:25; Acts 2:42; Psalm 66:16.)

Here, I believe that a tribal concept applies. Even though you may be a young member of a tribe, you are just as much a part of the benefit, the blessing, and the curse of the whole tribe, as if you were an adult, because the time will come when you will grow into adulthood. Then, as a part of the tribe, you will buy into the program as a whole, and you will own it as a tribe.

Bigger Than the Individual

Moses was trying to get across to the children of Israel that this thing was bigger than anyone of them individually.

“The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire.” That did not happen in fact, but corporately, tribally, it did. They were a part of the whole group.

This is why, I believe, when the apostle Paul was working so desperately for the Jewish people, he said, “All Israel shall be saved.” Romans 11:26. There is something that is corporate. There is something that is tribal, which is bigger than just the individual. God wants to deal with us on a congregational level.

I realize that we are not saved congregationally or tribally. We are saved individually. But there is something to be said about the congregational aspect that we read about in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, it is called the church—God’s called-out ones who are gathered congregationally in a hall.

Frequent Review

We need to understand these things. This is why, in Deuteronomy 6:6–9, we are told: “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children.” Children buy into the corporate structure and will be taught and raised up so that when they are adults, they are able to have a part in the whole concept of the congregation. “. . . and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.”

Those things were to be repeated over and over again, including the covenant that God had made with the children of Israel. I do not know of anyone, including myself, who has fulfilled the fullness of this instruction. The Jews, in later years, took this to an extreme, and turned it into a system of works. The Lord does not want that to happen. But the point here is that we are to be willing to have every aspect of our being constantly instructed and love to have it so. We must have an altogether different experience, if we are going to come through this life as God desires.

The Lord wants us to have open ears so we can hear; He wants us to learn; He wants us to keep; and He wants us to do. If we do these four things, we will be part of a tribal concept, a congregational concept where God can pour out His blessing upon His people. When we have such an experience, then we are going to have an attitude of caring rather than an attitude of “I do not care,” and God is going to be able to work for us and through us.

In the next article of this series, we will begin going through the commandments that God gave on Sinai. We will note the differences in the commandments, as recorded in Exodus 20 and in Deuteronomy 5, and find out why those differences exist.

To be continued . . .

Pastor Mike Baugher is Associate Speaker for Steps to Life. He may be contacted by e-mail at: mikebaugher@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Editorial – Types and Shadows, Part I

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Many people are being confused by teachers who are telling them that, since the cross, they are free from the law and no longer need to keep it. If this is so, then keeping the Sabbath is immaterial. Of the many arguments developed to promote the false teaching that the Sabbath is not important, one of the most fundamental is the confusion between the moral law and the ceremonial law so that texts referring to one are applied to the other. But God has, in His Word, made a clear and broad distinction between these two laws.

  1. First, God referred to the Ten Commandments as a separate and distinct law from all ceremonial laws. (See Exodus 24:12.)
  2. Second, much of what Moses wrote is not ceremonial at all, but a more complete explanation of the Ten Commandments. For example, Leviticus 18 and 20 contain a fuller explanation of the meaning and scope of the seventh commandment.
  3. A third, fundamental principle is the fact that “no lie is of the truth.” 1 John 2:21. In other words, the truth can never contradict itself; it must always harmonize and agree with itself. Ellen White wrote, concerning this principle, “All truth, whether in nature or in revelation, is consistent with itself in all its manifestations.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 114. If a Bible student discovers what appears to be a contradiction in any Bible verse concerning what the Bible teaches about the law, that person simply does not yet understand the truth, because the truth will have no contradictions against itself.

Aside from these often ignored three points, biblical evidence confirms that there are two laws—one unchangeable and eternal and the other temporary, ceasing at the cross of Christ. For lack of space, we will list briefly the points and allow the reader to study each one in more detail.

  1. The moral law existed at creation. The Sabbath is specifically mentioned as coming into existence at the end of creation week. (Genesis 2:1–3.) Paul is very explicit that there can be no transgression without a law, that Adam did sin, and that sin is not reckoned or accounted where there is no law. Even though the law was not formally given until Sinai, it existed at creation. (Romans 4:15; 5:12, 13.) A careful study of Genesis and the first part of Exodus will show that the people of those days knew each one of the precepts of this law.

The ceremonial law did not exist at creation. It was “added because of transgression.” Galatians 3:19. Without the Ten Commandment Law, there could not be a transgression, and the ceremonial law was added after man had broken the moral law and become a sinner. (See also Romans 7:7.)

  1. The moral law is spoken of in the Bible as unchangeable. It was called God’s covenant and included only what God spoke to the people. (Deuteronomy 4:13; 5:22.) It is something that God will never alter or change. (Psalm 89:34.) Jesus said, concerning this law, that it would be easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for even part of a letter to fail. (Luke 16:17.) It would certainly appear to be absolutely impossible for Jesus to make a more emphatic pronouncement that this law is unchangeable! As long as this earth is in existence and as long as the heavens exist above, this law will be in existence, unchanged. (The Sabbath commandment is the longest commandment in the Decalogue—55 words—and not part of even one letter of one of those words can be changed.)

The ceremonial law is spoken of, in the Bible, not only as something that was changed by the coming of the Messiah (Hebrews 7:12) but also as a law that was no longer in effect since His coming. (See Colossians 2:14–17; Ephesians 2:15. Several lines in both of these references show that they are speaking about the ceremonial law.)

Bible Study Guides – The Impending Conflict, Part 11

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May 29, 2005 – June 4, 2005

Memory Verse

“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17.

Suggested Reading: Testimonies, vol. 5, 98–105, 711–718.

1 In the final conflict, how will Satan appear? What kind of work will he and his spirits do? 11 Corinthians 11:13, 14; 1 Timothy 4:1, 2; Mark 13:5, 22, 23.

note: “As spiritualism more closely imitates the nominal Christianity of the day, it has greater power to deceive and ensnare. Satan himself is converted, after the modern order of things. He will appear in the character of an angel of light. Through the agency of spiritualism, miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed, and many undeniable wonders will be performed. And as the spirits will profess faith in the Bible, and manifest respect for the institutions of the church, their work will be accepted as a manifestation of divine power.” The Great Controversy, 588.

2 List three groups that Satan brings under his deceptions. Revelation 16:13, 14.

note: “The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.” The Great Controversy, 588.

3 What objective does this coalition hope to achieve? Revelation 16:14, 16; 1 Thessalonians 5:3. See Old Testament type in Jeremiah 8:11; Ezekiel 13:10.

note: “Church members love what the world loves and are ready to join with them, and Satan determines to unite them in one body and thus strengthen his cause by sweeping all into the ranks of spiritualism. Papists, who boast of miracles as a certain sign of the true church, will be readily deceived by this wonder-working power; and Protestants, having cast away the shield of truth, will also be deluded. Papists, Protestants, and worldlings will alike accept the form of godliness without the power, and they will see in this union a grand movement for the conversion of the world and the ushering in of the long-expected millennium.” The Great Controversy, 588, 589.

exercise: See if you can match the four groups identified in the two references above with those described in Revelation 16:13, 14.

4 Who is the instigator of the many wars that are occurring around the world today? For the teaching of Jesus, see John 8:44. See also Revelation 12:9. For Old Testament type, see Isaiah 14:4–6, 12, 16, 17.

note: “Through spiritualism, Satan appears as a benefactor of the race, healing the diseases of the people, and professing to present a new and more exalted system of religious faith; but at the same time he works as a destroyer. His temptations are leading multitudes to ruin. . . . Satan delights in war, for it excites the worst passions of the soul and then sweeps into eternity its victims steeped in vice and blood. It is his object to incite the nations to war against one another, for he can thus divert the minds of the people from the work of preparation to stand in the day of God.” The Great Controversy, 589.

5 Who works through the elements to cause as much destruction as possible? For Old Testament example, see Job 1:9–19; 2:6, 7.

note: “Satan works through the elements also to garner his harvest of unprepared souls. He has studied the secrets of the laboratories of nature, and he uses all his power to control the elements as far as God allows. When he was suffered to afflict Job, how quickly flocks and herds, servants, houses, children, were swept away, one trouble succeeding another as in a moment. It is God that shields his creatures and hedges them in from the power of the destroyer. . . . Satan has control of all whom God does not especially guard. He will favor and prosper some in order to further his own designs, and he will bring trouble upon others and lead men to believe that it is God who is afflicting them.

“While appearing to the children of men as a great physician who can heal all their maladies, he will bring disease and disaster, until populous cities are reduced to ruin and desolation. Even now he is at work. In accidents and calamities by sea and by land, in great conflagrations, in fierce tornadoes and terrific hail-storms, in tempests, floods, cyclones, tidal waves, and earthquakes, in every place and in a thousand forms, Satan is exercising his power. He sweeps away the ripening harvest, and famine and distress follow. He imparts to the air a deadly taint, and thousands perish by the pestilence. These visitations are to become more and more frequent and disastrous. Destruction will be upon both man and beast. ‘The earth mourneth and fadeth away,’ ‘the haughty people . . . do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.’ Isaiah 24:4, 5.” The Great Controversy, 589, 590.

6 Who does the great deceiver persuade the people of the world to perceive as the cause of all the wars, disease, and natural disasters that are occurring in the world? For Old Testament type, see 1 Kings 18:17, 18.

note: “And then the great deceiver will persuade men that those who serve God are causing these evils. The class that have provoked the displeasure of Heaven will charge all their troubles upon those whose obedience to God’s commandments is a perpetual reproof to transgressors. It will be declared that men are offending God by the violation of the Sunday sabbath; that this sin has brought calamities which will not cease until Sunday observance shall be strictly enforced; and that those who present the claims of the fourth commandment, thus destroying reverence for Sunday, are troublers of the people, preventing their restoration to divine favor and temporal prosperity. Thus the accusation urged of old against the servant of God will be repeated and upon grounds equally well established: ‘And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim.’ 1 Kings 18:17, 18. As the wrath of the people shall be excited by false charges, they will pursue a course toward God’s ambassadors very similar to that which apostate Israel pursued toward Elijah. . . .

“Communications from the spirits will declare that God has sent them to convince the rejecters of Sunday of their error, affirming that the laws of the land should be obeyed as the law of God. They will lament the great wickedness in the world, and second the testimony of religious teachers that the degraded state of morals is caused by the desecration of Sunday. Great will be the indignation excited against all who refuse to accept their testimony.” The Great Controversy, 590, 591.

7 What has been Satan’s policy since the war in heaven began? Matthew 24:24.

note: “While claiming for himself perfect loyalty to God, he urged that changes in the order and laws of heaven were necessary for the stability of the divine government. Thus while working to excite opposition to the law of God and to instill his own discontent into the minds of the angels under him, he was ostensibly seeking to remove dissatisfaction and to reconcile disaffected angels to the order of heaven. While secretly fomenting discord and rebellion, he with consummate craft caused it to appear as his sole purpose to promote loyalty and to preserve harmony and peace.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 38.

“Satan’s policy in this final conflict with God’s people is the same that he employed in the opening of the great controversy in Heaven. He professed to be seeking to promote the stability of the divine government, while secretly bending every effort to secure its overthrow. And the very work which he was thus endeavoring to accomplish he charged upon the loyal angels.” The Great Controversy, 591.

8 How has the Roman church been carrying out this same policy all through its history? Daniel 7:20, 21, 25; 8:23–25; 11:36–39.

note: “The same policy of deception has marked the history of the Roman Church. It has professed to act as the vicegerent of Heaven, while seeking to exalt itself above God and to change His law. Under the rule of Rome, those who suffered death for their fidelity to the gospel were denounced as evil-doers; they were declared to be in league with Satan; and every possible means was employed to cover them with reproach, to cause them to appear in the eyes of the people and even to themselves as the vilest of criminals.” The Great Controversy, 591.

Comment: This work of the papacy was described by the prophet Daniel in Daniel 7:25.

9 In the final conflict, upon which we are now entering, how will Satan try to destroy God’s people? 1 Peter 2:12; 3:16; Revelation 12:10.

note: “So it will be now. While Satan seeks to destroy those who honor God’s law, he will cause them to be accused as law-breakers, as men who are dishonoring God and bringing judgments upon the world.” The Great Controversy, 591.

10 Describe the difference between the way the God of heaven works with people and the way Satan works. Exodus 34:6, 7; 1 John 4:16; John 14:15, 23; 7:37; Matthew 11:28–30; Revelation 13:15, 16.

note: “God never forces the will or the conscience; but Satan’s constant resort—to gain control of those whom he cannot otherwise seduce—is compulsion by cruelty. Through fear or force he endeavors to rule the conscience and to secure homage to himself. To accomplish this, he works through both religious and secular authorities, moving them to the enforcement of human laws in defiance of the law of God.” The Great Controversy, 591.

11 From the above reference and the one below, whom does it say that Satan works through to accomplish his objectives? For New Testament type, see John 19:1–16.

note: “The church has received warning after warning. The duties and dangers of God’s people have been plainly revealed. . . . No man can tell how far he may go in sin when once he yields himself to the power of the great deceiver. Satan entered into Judas Iscariot and induced him to betray his Lord. Satan led Ananias and Sapphira to lie to the Holy Ghost. Those who are not wholly consecrated to God may be led to do the work of Satan, while yet they flatter themselves that they are in the service of Christ.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 103.

12 How will the popular ministry respond to those who honor the Bible Sabbath in the controversy over the law of God? For Old Testament type, see Jeremiah 26:7–11.

note: “Those who honor the Bible Sabbath will be denounced as enemies of law and order, as breaking down the moral restraints of society, causing anarchy and corruption, and calling down the judgments of God upon the earth. Their conscientious scruples will be pronounced obstinacy, stubbornness, and contempt of authority. They will be accused of disaffection toward the government. Ministers who deny the obligation of the divine law will present from the pulpit the duty of yielding obedience to the civil authorities as ordained of God. In legislative halls and courts of justice, commandment keepers will be misrepresented and condemned. A false coloring will be given to their words; the worst construction will be put upon their motives.” The Great Controversy, 592.

13 How will the Protestant churches respond to those who honor the law of God in place of their Sunday laws? For New Testament type, see Acts 18:5–7, 12–16.

note: “As the Protestant churches reject the clear, Scriptural arguments in defense of God’s law, they will long to silence those whose faith they cannot overthrow by the Bible. Though they blind their own eyes to the fact, they are now adopting a course which will lead to the persecution of those who conscientiously refuse to do what the rest of the Christian world are doing, and acknowledge the claims of the papal Sabbath.” The Great Controversy, 592.

14 What course will the secular rulers and legislators follow in this controversy over the law of God? For New Testament type, see Acts 16:16–24.

note: “The dignitaries of church and State will unite to bribe, persuade, or compel all classes to honor the Sunday. The lack of divine authority will be supplied by oppressive enactments. Political corruption is destroying love of justice and regard for truth; and even in free America, rulers and legislators, in order to secure public favor, will yield to the popular demand for a law enforcing Sunday observance. Liberty of conscience, which has cost so great a sacrifice, will no longer be respected. In the soon-coming conflict we shall see exemplified the prophet’s words: ‘The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.’ Revelation 12:17.” The Great Controversy, 592.

Bible Study Guides – The Impending Conflict, Part 1

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May 22, 2005 – May 28, 2005

Memory Verse

“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one [point], he is guilty of all.” James 2:10.

Suggested Reading: Testimonies, vol. 9, 11–18.

Introduction

With this lesson, we will start a series of studies on the closing events of this earth’s history that begin with the latter rain. The main references for these studies are the book of Revelation in the Bible and the last seven chapters of The Great Controversy. We are now entering upon the final struggle in the great controversy between Christ and Satan over the Law of God. The object of these studies is to understand, as much as is possible, the issues involved and the order of events that are remaining to take place along the path that leads to the Holy City. The first lesson begins with The Great Controversy, 582, “The Impending Conflict.”

1 Where did the controversy between Christ and Satan begin? What has been the purpose of Satan since the beginning of the controversy? Revelation 12:3, 7–9; Isaiah 14:12.

note: “From the very beginning of the great controversy in heaven it has been Satan’s purpose to overthrow the law of God. It was to accomplish this that he entered upon his rebellion against the Creator, and though he was cast out of heaven he has continued the same warfare upon the earth. To deceive men, and thus lead them to transgress God’s law, is the object which he has steadfastly pursued. Whether this be accomplished by casting aside the law altogether, or by rejecting one of its precepts, the result will be ultimately the same.” The Great Controversy, 582.

2 Upon what great conflict is the world now entering? Revelation 13:11–18.

note: “In seeking to cast contempt upon the divine statutes, Satan has perverted the doctrines of the Bible, and errors have thus become incorporated into the faith of thousands who profess to believe the Scriptures. The last great conflict between truth and error is but the final struggle of the long-standing controversy concerning the law of God. Upon this battle we are now entering—a battle between the laws of men and the precepts of Jehovah, between the religion of the Bible and the religion of fable and tradition.” The Great Controversy, 582.

3 What important doctrines of the Bible are being denied by multitudes, both in the world and in the church? Genesis 1:1–2:3; 3:1–19; Hebrews 2:17, 18; 9:11; Matthew 5:18.

note: “The Bible is within the reach of all, but there are few who really accept it as the guide of life. Infidelity prevails to an alarming extent, not in the world merely, but in the church. Many have come to deny doctrines which are the very pillars of the Christian faith. The great facts of creation as presented by the inspired writers, the fall of man, the atonement, and the perpetuity of the law of God, are practically rejected, either wholly or in part, by a large share of the professedly Christian world. Thousands who pride themselves upon their wisdom and independence regard it as an evidence of weakness to place implicit confidence in the Bible; they think it a proof of superior talent and learning to cavil at the Scriptures and to spiritualize and explain away their most important truths.” The Great Controversy, 583.

4 When people turn away from the truth and trample on the Law of God, whom are they rejecting? Hebrews 6:4–6. For Old Testament type, see Deuteronomy 31:20, last part; 1 Kings 19:10, 14; Ezekiel 20:13.

note: “In rejecting the truth, men reject its Author. In trampling upon the law of God, they deny the authority of the Law-giver. It is as easy to make an idol of false doctrines and theories as to fashion an idol of wood or stone. By misrepresenting the attributes of God, Satan leads men to conceive of Him in a false character. With many, a philosophical idol is enthroned in the place of Jehovah; while the living God, as He is revealed in His word, in Christ, and in the works of creation, is worshiped by but few. Thousands deify nature while they deny the God of nature.” The Great Controversy, 583.

5 What error strikes most boldly against the law of God? Hebrews 10:28–31.

note: “No error accepted by the Christian world strikes more boldly against the authority of Heaven, none is more directly opposed to the dictates of reason, none is more pernicious in its results, than the modern doctrine, so rapidly gaining ground, that God’s law is no longer binding upon men. Every nation has its laws, which command respect and obedience; no government could exist without them; and can it be conceived that the Creator of the heavens and the earth has no law to govern the beings He has made? Suppose that prominent ministers were publicly to teach that the statutes which govern their land and protect the rights of its citizens were not obligatory—that they restricted the liberties of the people, and therefore ought not to be obeyed; how long would such men be tolerated in the pulpit? But is it a graver offense to disregard the laws of states and nations than to trample upon those divine precepts which are the foundation of all government?” The Great Controversy, 584.

6 When the divine precepts are rejected, what spirit is implanted in the heart? For Old and New Testament types, see Genesis 4:3–7; Numbers 16:1–3; 11 Kings 2:23; John 6:60, 61, 64.

note: “Wherever the divine precepts are rejected, sin ceases to appear sinful or righteousness desirable. Those who refuse to submit to the government of God are wholly unfitted to govern themselves. Through their pernicious teachings the spirit of insubordination is implanted in the hearts of children and youth, who are naturally impatient of control; and a lawless, licentious state of society results.” The Great Controversy, 584.

7 If divine law would be cast aside, what would soon happen with human laws? For the ultimate biblical example, see John 7:19.

note: “Those who teach the people to regard lightly the commandments of God sow disobedience to reap disobedience. Let the restraint imposed by the divine law be wholly cast aside, and human laws would soon be disregarded. Because God forbids dishonest practices, coveting, lying, and defrauding, men are ready to trample upon His statutes as a hindrance to their worldly prosperity; but the results of banishing these precepts would be such as they do not anticipate.” The Great Controversy, 585.

8 What other things in society would also collapse as a result of rejecting the divine law? For an Old Testament example, see Judges 18.

note: “If the law were not binding, why should any fear to transgress? Property would no longer be safe. Men would obtain their neighbor’s possessions by violence, and the strongest would become richest. Life itself would not be respected. The marriage vow would no longer stand as a sacred bulwark to protect the family. He who had the power, would, if he desired, take his neighbor’s wife by violence. The fifth commandment would be set aside with the fourth. Children would not shrink from taking the life of their parents if by so doing they could obtain the desire of their corrupt hearts. The civilized world would become a horde of robbers and assassins; and peace, rest, and happiness would be banished from the earth.” The Great Controversy, 585.

9 What false teaching has opened the floodgates of iniquity upon the world? For Old Testament example, see Isaiah 42:20, 21, 24.

note: “Already the doctrine that men are released from obedience to God’s requirements has weakened the force of moral obligation and opened the floodgates of iniquity upon the world. Lawlessness, dissipation, and corruption are sweeping in upon us like an overwhelming tide. In the family, Satan is at work. His banner waves, even in professedly Christian households. There is envy, evil surmising, hypocrisy, estrangement, emulation, strife, betrayal of sacred trusts, indulgence of lust. The whole system of religious principles and doctrines, which should form the foundation and framework of social life, seems to be a tottering mass, ready to fall to ruin.” The Great Controversy, 585.

10 As in former ages, who does Satan work through to further his designs? For New Testament type, see 11 Peter 2:1–3; 1 Timothy 4:1.

note: “The iniquity and spiritual darkness that prevailed under the supremacy of Rome were the inevitable result of her suppression of the Scriptures; but where is to be found the cause of the widespread infidelity, the rejection of the law of God, and the consequent corruption, under the full blaze of gospel light in an age of religious freedom? Now that Satan can no longer keep the world under his control by withholding the Scriptures, he resorts to other means to accomplish the same object. To destroy faith in the Bible serves his purpose as well as to destroy the Bible itself. By introducing the belief that God’s law is not binding, he as effectually leads men to transgress as if they were wholly ignorant of its precepts. And now, as in former ages, he has worked through the church to further his designs. The religious organizations of the day have refused to listen to unpopular truths plainly brought to view in the Scriptures, and in combating them they have adopted interpretations and taken positions which have sown broadcast the seeds of skepticism.” The Great Controversy, 586.

11 What two papal errors have removed the defense against the delusions of spiritualism? See Genesis 3:4 for the origination of these errors. For Old Testament example, see 1 Samuel 28:3, 8–11.

note: “Clinging to the papal error of natural immortality and man’s consciousness in death, they have rejected the only defense against the delusions of spiritualism. The doctrine of eternal torment has led many to disbelieve the Bible. And as the claims of the fourth commandment are urged upon the people, it is found that the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath is enjoined; and as the only way to free themselves from a duty which they are unwilling to perform, many popular teachers declare that the law of God is no longer binding. Thus they cast away the law and the Sabbath together. As the work of Sabbath reform extends, this rejection of the divine law to avoid the claims of the fourth commandment will become well-nigh universal. The teachings of religious leaders have opened the door to infidelity, to spiritualism, and to contempt for God’s holy law.” The Great Controversy, 586, 587.

12 To what do the religious leaders who reject the binding claims of God’s Law attribute the cause of the fast spreading corruption? For biblical types, see John 11:47–50; Acts 2:27–32; Jeremiah 20:9–13.

note: “Yet this very class put forth the claim that the fast-spreading corruption is largely attributable to the desecration of the so-called ‘Christian sabbath,’ and that the enforcement of Sunday observance would greatly improve the morals of society. This claim is especially urged in America, where the doctrine of the true Sabbath has been most widely preached. Here the temperance work, one of the most prominent and important of moral reforms, is often combined with the Sunday movement, and the advocates of the latter represent themselves as laboring to promote the highest interest of society; and those who refuse to unite with them are denounced as the enemies of temperance and reform.” The Great Controversy, 587.

13 What is one of Satan’s most successful methods of deceiving people? For biblical examples, see Genesis 3:1–4; Matthew 4:5, 6. See also Luke 4:9–11.

note: “But the fact that a movement to establish error is connected with a work which is in itself good, is not an argument in favor of the error. We may disguise poison by mingling it with wholesome food, but we do not change its nature. On the contrary, it is rendered more dangerous, as it is more likely to be taken unawares. It is one of Satan’s devices to combine with falsehood just enough truth to give it plausibility. The leaders of the Sunday movement may advocate reforms which the people need, principles which are in harmony with the Bible; yet while there is with these a requirement which is contrary to God’s law, His servants cannot unite with them. Nothing can justify them in setting aside the commandments of God for the precepts of men.” The Great Controversy, 587, 588.

14 What three powers compose the union that tramples on the rights of conscience? Revelation 16:13, 14.

note: “Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul and Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions. While the former lays the foundation of spiritualism, the latter creates a bond of sympathy with Rome. The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.” The Great Controversy, 588.

[All emphasis supplied.]

A Better Place

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Why have our cities become so dangerous? Is it because of foreign terrorism, or does the fault lie a little closer to home? Why has the moral standard seen such a rapid decline? It was not so long ago when children could safely go to play on the playgrounds and women could walk city streets at night with little personal risk.

An elderly woman once reminisced on a friendlier time while growing up on the family ranch in Oklahoma. Doors were seldom locked. Indeed, people would leave their homes unlocked while traveling so others who may be passing through the area could make themselves at home. A note of thanks would be left, along with some money to pay for food and any other incurred expenses.

This describes the world in which we used to live. Unfortunately, a cloud of turmoil has passed over this lovely scene. We have beautified our buildings and our streets, upgraded our transportation and communication systems, and skyrocketed in the world of technology, yet we have regressed terribly in ethics. Because of this, people have become the most dangerous threats in our world.

In a civilized country, when driving on the road, each person depends on the other drivers to abide by laws of traffic. Disobedience to these rules endangers the lives of others on the road. A yellow traffic light warns a moving vehicle that it will have to stop, but what if there were no brakes? What if there were no yellow lights—nothing to indicate that it is time to stop?

This is the condition of today’s society. God gave humanity laws by which to abide and “yellow lights” of warning to assist us in walking in His path. God did not provide any disclaimers to the law, yet people have felt at liberty to add some themselves, teaching that it is okay not to keep the Ten Commandments under certain conditions. People who add ifs, ands, or buts to the law leave the law open to the interpretation of each person’s faulty conscience and perception of right and wrong. Thus the result is all around us in crime and chaos and fear.

What is the cause of the depravation that we hear so much of on the news and see all around us? The answer is plain and simple—ignoring God’s law of love. This disregard of divine guidance is not just found in the lives of individuals, but also in churches and schools. People discount the Ten Commandments and add their own disclaimers—a practice which is known as “situation ethics.” The effect on our society is that there is no more right or wrong. Since nothing is defined as absolutely wrong, or absolutely right, young people growing up today do not have a clear idea at all about standards.

When young people in high schools and colleges have been quizzed about subjects such as cheating, e.g. cheating on your taxes, or cheating at school, they define it as being right or wrong, depending on what kind of a situation you find yourself in because there are no absolute rules, and in short, you become your own god. In this sort of society, moral comforts are lost, there is no sense of moral direction, and there is nothing anymore that is absolute.

The Bible uses very strong language to describe people who try to figure out what is right and wrong on the basis of their own conscience: “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool.” Proverbs 28:26. And yet society has turned over the decision of right and wrong to the sinful individual rather than trusting in the moral outline provided by a perfect God. God defined morality; something He would not have had to do were we able to do so on our own accord. Not once did He ever give human beings the right or the authority to decide what is right or wrong.

History demonstrates the result of people, churches, or a government deciding what is right or wrong. Some of the most awful crimes ever recorded are the result of human beings taking this authority.

Repeatedly, when church and state unite, the rights of the minority are trampled upon. In the early days of the United States of America, the citizens of this country were well acquainted with this because many people had fled to the United States of America to escape the religious persecution in Europe and other countries.

God Governs His Territory

The only dependable moral standard of right and wrong is found in God’s word. The word of God contains a simple and complete standard for determining ethics. This is what the Bible says about the commandments of God:

“The works of his hands [are] verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever, and [are] done in truth and uprightness.” Psalm 111:7, 8.

Notice in these two verses, that God’s commandments have the following characteristics:

They are sure. In other words, they are certain and solid. There is no guess work. It says that they are eternal. They will last forever—a million years from now the law of God will still be in force.

They are true. There is no deceit or falsehood.

They are right.

They have stood the test of time, having been given thousands of years ago. The effects of both obedience and disobedience to the commandments have been demonstrated repeatedly over the course of earth’s history.

“Righteousness exalts a nation: but sin [is] a reproach to any people.” Proverbs 14:34.

The United States is one of the leading nations today, not because of natural resources but because people came here to find happiness and freedom to worship God according to the dictates of their conscience. This country, more than any other country on the earth, has the largest percentage of the population attempting to keep the law of God.

God’s Law Has No Flaws

God’s law is not of human composition. It was first given by God to His people. If they would obey, it would be a safeguard, a protection against all kinds of crime. “The law of the Lord [is] perfect.” Psalm 19:7. If something is perfect, can you improve on it?

God’s law is one law but it contains ten sections. It was written on two tables of stone by the finger of God and given to Moses. Remember, it was one law, it had ten sections, and it was written on two tables of stone.

Men make laws too and it is essential to have laws. Anyone who has been in a foreign, developing country that does not have enforced traffic laws and has gotten into a traffic jam where nobody keeps any kind of traffic laws will know what a terrible thing it is to not have law and order. However, it has been estimated that there have been 35 million laws to control human behavior. The Almighty has given us just ten, and these ten precepts in His law cover everything having to do with morality.

The Principles of God’s Law are Eternal

Nothing can be done morally wrong without breaking one of the Ten Commandments. God wrote them on two tables of stone with His own finger—they are immutable. “This covenant that I gave, I am not going to change it. And what’s gone out of my lips I won’t alter.” Psalm 89:34. His law is of imperishable obligation. It will be in effect as long as God exists, not only in this world, but throughout the universe for eternity. There will never be a time when this law is not in force.

God Writes His Law Himself

When God gave this law, He did not entrust it to be written down by a human being, even Moses. Moses did write the Pentateuch, and we have prophets who wrote the rest of the Old Testament, and apostles who wrote the New Testament, but God’s law is so holy and eternal, it was not entrusted to any human being to write it down. It was written with His own finger on tables of stone.

God has a government, and there is a territory over which He rules. The children of Israel were told: “All the world [is] mine.” Exodus 19:5. No government can exist without law. God has a government also, and His law is the basis of His heavenly government.

A War Broke Out in Heaven

There came a time though when an intelligent being decided that he did not need to be governed by God’s law and rebellion broke out in heaven. It was Satan’s claim that the angels did not need restriction—that they were wise enough to decide by their own intelligence, what was right and wrong. In Isaiah 14:12–14, it says that this rebellious angel wanted to be like God. This was the same as asking God to change the first commandment which says, “You shall not have any other gods beside me.” Exodus 20:3.

This angel was a leading angel and the highest of all the created beings. When he rebelled he attempted to deceive all the angels into rebelling with him. He succeeded in persuading one third of the angels to fight against the law of God. “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, But they did not prevail; nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil, and Satan, who deceives the whole world: he was cast to the earth and his angels were cast out with him.” Revelation 12:7–9.

Rebellion Not Tolerated

This passage of Scripture gives us, in panoramic view, the history of the great controversy between Christ and His angels, and Satan and his angels. The dragon is Satan. God could not tolerate rebellion in heaven—it would threaten the happiness and peace of every being, thus they were cast out.

God is not going to tolerate rebellion in this earth anymore than He tolerated a rebellion against His government in heaven. The rebellion on this earth is temporary and is going to be brought to an end. If we rebel against the authority of the law of God, we rebel against the government of God. It is the same as if one was to rebel against the laws of the United States, they would be rebelling against the government.

When the devil was cast into this world, not only was he successful in the destruction of one third of heaven’s angels, he also succeeded in deceiving the human race and beginning a rebellion on the earth. When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, God visited them in the Garden of Eden saying that because they had eaten of the forbidden fruit, they would die and return to dust.

Satan Claims His Own Territory

Adam and Eve had to leave their beautiful home, but before they left the Garden of Eden, God gave them the single most wonderful promise in the Bible. He promised them that a descendant of Eve would destroy the serpent that had deceived her. (Genesis 3:15.)

Although this was foremost in their minds, Adam and Eve had a divided family. Their two sons, Cain and Abel were very different in character. Abel worshipped God in the way that God had told them, through the sacrifice of a perfect lamb. The lamb represented the coming Lamb of God, the Son of God who would come and offer His life for the sins of the world. It was necessary for mankind to keep in focus the coming Redeemer who would give His life to save them from their sins. The way to keep this in mind was by offering animal sacrifices. At that time they had no idea it would take another four thousand years for that promise to be realized.

Cain worshipped the Lord too, but he did so in a way that a lot of people worship the Lord today, according to his own rules and beliefs of what was right. He did not bring a lamb, but a bloodless offering. The Bible says in Hebrews 9:22, “That without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin.” God did not have respect for Cain and his offering. The elder brother became so irate over the favor shown to Abel for his obedience that Cain killed him.

God’s Law Eternal

There are some people who are very confused and say that the law did not exist until Mt. Sinai. However, it says in Romans 4:15, “Where there is no law, [there is] no transgression.” If there had been no law, there could be no transgression for Adam and Eve or Cain. I John 3:4 says, “Sin is the transgression of the law.”

Adam and Eve broke the first, the fifth, and the tenth commandment in the Garden of Eden. In addition to that, Cain broke the sixth commandment. Had there been no law to break, there would have been no sin. It is clear here that the law existed from the time of creation. It was formally given to the children of Israel from Mt. Sinai when they had forgotten it. However, it has existed for eternity. The angels followed God’s commandments out of love and devotion until one angel questioned them and rebelled. Had there been no law, Satan would have nothing to rebel against.

A careful study of the book of Genesis will find every one of the principles of the Ten Commandments before it was written in stone.

In the Bible, Abraham is called the father of the faithful. The reason is given in Genesis 26:5:

“Because Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” He is a prototype of all sinners who find salvation. If you are accounted as a descendant of Abraham, then according to the New Testament, you will be an heir of the world.

God’s law has always been the standard of right and wrong. Adam and Eve broke the first, the fifth and the tenth commandment in Eden. Cain broke the sixth. Joseph refused to break the seventh commandment. Joseph also knew about the eighth and ninth commandment as shown when you read in Genesis 44 about the cup he had placed in his brother Benjamin’s sack in Egypt. Adam and Eve also knew about the fourth commandment according to Genesis 2:1–3. Jacob knew about the second commandment. All of these people knew and understood all of the Ten Commandments. Joseph knew that it was wrong to commit adultery and because he refused the advances of Potipher’s wife, he was put into prison for many years. Jacob knew that it was wrong to worship idols (Genesis 35:2), referring to the second commandment.

God’s servants know His law and abide by it. They know that His law, His word, is the same yesterday, today and forever. Yet people today argue against this, saying that we are not living in Old Testament times now but in New Testament times. However, in response, Jesus says, “Do not think that I came to destroy the law, or the prophets: I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For assuredly I say to you that till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle (a jot is the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet, and a tittle is just part of a letter) will by no means pass from the law, till all is fulfilled.” Matthew 5:17, 18.

Actually, Jesus stated it even stronger in Luke 16:17: “It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear, than for the least stroke of the pen to drop out of the law.”

Think about that and remember Who is talking. The One who the Bible says created everything in the universe, and Who upholds everything by the word of His power. He has the authority to make it pass away. He could decide to destroy the whole universe and there is nothing anybody could do to stop it. And He said that it would be easier for the whole universe to pass away than for a part of a letter of the Law to fail. This leaves no doubt in the immutability of His commandments.

Jesus Fulfilled the Law

Did you ever wonder why Jesus had to die on the cross? He said to His Father in the garden of Gethsemane, “All things are possible with you, so if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39.)

God the Father said, “No. You have to go to the cross.” In I Corinthians 15:3 we are told that Christ died for our sins. If He had not gone to the cross of Calvary, there would be no hope for you and me and we would face eternal death.

Some may argue that the law was abolished at the cross using Paul’s words in Ephesians 2:15 as support for their claim: “Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, that is the law of commandments contained in ordinances; so as to create in himself one new man from the two, thus making peace.”

Here it talks about “the commandments contained in ordinances.” What commandments were those? At the cross, the ceremonial system of sacrifices came to an end. There is no more need for ceremonial sacrifices or the Levitical priesthood since there is no more earthly sanctuary. God’s sanctuary today is in heaven, not on earth.

But did the moral law come to an end at that time also? Absolutely not! The handwritten ordinances came to an end but the moral law remained intact in its entirety. Jesus said, “Go and sin no more.” John 8:11. [If the moral law had been abolished, there would be no definition of sin.]

“Go and sin no more”

If Jesus says, “Go and sin no more,” that means, go and abide by the law.

Some say that they cannot do that. We live in a pessimistic age, but the Bible says. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” II Corinthians 12:9.

Everyone who is struggling with sin in their life, can say, “Lord, I want to go and sin no more, but I am helpless.” And in response, the Lord says, “I have enough grace for you. The weaker you are, the more grace you are going to receive.” (II Corinthians 12:9.)

The devil is still in opposition to God’s law though. He is trying with all his might to lead every descendant of Adam and Eve to eternal destruction. A powerful method by which to do this is through discounting the same law that he rebelled against in heaven. Rebellion against God’s commandments does not happen just by deliberate action against them, but also in taking the unwarranted authority to change any single precept of His divine commands.

Jesus always leads people to obedience. He never ever told anybody to go and sin another day. He never said to go and try to work on it and see if you can slowly quit. Jesus said, “Go, and don’t sin any more.” The Lord can give strength to live a new life. You don’t have to wait and go through some program for months or years. Jesus said to the woman, “Go, and don’t sin any more.” That experience was the beginning of her new life of purity.

Jesus offers new life today. He says go and sin no m ore and He has enough grace to give you the power so that you will not have to sin anymore. He says, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15. According to Jesus, keeping the commandments is a test of love and faith to Him. “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love; just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” John 15:10.

A question was sent to Billy Graham asking which of the Ten Commandments still apply to us today. The answer: “The Ten Commandments are never out of date. They express the unchanging will of God for our lives, regardless of changes in human society. If you look at them closely, you will see that the first few commandments deal with our relationship with God. [That’s the first four.] The other commandments deal with our relationship with other people and with things. Our lives would be much happier if we followed God’s commandments.” The Ten Commandments are never out of date; they are eternal. The law of God and the love of God are not two separate things. This is love for God—to obey His commandments.

The Commandments Are About Relationships

Many people today do not understand the relationship between the law and love that the Bible teaches.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:37, 38.

Everything in the Bible, everything in the law and the prophets hang on those two principles. You see, love always leads to obedience—never leads to disobedience. We cannot be saved if we persist in disobeying God’s law and live lawless and rebellious lives. If we refuse to keep God’s law, we are placing ourselves on the devil’s side of the great controversy.

This is not to be mistaken for the law being the basis of our salvation. If you could earn salvation by keeping the law, then Jesus would not have needed to come and die on the cross. “For by grace are you saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8, 9. These are the merits that give you the gift of eternal life. Salvation is by grace alone and grace always leads to obedience, never to disobedience.

Consider what the apostle Paul says: “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? Certainly not.” Romans 6:15.

There are many who read this verse and do not get the main point. Notice what it says: “You are not under the law but under grace.” Then it says, “What then, shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace?” Who would take the gift of grace without showing due gratitude through the obedience of the law also? For if it were not for the transgression of the law, there would be no need for grace and the price that grace cost heaven.

To be under the law means to be under the law as a system of salvation. Since I have broken God’s law, this means death. How can I escape that?

“Now, we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God, therefore by the deeds of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Romans 3:19, 20.

This verse says that the whole world was under the law, and we are all guilty before God. The law condemns and “the wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23.

The only way to pay the price for your sins is to die. The death of Jesus upon the cross, however, can forgive you of your past sins, but it does not give you the license to sin in the future. That is not the purpose of the death on the cross.

Forsaking the law of God is the root cause of the loss of law and order in the world today. Jesus died in the sinner’s place on the cross of Calvary so that by His blood our sins can be forgiven and we have the opportunity to live in Paradise. To be under grace means to accept God’s grace as a means of salvation. By faith I accept Christ’s death in the place of my sins.

Being under grace, does not do away with the law, meaning that I do not have to keep it. Notice what Paul says: “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not, on the contrary, we establish the law.” Romans 3:31.

If the law could have been changed, Jesus would not have had to die on the cross. If the law could have just been suspended for a few minutes, or a few hours, in the Garden of Eden, then Jesus would not have had to die on the cross. But the law is of eternal, imperishable obligation. That is why Jesus had to die on the cross. The law is so sacred and holy, that even the penalty for breaking the law cannot be remitted. The penalty had to be paid and Jesus paid that penalty so the human race would not have to.

“But the person who says, I know God, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him.” I John 2:4.

On the Isle of Patmos, John the beloved disciple was given visions that are written down in the book of Revelation. He was shown things that would happen from that time until the end of the world. Concerning the time of the end he writes:

“And the dragon, (the devil) was enraged with the woman (the church, a harlot woman is symbol of a corrupt church, and a pure woman is symbol of a true and faithful church.) The dragon was enraged with the woman,” (a pure woman, Revelation 12, first part; in other words, the devil was enraged with the church) and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring. He went to make war with the last people on the face of the earth who were following God.

Who would these people be? The last of the woman’s offspring would be the Christians who would be alive at the close of the age, when Jesus comes back to this world and takes His people to be with Him. This last generation of Christians will be those “who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17. They will not be part of the lawless element in society. They will not be a part of the terrorists and the violence in society. They will be people who will be keeping God’s commandments, and people who have the testimony of Jesus.

Again in Revelation 14:12, John says, “Here is the patience of the saints. Here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”

Our purpose on earth is to get ready for Jesus’ second coming. For what good is our life if we cannot go home with our Creator in the end? Acceptance of God’s grace in our lives is the starting point from which we prepare ourselves for His arrival. We must be a part of the people who keep God’s commandments and have the faith of Jesus. Jesus died to pay the price of our sins. If we love Him, our love for Him will compel us to obey Him. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”

Pastor John Grosboll is director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.