UNDERSTANDING TRUE BIBLE FELLOWSHIP and FAITH, part 7 quotes 1) Understanding True Bible Faith 5th Pillar the Law of God, Including the Sabbath of the Fourth Commandment On October 22, 1844, our heavenly High Priest Jesus Christ went from the first apartment of the heavenly Sanctuary and into the Second Apartment to begin the process of making an atonement and cleansing the heavenly Sanctuary as well as His followers from all their sin, including from Abel all the way down to the present. And [on October 22, 1844] the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament. Revelation 11:19. As these few remaining Advent believers realized that God was depicted as dwelling above the Mercy Seat of the Ark, and that directly beneath the Mercy Seat were the 10 Commandments which He had written with His own divine finger upon two stone tablets, and that Christ was applying His spilt blood to atone for sin, then they understood that when these commandments are broken and are repented of, Christ immediately applies His blood so that these commandment breakers can obtain mercy instead of suffering the justified punishment of God! Since this process of forgiveness and atonement was occurring after October 22, 1844, and thus some 1800 years after Christ had died on the cross, then this meant that these 10 commandments of God s law were still being broken!
2) Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 1 John 3:4....for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20....I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. Romans 7:7....for where no law is, there is no transgression. Romans 4:15. As God s law points out sin, and if there were no law, then there would be no sin being committed, but sin is definitely still being committed in this New Covenant period, then these 10 commandments of God s law could not have been done away with when Christ died on the cross. Since there was still sin being committed, and thus God s law was still being broken, then God s law was still valid and binding today! 3) If God s law was still valid and binding today, then what law were all those verses in the Bible talking about when they declared that the law has been nailed to the cross and taken out of the way? This delimna is solved by more closely examining the Ark of the Covenant. And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 31:24-26. This showed that there was a law which had been written down by the hand of Moses in a book and then placed in a side compartment of the Ark of the Covenant. Moses began talking about this particular law way back in Deuteronomy chapter 12, and then continued talking about it all the way through to chapter 31! These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth. Deuteronomy 12:1. And Moses with the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, Keep all the commandments which I command you this day. Deuteronomy 27:1. These are the words of the covenant, which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb. Deuteronomy 29:1.
And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel. And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it. Deuteronomy 31:9-13. This law that Moses wrote down in a book were the commandments, statues and judgements which God commanded Moses to make in the land of Moab, in addition to what was already made at Mount Horeb in Sinai. This meant that these laws dealt with the ceremonial, sacrificial, feast days, and personal ordinances that were part of, and connected with, the Old Covenant between God and the Israelites. All these laws and ordinances were then placed in the side of the Ark of the Covenant, and were not placed in the center of the Ark along with the 10 commandments. 4) There were 2 different laws connected with the Ark of the Covenant one directly underneath the Mercy Seat, and the other in a side compartment. Which of these 2 laws were done away with? It could not have been the 10 commandment law, because that will always be in existence to point out sin. This means that it was the ceremonial laws and ordinances directly connected with the Old Covenant between God and the Israelites that were done away with, because these were only in effect until Christ died on the cross and then they were replaced with a New Covenant between God and His people. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands [no longer under the Old Covenant laws and ordinances], in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it [by establishing the New Covenant]. Colossians 2:6-15.
5) Examining the Differences Between These 2 Very Different Laws The ceremonial law is termed "the law of a carnal commandment" (Hebrews 7:16); while the moral Law, it is affirmed, "We know that the law is spiritual." Romans 7:14. The ceremonial is a law of which "there was made of necessity a change" Hebrews 7:12; while the moral is that Law of which Christ says, "Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled" Matthew 5:18. The ceremonial law was a "shadow of good things to come" (Hebrews 10:1), and was only imposed "until the time of reformation" Hebrews 9:10. But the 10 commandments were a moral code, of which it is said by John, "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John 3:4. The ceremonial law was a yoke not able to be borne (see Acts 15:10); while God's law is that "law of liberty" by which we shall be judged (see James 2:8-12). The ceremonial is that law which Christ "abolished in His flesh" (see Ephesians 2:15); while the moral is that Law which He did not come to destroy (see Matthew 5:17). The ceremonial is termed "the handwriting of ordinances" "which was contrary to us," which was nailed to the cross and taken out of the way (see Colossians 2:14); while the moral is that Law which Christ came to magnify and make honorable (see Isaiah 42:21). The ceremonial was a temporary law which was disannulled "for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof" (see Hebrews 7:18); while the moral is an eternal unchanging Law which cannot be made void: "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law" Romans 3:31. The ceremonial is that law which was the middle wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles (see Ephesians 2:14); while the moral is that Law, the work of which even the Gentiles are said to have written in their hearts (see Romans 2:14-15). The ceremonial is the law of commandments contained in ordinances (see Ephesians 2:15); while the moral Law is the commandments of God, which it is the duty of all mankind to keep (see Ecclesiastes 12:13). This great moral Law of 10 commandments is the Law which the remnant of the seed of the woman were depicted as keeping when the dragon made war upon them (see Revelation 12:17). This moral Law will insure, to all those who keep them, the right to enter into heaven and to eat of the tree of life (see Revelation 22:14). Thus the ceremonial law is the one which Christ took out of the way at His death (see Colossians 2:14); while the moral Law remains unchanged, because it is "the royal law" which will forever be a sin to transgress (see James 2:8-12).
6) The Ten Commandments are a perfect code of law. God spoke all 10 commandments with His own voice; and it is said, "he added no more" (see Deuteronomy 5:22), thus showing that He had given a complete Law. God wrote only these 10 commandments on two tables of stone with His own finger, another proof that this was a complete moral code (see Deuteronomy 9:9-11). God caused all 10 commandments alone to be placed under the Mercy Seat in the Second Apartment of the Sanctuary (see Exodus 30:6; Hebrews 9:4-5), an evident proof that this was the Law that made an atonement necessary because it had been broken. And God expressly calls what He wrote on these two tables of stone, to be a Law and commandments (see Exodus 24:12). 7) The ten commandments can actually be divided into two main areas. The first 4 commandments deal with our relationship with God. The last 6 deal with our relationship with other human beings. The first 4 commandments are dealing with our commitment to God: showing who He was and His supremacy in our lives, how to worship Him, how to communicate with and about Him, and how to spend our time with Him. The last 6 commandments are dealing with governing our interactions with others: showing that we are to respect and uphold authority, life, moral purity, possessions and property of others, truth, and contentment. There is one common principle seen to be running through each one of these commandments and binding all ten together into a perfect whole. That principle is love: the first 4 commandments dealt with love to God, and the last 6 dealt with love to our fellow human beings. There is also one common area which all ten commandments were specifically directed against. That area is selfishness: doing our own will either against God or against other human beings. God's law led its followers to deny self by loving God supremely above all else, and then to deny self by loving their fellow human beings as thyself (Leviticus 19:34). If followed, the ten commandments would produce perfect peace, rest, happiness, contentment and prosperity; while eliminating envy, unrest, disorder, rebellion and chaos. God s law upheld righteousness and moral purity in the daily life of His people, and restricted and downplayed the wicked desires of their fallen, sinful nature throughout their daily life. 8) When God's law is closely examined, each commandment is seen not to be isolated from the others, but instead is very closely connected together. All 10 commandments are found to interweave and blend together so fully that they actually form a complete whole. Even though God s law was made up of 10 distinct commandments, yet they all blended into each other thereby making up just one body of law. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. James 2:10-11.