Page 606 - Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible Christianity. Based on the King James Bible

SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISM

Commandments is the standard by which the man has everything in Christ. The believer is forever
characters and the lives of men will be tested in the freed from any condemnation of the law, since he has
judgment. It is important, therefore, that we obey it. In been made perfect in Christ, identified positionally with
order to be prepared for the judgment, it is necessary Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection. The believer
that men be obedient to God’s holy law” (Shuler, The has been forever removed from the realm of sin and
Great Judgment Day, p. 114). death because God has put away his sin and declared
“So in the great day of final atonement and him righteous. The law is not the believer’s rule of life.
investigative judgment the only cases considered are The believer has a higher calling and higher law—to put
those of the professed people of God. ... The law of
God is the standard by which the characters and the on Christ Jesus and to follow the Spirit of God. This is
lives of men will be tested in the judgment. ... Those the law of the Spirit. The New Testament does not point
who in the judgment are ‘accounted worthy’ will have back to the law as the believer’s way of life—although
a part in the resurrection of the just” (Ellen White, The the basic underlying moral principles of the law are
Great Controversy, pp. 423-425). eternal. The law, including the Ten Commandments
3. The Law of Moses is the believer’s rule of life. “written and graven in stone,” was a “ministration of
“Instead of being free to ignore and break the law death” that has been abolished in Christ.
because he is saved by grace, he is now doubly 1. The Law of Moses has one chief work, to lead men
obligated to keep it. ... In other words, the one who to Jesus Christ. A man is justified by faith ALONE
forsakes, or gives up, sinning, or breaking God’s law, to through grace ALONE, entirely and forever apart from
him will be given mercy, or grace. ... And if we make the law. Because of man’s fallen condition, the law can
the effort to walk in the commandments of God, Christ only condemn him. The law is indeed holy and good,
will supply us with the power needed. ... In other but it can do nothing for sinful man except to reveal his
words, if you fully surrender to Christ, He not only
pardons your past transgression of the law, but comes wicked condition and to lead him to Christ. The law
into your life as you go forward with Him. ... It is very requires perfect obedience in all points, and to break
evident, then, that in the new covenant we do not see even one point results in God’s curse (Ga. 3:10; Ja.
the law a thing of no consequence, but we find it 2:9-11). Since the sinner is incapable of doing what the
occupying the center of the covenant” (Everson, Saved law requires, it can only condemn him. See Romans
By Grace, pp. 23, 26-27, 30-31, 36). 3:19-20; 5:20; 7:7-13; 1 Corinthians 15:56; 2
“Upon these two ‘tables,’ or tablets, of stone were Ten Corinthians 5:5-13; Galatians 2:16; 3:9-24; 1 Timothy
Commandments, divinely designed for man’s well- 1:6-11; James 2:9-11.
being, to direct him in paths of righteousness and “The law demands strength from one that has none,
preserve him from evil” (Arthur S. Maxwell, Your Bible and curses him if he cannot display it. The Gospel gives
and You, p. 95). strength to one that has none, and blesses him in the
“The Ten Commandments are the only perfect rule of exhibition of it. The law proposes life as the end of
conduct in this world today. God gave man the obedience, the Gospel gives life as the only proper
Decalogue as a rule of life” (Shuler, The Great ground of obedience” (C.H. Mackintosh, Notes on the
Judgment Day, pp. 113-114). Pentateuch, pp. 232-233).
What the Bible Says 2. The law can no more bring condemnation to the
The following is a summary of every major New believer than it can to Christ Himself, since the believer
Testament passage dealing with the law. The major has been made perfect in Christ. The law has no more
truths emphasized by the apostles are given, followed power over the believer than the dead husband has over
by the Scripture quotations. The reader is encouraged to a living wife. The apostles did not teach the Adventist
look up and study each one of the passages. We are doctrine that the believer is to conform his life to the
confident the Lord will encourage you in the glorious standard of the law by the power of the resurrected
eternal liberty the believer has in Christ Jesus. Christ, and that if he fails to do so the law will condemn
We can summarize the New Testament’s teaching on him in the day of judgment. See Romans 5:1-2, 6-11;
the law in this way: The apostles’ doctrine of the law 6:3-7; 7:4; 8:8-10; 10:4; Galatians 3:24-29.
compliments their doctrine of grace, resulting in a 3. The Ten Commandments were a covenant of
gospel that is truly good news for sinners. The apostles death. Adventist teachers protest that the moral law,
taught that the Law of Moses was given by God for one represented in the Ten Commandments, was not done
main reason: to lead men to Christ. It does this by away at the cross of Christ, that only the ceremonial law
revealing man’s sin and thus showing his need for was done away there. But the New Testament describes
salvation and by pointing to Christ through types and even the Ten Commandments as a covenant of death!
prophecies. Once the law has brought the sinner to the The Mosaic Law as a whole had one chief purpose. It
Saviour, it has no more work to do for him. The justified was given by God to fallen man in order to show him

606 Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity