Page 607 - Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible Christianity. Based on the King James Bible

SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISM

his sin and his need of the Saviour. See 2 Corinthians epistles, never once names the Sabbath—except in a
3:6-13. Observe that the apostle said the Ten single passage where, classing it with the entire law, he
Commandments—the law written in stone—were a part declares it has been totally abolished. So the early
of the Mosaic Law that is done away with in Christ. Two church held” (William C. Irvine, Heresies Exposed, p.
times in this key passage the apostle tells us that the Ten 165).
Commandments are abolished. Two times he tells us 6. Law and Grace are two different systems that are
that the Ten Commandments were a ministration of not to be mixed in salvation. See Acts 15:8-11; Romans
death and condemnation! The Ten Commandments 4:4-5, 12-16; 11:5-6.
reveal man’s sin and declare God’s judgment—for the 7. To point believers back to the Law of Moses as a
wages of sin is death (Ro. 6:23). rule of life is to place them back under legalistic
4. The Law of Moses has been done away with in bondage, bringing a curse upon the one who teaches
Christ. We have already seen this in 2 Corinthians 3. this heresy as well as upon the one who follows it. The
Paul tells us that the law has been done away, abolished. apostles condemned in the strongest language those
Words could not be plainer. For the Adventist teacher to who tried to get believers to return to the Law of Moses
come along after Paul and point the believer back to the as a rule of life. This refutes the Seventh-day Adventist
Law of Moses as a rule of life is a great evil. doctrine that the law is a blessing to the justified man.
5. The Law of Moses is not the believer’s rule of life. See Acts 15:10,24; Galatians 1:7-9; 2:4; 3:1-9;
The believer is told to put on Christ, not the law, to 4:9-11,19-21; 5:1-9. Christ came to redeem men from
follow the Spirit of God, not the law. The believer’s aim bondage to the law, to remove their condemnation by
is not to be conformed to the law, but to be conformed paying the price the law demanded for man’s sin. Those
to the image of Christ (Ro. 8:29). The Holy Spirit molds who try to bring believers back under the law are
and transforms the believer’s life into the image of the deceiving men and pointing them away from the
Lord Jesus. See Romans 8:11-14; 13:13-14; 2 finished work of Christ and true Bible freedom in Him.
Corinthians 3:18; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 4:20-24; They themselves are cursed because of their false
Colossians 3:9-11. gospel, and they are leading others away from the truth.
The goal of salvation is not to bring the believer to the
If the Law of Moses is the believer’s rule of life, where law, but to present him perfect in Christ!
are we to find it so presented in the New Testament?
The apostle had no thought of its being the rule when SEVENTY YEAR CAPTIVITY. The period of time
he penned the following words: ‘For in Christ neither Israel was in captivity in Babylon (2 Ch. 36:20-23; Je.
circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision, 25:11-14; 19:10). [See Captivity.]
but a new creation. And as many as walk according to SEVENTY WEEKS. The period of time referred to in
this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and on the Da. 9:24-27. The 70 weeks are weeks of years, or 490
Israel of God’ (Ga. 6:15-16). years. This is evident by the fulfillment. During the 70
“What ‘rule’? The law of Moses? No; the ‘new creation.’ week period, God’s judgments upon Israel will be
Where shall we find this in Exodus 20? It says not a completed and Christ will return to establish the
word about ‘new creation.’ On the contrary, it kingdom. The angel tells Daniel that the prophecy
addresses itself to man as he is—in his natural or old-
creation state—and puts him to the test as to what he pertains to his own people, the Jews, and to the holy
is really able to do. Now if the law were the rule by city, which is Jerusalem (Da. 9:24). The first 69 weeks
which believers are to walk, why does the apostle (483 years) lasted from the time that the commandment
pronounce his benediction on those who walk by was given to “restore and build Jerusalem” after the
another rule altogether? Why does he not say, as many Babylonian captivity to the time of Christ’s “cutting off.”
as walk according to rule of the Ten Commandments? There were two commandments by Persian kings
Is it not evident, from this one passage, that the pertaining to the rebuilding of Jerusalem. First, there
Church of God has a higher rule by which to walk? was the commandment in 536 BC by Cyrus for
(C.H. Mackintosh, Notes on the Pentateuch, pp. Zerubbabel to build the temple (Ezr. 1:1-3). Second,
232-233). there was the commandment in 444 BC by Artaxerxes
“I, as a Christian, obey all law that is moral in the for Nehemiah to rebuild the walls and the city (Ne.
Decalogue, not because it is in the Law, but because it 2:1-8). Since Daniel 9:25 speaks particularly of the
is in the Gospel. Worship of God only is enjoined fifty
times in the New Testament; idolatry is forbidden rebuilding of the city streets and wall, it appears that
twelve times; profanity four times; honor of father and Artaxerxes’ commandment is the one that began the 69
mother is commanded six times; adultery is forbidden weeks. From our perspective 2,500 years later, it is
twelve; theft six; false witness four; and covetousness, difficult to know the exact dates of the prophecy, but the
nine times. ‘The Ten Commandments,’ as Luther says, important thing is that the Jews of that day knew how
‘do not apply to us Gentiles and Christians, but only to to figure these dates, and they had no excuse for not
the Jews.’ So therefore, Paul, in all his fourteen

Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity 607