The Law Liberty Cover
Who gave the law and does it have any authority over me?
Isaiah 33:22 For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.
NOTE–The Review and Herald January 9,1894.para 5–Abraham had to leave his country and his father’s house, and sojourn in a strange land, in order to introduce successfully the new order of things in his household. The providence of God was ever to open up new methods, and progress was to be made from generation to generation, in order to preserve in the world a knowledge of the true God, of his laws and commandments.
This could be done only by cultivating home religion. But it was not possible for Abraham to do this while he was surrounded by his idolatrous kinsfolk and friends. He must at God’s command go out alone, and listen to the voice of Christ, the leader of the children of Israel. Jesus was on the earth to instruct and educate the chosen people of God.
Abraham decided to obey the law of God, and the Lord knew that there would be no betrayal of sacred trust on his part, no yielding to any other guide than him whom he felt under responsibility to obey.
He recognized that he was accountable for the instruction of his household and his children, and commanded them after him to do justice and judgment. In teaching them the laws of God, he taught them that the Lord is our judge, our Lawgiver and King, and that parents and children were to be ruled by him; that on the part of parents there was to be no oppression, and on the part of children no unfilial disobedience.
Isaiah 44:12 I have ,made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.
NOTE-Ministry of Healing,pp.414–The Creation of the Earth–The work of creation cannot be explained by science. What science can explain the mystery of life?
“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” Hebrews 11:3.
“I form the light, and create darkness: …
I the Lord do all these things….
I have made the earth,
And created man upon it:
I, even My hands, have stretched out the heavens,
And all their host have I commanded.”
“When I call unto them, they stand up together.” Isaiah 45:7-12; 48:13.
In the creation of the earth, God was not indebted to pre-existing matter. “He spake, and it was; … He commanded, and it stood fast.” Psalm 33:9. All things, material or spiritual, stood up before the Lord Jehovah at His voice and were created for His own purpose.
The heavens and all the host of them, the earth and all things therein, came into existence by the breath of His mouth.
In the creation of man was manifest the agency of a personal God. When God had made man in His image, the human form was perfect in all its arrangements, but it was without life. Then a personal, self-existing God breathed into that form the breath of life, and man became a living, intelligent being. All parts of the human organism were set in action. The heart, the arteries, the veins, the tongue, the hands, the feet, the senses, the faculties of the mind, all began their work, and all were placed under law. Man became a living soul. Through Christ the Word, a personal God created man and endowed him with intelligence and power.
Ezekiel 18:4. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
Note: God made the law; He has the authority to do so as the Creator and Sustainer of man.
Why is the law important?
Romans 6:23.For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 John 3:4. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
NOTE–A terrible doom awaits the sinner, and therefore it is necessary that we know what sin is, in order that we may escape from its power. John says, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law; for sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). Here we have the true definition of sin; it is “the transgression of the law.” How often the sinner is urged to leave his sins, and come to Jesus; but has the messenger who would lead him to Christ clearly pointed out the way? Has he clearly pointed out the fact that “sin is the transgression of the law,” and that he must repent and forsake the breaking of God’s commandments? …
Romans 3:23. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Note: Since we are all sinners, we are all condemned to death by the law.
How do I escape the death penalty imposed by the law?
John 3:16,17. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
NOTE–From Eternity Past,pp.31–Chapter 4—The Plan of Redemption Is Unveiled-
The fall of man filled all heaven with sorrow. There appeared no escape for those who had transgressed the law. Angels ceased their songs of praise.
The Son of God was touched with pity for the fallen race as the woes of the lost world rose up before Him. Divine love had conceived a plan whereby man might be redeemed. The broken law of God demanded the life of the sinner. Only one equal with God could make atonement for its transgression. None but Christ could redeem fallen man from the curse of the law and bring him again into harmony with Heaven. Christ would take upon Himself the guilt and shame of sin to rescue the ruined race.
The plan of salvation had been laid before the creation of the earth, for Christ is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8); yet it was a struggle with the King of the universe to yield up His Son to die for the guilty race. But “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.
O, the mystery of redemption! the love of God for a world that did not love Him!
God was to be manifest in Christ, “reconciling the world unto Himself.” 2 Corinthians 5:19. Man had become so degraded by sin that it was impossible in himself to come into harmony with Him whose nature is purity and goodness. But Christ could impart divine power to unite with human effort.
Thus by repentance toward God and faith in Christ, the fallen children of Adam might once more become “sons of God.” 1 John 3:2.
1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
NOTE-If we continue to cherish sin, our prayers will be an abomination to the Lord. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
Will sins which have once been forgiven, ever be charged again to the sinner’s account? If the soul whose sins have been forgiven abides in Christ, he remains justified, and he is sanctified by the Holy Spirit; but if he continues in sin, he cuts himself off from communion with God, and, unless he repent, his sins are reckoned unto him in full, and the wrath of God abideth on him.
The forgiven of God must abide in Christ, in faith and obedience. If he shows by his conduct that he has left his first love, he is walking in the darkness from which he was once delivered, and needs to repent and do again his first works.
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
John 3:7. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
How can I be born again?
Acts 16:31. And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
NOTE-Early Writing,pp.205--At midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and I saw that immediately the angel of God loosed everyone’s bands. The keeper of the prison, upon awaking and seeing the prison doors open, was affrighted. He thought that the prisoners had escaped, and that he must be punished with death. But as he was about to kill himself, Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, “Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.”
The power of God there convicted the jailer. He called for a light, and springing in, came trembling and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”
The keeper of the prison then assembled his whole household, and Paul preached unto them Jesus. Thus the jailer’s heart was united to those of his brethren, and he washed their stripes, and he and all his house were baptized that night. He then set food before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.
Acts 3:19. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.
NOTE–Counsels for the Church,pp.234–Strength Through Obedience–
A solemn responsibility rests upon those who know the truth, that all their works shall correspond with their faith, and that their lives shall be refined and sanctified, and they be prepared for the work that must rapidly be done in these closing days of the message.
They have no time or strength to spend in the indulgence of appetite. The words should come to us now with impelling earnestness: “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19.
There are many among us who are deficient in spirituality and who, unless they are wholly converted, will certainly be lost. Can you afford to run the risk?
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
NOTE–The Acts of the Aposples,552-“And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The conditions of obtaining mercy from God are simple and reasonable. The Lord does not require us to do some grievous thing in order to gain forgiveness. We need not make long and wearisome pilgrimages, or perform painful penances, to commend our souls to the God of heaven or to expiate our transgression. He that “confesseth and forsaketh” his sin “shall have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13.
Note: Believe Christ can save you; repent, acknowledging the wrong you have done; confess your sins and rebellion, asking for forgiveness. Christ will forgive and restore you to His image.
What part does the law play in our salvation?
Romans 3:20.Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
NOTE–Faith and Works,pp.96–Not Saved by Law Nor in Disobedience-While we are to be in harmony with God’s law, we are not saved by the works of the law, yet we cannot be saved without obedience. The law is the standard by which character is measured. But we cannot possibly keep the commandments of God without the regenerating grace of Christ.
Jesus alone can cleanse us from all sin. He does not save us by law, neither will He save us in disobedience to law.
Our love to Christ will be in proportion to the depth of our conviction of sin, and by the law is the knowledge of sin. But as we see ourselves, let us look away to Jesus, who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity. By faith take hold of the merits of Christ, and the soul-cleansing blood will be applied.
The more clearly we see the evils and perils to which we have been exposed, the more grateful shall we be for deliverance through Christ. The gospel of Christ does not give men license to break the law, for it was through transgression that the floodgates of woe were opened upon our world.
Psalms 19:7.The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
NOTE–Christian Experience and Teachings,pp.248-“In the life of Christ the principles of the law are made plain; and as the Holy Spirit of God touches the heart; as the light of Christ reveals to men their need of his cleansing blood and his justifying righteousness, the law is still an agent in bringing us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith. ‘The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.’
“‘Till heaven and earth pass,’ said Jesus, ‘one jot or one tittle shall in nowise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.’
The sun shining in the heavens, the solid earth upon which you dwell, are God’s witnesses that his law is changeless and eternal away, the divine precepts shall endure. ‘It is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.’
The system of types that pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God was to be abolished at His death; but the precepts of the decalogue are as immutable as the throne of God.”—The Desire of Ages, 308.
Note: As a mirror reveals the dirt on someone’s face but cannot remove it, so the law of God reveals sin but cannot rid us of it. The law shows the problem and sends us to Christ for cleansing.
Can the law save us?
Romans 3:20. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight.
NOTE–Selected Messages.book 1,pp.397-Imputation of the righteousness of Christ comes through justifying faith, and is the justification for which Paul so earnestly contends. He says: “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God…. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law” (Romans 3:20-31).
Ephesians 2:8, 9. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Note: Paul teaches that the law is good for showing us our sin and thus our need for Christ but that it cannot save us; for that we need the grace of God.
Those who have received forgiveness and pardon for their sins are under grace; they are no longer under the death penalty demanded by the law.
Does living under grace through faith mean we don’t need to keep the law?
Romans 6:15. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
NOTE-God Amazing Grace,pp.144-Not a Substitute for the Law, May 16-What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Romans 6:15.
It is the sophistry of Satan that the death of Christ brought in grace to take the place of the law. The death of Jesus did not change or annul, or lessen in the slightest degree, the law of ten commandments.
That precious grace offered to men through a Saviour’s blood, establishes the law of God. Since the fall of man, God’s moral government and His grace are inseparable. They go hand in hand through all dispensations. 48The Faith I Live By, 89.
The gospel of the New Testament is not the Old Testament standard lowered to meet the sinner and save him in his sins. God requires of all His subjects obedience, entire obedience to all His commandments. 49SDA Bible Commentary 6:1072.
Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are, that He might know how to succor those who should be tempted. His life is our example. He shows by His willing obedience that man may keep the law of God and that transgression of the law, not obedience to it, brings him into bondage….
Romans 3:31. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
NOTE–From Eternity Past,pp.261–Paul clearly presents the relation between faith and the law under the new covenant: “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh”—it could not justify man, because in his sinful nature he could not keep the law—“God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Romans 5:1; 3:31;
Note: Being under grace does not mean that we are now free to break the law; it means that the law is written in our hearts and we are now in harmony with it and want to obey it.
What enables a person to keep the commandments?
John 3:5, 6. Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
NOTE–Counsels to Sabbath School Works,pp.65-The Greatest Need-Nicodemus came to the Lord, thinking to enter into a long discussion with Him concerning points of minor importance, but Jesus laid bare the first principles of truth, and showed Nicodemus that his first need was humility of heart, a teachable spirit, a new heart; that if he would enter into the kingdom of God, he must be born again. Are there not those who hold responsible positions in the Sabbath school who would be irritated and annoyed if I should testify to them that, though they are rulers in Israel, they too need to be born again?
Nicodemus wondered that Christ should speak to him in the way which he did, not respecting his position as ruler in Israel, and he was not prepared to receive the truth, and he answered Christ in words full of irony.
“Nicodemus saith unto Him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?” He revealed the fact, as do many, when the cutting truth is brought home to the conscience, that the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God.
There is nothing in them that responds to spiritual things; for spiritual things are spiritually discerned. But, although Nicodemus did not comprehend His words, Jesus did not become impatient or discouraged, but sought to make more plain His statement of truth.
I Corinthians 3:16. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
NOTE-The Desire of Ages,pp.161–“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17.
No man can of himself cast out the evil throng that have taken possession of the heart. Only Christ can cleanse the soul temple. But He will not force an entrance. He comes not into the heart as to the temple of old; but He says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him.” Revelation 3:20.
He will come, not for one day merely; for He says, “I will dwell in them, and walk in them; … and they shall be My people.” “He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” 2 Corinthians 6:16; Micah 7:19. His presence will cleanse and sanctify the soul, so that it may be a holy temple unto the Lord, and “an habitation of God through the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:21, 22.
Galatians 5:16. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
NOTE–Counsels on Health,pp.69-Paul’s inspired warnings against self-indulgence are sounding along the line down to our time…. He presents for our encouragement the freedom enjoyed by the truly sanctified.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Romans 8:1. He charges the Galatians to “walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.” Galatians 5:16, 17. He names some of the forms of fleshly lusts—idolatry, drunkenness, and such like. After mentioning the fruits of the Spirit, among which is temperance, he adds, “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” Verse 24.
Romans 8:7, 13, 14. The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
NOTE–The Desire of Ages,pp.172-But the Saviour did not meet argument with argument. Raising His hand with solemn, quiet dignity, He pressed the truth home with greater assurance, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus knew that Christ here referred to water baptism and the renewing of the heart by the Spirit of God. He was convinced that he was in the presence of the One whom John the Baptist had foretold.
Jesus continued: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” By nature the heart is evil, and “who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.” Job 14:4.
No human invention can find a remedy for the sinning soul. “The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” “Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” Romans 8:7;
Matthew 15:19. The fountain of the heart must be purified before the streams can become pure. He who is trying to reach heaven by his own works in keeping the law is attempting an impossibility. There is no safety for one who has merely a legal religion, a form of godliness.
The Christian’s life is not a modification or improvement of the old, but a transformation of nature. There is a death to self and sin, and a new life altogether. This change can be brought about only by the effectual working of the Holy Spirit.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Galatians 5:22, 23. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.
1 John 5:12. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
John 15:4. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
NOTE–The Desire of Ages,pp.676-This union with Christ, once formed, must be maintained. Christ said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me.”
This is no casual touch, no off-and-on connection. The branch becomes a part of the living vine. The communication of life, strength, and fruitfulness from the root to the branches is unobstructed and constant. Separated from the vine, the branch cannot live. No more, said Jesus, can you live apart from Me.
The life you have received from Me can be preserved only by continual communion. Without Me you cannot overcome one sin, or resist one temptation.
“Abide in Me, and I in you.” Abiding in Christ means a constant receiving of His Spirit, a life of unreserved surrender to His service. The channel of communication must be open continually between man and his God. As the vine branch constantly draws the sap from the living vine, so are we to cling to Jesus, and receive from Him by faith the strength and perfection of His own character.
Note: When a person is born again, Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, dwells in that person and brings him or her into harmony with God’s law.
John 14:15. If ye love me, keep my commandments.
NOTE-Christ Object Lesson,pp.143-There are conditions to the fulfillment of God’s promises, and prayer can never take the place of duty. “If ye love Me,” Christ says, “keep My commandments.” “He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me; and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.” John 14:15, 21.
Those who bring their petitions to God, claiming His promise while they do not comply with the conditions, insult Jehovah. They bring the name of Christ as their authority for the fulfillment of the promise, but they do not those things that would show faith in Christ and love for Him.
Note: We don’t keep the law to be saved, we keep it because we are saved.
Did Jesus keep the law?
John 15:10. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
NOTE–Christ Object Lessons,pp.283--There are only two classes in the world today, and only two classes will be recognized in the judgment—those who violate God’s law and those who obey it. Christ gives the test by which to prove our loyalty or disloyalty. “If ye love Me,” He says, “keep My commandments…. He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me.
And he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him…. He that loveth Me not keepeth not My sayings; and the word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father’s which sent Me.”
“If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.” John 14:15-24; 15:10.
1 Peter 2:21, 22. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
NOTE–The Acts of the Apostles,pp.522-– Those who were servants were advised to remain subject to their masters “with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is thankworthy,” the apostle explained, “if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously: who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.”
Luke 4:16. As his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
NOTE–Testimony Studies on Diet and Foods,pp.79--In Luke 4:16-19, Christ announces His mission and work for the world: “And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto Him the book of the prophet Esaias.
And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: “The spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor: He hath sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Jesus Himself became man’s ransom, his liberator from the oppressive power of Satan.
“Ye are not your own,” He says, “for ye are bought with a price.” We are bought from a power whose slaves we were.And the price our ransom cost was the only begotten Son of God. His blood alone could ransom guilty man. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Are the Ten Commandments binding for New Testament Christians?
Jesus says:
Matthew 5:17, 18. Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Matthew 19:17. If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
John 14:15. If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Note: The principles embodied in the Ten Commandments are a part of God’s character of love. These laws show us how to come into harmony with God’s nature.
When they are presented, the rebellious heart says, “How can I get out of keeping them?” The heart that loves God wants to keep them and come into unity and harmony with God.
What role does the law have under the new covenant?
Hebrews 8:10. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts.
Note: Those under the New Covenant will know and love God’s law.
NOTE–Counsels for the Church,pp.314—I saw that it is our duty in every case to obey the laws of our land, unless they conflict with the higher law which God spoke with an audible voice from Sinai, and afterward engraved on stone with His own finger. “I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people.”
He who has God’s law written in the heart will obey God rather than men, and will sooner disobey all men than deviate in the least from the commandment of God. God’s people, taught by the inspiration of truth, and led by a good conscience to live by every word of God, will take His law, written in their hearts, as the only authority which they can acknowledge or consent to obey.
The wisdom and authority of the divine law are supreme. The government under which Jesus lived was corrupt and oppressive; on every hand were crying abuses—extortion, intolerance, and grinding cruelty. Yet the Saviour attempted no civil reforms. He attacked no national abuses, nor condemned the national enemies.
He did not interfere with the authority or administration of those in power. He who was our example kept aloof from earthly governments. Not because He was indifferent to the woes of men, but because the remedy did not lie in merely human and external measures. To be efficient, the cure must reach men individually, and must regenerate the heart.
The fourth commandment says, “Remember the Sabbath.” Which day of the week is the Sabbath?
Genesis 2:3. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work.
NOTE–The Desire of Ages,pp.281-Chapter 29—The Sabbath–The Sabbath was hallowed at the creation. As ordained for man, it had its origin when “the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” Job 38:7. Peace brooded over the world; for earth was in harmony with heaven. “God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good;” and He rested in the joy of His completed work. Genesis 1:31.
Because He had rested upon the Sabbath, “God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it,”—set it apart to a holy use. He gave it to Adam as a day of rest. It was a memorial of the work of creation, and thus a sign of God’s power and His love.
The Scripture says, “He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered.” “The things that are made,” declare “the invisible things of Him since the creation of the world,” “even His everlasting power and divinity.” Genesis 2:3; Psalm 111:4; Romans 1:20, R. V.
Exodus 20:9, 10. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God.
John 19:31. The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, … besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
Matthew 28:1. In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
Note: Saturday is the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week; Sunday is the first day of the week.
Gods Eternal Law“The temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament.” Revelation 11:19.The ark in the tabernacle on earth contained the two tables of stone, upon which were inscribed the law of God, His testament. Within the holy of holies, in the sanctuary in heaven, the divine law is sacredly enshrined.The law of God, being a revelation of His will, a transcript of His character, must forever endure “as a faithful witness in heaven.” Not one command has been annulled; not a jot or tittle has been changed. Says the psalmist: “Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven.” “All His commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever.” Psalms 119:89; 111:7, 8. |
Ambassadors of Christ 