In the correspondence received since last Lord’s day there is no word of
criticism or objection. I take the silence to mean that those who were
present were convinced that what was said was based on Bible authority.
I am determined that the same shall be true of what I say today. It is
my prayerful purpose to preach nothing but what is plainly revealed in
the Bible.
The ushers have given you a mimeographed copy of some of the main points
to be discussed in today’s lesson. You may use these papers to make
further notes, especially to take note of the Bible references used,
that you may go home and read them for yourselves and see that what we
say is true. The noble people of Berea searched the Scriptures daily to
see whether they had heard the truth. If all people would do that, it
would not be so easy for error to gain acceptance.
II
“The Two Laws”
In my hand I hold a copy of one of the so-called Bible lessons
distributed by the Seventh Day Adventists. The title of this pamphlet is
“The Two Laws.” That title implies that God has never given but two
laws. That is a mistake. God has given different laws to different
people at different times, as the occasion and his eternal purpose
required. His law to Adam before the fall was different from his law to
Adam after the fall. His law to Cain was not the same as his law to
Noah. His law to Abram was not identical with his law to the Jews. His
law since Christ died on the cross is quite different from any law he
gave before that time.
God does not change (Mal. 3:6) but _he changes his laws_ according to
his wisdom. “For the priesthood being changed, there is made of
necessity a change also of the law” (Heb. 7:12). God has never had two
different laws applying to the same people at the same time. “He taketh
away the first that he may establish the second” (Heb. 10:9). The law
given the Jews at Sinai was a unit. It was one law, not two laws.
In the lesson last Lord’s day such Scriptures as Romans 7:6; Hebrews
6:8-13; Hebrews 10:9; Colossians 2:13-16; and Galatians 3:17, 24, 25
were quoted to show that the law which God gave to the Jews through
Moses at Mt. Sinai was fulfilled and taken out of the way when Christ
died. The Seventh Day Adventists admit that all of this law was taken
out of the way except Exodus 20:2-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21. They are
thus committed to the fact that God sometimes changes his laws. When
they teach that God abolished _part_ of that law they admit that he
could have abolished _all_ of it; and that is _exactly what he did_. I
want you to read those Scriptures and note that they speak of “the law,”
not a “part of the law.” For instance, “But now we are delivered from
the law (not ‘part of the law’) ...” (Rom. 7:6). “Wherefore the law (not
‘part of the law’) was our schoolmaster ... but that after faith is come
we are no longer under a schoolmaster” (Gal. 3:24-25).
Where is the Scripture that says that a _part of that law_ was
abolished? Every text which teaches that a part of it was taken away
teaches that _all_ of it was taken away and a new law, the law of
Christ, was given, not to the Jews only but to the whole world.
III
“Ceremonial” and “Moral” Laws
At this point I want to read to you the leading sentence in this
Adventist pamphlet we are reviewing:
“The New Testament Scriptures clearly present two different divisions
of the Old Testament laws: the moral law as summed up in the Ten
Commandments, which is binding on Christians as a rule of life and
conduct; the ceremonial law of typical ordinances, which was abolished
at the cross and from which Christians are entirely free.”
I want you to carefully note what that quotation says. It says that the
New Testament Scriptures _clearly present_ two laws in the Old
Testament—the “moral law” and the “ceremonial law.” Now I want to ask
you a simple question. How in this world could the New Testament
Scriptures clearly present something that is not even mentioned anywhere
in the Bible? Friends, think of it! “Moral” law and “ceremonial” law are
not mentioned in your Bible. That is not Bible language. In order to
prove the sabbath theory by the Bible it will be necessary to find each
of these four texts: