The Bible Says....

The Sabbath Is Not A Moral Law

2018-08-21T19:16:00.000-04:00

To be clear, the law consisted of 613 commands including the Ten Commandments. The law is not divided into categories in Scripture. The division of the law into moral, ceremonial, civil laws, etc. is the work of man. Therefore, when the law was nailed to the cross as taught in Scripture, that means 613 commands were nailed to the cross. Since SDAs use these categories, which makes it convenient for them to say some were nailed to the cross and others weren't, I will use these 'categories" in my explanation in order to compare apples with apples.

SDAs believe that the Sabbath is a moral law because it is listed among the Ten Commandments. They believe the Ten to be God's eternal moral law. I submit that this is not the case. To fit into their peculiar theology, SDAs refuse to acknowledge the plain teaching of Scripture that 1) the Sabbath is ceremonial in nature, 2) it was given to Israel only and 3) the Sabbath was a shadow and was fulfilled in Jesus, its reality.

Moral laws are principles that deal with right and wrong conduct. Moral laws are instinctively known by every person and they don't have to be taught. A sense of guilt is experienced when a moral law is broken. Moral laws are in effect every minute of every day. These characteristics can be applied to nine of the Ten Commandments. However, the Sabbath of the fourth commandment does not meet this criteria.

A person has to be told about or taught the Sabbath. No guilt is felt when people are ignorant of the seventh-day Sabbath. Most people who were taught the Sabbath were surprised when they first heard about it. The Sabbath is not in effect every minute of every day. The Sabbath is observed for a specific period of time: from sunset Friday until sunset Saturday. The Israelites were able to begin and end the Sabbath together because they lived by the same God-given calendar based on the New Moon. That does not apply today. The "sacred" hours of the Sabbath are different worldwide depending on where one lives. If the hours are sacred, how can they begin and end differently? Did not God in His wisdom know about the International Date Line? Yes, He did! If the whole world were obligated to keep the Sabbath, how would it function? All businesses except for maybe hospitals would have to shut down. This is just another logical reason why it was given to a specific group of people.

There were restrictions when it was given to Israel. For instance, no food was be be gathered nor cooked. The people were to rest and stay in their tents. No work was permitted. There was not even a command to worship. The people were to remember and reflect on how God, their Creator and Deliverer had rescued them with His strong right arm from Egyptian bondage.

For its ceremonial observance (other than the ritual to observe it every seventh day and rest) the priests had to use special ingredients to bake the shewbread, which was prepared and replaced every weekly Sabbath. The special recipe could not be duplicated by anyone. In Leviticus 23, the weekly Sabbath is listed among the other feasts and holy convocations. Each of these Sabbaths had special significance and they were all memorials in some way to God for delivering them from bondage, for His continued bountiful blessings and/or for foreshadowing His coming as their Sabbath rest. In addition, all of them were holy days.

God never tires of us living righteous lives with the help of His indwelling Spirit, but at one point He told Israel that He hated their Sabbath keeping. It was an abomination to Him. When has He ever tired of and hated us for living "moral" lives? Would not His declaration of hatred for their Sabbath keeping also acknowledge that it is not a moral law?

In closing, all 613 laws (which include the Ten Commandments) are ONE indivisible unit. No prerequisites are needed in order to keep moral laws. MAN GAVE categories to the law not God. SDAs SAY the so-called ceremonial laws were nailed to the cross. They have extracted the Ten Commandments from the Torah (613 commands) and teach that 603 were nailed to the cross instead. The 603 so-called ceremonial laws that were nailed to the cross explain in detail how the Ten are to be kept. If the instructions are nailed to the cross why hold on to the Ten unless you are going to write your own instructions which is what the SDA church has effectively done.

The Bible Says Jesus is our Sabbath rest Today and every day. Celebrate Him!!

2012-08-29T12:22:00.000-04:00

The Torah and the Ten Commandments

Following is an email that I sent to a rabbi before leaving the Seventh-day Adventist church. I had been taught that Moses' Law and God's Law were two different laws and that the law was divided into civil, moral and ceremonial. I was also taught that the ceremonial law, which they say is Moses'Law and the one that was added in Galatians, was the one that was nailed to the cross. The Bible makes no distinction of two separate laws nor the division of the law. The law is simply referred to as The Law. God's Law and Moses' Law are the same law, one unit of 613 laws and are used interchangeably.

I was desperately searching for answers. Since the law was given to the Jews/Israelites, I considered them to be an authority and decided to email a rabbi to see how his answer would align with Scripture. I found his response to be very informative and true to Scripture. Here goes..............

From: Patricia Allen

I understand that the Torah consists of 613 laws including the Ten Commandments. Are the 613 commandments considered a unit or are there categories like civil, moral and ceremonial laws? When Scripture speaks of The Law is it speaking of the entire law (Torah)? Can the Ten Commandments be separated from the Torah?

Thanks for your response.

Shalom Patricia,

I like your question, as there are some very important key concepts contained within, important to Jews, and important to non-Jews. You have classified yourself as a ben Noach, which is quite correct, as anyone who is not Jewish is under G-d's Noachide Covenant. It is a positive thing to identify oneself honestly and straightforwardly as a ben Noach for this is the direction G-d wants every non-Jew to take. BTW: One should not think that G-d's Noachide Covenant is a simple set of seven laws. It is nothing of the kind. It is an entire way of thinking, an entire way of living, and it is a philosophical and intellectual exercise without end.

As to the Ten Commandments, there is no such thing. I realize that everyone thinks it is the Ten Commandments, and therefore calling it anything else would be troublesome, and as so even most knowing people stick to the title. However, the Hebrew term for "Ten Commandments" would be, "Aseres Mitzvos," and that is NOT what these commandments are called. They are called the "Aseres HaDibros," the Ten STATEMENTS. The Rambam (Maimonides) explains to us that the Aseres Hadibros are actually 14 commandments, couched within Ten Statements.

You ask if the Aseres Hadibros stand alone away from the Torah, away from the 613? No, they do not. They are a reflection of G-d's complete law to the Jewish people. The 613 do not stand alone either. AND, the Sheva Mitzvos Bnei Noach (Seven Laws of Noah) also do not stand alone. G-d's covenants to the Jews and to the rest of humankind are all encompassing modes of daily behavior. What needs to be clearly understood is that G-d's laws to the Jewish people are NOT the same as G-d's laws to everyone else, and a person is to learn and follow HIS set of laws, be they Jewish or Noachide. He is not to become confused and think he is to follow the other person's rules.

The laws making up BOTH G-d's Jewish and Noachide covenants were both given over at Sinai, and are both incorporated within G-d's Torah. The key to understanding those laws, both Jewish and Noachide, lie with the knowledgeable and observant of the recipients of those laws at Sinai, that is, the Jews. The Aseres HaDibros (Ten Statements) are NOT incumbent upon a ben Noach, and there are sections, such as Shaboos observance, which is not even allowed for a ben Noach. However, righteousness can be achieved BOTH by a Jew and by a ben Noach if he understands and follows his own set of rules, and makes them the basis for his continual improvement throughout his life.

I do hope this is helpful.

Regards, Eliahu Levenson

JewishAnswers.org

The rabbi's response is in total agreement with Scripture. The Bible makes it plain that the written law was given to the Jews/Israelites, "And God spake all these words saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage..." Exodus 20:1-2

Gentiles do not have the law that was given to the Jews.

Romans 2:14 (NIV)
¹⁴(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law,

Ephesians 2:11-13 (NIV)
¹¹Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)--
¹²remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

Gentiles are also of the seed of Abraham.

Abraham was saved by faith before the law was given to his descendants 430 years later (see Galatians 3:17). We, too, are saved by grace through faith because we were never under the law given to the Jews/Israelites.

Romans 4:16 (NIV)
¹⁶Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring--not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.

Believers are led by the Spirit and we are not under law.

Galatians 5:16-18 (NIV)

¹⁶So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
¹⁷For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.
¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

May God richly bless and enlighten you as you study His Word.

Patricia Allen

"God cannot kiss His bride until the veil is lifted." Patricia A. Allen

Isaiah 66:22, 23 - Sabbath In Heaven?

2011-07-19T10:00:00.000-04:00

22 "For as the new heavens and the new earth Which I will make shall remain before Me," says the LORD, "So shall your descendants and your name remain.
23 And it shall come to pass That from one New Moon to another, And from one Sabbath to another, All flesh shall come to worship before Me," says the LORD (NKJV)

This expression "new heavens and earth" has to be defined by the context in which it is found. For example, in 2 Peter 3:1-13, the usage of it is clear that it is referring to the next era of time in heaven where there is absolutely nothing that exists as sinful. But the context of Isaiah in which Isaiah 66:22, 23 is in disallows such a meaning. Please consider that Isaiah is speaking of the same "new heavens and earth" in chapter 65 which helps us determine the meaning of it:

"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind" (65:17)

Now note what all is in Isaiah's "new heavens and earth":

Levites (66:21)
New Moon (66:23)
Sabbath (66:23)
flesh (66:23)
wolves, lambs, lions and serpents (65:25)
children who die at 100 years old (65:20)
building houses and planting vineyards, work with hands (65:21, 22)
bringing forth children (65:23)

Now when you compare what is actually taught about the New Testament's "new heaven and earth" you can readily conclude that Isaiah's "New heaven and earth" cannot be speaking about the heaven where God's literal throne exists today, but most probable of the return of the Jews from Babylonian captivity--which was a new era in their existence as a nation.

Christ is our priest in heaven and is not of Levi. The law was changed (Heb. 8:1; 7:11-15)
New Moon and Sabbaths are done away and a mere shadow of things to come (Col. 2:14-17). Besides, there is no sun or moon in heaven (Rev. 21:23, 22:5). This fact makes it impossible to have a regular Sabbath keeping as well as a the "new moon."
no flesh shall inherit it (1 Cor. 15:50ff)
no death exists there (Rev. 22:4)

Following are some charts that deal with typical arguments that Adventists give regarding Isaiah:

http://sunnyside.web.aplus.net/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/isaiaharguments.pdf

I hope this helps.

Cordially,

Steven J. Wallace

Used by permission. His website: http://www.sunnysidechurchofchrist.com/isaiah_66.html

Did Jesus Have A Sinful Nature?

2011-06-27T18:35:00.000-04:00

I tend to get more than peeved when I continue to read articles or comments saying that Jesus could have sinned. I would like to say….

· Jesus did not have a sinful nature.

The Bible Says in 2 Cor. 5:21 NIV…

For he (God) hath made him (Christ) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

When we trust in Christ, we make an exchange—our sin for his righteousness. Our sin was poured into Christ at his crucifixion. His righteousness is poured into us at our conversion. This is what Christians mean by Christ's atonement for sin. In the world, bartering works only when two people exchange goods of relatively equal value. But God offers to trade his righteousness for our sin—something of immeasurable worth for something completely worthless. How grateful we should be for his kindness to us.

—Life Application Bible Notes

The Bible Says in 1 Peter 2:22 KJV

Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.

· Jesus had a human body but not a sinful nature.

The Bible Says in Roman 8:3-4 NASB,

“For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

Please note that there is a difference between sinful flesh and a sinful nature. The dictionary defines Flesh as the soft substance of a human or other animal body, consisting of muscle and fat. The dictionary defines Nature as a result of inborn or inherent qualities. This said, Jesus had muscle and fat like us and was NOT born with our inherent human qualities.

Why would God send someone with a sinful nature to redeem those of us with a sinful nature? How would that work? Jesus came to meet the righteous requirements of the law because we were unable to do so. We were born in sin and shaped in iniquity. Jesus had a body like ours, nothing else.

Some might ask this valid question: “Was Jesus capable of sinning and just managed not to?” I submit from the Word of God that Jesus was not capable of sinning.

The Bible Says in Hebrews 1:1-3 NIV

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

The exact representation of His being is saying that Jesus expressed the very character of God in Whom is no sin. Jesus, as God, and as a human was sinless.

The Bible Says in John 1:1-3, 14 NASB

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus revealed His glory for the first time at the Wedding of Cana in Galilee when He turned water into wine and His disciples believed in Him. (John 2:11)

· Jesus was the spotless Lamb of God

The Bible Says in John 1:29-34 NASB

The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said , "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 "This is He on behalf of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.' 31 "I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water." 32 John testified saying, "I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. 33 "I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, 'He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.' 34 "I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.

Jesus, as the Lamb of God, represented the spotless and unblemished lambs that were slain for the sins of the people prior to His coming. The slain, unblemished lambs pointed forward to Christ’s coming to bear our sins, to become sin for us and to die for us.

· Jesus came to do the will of the Father. Only He could fulfill God’s purpose.

The Bible Says in John 6:38-40 NASB

"For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 "This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. 40 "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."

· Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit; therefore, His nature is/was spiritual.

The Bible Says in Matthew 1:20 KJV

But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is holy and cannot sin. The Holy Spirit is also God.

· Jesus was the second Adam.

The Bible Says in 1 Cor. 15:45-47 KJV

And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

Adam and Jesus had two different natures. Adam was earthy and Jesus was heavenly. The two natures cannot be compared. Jesus came to do what man of himself could not do.

I fail to understand why some insist that Jesus could have sinned or why they would even want Jesus to be the same as sinful humans. The Father sent Him on a specific mission to be our kinsman Redeemer, and They both knew it would be a successful mission. Did not Jesus tell His disciples that in three days He would rise again? He didn’t say if I manage not to sin or if I am lucky I will rise again, HE SAID in Matthew 20:17-19…

Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, 18 "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!"

It sounds to me as if Jesus is speaking from a position of confidence and surety, not risk! If I know something for a fact and act on it, I’m not taking a risk. A risk is taken only on the unknown.

In closing, when Jesus began His ministry He was approved and acknowledged by His Father Who said, “This is MY beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased. Hear ye Him.” Unfortunately many listen to and believe what Ellen White teaches in her writings. I quote as follows:

“The Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) church teaches that in the incarnation, Jesus came to show us how to keep God’s law perfectly, and “he took upon Himself fallen, suffering human nature, degraded and defiled by sin,” possessing neither omniscience nor omnipresence. (Christ’s Humiliation by Ellen G. White, The Youth’s Instructor, December 20, 1900).” (emphasis mine)

How demeaning! How degrading to say that Jesus took upon Himself our human nature that is defiled by sin and that He did not possess omniscience nor omnipresence. Jesus is the Word that became flesh and dwelled among us. Jesus is God in human form. Jesus was 100% God and 100% human, with a spiritual nature. The Bible Says in John 4:24 KJV, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

God’s instruction to us for the last days is: “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"

Let’s by God’s grace do just that. Let’s listen to Him!

Blessings!

(all emphasis mine)

Freedom to do what?

2011-06-21T14:09:00.000-04:00

When I declared my freedom from the 7^th day Adventist church, I did not declare my freedom from Christ. Some of those that I left behind are of the opinion that I left because I never ‘really’ believed or that I left because I wanted the freedom to live any way I choose. When I make the statement that I am no longer under the law, it is taken to mean that I am lawless and no law applies to me. Not true!

So what do I mean when I say I am FREE? It simply means ……..

· I am free from keeping laws that were never meant for me.

· I am free from trying to meet the demands of the law.

· I am free to be who I am, a Gentile Christian, living under the New Covenant.

· I am free to love everyone, which fulfills the royal law of love.

· I am free to serve God and not be a slave to sin or Satan.

· I am free to be the person God intended me to be.

· I am free to be happy, guilt-free and secure in Christ’s love.

· I am free to listen to, be guided by and be empowered by the Holy Spirit.

· I am free to ignore unbiblical church dogma, doctrines and mandates.

· I am free from being a legalist and hoping that keeping rules will save me.

· I am free to claim the blood that was spilled on Calvary just for me.

· I am free to accept the ‘work’ that Christ has already done for me.

· I am free to believe that Jesus did indeed pay it all for me on the Cross.

· I am free to know and believe that I am saved NOW!

· I am free to believe that I am not under condemnation because I belong to Christ.

· I am free to believe that there is no Investigative Judgment going on.

· I am free to believe that Jesus meant it when He said, “It is finished.”

· I am free from being a cookie-cutter Christian.

· I am free to decide who I give to, how much I give and to do it cheerfully.

· I am free to forgive those that have hurt me.

· I am free from the control of others’ thoughts and behaviors toward me.

· I am free to rest in Jesus every day and not just one in seven.

· I am free to take Jesus at His Word.

· I am free to allow the Holy Spirit to interpret Scripture for me instead of the church.

· I am free to allow God to live through me and work out His plan for my life.

· I am free to be genuinely happy and live an abundant life because Christ is my center.

· I am free to share the liberating Good News of the Gospel to everyone.

· I am free from trying to keep a day holy;

· I am free to honor a holy God every day.

· I am free to fellowship with the Saints any time and any day.

· I am free to see and not be blinded by a veil covering my eyes.

· I am free to continue to dress modestly without the added restrictions of the church.

· I am free to only care about what God thinks of me because He is my only Master.

These are a few of my freedoms and none of them give me the liberty or license to do anything that will harm anyone or misrepresent my Lord and Master in any way. After all, I am to live a holy life, pleasing and acceptable to God.

The Bible Says in Galatians 5:1 (NIV)

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

Notes for 5:1

Christ died to set us free from sin and from a long list of laws and regulations. Christ came to set us free — not free to do whatever we want because that would lead us back into slavery to our selfish desires. Rather, thanks to Christ, we are now free and able to do what was impossible before — to live unselfishly. Those who appeal to their freedom so that they can have their own way or indulge their own desires are falling back into sin. But it is also wrong to put a burden of lawkeeping on Christians. We must stand against those who would enslave us with rules, methods, or special conditions for being saved or growing in Christ.

—Life Application Bible Notes

Freedom is a wonderful God-given joy! Why not try it today? 1 Cor. 3:17 reads, “ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

Blessings!

God's Sign for Believers

2011-06-21T12:03:00.000-04:00

Some say that the sign of God for Christians is the Sabbath. It is their position that the Sabbath is the dividing wall between believers and non-believers. It is also their position that the 7^th day, Saturday, must be kept to receive God’s seal. But is this position or hypothesis Biblical?

The Bible Says in Exodus 34:28, that the Ten Commandments are the words of the covenant.

“Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant--the Ten Commandments.”

The Bible Says in Exodus 31:16 (NIV) that the Sabbath was to be observed by the Israelites.

“Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.”

The Bible Says in Exodus 31:17 (NIV) that the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between God and the children of Israel.

“It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.”

What does God say is the sign for New Covenant believers?

1 Cor. 11:25 (NIV) In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."

Under the Old Covenant, the sign of the covenant between God and Israel was the Sabbath. “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” Under the New Covenant, the sign of the covenant between God and whosoever believes is baptism and the Lord’s Supper (“This do in remembrance of Me”).

As we relate to others on a daily basis, the true sign of a believer of God is love for others, not the keeping of a special day.

The Bible Says in John 13:34-35 (KJV)….

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

According to John, who quoted Jesus, the sign of discipleship or a Christ-follower is love. Christians are known by their love, which emulates the Godhead. The Holy Spirit, Who indwells the believer, empowers the believer to love and live a life set apart for the will and purposes of God.

God bless.

Jesus, Our Example for What?

2011-06-18T20:43:00.000-04:00

When Jesus was on earth, He lived a sinless life. Some say and even teach that because Jesus lived a sinless life, we can do the same. But is that true? Does Jesus really expect us to? My position is that He does not!

Firstly, Jesus is God. Jesus, as man, did not have a sinful nature so He could not sin. Humans are born with a sinful nature and will continue to sin as long as they have a sinful nature. In essence, Jesus did not come to show us how we can live a sinless life, He came to live it for us.

The Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) church teaches that in the incarnation, Jesus came to show us how to keep God’s law perfectly, and “he took upon Himself fallen, suffering human nature, degraded and defiled by sin,” possessing neither omniscience nor omnipresence. (Christ’s Humiliation by Ellen G. White, The Youth’s Instructor, December 20, 1900). (emphasis mine) In disagreement, I submit that the Bible Says that Jesus came to live a perfect life, be crucified, die and rise again so that He might imput His gift of righteousness to all who believe and have faith in Him.

SDA’s encourage their congregants to attempt the impossible by trying to be ‘good enough’ to make it to heaven. It is true that Jesus left us (believers) an example to follow, but what was it? I submit to you that Jesus left His believers an example showing them how to:

Do good. (Acts 10:38

Love. (1 John 4:16-17)
Live to glorify God (1 Cor. 10:31)
Preach the Gospel (Mark 16:15)

Show humility. (John 13:14)

Give of self (self-sacrifice). (1 John 3:16-18)

Patiently endure suffering. (1 Peter 2:21)

Be totally dependent on the Father. (John 5:30)

Be led by the Spirit. (Luke 4:1)

Be prayerful. (Matthew 6:9-13)

Be forgiving. (Luke 23:34)

A valid question SDAs always propose is, “Didn’t Jesus leave us an example to go into the synagogue on the Sabbath day since it was His custom?” Well, firstly, Jesus went into the synagogue every Sabbath to teach because He was born a Jew and under Jewish law. Secondly, the written law was given to Israel and not Gentiles. Gentile Christians did not and never have had the written law. Gentiles were foreigners to the law. (see Ephesians 2:11-13) And thirdly, when Jesus died on the Cross, He fulfilled the law in its entirety and He (a Person) is now our Sabbath rest.

Mattthew 11:28 reads, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (emphasis mine)

A day has no power to ‘give’ rest but it can be ‘set aside’ for rest. Only Jesus (a Person) can give rest IF we believe His Word.

When we come to Christ and are born again, we are born of the Spirit and we are led by the Spirit. The function of the Spirit is to lead and guide us into all truth. The Spirit also empowers us to do His bidding, thus no need for the written law. Galatians 5:18 (NIV) reads, “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.’

Again, some SDAs make outlandish statements by saying that when believers say they are not under the law, they are lawless and are free to do whatsoever they desire. This is absurdity at its best. A living Spirit is leading, guiding and empowering believers – not written laws that can only point out sin and has no power to empower nor save.

The Spirit-led life is about inward change. It’s not about a legalistic list of do’s and don’ts to be checked off twice to see if we’ve been naughty or nice. It’s about love, forgiveness, being kind, caring, humility, self-sacrificing, suffering patiently, praying, being led by the Spirit and being completely dependent on the Father, etc. It’s about the ‘Fruit of the Spirit’ against such there is no law. The ‘work’ we are suppose to do is to love God and love others.

Every example Jesus left for us to emulate has to do with doing good, helping others and being a good example in pointing them to the Father. No where did Jesus tell us to live a sinless life because the truth is, we can’t in our sinful nature. Any goodness or righteousness we possess comes as a result of our faith in the death, burial and resurrection of our Savior. His righteousness becomes ours.

The Bible Says...

CHRIST IS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS! I Cor. 1:30 (NIV) reads, ”It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”

Christ lived for us; Christ died for us; Christ rose from the grave for us and Christ wants us to accept what He has already done for us.

In the end, we shall be rewarded according to how well or how little we loved others – not according to what day we worshipped on.

The Bible Says....

Matthew 25:37-40 (NIV) reads:

37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

Take your worry, your pain, your guilt, and your restlessness to Jesus. He loves you and He bids you to come to Him to find rest for your soul. It is not about what you can do but it’s about what He has already done for you. I invite you to take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there.

No Record of Jesus Keeping the Sabbath After His Resurrection

2011-04-15T12:33:00.002-04:00

Jesus kept the Sabbath because He was born a Jew and under Jewish law. When He died and rose again, ushering in the New Covenant, according to the Bible He was on earth 40 days after His resurrection before His ascension.

Under the New Covenant, God changed the 7th day of rest to TODAY. Hebrews 4:4-9

4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his work." 5 And again in the passage above he says, "They shall never enter my rest." 6 It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. 7 Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day.

According to the above text, the first day God set for rest was the 7th day, then God AGAIN set a certain day, calling it TODAY.

After Pentecost, the new believers worshiipped DAILY. Acts 2:46 reads...

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47. being saved those who were daily and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number praising God. (emphasis mine)

My question is: Why is there no record of Jesus keeping the 7th day Sabbath after His resurrection? During the forty days He was on earth, it is recorded that He spoke with a group of about 500, He visited with His eleven disciples, He visited James, etc. but no record of Him keeping the weekly Sabbath; no record of Him even entering the synagogue. Is it possible that 'TODAY" became effective upon His resurrection?
If we are to follow His "example" in all things, why not this?

Just wondering.

(There were 255 responses to this article on Facebook. The link is: https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=144767535588994)

Human Reasoning Vs. The Bible by Heidi Burks

2011-04-15T12:20:00.001-04:00

I'm sure we've all heard that we should take what the Bible says on a subject and not resort to human reasoning, but that's easier said than done. Often, it's hard to sort out what is just a "good story" or what is actually in the Bible. Just because something makes sense and sounds good doesn't mean it is Biblically supported. If the Bible talks about the subject then we need to first look at what the Bible says while putting aside our own preconceptions and the "good stories" we've heard. That's not to say that they aren't necessarily true - but when we read the Bible we shouldn't be doing so with the purpose of making our beliefs work. If we do that, we can take texts completely out of context and twist them to say whatever we want.

Here are some examples of human reasoning (or "good stories") versus what the Bible actually says on the subject.

The 10 Commandments - Human reasoning says, "They were written on stone so God must have meant for them to last forever," "God spoke them with His voice, so we should pay attention to what God has deemed important," "They are God's perfect, royal, eternal law - they existed before the world was made and will continue to exist in heaven." While these all seem like good arguments and they make sense (for the most part), there are some problems with them. I haven't found a single text in the Bible to prove these assertions. On the contrary, when we look at the Bible DOES tell us about the 10 Commandments, we get a completely different picture. Over and over again, they were called the words of the old covenant or the tables of the covenant, and the new covenant has replaced the old covenant.

The Law - Human reasoning says, "God divided up the old covenant laws into moral, ceremonial, and civil. Only the moral laws carry over" - in otherwords, "Only the 10 Commandments carry over." The Bible, however, doesn't separate them. It is "the law" - not "the laws". And it intermittantly uses "Moses' law" and "the Lord's law" when talking about the law (one great example is Luke 2:22-24 & 39). Contrary to popular belief, the 10 Commandments aren't "The Law of the Lord" and the "rest" of the law considered "the Law of Moses." That is human reasoning and not what the Bible teaches.

The Sabbath - Human reasoning says, "The Sabbath was instituted at Creation. Adam and Eve kept the Sabbath. The patriarchs kept the Sabbath." The Bible tells us otherwise. The Bible doesn't mention the Sabbath until the time of Moses. Multiple verses put the giving of the Sabbath at Sinai - not creation. Yes, the Sabbath was given to the Israelites as a reminder that God was their Creator, but it was also given as a reminder that God delivered them from Egypt. There is no Biblical record of anyone before Moses' time keeping the Sabbath.

Wine - Human reasoning says, "Wine is bad - God couldn't possibly have endorsed drinking wine. All positive mentions of 'wine' in the Bible must refer to grape juice." This is a prime example of humans reading things into the text. I've had someone ask me - "You couldn't POSSIBLY think Jesus actually turned water into alcoholic wine?!?!?" Well, yes, actually I do. The Bible tells us it was wine, and it tells us that the custom was to bring out the best stuff first and save the poorer quality for later when the guests were too drunk to notice.

These are just a few examples (and since I've written on these subjects before, I'm not including the texts here, but I would be happy to provide them if you want). If we are Christian like we claim to be then the Bible should be our authority. We need to make sure that our beliefs line up with what the Bible says, and not try to force the Bible to match our beliefs.

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=197312573614179 - Biblical references here.

The Sign of God: My Rebuttal

2011-03-23T15:46:00.001-04:00

THE SIGN OF GOD.

by Rodney A. Brown Sr.

Rebuttal by Patricia Allen

10/17/2010

3/23/2011

"Thought Nugget" #99
by Rodney A. Brown Sr.

(For your understanding and convenience, the words to Rodney's article is in black and my response is in red)

My rebuttal is based on the Bible premise that the Gentiles never had the written law. Therefore, the law that was given to the children of Israel was exclusively for them. The Bible Says in Ephesians 2:11-13…

"Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)-- 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ."

The Bible Says in Romans 2:14-15…

14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15 since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)

We cannot take another nation's laws and apply them to us. Everything in the Bible is not written specifically for all people although we can benefit and learn from their experience.

The Sabbath has always been God's sign! It is the one true thing that identifies Him as being able to create something from nothing!

The Sabbath was a sign of the Old Covenant God made with the Israelites. The Sabbath and the Old Covenant had their origin in the wilderness. Any information other than this is 'adding' to the Scriptures.

It sets Him apart from every other god! None other can boast of this!

God as Creator sets Him apart from every other god, not a day!

This is why it is so important that we commemorate it in honor of Him.

When understanding the true meaning of the Sabbath, you begin to realize that God would never remove this sign!!!

As God, He can and will do as He pleases and we don't have to understand it. We cannot place boundaries around Him like 'God would never."

Why would He? Why & how could Jesus replace the sign that says that God is the true God?

Why would He? Because He had something better in mind for all people and not just the Israelites. He fulfilled the Old Covenant and after His death and resurrection, He introduced the New Covenant which is for ALL who believes (no exclusivity clause).

Notice how these are phrased...

Ezekiel 20:12 "Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them."

'them' is referring to the children of Israel.

Exodus 31:16-17 reads:

16 The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. 17 It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he abstained from work and rested.'"

Take note that Sabbath is singular in the above text.

Exodus 31:13 "Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you."

This text reiterates the fact that God was speaking to the Israelites regarding the Sabbaths He gave them. Please note that even though this text says Sabbaths, it is referring to the weekly Sabbath because the weekly Sabbath is the sign. Sabbaths and Sabbath can be used interchangeably.

Ezekiel 20:20 "And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God."

Hebrew #7676 Shabbath as a noun means 'the Sabbath." (11) The prophets rebuked Israel for their neglect of the sabbath (Isa. 1:13; Jer. 17:21-27; Eze. 20:12-24; Amos 8:5) Again, Sabbath and Sabbaths are used interchangeably.

Exodus 31:17 "It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed."

Hebrew #7673 Shabath is the verb meaning "to rest, cease." Shabath first occurs in Genesis 2:2-3: "And on the seventh day God ended His work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had made….." Genesis 2 only says that God rested (the verb Shabath) and it does not refer to the noun Shabbath (#7676), meaning 'the Sabbath."

Even if the Sabbath were still effective, according to the Bible it is for the children of Israel. Also the Bible says HE RESTED; nothing about Adam, Eve and the animals joining Him. To say otherwise is 'adding' to Scripture.

The Sabbath is about God being God! And for us to recognize that!

The Sabbath is about recognizing day of rest for people who had been in slavery for over 400 years. According to Deut. 5:12-15 says….

12 "Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

We, Gentiles were not Egyptian slaves so there is no need for Christians to recognize it.

Jesus did not & could not replace that particular sign!

Jesus as Sovereign God has, can and will do anything He chooses. We are subject to Him. He in fact did change the sign in the New Covenant to the Lord's Supper. Instead of remembering the Sabbath, He said 'this do in REMEMBRANCE of me".

Why would He want to? What would be the purpose of that?

He wanted to make a change because He had a mystery that in due time He would reveal. The Israelites knew that one day the Gentiles would be invited into the fold but what they didn't know is that the Gentiles would be on equal footing with them because of the Cross. So before the rest of the world would be allowed to become a part of the fold, Jesus had to fulfill all of the laws given to Israel because Gentiles would not be subject to them. Gentiles never had the written law and God did not want to subject them to stone that could only point out sin but couldn't save. The New Covenant is about believing the Gospel and having faith in God.

Creation is the only physical evidence that mankind has that proves God's supremeness!

NOTHING that Christ did while living, dying, or rising from the dead, was applicable, or able to take this honor from His Father!

The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are supreme.

Think about it friends!...

The Sabbath is not about rest alone! It is much more than that! It is about worshiping & honoring the only God that can create something from nothing!

The Sabbath, when given to the Israelites, was all about rest. In fact, initially they were told not to even leave their tents on the Sabbath. The Sabbath was a day of worship as well as a day of refreshment for man.

Furthermore, God makes it plain that the Sabbath will NEVER end!...

(KJV) Isaiah 66:22-23 "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD."

In Hebrews 4:7 (NLT), the Sabbath or day or rest was changed to TODAY! "So God set another time for entering His rest and that time is today."

That means continuous rest. According to the above text it says 'from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD." From one thing to another means all the time in between. Example: from one Sabbath to another means all the days in between (Monday – Friday) until you reach Sabbath again.

(NIV) Isaiah 66:22-23 "As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me," declares the Lord, "so will your name and descendants endure. From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me," says the Lord."

The Bible also says in Rev. 22:5 NIV, "5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever." This means there will be no separation of day and night, therefore, no ability to keep or need to keep track of a literal seven day week. According to 1 Cor. 13:13 (NLT) only three things will last forever: faith, hope and love.

Does this sound like Jesus did away with the Sabbath? Absolutely NOT!

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30: 28: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Jesus is giving us spiritual rest – no need to work for our salvation by trying to keep laws that He kept for us; No need of trying to measure up and be perfect. Don't know about you but that is rest for my soul and better than physical rest any day.

Jesus is now our Sabbath rest and it is our privilege to worship and commune with Him every day. It's not about a day like under the Old Covenant. Under the New Covenant, it's ALL about a person, Jesus!

As a matter of fact, Jesus prophesied concerning the destruction of Jerusalem which was to take place almost 40 years after His death, by saying in Matthew 24:20 "But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:"

NOTE: Remember! Jerusalem was not destroyed until AD 70. But yet, Jesus was still calling respect to the Sabbath day!

Bear in mind that Jesus is talking to the Jews. There's nothing in Matthew 24:20 that promotes 7^th day worship. All Jews did not become Christians so those that didn't still worshipped on the Sabbath. Back then, it is my understanding that the gates to the city were locked on the Sabbath to prevent merchants from bringing their goods in to sell on the Sabbath. If the destruction of Jerusalem came on the Sabbath, the gates would be locked and the people could not escape. This verse is not giving the Sabbath a plug to keep it holy.

Also, keep in mind that out of all the years that Jesus preached & taught, He never once spoke of the Sabbath being changed, or done away with in the future! And why, if the Sabbath had been no longer in existence, did Paul and others even refer to a day as Sabbath?

The Law or Torah, which included the Ten Commandments were given UNTIL the seed came and the Seed was Christ. He came and fulfilled the law and the prophets. The law had its beginning at Sinai and ended when Jesus died and rose again. He said He came to fulfill which says that once it was fulfilled, its no longer effective. Just like a marriage vow 'until death do us part'. If one partner dies, the contract didn't change but was fulfilled and the other person is no longer bound to that covenant and is free to remarry or remain single. UNTIL is an important word.

When the Apostles referred to the Sabbath, it was always when addressing a Jewish audience. Sometimes they used the law (Torah) to remind them that if they insisted on keeping the law, they were obligated to keep it in its entirety. If they broke one law, they were guilty of breaking them all.

Clearly, it still remains! Without being changed, or taken away, God's Holy Seventh Day Sabbath STILL REMAINS!!!

The Israelites 7^th day Sabbath has never been binding on Gentiles. For the Israelites it was the 7^th day; for Christians it is TODAY!

Hebrews 4:4-10 NIV

⁴ For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his work." ⁵ And again in the passage above he says, "They shall never enter my rest." ⁶ It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. ⁷ Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before:
"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." ⁸ For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. ⁹ There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; ¹⁰ for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his."

Notice the word AGAIN in verse 7. He set the 7^th day at first and now He is changing it to TODAY!

Ecclesiastes 3:14 "I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him."

'Forever' means until fulfillment. The only thing that will last forever is faith, hope and love.

1 Chronicles 17:27 "Now therefore let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may be before thee for ever: for thou blessest, O LORD, and it shall be blessed for ever."

Note same as above.

Most who attempt to prove it done away with, use the text in Colossians 2:16 "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath [days]:"

This is referring to the Jewish Sabbath days (that were held on dates, and not on a day of the week) involved & included in the ceremonial law of Moses that was nailed & abolished on the cross of Jesus!

There is no difference between the Law of Moses and the Law of God. They are used interchangeably because God is the author of the entire law, the Torah. Exodus 24:12 reads: "12 The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction."

As noted in previous comments, Sabbath and Sabbaths can be used interchangeably. The weekly Sabbath and the other Sabbaths are all ceremonial in nature. The Bible says, "Remember the Sabbath day to KEEP IT holy." The word 'Keep' means: to mark (a day or event) with ceremonies or respect, festivity, or rejoicing; celebrate, commemorate, observe, solemnize.

Please read Leviticus 23. According to Leviticus 23, the weekly Sabbath was the first of the feasts mentioned. All the Sabbaths following were also called holy days or convocations and the people were instructed to not do any work. The weekly Sabbath had its rituals just like the other Sabbaths mentioned. It's interesting that you say the weekly Sabbath isn't considered ceremonial like the other Sabbaths when it is ceremonial in nature as the others. Also Samuel Bacchiocchi, the Sabbath champion for the SDA church and known by prominent scholars all over, has proven that Col. 2:16 is indeed referencing the weekly Sabbath, thereby going against the teachings of his church.

Also earlier Exodus 31:13 was quoted as saying, "12 Then the LORD said to Moses, 13 "Say to the Israelites, 'You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy."

Colossians 2:16 in The Greek Dictionary of the New Testament says: (10a) Col. 2:16, 'sabbath days', where it is listed among things that 'were a shadow of the things to come". (i.e., of the age introduced at Pentecost) and in (10b) Heb. 4:4-11, where the perpetual sabbatismos is appointed for believers.

In the early church, the new believers worshipped and communed DAILY! Acts 2:46-47 reads: "46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

Barnes Commentary:

Or of the Sabbath days - Greek, "of the Sabbaths." The word Sabbath in the Old Testament is applied not only to the seventh day, but to all the days of holy rest that were observed by the Hebrews, and particularly to the beginning and close of their great festivals. There is, doubtless, reference to those days in this place, since the word is used in the plural number, and the apostle does not refer particularly to the Sabbath properly so called. There is no evidence from this passage that he would teach that there was no obligation to observe any holy time, for there is not the slightest reason to believe that he meant to teach that one of the ten commandments had ceased to be binding on mankind. If he had used the word in the singular number - "the Sabbath," it would then, of course, have been clear that he meant to teach that that commandment had ceased to be binding, and that a Sabbath was no longer to be observed. But the use of the term in the plural number, and the connection, show that he had his eye on the great number of days which were observed by the Hebrews as festivals, as a part of their ceremonial and typical law, and not to the moral law, or the Ten Commandments. No part of the moral law - no one of the ten commandments could be spoken of as "a shadow of good things to come." These commandments are, from the nature of moral law, of perpetual and universal obligation."

Nowhere in the entire Bible does it state that God's Holy Sabbath day was done away with!!!

OTHER BIBLICAL CONSIDERATIONS RELEVANT TO COLOSSIANS 2:14-17

Sabbatarians attempt to discredit the fact that this Sabbath is the Weekly Sabbath by saying that Paul used the plural form of the word, which would signify the numerous ceremonial sabbaths. This attempt to evade the plain meaning of the passage doesn't work because there are about 20 other places in Scripture where the plural form of the word Sabbath, Sabbaton, is used where context demands the meaning be the Weekly Sabbath. The Greeks didn't have the same concern over plural versus singular forms of words that is found in the English language.

The sentence structure FESTIVAL, NEW MOON, SABBATH is a phrase used in the Hebrew to imply the three aspects of Jewish festival structure and designates the order of ANNUAL, MONTHLY, WEEKLY. This same annual, monthly and weekly sequence appears five times in the Septuagint—i.e., 2 Chron. 2:4; 31:3; Neh. 10:33; Ezek. 45:17; Hosea 2:11. All through the history of the Israelites we have Annual Sabbaths, Monthly Sabbaths, and Weekly Sabbaths. If the word Sabbath as used here (Colossians 2:16) means monthly Sabbaths, the sentence would read, "Annual Sabbaths, Monthly Sabbaths, and Monthly Sabbaths." If it were an annual Sabbath Paul meant here, the sentence would read, "Annual Sabbaths, Monthly Sabbaths, and Annual Sabbaths.

Whenever the Old Testament links the New Moon celebration with the Sabbath, as in Colossians 2:16, it is referring to the Weekly Sabbath (2 Kings 4:23, 1 Chron. 23:31, 2 Chron. 2:4; Neh. 10:33; Isa. 1:13; 66:23; Ezek. 45:17; 46.1: Hosea 2:11: Amos 8:5).

In the Old Testament, annual Sabbaths are always called "a Sabbath of rest" in the Septuagint. This Greek version of the Old Testament always, or nearly always, translates this as Sabbata Sabbaton— not simply Sabbaton— as here in Colossians 2:14-17.

Paul clearly states that these four things—diet, annual feasts, monthly feasts, and the Weekly Sabbath—are not to be made a test of Christian belief and practice because they are merely shadows of things that were to come, whereas Christ is the Reality. To try to salvage Sabbatarianism, the Adventists say that Paul could not possibly have meant a Weekly Sabbath here because the Sabbath was a memorial pointing backwards to Creation. This SDA approach fails miserably because the most significant Jewish memorials pointed both backward and forward at the same time. In Colossians, prior to this passage, Paul refers to Adam as a symbol of Christ. In fact, it is possible that all the major Jewish ordinances point both backward and forward at the same time.

(This excerpt was taken from an article written by Kerry B. Wynne entitled Lying for God.)

When Christ died on the cross, the Sabbath along with the other 612 laws died also.

That has never been proven throughout the history of the world!!!

If the Sabbath were still in effect after the resurrection, why is there no record of Jesus keeping it? He was on earth for six weeks (minus two days) after resurrection and there is no record of Him even entering the synagogue? There is a record of Him speaking to about 500 people and a record of Him meeting with James but no mention of Him preaching in the synagogue or worshipping there. Was He making a statement saying He is our rest now?

Most honest Sunday Pastors will admit that to you.

I've heard people say..."were not under the bondage of the Sabbath anymore"!

HOW CAN "REST", BE BONDAGE???

Bondage is setting special dates and times to worship God and making it necessary for salvation. Freedom is the privilege of worshipping God any time, any day and any place because God never sleeps nor slumbers and He is with us wherever we go, which is His promise to us. The Holy Spirit is our constant companion now and believers live by the Spirit. A person can experience physical rest and still be in spiritual bondage by trying to work his way into the Kingdom by law keeping and trying to be sinless and perfect and not seeing any improvement. That's pure misery!

SHOULD WE EVER STOP HONORING GOD FOR CREATING US & THIS WORLD???

God is ALWAYS due honor, praise and worship because of Who He is and what He has and is doing for us. One day out of the week just isn't enough.

Isaiah 58:13-14 "If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on MY holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it."

The Israelites are being addressed in this text. Remember Gentiles did not have the law.

Some say that the lord's day is "Sunday". Referring to Revelation 1:10 "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,"

Every day is the Lord's Day! 'Today, if you hear my voice, harden not your hearts."

THAT'S NOT WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS!...

Exodus 20:10 states "But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God:..."

Again, His audience is the Israelites. "I am the Lord thy God which brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage."

And again...Isaiah 58:13-14 "If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on MY holy day..."

Addressing Israelites.

Leviticus 23:3 says "Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings."

Addressing Israelites.

Matthew 12:8 "For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day."

Notes for 12:8

When Jesus said he was Lord of the Sabbath, he claimed to be greater than the law and above the law. To the Pharisees, this was heresy. They did not realize that Jesus, the divine Son of God, had created the Sabbath. The Creator is always greater than the creation; thus Jesus had the authority to overrule their traditions and regulations. —Life Application Bible Notes

And as Lord and Sovereign God, He has the right to 'Again set another day, calling it Today!" God is not bound by our logic and the box we attempt to place and keep Him in.

Mark 2:28 "Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath."

Again Jesus is addressing the Jews. The law had not been fulfilled as yet because He had not died. I would like to include verse 27 which reads, 27 Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

The Bible Says in Romans 5:12-14: "12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned-- 13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come."

The Sabbath was not here prior to the existence of man. The Sabbath was made for man (the Israelites were men, women, boys and girls: man ). To say that this text applies to all mankind is unbiblical. Deut. 4:8 reads: "And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?" God was speaking to the Israelites (man).

Luke 6:5 "And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath."

Same answer as above.

I believe the message is clear!

This day belongs to GOD!!! It is HIS Holy day!!! And He has never chosen another!!!

Yes, it belongs to the Lord but so does Sunday – Friday! He has AGAIN set Today!

The Lord's Holy Sabbath has been established since the very first seventh day! Though some struggle to think that is was established at Mt. Sinai. But that is not true! The Holy rest of God (the shâbath) was with Adam & Eve!

This statement is not biblical and is adding to Scripture. The Bible says, 'He rested."

Genesis 2:2-3 "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made."

This statement IS biblical and notice it says 'and he rested' – no mention of Adam and Eve.

God Blessed, and Sanctified the Seventh day of the week, BECAUSE He had rested from all creation!

True!

It is the ONLY time God rested in the history of the world!

On the cross, Jesus declared, "It is finished"! After He rose from the grave, He ascended to His Father. According to the Bible, He sat down next to the Father because His work was completed. Sounds like rest to me.

The word rested means:

H7673

שׁבת

shâbath

shaw-bath'

A primitive root; to repose, that is, desist from exertion; used in many implied relations (causatively, figuratively or specifically): - (cause to, let, make to) cease, celebrate, cause (make) to fail, keep (sabbath), suffer to be lacking, leave, put away (down), (make to) rest, rid, still, take away.

' to repose, that is, desist from exertion'.

Yep! Sounds like what Jesus is doing now. Just waiting on word from the Father to come get us!

The Sabbath, simply means "REST"! And this was the establishing of it.

As a matter of fact, the children of Israel kept the Sabbath far before it was given to them in stone at Sinai!...

Not biblical. This statement is adding to Scripture. The first mention of a Sabbath is found in Exodus 16.

Exodus 16:28-30 says "And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day."

This text is taken out of context. To understand it, one must begin reading Exodus 15:22-Exodus 16:4.

Exo. 16:4: Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.

Here the Sabbath is introduced to them for the first time (430 years later. Gal. 3:17). God said to Moses that He was going to test them by raining down bread from heaven and He gave Moses the instructions to pass on to the people. They were to gather double on the 6th day because (See Exodus 16:25-26):

25 "Eat it today," Moses said, "because today is a Sabbath to the LORD. You will not find any of it on the ground today. 26 Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any."

When God said, 'How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws', He was speaking about the command to gather enough for one day but double it on the 6^th day. All did not obey and He got angry and made that statement. Prior to this, Exodus 15:25 reads…

"Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the LORD made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them."

Again Exodus 16:4 says, "4 Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions."

The commandments and laws spoken of here were not the Ten Commandments. They weren't given until Exodus 20.

Also, I'd like to make the point that a minimum of four 7^th days (a month or more) had passed before the Israelites kept their first Sabbath after leaving Egypt. And when God gave it to them He never mentioned how their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had kept it. Also when the world was completely destroyed by a flood and God was starting all over again with Noah. God gave Noah and his family oral commandments to keep but no mention of a Sabbath and no warning from God to remember to keep it. The simple truth is that the Sabbath did not exist until after the Israelites were freed from Egypt and then not immediately.

This was before the declaration of Exodus 20.

This is true, but again this statement is being misrepresented as explained above.

And so, not only has the Sabbath of the Lord existed from the beginning, but it will NEVER have an end!!!

The Sabbath did not exist from the beginning. This is unbiblical and a teaching of Ellen White. The law came AFTER sin came into the world. We will be worshipping God every day even in heaven. There will be no light there because the Son will be our light which disables us to keep track of days. Everyday will be Sabbath just like it is now. We rest in Jesus! He is our Sabbath rest!

Remember what God Himself said...

Isaiah 66:22-23 "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD."

Remember, " from one new moon and from one Sabbath to another' means ALL the moons and ALL the days in between – every day, today! Acts 2:46 reiterates the fact that the Christians worshipped and communed daily!

Dear friend, if you are not a Sabbath keeper, and you love the Lord & His truth,...Here is your challenge today!...

Dear friend, the Sabbath was the sign of the covenant with Israel ONLY! Under the New Covenant it is about the Person of Jesus, your Sabbath rest, Who came to suffer, die and rise again just for you. IF you believe the Good News of the Gospel (summed up in 1 Cor. 15:1-4), you have eternal life NOW because Jesus paid the price and has done a completed work just for you. He is waiting to take your burden of trying to keep the law and feeling ashamed and guilty because you can't. The price has been paid so accept Him and give Him glory daily. He simply wants you to rest in Him. TODAY if you hear His voice, please don't harden your heart. Jesus is all you need and He really did pay it all.

Stand up for that truth! For surely, the 7th Day Sabbath is TRUTH!!!

Stand up for TRUTH! JESUS is the way, the TRUTH and the light, not the Sabbath!!!

Why continue to miss out on the sweet peace that the Sabbath brings? It was made for man's benefit! :-)

Why continue to miss out on the peace, rest, security and joy you can experience every day – not just one out of seven. It's about a Person and a daily relationship – not a day!

Blessings!

God bless you today and always

~RABS~

Patricia Allen

The Nitty-Gritty of Perfectionism

2011-03-03T22:04:00.018-05:00

What is perfection? The answer depends on who is answering the question.

The Bible Says in 1 Peter 1:19 "It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God." Perfection is Jesus.

According to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, perfection is the ability for sinful man to live a sinless life prior to Christ's second return.

Why is there such a disparity in definition and why don't Seventh-day Adventists accept the Bible for what it clearly reveals? I suggest that the reason for this disparity is because the Seventh-day Adventist Church's leadership teach that "the Voice of the General Conference" – or the Official Decisions and Recommendations of Their Highest Administrative Body – Represents "the Voice of God" on Earth!

In the Book, 'Testimonies for the Church,' Vol. III, p. 492, Mrs. Ellen White says" "I have been shown that no man's judgment should be surrendered to the judgment of any other man. But when the judgment of the General Conference, which is the highest authority that God has placed upon the earth, is exercised, private independence and private judgment must not be maintained, but be surrendered." (In the book, "Testimonies for the Church," Vol. IX, pp. 260 and 261, the same author refers to 'the voice of the General Conference' as the voice of God.")

It is noteworthy that Mrs. White said that the Lord told her ('I have been shown') that when the General Conference speaks, private independence and private judgment must be surrendered. Are we to surrender what the Holy Spirit reveals to us personally or privately to the General Conference? Is not the General Conference a collection of fallible men? Is her revelation biblical?

The Bible Says in Hebrews 1:1-2: "Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe."

The Bible Says in Matthew 17:5: "But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him."

The Bible Says in Ephesians 1:22: "God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church."

The Bible Says in Colossians 1:18: "Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything."

According to the aforementioned texts, 'in these last days' God speaks to us through His Son and the Father has instructed us to listen to His Son, not the General Conference.. Furthermore, The Bible Says that God has put His Son in charge of everything, which means the church or body of Christ is under His authority. The Adventist church is blinded by the fact that the church is a Spirit-born organism, thereby Spirit led, and it is not subject to nor restricted to human dictatorship and administration as other misguided churches have done.

Let's look at a few of Ellen White's quotes regarding perfection. Some of her die-hard supporters are still defending these quotes even today! Also, remember that the newly elected General Conference President, Ted Wilson, is a STRONG advocate of Ellen White and is seeking to shower targeted communities with free copies of The Great Controversy authored by Ellen White, instead of Bibles.

"Christ died to make it possible for you to cease to sin, and sin is the transgression of the law" (Review and Herald, vol. 71, No. 35, p. 1, August 28, 1894.)

"To be redeemed means to cease from sin" (Review and Herald, vol. 77, No. 39, p. 1, September 25, 1900).

"Those only who through faith in Christ obey all of God's commandments will reach the condition of sinlessness in which Adam lived before his transgression. They testify to their love of Christ by obeying all his precepts" (Manuscript 122, 1901, quoted in the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1118).

"To every one who surrenders fully to God is given the privilege of living without sin, in obedience to the law of heaven. ... God requires of us perfect obedience. We are to purify ourselves, even as he is pure. By keeping his commandments, we are to reveal our love for the Supreme Ruler of the universe" (Review and Herald, September 27, 1906, p. 8).

I cannot help but ask, "How do we purify ourselves? Why did Christ come to shed His blood and die for us if we can obey perfectly? Where in the Bible does it tell us that Christ died to make it possible for us to cease to sin?" I thought that to be redeemed means to be bought back for a price, but Mrs. White says "To be redeemed means to cease from sin." Why would God reveal to Mrs. White statements that are contrary to His Word?

Now let's look at what The Bible Says about perfection....

The Bible goes straight to the heart of the matter. The Greek word for heart in the New Testament is 'kardia', yet each time it is used, it is not talking about our blood pumper. When the Bible talks about your heart, it is speaking of your core – your inner being.

When Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love God with all your heart, He wasn't talking about the surface of your mind. He meant you are to love God with the core of your being. Your love for God is to come from the very center of your soul.

The Bible Says in Proverbs 4:23: "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

The Bible Says in Proverbs 21:2: "All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart."

The Bible Says in 1 Samuel 16:7: "…..Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

The Bible Says in Jeremiah 17:9: "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; Who can know it?"

God wants us to understand that from His perspective, He looks beyond our body language, our words and our deeds. He looks at motive because we can honor Him with our lips while our hearts are far away from Him. The Bible Says in Matthew 23:25, "What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence!"

God's task is to go beyond the nitty-gritty of what we think we are, who we think we are and what we say we are in our minds. He determines what we really are in the core of our being…. our Heart!

The Bible Says in 1 Corinthians 4:5 "….. wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts…"

If the heart is desperately wicked and only God can know it, how can a wicked heart be perfect? The Bible Says in 1 Chronicles 16:9, "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him…" A perfect heart is a heart fully committed to God.

The Apostle Paul confessed (Philippians 3:11-14) by saying, "I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."

Paul also said in Romans 3:23-26, "For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus."

People who died before Christ came and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice were not sinless, just as we are not sinless. They (believers) died looking for Him to come and pay for their redemption. We all fall short of God's glorious standard, but God has declared us righteous because of what Jesus did; not because we became sinless and are considered worthy to enter into His kingdom. Just as the High Priest was required to offer an unblemished goat for the sins of the people on the Day of Atonement, Jesus came and offered His sinless body, spilled His blood to atone for our sins and rose again. Because of His sacrifice, we are declared 'right in His sight' even though we still have a sinful nature but have a fully committed heart towards God.

Christians are perfect when they are covered by Christ. Look at the faith heroes listed in the Faith Hall of Fame found in Hebrews 11 (Abraham, Noah, Rahab, Sarah, Moses, etc.). No where in the Bible are they said to have been sinless. They were declared righteous because they believed what Jesus was going to do to redeem them. The Lord bids us in Isaiah 1:18, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." 1John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." If we are cleansed from all unrighteousness, that means we are righteous.If we are sinless, there is never a need to confess, so why would John tell us to confess if we never sin?

We can have a perfect heart towards God. I did not say a sinless heart but a heart focused and uplifted towards God. When we are born again, it is a spiritual rebirth. Flesh gives birth to flesh but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. The purpose of the rebirth is to have our sins forgiven and have a relationship with God

Nicodemus (John 3:1-21) was a prominent Pharisee, a member of the Sanhedrin and a man who needed a heart change – a spiritual transformation, a new birth. Being born again is the act whereby God imparts eternal life to the person who believes. John 1:12, 13 indicate that being 'born again' also carries the idea of becoming children of God through trust in the name of Jesus. So, how does the new birth take place?

The Bible Says in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast." When one is "saved," he/she has been born again, spiritually renewed, and is now a child of God by right of the new birth. Trusting in Jesus Christ, the One who paid the penalty of sin when He died on the cross, is what it means to be "born again" spiritually. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Cor. 5:17.

Does this new birth mean we are sinless, that we cease to sin? The natural man – this physical man on the outside – still contacts the natural world with its five senses. The spirit man on the inside contacts the spirit world through the spirit. If we have been born again, our spirit is in contact with God. But even if we have been born again, the natural man on the outside – our body – has NOT been born again. Our body is the house we live in. The real you is the spirit man on the inside. The Bible Says in Roman 8:7 (NLT), "For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God's laws, and it never will." As long as we have a sinful nature, we will sin, BUT we, by grace through faith, can allow the Spirit to control our sinful nature.

The Bible Says in Romans 8:9, "But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) NLT

To believe that we no longer have a sinful nature and can live a sinless life is heresy. But the Good News is that IF we believe the Good News of the Gospel we will be saved. The Bible Says in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. "Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said."

We are not on a 'works' system but a 'belief' system. It is not about 'outward ' behavior but 'inner' yielding to God. It is not about 'religion' but it is all about 'relationship'.

God sent His Son to be the covering for our sins and imperfections. When God looks at us, He sees Jesus and the nail prints in His hands! Contrary to Ellen White, God never asked us to be sinless neither does He expect it. He can be trusted to save us if we believe the Good News!

The Bible Says in 1 Peter 1:9, "The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls." Please note that the verse says 'salvation of your souls' (spirit) and not 'bodies" (sinful); but that's a whole other topic!

Ellen White's gospel is not the Gospel of the Bible. In fact, trying to serve God and trying to obey Ellen's 'Handwriting of Ordinances' cause conflict and duplicity in the lives of Christians because it places us in a position of trying to serve two masters. What I mean is this: If the Holy Spirit convicts us on a certain matter and the church (under the influence of Ellen White) tells us to do otherwise and we obey the church and not the Holy Spirit, we have seared our conscience and it is sin. On the other hand, if we obey the voice of the Holy Spirit and not the church, the church will judge us and in some cases punish us by demotion if we have a certain position in the church. Who or what caused this need to balance what the church says with what God says? Shouldn't they speak the same language?

God is our Master and as our Master, we are accountable to Him only. With outstretched arms, our Master and Savior pleads with us, "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavily laden and I will give you rest…." It's okay to stop trying; it's okay to stop fearing; it's okay to stop checking your spiritual progress only to be disappointed; it's okay to listen to the Holy Spirit and ignore church dogma if there is a conflict. Just give it ALL to Jesus. Jesus can handle it and only Jesus can give you salvation. You are covered from head to toe in His righteousness because He was the PERFECT sacrifice and He is faithful who promised. Now that's the gospel truth!

With much Christian love,
Patricia Allen

(For further elaboration, please check January's 2011 archived article: 'Are Believers on Probation? Can Believers Be Perfect?")

Proof That The Old Covenant Stood Before The Cross and Fell After The Cross.

2011-02-19T13:48:00.002-05:00

Following is an article by Sal @ www.allexperts.com. Sal's specialty is answering questions regarding Seventh-day Adventism from a Biblical perspective. He gave me permission to post this 'question and answer' dialog on my blog. Thanks again Sal!

Expert: Sal - 2/10/2011

Brother Sal -

On 1/2/2011, you stated, "If you would like I can prove from the Bible that the Old Covenant was one covenant containing moral, civil, and ceremonial laws all of which stood together before the cross and fell together after the cross."

Brother Sal, please prove this for me. I truly appreciate your time and effort and the many years you have served Jesus Christ by answering people's questions. - Brother Steve

Answer

Dear Brother Steve:

In Scripture, the Law of Moses is always spoken of as one unit comprised of 613 commandments. The purpose of this Old Covenant Law was to reveal God’s standard of righteousness and man’s sinfulness. This in turn teaches man that he needs a substitutionary atonement—a savior. The Old Covenant Law was a monitor over one immature in faith. When one moves to a mature faith, characterized by accepting the finished work of Christ, that person is no longer in the monitor’s charge (see Galatians 3:23-25). Therefore, the monitor has reached its goal and is dismissed. The entire Old Covenant Law becomes obsolete and the Christian comes under the Law of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 9:21; Galatians 6:2).

Even the SDAs realize that the vast majority of the Old Covenant laws are obsolete in the New Covenant. In the hope of salvaging their Sabbath keeping, sabbatarians try to force distinctions on the Mosaic Laws. The usual distinctions invented are to call some moral laws (the Ten Commandments), some ceremonial, and some legal or civil. The reason for these unbiblical categories is so that they can claim that Christians are not under the ceremonial or civil laws, but are still under the Ten Commandments especially the Sabbath.

It is crucial for the serious student of the Bible to understand that the Mosaic or Old Covenant laws, all 613 commands, are viewed as one unit in the Bible. The Bible nowhere gives us permission to separate the laws of the Old Covenant. The word “law” (Torah in Hebrew & Nomos in the Greek) when applied to the Mosaic or Old Covenant Law is always singular even though it contains 613 separate commandments. For example, “This is the law which Moses set before the Israelites. These are the ordinances, statutes, and decrees which he proclaimed to them when they came out of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 4:44-45). Clearly “the law” here is all 613 laws not just the Decalogue. “Then were read aloud all the words of the law, the blessings and the curses, exactly as written in the book of the law. Every single word that Moses had commanded, Joshua read aloud…” (Joshua 8:34-35). Again all the law without separation is referred to. “Keep the mandate of the Lord, your God, following his ways and observing his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees as they are written in the Law of Moses…” (1 Kings 2:3). All the requirements are the Law. One final example of many, “Many nations will come and say, ‘Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths’. The Law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Micah 4:2). Other passages showing that the Law of the Old Covenant is one unit include Leviticus 18:5; 24:22; Deuteronomy 4:1, 5, 8; 6:25; 31:12-13; 28:58; Joshua 1:7-8; 2 Kings 17:3; 18:12; 21:8; 23:25; 1 Chronicles 16:40; 2 Chronicles 33:8; Ezra 7:6; Psalm 78:5; 119:1, 55, 108, 137, 174; 147:20; Proverbs 31:4-5; Isaiah 5:24; Jeremiah 18:18; Lamentations 2:9; Ezekiel 7:26; Hosea 4:6; Amos 2:4; Habakkuk 1:4; Zephaniah 3:4; Zechariah 7:12; Malachi 2:9; Mark 15:31; John 1:17; Acts 13:39; Galatians 3:10; Ephesians 2:14-15; I Timothy 1:7-8; Titus 3:9; Hebrews 10:28; James 2:10.

The idea that the Law of the Lord equals the Ten Commandments and that the Law of Moses equals the now obsolete ceremonial law is not supported by Scripture. The ceremonial law is called “the Law of the Lord” numerous times in Scripture. “From his own wealth the king allotted a portion for holocausts, those of morning and evening and those on Sabbaths, new moons and festivals, as prescribed in the law of the LORD” (2 Chronicles 31:3). This obvious reference to the ceremonial laws (weekly, monthly, yearly sequence) is called the Law of the Lord and not that of Moses as the SDA thesis requires. In Nehemiah 8 we have the example of the “Law of Moses” and the “Law of the God” being used to refer to the same books. “…they called upon Ezra the scribe to bring forth the book of the law of Moses…” (v.1). “Ezra read plainly from the book of the law of God…” (v. 8). In a clear reference to the ceremonial law we read, “They found it written in the law prescribed by the Lord through Moses that the Israelites must dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month” (v. 14; see Leviticus 23:33-36). From what book was this read? “Ezra read from the book of the law of God…” (v.18). This passage from Nehemiah 8 uses the two terms in question interchangeably. Other passages where the ceremonial law is called the Law of the Lord/God are Exodus 13:7-9; 1 Chronicles 16:40; 2 Chronicles 31:3-4.

In the New Testament we read from the lips of our Lord, “Have you not read in the Law how the priests on temple duty break the Sabbath rest without incurring guilt?” (Matthew 12:5). This is a clear reference to the ceremonial law called by Jesus “the Law”. This indicates that Jesus considered the Old Covenant Law to be one inseparable unit—the Law. When Jesus was asked which of the commandments of the Law was the greatest he quoted two commandments neither of which was from the so-called moral law, that is the Ten Commandments (see Matthew 22:34-40). Instead he quoted from the so-called ceremonial or civil law (see Deuteronomy 6:5 & Leviticus 19:18). Again it seems that Jesus understood the Mosaic Law to be one inseparable unit. One final New Testament example, “When the day came to purify them according to the law of Moses, the couple brought him up to Jerusalem so that he could be presented to the Lord, for it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every first born male shall be consecrated to the Lord’. They came to offer in sacrifice ‘a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons’, in accord with the dictates in the law of the Lord (Luke 2:22-24). Here we see once again the Law of Moses and the Law of the Lord equated. The ceremonial law is clearly in view, as also can be seen in Luke 2:39, and is referred to as the “Law of the Lord.”

The obvious truth is that the Bible never even once makes any distinction in terms of the Law between one moral and one ceremonial. On the contrary the 613 laws of the Old Covenant are always viewed as one unit. This helps to explain why we read, “Cursed be he who fails to fulfill any of the provisions of this law!” (Deuteronomy 27:26). “It is written, ‘Cursed is he who does not abide by everything written in the book of the law and carry it out’” (Galatians 3:10). “Whoever falls into sin on one point of the Law, even though he keeps the entire remainder, he has become guilty on all counts” (James 2:10). These Scripture makes perfect sense if the Law is one inseparable unit. The Old Testament has over 200 references to the Law. The much shorter New Testament has almost 200 references. The New Testament is full of discussions on the Law. Yet in all of these discussions never is the observance of the Ten Commandments mentioned as necessary for Christians. It is never stated to be our standard. The reason is simply because the Ten Commandments were treated as 10 of the 613 commandments God gave the Israelites through Moses. The New Testament is very clear that the entire Old Covenant is no longer binding on Christians. We have a new covenant. “This cup is the new covenant in my blood” (1 Corinthians 11:25). “When he says, ‘a new covenant’, he declares the first one obsolete” (Hebrews 8:13). In the New Covenant we are obliged to follow a much higher moral standard (see Matthew 5:20-48). The New Testament appeals to Jesus when telling us to be moral, it never appeals to any of the Ten Commandments (see 1 Corinthians 6:18-20).

In conclusion, the Bible knows nothing of the man-made divisions of the Old Covenant Law. It is all one unit all of which has become obsolete.

I hope this answers your question. If I can be of further help please let me know.

God Bless You,

Brother Sal

Is The Gospel ALL We Really Need?

2011-02-17T21:55:00.000-05:00

Is the Gospel ALL we REALLY need to be saved? What about 'my works' and keeping the law?

According to the Bible, the Gospel is Good News or Good Tidings. When Jesus was about to be born, The Bible Says in Luke 2:10-11..

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

When Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again, that, too, was Good News. As a matter of fact, the BEST news. The Bible Says in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4....

"Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel (Good News) I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,"

The Bible Says in Romans 4:23-25 (referring to Abraham)...

'The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness--for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification."

Many believe that they have a 'work' to do in order to be saved like keeping the Ten Commandments and attending church on the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday). The Bible Says in John 6:29 KJV...

"Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."

When Peter, Paul, John and the Apostles preached to the Gentiles, they preached pure Gospel. They stressed relationship with Jesus, not law-keeping. Their focus was not on how well they were performing by keeping laws but on the importance of them allowing the Holy Spirit to lead them into all that is holy on a daily basis.

Salvation is so simple. We are saved by grace through faith. As humans, we have been raised on the merit system (performance based) and it is difficult to conceive, let alone believe, that all we have to do is believe and accept what Jesus has already done for us in order to be saved. When Jesus said, "It is finished" He meant every word. Our salvation was a DONE DEAL!

To aid us in holy living, Jesus sent us the Comforter. The Bible Says in John 14:26 KJV...

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

The Bible also Says in 1 John 2:26-27...

"I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit--just as it has taught you, remain in him."

If we believe that Jesus suffered and died for our sins and rose again. If we believe that the Comforter has the power to live within us and that He can empower us to live holy lives that are pleasing to God, then we can stand on the promise of John 3:16. The Bible Says....

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believeth in Him shall HAVE everlasting life."

With much Christian love,
Patricia Allen

What Is Sin?

2011-02-15T18:36:00.004-05:00

Seventh-day Adventists’ favorite definition of sin is: “Sin is the transgression of the law.” I concur simply because The Bible Says so, but the follow-up question should be, “What law?” What law is sin transgressing? I would like to share my findings regarding what The Bible Says……….

John’s Definition of Sin:

The Bible Says in 1 John 3:4, “Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God.” NLT

The Bible Says in the King James Version, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”

If you look at ALL of John’s writings, I think you will be compelled to agree that John is speaking of God’s Royal Law of Love, the law of loving God and one another. John is stressing to Christians the importance of Christian fellowship and loving others. John tells us that anyone who says that they love God but doesn’t obey God’s commandments is a liar and is not living in the truth. He then defines what God’s commandments are.

The Bible Says in 1 John 3:23-24….

“And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.”

When I checked my Bible’s concordance on 1 John 3:4 to seek a clearer understanding on what law we are transgressing when we sin, it pointed me to Matthew 7:23.

The Bible Says in Matthew 7:23, “But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’”

This text meant nothing to me at first glance, so I read it in its context. I discovered that this verse is the summation of the Sermon on the Mount, which began in Matthew 5. From Matthew 5 through 7, Jesus is addressing the Jews and He is calling them to righteousness. As an aside, I wonder why Jesus would need to call the religious law-keepers to righteousness? The entire sermon has to do with Jesus giving instructions regarding our relationship with God and each other. He also assured them that He did not come to abolish the law but that it would remain in tact UNTIL He fulfilled it on the cross. Jesus is saying in Matthew 7:23 that when we break His law of love (God’s law), He doesn’t know us.

After receiving a better understanding of Matthew 7:23, my concordance then pointed me to Matthew 25: 12, 41. The Bible Says,

Vs 12, “But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you.’”

Wow! What does this mean? When read in context, this verse is the summation of the parable of The Ten Bridesmaids. Jesus is speaking in this chapter and the chapter preceding it about preparing for His return. He is warning us to be watchful because if we aren’t, He will come as a thief in the night and disown us. Matthew 24:42 reads, “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.”

Jesus is issuing a command (MUST) and if we disobey it by not putting Him first and allowing the Holy Spirit to prepare us, we are living outside of faith and will be lost. He wants us prepared, as His bride, to enter into an everlasting and joyous relationship with Him.

Vs 41, “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.”

Who are those on the left and why might they be cast into eternal fire? To understand the meaning of this text, please read verses 31-46. This text is not talking about them breaking the Ten Commandments and ending up in hell. Verse 42-46 explains why the people will be cast into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. The Bible Says, “For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty and you didn’t give me drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison and you didn’t visit me……”

As you can see, we are not being judged by the Ten Commandments as Seventh-day Adventists believe. We are being judged by how well we loved God and others, the Royal Law of Love.

Paul’s Definition of Sin:

The Bible Says in Romans 14:23 NLT, “But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.”

The Bible Says in the King James Version, “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”

When read in context and reading the verses that preceded this one, we will discover that Paul is dealing with human relationships. The emphasis in Chapter 14 is a plea for unity regarding days of worship and eating.

The Bible Says in Romans 14:1-5….

¹ Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. ² One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. ³ The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. ⁴ Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. ⁵ One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶ He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God”.

God’s Word defines sin for us, yet sin also involves our conscience. If our conscience is leading us to do one thing and we don’t follow its leading, we are on our own, outside of faith, therefore sinning. The Holy Spirit speaks through our mind.

Now that we have a clearer meaning of Romans 14:23, my concordance then pointed me to 1 Corinthians 15:56 NLT. The Bible Says, “For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.” The Message (MSG) for this verse reads, ‘It was sin that made death so frightening and law-code guilt that gave sin its leverage – its destructive power.”

After reading Corinthians, it pointed me to Romans 4:15, Romans 5:12 and Ephesians 2:1. The Bible Says respectively…..

Romans 4:15 NLT, “For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)

The Bible is clearly interpreting itself. Paul is telling the Christians in Romans 4:15 that trying to keep the law is pointless because we can’t keep it. Prior verses in this chapter explain how Abraham lived by faith and NOT by his obedience to God’s law. After all, The Bible Says in Galatians 3:17 that the law was introduced 430 years after the promises were given to Abraham.

Romans 5:12-14 NLT, “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. Still everyone died – from the time of Adam to the time of Moses – even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representative of Christ, who is yet to come.”

According to the Bible, when Adam sinned there was no law to break. Adam disobeyed a direct and explicit command from God not to eat of the tree. When He ate, his conscience condemned him and he hid, or tried to. In this instance, sin was breaking a direct order from God, not the Ten Commandments. Adam made a conscience decision to step outside of his relationship with God and we are reaping the consequences. Seventh-day Adventists attempt to defend their position that the law was given prior to Adam and Eve, by saying that Adam broke the very first commandment of the Ten Commandments, but The Bible Says and says it quite plainly, that Adam sinned before the law was given.

Ephesians 2:15 reads, “He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups.”.

When Gentiles were allowed to accept the Good News of the Gospel, the Jews tried to proselytize them by having the Gentile Christians keep their laws and rituals. Paul had an audience with the Council in Jerusalem ( Acts 15) and it was determined that Christians did not have to keep Jewish law and rituals BUT in order to keep the peace to a certain extent, the Gentiles were told ……

Acts 15:19-21. “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

The latter part of verse 29 says, “If you do this, you will do well.” The Ten Commandments are not the point of reference here.

It is clear to me that sin is breaking God’s law of love and sin is ignoring the Holy Spirit’s leading in our lives. The Holy Spirit is our Comforter and Guide. His mission is to lead us into all things that are holy. He lives in us and through us if we allow Him. The Law of Moses can only point out sin and the law is powerless to help us to keep its requirements. For a specified time, the law was our guardian. The Bible Says in Galatians 3:23-26…

“Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed. Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”

Paul, the Apostle to the Christians pose some questions of his own for us to ponder. Before he speaks, I would like to remind you that Gentiles were never under the law.

So says Paul:

“Let me ask this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the Law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it? I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the Law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you have heard about Christ.” Galatians 3:2-5 NLT

Reader, the law, with all of its trimmings, was nailed to the cross. Sin is not the transgression of the Ten Commandments. We now have the Holy Spirit. We are now under the Royal Law of Love and the Holy Spirit teaches us individually how to love and what to do. As a former Adventist, I feel that the SDA church places too little emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit. Yes, He is spoken of often, but in practice ,pretty much ignored. He stands in line behind all of their rules and ‘handwriting of ordinances’ (policies). Seventh-day Adventists tend to want everyone to be alike (Cookie Cutter Christians). They have a rule for every aspect of your life, thus going beyond the Bible. The Bible is gray in some areas but Adventists try to ‘fill in the blanks’ so everyone will know what is expected of them at all times. Can not the Holy Spirit do this?

The Bible Says in 1 John 3:26-27…

“But you have received the Holy Spirit and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true – it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.”

In conclusion, sin is best defined as ignoring the gentle whisperings and pleadings of the Holy Spirit, Whose job is to lead and empower us to do His good pleasure. Even the good that we do is sin if it is done outside of a faith relationship with God. The Bible Says in Romans 14:23 ..."whatsoever is not of faith is sin".

Stone is hard and it makes those who try to meet its terms hard-hearted. Not so with the Holy Spirit. REMEMBER…..

“God cannot kiss His bride until the veil is lifted.” Patricia A. Allen

Stone vs. Spirit

2011-02-14T14:57:00.004-05:00

The Tablets of Stone only point out sin;

The Holy Spirit actually lives within.

The Tablets of Stone can only enslave;

The Holy Spirit has power to save.

The Tablets of Stone can't help us live right.

They lead to worry, anxiety and fright.

The Holy Spirit is our comforter and guide

He promises to always be by our side.

The Tablets of Stone have no tongue to speak;

No ears to hear, no mind to critique.

The Tablets of Stone have no tears to shed;

No arms to hold us, no hands that bled.

The Holy Spirit is our everlasting friend.

He promises to be with us until the end.

The Tablets of Stone were on the cross overturned

It's the Holy Spirit that Christians now yearn.

The Spirit will empower us to the Lord's bidding

If you think stone can do that, you must be kidding!

Patricia A. Allen

Are God's Law and Moses' Law Two Different Laws?

2011-02-13T17:51:00.012-05:00

It has been my experience that whenever a Seventh- day Adventist (SDA) sees the words ‘law(s) or commandment(s)’ the automatic conclusion is that the author is referring to the Ten Commandments. That is why we are admonished to “Study to show ourselves approved unto God.’ It involves a lot of cross-referencing and reading the Bible in context to get to the real meat of what is being said. It also most definitely involves an attentive ear to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Even though it was in my future plans to post a blog on Moses Law and God’s Law, I find myself prematurely doing so as the result of a dialogue I am currently having with a member of the SDA church. His position is that there are two distinct laws: Moses Law and God’s Law. The Bible Says they are the same and they are, in fact, used interchangeably. The SDA’s position is that Moses’ Laws were the ceremonial laws, that only the ceremonial laws were nailed to the cross and God’s Law (the Ten Commandments) are permanent and were not nailed to the cross. My position is that the entire Torah referred to as God’s Law and Moses Law were nailed to the cross.

The question is asked, “Are God’s Law and Moses’ Law the same? The following answer to this question is copied from my blog title, Seventh-day Adventists’ Amazing Facts Are Really Amazing, Question 13, for those you have read it and might want to skip down to ‘Are the Ten Commandments Eternal”? (IN RED)

According to Amazing Facts and what Seventh-day Adventists teach, the answer is NO! They teach that Moses' law contained the temporary, ceremonial law of the Old Testament. It regulated the priesthood, sacrifices, rituals, meat and drink offerings, etc. all of which foreshadowed the cross. This law was added 'till the seed should come.' and that seed was Christ (Galatians 3:16,19). The ritual and ceremony of Moses' law pointed forward to Christ's sacrifice. When He died on the cross, this law came to an end, but the Ten Commandments (God's law) stands forever. That there are two laws is made crystal clear in Daniel 9:10,11.

10 we have not obeyed the LORD our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. "Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you

My Rebuttal: Yes, they are the same. The Law of God and the Law of Moses can be used interchangeably. The Bible Says in Luke 2:22-24 and Luke 2:30....

22 When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord" ), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: "a pair of doves or two young pigeons (clearly what he is quoting from the Law of Moses did not come from the Ten Commandments and clearly what he is quoting from the Law of the Lord is not from the Ten Commandments. What he is quoting comes from the 'Book of the Law' which is God's Law AND Moses' Law).

39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth.

Please note that the Law of the Lord in these verses is NOT referring to the Ten Commandments but the 'so-called' ceremonial laws. So Amazing Facts and SDA’s cannot correctly say that Moses' Law was strictly ceremonial. Furthermore, God's law was a unit (613 commands) and could not be divided.

The text ( Daniel 9:10, 11) that Amazing Facts references does not prove otherwise. Daniel was praying to God and was rehearsing how the people had sinned against Him. You have to read the verses preceding the texts that Amazing Facts chose. Starting at Daniel 9, verse 7 sets the backdrop...

7 "Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame--the men of Judah and people of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. 8 O LORD, we and our kings, our princes and our fathers are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; 10 we have not obeyed the LORD our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. "Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you.”

If Moses is the servant of God and God gave him a message or laws, then it is God's message or law for Moses, in turn, to give to the people. Example: Paul, in the New Testament, received direct communication from God as His servant and his words are as commandments or laws from God. The same with Moses. Paul and Moses both received from God to teach the people; they were willing servant vessels. They weren't Paul's or Moses' laws but God's. Paul remarks regarding his calling in Galatians 1:11-12

11 'I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ."

To conclude this portion, The Bible Says, Moses’ Law and God’s Law are the same; it’s the Torah, 613 commands.

ARE THE TEN COMMANDMENTS ETERNAL?

The Bible’s position is that when the law and the prophets were fulfilled, they were no longer effective; they were abolished because of their fulfillment. Seventh-day Adventists’ position is that they are permanent and still binding on us today. The Bible Says in Ephesians 2:15, ‘...by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments AND regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace.” The law (nomos) is referring to the Torah or Moses Law aka God’s Law.

Following are some proof texts that SDA’s (my friend in particular) use to prove that the Ten Commandments are permanent. My SDA friend’s comments are in red and mine are in black to make it a little easier to follow along. He is proving that Paul, James and John say that God’s Law (written with His finger) is permanent and still binding.

BUT, THE HOLY TEN COMMANDMENTS OF GOD ARE PERMANENT...

Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-19 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

‘The law’ in Matthew 5:17-19 is referring to the Greek word nomos (3551). According to The New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Red-Letter Edition), the SDA's proof texts are….. ‘of the Mosaic Law, 'the law' of Sinai, e.g., Matthew 5:18, John 1:17; Romans 2:15, 18, 20, 26, 27; 3:19; 4:15; 7:4, 7, 14, 16, 22; 8:3, 4, 7; Gal. 3:10, 12, 19, 21, 24; 5:3; Eph. 2:15; Phil. 3:6; 1 Ti 1:8; Heb. 7:19; Jas. 2:9.

PAUL SPEAKS OF THIS SAME LAW OF GOD, CONCERNING ITS IMPORTANCE...

Romans 2:12 "For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;"

The word 'law' in this text does not have 'the' article preceding it; Strong says without the article, it is stressing the Mosaic law in its quality as “law,” e.g., Rom. 2:14 (first part)…Romans 2:14 (NLT) “Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law…..Romans 5:20 (NLT) “God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were…”

According to Strong’s. ‘The absence of the article before nomos indicates the assertion of a principle.”

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." (nomos – Mosaic Law or Law of God)

Romans 4:15 "Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression." (nomos – Mosaic Law or Law of God)

Paul's references point to the Mosaic law or Torah.

JAMES SPEAKS OF THIS SAME LAW OF GOD, CONCERNING ITS IMPORTANCE...

James 2:10-12 "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. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty."

The Bible Says in James 2:9, “But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.” (Notice that it has the article ‘the’ preceding the word ‘law’ so it is referring to the Mosaic Law, the Law given at Sinai, God’s law)

If James is read in context, you will discover that James is scolding the Jews, who were authorities on the law, about showing favoritism. Showing favoritism is not one of the Ten Commandments, however, it is in the Torah or Book of the Law. Verses 10 and 11 are reiterating to the Jews that if they showed favoritism they are as guilty as murdering and committing adultery because ‘the same God who said’ thou shalt not commit adultery and thou shalt not murder also said do not show favoritism. He was reminding them that if they showed favoritism they were breaking the law and if they broke one law they were guilty of breaking them all.

Since showing favoritism is not a Ten Commandment law, why would James compare apples with oranges? Why would James say they have broken God’s law by showing favoritism if showing favoritism wasn’t written by the finger of God? Be mindful that James is speaking to the Jews who did not accept Jesus as the Messiah, which is why he could speak to them about the law. They knew the law very well.

In conversation, it was said that we shall be judged by the Ten Commandments, which is why my friend made bold ‘shall be judged’ in James 2:10-12. In defense of the Ten Commandments (because of the two ‘thou shalt nots’) it was not noticed that James was saying we will be judged by the Law of Liberty, not the Ten Commandments. The Law of Liberty is God’s Law.

The NLT version reads, ‘you will be judged by the law that sets you free.’ The Law of Liberty is the law of love, God’s law. The Bible Says in John 13:33-35, “Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me but you can’t come where I am going. So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

The Bible Says in 1 John 5:1-3 (NLT) reads, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children too. We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey His commandments. Loving God means keeping his commandments and his commandments are not burdensome.”

1 John 3:23-24 explains to us what God’s commandments are. The Bible Says, “And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he commanded us. Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.”

James texts are referring to the Mosiac law to bring the Jews in line, but his emphasis is on the New Testament law of love (God's Law), which we will be judged by.

JOHN SPEAKS OF THIS SAME LAW OF GOD, CONCERNING ITS IMPORTANCE...

1 John 3:4 "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." (Again, John is not referring to the Ten Commandments. When the entire chapter is read in context, you will discover that John is talking about living as God’s children, urging them to love one another and to live in right relationship with God. Verse 10 reads, “So now we can tell who the children of God and who are the children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God."

MY SDA friend said, “My dear kind sister, you are leading people astray concerning the Law! for Revelation 22:14 says... "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."

Revelation 22:14 is not referring to the Ten Commandments. Again, according to Strong’s, the word ‘entole’ is the Greek word for commandments, which means an ‘injunction or authoritative prescription’. Our prescription for ‘righteous living’ is to obey God’s commandment of believing the Good News of the Gospel and loving others.

To conclude, the Law of Moses and the Law of God under the Old Covenant are the same and are used interchangeably. The Law of God in the New Covenant is the Law of Love aka the Law of Liberty. The Old Covenant in its entirety was nailed to the cross. The Old Covenant was for Israel only; the New Covenant is for ALL who believe. The Old Covenant was temporary; the New Covenant is eternal. We, today, are under the New Covenant. The Holy Spirit tells us what to do and the Holy Spirit empowers us – not the tablets of stone.

I John 2:27 (NLT) reads, “But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches you is true – it is not a lie. So just as he taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.”

John's texts are referring to the law of love, God's Royal Law, not the Ten Commandments. Paul, James and John are not promoting the keeping of the Ten Commandments. The Bible Says, that only three things will last FOREVER, faith, hope and love; the greatest of these is love.

I can only request that you give this information prayerful study to see whether these things are so.

"God cannot kiss His bride until the veil is lifted." Patricia A. Allen

Be blessed.

Who Says I Can't Wear Jewelry?

2011-02-07T14:36:00.055-05:00

Some religious groups prohibit the wearing of jewelry and if the truth were to be told, I don't know why. As a former Seventh-day Adventist, I would venture to say, and be about 99% accurate, that the members are advised against wearing jewelry because the less money spent on jewelry, the more money they have to contribute to the church coffers. That's my take, but more importantly, I am more interested in what The Bible Says. Is not wearing jewelry a church thing or a God thing? Let's see what The Bible Says (in context)....

The Wearing of Jewelry in the Old Testament

Abraham, God’s faithful friend, sent his servant to secure a bride for his son, Isaac. To make a great impression and presentation, Abraham sent many ‘good things’ on ten camels for the bride-to-be which included jewelry. The Bible Says in Genesis 24:22, 52-53 NIV…

²² When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels.
⁵² When Abraham's servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD. ⁵³ Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother.

Joseph, as second in command of Egypt, also wore jewelry. The Bible Says in Genesis 41:41-42….

⁴¹ So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt." ⁴² Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.

Just as Joseph had refused to bow to the Egyptian gods, he could have politely requested not to accept Pharaoh’s ring if it were violating God’s command, but he didn’t. The ring, clothes and gold chain represented restoration, elevation and celebration. God restored Joseph from a slave to 2^nd in command of all Egypt. Becoming a new ruler and husband almost overnight was cause for great celebration.

When the Israelites left Egypt, God commanded them to ask for silver and gold from the Egyptians. In fact, they plundered Egypt. The Bible Says in Genesis 3:21-22,

²¹ "And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. ²² Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians."

Daniel, a servant of God and a bold contender for his faith, refused to eat from the king's table BUT he did not refuse to wear the gold chain. The Bible Says in Daniel 5:29..,

"Then at Belshazzar's command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom."

Daniel was dressed in purple (the color of royalty) and given a gold chain. These tokens came as a result of his restoration from being a captive and to his elevation as Prime Minister.

The prophet Isaiah also spoke favorably of jewelry. The Bible Says in Isaiah 61:10 NIV…

¹⁰ I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

The Bible Says in Jeremiah 2:31-32 NIV…

"You of this generation, consider the word of the LORD: "Have I been a desert to Israel or a land of great darkness? Why do my people say, 'We are free to roam; we will come to you no more'? ³² Does a maiden forget her jewelry, a bride her wedding ornaments? Yet my people have forgotten me, days without number."

Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, obviously saw the wearing of jewelry as a thing of great beauty. The Bible Says in Song of Solomon 1:10-11…

¹⁰ Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings, your neck with strings of jewels. ¹¹ We will make you earrings of gold, studded with silver.

God never condemned the wearing of jewelry, in fact, He equated it with beauty. The Bible Says in Ezekiel 28:11-13…

¹¹ The word of the LORD came to me: ¹² "Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. ¹³ You were in Eden, the garden of God;
every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.

The Wearing of Jewelry in the New Testament

As New Covenant believers, has God changed His mind about the wearing of jewelry? Some use a passage Peter wrote to say that jewelry is forbidden for Christians. The Bible Says in 1 Peter 3:1-5 (MSG) …

¹ The same goes for you wives: Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated ² by your life of holy beauty. ³ What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes— ⁴ but your inner disposition. Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. ⁵ The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands. ⁶ Sarah, for instance, taking care of Abraham, would address him as "my dear husband." You'll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, unanxious and unintimidated.”

Take note that the patriarchs' wives or ‘the holy women of old’ wore jewelry. As we read from the Old Testament, Abraham was rich with silver and gold. When he sent his servant to look for a wife for Isaac, The Bible Says, "Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and left, taking with him all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor." Genesis 24:10

When the servant arrived, his test for the bride-to-be was based on inner beauty. Abraham’s servant prayed and asked God to let Isaac’s future bride show him a deed of inner kindness. When Rebekah came to the well, she not only quenched his thirst but she also watered all ten of his camels. This was indeed the answer to his prayer and his mission was considered a success.

The Bible Says in Genesis 24:22 that the servant gave Rebekah some of the 'good things' Abraham had sent, "When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels."

Even though Abraham’s servant recognized and admired Rebekah’s outer beauty, he was won by her inner beauty of kindness and humility. Her kind deeds and unselfish attitude spoke volumes to him. He only asked for water for himself but she took delight in fetching water for his ten camels until they were full. Only then did he enhance her outer beauty with jewelry as a direct result and acknowledgment of her inner beauty and heartfelt kindness.. She became the wife of Isaac, one of the patriarchs. In this instance, the bestowal and wearing of jewelry was a sign of elevation (becoming the wife of a patriarch) and celebration.

All Scriptures referencing the wearing of jewelry speaks of it in a very positive light EXCEPT when the Israelites used it to make the golden calf. Peter is not saying not to wear jewelry, Peter is simply emphasizing the importance of inner beauty FIRST...just like the holy women of the past.

In contrast are people who are mean-spirited, judgmental, arrogant, unkind, unmerciful, unloving and on an ego trip. Their 'inner' selves repel people. Their expensive jewelry and fine clothing might initially attract but when time is spent with them their outer beauty fades and eventually disappears in the eyes of those who were once attracted to them. When the ‘inner’ person is ugly, so is the outer. Our first concern should be the ‘inner person’ not the ‘outer’.

In the New Testament, Jesus Himself told the parable of the prodigal son. When the father saw his wayward son returning home he bestowed on him the highest honor by placing a ring on his finger. The Bible Says in Luke 15:22-23…

²² "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate."

If the wearing of jewelry is forbidden, why would Jesus use ‘a ring’ in this parable as a sign of the son’s restoration (no longer a hired hand), elevation (a position of honor with the best robe) and celebration (the guest of honor)?

John saw in vision all manner of precious stones in the New Jerusalem. The Bible Says in Revelation 21:18-21….

¹⁸ The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. ¹⁹ The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, ²⁰ the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. ²¹ The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.

If our feet are destined to walk on gold, a decision made by God Himself, why do Seventh-day Adventists and some other religious groups forbid and condemn the wearing of precious stones and jewelry? Is it possible that the created now knows better than the Creator?

Lastly, I would like to share with you a few quotes from Ellen White, the Seventh-day Adventist prophetess, regarding jewelry:

“…Do not expend one dollar of God's money in purchasing needless articles. Your money means the salvation of souls. Then let it not be spent for gems, for gold, or precious stones." Reflecting Christ by Ellen G. White, p. 266

“Those who have bracelets, and wear gold and ornaments, had better take these idols from their persons and sell them, even if it should be for much less than they gave for them, and thus practice self-denial. Time is too short to adorn the body with gold or silver or costly apparel.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 9, Chapter Title: Ellen White on Jewelry page 117, paragraph 1.

“We warn our Christian sisters against the tendency to make their dresses according to worldly styles, thus attracting attention. The house of God is profaned by the dress of professedly Christian women of today. A fantastic dress, a display of gold chains and gaudy laces, is a certain indication of a weak head and a proud heart.” Selected Messages, Book 3, Chapter Title: Dress and Adornment page 244, paragraph 1.

Mrs. White is making it clear that God is calling on the so-called remnant church, Seventh-day Adventists, to "put away their idols" of jewelry that are used "for display and parade".

Now let us compare what Ellen White says about jewels with what God instructed Moses regarding the precious stones the High Priest, God’s representative, was required to wear. The Bible Says in Exodus 28:15-20…

¹⁵ "Fashion a breastpiece for making decisions--the work of a skilled craftsman. Make it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. ¹⁶ It is to be square--a span long and a span wide--and folded double. ¹⁷ Then mount four rows of precious stones on it. In the first row there shall be a ruby, a topaz and a beryl; ¹⁸ in the second row a turquoise, a sapphire and an emerald; ¹⁹ in the third row a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst; ²⁰ in the fourth row a chrysolite, an onyx and a jasper. Mount them in gold filigree settings.”

The High Priest was instructed to wear not one or two but twelve precious stones and their attire included finely twisted linen of gold, blue, purple and scarlet yarn. God is about inner and outer beauty and who does it better than He.

The choice to wear jewelry or not to wear jewelry is a personal decision but it IS an option that God gives us. The members of the Seventh-day Adventist church has permitted ‘Ellen’ to take that option away. No man, woman or institution on earth can over-rule what The Bible Says unless permission is given to do so.

Reader, we are so precious to God that He calls us His jewels. The Bible Says in Malachi 3:17...

¹⁷ And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him."

I’m reminded of a song we sang as children entitled, When He Cometh:

When He cometh, when He cometh
To make up His jewels,
All His jewels, precious jewels,
His loved and His own.

Refrain

Like the stars of the morning,
His brightness adorning,
They shall shine in their beauty,
Bright gems for His crown.

He will gather, He will gather
The gems for His kingdom;
All the pure ones, all the bright ones,
His loved and His own.

Refrain

Little children, little children,
Who love their Redeemer,
Are the jewels, precious jewels,
His loved and His own.

Refrain

After reading what The Bible Says, do you, His precious jewel, really think that God has a problem with us wearing jewelry? Unquestionably, it's an ‘Ellen’ thing.....

With much love,
Patricia Allen

Work Out Your Own Salvation? I Don't Think So!

2011-01-27T19:17:00.055-05:00

The Bible Says in Philippians 2:12 (KJV)….

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

The aforementioned text is often used to emphasize the fact that ‘work’ is involved to secure our salvation. And yes, The Bible Says in James 2:20,“ But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?”

When Seventh-day Adventists present this argument, they are referring to the work of keeping the Ten Commandments and more specifically, the 7^th day Sabbath. But when James makes the statement that faith without works is dead, what ‘works' is he referring to?

I would like to suggest that these ‘works’ have absolutely nothing to do with our salvation. Why? Because for those who believe, salvation is already theirs NOW! The Bible Says in John 3:16, “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.”

The latter part of Philippians 2:12 reads, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”Let’s analyze this statement. ‘Work out’ according to the dictionary means ‘to do physical exercise.” ‘Your’ is a personal possessive pronoun (showing ownership). ‘Own’ means to have ownership or possession of. ‘Salvation’ (the act of delivering from sin) is the object of the statement. In brevity, we are to give the salvation we already have (your own salvation) a good work out. The Bible Says it even plainer in the New Living Translation, “….Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.”

Obeying God for New Covenant Christians is NOT referring to the Ten Commandments. The Bible Says in 1 John 3:23-24, “ And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.²⁴ And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.”

‘Working out’ and ‘Working for’ are two different processes. Working out says we have it but we need to exercise it and become stronger as a result. Working ‘for’ means we don’t possess it and we have to work to earn it. Whatever effort we put towards earning or ‘working for’ our salvation is done in vain. How can we work for what we already have?

So, what does this work out involve? The Bible Says, “And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” 1 John 4:21(NIV) Love is an action word, so let's work it!

Work Out Regiment:

1. Work out your salvation by EXERCISING faith in God.

2. Work out your salvation by GIVING of your time and talents.

3. Work out your salvation by SHARING your faith.

4. Work out your salvation by PULLING away from false doctrine.

5. Work out your salvation by LEANING on God for power.

6. Work out your salvation by WALKING in the Spirit.

7. Work out your salvation by RUNNING for the prize.

8. Work out your salvation by LOVING God and others.

9. Work out your salvation by never SKIPPING Bible Study and prayer.

10. Work out your salvation by SPREADING the Good News of the Gospel.

11. Work out your salvation by allowing the Holy Spirit to PULL UP all malice, envy and unforgiveness in your heart.

12. Work out your salvation by PRAISING God from Whom all blessings flow.
13. Work out your salvation by RESTING in Him every day!
14. Work out your salvation by FORGETTING your past and walking in a newness of life.

If we believe the Good News of the Gospel and allow God, the Holy Spirit, to dwell in us, He does the work and His commands are not burdensome. The Bible Says, “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,” 1 John 5:3 (NIV)

Reader, please note that this regiment has everything to do with relationship and not the written letter of the law.

The Bible Says in 1 John 2:27 “But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ. Says, “ (NLT)

If the Spirit dwells within us, there’s no need for the written law because The Bible Says, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” John 16:13 (NIV)

With God, the Holy Spirit, in our hearts and as our guide, why the need for tablets of stone?

With much Christian love.....

Seventh-day Adventist's Amazing Facts Are Really Amazing

2011-01-18T22:06:00.028-05:00

The Bible Says in Galatians 1:6-9 …
⁶ I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- ⁷ which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! ⁹ As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!

Once the people are gathered under the 'big tent' or the rented hall to be taught, the objective from day one is to slowly convince these potential converts that the 7^th day is the Sabbath and the evangelist proceeds to prove it from the Bible. But does he REALLY prove it?

A friend and I were passionately discussing the Sabbath so he decided to give me Lesson 6 of the Amazing Facts series to study. I did and l read some amazing facts that I'd like to share with you. I am more and more convinced that everything happens for a reason because it dawned on me that this would be great to use as an illustration of the deception being taught by the Adventist church.

Let's look at what is being taught regarding The Law in the Amazing Facts series, Lesson 6, entitled, Written In Stone. Click here if you care to print Lesson 6 or follow along with me.

The lesson begins by stating, “Centuries ago, God wrote His law in stone, and you are still supposed to keep it today.” The study begins by neglecting the fact that the Law consisted of 613 commands. The writers deliberately restrict the Law to the Ten Commandments because the Ten were the only ones written ‘in stone’. The law was the Torah, a unit of 613 commands of which the Ten Commandments was a part.

Below are questions and answers taken from the Lesson 6 followed with my Rebuttal. Please take note that all emphasis (bold, CAPS, underlined, colored text) in the Scriptures that I am quoting are mine and I am using the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Question 2: What is the definition of sin?

Amazing Facts: Sin is breaking God's Ten Commandment law.

Rebuttal: All wrongdoing is sin.... 1 John 5:17 NIV. When Jesus was on earth speaking to the Jews, He raised the bar regarding the Torah. For instance, Matthew 5:27-28 reads, "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:43-44 reads, "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”

Note that in Matthew 19, Jesus was referring to the Torah and not just the Ten Commandments. "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy" is not one of the Ten Commandments. Also it is important to note that Jesus is speaking to Jews. Gentiles were not and never was under the law.

Amazing Facts is specifically using the terminology 'God's Ten Commandments' because they are leading up to the Sabbath (the Sabbath is included in the 'Ten') AND they will also teach that there is a distinction between the Law of God and the Law of Moses.

Question 3: Why did God give us the Ten Commandments?

Amazing Facts: As a guide for happy, abundant living; to show the difference between right and wrong; To protect me from danger and tragedy; It helps us to know God.

Rebuttal: God did not give the Ten Commandments to us, the Gentile Christians. He gave them to the Israelites only. Romans 2:14 reads: “Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law....” Ephesians 2:11-13 explains it beautifully. It reads...

11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)-- 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.”

This clearly states that the Gentiles (non-Jews) were uncircumcised, separated, excluded, foreigners and not part of the covenants of the promise until the Seed (Christ) came. Christ's coming was when the mystery (equality between Jews and Gentiles) was revealed. Now that Christ has come, suffered, died for our sins and rose again, we, too, (Gentile Christians) are heirs to the promise under a New Covenant.

Question 4: Why is God's law exceedingly important to me personally?

Amazing Facts: Because the Ten Commandment law is the standard by which God examines people in the heavenly judgment.

Rebuttal: So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. James 2:12

Notes for 2:12

As Christians we are saved by God's free gift (grace) through faith, not by keeping the law. But as Christians, we are also required to obey Christ. The apostle Paul taught "for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ" (2Corinthians 5:10) to be judged for our conduct. God's grace does not cancel our duty to obey him; it gives our obedience a new basis. The law is no longer an external set of rules, but it is a "law that gives freedom" — one we joyfully and willingly carry out, because we love God and because we have the power of his Holy Spirit to carry it out (see Jas 1:25). —Life Application Bible Notes

In my rebuttal, I used the same text that Amazing Facts used. Obviously they are interpreting the Law of Liberty as the Ten Commandments, which is incorrect. The Law of Liberty is the same as the Royal Law of Love. We shall be judged by the Law of Liberty not the Ten Commandments. The Law of Liberty or Royal Law instructs us to love our neighbors as ourselves. James 2:8 NLT

Question 5: Can God's law (the Ten Commandments) ever be changed or abolished?

Amazing Facts: Absolutely not! ...If the law could have been changed, God would have immediately made that change when Adam and Eve sinned instead of sending His Son to die in the sinner's behalf to pay the penalty of the broken law. This was impossible. The commandments are revealed principles of God's holy character that will always be true as long as God exists.

Rebuttal: Amazing Facts is saying that the law was in effect before Adam and Eve sinned. The Bible clearly says otherwise. Romans 5:13 NIV says, for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.

Adam and Eve did not break a Ten Commandment law; they broke the command not to eat of the tree.

Matthew 5:15: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

When Jesus (a Jew born under Jewish law) was on earth, the law wasn't changed nor abolished. Simply put, when Christ died for our sins, the terms of the covenant agreement between God and the Israelites were fulfilled and no longer binding. Remember, the law was given UNTIL the Seed came. It had a beginning and ending point. It ended when it was fulfilled on the cross, not before.

Amazing Facts also say that the Ten Commandments are principles of God's holy character or as I was taught, a transcript of God's character. To know God's ways and His character, check out what Moses had to say in Exodus 34:5-8..

⁵ Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. ⁶ And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, ⁷ maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation." ⁸ Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped.

As His children, He desires us to develop the Fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, long-suffering. gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. Against such, THERE IS NO LAW.

Question 6: Did Jesus abolish God's law while He was here on earth?

Amazing Facts: No, indeed!

Rebuttal: It was abolished AFTER His death on the cross. Ephesians 2:15: ''by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. The New Living Translation reads, “He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups.”

When Jesus died on the cross, the law with its commandments and regulations ended. Abolish means to ‘get rid of’ or ‘do away with’. So yes, according to Scripture it was abolished because Jesus met and fulfilled its conditions. It is my belief that Amazing Facts is trying to make the point that the Ten Commandments as a unit (including the Sabbath) are still to be obeyed today and the conditions were not met on the cross.

Question 7: Will people who knowingly continue to break even one of God's commandments be saved?

Amazing Facts: The Ten Commandment law is the guide we must use in finding our way to God and holy living. If I ignore even one of the commandments, I am neglecting part of the divine pattern, or blueprint. If only one link of a chain is broken, its entire purpose is undone. The Bible says that when we knowingly break any command of God, we are sinning (James 4:17) because we have refused His will for us. Only those who do His will can enter the kingdom of heaven.

Rebuttal: The above comment is setting the people up for Sabbath-keeping. If they neglect the keeping of the Sabbath, they have broken a link of the chain and thwarted its purpose. We are not under the law as stated numerous times in Scripture.

Christ kept the law for each of us and bore our sins on the cross. We are saved by grace through faith. If accepted, the Holy Spirit leads us, guides us, teaches us truth and empowers us. Believers live by the Spirit.

The Bible Says in Romans 8:14 "¹⁴ because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God."

Again, the Ten Commandments and Sabbath keeping are not the standard.

Question 8: Can anyone be saved by keeping the law?

Amazing Facts: No! The answer is too plain to miss. No one can be saved by keeping the law. Salvation comes only through grace, as a free gift from Jesus Christ, and we receive this gift by faith not by works. The law serves only as a mirror to point out sin in our lives. Cleansing and forgiveness from that sin come only through Christ.

Rebuttal: They say 'No' but 'in practice' they teach that the 7^th day Sabbath has to be kept because it will divide believers from unbelievers. The Sabbath will be the end-time test and seal for believers. So, if one doesn’t keep the Sabbath and as a result isn’t sealed, he will be lost. Obviously, their answer should have been ‘Yes’ because they have to keep the Jewish Sabbath to be sealed and saved.

Often their response is, “We don’t keep the Sabbath to be saved. We keep the Sabbath because we love God and because we love God we keep it because He asked us to.” Under the New Covenant, God has never asked anyone to keep the Old Covenant Sabbath. Under the New Covenant, it is Today!

Question 9: Why, then, is the law an absolute essential for perfecting Christian character?

Amazing Facts: Because the full pattern, or 'whole duty', for Christian living is contained in God's law.

Rebuttal: The law is not an absolute essential for perfecting Christian character. The law is powerless. When it was binding, it could only point out sin. The work of the Holy Spirit is to perfect us; He leads and guides us into all truth and righteousness.

Question 11: But isn't a Christian who has faith and is living under grace freed from keeping the law?

Amazing Facts: No! The Scriptures teach the very opposite. Grace is like the governor's pardon to a prisoner. It forgives him, but it does not give him freedom to break one single law on the statute books. The forgiven person, living under grace, is under double obligation to keep the law. A person who refuses to keep God's law, saying that he is living under grace, is mistaken. He is living under disgrace.

Rebuttal: Yes! The Ten Commandment law is not binding on New Covenant Christians. Notice that in Question 8, Amazing Facts agrees with the Bible by saying we can't be saved by keeping the law but in this question they say we are not free from keeping the law? Adventists speak with forked tongue again. If we aren't saved by keeping the law but we are not free from keeping the law, that means we have to keep the law! Why so much confusion and contradiction in their answers?

The Bible Says in Ephesians 2:8-9, "⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast."

Question 12: Are the Ten Commandments of God reaffirmed in the New Testament?

Amazing Facts: Yes, and very clearly so.

Rebuttal: No, and very clearly not so. The Ten Commandment Law as a unit is not reaffirmed in the New Testament. The fourth commandment is missing. Even their prophet, Mrs. White, wrote, “The New Testament does not re-enact the law of the tithe, as it does not that of the Sabbath; for the validity of both is assumed, and their deep spiritual import explained. {RH, May 16, 1882 par. 28}

To say that the Sabbath is reaffirmed in the New Testament, Amazing Facts use Hebrews 4:4, 9,10:

4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. 9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

This portion of Scripture is referring back to God’s rest at the completion of His creation on the 7^th day. However, instead of Amazing Facts citing the entire passage, they conveniently omit key Scripture that declares a New Day of rest, thus deceiving the people. Hebrews 4:4-10 in its entirety reads:

4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his work." 5 And again in the passage above he says, "They shall never enter my rest." 6 It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. 7 Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.

God wanted the Israelites to enter into His rest. Initially, on Mt. Sinai, He gave them the 7^th day to rest from their work even though He had a better rest in mind. According to Hebrews 4:6 they failed to enter because of unbelief, so Hebrews 4:7 states that God AGAIN set a certain day, calling it Today! Again means 'once more, renew’. In other words, God replaced the 7^th day with Today.

We have a new day of rest called Today. Everyday that we are blessed to be alive is called Today. Jesus is our eternal rest and is inviting us to rest in Him everyday. He invites us to come unto Him and He promises to give us rest; not just one out of seven days but everyday. This is a spiritual rest of not trying to work our way in or be good enough. It’s a rest of complete confidence and assurance in His completed work for us on the cross IF we believe the Good News!

So no, the 7^th day Sabbath is not reaffirmed in the New Testament even according to their prophetess Ellen White.

Question 13: Are God's law and Moses law the same?

Amazing Facts: No, they are not the same. Moses law contained the temporary, ceremonial law of the Old Testament. It regulated the priesthood, sacrifices, rituals, meat and drink offerings, etc. all of which foreshadowed the cross. This law was added 'till the seed should come.' and that seed was Christ (Galatians 3:16,19). The ritual and ceremony of Moses' law pointed forward to Christ's sacrifice. When He died on the cross, this law came to an end, but the Ten Commandments (God's law) stands forever. That there are two laws is made crystal clear in Daniel 9:10,11.

Rebuttal: Yes, they are the same. The Law of God and the Law of Moses can be used interchangeably.

The Bible Says in Luke 2:22-24 and Luke 2:30....

39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth.

Please note that the Law of the Lord in these verses is NOT referring to the Ten Commandments but the 'so-called' ceremonial laws. So Amazing Facts cannot correctly say that Moses' Law was strictly ceremonial. Furthermore, God's law was a unit (613 commands) and could not be divided.

The text that Amazing Facts references does not prove otherwise. Daniel was praying to God and was rehearsing how the people had sinned against Him. You have to read the verses preceding the texts that Amazing Facts chose. Starting at Daniel 9, verse 7 sets the backdrop...

Thought Question #3: Don't Colossians 2:14-17 and Ephesians 2:15 teach that God's law ended at the cross?

Amazing Facts: No, these passages both refer to the law containing “ordinances' or Moses' law, which was a ceremonial law governing the sacrificial system and the priesthood. All this ceremony and ritual foreshadowed the cross and ended at Christ's death, as God had intended. Moses' law was added till the "Seed should come," and that "Seed ... is Christ" (Gal. 3:16, 19). God's law could not be involved here, for Paul spoke of it as holy, just and good many years after the cross (Rom. 7:7, 12).

Rebuttal: I need to answer this in four parts. Firstly, they are stating that Colossians and Ephesians are referring to ceremonial laws governing the sacrificial system and the priesthood. Again, taken in context, Colossians is speaking regarding the Torah. In vs. 13, which Amazing Facts omit, Paul says, "You were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive in Christ. He forgave all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross." My point is that Paul is not referencing just so-called ceremonial laws, he is referencing the entire Torah. Also note that he didn't say 'they' were nailed to the cross, but 'it' was nailed to the cross. The law is an indivisible unit.

Secondly, Amazing Facts say, "All this ceremony and ritual foreshadowed the cross and ended at Christ's death, as God had intended." I totally agree. This ceremony even included the Sabbath. The sabbath was/is a ceremony with it's own ritual as the other monthly and yearly Sabbaths. For instance, a RITUAL of the weekly Sabbath was the changing of the Shewbread or Bread of Presence.

Notes on 1 Chronicles 21:6....

Once a week on the Sabbath, a priest entered the Holy Place in the tabernacle and placed 12 freshly baked loaves of bread on a small table. This bread, called the bread of the Presence, symbolized God's presence among his people as well as his loving care that met their physical needs. The bread that was replaced was to be eaten only by the priests on duty.

—Life Application Bible Notes

So yes, the Old Covenant weekly Sabbath is ceremonial in nature and confined to a 24 hour period. It pointed to Jesus, our Sabbath rest. Under the New Covenant, He set aside AGAIN another day, called Today. Today is everyday and not confined to a 24 hour period. The Bible Says in Col. 2:16-17 ... "¹⁶ Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. ¹⁷ These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ."

Thirdly, Amazing Facts states, "Moses' law was added till the "Seed should come," and that "Seed ... is Christ" (Gal. 3:16, 19). I am unable to locate the verse in my Bibles that say, "Moses' law ( meaning the so-called ceremonial laws) was added till the Seed should come." Moses law and God's law can be used interchangeably as we discovered earlier. Neither will you find a division of the law in the Bible (ceremonial, moral, civil). These are all man-made. Gal. 3:19 reads, "What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. ...." Again, the law was the Torah, 613 commands, an indivisible unit.

Amazing Facts spoke of 'ordinances' as pertaining to Moses' ceremonial laws. According to the dictionary, an ordinance is a statute or regulation, meaning the act of controlling or directing according to rule; a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior. The Ten Commandments were ordinances handwritten by God and the rest of the Torah was ordinances given to Moses by God but they were handwritten by Moses. Both 'commandments and ordinances' were handwritten. Amazing Facts answer is adding to the Bible.

Colossians 2:14 reads, "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;" As cited above, God and Moses hand wrote the law, so the law in its entirety was nailed to the cross.

Yes. Ephesians 2:15 says......by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments AND regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace,

Fourthly, Paul did say that the law is holy, just and good but if you take the time to read the whole chapter of Romans 7 or even verses 1-12, you will discover that Amazing Facts is quoting out of context or proof-texting. Paul is not promoting law-keeping. It is imperative to read the Bible in context and to be aware to whom it is speaking at the time. Even though the whole Bible is relevant and inspired, everything in it was not written for everyone although we can learn from what was written to others.

The law is one complete unit starting in Genesis and ending in Deuteronomy. Jesus fulfilled the law and the prophets on the cross.

This lesson is clearly leading up to keeping the 7^th day Sabbath, which didn't and doesn't apply to us Gentiles (non-Jews). The main focus is on the Ten Commandments because inclusive in this portion of the Torah is the Sabbath. Adventists know they are misleading the people but continue to do so. The Adventist leadership has practiced deceit from its inception. They have refused to share 'truth' with its members. They have tried to suppress truth; they have tried to re-write truth; they have tried to omit 'truth' but truth has a way of being found out.

Thanks to the Internet, what was hidden in the dark is coming to light. The Seventh-day Adventist leadership deliberately and successfully suppressed truth from its members for decades. The real truth is accessible to all who want to know Jesus, the truth and the light; the Holy Spirit is lifting the veil and many are walking away and becoming Christ-Followers. Amazing Facts is another attempt to deceive and distort God’s Word by teaching a 'different' gospel.

The Bible Says in 2 Corinthians 3:15 …‘Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.’

I say, ‘God cannot kiss His bride until the veil is lifted.’ Patricia Allen

The Torah and The Ten Commandments

2011-01-17T10:04:00.004-05:00

The Bible Says in Matthew 5:19, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."

Negating the fact that the law 'in its entirety' was fulfilled and nailed to the cross when Jesus died, Seventh-day Adventists enforce the Ten Commandments because they say that they are God's eternal moral laws. It is true that moral laws are still enforced today but moral laws were in effect through the conscious before the written law was given on Mt. Sinai. Seventh-day Adventists maintain this position because they buy into the division of the law into categories such as moral, civil and ceremonial. They also maintain this posture because included in the Ten Commandments is the 7th day Sabbath command, which according to their teaching, is the end-time test and seal for those who will be saved.

According to the teachings of the Adventist church, only the ceremonial laws (sacrifices, etc.) were nailed to the cross. The irony is that the 7th day Sabbath commandment positioned in the middle of the Ten Commandments is a ceremonial law. Furthermore, no where in the Bible will we find that the Ten Commandments are God's eternal moral laws. The Bible Says in 1 Cor. 13:13 NLT, "Three things will last forever -- faith, hope and love -- and the greatest of these is love." The Bible also says, the Ten Commandments was a covenant statement between God and the children of Israel. The covenant statement summarized the entire law or Torah, which consisted of 613 commands including the Ten Commandments.

The Bible Says in Exodus 34:28 (NIV), “Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant--the Ten Commandments.” (emphasis mine)

Although man has taken the liberty to categorize God's law, God did no such thing. In fact, He told the Israelites that they were to keep ALL his laws, decrees and commands. They were a unit and could not be separated. If the Israelites broke one of these 613 laws, they were guilty of breaking them all.

During my studies, I found no division of the law so out of curiosity I decided to inquire of a Rabbi via email to see if his answer agreed with what I had learned in Scripture. Why a Rabbi? Because they were given the law and are an authority regarding its purpose and interpretation. Following is a copy of the email correspondence:

From: Patricia Allen

Thanks for your response.

Shalom Patricia,

I do hope this is helpful.

Regards, Eliahu Levenson
JewishAnswers.org

What the Rabbi cites is indeed compatible with Scripture. Also note that he said that Shaboos Observance (Sabbath Observance) is not even allowed by a Ben Noachide (Gentile). Israelite law was not meant for Gentiles to observe.

The Bible Says in Ephesians 2:11-13 (NIV), “¹¹ Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)-- ¹² remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.” (emphasis mine)

After Jesus shed His blood, died for our sins and rose again, the Gentiles (non-Jews) were given the Good News of the Gospel. Jesus tore down the dividing wall and all people were invited in.

According to Scripture, the law was first given at Mt. Sinai to the Israelites only. Gentile Christians were never under the law. In fact, the entire law had already been nailed to the cross and/or fulfilled before Gentiles were even extended the invitation to hear the Good News of the Gospel.

Romans 2:14-16 reads, "14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) 16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel." (emphasis mine)

The Bible is clear that the law was not given to the Gentiles and it is also clear that the law was given 430 years after Abraham and it was in effect only until Christ the Seed came to fulfill it.

Galatians 3:17, 19 NIV reads, ¹⁷ What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise." ¹⁹ What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. (emphasis mine)

I believe that the reason there is so much confusion in the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) church is because of deliberate deceit and the teaching that they (SDAs) are numbered with Israel. The following excerpt is taken from a booklet written by E. B. Jones entitled, “40 Bible-Supported Reasons Why You Should Not Be An SDA”. This is reason 24: The SDAs Teach that They, as a Denomination Are “Numbered with Israel” … “the Representatives of Heaven that Make Up the True Church of Christ”!

In the book, “Ministry of Healing,” p 405 (edition of 1909), Mrs. White says: “We (or SDAs) are numbered with Israel. All the instruction given to the Israelites of old …, all the promises of blessings through obedience, are for us.” And in the book, Prophets and Kings,: p.74 (edition 1917), Mrs. White says: “wherein they (Israel of old) were weak, even to the point of failure, the Israel of God today (that is, the SDAs), the representatives of heaven that make up the true church of Christ, must be strong; for upon them devolves the task of finishing the work that has been committed to man, and of ushering in the day of final awards.”

The Bible teaches that Israel, the natural ‘seed of Abraham,’ and the Church, the Spirit-begotten ‘body of Christ,” are wholly distinct from the other; ….. When SDAs and other religions take huge portions of Scripture that was intended indisputably and exclusively for Jews both in meaning and application and place it upon themselves, claiming to be Israel, appropriating to themselves Jewish promises and Jewish hopes; and would put the consciences of Christians under the bondage of Old Covenant legalism, they are doing Satan’s work and making Christ’s death in vain.

Abundant blessings as you discover what The Bible Says….

Are Believers on Probation? Can Believers be Perfect?

2011-01-12T20:39:00.007-05:00

Are believers on probation? Will believers be perfect (cease sinning) before Jesus returns? The answer to these questions is a resounding and unequivocal NO! Believers are not on probation waiting for an Investigative Judgment to end and believers will not cease sinning before Jesus returns. As a former Seventh-day Adventist (SDA), I know this sounds like heresy but please hear me out because I can prove it from Scripture.

According to Dictionary.com, probation comes from Middle French, meaning critical examination and evaluation, from Latin probation- probatio , from probare meaning to test, approve, prove. 1 a : subjection to a period of evaluation and possible termination at the commencement of employment in a position for which one's fitness is to be determined. 1 b : subjection to a period of review in the course of employment or education as a result of a violation of standards and with the possibility of dismissal if standards are not met.

Probation then is a test to prove our fitness for heaven with the possibility of being turned away if we don’t meet the standards. So probation for believers would be trying (as long as we live) to qualify for heaven knowing that in the end, we will be dismissed because we can never attain perfection. It’s a 'lose - lose' situation and pretty scary indeed! I lived with this fear for decades until I heard and believed the Good News of the Gospel! The Good News is that Jesus passed every test, He suffered, He bled, He died on the cross and He rose again that we might claim His victory and perfection by faith. In other words, He met the standards for us.

Our Seventh-day Adventist friends teach and believe that we are on probation, and that our name could come up for judgment at any time. They say we need to work to make sure that our character is perfect because it is the only thing that we will take from earth to glory. I believe that by beholding we become changed. If we believe what The Bible Says and if we are allowing the Holy Spirit to have active and daily control of our lives, change is inevitable, but that change is not a by-product of our works. It is God’s gift to us.

Seventh- day Adventists use the correct Christian jargon like “We teach and believe that we are saved by grace through faith.” What they really believe is that we are saved by grace through faith PLUS works (being perfect, keeping the 7th day holy, not eating meat, not wearing jewelry, giving 10% of their gross income and…. well, this is the short list). They are quick to say that they keep the Sabbath out of love for God NOT as a requirement to be saved but because He asked them to. God has never asked nor required New Covenant Christians to keep the 7th day Sabbath.

According to Ellen G. White (their prophetess), the Sabbath will be the end-time test that will divide believers from non-believers. The Sabbath keepers will be sealed and those worshipping on other days will not be sealed. So it is plain to see that it is indeed a requirement thus contradicting themselves. The Bible Says, believers are sealed by the Holy Spirit and a day of worship has absolutely nothing to do with it. In addition, God tore down the wall that separated believers and Seventh-day Adventists have built a wall separating themselves from other believers by requiring 7th day Sabbath keeping as the test of faith and calling those who choose to celebrate His resurrection on Sunday harlots. The Bible Says clearly that God gave the Sabbath to the Israelites only.

Be assured that if you choose to worship God with fellow believers on the 7th day, it is not a sin. You have the freedom to do so just as others have the freedom to worship on the day of their choosing. However, when you worship on the 7th day or any day because you believe you will not pass the so-called ‘probationary period’ or will not be sealed and saved unless you keep it, that’s where the problem lies. The Bible says in Col. 2:16-17...

16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

Our Adventist friends also believe that we are to follow Jesus’ perfect example of living a sinless life because they believe Jesus could have sinned. There is nothing in the Bible to support this claim. Jesus was conceived by the Spirit, He was God in the form of human flesh and as God, He could not sin and had no desire to do so. We were born in sin and unlike Him, we have a sinful nature. It’s like comparing apples and oranges. Jesus was the second or last Adam (before Adam sinned), but He was victorious where Adam failed. It’s hard to grasp an understanding of how and why God did what He did for us. It’s hard for us as humans with a sinful nature to understand how He could come to earth as a human and not have a tendency to sin. It’s hard for Seventh-day Adventists to understand that He could not sin, even though He was still God.

God the Son’s mission was to come to pay the price for our redemption. His mission was NOT to show us how to live a perfect life. What was needed for our redemption was a perfect, sinless, and unblemished sacrifice. Do we dare stoop to place God on our sinful level? He came so that we can be lifted out of the pig pen and claim His robe of righteousness as our own. He did all the work and all we have to do is believe Him and claim His righteousness. Remember the story of the prodigal son and His father's great love for him even though he was covered with pigs' stench? No one saw his dirt because of his father's royal robe embracing him.

Since we, in all fairness, cannot compare our sinful nature to His sinless nature, God being the wise God He is, left us plenty of sinful human flesh examples that were victorious and perfect in His sight that we can learn from and emulate. Read Hebrews chapter 11 for a short list (Abraham, Moses, Noah, Joseph, Rahab, Sarah ...) and please notice that they were men and women God honored because of their faith and belief in Him, not because they were sinless. The Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” and when we get to the point that we think we can explain God, at that point He ceases to be God because the God we love, adore, worship and honor is Sovereign and cannot be explained. It is His holy and majestic right to do as He pleases, how He pleases and when He pleases.

Christ came and paid the full price for our sins and to give all of those who believe in Him eternal life NOW! There was no need for Him to come if we can save ourselves and/or be sinless as He is sinless. Since we have eternal life NOW, there is no need for us to be sentenced to a life of probation to fret, wonder, hope, agonize and pray that we will somehow qualify by passing the test to enter into His rest.

Following are some Scriptures to prove that eternal life is ours NOW, at the moment we believe:

1 Timothy 6:12 NIV
"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses." (emphasis mine)

John 5:24 NIV
"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (emphasis mine)

1 John 3:14 NIV
“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.” (emphasis mine)

1 John 5:13 NIV
“ I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (emphasis mine)

John 3:16 NIV
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (emphasis mine)

If we believe God, we have already entered His rest and we don’t carry that weight and burden of guilt wondering if God has come to our name, wondering if all of our sins have been confessed and wondering what was or will be the verdict. What a fearful and insecure way to live. Believe me, I know. When Christ said, ‘It is finished” He meant just that. His atonement was complete and when He returned to the Father, He sat down. He bids us, "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavily laden and I will give you rest."

We can attribute the tale of having to stand before a holy God in a righteous (sinless) state without a mediator to Mrs. Ellen Gould White taken from her book, The Great Controversy:

“When [Christ] leaves the sanctuary [at the end of the Investigative Judgment], darkness covers the inhabitants of the earth. In that fearful time the righteous must live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor” (GC 614).

The Bible Says that God will NEVER leave us nor forsake us. Perhaps Seventh- day Adventists get it wrong by how the word ‘perfection’ is defined. To them, it means without sin as quoted in the above statement by Mrs. White. Only a sinless being can stand before a holy God and not be consumed . Does your Bible say "If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts" ? 1John 1:10 Mine does.

Let’s discover what perfection really means:

Hebrews 10:14 reads, “14 because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” NIV

Notes for 10:14
We have been made perfect, yet we are "being made holy." Through his death and resurrection, Christ, once for all, made his believers perfect in God's sight. At the same time, he is making them holy (progressively cleansed and set apart for his special use) in their daily pilgrimage here. We should not be surprised, ashamed, or shocked that we still need to grow. God is not finished with us. We can encourage this growth process by deliberately applying Scripture to all areas of our lives, by accepting the discipline and guidance Christ provides, and by giving him control of our desires and goals. —Life Application Bible Notes

Matthew 5:48 reads, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Notes for 5:48
How can we be perfect? (1) In character. In this life we cannot be flawless, but we can aspire to be as much like Christ as possible. (2) In holiness. Like the Pharisees, we are to separate ourselves from the world's sinful values. But unlike the Pharisees, we are to be devoted to God's desires rather than our own, and carry his love and mercy into the world. (3) In maturity. We can't achieve Christlike character and holy living all at once, but we must grow toward maturity and wholeness. Just as we expect different behavior from a baby, a child, a teenager, and an adult, so God expects different behavior from us, depending on our stage of spiritual development. (4) In love. We can seek to love others as completely as God loves us.

We can be perfect if our behavior is appropriate for our maturity level — perfect, yet with much room to grow. Our tendency to sin must never deter us from striving to be more like Christ. Christ calls all of his disciples to excel, to rise above mediocrity, and to mature in every area, becoming like him. Those who strive to become perfect will one day be perfect, even as Christ is perfect (1John 3:2,3).—Life Application Bible Notes (all emphasis mine)

The word ‘perfect’ as in the above text comes from the Greek word G5046, teleios meaning: complete (in various applications of labor; growth, mental and moral character, etc.);

Perfect does not and cannot mean sinless because we are sinful by nature and that will not change while we are here on earth. We can claim perfection by faith because of what Jesus did for us but not because we don’t sin. I John 1:9-10 says, “9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." NIV

Notes for 1:9
Confession is supposed to free us to enjoy fellowship with Christ. It should ease our consciences and lighten our cares. But some Christians do not understand how it works. They feel so guilty that they confess the same sins over and over; then they wonder if they might have forgotten something. Other Christians believe that God forgives them when they confess, but if they died with unconfessed sins, they would be forever lost. These Christians do not understand that God wants to forgive us. He allowed his beloved Son to die just so he could offer us pardon. When we come to Christ, he forgives all the sins we have committed or will ever commit. We don't need to confess the sins of the past all over again, and we don't need to fear that God will reject us if we don't keep our slate perfectly clean. Of course we should continue to confess our sins, but not because failure to do so will make us lose our salvation. Our relationship with Christ is secure. Instead, we should confess so that we can enjoy maximum fellowship and joy with him.

As an aside, when one leaves the SDA church, he/she is said to be lost, to have left Christ in order to be free to do as he/she pleases. That is such a lie and another fear tactic to keep its members! We (those of us who sincerely believe) find ourselves running to Christ begging Him to live His life through us and to obey Him by loving others as He commanded. We finally REALLY see that salvation is not about us and our 'doing' but about our belief in what He has done and is doing for and in us. It's such an amazing life-changing experience. One of the most difficult parts for me about leaving Adventism is constantly discovering the ingrained deception and peeling the layers that was once perceived as truth. The discoveries seem to be unending and sometimes overwhelming for having been so gullible.

True confession also involves a commitment not to continue in sin. We wouldn't be genuinely confessing our sins to God if we planned to commit them again and just wanted temporary forgiveness. We should also pray for strength to defeat temptation the next time we face it.

1:9 If God has forgiven us for our sins because of Christ's death, why must we confess our sins? In admitting our sins and receiving Christ's cleansing, we are: (1) agreeing with God that our sin truly is sin and that we are willing to turn from it, (2) ensuring that we don't conceal our sins from him and consequently from ourselves, and (3) recognizing our tendency to sin and relying on his power to overcome it. —Life Application Bible Notes

Furthermore, those who have accepted Christ and believe in Him are not judged nor condemned. Romans 8:1-2 reads, “1 Therefore, there is NOW no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” NIV (emphasis mine)

Take note of the word ‘Now’ (present tense). If there is NOW no condemnation, there’s no need for probation or judgment.

Notes for 8:1
"Not guilty; let him go free" — what would those words mean to you if you were on death row? The fact is that the whole human race is on death row, justly condemned for repeatedly breaking God's holy law. Without Jesus we would have no hope at all. But thank God! He has declared us not guilty and has offered us freedom from sin and power to do his will.

Notes for 8:2
This Spirit of life is the Holy Spirit. He was present at the creation of the world (Genesis 1:2), and he is the power behind the rebirth of every Christian. He gives us the power we need to live the Christian life. For more about the Holy Spirit, read the notes on John 3:6; Acts 1:3; 1:4,5; 1:5. —Life Application Bible Notes

John 5:24 reads, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me HAS eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” NIV (emphasis mine)

Notes for 5:24
"Eternal life" — living forever with God — begins when you accept Jesus Christ as Savior. At that moment, new life begins in you (2Corinthians 5:17). It is a completed transaction. You still will face physical death, but when Christ returns again, your body will be resurrected to live forever (1Corinthians 15). —Life Application Bible Notes

In conclusion, if the Bible speaks truth when it says that Christ came and died for us so that we can have eternal life NOW, why the need to put us on probation? Neither is there a need for an Investigative Judgment because John 10:27-28 NIV says, “27 My sheep hear my voice, and I KNOW THEM, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” The Bible Says He already knows whose are His.

Notes for 10:28,29
Just as a shepherd protects his sheep, Jesus protects his people from eternal harm. While believers can expect to suffer on earth, Satan cannot harm their souls or take away their eternal life with God. There are many reasons to be afraid here on earth because this is the devil's domain (1Peter 5:8). But if you choose to follow Jesus, he will give you everlasting safety. —Life Application Bible Notes

The Bible Says that we have eternal life NOW and it is secure. No man can pluck us out of His hand. When He said,' It is finished', our salvation was complete contingent on our accepting His completed sacrifice. If you believe the Bible as your authoritative guide, that’s GOOD NEWS! Praise Him, Praise Him, Jesus our blessed Redeemer!!! It’s not about us; It is ALL about Him.

By the way, the only work that Jesus asked us to do is found in John 6:28-29:

28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” (emphasis mine)

Notes for 6:28,29
Many sincere seekers for God are puzzled about what he wants them to do. The religions of the world are mankind's attempts to answer this question. But Jesus' reply is brief and simple: we must believe on him whom God has sent. Satisfying God does not come from the work we do, but from whom we believe. The first step is accepting that Jesus is who he claims to be. All spiritual development is built on this affirmation. Declare to Jesus, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16), and embark on a life of belief that is satisfying to your Creator. —Life Application Bible Notes

Reader, I invite you to study to see what The Bible Says and permit the Holy Spirit to be your interpreter to see whether these things are so. Please don’t permit Ellen White to be your authoritative source or interpreter of God's Word. I saw things her way for decades and when I discovered what The Bible really Says, I was able to begin to experience a peace and joy that I didn’t know even existed in this life. Don’t just accept what you have been taught all of your life especially if you were born into an SDA family. Prove all things for yourself. Never in my life would I have thought I would NOT be a Seventh-day Adventist because I was convinced that I had the truth. I praise God that the truth of the Gospel prevailed and the veil of a different gospel was lifted simply because I decided to believe ONLY what The Bible Says. Remember,

God cannot kiss His bride until the veil is lifted. --- Patricia A. Allen

With much Christian love.