By Margie Littell
Do we live in the strange landscape of Assumption? If so, we assume that DOING comes before BEING. Therefore, we DO in order to BE. Thus, our first assumption leads to the conclusion that we become saints or sinners by DOING things that saints or sinners DO.
This basic assumption leads us to Assumption #2: the two copies of the Ten Commandments in the Torah (Ex. 20 and Deut. 5) are universal in their application. In fact, this assumption has an imposing tradition; it is actually the Judaizers heresy taught for centuries by the Roman Catholic Church.
God, however, tells us the Ten Commandments and the rest of the Mosaic laws are not universal laws, and He tells us this fact twice through King David:
He has revealed His word to Jacob, His laws and decrees to Israel. He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws (Psalm 147:19).
For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children (Ps. 78:5).
Then, in Romans 2 and Ephesians 2:11-22, Paul confirms the fact that the Torah with its two copies of the Ten Commandments are not universal. These denials of the universality of the law bring us to Assumption #3: the law of Mt Sinai can be divided into two different groups of laws. In fact, it cannot be divided.
God did not divide the law into “ceremonial laws” and “moral laws” otherwise labeled “the law of Moses” and “the law of God” (sometimes identified as The Law inside the Ark and the Law outside the Ark). However, man did divide the Torah for an interesting reason. This supposed division is a tradition of church fathers dating from around 200 AD. Jerome (the translator of the Latin Vulgate—the version accepted by the Roman Catholic Church for hundreds of years) followed this error. This division was adopted as Canon law by the Roman Catholic Church.
In fact, God gave the Law of Moses (Ezra 7:6; Neh. 8:1), and Moses gave the Law of God (Neh. 10:29; 2 Chron. 34:14) . These are simply two names for the same One Law: the Torah.
In fact, the Roman Catholic church used this supposed division of the law in order to avoid keeping the fourth commandment, using Leviticus 23:1-3 to prove that the seventh-day Sabbath was “ceremonial.”
Dismantling the first three assumptions leads us to Assumption #4: the Sabbaths are universal and given to all people. Obviously, this assumption is not true. For evidence, see Exodus 31:13, and then find the reason the Sabbaths were given in Deuteronomy 5:15.
Now we come to Assumption #5: we must become part of the children of Israel, or Jews, in order to DO the things that God’s saints DO. After all, God’s people are the Jews, and as Christians who claim God’s blessings through Abraham, we must therefore be “Israel”—spiritual Jews—as well.
God corrects our thinking on that assumption, also—twice.
I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan (Rev. 2:9).
I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you (Rev. 3:9).
More Adventist Assumptions
The law and those it addresses are not the only things twisted in Assumption Land. Adventists, in fact, hold many assumptions not based on Bible, but they firmly believe them. The Adventist assumptions include:
- People kept the Sabbath before Mt. Sinai.
- The “mark of the beast” is Sunday worship.
- Non-Hebrews are to keep the Sabbath.
- They are told to preach the “three angel’s messages” of Revelation 14.
- The righteous are currently being judged in heaven.
- Christ’s atonement on the cross was insufficient.
- Keeping the Mt. Sinai Law is a requirement to maintain God’s gift of salvation.
- They can pick and choose which parts of the Mt. Sinai Law to keep and which to ignore.
- Baptism is a requirement for church membership.
- God’s gift of salvation is a joint partnership between the “human and the Divine”.
- They believe that Jesus came to make people Jews. Not in the Bible.
- A day of worship will be an end time issue.
- A “latter rain” of the Holy Spirit will occur when God’s people finally request an outpouring.
- The New Covenant message in the Bible is nearly the same as the Old covenant message given at Mt. Sinai.
- Jesus is more our “example” than our sin substitute.
- The Mt. Sinai Law can be divided into two groups: Ten Commandments and “ceremonial” laws.
- God grants forgiveness for sins only when sins are individually confessed, making salvation dependent on what people DO and on what they remember.
- God does not have the power or the authority to keep people saved if they wish to opt out.
- The Bible requires “interpretation” or “additional light” in order to be understood. Not in the Bible.
- Adventists are the only TRUE church.
Here’s the truth: not ONE of these Adventist assumptions is in the Bible! By now the conclusion should be obvious: Assumption Land is a dangerous place to dwell! †
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- A New Covenant Needs New Words - November 23, 2023