We got mail…

What About the Other Nine Commandments?

Greetings! I’ve emailed before, so you may recognize my name or may not, but I’m sure you definitely recognize my [Seventh-day Adventist college] email address. I’ve been out of Adventism for about six months now. My friends and family don’t really understand where I’m coming from. My uncle asked, “Why would all the other commandments be still applicable except the Sabbath”? And I didn’t know how to answer that question. Any ideas?

Also, when I brought up Colossians 2 (Sabbath being a shadow) and the verse about not judging each other on Sabbath days, he basically just brushed me off.

—VIA EMAIL

Response: Thank you for writing! Praise God for His leading of you!

Your question about the nine commandments is a good one. You are right: we cannot take the Sabbath out of the Ten and keep the other nine. In fact, NONE of the Ten Commandments continue in the new covenant. Those were entirely the statement of the old covenant—they were “the words of the covenant” (Ex. 34:27-28). 

The problem is that people think of those “other nine” as originating in the Ten Commandments, but those moral requirements did not come from the law; those originate in the righteousness of God Himself—the very righteousness which is credited to us when we trust Jesus’ finished work and are born again. 

Those moral principles are eternal attributes of God’s righteousness, and when we enter the new covenant in Jesus’ blood, we are now under “the Law of Christ” (1 Cor. 9:21; Gal. 6:2). Those attributes of God’s righteousness are still part of reality itself, and the New Testament gives believers many commands that include every one of those nine other commandments from the Decalogue—but they are not borrowed from the Decalogue or carried over from the Decalogue; they are FROM GOD.

Here is an example: As a citizen of the United States of America, our national laws include commands against murder, theft, treason, and so forth. If I were to move to Brazil and become a Brazilian citizen, I would then be under the Brazilian, not the American laws. Brazil also has laws against murder, theft, treason, and so forth. If I were to commit murder as a citizen of Brazil, I would be breaking Brazilian law and would be tried and judged by Brazilian courts of law. I would not be under the laws of the United States anymore because I am no longer a citizen of the United States. I would not have broken the United States laws—only the Brazilian laws. I would not be held guilty and punished in the United States. 

That same idea is true in the scriptural covenants. As believers we are no longer under the Mosaic law—a law which is obsolete since Jesus fulfilled it and became the living Law which now governs believers. Now we have the actual AUTHOR of the law indwelling us in the person of the Holy Spirit, and the righteousness of God Himself is our righteousness. We are under the Law of Christ, and even though believers have the same morality required of them as Israel did, that requirement is not flowing from the Ten Commandments. It is flowing from the Lord Himself who has made us alive and transferred us from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of the Beloved Son (Col 1:13). We are now citizens of a different kingdom, and the King actually gives us Himself: His righteousness, His Spirit, and His new covenant in His blood. 

The fact that certain moral requirements are stated in the New Testament as were stated in the Old does not mean the Law continues. It simply means we are under a new law, but God’s morality is reflected in all law. We are not under the condemnation or judgment of the law of a different covenant—just as I am not under Brazilian law as a US citizen, and a Brazilian is not under the US law. 

This particular question really cannot be understood without understanding the biblical covenants. I am going to give you a couple of links. The first is an article by Dale Ratzlaff, and the second is a video of a talk from a recent FAF Conference.

• The Covenants
• The Covenant Of the Pure Gospel

The issue of the law really is related to the covenants. The links above may be helpful to you. As for the Colossians 2 text, Adventists really do not have a good answer for that. They convince themselves that Paul didn’t mean the seventh-day Sabbath—in spite of the fact that he clearly refers to it! It’s a point of dissonance for them, and they just live with it because they are used to rationalizing competing ideas.

I hope this helps. Please feel free to email anytime!

 

Memories Of Deception

With interest, Colleen, I read your article on the shame of your friend’s dirty legs… I’ve suffered from charley horses in my legs since very young. One Sabbath while visiting my mother over 12 years ago, I went to church and participated in ordinances. I very rarely did foot washing but felt I should [that day] because I was with a lifetime friend. Sure enough, when I got down on my knees to wash, my leg was in that dangerous angle, and I got a charley horse. It was obvious I was in trouble as I jumped away to straighten my leg and get relief. I was embarrassed as I disturbed the holy time. 

A custom practiced ahead of the Passover has been turned into a means of receiving grace. A coincidence with Peter has become a highway to salvation. REALLY?

It was after the preliminary preparation to celebrate and the meal had started that Jesus said those special words, “Do this to remember me”—that is, eat His flesh and drink His blood. 

Your article swept waves of memories over me as I again realize how deceived I was as an Adventist. 

I continually praise God that he called me out so I no longer partake of her sins.

—VIA EMAIL

 

My Rest Is Jesus

I have always loved “Come Unto Me” from Handel’s Messiah. I’m so blessed by this commentary [on the Sabbath School Lesson for July 24–30] as this passage was the very first Scripture that the Spirit led me to just after I left Adventism. I [still] find it very reassuring when thoughts of Sabbath-keeping creep into my mind. I truly understand that my rest is in Jesus and what He has done for me, not in a day.

—VIA COMMENT ON PROCLAMATMION! BLOG