DALE RATZLAFF
Recently, I was sitting in an audience where I heard an Adventist pastor say something to the effect that Paul had his disagreements with Jesus. Deeply disturbed, I realized his is not an isolated opinion. I believe the underlying reason many Adventists say that Paul misunderstood Jesus is that Paul makes many statements that show new covenant Christians are not under old covenant law, and he portrays the Sabbath as a ritual law which is not for today. These teachings of Paul undermine the Adventist claim that the Sabbath is required for all Christians today. To support this notion that Paul disagrees with Jesus, Adventists often use Peter’s statement in 2 Peter 3:16 that Paul wrote some things that are hard to understand.
Our method of study here—as always—is to seek to discover what both Jesus and Paul taught about the law. We start by studying all the places in all four Gospels where Jesus uses the word “commandment” or the plural “commandments”, and “law” or its plural “laws”. When we come to Paul and the law, the amount of material available is beyond the scope of this article. I recommend that those who wish to do a more in-depth study of Paul’s teaching on law read Sabbath in Christ.
Law and commandments in the Gospels
Jesus used the word “law” a total of 35 times in the gospels. Not even once, however, are the Ten Commandments in view. In every instance the context shows that “law” refers to the whole law or to sections of the Torah other than the Ten Commandments.1
Jesus used the word “law” a total of 35 times in the gospels. Not even once, however, are the Ten Commandments in view. In every instance the context shows that “law” refers to the whole law or to sections of the Torah other than the Ten Commandments.
It is also of interest to note that the plural “laws” is never used in the Gospels, thus indicating that Jesus (as well as the Gospel writers) well-understood that the word “law” referred to the Torah or some section of it. Jesus used the word “commandment” or “commandments” a total of 24 times in the Gospels.2 Of these only five have reference to the Ten Commandments,3 and these represent only two incidents: (1) Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees explaining why His disciples did not follow the tradition of the elders but ate bread with impure hands (Mt. 15:1–9; Mk. 7:5–13); and (2) the discussion with the rich young ruler (Mt. 19:16–26; Mk. 10:17–22; Lk. 18:18–27).
The above facts came as a surprise to me when I discovered them. I also discovered that in the writings of John, the words “commandment” or “commandments” never refer to the Ten Commandments.4 Let us carefully study the two incidents where Jesus does refer to the Ten Commandments.
Tradition vs. Commandments
“Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, ‘Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.’ And He answered and said to them, ‘Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? ‘For God said, “Honor your father and mother,” and, “He who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.” But you say, “Whoever says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,’ he is not to honor his father or his mother.” And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrine the precepts of men” (Mt. 15:1–9).
In the above account Jesus pointed out the difference between following the “traditions of men” and the “Commandment of God”. The tradition in question regarded the then-current Jewish ritual of washing hands before eating. This practice was not done for sanitary reasons but was a washing to make them ritually clean in the event their hands had “brushed against a Gentile or against something belonging to a Gentile.”5 We should note that included in this “Commandment of God”, not only is a person commanded to honor his/her father and mother,—one of the Ten Commandments—but “he who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.”6 Jesus said that both of these commands are from God. This understanding agrees with the statements in the Gospels which quote some portion of the writings of Moses other than the Ten Commandments as the “law of the Lord”.7 The law clearly stated that a person was not to add or subtract anything from the Torah.8
“Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it” (Deut. 12:32).
The Rich Young Ruler
This account is in all the Synoptic Gospels; we will study the account of Matthew with some information added from Mark and Luke.
“And someone came to Him and said, ‘Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?’ And He said to him, ‘Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.’ Then he said to Him, ‘Which ones?’ And Jesus said, ‘You shall not commit murder; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and mother; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The young man said to Him, ‘All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property” (Mt. 19:16–22).
Mark says that this man ran up to Christ, knelt, and called him “Good teacher”. Luke adds that he was a ruler, and Matthew says he was a young man who owned much property. This rich young ruler did not ask Jesus how to be saved. Rather, he recognized Jesus as a “Good Teacher” and wanted to know what “good thing” he needed to do to obtain eternal life. Jesus’ answer is brief but loaded. First, note that Jesus said there is only One who is good. Let us never forget this truth. Then Jesus directed him to the written Word of God, “If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” This young man then asks “which ones?”—there are 613 commandments in the Torah plus hundreds of others that were added by the Jewish teachers. Jesus then quotes from the second table of the Ten Commandments. To this the rich young ruler says, “All these things I have kept, what am I still lacking?” Here we see that keeping the commandments does not bring true assurance and peace with God. He, the obedient commandment keeper, recognized his continuing lack. One never knows if his law keeping is “good enough”.
…keeping the commandments does not bring true assurance and peace with God. He, the obedient commandment keeper, recognized his continuing lack. One never knows if his law keeping is “good enough”.
At this point Jesus says “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” The fact that this man went away grieving because he was wealthy shows that he was not willing to trust his future to Christ. What Jesus was seeking to do was to show him that no matter what “good thing” he did, it would not bring him eternal life. Jesus’ telling him to keep the commandments was not giving him a method for getting to heaven; rather, the commandments were given to point out sin. Focusing on the commandments would result in his realizing he had intractable sin and that he needed grace—which in the old covenant was typified by the sacrifices.
We must also note here that Jesus does not ask everyone to sell their possessions. Joseph of Arimathaea was a rich disciple. Abraham, Job and Solomon were wealthy. What Christ is doing here is twofold. First, He was saying the young man had to be willing to give up the thing that held him back from following Jesus. Second, He was showing that there is nothing we can do to inherit eternal life but to trust in Him. What follows in the next few verses confirms this interpretation.
And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” Mt. 19:23–26).
Some have tried to call both the camel and the eye of a needle metaphors. However, the context supports a literal rendering of both. The disciples were astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” They understood the impossibility of the situation. Jesus’ answer confirms, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Therefore, when taken as a whole, the incident of the rich young ruler teaches that only God is really “good”, that keeping the moral commandments of the law is good but not sufficient to save, and that the commandments are designed to cause us to realize that we still lack the goodness for eternal life. To be saved, one must trust Christ alone for salvation.
Some may want to include Matthew 5:17–19 as a reference to the Ten Commandments. However, we have shown clearly that the law in this section cannot be limited to the Ten Commandments but includes the whole Torah. If one is going to use this reference to enforce the law, then he/she is going to have to enforce all the laws of Torah.9
Summarizing the teachings of Christ on the Ten Commandments, we note the following: Jesus included not only the Ten Commandments as operative but also the other moral laws in the Torah, even the laws that required the death sentence for their violation.
When considering the teachings of Jesus on the law we should keep several facts in mind. He was born under law10 and was circumcised as prescribed by the law.11 Jesus observed many of the old covenant convocations.12 His teachings include demands that people should honor the temple13 and present old covenant sacrifices.14 Jesus lived His earthly life in old covenant Israel, and Israel had to honor the old covenant until Jesus died, rose from the dead, and ascended to the Father.
Jesus lived His earthly life in old covenant Israel, and Israel had to honor the old covenant until Jesus died, rose from the dead, and ascended to the Father.
The Gospels record incidents from the life of Christ during the transition from the old covenant to the new covenant as Jesus demonstrated that He was the fulfillment of God’s promises to the patriarchs, as Romans 15:8 explains. Luke indicates that the transition between the old and new covenants started with the teachings of John the Baptist, and it was not an easy transition.
The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it (Lk. 16:16).
There are many indications that Jesus was seeking to move His hearers away from the ritual laws of the old covenant that pointed forward to the Messiah because now He had come.15 Jesus was seeking to move people away from the old covenant which was a covenant between God and Israel only16 to the new covenant. The old covenant was designed for the people who lived in the Promised Land. The new covenant, however, was to include people from every nation, kindred and tongue.17 Unlike the old covenant, the covenant partners in the new are God the Father and God the son. Christ is our Covenant Keeper. We enter into the blessings of the new covenant by placing our faith in the finished work of Christ. The old covenant was filled with dozens of shadowy rituals. The new covenant, however, only has two rituals: baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Law in the Epistles of Paul
It is beyond the scope of this short article to do a thorough study of Paul’s use of law. Following are some points Paul makes about the law. For those who wish a more thorough study, I suggest again that you read Sabbath in Christ.
- The righteousness of God is manifested outside the realm of law.18
- We are justified by faith without the works of the law.19
- The law is not nullified by faith.20
- Faith establishes the law.21
- The law brings about wrath.22
- Where there is no law, there is no violation.23
- The law is holy, just and good.24
- We were made to die to the law through the body of Christ.25
- Sinful passions are aroused by the law.26
- We have been released from the law.27
- Apart from law sin is dead.28
- The law was given 430 years after Abraham29
- The law was added at the time of Moses.30
- The reign of law was from Moses until Christ.31
- The law is not contrary to the promises of God.32
- The law served to lead to Christ.33
- Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the law.34
- For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse.35
- Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law to perform them.36
- The law is not of faith.37
- The whole law is fulfilled in one word: the statement, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.38
- If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.39
- Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.40
- Christ abolished in His flesh the law of commandments in ordinances.41
The Authority of the Epistles of Paul
The underlying question in many of the communications we receive regarding the teachings of Paul on the topic of law deal with Paul’s apostolic authority. Some Adventists indicate that one cannot trust what Paul wrote because he disagrees with Jesus and undermines the law. We believe that when one understands the covenants and the simple gospel of grace there is no disagreement. However, for those who do question Paul, the following points should be considered.
- Paul was miraculously called by the risen Jesus to be an Apostle.42
- Paul received his gospel through a revelation directly from Christ.43
- Paul’s gospel was identical with that taught by Peter and the other Apostles.44
- Peter recognized Paul’s writings as Scripture.45
- Paul’s epistles have been included in the Christian canon of Scripture by every serious Christian throughout the history of the Christian church.46
- Paul’s ministry in New Testament times was the most productive of all the Apostles.47
- The theology of the gentile church, which was initially founded by Peter and then developed by Paul has proven to be the most successful theology.
- The teachings of Paul in general, and his teachings on justification by faith in particular, have been at the heart of nearly every true revival in the history of the church.48
Therefore, we conclude that those who reject the teachings of Paul should ask themselves if they are really members of the true, Christian church. Paul’s epistles and the teaching contained therein provide a large part of Christianity theology.
I conclude with a text that has become dear to my heart.
“I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith” (Phil. 3:8, 9). †
Endnotes
- Mt. 5:17, 18; 7:12; 11:13: 12:5; 22:36, 40: 23:23; Lk. 2:22, 23, 24, 27, 39; 5:17; 10:26; 16:16, 17; 25:44, Jn. 1:17, 45; 7:19, 23, 49, 51; 8:5, 17; 10:34; 12:34;15:25; 18:31; 19:7.
- Mt. 5:19; 15:3; 19:17; 22:36, 38, 40; Mk. 7:8, 9; 10:5, 19; 12:28, 31; Lk. 1:6; 18:20; 23:56; Jn. 10:18; 12:49, 50; 13:34; 15:12, Jn. 10:18; 12:49, 50; 13:34; 14:15, 21; 15:10, 12.
- Mt. 19: 17; Mk. 7: 8, 9; 10:19; Lk 18:20; 23:56.
- See Sabbath in Christ, p. 374–376 for all the listings of both “commandment” and “law” in the writings of John.
- See R.C.H. Lenski, Commentary on the New Testament, Matthew, p. 582.
- Ex.. 21:17.
- Lk. 2:24, 39.
- See Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, Biblical Literacy, p. 569 where he lists these two commands as Nos. 454 and 454 of the 613 commandments.
- Sabbath in Christ, p. 265–278.
- Gal. 4:4.
- Lk. 2:21.
- Lk. 2:41, 42; 22:11; Jn. 2:13; 5:1; 7:2, 10; 10:22.
- Mk. 11:15–18.
- Mt. 5:23, 24.
- See Sabbath in Christ, Jesus and Ritual law.
- Ex. 20:1, 2; 31:13, 16, 17; Deut. 5:1–3.
- Mt. 28:19,
- Rom. 3:21.
- Rom. 3:28.
- Rom. 3:31.
- Ibid.
- Rom. 4:15.
- Ibid.
- Rom. 5:12
- Rom. 7:4.
- Rom. 7:5.
- Rom. 7:6.
- Rom. 7:8.
- Gal. 3:17.
- Ibid.
- Ibid.
- Gal. 3:21.
- Gal. 3:24.
- Gal. 3:25.
- Gal. 3:10.
- Gal. 3:10
- Gal. 3:12.
- Gal. 5:14.
- Gal. 5:18.
- Gal. 6:2.
- Eph. 2.15.
- Rom. 3:31
- Acts 9; 22:6; 1 Cor. 15:7–10.
- Gal. 1:11–16.
- Gal. 2:6–9.
- 2 Pet. 3:16.
- Walter A. Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. P. 141.
- It was the Gentile church that grew and spread Christianity. The Jewish Christian church did little evangelism.
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