THE GREATEST EVIDENCE THAT THE TEN COMMANDMENTS WERE NOT ABOLISHED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

By Peter C. Cay-ohen

 

 

Contrary to the common notion in the Protestant world that the Ten Commandments were abolished in the New Testament by the death of Christ, the Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement believes and therefore teaches that the Ten Commandments were not abolished in the New Testament dispensation because it is unchangeable in its nature.

Far from abolishing the Ten Commandments, the crucifixion of Christ is the greatest evidence that the Ten Commandments of God were not abolished and cannot be abolished. To understand this spiritual truth let us first consider a parallel case recorded in the book of Daniel chapter six and verses one to twenty three. Please read carefully the following account in the King James Version:

“6:1-It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;

“6:2-And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel [was] first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.

“6:3-Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit [was] in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.

“6:4-Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he [was] faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.

“6:5-Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find [it] against him concerning the law of his God.

“6:6-Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever.

“6:7-All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counselors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.

“6:8-Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.

“6:9-Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.

“6:10-Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

“6:11-Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.

“6:12-Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king’s decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask [a petition] of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing [is] true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.

“6:13-Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which [is] of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.

“6:14-Then the king, when he heard [these] words, was sore displeased with himself, and set [his] heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.

“6:15-Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians [is], That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.

“6:16-Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast [him] into the den of lions. [Now] the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.

“6:17- And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.

“6:18-Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of music brought before him: and his sleep went from him.

“6:19-Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.

“6:20-And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: [and] the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?

“6:21-Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.

“6:22-My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.

“6:23-Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.”

Now let us analyze this interesting experience of Daniel with the law of the Medes and Persians and try to understand the principle involved and apply it in the case of Jesus’ experience with the law of God. Please note the following highlights of the story:

(1) King Darius issued a law that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except the king, shall be cast into the den of lions (Verse 7).

(2) Daniel willfully transgressed the king’s decree (Verse 8).

(3) King Darius, being a good friend of Daniel, was greatly displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him (Verse 14). Apparently the king was considering the abolition of his own law in order to spare the life of Daniel.

(4) So the governors and administrators have to insist to the king that it is the law of the Medes and Persians that no decree or statutes which the king established may be changed (Verses 5, 8, 15).

(5) The king has no other choice but to recognize the unchangeableness of the law and have Daniel punished accordingly by casting him into the den of lions (Verse 16).

From this incident it could be readily seen that the casting of Daniel into the den of lions was the greatest evidence to prove beyond reasonable doubt the claim of the Medes and Persians that their laws cannot be changed.

Similarly, the death of Jesus Christ is the strongest proof that can be brought forth to substantiate Christ’s claim that He did not come to destroy God’s law and that the law of God cannot be changed like the law of the Medes and Persians.

“Do not think,” Christ said, “that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one title will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teach them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-20.

Contrary to what many religious teachers claim that He came and abolished the law of Ten Commandments, Christ said that we should not even dare to think of such a thing. That is not part of His mission and He cannot abolish it. But why cannot Christ destroy the law of God? It is because “the law is holy and just and good.” Romans 7:12.

If you are authorized to change any part of the law of our land, what part of the law are you going to change? Are you going to change those parts that are good or those that are bad? I believe, and reason and logic will dictate, that you will change only the bad parts of the law if there are any. But if all of them are good, there is no need for a change. Am I right?

The same is true with Christ. He has no good reason to destroy the law. He could not change the law that is holy and just and good. Do you now see why Christ said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets”? The only right thing to do to a good law is to obey it, and that is precisely what Jesus did. And obedience to the law because of love for God and for our fellowmen brings peace to those who obey.

“Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing causes them to stumble.” Psalms 119:165.

Another reason why Christ cannot abolish God’s law is its unchangeable nature like the law of the Medes and Persians. King David was inspired to write concerning the perpetuity of God’s law. He wrote:

“My tongue shall speak of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteousness.” Psalms 119:172.

“Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your law is truth.” Psalms 119:142.

“And All your commandments are truth… You have commanded them forever.” Psalms 119:151.

It is an established Biblical truth that the commandments of God are “holy and just and good” and they cannot be changed like the law of the Medes and Persians. Consider the parallel experience of Christ with that of Daniel:

(1) God issued His law of Ten Commandments which defines the “whole duty of man” towards God and towards his fellowmen, and to serve as the basis upon which every man will finally be judged. Exodus 20:1-17; Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14.

(2) All men were found guilty of violating God’s law (Romans 3:10, 23) and are therefore condemned to die (Romans 6:23).

(3) Like Darius, God was greatly displeased when man chose to sin, and because He loves man He was bent on saving him from the death penalty (John 3:16). He is not willing that man should perish (2 Peter 3:9). In laboring to deliver man from the penalty of death, God must have considered abolishing His law, for once the law is abolished, there will be no transgression or sin (Romans 4:15; 1 John 4:8). And where there is no sin, there is no death penalty to be imposed (Romans 6:23). A sinner can live without fear of being punished. Moreover, if the law shall be abolished, there will be no sin and no man shall be condemn as a sinner. Consequently there will be no need for Christ to die for our sins because there is no law that is demanding for our death and therefore we do not need a Saviour.

(4) But God must have considered the fact that His Commandments are “righteousness” and “truth” and they are everlasting because He “founded them forever” (Psalms 119:142, 151, 152). For Him to abolish His own law would mean the destruction of His kingdom for the law is the very “foundation of His throne” (Psalms 89:14). Therefore God cannot and did not abolish His law of Ten Commandments. And because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), all men stands guilty and remains guilty before God.

(5) Thus God the Father was left with only one choice. He must uphold the unchangeableness of His law by carrying out the death penalty for transgression. But the good news is He imposed the death penalty and saved sinners at the same time. How? God sent his only begotten Son to redeem us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us (Galatians 3:13).

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God…” 1 Peter 3:18.

When suffering under divine justice, Christ prayed saying, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” Matthew 26:39. He pleads to the Father that if it is possible He will save man in some other way that will not require Him to endure the death penalty by becoming a curse for us. However, if the only way to save man is for Him to “make his soul and offering for sin” (Isaiah 53:10), His decision was made that He will save man at any cost to Himself.

What did the Father do? Did He spare His Son and save man by just abolishing His law? The Bible tells us that God “did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all” (Romans 8:32).

That is to say He imposed the death penalty for the sins of the whole world upon Christ in order to uphold the immutability of His law and save humanity at the same time. Can you see how it is that God’s law cannot be change like the laws of the Medes and Persians? As the throwing of Daniel into the lions’ den testify to the permanency of the law of the Medes and Persians, even so the crucifixion of Christ will stand, not only as the token of our deliverance from sin, but also as a witness to the unchangeable nature of the law of God.

From the time that Christ appeared as a babe in Bethlehem, Satan’s power was turned against Him. In every possible way he sought to prevent Jesus from developing a perfect character through his subtle temptations. But Satan was defeated every time. He could not lead Jesus into sin. Christ would rather die than to deviate from the path of duty and commit sin. Could one sin have been found in Christ, had he yielded to a single temptation of Satan and violated just one of God’s commandments, Satan would have triumph.

But Christ “humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross,” “that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death where all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Philippians 2:8; Hebrews 2:14, 15. Thus the cross is not only the token of our deliverance from sin and a witness of the immutability of God’s law, but it is a symbol of Satan’s defeat.

But Satan is a persistent fighter who does not easily give up. Another deception was now to be brought forward for the purpose of turning his defeat into victory. Satan would make people believe that God’s mercy towards sinners destroyed justice, that the death of Christ abrogated God’s law. He would misinterpret the Scriptures to suit his own evil purpose. The statement that says “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4), he would change the wordings a little bit to read, “Christ has put an end to the law” and put a period to make sure that the true meaning is lost and the reader will be made to believe that it was the purpose of Christ to put an end to the Ten Commandments and this He did when He died on the Cross.

This of course is not true and as we have noted earlier Christ has warned the people before His death not to entertain this very idea. He explains:

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment.” Matthew 5:17-21, KJV.

Satan knows that these words of Christ will certainly prevent the people from receiving his deceptive idea that Christ put an end to the law through His death on the cross. So he would make it sure that this statement of Christ will be hidden from the view of the people, and if ever they will read it, he would put a veil in their mind so they will not see its meaning, thus allowing his deception to sink into their conscience.

If his victim is not fully convince he would quickly go to Ephesians 2:14, 15 and, ignoring the context, would partially quote, “For He (Christ) Himself…has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished…the law of commandments contained in ordinances.” Then he would quickly jump to Colossians 2:14-16 and concluded by saying that God’s moral law of Ten Commandments was nailed to the cross and it doesn’t matter if you violate it. What is important is you are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8) and not through the works of the law.

Does this argument sound familiar to you? You surely have heard it, didn’t you? I heard it many time myself.

But if you read those Bible verses over and over again (Try it if you haven’t done it yet.) and give particular attention to the context, you will discover that the Bible writers does not teach that Christ put an end to the moral law of God by nailing it to the cross. What apostle Paul was saying in the verses cited above is we cannot obtain eternal life by following the legal way of salvation that, according to Moses, is obtained through obedience to the law (Romans 10:5). The obvious reason is our inability to render perfect obedience due to the weakness of our human nature. Those who follow this way of salvation shows that they are “ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to established their own righteousness,” and “have not submitted to the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:3).

What the law does is to give the sinner knowledge of his sin and make him feel guilty before God and convince him that no one will be justified by obedience to the righteous demands of the law (Romans 3:19, 20). The end, meaning the purpose, of the law in making the sinner feel guilty before God is to make him realize that he needed a Saviour and that the only Saviour is Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12). The sinner can find in Christ a perfect righteousness that could entitle him to receive eternal life and he can claim it as his own righteousness by faith (Romans 3:21-31; 5:17, 18). This is how “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” Romans 10:4.

What then was abolished according to Ephesians 2:14 and 15? The context reveals that Paul is talking about the existence of a gap or wall of separation between God and man and between the Jews and Gentiles (Eph. 2:11- 13). Christ came and “has broken down the middle wall of separation” (Verse 14 last part) to bring about a reconciliation between God and man and between Jews and Gentiles.

The real cause of man’s separation from God is of course sin or iniquity for it is written by the prophet Isaiah:

“But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid [his] face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. None calleth for justice, nor [any] pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.” Isaiah 59:2-4.

This iniquity, the principle of self-centeredness, in the heart of man produces an “enmity” that serves as a wall that effectively prevents him from having a real communion with God and his fellowmen. Even the “law of commandments contained in ordinances” such as the ordinance of circumcision that God gave to His people, good as they are, were used in such a way as to justify racial and social discrimination between Jews and Gentiles (Eph. 2: 11, 15). The Gentiles who were not circumcised in the flesh cannot be accepted by the Jews as members of the household of God and would not even eat with them in the same table (Galatians 2:11-14). It was this “enmity,” this spirit of discrimination that serves as a wall of separation, that Christ has broken (Eph. 2:15, 16). This is the one that Christ abolished in His flesh including the wrong use of the ordinances of circumcision, and not the moral law of Ten Commandments.

As a result of Christ’s act of removing the middle wall of separation both Jews and Gentiles have access by one Spirit to the Father (Eph. 2:18). Gentiles who believe the gospel “are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Eph. 2:19).

So while it is true we cannot be saved by keeping the law, it does not follow that it is not important for Christians who were justified through their faith in Christ to keep the law of God. Let us remember that God did not just save us by Grace, but He saved us for a purpose, and that purpose is “for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10. Jesus Christ gave Himself for us, “that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” Titus 2:14. Apostle Paul knew that in the New Testament “circumcision is nothing and un-circumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what is important.” 1 Corinthians 7:19.

Keeping the commandments by Christians is important in the sight of God only when it is heartily done, not as a means of gaining their salvation, but as a way of expressing their love to God who through the abundance of His grace has saved them from eternal death, for love is the only acceptable motive in Christian service (John 14:15).

Moreover, when the Christian keeps the commandments from the heart out of a deep sense of appreciation and love to God, such obedience will certainly bring glory and honor to our heavenly Father. Christ made this point clear when He said to His disciples, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16.

Obedience to the commandments is also important to the Christians because it will be the basis of their future rewards. Of this truth we read the explanation of Christ Himself:

“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” Matthew 16:27.

“And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? For sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend [to them] of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? For sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and [to] the evil.” Luke 6:33-34.

“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Revelation 22:12.