SDA Open Letter -The Sabbath and Gentiles

This is a continuation of my letter to SDA leaders in Vanuatu

DOES THE SABBATH LAW APPLY TO GENTILE BELIEVERS?

One thing I agree with you on is that God did initiate a Sabbath rest for his people Israel.  However, we seem to disagree on whether the Ten Commandments and the Law are applicable to gentiles.  [Edit: Gentiles being anyone who is not  Jew - so that means all Ni-Vanuatu and me.]


This question is one that requires an answer the most, since as you say, it has a direct bearing on whether Sunday keepers will get Eternal life or face Eternal destruction.  I am sure you will enjoy the opportunity I give you to state your claim, after all, you desire to see as many people saved from the Mark of the Beast and the Antichrist, so I am genuinely interested in what you have to say. [Edit: At the time of posting, they have not taken the opportunity.]
 

Why I ask this is because when the Law of Moses was given to the Israelites and this is a very important point It is important because as you will know, the Law was given as a covenant to Israel but perhaps you do not know what a covenant is. 

WHAT IS A COVENANT?

A covenant is a binding contract between two parties.  In the bible, God has made several covenants.  Some of these are conditional and some are unconditional.  But one thing is true of all covenants and that is that they are only broken by the death of one of the parties or by immorality.  A modern day covenant that we all know is marriage.  This is a binding agreement between a man and a woman who both vow, “till death do us part.” Marriage a heavenly covenant.  We agree on that.

So in the bible there are eight covenants mentioned.  I do not have space to explain the details but I leave you some verses to check for yourselves. Three of these covenants God made with humanity in general – 

1. The Edenic Covenant (Gen 1:28-30), 
2. Adamic Covenant (Gen 3:14-19) and 
3. Noahic Covenant (Gen 9:1-17)).   

Then came five covenants that he made only with the Jewish nation and Israel – 

1. The Abrahamic Covenant (Gen 12:1-3, 7, 14-17; 15:1-21; 17:1-21; 22:15-18), 
2. Mosaic Covenant (Ex 21:1-Deuteronomy 28:68), 
3. Land Covenant (Deut 29:1 – 30:20), 
4. Davidic Covenant(2Sam 7:11-16;1Chron 17:10-14) and   
5. New Covenant (Jer 31:31-34, Isa 55:3; 59:21; 61:8-9; Jer 32:40; Eze 16:60; 34:25-31; 37:26-28; Rom 11:26-27)).   

THE MOSAIC COVENANT - THE COVENANT GIVEN THROUGH MOSES

We will concentrate on the Mosaic Covenant since that is where we read about the Sabbath Law.

To reiterate, the Law of Moses is a part of the Mosaic Covenant that God made with Israel at Horeb next to Mt Sinai.  That is common knowledge.  I have often asked SDA members whether God also made the same covenant with the Egyptians and Canaanites, Jebusites, Hittites, Edomites, Assyrians, Babylonians and whoever else that were living in or near the Promised Land before Israel entered it.  They correctly say no He did not.  I then ask if God made this covenant with Ni-Vanuatu and they pause.  Perhaps as an SDA leader you can answer this question – 

DID GOD MAKE A COVENANT WITH NI-VANUATU THAT WAS THE SAME AS THE COVENANT THAT GOD MADE WITH ISRAEL – INVOLVING THE LAW?

Somewhere between Moses and now, the SDA leadership have made a claim that the Law of Moses applies to Gentiles.  So a further question I ask is – 

CAN YOU PLEASE SHOW ME IN SCRIPTURE WHERE IS SAYS THAT THE LAW OF MOSES WAS NOW APPLICABLE TO GENTILES IN ADDITION TO ISRAEL?  

Remember here that according to Jewish custom, and the bible, the Law is one law. 

As I explained back in an earlier question, the Jerusalem Council involving the Apostles was debating that very question.  They concluded that the Law did not apply to Gentiles.  As I read the New Testament it seems clear that since the death of the Messiah – Jesus, the Law has been rendered inoperative.  You will disagree with me on this point so I will state my claim and then I would like it if you could explain where you think I am wrong.  I will highlight relevant parts.

 The first passage is Romans 7:5-6

(5)  For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. (6)  But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. Romans 7:5-6.

That seems pretty clear to me.  Paul explains that we are released from the law and that we serve in the new way (of the Spirit) and not in the old way.  Interestingly the Greek word that is translated “released” here (the KJV says “delivered from”) is  Katargeo which means “to render inoperative.”

The next passage is Romans 10:4 –  

For Christ is the end of the law, with the result that there is righteousness for everyone who believes. Romans 10:4  

The Greek word for “End” here is “telos” which means termination – or cease to exist.

Ellen G White claims that the Law is a perpetual eternal ordinance, especially the Sabbath.  So why does Galatians 3:19a say it is not – 

Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions, until the arrival of the descendant to whom the promise had been made. …”

The Law was until the arrival of the descendent to whom the promise had been made.  I am confident that you know this is talking about the arrival of the Messiah, Jesus.  In this chapter, Paul was explaining that the law was put as an addition to the Abrahamic Covenant ( see vv 15-18) for the purpose of highlighting man’s sin so that all know they have fallen short of God’s standards of righteousness.

In Jeremiah we read that even in his day, the prophets knew that the Mosiac Law was temporary and would be replaced.  You can read this in Jeremiah 31:31-34.  The writer of Hebrews picked this up in Hebrews 8:8-13 where he quotes Jeremiah.  It is worth mentioning that here.  Again, I have emphasised some key points:

(8)  But showing its fault, God says to them, ​​​​​​“Look, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will complete a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 

(9)  ​​​​​​​“It will not be like the covenant that I made with their fathers, on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant and I had no regard for them, says the Lord. 

(10)  ​​​​​​​“For this is the covenant that I will establish with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and I will inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God and they will be my people. 

(11)  ​​​​​​​“And there will be no need at all for each one to teach his countryman or each one to teach his brother saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ since they will all know me, from the least to the greatest. 

(12)  ​​​​​​​“For I will be merciful toward their evil deeds, and their sins I will remember no longer.” 

(13)  When he speaks of a new covenant, he makes the first obsolete. Now what is growing obsolete and aging is about to disappear. 

When Paul wrote to the Ephesians he mentioned that the Law was the middle wall of partition that prevented Gentiles from joining with Jews to become one man (or one body).  When Christ came he removed that barrier – the Law, so that Gentiles, that is you and me, could enter into God’s peace.  Again I emphasise several points for you to consider.

Eph 2:14-19 (NET)

(14)  For he [Jesus Christ] is our peace, the one who made both groups into one and who destroyed the middle wall of partition, the hostility,  (15)  when he nullified in his flesh the law of commandments in decrees. He did this to create in himself one new man out of two, thus making peace,  (16)  and to reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by which the hostility has been killed.   (17)  And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near,   (18)  so that through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.   (19)  So then you are no longer foreigners and noncitizens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, 

The point that I read from this is that while the Law was in place, gentiles were kept separate from the promises of God.  This raises our third meaning of Sabbath – “The Divider.”   The Sabbath divides Jew and Gentile.  However, since the death of Jesus on the cross, his death nullified the commandments and because the law no longer is in place we can become partakers with Israel in the promises of God.   

So my question to you is this: 

 HOW DO YOU JUSTIFY RETAINING THE WALL OF PARTITION THAT CHRIST REMOVED ON GENTILES BY MAINTAINING THE LAW?

I have often thought about why it is that Mormons and SDAs in particular like to retain a “divider” between the people and God.  You can read above where for SDAs the divider is the Sabbath.  That is easy to understand because one meaning for Sabbath means “The Divider.”  The Mormons go further and actually have re-established in their temples the veil that divides the traditional holy place from the Holy of Holies.  A relic of this division is also seen in Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican churches, and to a lesser degree in other denominations that have a high altar where only the priesthood can enter.  All are designed to try to retain the divider that was symbolically and spiritually destroyed when the temple veil was ripped from top to bottom immediately following the death of Jesus on the Cross.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

As an SDA leader, you also teach your congregation the absolute importance of the Ten Commandments. That is evident whenever I ask an SDA member.  All they are aware of is the 10 commandments.  In fact this is not an SDA thing alone.  Most Christians also only think there are 10 commandments.  As I will explain later on, there are in fact 613 commandments mentioned in the Law.  It is called the Mitzvot and I can show you a list of all 613 with verses from scripture to support if you want to look, otherwise they are here. 

In its primary meaning, the Hebrew word mitzvah ("commandment", מִצְוָה, [mit͡sˈva], Biblical: miṣwah; plural מִצְווֹת mitzvot [mit͡sˈvot], Biblical: miṣwoth; from צִוָּה ṣiwwah "command") refers to precepts and commandments as commanded by God. Wikipedia

 

So what does the New Testament say about the 10 commandments then.

2Corintians 3:2-11

(2)  You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone,  (3)  revealing that you are a letter of Christ, delivered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets but on tablets of human hearts. (4)  Now we have such confidence in God through Christ.  (5)  Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as if it were coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,  (6)  who made us adequate to be servants of a new covenant not based on the letter but on the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.  (7)  But if the ministry that produced death – carved in letters on stone tablets – came with glory, so that the Israelites could not keep their eyes fixed on the face of Moses because of the glory of his face (a glory which was made ineffective),  (8)  how much more glorious will the ministry of the Spirit be?  (9)  For if there was glory in the ministry that produced condemnation, how much more does the ministry that produces righteousness excel in glory!  (10)  For indeed, what had been glorious now has no glory because of the tremendously greater glory of what replaced it.  (11)  For if what was made ineffective came with glory, how much more has what remains come in glory! 

Now this is extremely bad news for SDAs.  In verses 3 and 7 Paul zeros in on the Ten Commandments as we know these were the only ones written in Stone.  Paul calls these a ministry that produces death (v7) and condemnation (9).  Then in verse 11 he says that just as the glory that appeared on Moses’ face (v7) was made ineffective, so too the greater glory (ministry of the Spirit (v8, 10)) has replaced the law (v10) and in fact has made it ineffective (v11).  So what is stated very clearly here is that the Law of Moses, and especially the Ten Commandments is no longer in effect.

The point of [Ephesians 2:11-16 and 3:5-6] is that God made four unconditional covenants with Israel: the Abrahamic Covenant, the Land Covenant, the Davidic Covenant and the New Covenant.  All of God's blessings, both physical and spiritual, are mediated by means of these four covenants.  However, there is also a fifth covenant, the conditional Mosaic Covenant.  This was the middle wall of partition.  Essentailly it kept the Gentiles from enjoying the spiritual blessings of the four unclonditional covenants.

For a Gentile to begin receiving the blessings of the unconditional covenants, he had to totally submit to the Mosaic Law, undergo circumcision, take upon himself the obligations of the Law, and, for all practical purposes, live as a son of Abraham.  Gentiles, as Gentiles were not able to enjoy the spiritiual blessings of the Jewish covenants; hence, they were strangers from the commonwealth of Israel.  They did not receive any of the spiritiual benefits contained in the covenants.  

However, when the Messiah died, the Mosaic Law, the middle wall of partition, was broken down.  Now by faith Gentiles, as Gentiles, can enjoy the spiritual blessings of the four unconditional covenants.  That is why Gentiles today are partakers of Jewish spiritual blessings, not "takers over." 

Dr Arnold Fructenbaum - the Eight Covenants of the Bible pp38-39]

I hope that you are beginning to see a common theme happening here.  The theme is that the ministry of the Holy Spirit replaced the ministry Law of Moses and that all happened at the Cross.  So I will give you another verse to explain to me:

Colossians 2:14 [KVJ]  - 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; 

This I find interesting because I know that Ellen G White preached that only the ceremonial laws were nailed to the cross, while here it does not make that distinction.  As I have stated, the Law is one Law and that Law was taken out of the way by nailing it to the cross.  I will ask questions about the differences between ceremonial and moral laws later.

Now you are going to ask me a question at this time by asking if I believe that if I say the 10 Commandments are no longer in effect, does that mean I am saying that you can kill, steal, covet, etc?  I believe that you call this the moral Law.  My answer to that is that the Moral law you refer to existed before Moses. 

It is not unique to the law of Moses.  In fact, across the world and in many cultures, there is a moral law.  Cain broke the moral law by killing Abel.  Adam and Eve broke moral law by disobeying God in the first place.  This is why the last six of the 10 commandments needed no explanation – the Israelites did not need, “Thou shalt not kill” explained to them.

I will touch on the answer to this briefly by asking you these questions which I am sure people would like to hear an answer.

Firstly, moral laws, if broken make one immoral.  If I murder someone just once, I am labelled a murderer.  If I steal just once I am a thief, if I sleep with another man’s wife, I am an adulterer.  All these if I just do it once.  I cannot say, “Oh I killed a man once, but only once.  I am still a good man.”  Now take the Sabbath.  If I do not observe the Sabbath just once, and since you say that the Sabbath is a moral law, then am I now labelled a Sabbath Breaker and have the Mark of the Beast?  There are lots of SDA members who regularly go to NZ on the Seasonal Worker Scheme.  And do you know something – NEARLY EVERY ONE OF THEM FOR 3 TO 6 MONTHS BREAK THE SABBATH, simply because it is a requirement that Saturday is a work day.  If it is a moral law and they break it then they are all immoral then?   

Surely, since the Sabbath is about observing it, by attending a church service and worshipping, then that makes it ceremonial, which Ellen G White said was made obsolete?  Can you please clarify this problem for me?  

It seems to me that the SDA Church have the intent on reestablishing the middle wall of partition that Christ removed at the cross.  That could therefore mean that the SDA Church is going against the work that Christ did by shedding his own blood and dying on the cross.  Can you explain yourselves in this critical matter?

To be continued...

 
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[Since writing this letter, I was speaking to some men from Tanna who lean more towards Kastom but get exposed to Christians (and cults) a lot these days.  We were talking about the Ten Commandments and the Sabbath, and whether it was correct for Christians to worship on Saturday or Sunday.    

I was asked them whether in Kastom it was OK to kill, steal, run away with the neighbour's missus.  They said, "No!"  I asked them if that was because they are in the Ten Commandments, and they laughed.  They said that it was simply a part of Kastom.  

That is the point!  Killing, stealing and adultery is, according to kastom, immoral.  They are moral laws as far as kastom goes and kastom in Vanuatu is pretty much similar to most other ancient traditions around the world in this respect.  There is nothing unique about these particular moral laws as listed in the 10 commandments!  So for SDAs to claim that when we Christians declare the 10 Commandments obsolete, we also throw out the laws of murder, theft, adultery and the like is pure nonsense.]