All Doves:
A basic foundational error of the SDA's is its misuse of the Law of Moses. This is the same heresy that many of the Jews of Paul's day were guilty of. It is the heresy that he confronted in his epistle to the Galatians. Today, it can be generally applied to all of those religious groups that demand Sabbath observance, such as the JW's and Armstrongites that teach British-Israelism or Anglo-Israelism. So from our understanding of their theology, it goes well with their works-righteousness salvation.
I will list just a few of the ways Adventists err about the Law of Moses.
1. According to Adventism, law and grace are opposing systems, but both work together for man's salvation.
"The fact that all who are redeemed are saved by grace does not dispense with the law of God any more
in the one dispensation than in the other. The law is not against grace, and grace is not against the law."
-(Charles Everson, 'Saved By Grace', pg. 11).
2. The Law of Moses is the standard by which God shall judge believers.
"The law of God is the standard by which the characters and the lives of men will be tested in the judgment. ...
Those who in the judgment are 'accounted worthy' will have a part in the resurrection of the just" -(Ellen G. White, 'The Great Controversy', pgs. 423-425).
3. The Law of Moses is the believer's rule of life.
"Instead of being free to ignore and break the law because he is saved by grace, he is now doubly
obligated to keep it. ... It is very evidence, then, that in the new covenant we do not see the law a
thing of no consequence, but we find it occupying the center of the covenant" -(Charles Everson,
'Saved By Grace', pgs. 23, 36).
"The Ten Commandments are the only perfect rule of conduct in this world today. God gave man
the Decalogue as a rule of life" -(J.L. Shuler, 'The Great Judgment Day', pgs. 113-114).
There are many more examples of this SDA heresy combining of the law and grace, but again, we have as our plumb line here the Bible and need to see what it really says. If you practice the Berean principles of Acts 17:11, you are to be commended.
The following is a summary of EVERY major New Testament passage dealing with the law. The reader is encouraged to look up and study each one of the passage. The Lord will encourage you in the glorious eternal liberty the believer has in Christ Jesus.
1. The Law of Moses has ONE main purpose, and that is to lead men to Jesus Christ. A man is saved and justified by faith ALONE through grace ALONE, apart from the law. Because of man's fallen condition, the law can only condemn him. The law is indeed whole and good, but it can do nothing for sinful man except to reveal his wicked condition and lead him to Christ. See the following passages:
Romans 3:19-20
Romans 5:20
Romans 7:7-13
1st Corinthians 15:56
2nd Corinthians 5:5-13
Galatians 2:16
Galatians 3:9-24
1st Timothy 1:6-11
"The law demands strength from one that has none, and curses him if he cannot display it. The Gospel
gives strength to one that has none, and blesses him in the exhibition of it. The law proposes life as the
end of obedience, the Gospel gives life as the only proper ground of obedience." -(C.H. Mackintosh, 'Notes
on the Pentateuch', pgs. 232-233).
2. The Law of Moses holds no power over the believer; he is placed in Christ entirely out of the law's grasp. The law can no more bring condemnation to the believer than it can to Christ Himself, since the believer has been made perfect in Christ Jesus. The law has no more power over the believer than the dead husband over a living wife. The apostles did not teach Adventist doctrine that the believer is to conform his life to the standard of the law by the power of the resurrected Jesus Christ, and that if he fails to do the law will condemn him in the day of judgment. See the following verses of Scripture:
Romans 5:1-2, 6-11
Romans 7:4
Romans 8:8-10
Romans 10:4
Galatians 3:24-29
3. The Ten Commandments is a covenant of death that is done away with in Christ Jesus. Adventist teachers protest that the moral law, represented in the Ten Commandments, was not done away with at the cross of Jesus Christ and that only the ceremonial law was done away with. But the New Testament describes even the Ten Commandments as a covenant of death! The Mosaic Law as a whole had one chief purpose. It was given by God to fallen man in order to show him his sin and his need of the Savior. This is well understood in 2nd Corinthians 3:6-13.
4. The apostle Paul said that the law written in stone is done away with in Christ Jesus, and that refers to the Ten Commandments. Two times the apostle tells us that the Ten Commandments are abolished. Two times he tells us that the Ten Commandments were a ministration of death and condemnation! Words could not be plainer. For the Adventist teacher to come along and point the believer back to the Law of Moses as a rule of life is a great evil.
5. The Law of Moses is not the believer's rule of life. The believer is told to put on Jesus Christ and to follow the Spirit of God. The believer's objective is not to be conformed to the law, but to be conformed to the image of Christ Jesus -(Romans 8:29). The Holy Spirit molds and transforms the believer's life into the image of the Lord Christ Jesus. -(Romans 8:11-14; 8:29; 13:13-14; 2nd Corinthians 3:8; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 4:20-24; Colossians 3:9-11)
"If the law be indeed the rule of the believer's life, where are we to find it so presented in the New Testament?
The inspired apostle evidently had no thought of it being the rule when he penned the following words: "For in
Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And as many as walk according to the rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and on the Israel of God" -(Galatians 6:15-16). What 'rule'? The Law? No; but the 'new creation.' Where shall we find this in Exodus 20? It speaks not a word about 'new creation'. On the contrary , it addresses itself to man as he is - in his natural or old creation
state - and puts him to the test as to what he is really able to do. Now if the law were the rule by which
believers are to walk, why does the apostle pronounce his benediction on those who walk by another rule by altogether? Why does he not say, as many as walk according to the Ten Commandments? Is it not evident
from this one passage, that the Church of God has a higher rule by which to walk?" -(C.H. Mackintosh, 'Notes
on The Pentateuch', pgs. 232-233).
6. Law and Grace are two different systems that cannot be mixed (like oil and water) in salvation. We have already looked at this before when I discussed the SDA's false gospel of grace plus works. I refer the reader to Acts 15:8-11; Romans 3:18-24; 4:4-5; 11:6; and Ephesians 2:8-10. All of those groups which we refer to as the cults and heretical groups fall into the trap of skirting around the apostle Paul's writings.
7. To point believers back to the Law of Moses as a rule of life is to place them back under legalistic bondage, bringing a curse upon the one who teaches this heresy as well as upon the one who follows it. The apostle Paul condemned in the strongest language those who tried to get believers to return to the Law of Moses as a rule of life. This refutes the SDA doctrine that the law is a blessing to the justified man. Read Galatians 1:7-9; 2:4; 3:1-9; 4:9-11, 19-21; 5:1-9.
Christ Jesus came to redeem men from bondage to the law, to remove their condemnation by paying the price the law demanded for man' sin. Those who try to bring believers back under the law are deceiving men and pointing them away from the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross and true Bible freedom in Him. They themselves are cursed because of their false gospel, and they are leading others away from the truth. The goal of salvation is not to bring the believer to the law, but to present him perfect in Christ! There are two wags at another web site that tell you they are not SDA's but, none the less, they host, promote, SDA teachings. Despite their denial, they cannot fool anyone who knows the whole Bible, but particularly, the New Testament message. Ask yourself this question - If you hosted a so-called Christian prophecy news site and If you knew that the SDA cult teachings and doctrines are contrary to Biblical Truth, why would you continue to give credence to SDA teachings and doctrines by regularly moving them [SDA voices like Steven Wohlberg and Doug Batchelor] to the forefront of your web site.
I don't need to answer that if you are a discerning Christian believer. Just remember Jesus warning words were all about not being deceived.
God bless,
Pastor Bob