Lesson 11 for June 14, 2014

Peter and John lived with Jesus for three and a half years. They heard all His teachings. Then why didn’t they say anything about the Ten Commandments being cancelled? If they were, that was too significant to be left out? James and Jude were brothers of Jesus. They lived with Him during His childhood and youth. They followed His ministry. They also believed in Him when He died at the cross and resurrected. So why didn’t they teach that we must keep Sunday to honor His resurrection, instead of the “Jewish” Sabbath? Paul received revelation from Jesus, both in his way to Damascus and during the three years he spent in Arabia. When reading his writings, it sometimes seems that the law was cancelled; nevertheless, he states that it is not in other passages. Why? None taught about that change, because Jesus never did. He never cancelled the Ten Commandments or asked us to keep the day of His resurrection.

“But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”” (Acts 10:14) If Jesus cancelled the law, then why couldn’t Peter eat unclean animals? Peter refused to transgress one of the secondary commandments in the law. What would have happened if he was asked to transgress one of the main ones? What did Peter teach about the law? 1 Peter 2: He urged the believers to fight against the “fleshly lusts” (7th and 10th commandments) and to live a life of “good works” (that is, to obey the law) 2 Peter 3:2. He urges us to obey the Old Testament, the teaching of the “holy prophets” (they emphasized the 2nd and 4th commandments) and to keep the “commandment of the Lord” (we already discussed about it in previous lessons)

“Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.” (1 John 2:3) John wrote about the commandments and the good works in his five books. John stated that love is the fulfillment of the law. “This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.” (2 John 1:6) “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” (John 15:10) “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.” (1 John 5:2)

“The commission of a known sin silences the witnessing voice of the Spirit and separates the soul from God. “Sin is the transgression of the law.” And “whosoever sinneth [transgresseth the law] hath not seen him, neither known him” (1 John 3:6). Though John in his Epistles dwells so fully upon love, yet he does not hesitate to reveal the true character of that class who claim to be sanctified while living in transgression of the law of God. “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected” (chap. 2:4, 5). Here is the test of every man’s profession.” E.G.W. (Our Father cares, November 4)

“For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.” (James 2:10-11) Obviously, James didn’t think the Ten Commandments were cancelled. On the contrary, James believed we would be judged on the Ten Commandments; he called them “the law of liberty” (James 2:12) “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” (James 2:20) He stated that faith must go with works (keeping the commandments)

“For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1:4) How can God’s grace become licentiousness? Teaching that those under the grace of salvation are no longer required to keep the law may lead to that. Jude put that doctrine on the same level than denying God and Jesus Christ. Jude didn’t write about the Law or the commandments, but his letter is about being faithful to God and about the consequences of transgressing the Law.

CANCELLED LAW “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.” (Romans 3:28) “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:14) “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.” (Galatians 3:24-25) CURRENT LAW “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.” (Romans 3:31) “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!” (Romans 6:15) “Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law.” (Galatians 3:21) Did Paul teach that the law is cancelled or that it is still current? Was Paul confused about the role of the law? Or do we misinterpret his words?

For those who don’t understand the concept of justification by faith, Paul may seem to be contradicting himself. In the same breath he claims that the Christian is not under the law; yet the same Christian is obligated to keep the law. The problem is solved when we remember that God demands righteousness from those who claim to be in relationship with Him. The standard of righteousness is His law. However, when people measure up against His law, they fall short and are therefore condemned by the law. If the law were the means to salvation, then none would have any hope of eternal life. The hope of the Christian is not found in the law but in Jesus Christ, who not only kept the law perfectly but through God’s miraculous power allows believers to share in His righteousness (Rom. 8:3, 4). The Christian can now serve the law of God with a free conscience because Christ has taken away the law’s condemnation (Rom. 7:25–8:2). The grace that comes through Christ does not release us from the law but rather compels us to obey it. Keith Augustus Borton (Sabbath School Quarterly, June )

“Paul had ever exalted the divine law. He had shown that in the law there is no power to save men from the penalty of disobedience. Wrongdoers must repent of their sins and humble themselves before God, whose just wrath they have incurred by breaking His law, and they must also exercise faith in the blood of Christ as their only means of pardon. The Son of God had died as their sacrifice and had ascended to heaven to stand before the Father as their advocate. By repentance and faith they might be freed from the condemnation of sin and through the grace of Christ be enabled henceforth to render obedience to the law of God.” E.G.W. (The Acts of the Apostles, cp. 37, pg. 393)