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3. The Ten Commandments Alone
are never called "the Law of the Lord" nor
"the Law of God."
Sabbatarians constantly use these
two terms, applying them to the Decalogue alone. They are
the only ones who keep God's law, as all others break the
Sabbath, the seventh day. But now notice this fact: The
word "law" occurs in the Bible over four hundred
times, yet in not one single instance is the Decalogue as
a whole and alone called the law. It is never in a single
instance called "the law of the Lord," or
"the law of God." Of course, the Ten
Commandments are a part of the law of God, but only a
part, not the whole. Examine a few texts: Luke 2:22,
"The days of her purification according to the law of
Moses"; verse 23, "It is written in the law of
the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb"; verse
24, it is "said in the law of the Lord, A pair of
turtle doves"; verse 27, "To do for him after
the custom of the law." Here "the law,"
"the law of the Lord," and "the law of
Moses," all mean the same thing, viz.: the law
touching the birth of a son.
Again, sacrifices, offerings,
sabbaths, new moons, and feasts are all required "in
the law of the Lord" (see 2 Cor. 31:3). Scores of
texts like this could be cited, where "the law of the
Lord" includes sacrifices, circumcision, feast days,
and all the Jewish law. So the law of God is not simply
the Decalog, but the whole law of Moses. In Neh. 8:1, 2,
3, 7, 8, 14, 18, they read "in the book of l the law
of Moses," "the law," "the book of the
law," "in the book of the law of God,"
"the law which the Lord commanded by Moses,"
"the law of God." The law of God, then, included
the whole law of Moses.
No Sabbatarian, therefore, keeps
"the law," "the law of God," or
"the law of the Lord"; for if he did he would
offer sacrifices, be circumcised, and live exactly like
the Jews. So all their talk about "keeping the
law" amounts to nothing, for none of them do it. In
their at tempt to keep a part of that law they thereby
bring them selves under obligations to "keep the
whole law," as Paul argues in Gal. 5:3. But as none
of them keep the whole law, they bring themselves under
the curse of the law, by constantly violating one part
while attempting to keep another. This is the very point
that Paul made against Judaizing legalists of his day (see
Gal. 3:10). The person who keeps one precept of the law
just because the law says so, thereby acknowledges that
the law is binding on him. Then if he neglects some other
part of the law, e thereby becomes a transgressor of the
very law he professes to keep. This is exactly what
Sabbatarians do. They keep the Sabbath because the law
says so and thereby become "debtors to do the whole
law" (Gal. 5:3). Then they neglect many things in the
same law, and so are under the condemnation of the law
(Gal. 3:10). But we "are dead to the law,"
"not under the law," "but under
grace"—the New Testament.
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