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12. The Mosaic law was founded
upon the higher and original law.
Jesus directly affirms this:
"On these two commandments hang all the law."
The principles of this great law were interwoven all
through the law of Sinai, being the life, "the
spirit," or "the righteousness" of
"the law" (Rom. 2:26-29; 8:4). As an example,
Leviticus 19. Here you have the second great commandment
(vs. 18), and the principles of every one of the Ten
Commandments. Thus: 1st commandment (vs. 32); 2nd (vs. 4);
3rd (vs. 12); 4th (vs. 30); 5th (vs. 3); 6th (vs. 17); 7th
(vs. 29); 8th (vs. 13); 9th (vs. 11); 10th (vs. 35).
Mingled among these are commandments about sacrifices (vs.
5); harvest (vs. 9); clothing (vs. 19); priests (vs. 22);
first-fruits (vs. 23); wizards (vs. 31); Gentiles (vs.
34), etc. All these are founded upon this higher law and
can be changed to fit circumstances without affecting the
supreme law, which is ever the same.
Adventists make a great ado over
the absurdity of the idea that God should abolish his law
at the cross and then immediately reenact nine tenths of
it. They say, "As well cut off your ten fingers to
get rid of one bad one, and then stick nine on
again." So they go on with a whole jumble of
absurdities involved in the position that God's moral law
was abolished at the cross and a new one given. But this
is only a man of straw of their own making, hence easily
demolished. We hold no such absurd position. But the
Mosaic law from Sinai was only a national one founded upon
the principles of God's moral law. Even while it existed
it did not supersede God's higher law; and when it ended,
it in no way affected God's law, which continued right on,
unchanged and unchangeable. To illustrate: The State law
of Michigan forbids murder, theft, and adultery. In these
items it is founded upon God's moral law. Now abolish the
law of Michigan. Does that abolish God's law? No. So with
the state law of Israel. Neither its enactment on Sinai
nor its abolition at the cross in any way changed God's
great moral law by which he will judge the world. The
Adventist absurdity grows out of their own false theory,
that is all. The particular wording of the law as adapted
to the Jewish age was "the letter" or
"form" of the law for the time being. If a Jew
loved God with all his heart, he obediently circumcised
his sons, offered burnt sacrifices, paid tithes, kept the
Passover, the new moons, the Sabbath, and attended the
temple worship, for this was "the law of the
Lord" (2 Chron. 31:3; Luke 2:22-27). But if a
Christian loves God he will be baptized (Acts 2:38) take
the Lord's Supper (1 Cor. 11:24) wash the saints' feet
(John 13:1-16; 1 Tim. 5:10); attend meetings (Heb. 10:25);
and observe the law of Christ, which is much different
from the law the Jews observed. Hence "there is made
of necessity a change also of the law" (Heb. 7:12).
Those who make the mere letter of the Jewish law an iron
rule, and contend for the exact wording under all
circumstances and in all ages, miss the spirit of the
gospel, and are in bondage to a system out of date (Gal.
3:19-25; 4:21-25; 6:1-3, 13, 14; 2 Cor. 3:3-15).
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