Monday: The Immutability of God’s Law
Daily Lesson for Monday 27th of May 2024
Read Matthew 5:17-18; Psalms 111:7-8; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; 1 John 5:3; and Proverbs 28:9. What do these Bible passages teach regarding the Christian’s relationship to the law?
Seventh-day Adventists follow in the footsteps of the Protestant Reformers who upheld the sanctity of God’s law. Note this powerful affirmation of John Wesley: “The ritual or ceremonial law delivered by Moses to the children of Israel, containing all the injunctions and ordinances which related to the old sacrifices and service of the temple, our Lord indeed did come to destroy, to dissolve and utterly abolish. . . . But the moral law, contained in the Ten Commandments, and enforced by the prophets, he did not take away.
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It was not the design of his coming to revoke any part of this. This is a law which never can be broken, which ‘stands fast as the faithful witness in heaven.’ . . . Every part of this law must remain in force, upon all mankind, and in all ages; as not depending either on time or place, or any other circumstances liable to change, but on the nature of God and the nature of man, and their unchangeable relation to each other.”—“Upon Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount,” Discourse V, John Wesley’s Sermons: An Anthology (Nashville, TN: Abington Press, 1991), pp. 208, 209.
Compare Exodus 34:5-7 with Romans 7:11-12; Psalms 19:7-11; Psalms 89:14; and Psalms 119:142,172. What do these verses tell us about the relationship between God’s law and God’s character?
Since the law of God is a transcript of His character, the foundation of His throne, and the moral basis for humanity, Satan hates it. “None could fail to see that if the earthly sanctuary was a figure or pattern of the heavenly, the law deposited in the ark on earth was an exact transcript of the law in the ark in heaven; and that an acceptance of the truth concerning the heavenly sanctuary involved an acknowledgment of the claims of God’s law and the obligation of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. Here was the secret of the bitter and determined opposition to the harmonious exposition of the Scriptures that revealed the ministration of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 435.
What are the reasons people often give to argue that we no longer are obligated to keep the Ten Commandments? What do you think is really behind it?
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Isaac Newton was one of the first scientists to describe the Law of Gravity in mathematical terms. In 1687 he published the formula below in Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy for calculating the gravitational attraction between two masses. It is quite an elegant expression and was a useful basis for planning earl space exploration.
F = G(m1m2)/R2
Albert Einstein was aware that Newton's law did not describe some gravitational observations. The planet Mercury, precessed (wobbled for those who do not understand science jargon), so he looked for a better descriptor. Ultimately he presented his version of the Law of Gravity in terms of the curvature of space near heavy objects and cane up with a set of formulas using a mathematical construct called "tensors" to describe this. Unfortunately I cannot write them here because I do not have the formatting tools to display them.
One may be tempted to think that the law of gravity has changed but that would be wrong. The law has not changed. Mercury did not suddenly start precessing and make us change the law of gravity. It had always precessed and when we discovered it and understood it was part of gravity, our understanding and descriptor changed. Interestingly with the new descriptor came the ability to predict other gravitational effects that we had not even seen (black holes).
God's law does not change. But our understanding of them and description of them does change. That comes with the caveat that we do not rewrite those descriptors in our own terms. The Evil One is very good at making us think that we are discovering more about God's law by rewriting our descriptors in our terms.
Yesterday I came across this 👉🏿 that the Law of GOD is also called the testimony. Can anyone help me on why is the Law of GOD called the testimony?!
The quick answer is that the Law of God testifies to us what his character is. The fact that in its simplest form we asked to love God and one another is an indication that God has loved us from the very beginning. Testify is synonymous with announce, witness, demonstrate, declare and so on.
The question we need to ask ourselves is what is the picture we get of God's character when we study his law?
Thanks Maurice...be blessed
God is kind to us
I might add to what Maurice has said, that our lives, when lived in obedience to Gods law, are a testimony to our relationship with God. How we worship God and how we treat others (short version of Ten Commandments), is a testimony.
Let look at this question from another angle. Luke 4:1-4 describes the experience of our Savior immediately after His baptism, and his pointed temptation to prove, if He was the Son of God.
And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ "
Verses 3, 4 NKJV
When we examine where, "it is written" that Jesus quotes to the devil, we find it recorded in Deuteronomy 8:3
"So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord." NKJV
The key concepts here is that Jesus was suffering from the same condition of hunger as the Children of Israel, and we read of their experience of hunger in Exodus chapter 16. Their experience with mana, (verses 22-30) show the existence of God's Law prior to its proclamation from Mount Sinai in a few chapters later in Exodus 20:8-11.
The recitation of Jesus, "that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word of God." Is echoed by Moses in
Deuteronomy 30:19
I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live. NKJV
This heaven and earth, as witnesses, have a testimony that God has a law, and that obedience to that law is the condition of life itself; thus the law of the testimony.
Good evening everyone.I have a question regarding the Law of God.I understand that the law is the foundation of God's government n that is was first broken by Lucifer. Just wondering was it just the first 4 that were the original? I ask this because how would thou shall not commit adultery apply to Angels ?
The two great principles of God's law are to love God and love one another. Those principles apply to all of God's intelligent creation. Implicit in the 7th commandment is respect for one another and that would apply to genderless created beings too.
Thank you Sir for enlightening my understanding. Am always blessed by your wisdom n input that you bring to the lesson 🙏
Dear Vince,
The eternal Law of God is the law of self-renouncing love that Christ lived out in His life. It is the law of life for earth and heaven.
Lucifer violated the law of self-renouncing love by which all God's creation lived. He focused on self, rather than service, and that changed him from a shining, covering angel to Satan, a demon of darkness.
The Ten Commandments are a human adaptation of the eternal law - a description of what that law looks like, lived out in humanity.
I believe this post will help answer your question: "God’s Law: The One, the Two, the Ten and the Many."
Thank you Madam for this information 🙏
Good question Vince. As I see it, when Lucifer ceased to worship his Creator, he began to be cunning and calculated in his deception to his fellow angels. His selfish actions resulted in 1/3 of the angels in heaven losing their eternal salvation. This shows me where not worshiping God will lead to not caring about others.
Some years ago I saw this quote that I cannot remember whom to tribute.
"There is no worse
scoundrel in the
world than a man who
steal another man's
dog's affection away
from him."
"The tenderest earthly ties that human hearts can know" (steps to Christ chapter 1) are bound up in the married family.
In heaven, angels are God's the closest of family. Gabriel stands in the presence of God. Luke 1:19. So for Lucifer to steal the affection of the angels away from their Creator was a kind of the worst adultery.
And we know he bears false witness, and is a murderer.
John 8:44
You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it." NKJV.
"Honor your Father and Mother"? The angels came from God, He is the giver of their lives, and sustainer of them. They are just as dependent upon God as a new born infant is dependent upon his mother. There is no difference between the law of God in heaven, and the law of God on earth.
The Law does not save me, but Jesus, Who came to confirm the Law, saves me. So, if I say I accept Jesus, I must also take the Law He came to confirm. What separates Jesus from the Law is that Jesus is simply the Living Law. While the Law condemns Jesus saves. Because under the Law, we are all lost, but Jesus' accomplishments save me. To accept Jesus, I must accept His Law.
Hi JC, it seems to me that accepting Jesus means to allow Him to be Lord of my life. And Jesus came to live out the Law of God, the law of self-renouncing love, and He will live that law out in me. So it's not a matter of accepting Jesus *and* ... It's a matter of letting Jesus do in me what He came to do.
To accept Jesus we must accept all of Him and His word. Not just the parts we like or agree with. I'm still working on "turning the other cheek". The life of Jesus shows us that it is possible. The blessings of being a peace-maker, forgiving others and showing compassion demonstrate the law of Liberty. In Christ, we can accept the trials and tribulations of life and still rejoice with a grateful heart. I'm so thankful for a Savior that practiced what He preached. May we have the courage to do the same.
I don't get the part about self renouncing love when I read to love my neighbor as myself. If I am not able to love me how do I know how to love my neighbor or anyone around me. If I don't have respect for myself how can I respect others. I don't want anyone to worship or bow down to me I don't exert myself above others Is my understanding wrong, please explain.
Let God fill you with His love. That's the only way you'll experience love and be able to value yourself. And then the love for others will flow out naturally. Don't try harder - draw nearer to God and let Him work.
Hi Gayle, Christina's reply is excellent.
There is a history to your idea that we need to love self first. That idea is not found in the Bible or even hinted at.
"Love your neighbor as yourself" is first referenced in the Bible in Lev. 19:18. Christ recognized it as a summary of the second table of the Decalogue, with the first being to " love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (Deut. 6:5) (See Matt. 22:36-40)
In other words, God's design for our happiness is built on loving God supremely and to love our neighbor as we naturally love ourselves.
The idea that we need to "love ourselves first" originated with the liar-in-chief who lost his place next to the throne of God in heaven by doing just that - loving himself first and seeking to exalt himself. He knows his time is short and he wants to take as many people as possible down with him. To this end, he has insinuated his philosophy of "love self first" right into the Christian church, and I first heard this idea in a Seventh-day Adventist boarding academy women's worship talk in 1961. I remember well how I was taken aback. The idea was new to me, and I knew there was something wrong with it, but the logic sounded correct. It took me a while to fit the pieces of the puzzle together.
Since then, I have heard this satanic lie preached from Adventist pulpits many times, and the idea now seems generally accepted in the church. So I understand how you got that idea. But the truth will set you free, and by forgetting yourself in loving God and others, you will experience a deeper joy than ever before.
What Christina wrote is so true: Service to God and others is the only sure way to banish feelings of self-loathing or "low self-worth." (By the way, those feelings themselves are a result of focusing on self.)
PS I see that Emmanuel submitted a comment that reminded me that I actually wrote a complete post on this subject, called "Do We Need to Love Ourselves Before We can Love Others?" I encourage you to read that posts and the comments that follow, and I think you will find it very helpful. The comments are especially good. 😊
Thank you for sharing,today am not well asking for your prayers dear people of God,I believe in God who restores.
all is well in Jesus name, amen.
Heavenly Father,
Please restore Elsie according to your will. Thank you for being the God that hears.
Amen
As I contemplated today’s lesson title trying how best to reflect on the ‘immutability’ of God’s Law, I realized that the verses of Matt.5:17-18 were given to me in form of a ‘Certificate of Confirmation of Faith’ at age 14; something like a send-off for children of the Protestant faith.
When I first read it, it hardly impressed me because I hoped to receive something along the line of a verse related to my destiny - like a 'motto'. Little did I know that destiny would lead me to fully appreciate the immutability of the Law of God as it became the foundation on which I build my 'house'.
When I was young, I looked at laws in general with suspicion. Certain laws raised the question of ‘why’ I needed to follow them when others in authority did not. Now it is easy to follow God’s immutable Laws; after all, they are the Creator's laws, established to govern His universe. I understood that all laws come down to knowing who is in authority.
I do not qibble with God's law and its application any longer, but praise Him for their 'immutability' which brings peace to my heart and mind! He knows our proclivity to being led by emotions, being hard headed and difficult when being advised that living life in His Way is better than living it by our own understanding.
Though, most important of all, I learned that when following His Laws it gives us a glimpse of ‘Heaven’s Peace established by Love’. His Laws will bring about the New Earth and New Heaven, and its inhabitants will live in peace believing that all spiritual aspects contained in God's Word and Deeds express the unfathomable, creative power of His Spirit of Love through Justice, Mercy, and Grace. It is offerd to us as in the form of the 10 Commandments to benefit all who love Him with all their heart and extend His Love to their fellow man. The Word He spoke IS Love - it is His Love which the 'immutability' of God’s Law is be based on - John 1:1.
What are the reasons people often give to argue that we no longer are obligated to keep the Ten Commandments? What do you think is really behind it? How can we disproof those reasons?
I live in a secular society and if I am honest most people don't care what day I go to church. They would be surprised but uninterested if I told them that I observe Sabbath in what they would percieve as a fairly Jewish way. Most of my secular friends simply respect my observance. Occassionaly I get a phone call asking me to do something for the U3A on Sabbath and depending on its nature, I either do it or ask them to wait till Sunday. Most of them to not want to get embroiled in a religious discussion. And if I did start one, they would say quite kindly that I am welcome to my religious practices.
The few people who have asked about Sabbath-keeping do not want a long persuasive answer. If you are still talking about it to them after 5 minutes they will roll their eyes and say, "It's complicated isn't it?" That is general a sign they have not understood a word you have said.
It is interesting that many people seem to live quite moral lives apart from any thought of God. I wonder what accounts for this.
Perhaps the answer is found in John 1:9 and James 1:17. Everything good - every good thought and true wisdom originates from God, whether people realize it or not. Add to that, that our western society and legal system was originally founded on biblical truth. Today's adults grew up in a society that still had the impress of Christian values. It seems that that is quickly eroding away.
Just last night, we were watching a Youtube video of a woman delivered from Satanism and evil spirits. She was sure that everyone has a sense of what is good and what is evil. I believe that to be true, based on John 1:9.
Thank you Inge for this input and I agree. My question would then be, if they appreciate the morality that comes from God why wouldn’t they appreciate the source of that morality which is God? By the way, thank you for your article on the universal nature of God’s law.
I suggest that there are many people whose perception of God has been damaged by the actions of those who claim to be Christian. There is a very good reason why Jesus was so critical of the Pharisee's hypocrisy.
Raul, there are various reasons people give. However, "disproving" those reasons, which is easily done, is not likely to have any real value. Have you heard the saying, "A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still"? It's true. Argument generally only serves to strengthen people in their own belief.
Those people who are convinced by arguments sometimes become "proud to be a Seventh-day Adventist," secure in their superior position above other Christians. The problem with this is that the Lord doesn't see things the same way. In Isaiah I read:
Recognizing our spiritual brokenness (Matt. 5:3) is the first condition to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Spiritual pride (feeling spiritually superior) will keep us out of the Kingdom.
So, rather than arguing, it is better to share the beauties of the Sabbath. Check out the lesson on "Sabbath and the Law" and the comments underneath it.
Hi Raul, from my experience the most common reason Christian’s give for not needing to keep God’s law is that Jesus kept it for us and we are therefore released. They and we get confused with the idea that because the law condemns us it is somehow bad and that if we can be released from the law we can be free. I believe this is one of Satan’s master deceptions for the last days. The Bible says “the law is holy, just, and good.” Rom. 7:12. Jesus came to save us from our sins. Matt. 1:21 “Sin is the breaking of God’s law.” 1 John 3:4. So Jesus came to save us from breaking God’s law. God’s law is what brings order and harmony to the universe and breaking God’s law is what brings about the chaos, heartache and misery we see on this earth. When our hearts are fully converted I believe we will be able to say with the psalmist, “Oh how I love Thy law.” Psalm 119:97.
Thanks, Michael, for an excellent explanation.
The Bible says that if you break one of the 10 commandments, you are guilty of breaking them all.
I have an issue with Psalm 19:7 where it says that the Law "Converts the soul." The law can only "Justify or condemn." It is Only "The Law Giver" who can "Convert the Soul," and that was the reason that "The Law Giver" had to send His Son to not only pay for "Our Wages of Sin," but also to be our "Converter" to give us a "New Heart" and a "
New Life" in Him to then help us to then go on with a new heart and a new life to then go on to "Keep His Law" with that new heart and new life in Him.
Hi Pete, it is worth following this up in other translations. Some of them read The revelation of God is perfect converting the soul. Given that wider context than what we associate with the "Law", I believe it makes sense.
Well, Pete, I have confirmed the Psalmist's experience in my own life. Keep in mind that the Law includes all of God's directions for our lives and, in total, it reflects His character of self-renouncing love.
It is a law of the mind that the mind is changed by the material om which it feeds. If we focus on trivial, earthly matters, our mind becomes weak. If we focus on the evil in this world, our mind changes so that evil no longer seems so evil, but somewhat normal. If we focus on exciting movies, etc., our mind will lose its ability to focus on serious subjects, including God's Word.
But if we regularly focus on God's Word and His will for our lives, our minds will strengthen and grow, and our characters will gradually be formed into the image of the One on whom we focus.
I find that the more I focus on God's Word, the more I am changed. When I get careless or too busy to spend time focusing on Him and His Word, my life sadly reflects the fact.
Hi,Pete--a couple more texts that should help: HEB.4:12--"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit..." John 17:17--"Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.":
In a world of variables, God as a constant becomes a pillar necessary for us to live stably and predictably.
Are we under the laws because we keep Sabbath
That would depend on why and how we keep the Sabbath. It is possible to be "under the law" in keeping the Sabbath. That's what happened to the Jews. On the other hand, we may keep the Sabbath because God has written His law within our hearts, according to the New Covenant. (Jeremiah 31:31,33)
"Under the law" refers to being under the condemnation of the Law. If we try to save ourselves by keeping the law, rather than trusting in Christ, we are "under the law" and condemned thereby. (See Romans 3:20)
I believe that if we keep the Sabbath in celebration of creation, as God intended, while we trust Christ to save us, rather than depending on our works to save us, we are demonstrating that the Law is written in our hearts and we are friends of Christ. (John 15:14)