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10 False distinctions between the 10 Commandments and the ceremonial law exposed!

I. The ten commandments are abolished, Illustrations:

  1. Someone asked me, "Is it true you are a minister for a church and don't keep the ten commandments?" "That is right, I don't keep any of the 10 commandments." I replied. The person continued, "You mean you lie, murder and commit adultery?" "Of course not." I replied, "Although every one of the ten commandments are abolished, the law of Christ carried them forward into the New Testament". The Sabbath commandment was stated to be abolished in Col 2:14-16. This means that under the New Covenant law, 9 of the 10 commandments have been carried forward and one is abolished.
  2. The old and New Constitutions of Canada: 1867 AD constitution vs. 1982 AD Constitution. On 17 April 1982, Canada abolished its founding 1867 AD constitution and replaced it with a new code of law. Story: The was a man got fired from his job because his skin was black. He took his employer to court and quoted the 1867 constitution in the trial. The judge said, "The laws you are quoting are abolished. You will win your case, but you are using a an old constitutional law that has been abolished. Go home and base your arguments on the new 1981 constitution otherwise you will lose the case, because the old law is no longer in force. In fact the wording and meaning of the law is virtually identical from the Old and New Constitution. But you must argue your case under the law that is currently in force, not the law that that is abolished.

II. The Sabbatarian false distinction they see in Col 1:14 and Eph 2:15:

  1. All Sabbatarians create a false and non-existent distinction within the law of Moses. They usually refer to this man-made distinction as: 1. "the 10 commandments", and 2. "the Ceremonial law".
  2. This man made distinction is most visibly present in passages like Col 1:14 and Eph 2:15. In these passages, they say that only the "Ceremonial law" was abolished leaving the "10 commandment" law still in force for Christians today. If this is true, then we most certainly would need to keep the 7th day Sabbath.
  3. But we will prove that the ten commandment law is clearly abolished and Christians do not keep that code of law any more. They keep a new and better law called the Law of Christ: Gal 6:2.

III. How Seventh-day Adventists teach this false distinction:

The Old Testament is a single unit of laws. Some are moral and others are ceremonial. But there is no way to establish any distinction of two laws! "The Moral Law" and "The Ceremonial Law" do not exist as separate codes of law, as Adventists were forced to invent! Reproduced below is a chart every Sabbath keeper is familiar with. Problem is that it is completely unprovable with scripture. The only place this distinction exists is in the minds of Sabbatarians.

How Sabbatarians try to establish the false distinction:

The Ten Commandments

The Ceremonial Law

Written on Stone
(Ex 31:18)

Written in a book, Book of the law
(Deut 31:24,7; Deut 31:24)

Placed in the Ark
(Deut 10:5)

Placed on side of Ark
(Deut 31:25)

Written by God's finger
(Ex 31:18, 32:16)

Written by Moses' finger
(Deut 31:9; Ex 24:4)

Spoken by God
(Ex 20:1,22)

Spoken by Moses
(Ex 24:3)

God gave

Moses gave

The Law of God, God's law, The law
(eternal)

The Law of Moses, Moses Law
(Done away)

The Moral Law

The Ceremonial Law

Breaking is sin
1 Jn 3:4

Merely prescribes offerings for sin.
deviant sex, Drunkenness, pride, pre-marital sex are not sin? Death penalty for deviant sex practitioners: Lev 20:13!

 Commandments

Statutes, Ordinances and Decrees

Still in force today?
(Ps 111:7-8)

Nailed to the cross!
(Eph 2:14)

 

IV. The Seventh-day Adventists false distinction refuted:

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False Distinction #1:
Breaking is sin
vs. Merely prescribes offerings for sin.

  1. deviant sex, Drunkenness, pride, pre-marital sex are not sin?
  2. Death penalty for deviant sex practitioners: Lev 20:13!

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False Distinction #2:
God gave
vs. Moses gave

  1. Sabbatarians will try to establish a distinction in the Old Testament law by focusing on what was "written/given" by God vs. what was "written/given" by Moses. But God is said to have given the Law of Moses and Moses is said to have given the Law of God.
  2. God gave the "Law of Moses" Ezra 7:6 "Ezra... a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given"
  3. Moses gave the "Law of God" Nehemiah 10:29 "walk in God's law, which was given through Moses"
  4. John 7:19 "Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law? Why do you seek to kill Me?"
  5. God gave the Book of law of Moses: Nehemiah 8:1 "bring the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had given to Israel"
  6. God gave book of law of the Lord: 2 Chron 34:14 "the priest found the book of the law of the Lord given by Moses"
  7. Moses gave the 10 commandments: "For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'" Mk 7:9-10
  8. When you read the 10 commandments, you "read Moses": 2 Corinthians 3:3,15
  9. Paul's writings about the prophets wives being silent in the churches are called the "Lords commandments": 1 Cor 14:35-37 (According to Sabbatarians logic, women keeping silent in the churches must be one of the 10 commandments since every time they see "Lord's Commandments" they automatically call it the ten commandments!)
  10. Interchangeability of terms in Nehemiah 9:13-14 proves there is no distinction found in the Old Testament laws of God and Moses!

 

Nehemiah 9:13-14

 

Tablets of the covenant

Book of the covenant

God gave

Thy holy Sabbath

ordinances; true laws, good statutes and commandments

Moses Gave

Commandments

statutes, and law

 

 

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False Distinction #3:
The Moral Law
vs. The Ceremonial Law

  1. Sabbatarians attempt to create a false distinction between the "10 commandments" and the "book of the law" by claiming one contains moral law and the other ceremonial laws:
  2. The "ceremonial law" contains the "10 commandment moral law" twice!
  3. The truth is, it is impossible to create any distinction based upon Moral vs. Ceremonial laws. Sabbatarians create the false impression that there is nothing moral in the "book of the law" and nothing ceremonial in the 10 commandments when in fact nothing could be further from the truth.
  4. The 4th commandment, the Sabbath, is by every definition a ceremonial law. Keeping a day is ceremony.
  5. Jesus said the two greatest moral laws were not part of the 10 commandments! Mt 22:36-40 (Too bad for Sabbatarians: Great place for Jesus to quote the Sabbath law!) The "Ceremonial law" contained the two greatest "moral commandments": love God and love they neighbor
  6. The expression "Ceremonial law" is not found in scripture: the words "ceremonial, ceremony, ceremonies and all roots etc" are never found in the same verse as the word "law or laws"
  7. The expression "Moral law" is not found in scripture: the words "Moral, Morals, morality and all roots" are never found in the same verse as the word "law or laws"
  8. The 5 books of Moses are filled with moral laws not contained in the 10 commandments! Ex 22:21-22,31; Ex 23:2; Lev 19:2,14-18; Deut 16:18
  9. Interesting that according to Sabbatarians, the whole of the Moral law (Sabbatarians believe is the 10 commandments/ Law of God) hangs upon 2 laws found in the book of the law. "Love God with all heart" & "Love your neighbor as self" (Sabbatarians believe the book of law is the law of Moses and was the ceremonial law) In other words, the two most important moral laws are not found in the Ten Commandments, but in the Book of the Law, which Adventists say is abolished!

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False Distinction #4:
The Law of God, God's law, The law
vs. The Law of Moses, Moses Law

  1. The Law of God contained animal sacrifices and ceremonial laws:
  2. Click to View"Law of God" commands animal sacrifices: Lk 2:23 written in the Law of the Lord, "Every first-born male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord", and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."
    Click to View"Law of the Lord" commands burnt offerings: 2 Chron 31:3: "He also appointed the king's portion of his goods for the burnt offerings, namely, for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths and for the new moons and for the fixed festivals, as it is written in the law of the Lord."
    Click to ViewThe law told Israel to dwell in tents: "They found written in the law how the Lord had commanded through Moses that the sons of Israel should live in booths during the feast of the seventh month. " (Nehemiah 8:14)
    Click to View1 Chron 16:40 "burnt offering...written in the law of the lord"
    Click to View2 Chronicles 35:26 "Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and his deeds of devotion as written in the law of the Lord"
    Click to ViewNehemiah 8:14 And they found written in the law how the Lord had commanded through Moses that the sons of Israel should live in booths during the feast of the seventh month.
    Click to View"and bring to the house of our God the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, and the firstborn of our herds and our flocks as it is written in the law, for the priests who are ministering in the house of our God. " (Nehemiah 10:36)
    Click to ViewJohn 1:17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
    Click to ViewJohn 7:19 "Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law? Why do you seek to kill Me?"
    Click to ViewMatthew 12:5 "Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath, and are innocent? (Cf Num 28:9-10)
    Click to ViewThe 10 commandments are NEVER called "the law of the Lord" or "law of God" in distinction from the "law of Moses" within a single passage.
  3. The 10 commandments are called the Law of Moses:
Click to ViewMk 7:9-10 For Moses said, "Honor your father and your mother"
Click to ViewWhen you read the 10 commandments, you read Moses: 2 Corinthians 3:3,15
Click to ViewLaw of Moses is the law given at Horeb (10 commandments): Malachi 4:4 Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel.
Click to ViewLaw of Moses included everything God commanded: 1 Kings 2:3

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False Distinction #5:
Commandments
vs. Statutes, Ordinances and Decrees

  1. Every time a Sabbatarian sees the expression "the commandments" or "My commandments", they automatically think exclusively of the 10 commandments! Yet here are many passages where these common expressions refer to what Sabbatarians would call "the Ceremonial Law of Moses" and NOT the 10 commandments!
  2. Click to ViewThe phrases "commandments", "The commandments" "my commandments", "the Lord commanded", "what Moses commanded" are uses so many times in the Old Testament in reference to what Adventists call the Ceremonial law to the exclusion of the 10 commandments, it would take 10 pages to list all the verses!
    Click to ViewLev 27:34 These are the commandments which the Lord commanded Moses for the sons of Israel at Mount Sinai.
    Click to ViewNum 36:13 These are the commandments and the ordinances which the Lord commanded
    Click to ViewDeut 30:10 obey the Lord your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law
    Click to ViewJesus defined the commandants to include the Law of Moses: Mt 19:17-19 Jesus said: "keep the commandments." The man replied "Which ones?" And Jesus said, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself"
  3. Every time a Sabbatarian sees the expression "Statutes, Ordinances and Decrees", they automatically exclude the 10 commandments and apply it only to what they falsely call, "the ceremonial law" Yet here are many passages where these common expressions refer to the 10 commandments exclusively: (or at least in part include)
Click to View Deut 5:1 The Ten commandments are called "My statures and all My ordinances"
Click to ViewEzekiel 20:19-21 The weekly Sabbath is called "My statures and all My ordinances"
Click to ViewMal 4:4 Book closes with a call to keep "statutes and ordinances" which obviously include the 10 commandments because it would be unthinkable for such a doxology to leave them out completely!
Click to ViewNeh 9:13-14 the weekly Sabbath is included without distinction: "right judgments, true laws, good statutes, commandments"
Click to ViewLev 19:1-37 The Ten commandments and the ceremonial law are mixed together without distinction and called "My statures and all My ordinances"
Click to ViewDeut 5:1-6:25: Two whole chapters that deal exclusively with the 10 commandments and the following 5 terms are used interchangeably without distinction: "statutes", "ordinances", "commandments", "judgments", "testimonies".
Click to ViewLev 23 The Weekly Sabbath is lumped in with all the yearly Sabbaths without distinction and they are all called "The Lord's appointed times" and "holy convocations".
Click to ViewEzek 20 calls the first and fourth commandment, My statutes and My ordinances:
Click to ViewNeh 8 uses interchangeably without distinction, the following terms: "the book of the law of Moses", "the law", "the book of the law", "the law of God", "book of the law of God" and includes

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False Distinction #6:
Written on Stone
vs. Written in a book, book of the law

  1. This would be true except for the fact that the 10 commandments were copied twice by Moses in the book of the law. (Ex 20 and Deut 5)
  2. It is more accurate to say that both were written in the book but only the 10 commandments were written in stone.
  3. Although the original 10 commandment law was written by the finger of God on stone, Moses recorded the 10 commandments twice with his own hand in the book.

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False Distinction #7:
Placed in the Ark
vs. Placed on side of Ark

  1. This would be true except for the fact that the 10 commandments were copied twice by Moses in the book of the law.
  2. It is more accurate to say that both were placed beside the ark, but only the 10 commandments were in the ark.
  3. The 10 commandments were found two places: both "inside" and "on the side of" the Ark of the Covenant.
  4. This destroys any distinction based upon location.

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False Distinction #8:
Written by God's finger
vs. Written by Moses Finger

  1. This would be true except for the fact that the 10 commandments were copied twice by Moses in the book of the law.
  2. It is more accurate to say that both were written by Moses finger in the book but only the 10 commandments were written by God's finger on stone.

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False Distinction #9:
Spoken by God
vs. Spoken by Moses

  1. Ex 20:21-26 clearly shows that the people also heard God's voice in the giving of "ceremonial law" as well.
  2. So this distinction is utterly false, since the people heard God's voice give both the 10 commandments and laws regarding alters and sacrifice. (Ex 20:21-26)
  3. The 10 commandments were also spoken by Moses twice when he read it to the People.

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False Distinction #10:
10 Commandments remain
vs. Ceremonial law abolished
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For Detailed outline of #10 click here

  1. Every time a Sabbatarian sees the expression "the commandments" or "My commandments", they automatically think exclusively of the 10 commandments! Yet here are many passages where these common expressions refer to what Sabbatarians would call "the Ceremonial Law of Moses" and NOT the 10 commandments!
  2. Click to View The phrases "commandments", "The commandments" "my commandments", "the Lord commanded", "what Moses commanded" are uses so many times in the Old Testament in reference to what Adventists call the Ceremonial law to the exclusion of the 10 commandments, it would take 10 pages to list all the verses!
    Click to ViewLev 27:34 These are the commandments which the Lord commanded Moses for the sons of Israel at Mount Sinai.
    Click to ViewNum 36:13 These are the commandments and the ordinances which the Lord commanded
    Click to ViewDeut 30:10 obey the Lord your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law
    Click to ViewJesus defined the commandants to include the Law of Moses: Mt 19:17-19 Jesus said: "keep the commandments." The man replied "Which ones?" And Jesus said, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself"
  3. Every time a Sabbatarian sees the expression "Statutes, Ordinances and Decrees", they automatically exclude the 10 commandments and apply it only to what they falsely call, "the ceremonial law" Yet here are many passages where these common expressions refer to the 10 commandments exclusively: (or at least in part include)
Click to ViewFor Detailed outline of #10 click here
Click to View Deut 5:1 The Ten commandments are called "My statures and all My ordinances"
Click to ViewEzekiel 20:19-21 The weekly Sabbath is called "My statures and all My ordinances"
Click to ViewMal 4:4 Book closes with a call to keep "statutes and ordinances" which obviously include the 10 commandments because it would be unthinkable for such a doxology to leave them out completely!
Click to ViewNeh 9:13-14 the weekly Sabbath is included without distinction: "right judgments, true laws, good statutes, commandments"
Click to ViewLev 19:1-37 The Ten commandments and the ceremonial law are mixed together without distinction and called "My statures and all My ordinances"
Click to ViewDeut 5:1-6:25: Two whole chapters that deal exclusively with the 10 commandments and the following 5 terms are used interchangeably without distinction: "statutes", "ordinances", "commandments", "judgments", "testimonies".
Click to ViewLev 23 The Weekly Sabbath is lumped in with all the yearly Sabbaths without distinction and they are all called "The Lord's appointed times" and "holy convocations".
Click to ViewEzek 20 calls the first and fourth commandment, "My statutes and My ordinances"
Click to ViewNeh 8 uses interchangeably without distinction, the following terms: "the book of the law of Moses", "the law", "the book of the law", "the law of God", "book of the law of God" and includes
Click to ViewFor Detailed outline of #10 click here

 

V. A distinction between the tables and the book cannot be established merely because a few different things said about them!

A. Two Paul's because opposite things said about them? Paul said he was a Jew and a Roman: Acts 21:39; 22:35

B. Two Christ's because opposite things said about them?

  1. Christ is a lion and lamb: Rev 5:5-6
  2. Christ is everlasting Father and born of a woman: Isa 9:6; Lk 2:7
  3. Christ is prince of life yet died through weakness: Acts 3:15; 2 Cor 13:4
  4. Christ is a child yet God: Isa 9:6; Heb 1:8
  5. Christ is came to bring peace and division: Lk 2:9-14; Lk 12:51

 

VI. "The Law" of the Old Testament is NOT the "Law of Christ": 1 Cor 9:21

1 Cor 9:21 "to those who are under the Law, as under the Law, though not being myself under the Law, that I might win those who are under the Law, to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, that I might win those who are without law"

  1. Paul is not under the Law of the Jews
  2. But Paul is not without law
  3. Paul is under a different law from the Jews
  4. Paul is under the Law of Christ

 

VII. 10 reasons that refute there is any difference between the 10 commandment law and the ceremonial law:

(How they use circular reasoning and selective reading to establish a false distinction that doesn't exist!)

  1. The words or phrases "commandment" "my commandment" "the commandments" always means 10 commandments, unless they are said to be abolished, then they refer to the ceremonial law.
  2. The words or phrases "law" "law of God" "My law" "law of the Lord" always refers to the ten commandments, unless they are directly applied to some law that is NOT the ten commandments, then they refer to the ceremonial law.
  3. The phrase "the Law" in Romans is always the 10 commandments, except when the same term is used in the same verse, once to refer to the 10 commandments and the second time the ceremonial law? for the Law [ten commandments] brings about wrath, but where there is no law [ceremonial], there also is no violation. Rom 4:15 (Leo Schreven, Now that's clear! p73)
  4. The phrase "the law" always means the 10 commandments, except in those passages like Gal 3:24-25 where v 24 calls the law our tutor [strongs #3897], then v25 says we are no longer under that tutor [Strongs #3897]! In horror Adventists suddenly say the phrase, "the law" cannot refer to the 10 commandments in Gal 3:24-25!
  5. The phrase "law of Moses" always refers to the ceremonial law, except when the ten commandments are called the law of Moses.
  6. The phrase "law of commandments" always means the 10 commandments, except when the Greek word for abolished is used beside it, then the law of commandments becomes the ceremonial law.
  7. If its written by the finger of God himself, it is "the ten commandments", except the two places that Moses wrote the same commandments out twice in the ceremonial law with his human hands.
  8. If its written by the finger of Moses it always refers to the ceremonial law and not the ten commandments, except where it says that Moses wrote the ten commandments with his own hand.
  9. Adventists argue that the Hebrew for eternal "Olam" when it refers to the ten commandments proves they will never be abolished and are eternal, except when the exact same Hebrew word is applied to circumcision and every other Jewish holy day. With these, eternal came to an end, but not with the ten commandment.
  10. Sabbatarians tell us that the ten commandments were placed in the ark to show how special they were, until it is pointed out that two complete copies of the ten commandments were also placed beside the ark in the ceremonial law.
  11. The ceremonial law beside the ark was abolished, except when it is pointed out that it contained two copies of the 10 commandments.
  12. Adventists quote Eph 2:15 as proof that the ceremonial law is abolished, until they learn that the exact same word for abolished is used specifically of the ten commandments twice in Rom 7 and four times in 2 Cor 3.
  13. Adventists say that the 10 commandments contain moral laws and the book of the covenant contain ceremonial laws. Like hello! There are a pile of moral laws in the book of the covenant. Like how about the two greatest moral laws, love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself! Oh, I guess since its in the book of the covenant, it must be a ceremonial law that was abolished. Adventists reply, "No! is merely summarizes the 10 commandments." Well actually doesn't that just prove the distinction is false? Haven't you just admitted that there are tons of very important moral laws in what you falsely mislabel the ceremonial law?
  14. In fact the 10 commandments are not even a complete moral code themselves! If we used nothing but the 10 commandments, pre-marital sex would be OK! Perhaps that's the problems with today's youth, they are only taught the ten commandments!
  15. Even identical expressions like "keep the whole law" are seen as referring to two different parts of the first covenant law! Sabbatarians believe in Gal 5:3, that the expression "keep the whole law" means keep the whole ceremonial law, yet in James 2:10 they believe the identical expression, Keep the whole law refers exclusively to the ten commandments. The truth is "keep the whole law" refers to the entire old covenant, everything included! Or as Sabbatarians would "misstate" it, both the 10 commandments and the ceremonial law. "And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. " (Galatians 5:3) "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. " (James 2:10)
  16. Sabbatarians call the ceremonial law a "yolk of bondage" in Gal 5:1; Acts 15:10, yet fail to tell you that 2 Cor 3 calls the ten commandments that which "kills" (v. 6) the "ministration of death" and the "ministration of condemnation" (v. 7, 9)

 

Conclusion:

 The 10 commandments given special treatment, over what was in the book, not because they were a separate code of law, but because they were the actual Covenant themselves.

1. Historically the Jews never made the distinction that the Sabbatarians make.

2. However, the Jew did view the 10 commandments as the Sinai covenant!

Click to ViewExodus 34:27-28: "Then the Lord said to Moses, "Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel." So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments."
Click to ViewDeuteronomy 4:13: "So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone.
Click to ViewDeuteronomy 9:9: "When I went up to the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant which the Lord had made with you, then I remained on the mountain forty days and nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water.
Click to ViewDeuteronomy 5:2-3: "The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, with all those of us alive here today."
Click to View1 Kings 8:9,21: V9 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt." ... V21 "And there I have set a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord, which He made with our fathers when He brought them from the land of Egypt."
Click to View2 Chronicles 6:11: "And there I have set the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord, which He made with the sons of Israel."
Click to ViewHebrews 9:1,4 "Now even the first covenant had ... the tables of the covenant"

3. It was this covenant that was abolished in Heb 8:13 - 9:1-4

 

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