Sophia7 said:
If you are referring to the traditional interpretation of Colossians 2 about the "handwriting of ordinances" that was nailed to the cross, I agree with you. I don't believe that that text is talking about a ceremonial law being nailed to the cross but rather the "certificate of debt" (a better translation, I think) that we owed because of our sins. In other words, our sins condemned us, but Jesus took away our debt by His sacrifice.
I agree with this!!
I also believe that the Bible is clear that not all of what Adventists would typically consider the "ceremonial law" was no longer in effect. Paul still kept the law, and much more strictly even than the Gentile Christians were required to:
I agree also!!
However, God Himself distinguished between the ten commandments, written on tables of stone by His own hand, and the rest of the law, written in a book by Moses. The ten commandments were placed inside the ark of the covenant. The book of the law of Moses was placed beside the ark, not inside it. Here are some supporting texts:
Exodus 25:10-17
10 "Have them make a chest of acacia wood--two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. 11 Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it. 12 Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. 13 Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14 Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the chest to carry it. 15 The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed. 16 Then put in the ark the Testimony, which I will give you.
17 "Make an atonement cover of pure gold--two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. 18 And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. 19 Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. 20 The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. 21 Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the Testimony, which I will give you. 22 There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.
Deuteronomy 10:3-5
3 So I made the ark out of acacia wood and chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. 4 The LORD wrote on these tablets what he had written before, the Ten Commandments he had proclaimed to you on the mountain, out of the fire, on the day of the assembly. And the LORD gave them to me. 5 Then I came back down the mountain and put the tablets in the ark I had made, as the LORD commanded me, and they are there now.
Deuteronomy 31:24-27
24 After Moses finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end, 25 he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD: 26 "Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God. There it will remain as a witness against you. 27 For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you have been rebellious against the LORD while I am still alive and with you, how much more will you rebel after I die!
I remember the distinctions i use to make between ceremonial and moral, between the book, and the tablets, between G-d's finger and Moses finger, all of these distinctions exist only in most Adventist minds, the bible makes no distinctions whatsoever, take a look..
Deut 5:1 And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and observe to do them.
Yeshua My Salvation > In Deut 5; the Ten Commandments are called ordinances and no such distinction is being made.. The Ten Commandments were "inscribed" on two tablets because G-d's presence rested upon Israel, and because testimony must be rendered by two witness, the book is no different... That book all believers read is the book of the law, G-d's eternal word. Now, notice all the synonyms for G-d's Law: (Law) - (Commands) - (statutes) - (judgments) - (ordinances), etc.
Yeshua My Salvation > So i will ask, where exactly does it say that the 10 Commandments written on the stone tablets are a seperate and distinct law from the book? " The 10 Commandments are a summary of the rest of the Book of the Law that God spoke to Moses for him to write down. So if you consider the 10 eternal and everlasting it is not possible for any of the rest to be temporary.
Yeshua My Salvation > Moreover, scripture does not indicate that there was a division of the Law into ceremonial, civil and moral. This is a artificial trichotomy imposed upon the Book of the Law by modern day interpreters.
(Ezek 20:19-21) I am Jehovah your God: walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them; and hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am Jehovah your God. But the children rebelled against me; they walked not in my statutes, neither kept mine ordinances to do them, which if a man do, he shall live in them; they profaned my sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.
Here we have the weekly Shabbat mentioned as a statutes and ordinance of the L-rd.
Neh 8: 1 - 18
1 all the people gathered together as one man to the open place that was before the water-gate; and they spoke to Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which Jehovah had commanded Israel.
2 And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation, both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month.
3And he read in it before the open place that was before the water-gate from the morning until midday, in presence of the men and the women, and those that could understand. And the ears of all the people were [attentive] to the book of the law.
4And Ezra the scribe stood upon a high stage of wood, which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkijah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchijah, and Hashum, and Hashbaddana, Zechariah, Meshullam.
5And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up.
6And Ezra blessed Jehovah, the great God; and all the people answered, Amen, Amen! with lifting up of their hands; and they bowed their heads, and worshipped Jehovah with their faces to the ground.
7And Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law; and the people [stood] in their place.
8And they read in the law of God distinctly out of the book, and gave the sense, and caused [them] to understand the reading.
9And Nehemiah, that is, the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that explained to the people, said to all the people, This day is holy to Jehovah your God: mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.
10And he said to them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions to them for whom nothing is prepared; for the day is holy to our Lord; and be not grieved, for the joy of Jehovah is your strength.
11And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, Be still! for the day is holy; neither be grieved.
12And all the people went their way, to eat and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great rejoicing. For they had understood the words that were declared to them.
13And on the second day were gathered together the chief fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, to Ezra the scribe, even to gain wisdom as to the words of the law.
14And they found written in the law which Jehovah had commanded through Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month,
15and that they should publish and proclaim through all their cities, and at Jerusalem, saying, Go forth to the mount, and fetch olive-branches, and wild olive-branches, and myrtle-branches, and palm-branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.
16And the people went forth and brought [them], and made themselves booths, everyone upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the open space of the water-gate, and in the open space of the gate of Ephraim.
17And all the congregation of them that had come back from the captivity made booths, and dwelt in the booths. For since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun until that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.
18Also day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they observed the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.
Yeshua My Salvation >[Neh 8] uses the terms [Law of Moses/the law] / [the book of the law] / [the law of G-d] / [and the book of the law of G-d] interchangeably without making any distinctions between commandments, ordinances, and statutes.. I will repeat, it says the book of the law of Moses, the law, "the book of the law," "the law of God," the "book of the law of G-d."
G-d gave one law for everyone!!
Exodus.12:49 49 One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.
Num.15:14-16 15 One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD.
16 One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you.
Deut.29:10-15 10 ¶ Ye stand this day all of you before the LORD your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel,
11 Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp,
from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water: 12 That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the LORD thy God, and into his oath, which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day:
13 as That he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
14 Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath;
15 But with him that standeth here with us this day before the LORD our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day:
Isaiah.56:2-8 2 Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.
3 ¶ Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.
4 For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;
5 Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.
6 Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;
7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be
accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
8 The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.
There are many laws in the OT that relate specifically to the sacrificial system. These pointed forward symbolically to Jesus and are no longer relevant. The ten commandments do not do this, and Jesus emphasized their continuing relevance when He summarized them with the directives to love the Lord our God (which relate to the first four commandments) and to love our neighbors as ourselves (which relate to the last six). These are the greater principles behind all of the commandments.
Yeshua My Salvation > And these directives existed in the book of the Law not the Ten Commandments, now, i have a good question, If the Torah was abolished and only the decalouge remains, then why are there two copies of the 10 commandments in the book of the law [TORAH]? [Lev 19:18] [Deut 6:5] .... Furthermore, the two greatest Commandments of the law are found in the book [Mt 22:36-40] as Yeshua mentions and not the Ten Commandments.
