Lesson #2 - Jew and Gentile

This is the lesson material for lesson #2:

http://ssnet.org/qrtrly/eng/10c/less02.html

Which laws continued to be binding after the cross and which didn't? Which were the criteria used to determine this?

We know that the ceremonial law, given by God through Moses, with its sacrifices and ordinances, was to be binding upon the Hebrews only until type met antitype in the death of Christ.

But what about the other laws? Which of them remained valid after the cross and why? The laws which remained valid after the cross seem to be those which applied universally and not just to the hebrews: the distinction between clean/unclean animals (Gen. 7:1-3); abstention from blood (Gen. 9:4) and from fat (Gen. 4:4); tithe (Gen. 14:20 - Melchizedek is a non-hebrew); and, obviously, moral principles - the ten commandments and commands which constitute an unfolding of the ten, like Lev. 18 and 19 (see Lev. 18:24-27, which speaks of gentiles).

Sorry I didn't get on this week. Was sick for a few days, then the wife and kids got sick. Sickening week.

The basic rule I use is that if it pointed to Christ's death (animal sacrifices, etc) and other anti-types that had already come, they are abolished. If the anti-type has not yet come (Feast of Tabernacles) then they are still binding. The rules that were not typical (do not commit adultery), which describe God's character, are binding forever.

I hope you all have recovered by now!

Arnold, so do you mean that you believe the feast of tabernacles should still be observed? How, since it was also related to the temple, involved sacrifices, and was celebrated at a specific date of the lunisolar calendar of the Hebrews?

There are those who believe that all the feasts are still in effect.

I have come across some Adventist that hold to that belief, but then they also extend that to other things such as wearing a ribband of blue according to the following:

Numbers 15 (King James Version)
37And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 38Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: 39And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them ; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: 40That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God. 41I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God.

The feast days also served as a prophecy and, as such, the unfulfilled aspects are still "binding". That is, Jesus is still going to fulfill them. But I see no need to observe them according to the specific directions God gave the Jews. Such commands pertained to the salvation aspect and not the prophetic aspect.

There are aspects of the feasts that have met the anti-type, such as the killing of bulls and goats. Those are obviously abolished.

However, the aspects of the feasts that have not yet met the anti-type, such as those pointing to the Second Coming, should still be kept, though not in the same way since the sacrifices have been done away with.

But there were aspects of the law - and I use that term in a general sense, including the laws not written by God on stone - that were not typical, such as the dietary laws and laws on how to treat each other. Should these still be binding?

If I remember correctly, Campmeeting, which will be happening here in the Maritime Conference in less than two weeks, serves as a celebration of one of these feasts.

Despite the emphasis on the Jewish traditions in the lesson, Tuesday's point is confused, somewhat : the moral law is the law in Galatians that leads to Christ and is replaced as a 'saving' tool by him as we accept him. The "law in Galatians" is very important, having being clarified in our midst since 1888, but disputed or avoided nevertheless to this day.

...The feast of tablernacles is indeed outstanding, but all point to Christ, even today..., to inspire us, like Passover and the Day of Atonement. They are not obligatory feasts.

The moral law is a guide for us to reach for Christ, who writes it on our hearts in our conversion experience, according to Jer 31:33, praise the Lord. Once we're believers the whole law is fulfilled as we live the life of faith, one day at a time, within this lifetime, for the final generation. What happens to the law wasn't actually allowed by the late author of the lesson, though he suggested that obedience wasn't excluded from our experience of the gospel - but, how much obedience?...full obedience, of course.

It is the moral law which leads to Christ and which Christ imputes to our hearts with his Spirit, then indeed to form perfect, Christlike characters in our lives as we cooperate with him. An internalised law is indeed being made righteous (Rom 5:19), the experience of justification by faith.

The law was given at Sinai to teach the people the impossibility of keeping it in their own strength. Their clear violation of it - golden calf - showed them their need of a Savior. Hence, the law, by showing them that they fall short of God's standard, led them to Christ, who it the only One who can meet the standard.

And once they accept Jesus, He gives them His righteousness, both imputed and imparted, so that they could meet the standard.

When we are cooperating with the agencies of heaven and experiencing the promises of God . . . then what? Are we sinning? Are we falling short of the glory of God? Are we required to repent?

Repentance is a change of mind. We don't go from having a wrong way of thinking to having the mind of Christ in an instant. As our thinking becomes more and more like Christ's, we are continuously repenting.

Repentance does not, of necessity, imply wrongdoing.

Tom, do you have SOP quotes to support the idea that repentance does not necessarily imply wrongdoing or confessing specific sins?

In the COL chapter about Peter before and after his fall, she writes that at every advance step repentance will deepen.

In a number of occasions, she wrote that Christ repented for us. Clearly He didn't repent of His own sins.

Quotes please.

The COL statement you can look up yourself. You've seen it a number of times. Both Rosangela and I have quoted it for you. It says at every advance step repentance will deepen. It's in the chapter that talks about Peter's fall and recovery, the one about the publican and the pharisee.

I'll see about finding an example of the second quote.

The 1901 General Conference Bulletin, April 4, speaks of Christ's taking "the necessary steps of repentance" on behalf of the human race. The following quote makes clear that it's possible for one person to feel repentance for another:



This is what Christ did. He put Himself in our place, and in our behalf felt repentance before God.

Only Christ could repent perfectly (for our sins, of course, since He didn't have any of His own).

True, our repentance deepens as our walk with Jesus deepens. Such repentance does not involve sinning and repenting per se. So, yeah, good point. Thank you.

And, the concept of feeling repentance in behalf of unrepentant sinners is interesting. Thank you for drawing my attention to it. It's certainly a different order of repentance, that's for sure. Every once in awhile I feel bad for people who have no idea they are being unChristlike.

Help me understand how this insight speaks to the question I asked above: When we are cooperating with the agencies of heaven and experiencing the promises of God . . . then what? Are we sinning? Are we falling short of the glory of God? Are we required to repent?

If we're sinning, and the Holy Spirit brings that to our attention, we should repent. Even if we're not sinning (to our knowledge) we may (and should) repent for others, along the lines of the quote I cited.

Thank you.

Dear friends,

While the campmeetings are spiritual gatherings or assemblies, they are not a replacement of the Holy Convocations at His appointed times, according to Leviticus 23 and Numbers 28 and 29.

Just like the 7th day Creation Sabbath, the appointed times were meant to be kept according to the Luni-Solar Barley Harvest Calendation as restored by the Millerites in 1844.

The calendar used to ascertain the date of October 22 1844 for the 10th day of the 7th month, was not the Gregorian Calendar since October 22 would be the 22nd of the 10th month. A Biblical, Astronomical, Chronological and Historical study of this date can be found in the Grace Amadon Collection available at the Center for Adventist research at Andrews University and also online, which confirms these facts and is the basis of our beliefs as SDA.

Accordingly, campmeetings, while fulfilling an aspect of spiritual gatherings for the Church every year, do not replace His true appointed times based on His true sanctuary calendation. These appointed times are statutes according to Leviticus 23 and are meant to be kept.

With His love,

odette

Dear friend,

The Most Holy Place and the work of our Great High Priest since October 22, 1844 is the positive answer to this question. It is possible to stop sinning. Not only it is possible, but we must stop sinning.

This however, is only the first step of the sanctuary message. 1. The Court and Holy Place experience which brings the repentant sinner to ackonwledge his need of a Savior, a Redeemer, since he cannot redeem himself. This is the first step: Justification at the altar of burnt offering in the Court and at the laver: CONTINUAL ATONEMENT. -- the born again experience.

2. Then, the steps to Christ of sanctification in the Holy Place: a daily process of a lifetime of being filled with the Spirit (candlestick) - feeding upon His Word (shewbread) and prayer and meditation at the altar of encense. This is CONTINUAL INTERCESSION.

3. According to Patriarchs and Prophets, page 357, "The blood of Christ while it was to release the repentant sinner from the condemnation of the law, was not to cancel the sin; it would stand in the sanctuary until the final atonement."

4. Therefore, although his sins were forgiven once the sinner came repentant to offer his sacrifice at the sanctuary, he understood that the record of his sins were to remain in the sanctuary till the Great Day of Atonement, which according to our belief as SDA and based on the prophecy of Daniel 8:14 and 9:24-27, this is the final work to be accomplished for the dead since 1844 and soon, noone knows how soon, it will be done for the living: the removing of the records of our sins -- tendancies to sin, bent to evil, knowlege of evil. Then, and only then, God's people will have reached the character He has been looking for to vindicate His Holy Name or Character. Probation closes a short while before His coming.

5. When Christ throws the censor and declares "it is finished", according to Early Writings, page 36, He comes out of the Most Holy Place, "Michael stands up" Daniel 12:1 and the plagues start falling. Noone will boast then of sinlesness because the body will not be changed till the Second Coming - but the character will have been made perfet before probation closes.

6. This is the solution to the sinless character: FINAL ATONEMENT, FINAL INTERCESSION.

With His Love,

odette

Do you believe having "tendencies to sin, bent to evil, knowledge of evil" makes us guilty of sinning in the sight of God?

Do you believe God requires us to observe "these appointed times"?