What does EGW write about...
Adventistische Schriften über: "Did Jesus abolish the law?"
Answer
Jesus did not abolish God's moral law, the Ten Commandments; rather, his death on the cross proves its unchangeability, as he took the penalty for our transgression upon himself. While he ended the ceremonial statutes and sacrificial services of the Mosaic law with his death, he explicitly emphasized that not a single jot of the eternal law would pass away. He did not come to do away with the law, but to explain it through his life of perfect obedience, to glorify it, and to confirm its holy claims.
The Unchangeability of God's Law
»The claim that Christ, by his death, abolished his Father's law is unfounded. If it had been possible to change or set aside the law, then Christ would not have had to die to save humanity from the penalty of sin. Christ's death, far from abolishing the law, proves that it is unchangeable.«
Fulfillment rather than Destruction
»\"Do not think that I have come to do away with the law or the prophets; I have not come to do away, but to fulfill.\" Here Jesus refutes the Pharisees' accusation. His mission in the world is to vindicate the holy claims of that law, whose transgression they accuse him of.«
The End of the Ceremonial Law
»There is a law that has been abolished, which Christ "removed from the way by nailing it to his cross." Paul calls it "the law of commandments that were in statutes." This ceremonial law, given by God through Moses, with its sacrifices and ordinances, was to be binding for the Hebrews until the pattern in Christ's death as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, met its antitype.«
The Depth of the Law in Jesus' Life
»In the precepts of His holy law, God gave a perfect rule of life; and He declared that this law will, until the end of time, remain unchanged in any jot or title, maintaining its claim upon human beings. Christ came to make the law great and glorious.«
Justice and Grace on the Cross
»Jesus endured the utmost penalty of the law for our transgression, and justice was fully satisfied. The law is not abolished; it has not lost a jot of its power. Instead, it stands in holy dignity, with Christ's death on the cross bearing witness to its unchangeability.«
Refutation of False Teachings
»Those who claim that Christ abolished the law teach that He broke the Sabbath and justified His disciples in doing the same. In doing so, they actually take the same stance as the nagging Jews. In this they contradict Christ's own testimony, who declared: \"I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in His love.\«
- Validity of the Ten Commandments
- Difference between moral and ceremonial law
- Christ and the Sermon on the Mount
Original Sources (English)
