Biblical law in Seventh-day Adventism
Encyclopedia
Interpretations of the law in the Bible within the Seventh-day Adventist Church
form a part of the broader debate regarding biblical law in Christianity
. Adventists believe in a greater continuation of laws such as the law given to Moses in the present day than do most other Christians. In particular, they believe the 10 Commandments still apply to today, including the Sabbath
in particular.
of the Adventist church states:
How the law should be applied came up at the 1888 Minneapolis General Conference
Session. A. T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner looked at the problem addressed by Paul in Galatians
as not the ceremonial law, but rather the wrong use of the law (legalism
). They were opposed by Uriah Smith
and George Butler
at the 1888 Conference. Smith in particular thought the Galatians issue had been settled by Ellen White already, yet in 1890 she claimed justification by faith is "the third angel’s message
in verity."
Ellen White interpreted as saying that the ceremonial law was nailed to the cross. However scholars today typically understand the Greek word cheirographon which was nailed to the cross to be the record of sin.
At the 1952 Bible Conference
, Edward Heppenstall
’s presentations on the Two Covenants became the normative interpretation on the topic in the denomination to the present day. Heppenstall emphasized the importance of the heart in obeying the Ten Commandments
(a position earlier stated by Ellen G. White
, but did not become normative until this point). Early Adventists had emphasized legalism
(i.e. “obey and live”) and during the early twentieth-century had wandered into a dispensationalist
view of the covenants
(Old Covenant
belonged to the Old Testament
). Heppenstall taught that the old and New Covenant
s are part of an everlasting covenant.
The 1957 publication Questions on Doctrine
was a pivotal publication in Adventist history. One followup article was "The Law in Adventist Theology and Christian Experience" by Edward Heppenstall
.
In 1981 disfellowshipped Australian Adventist Robert Brinsmead
published Sabbatarianism Re-examined in which he criticised the Sabbath, arguing the Ten Commandments are not all inclusive.
Norm Young
wrote in 1989 that "current Adventist exegesis conceives of the law as a total religious system. The sharp distinction between moral and ceremonial law is denied." Young has published numerous articles on biblical law in reputable Christian theology journals.
Adventists in accordance with the food laws of Leviticus 11, are encouraged to not eat "unclean" meat, including pork and shellfish, yet other mosaic laws regarding clean and unclean are not considered binding. The civil laws regarding punishments for crime are also not considered binding. Adventists oppose homosexuality, which is only prohibited by the civil code of ancient Israel.
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
form a part of the broader debate regarding biblical law in Christianity
Biblical law in Christianity
Christian views of the Old Covenant have been central to Christian theology and practice since the circumcision controversy in Early Christianity. There are differing views about the applicability of the Old Covenant among Christian denominations...
. Adventists believe in a greater continuation of laws such as the law given to Moses in the present day than do most other Christians. In particular, they believe the 10 Commandments still apply to today, including the Sabbath
Sabbath in Seventh-day Adventism
Sabbath is an important part of the belief and practice of seventh-day Christians. These believers observe Sabbath on the seventh Hebrew day of the week, from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, in similar manner as in Judaism, rather than Lord's day on Sunday like a most forms of Christianity...
in particular.
Official belief
One of the official 28 fundamental beliefs28 Fundamentals
The 28 Fundamentals are a core set of theological beliefs held by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Traditionally, Adventists have been opposed to the formulation of creeds. It is claimed that the 28 Fundamentals are descriptors not prescriptors; that is, that they describe the official position of...
of the Adventist church states:
- 19. Law of God:
- The great principles of God's law are embodied in the Ten Commandments and exemplified in the life of Christ. They express God's love, will, and purposes concerning human conduct and relationships and are binding upon all people in every age. These precepts are the basis of God's covenant with His people and the standard in God's judgment. Through the agency of the Holy SpiritHoly SpiritHoly Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
they point out sin and awaken a sense of need for a Saviour. Salvation is all of grace and not of works, but its fruitage is obedience to the Commandments. This obedience develops Christian character and results in a sense of well-being. It is an evidence of our love for the Lord and our concern for our fellow men. The obedience of faith demonstrates the power of Christ to transform lives, and therefore strengthens Christian witness. (Ex. 20:1-17; Ps. 40:7, 8; Matt. 22:36-40; Deut. 28:1-14; Matt. 5:17-20; Heb. 8:8-10; John 15:7-10; Eph. 2:8-10; 1 John 5:3; Rom. 8:3, 4; Ps. 19:7-14.)
History
Adventists have traditionally taught that the Decalogue is part of the moral law of God which was not abrogated by the ministry and death of Jesus Christ. Therefore the fourth commandment concerning the Sabbath is as applicable to Christian believers as the other nine. Adventists have often taught a distinction between "moral law" and "ceremonial law". The moral law continues into the New Testament era, but the ceremonial law was done away with by Jesus.How the law should be applied came up at the 1888 Minneapolis General Conference
1888 Minneapolis General Conference
The 1888 Minneapolis General Conference Session was a meeting of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists held in Minneapolis, Minnesota in October of 1888. It is regarded as a landmark event in the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Key participants were Alonzo T. Jones, Ellet J....
Session. A. T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner looked at the problem addressed by Paul in Galatians
Epistle to the Galatians
The Epistle of Paul to the Galatians, often shortened to Galatians, is the ninth book of the New Testament. It is a letter from Paul of Tarsus to a number of Early Christian communities in the Roman province of Galatia in central Anatolia...
as not the ceremonial law, but rather the wrong use of the law (legalism
Legalism
Legalism may refer to:In philosophy:* Legalism , Chinese political philosophy based on the idea that a highly efficient and powerful government is the key to social order....
). They were opposed by Uriah Smith
Uriah Smith
Uriah Smith was a Seventh-day Adventist author and editor who worked for the Review and Herald for 50 years....
and George Butler
George Ide Butler
George Ide Butler was a Seventh-day Adventist minister, administrator, and author. Originally from Vermont, United States, Butler's parents were closely involved in the beginnings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but George expressed leanings to infidelity. In 1853 his family moved to Iowa...
at the 1888 Conference. Smith in particular thought the Galatians issue had been settled by Ellen White already, yet in 1890 she claimed justification by faith is "the third angel’s message
Three Angels' Messages
In Seventh-day Adventist beliefs, the "three angels' messages" is an interpretation of the messages given by three angels in Revelation . The church teaches that these messages are given to prepare the world for the second coming of Jesus Christ, and sees them as a central part of its own...
in verity."
Ellen White interpreted as saying that the ceremonial law was nailed to the cross. However scholars today typically understand the Greek word cheirographon which was nailed to the cross to be the record of sin.
At the 1952 Bible Conference
1952 Bible Conference
The 1952 Bible Conference was a Seventh-day Adventist conference in the Sligo Church in Takoma Park, Maryland from September 1–13, 1952. There were 498 people listed as attending this meeting with worldwide representation...
, Edward Heppenstall
Edward Heppenstall
Edward E. Heppenstall was a leading Bible scholar and theologian of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. A 1985 questionnaire of North American Adventist lecturers revealed Heppenstall was the Adventist writer who had most influenced them.- Biography :Heppenstall was born in 1901 at Rotherham,...
’s presentations on the Two Covenants became the normative interpretation on the topic in the denomination to the present day. Heppenstall emphasized the importance of the heart in obeying the Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
(a position earlier stated by Ellen G. White
Ellen G. White
Ellen Gould White was a prolific author and an American Christian pioneer. She, along with other Sabbatarian Adventist leaders, such as Joseph Bates and her husband James White, would form what is now known as the Seventh-day Adventist Church.Ellen White reported to her fellow believers her...
, but did not become normative until this point). Early Adventists had emphasized legalism
Legalism (theology)
Legalism, in Christian theology, is a sometimes-pejorative term referring to an over-emphasis on discipline of conduct, or legal ideas, usually implying an allegation of misguided rigour, pride, superficiality, the neglect of mercy, and ignorance of the grace of God or emphasizing the letter of...
(i.e. “obey and live”) and during the early twentieth-century had wandered into a dispensationalist
Dispensationalism
Dispensationalism is a nineteenth-century evangelical development based on a futurist biblical hermeneutic that sees a series of chronologically successive "dispensations" or periods in history in which God relates to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants.As a system,...
view of the covenants
Covenant (biblical)
A biblical covenant is an agreement found in the Bible between God and His people in which God makes specific promises and demands. It is the customary word used to translate the Hebrew word berith. It it is used in the Tanakh 286 times . All Abrahamic religions consider the Biblical covenant...
(Old Covenant
Old Covenant
The Old Covenant was the name of the agreement which effected the union of Iceland and Norway. It is also known as Gissurarsáttmáli, named after Gissur Þorvaldsson, the Icelandic chieftain who worked to promote it. The name "Old Covenant", however, is probably due to historical confusion...
belonged to the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
). Heppenstall taught that the old and New Covenant
New Covenant
The New Covenant is a concept originally derived from the Hebrew Bible. The term "New Covenant" is used in the Bible to refer to an epochal relationship of restoration and peace following a period of trial and judgment...
s are part of an everlasting covenant.
The 1957 publication Questions on Doctrine
Questions on Doctrine
Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine is a book published by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1957 to help explain Adventism to conservative Protestants and Evangelicals...
was a pivotal publication in Adventist history. One followup article was "The Law in Adventist Theology and Christian Experience" by Edward Heppenstall
Edward Heppenstall
Edward E. Heppenstall was a leading Bible scholar and theologian of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. A 1985 questionnaire of North American Adventist lecturers revealed Heppenstall was the Adventist writer who had most influenced them.- Biography :Heppenstall was born in 1901 at Rotherham,...
.
In 1981 disfellowshipped Australian Adventist Robert Brinsmead
Robert Brinsmead
Robert Daniel "Bob" Brinsmead is a formerly controversial figure within the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the 1960s and 1970s, known for his diverse theological journey....
published Sabbatarianism Re-examined in which he criticised the Sabbath, arguing the Ten Commandments are not all inclusive.
Norm Young
Norm Young
Norman Hugh Young is a Seventh-day AdventistChristian theologian and New Testament scholar. He recently retired as senior lecturer at Avondale College in Australia.- Biography :...
wrote in 1989 that "current Adventist exegesis conceives of the law as a total religious system. The sharp distinction between moral and ceremonial law is denied." Young has published numerous articles on biblical law in reputable Christian theology journals.
Adventists in accordance with the food laws of Leviticus 11, are encouraged to not eat "unclean" meat, including pork and shellfish, yet other mosaic laws regarding clean and unclean are not considered binding. The civil laws regarding punishments for crime are also not considered binding. Adventists oppose homosexuality, which is only prohibited by the civil code of ancient Israel.
See also
- Seventh-day Adventist theology
- The Pillars of AdventismThe Pillars of AdventismThe Pillars of Adventism are landmark doctrines for Seventh-Day Adventists; Bible doctrines that define who they are as a people of faith; doctrines that are "non-negotiables" in Adventist theology.-The Pillars of Adventism:...
- Biblical law in ChristianityBiblical law in ChristianityChristian views of the Old Covenant have been central to Christian theology and practice since the circumcision controversy in Early Christianity. There are differing views about the applicability of the Old Covenant among Christian denominations...
- Sabbath in Seventh-day AdventismSabbath in Seventh-day AdventismSabbath is an important part of the belief and practice of seventh-day Christians. These believers observe Sabbath on the seventh Hebrew day of the week, from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, in similar manner as in Judaism, rather than Lord's day on Sunday like a most forms of Christianity...
External links
- "The Law of God" (chapter 18) in
- Section "IV. Questions on the Law and Legalism" from Questions on Doctrine
- Law articles from the Biblical Research InstituteBiblical Research InstituteThe Biblical Research Institute is a service department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church with the three stated functions of research, apologetics , and service to the church. It serves as a theological consultant to the General Conference...
- SDANet AtIssue: Covenants
- Articles relating to "law" as cataloged in the Seventh-day Adventist Periodical Index (SDAPI)