Lame Offerings by H. A. St. John

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 26, 1871

Lame Offerings.

By H. A. St. John

BLEMISHED or unsound offerings were not acceptable to God in the old dispensation. The offerings of the children of Israel must not only be sound, but of the kind that God had prescribed. We have the same God now, and where is the scripture that teaches us that our God is any less particular in this, than in the former, dispensation. No such inspired language can be found. God has not become indulgent. With the same jealous eye he still guards the honor of his word, and the requisitions of his law. He that would transgress one of the least of the commandments of God, and offer to him a man-made substitute, is guilty of presumption, a grievous sin in the sight of God. All such substitutes are lame offerings, and he that willingly presents them does it at the peril of his own soul.

When Jesus taught the people publicly from city to city, the Jews held to a tradition that nullified the fifth commandment. Our Saviour said to them with reference to this matter, “Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Mark 7:7. Here was a lame, presumptive offering. God could not accept it; he had not required it at their hands. It was not only uncalled for, but it was plainly making void the commandment of God, and, consequently, a very great sin.

The majority of Christendom at the present day, by offering to God the first day of the week as a substitute for the holy Sabbath of the Lord, the seventh day, do as effectually make void the commandment of God by a tradition, as did the ancient Jews. Keeping a day which God has never commanded, blessed, or sanctified, and calling it the Sabbath of the Lord, is making an offering unsound in every part, and what is more, diametrically opposed to the commandment of God. How can professors of the religion of Jesus, who fear God and tremble at his word, after once seeing the light upon this important subject, continue to offer to God in the place of his holy Sabbath an unsanctified substitute provided by the apostasy, and excuse themselves by saying that “God is not particular.” All such will find out, sooner or later, their terrible mistake. “God is no respecter of persons; but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.” Acts 10:34, 35. Will working unrighteousness, disobedience to the law of God, do just as well? All unrighteousness is sin, and the wages of sin is death.

God is testing the world; and the measuring rule is that only true standard of rectitude, the moral law. By this, man will be tested, and finally judged. The law of God, in all its length and breadth, will be presented by precept and example to the last generation of men. All Christendom will be either loyal or disloyal when the Lord comes; and the line of demarkation between these two classes will become palpably distinct. On the one hand will be those who make void the law of God, while upon the other will be seen a people, zealous of good works, who, like the psalmist, will have respect unto all the commandments of God.

H. A. ST. JOHN.