Who Changed God's Law? by R. F. Cottrell

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 15, 1873

Who Changed God's Law?

By R. F. Cottrell

By what authority has the Sabbath been stricken from the divine law, or superseded by the first day of the week? It is claimed that Christ made the change—that he nailed the Sabbath to the cross, or that he changed it from the seventh to the first day of the week. The Christian world in general acknowledge the change, but by what power or authority was the change made?

It is self-evident that the change has been made either by Christ or Antichrist. If the change is real, so that it is approved of Heaven, it was effected by no authority inferior to that of the divine Son of God. If the change is unreal, if the law of the Most High is only supposed or thought to be changed, it must be the work of apostasy and Antichrist. The change has been made then either by Christ or Antichrist. One or the other of these two is the author of the change; the only question is, Which?

The prophecies foretell the coming, and describe the work, both of Christ and Antichrist. Let us inquire of the ancient prophets. According to their testimonies, what was to be the work of Christ, and also of Antichrist, in respect to the law of God?

In the fortieth psalm is a prophecy of the advent of Christ into the world as the great and only efficacious offering for sin. On coming into the world, his language is, “Lo, I come; in the volume of the book it is written of me; I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” The law of God, as it was when he came into the world, was in his heart; he delighted in it, and came to do it; he loved it, and kept it. Said he, “I have kept my Father's commandments.” John 15: 10. His work was to write this law, which was in his heart, in the hearts of all those who shall be partakers in the blessings of the new and everlasting covenant. Jer. 31: 31–33; Heb. 8: 10. Such language is not consistent with the thought that he was to abolish that law or change it in the least. Again, it was prophesied of Christ, “He will magnify the law, and make it honorable.” Isa. 42: 21. We submit that to abolish the law would not magnify it, nor would a change of it make it honorable. When Mary said, “My soul doth magnify the Lord,” she had not a thought of abolishing or changing the unchangeable God, she only meant to praise him. So Christ was to exalt, extol, and praise, the law of God. Did he do it? “Hear him” upon this very point. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall [in all the unlimited future] break one of these least commandments [the commandments of the existing law of God], and shall teach men so [that is, that they are at liberty to break it], shall be called the least in the kingdom of Heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven.” Matt. 5: 17–19. The predicted work of Christ was to magnify the law and make it honorable. He did honor every jot and tittle of it, and taught all men, in all time then future, to keep every one of its precepts. Who will dare to wrest the words of the Son of God by saying that he fulfilled all the law of God, and then nailed it to his cross?

But what was the predicted work of Antichrist in respect to this law? Let us see. The Holy Spirit by David said, “Thy law is the truth,” and, “All thy commandments are truth.” Ps. 119: 142, 151. Jesus came into the world to “bear witness unto the truth;” but of antichristian Rome it was foretold, “He shall cast down the truth to the ground.” Dan. 8: 12. Again, “He [Antichrist] shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change times and laws.” Dan. 7: 25. This is a prophecy of the Roman papacy. The times and laws are evidently those of the Most High. He cannot actually change them; for they are unchangeable. This is evident from the fact that he only thinks to change them. The Douay Bible says, “He shall think himself able to change times and laws.” Now since it was predicted of the antichristian power of Rome that he should think to change God's times and laws, and as none can tell his thoughts better than he can himself, it is perfectly right and in order, to appeal to this power to tell us what it does think on this subject. Does the Roman church think it has power to change the law of God, and that it has done it? For a reply to this question, we quote the following from the “Catholic Catechism of the Christian Religion”:—

“The church, directed by Jesus Christ and the Spirit of God, has substituted Sunday for Saturday, so we now sanctify the first, and not the seventh, day.”

In answer to the question: “Had the church power to make such change,” this Roman catechism answers as follows: “Certainly, since the Spirit of God is her guide, the change is inspired by that Holy Spirit.”

Another Catholic catechism has the following question and answer:—

“Q. How prove you that the church hath power to command feasts and holy days? “A. By the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday.”

Another Catholic catechism says: “Q. Have you any other way of proving that the church has power to institute festivals of precept? “A. Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her;—she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday, the seventh day, a change for which there is no scriptural authority.”

We here have the thoughts of the Roman Catholic church as revealed by herself; and is not the prophecy perfectly fulfilled? Mark the claim that the church has changed the law of God, namely, the time of the Sabbath, substituting another time than that appointed by God, and that without a Bible warrant, “a change for which there is no scriptural authority.”

Reader, you have a brief synopsis of the evidence before you. We ask you, Who changed the Sabbath? We have seen that, according to the prophecies, Christ was to have the law of God in his heart, that he was to magnify, exalt, or praise that law and make it honorable. This he did in his sermon on the mount. Instead of thinking to change it, he ratifies every jot and tittle of it, “till heaven and earth pass.”

But the prophecy of the Roman Antichrist predicted that this “man of sin,” the “lawless one,” the power that was to wear out the saints of the Most High, should think to change the times and laws of God. The thoughts of this persecutor of the church of God are before you. Are they not precisely what was predicted?

Whose law will you obey?—the law of the Most High, or the law which the man of sin has “substituted” in its place? Do you think it makes no difference whose law you obey? Will Christ be honored by your following Antichrist? Please think on these things. Why the terrible warning against following this Antichrist, Rev. 14: 9–12, if it makes no difference whether we obey him by accepting what he has substituted instead of the commandments of God? Dear reader, I leave it with you, entreating you to choose between the two, and hoping you will decide to follow Christ in his example and teaching.

R. F. COTTRELL.