The Perpetuity of God’s Law
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
1. The law of God—the ten commandments—is the law of the universe. “The Lord hath prepared his throne in the Heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.” Ps. 103:19. Not only this earth, but all the worlds and the Heaven of heavens are subject to his authority, and amenable to his holy law. The highest angel in Heaven, and the lowest saint on earth; the arch deceiver and the most simple of his deluded victims, are alike judged by that perfect law. No righteous act or thought is outside of its sanctions, and no evil can be conceived that it does not condemn. 2. The law of God was in existence before the creation of the earth. When the foundations of the earth were laid, “the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” Job 38:4-7. These “sons of God” were subjects of his righteous Government, and therefore subject to the law of God, which is the basis of that Government. In proof of this, and also of the preceding proposition, read Ps. 103:20: “Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.” Since the ten-commandment law is perfect, and contains, as we have seen, all the principles of God’s Government, there can be no other commandments for the angels to obey. All commands of God are comprised within the ten precepts of Sinai. 3. The ten commandments can never have any end. Since they are the foundation of God’s throne, they must endure as long as it endures, and it must endure as long as God himself exists, for if he were not Supreme Ruler he would not be God. Now listen to these sublime words of the psalmist: “Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” Ps. 90:1, 2. More emphatic language could not be used. But since it is impossible for God to exist apart from his Government, that must also be to everlasting, and the ten commandments, the basis of that Government, must have an equal duration. 4. The law of God is unchangeable. Not only can it not be abolished, but not one of its precepts can undergo the slightest alteration. We speak not of mere verbal changes which do not affect the sense, but of changes in the force or application of the law. Since the law is the foundation of God’s throne, its ten precepts may be considered as the ten pillars constituting the foundation. It was doubtless with this idea in mind that Bishop E. O. Haven named his book which contained his ten sermons on the law,—one sermon on each commandment,—“The Pillars of Truth.” When workmen wish to make any repairs in the foundation of a building, they put a prop underneath, to take the place of the defective foundation while repairs are being made. But what can be placed under the throne of the universe to uphold it while repairs are being made in any of its corner-stones? Nothing. Men may theorize about a change in the fourth commandment, but such a change is an impossibility. To make it would be to make a revolution in the Government of Heaven. It may be urged that God has power to make such a change, but one thing God cannot do: He cannot deny himself. “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful; he cannot deny himself.” 2 Tim. 2:13. God’s law is his will (Rom. 2:17, 18); it is his righteousness; a transcript of his own nature; a photograph of his character. Therefore for God to make a change in the law would show that his character had undergone a change, and that is an impossibility. With him is “no variable-ness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17. If his law was the truth in the days of David (Ps. 119:142), it could not be changed without becoming a lie, and it is only the enemies of God who seek to do this. These facts abundantly prove the proposition that God’s law is absolutely unchangeable. They enable us to better appreciate the words of the psalmist: “Thy word is true from the beginning; and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth forever.” Ps. 119:160. 5. It follows as a necessary conclusion, that the saints to all eternity will yield obedience to that law. To do otherwise would make them no more saints, but traitors. Some people tell us that a righteous man has no need for the law of God. But the psalmist thought otherwise, for he said: “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Ps. 11:3. To say that because God’s people are all righteous, therefore they have no need of the law, is like saying that because no one falls over a precipice at the top of which a strong barrier has been erected, therefore the barrier is unnecessary. None are more interested than the righteous, in having the law of God preserved intact through the ages of eternity. It alone attests their loyalty to God. It is to them a sure pledge that no power in the universe can endanger their rights as subjects of the God of Heaven. It shows them that it is not in vain that they make the eternal God their refuge, and that he who in his excellency rides upon the heavens to the help of his people, is abundantly able to protect all who put their trust in him. May the Lord hasten the day when his kingdom shall come; when his will shall be done in all the earth even as it is now done in Heaven (see Ps. 119:20); when his children shall all be righteous; when “his servants shall serve him; and they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.”