p. 98 | THE LAW OF GOD by J. G. Wood

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 29, 1877

THE LAW OF GOD.

By J. G. Wood

By request of the brethren of the church at Rockville, Mo., I visited them Feb. 24, and remained several days. Our Sabbath meeting was good, all readily bearing their testimony expressing their confidence in this great work. While there I listened to three discourses given by Eld. E. Rogers (Disciple) against the Sabbath and our people. Sometime previous to this he had announced that he “could easily meet these doctrines,” and challenged them to send for their best man, to discuss with him, stating the time and place. However, when I came he would not give me half the time, but preached three discourses against us before I could reply. He denounced the law and Sabbath in the most bitter terms I ever heard. He took the position that Christ abolished the law at the cross; that he was in better business than going round keeping the Sabbath; that he broke the Sabbath, and God authorized it, citing us as proof to John 5:18.

If this charge of Sabbath-breaking be true, then Christ was certainly a sinner; for all acknowledge that the law of ten commandments was in force till the cross, and that a violation of any of those precepts prior to that time was sin. “For sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4. Then Christ was a sinner; and Peter was mistaken when he said he “did no sin,” 1 Peter 2:22; and the whole Christian world are deluded in looking to Christ as the Saviour of the world, through whom they expect an atonement of their sins; for he himself was a sinner, and can atone for no one, not even for himself. “Who

shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect?” Rom. 8:33. Yet this is the charge against the Son of God. This shows to what extremes men will go to get rid of the Sabbath.

I then showed that John 5:19 was a charge of the wicked Jews, verse 16; that they were of their “father the devil, who abode not in the truth, and his works they would do; that he was a liar and the father of it.” John 8:44–45. When Jesus appeals to them in John 7:20 to know why they wish to kill him, they do not say he has broken the Sabbath, and ought to die, but, “thou hast a devil.” If their beasts were suffering for water, they could relieve them on the Sabbath; if a sheep fell into a pit, and were like to perish, they would save its life by lifting it out on the Sabbath day. “How much better, then, is a man than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath day.” Matt. 12:11, 12. Thus those traditions that they had thrown around the Sabbath, insomuch that it had become irksome, he tore away, and showed them that it was always right to do acts of mercy and relieve the suffering on that day.

“Now the chief priest’s and elders and all the council sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death, but found none. Matt. 26:59. Among all those that clamored for his blood, and said, “Let it be on us and our children,” was not found one that said he violated the Sabbath day, the penalty for which was death; but the high priest said he blasphemed, and the Jews said he was guilty of death. Matt. 26:65, 66. After a most rigid examination before Pilate and Herod, Pilate says, “I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: no, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo! nothing worthy of death is done unto him.” Luke 23:14, 15. Pilate took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent from the blood of this just person.” Matt. 27:24.

Eld. R. said that that law (referring to the ten commandments) was a tyrannical law, and ought to be done away. I replied that no one but a tyrant would give a tyrannical law to his children; that God is our Father, “he made us and not we ourselves,” Ps. 100:3; and according to Eld. R., that God in whom we live, move, and have our being, who so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son to die, that we might not perish, but have eternal life, is a tyrant after all. I replied in three discourses before a full house of attentive listeners. I think the people could see the folly of his course. The church were strengthened, and many could see the truthfulness of our position.

J. G. WOOD.