Seventh-day  Adventists  are known for defending the Law of God with vigor – sometimes to the extent of eclipsing the gospel and the grace of God. Perhaps it’s time to take a closer look at what we mean by the “Law of God.”

Events in various countries have recently demonstrated that without laws that are enforced, neither persons nor property are safe. When we think about it, law is the foundation of any government, and without it, there is no government. Law also reflects the character of the government in power – whether good or bad. Good rulers – whether individuals or democratic bodies – make good laws. Evil rulers make bad laws that benefit themselves and their cronies. 

Thus it is reasonable to conclude that God’s government reflects the character of God. 

And that brings us to the Ten Commandments, which God introduced from Mt. Sinai with billowing clouds of smoke, rolling thunder, and flashes of lightning. When He had the people’s attention, He pronounced the ten precepts personally, in clear, majestic tones, to a group of some three million or so people who had recently escaped from Egypt. Not only that, but He wrote the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone – twice! ¹ Truly a singularity in human history and a demonstration of the importance of this Law.

Many people think of the Ten Commandments as the eternal Law on which the government of God is founded. But let’s think again: Were angels, who are not sexual beings, according to Jesus, told that they must “not commit adultery”? Were they told to “honor your father and your mother,” when they had no “mother”? Were beings adorned with riches beyond our imagination² told them they must not steal? Were the beings who live in the continual presence of God forbidden to make images of their resplendent Creator?

Sounds absurd, when you stop to think about it, doesn’t it?

It seems that the Israelites were on to something profound when they summarized the Ten Commandments as two “great commandments,” as Jesus quoted them:

Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:37-39 NKJV. Quoted from Deut. 6:4-6 and Lev. 19:18)

Jesus went on to observe that “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matt. 22:40 NKJV),  implying that all other “law” was but an expansion of the principles of the two “great commandments.” The Ten Commandments were an expansion of these two principles, adapted to the needs of humanity. The “judgments” and all the other laws, judgments, and subsequent instructions God gave through Moses were an application of these principles adapted to the culture of the time. Some applications would look different in our culture, but the principles remain as valid today as they were when given to Israel. 

The first “Great Commandment” is expanded in the first four commandments of the Decalogue which spell out what loving God looks like: We put Him first in our lives, we relate to Him directly, instead of making images to “remind us” of Him and bowing before them, we don’t use His name carelessly in speech, nor do we knowingly misrepresent Him with our words or actions. And we reserve the day He blessed and sanctified at creation as special time with Him.

The second “Great Commandment” is expanded in the last six commandments of the Decalogue which spell out what loving others as ourselves looks like: We honor our parents, we avoid anything that damages or destroys the life that only God can give, we honor God’s design for sexuality and marriage, we respect the property of others, we are careful not to suggest anything false about our neighbors either by words or by silence, and we are thankful for what God gives us, instead of coveting what He gives to our neighbors. There’s more, of course, and Jesus demonstrated in His own life what that “more” means.

One prophecy concerning Christ’s time on this planet was this:

7 Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
8 I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart.” (Ps 40:7,8)

When He walked this earth in person, Jesus said that He had come not to destroy but to “fulfill” the Law.³ What does it mean to “fulfill” a law? It would certainly mean to do all that the law demands, and Christ did just that. In the process, He revealed the breadth and depth of the Law of God. He demonstrated that the heart of the Law is self-renouncing love that is willing to die that others might live, and thus He demonstrated that the essence of the character of God is self-renouncing love. (1 Jn. 4:16)⁴

And because Christ had demonstrated the deeper meaning of the Law, He could give a new commandment – that we love one another as He has loved us. (Jn. 13:34) Not only did He give the commandment, but Jeremiah foretold that He would actually provide the means of fulfilling it. He would write His Law in the hearts of believers. (Jer. 31:31-33) ⁵ Until He demonstrated it in His own incarnation, even sinless beings could not fully understand the principles of God’s Law.

The Apostle Paul taught that love fulfills the Law of God.⁶ He also demonstrated that he understood what Christ had done when He wrote,

5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.6 Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
8 he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
(Phil 2:5-8 NLT)

I also like the way another author puts it:

“In the light from Calvary it will be seen that the law of self-renouncing love is the law of life for earth and heaven; that the love which “seeketh not her own” has its source in the heart of God; and that in the meek and lowly One is manifested the character of Him who dwelleth in the light which no man can approach unto.” (Ellen G. White, Desire of Ages, p. 20)

“The law of life for earth and heaven.” That makes sense. A law of self-renouncing love makes a lot more sense for angels than a law that tells them not to commit adultery. The Ten Commandments are, after all, the embodiment of the eternal Law adapted for the understanding of humanity.

Thus, the law of God can be thought of as the one eternal Law of self-renouncing love, adapted for man as the two principles of supreme love for God and unselfish love for humanity, further explicated as the ten great principles of the Ten Commandments. These principles were then spelled out in a way to adapt them to the culture of the time in the form of many civil laws and judgments for the people of Israel. (The “judgments” are similar to modern case law.)

So we can think of the Law of God as the One great law, the Two great laws, the Ten great principles, or the many laws of application – the One, the Two, the Ten and the many.

When we discuss the moral law on which God’s government rests, it is helpful to remember that it comes in several manifestations. Confusing specific applications of the great eternal Law as the Law of God only serves to denigrate the eternal Law. That was the problem of the Pharisees of Christ’s day, as it is the problem of their modern counterparts. They mistook their own interpretations of the Law for the law itself and, in the process, transgressed the eternal Law of love and every principle of the Ten Commandments as well. Their modern counterparts still do the same.

The eternal Law, the law of self-renouncing love, is also the guiding principle in the life of the individual Christian. It is the spring of action from the renewed heart that only God can give. ⁷ It is the Christian’s power, fueled by the Holy Spirit. After all, if we accept Jesus as Lord, we necessarily accept His Law as the law of our lives. If we do not demonstrate self-renouncing love, we do not keep the law.

With our poor memory of things divine, we should often review Paul’s description of what the law of love looks like:

4 Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn’t jealous. It doesn’t sing its own praises. It isn’t arrogant. 5 It isn’t rude. It doesn’t think about itself. It isn’t irritable. It doesn’t keep track of wrongs. 6 It isn’t happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth. 7 Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up.8 Love never comes to an end. (1 Cor. 13:4-8 God’s Word Translation)

It seems to me that the person in whose heart the law of God is written by His own finger will be the most loving and lovable person in the neighborhood. Others will be drawn by the love of Christ in the heart of a man, woman or child, just as they were drawn by the love of Christ when He walked this earth in person.

I want Jesus to write His law in my heart so that others may see His love reflected in me. How about you?

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/are-the-ten-commandment-the-law-of-god/

What could this week’s keyword be? Here’s our keyword clues for this week’s broadcast: 1) If  2) Then 3) Only. Join the Hit the Mark panel as they discuss Sabbath School Lesson 8 – Covenant at Sinai. It’s the fastest hour of the week!

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/covenant-at-sinai-hit-the-mark-sabbath-school/

Introduction: Think about the Lord’s Prayer. What is the first point of the prayer? It is to give glory to God. What is the next point? It is that God should return soon, but in the meantime His will should be done on earth as it is in heaven. Is this a pattern of the exodus from Egypt so far? God’s great glory is shown over the Egyptians. Then the people travel to Mount Sinai to learn about God’s will and how it should be done on earth. Let’s dive in and learn about the will of God for His people!

I. The Orientation Meeting

A. Read Exodus 19:1-2. How long did it take for the Hebrews to arrive at the foot of Mount Sinai? (Two months. The JFB commentary calculates 50 days. That links it to the Feast of Pentecost.)

1. Why go there? (It is not on the route to Canaan. God has something different in mind than just making the journey directly to the promised land.)

B. Read Exodus 19:3-6. What promise does God give to the Hebrews? (If they obey, they will be His treasured possession.)

1. What kind of obedience does God require? (“Obey Me fully.”)
2. What do you think it means to be God’s “treasured possession?”
3. Where is Moses for this conversation? (He is on the mountain with God!)

C. Read Exodus 19:7-8. How do the Hebrews respond? (They agree to do everything God requires.)

1. Does this response seem credible to you?

II. Preparing for Instructions

A. Read Exodus 19:9 and Exodus 19:12-13. How does Moses differ from the rest of the people? (God is going to speak only with him. If any of the other people approach or touch the mountain they must die.)

1. How would you view Moses if you were one of the Hebrews?

B. Read Exodus 19:14-18. Why do you think God took this approach with the people? They had to be consecrated, and then they trembled.

1. Why do you think Jesus came to us in a much different way?
2. How should we approach people with God’s message today? (We know that all except two of those terrified people died in the desert. They never entered the promised land. That suggests this approach could use further consideration. My concern is that today we fail to adequately promote the glory, power, and danger of God.)
3. Think back to Exodus 19:5, where God promises the people will be His “treasured” possession. Would you want such a powerful being on your side?

III. Ten Commandments

A. Read Exodus 20:1-7. How would you summarize these commandments? (Read Matthew 22:36-38.)

B. Read Exodus 20:8-11. Is this commandment about loving God or loving ourselves? (Read Mark 2:27-28 to see how the Lord of the Sabbath understands it.)

C. Read Exodus 20:12-17. How would you summarize these commandments? (Read Matthew 22:39-40.)

1. Notice that Exodus 20 lists the Ten Commandments as commands, but Jesus calls them acts of love in Matthew 22:36-40. How would you reconcile these two descriptions?

D. Read Deuteronomy 4:1-2 and Deuteronomy 12:32. Can you explain the logic of this instruction about the Ten Commandments? (Anyone who adds to God’s law or subtracts from the law puts himself in the position of God.)

1. What do you most commonly observe: people adding commands or saying that some commands do not apply to us?
2. I listened to a small part of a sermon where the preacher seemed to argue that the church let down the younger generation by limiting them by applying the law. Is the law a limitation? If so, how is it fair to refer to it as expressing love? (Read James 2:12. James refers to the law as something that gives us freedom. That is how I view God’s commands.)

E. Read Exodus 32:1-4. Compare Exodus 19:7-8 and Exodus 20:3-5. How do you explain this? Are these people brain-damaged?

IV. Ten Commandments for the Brain-damaged

A. Read Romans 3:9-12. What is the state of humanity? (We are all “worthless” when it comes to obeying the law.)

B. Read Romans 3:19-20. What is the purpose of the Ten Commandments? (“Through the law comes knowledge of sin.” Romans tells us that we are all bad people in terms of God’s law. We cannot be justified by the law because of this. That means the reason for the law is not to justify us, but rather to educate us about sin.)

1. Why would we want to be educated about sin? (To avoid it. Sin makes our life worse.)

C. Read Romans 3:21-24. How are we justified? (“Through faith in Jesus.” It is a gift from Jesus to us.)

1. When Romans 3:22 says, “there is no distinction,” what does that mean? (It means that whether you think you are very obedient, or you think you are a great sinner, there is only one way to be saved, and that is by the gift of grace from Jesus.)
2. Let’s step back a minute and consider Deuteronomy 4:1-2. Is Paul, the writer of Romans, subtracting from the law? (No. He is explaining the purpose of the law.)

D. Read Romans 3:27. What boasting is referred to here? (Read Romans 3:28. Boasting about keeping the law. How can a person boast about earning salvation when it is a gift given to all who believe in Jesus?)

V. Overthrowing the Law

A. Read Romans 3:31. Does righteousness by faith alone “overthrow the law?” (Romans answers, “By no means.”)

1. If you answered, “By no means,” do you think this is an easy question to answer? That the answer is not really debatable? (This suggests the answer is clear and without question.)
2. Do you think the answer is without question? If you are not saved by keeping the law, why keep it? Why regard it?

B. Read Romans 6:15-17. What does the law do for us if we attempt to keep it? (Verse 17 tells us that we become “obedient from the heart.” Knowing that Jesus died painfully to fulfill our obligation to the law should change our attitude toward the law.)

C. Read Romans 6:21-23. What does sin do for us when we let it into our lives? (It gives us death. The point of the law is to make our lives better.)

1. The snippet of a sermon I referred to above reflects the attitude of many. They teach that we should tell young people that, for example, sexual immorality is not a problem, and they can sleep with anyone they want. If the church taught “love is love,” then young people would remain in the church. They would not feel they were unwanted. Is this true? (This is a terrible lie. There are two fundamental truths. First, we are saved by grace and not by obedience to the law. Second, obedience to the law shows love to ourselves and to others. Sin wrecks your life. You become a slave to it. Sin makes you pay with your life.)

D. Read Romans 1:32. What should we do with religious leaders who teach that practicing sin reflects the will of God? (The language, “give approval to those who practice them,” is a reference to the sins discussed previous to this verse. These teachers are part of a cult of death. We must stand against them.)

E. Friend, God has very good news for you! You are saved by grace. It is a free gift to all who accept the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus on their behalf. You can give up the impossible struggle to perfectly obey the law to earn heaven. At the same time, Jesus perfectly kept the law on our behalf because it is important. Walking in accordance with the law makes our lives better and more beautiful. The law is a gift to direct the path of our lives. Will you share this good news with others? Why not commit to this right now?

VI. Next week: Living the Law.

Copr. 2025, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/8-covenant-at-sinai-exodus-19-20-romans-3-and-6-teaching-outline/

Daily Lesson for Thursday 21st of August 2025

The Hebrew meaning of the term dabarim, used in the writing of Moses to describe the Ten Commandments (Exodus 34:28, Deuteronomy 4:13, Deuteronomy 10:4), does not literally mean “commandments,” but “words.”

Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com

This “word,” dabar (singular), can have the meaning of a “promise.” That is why, in numerous places (1 Kings 8:56; 2 Chronicles 1:9; Nehemiah 5:12-13; Deuteronomy 1:11; Deuteronomy 6:3; Deuteronomy 9:28; Joshua 9:21; Joshua 22:4; Joshua 23:5), dabar is translated either in a noun or verb form expressing the idea of promise.

Ellen G. White offers an insight into the function of the Decalogue: “The ten commandments . . . are ten promises.”—Ellen G. White Comments, The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 1, p. 1105. The Decalogue should be understood as promises from God that will guide us on the right path so that He can do wonderful things for us. But we must obey them.

Paul states that Jesus Christ is the telos of the law, but not in the sense that Christ abrogates the law or does away with it. Instead, this means that Christ is the goal and intent of the law; it does not mean that His atoning sacrifice terminates the validity and perpetuity of it.

On the contrary, Paul speaks about the importance of the law, about its legitimacy, and about its enduring authority (Romans 3:31, 1 Corinthians 7:19, Galatians 5:6). The meaning of the word telos is primarily purposeful and goal-oriented, not time related. Christ is the key to unlock the true meaning and purpose of God’s law. Thus, it would be incorrect to state that Christ invalidated, superseded, or abrogated the law. Christ is the goal of the law, the One to whom it points.

<–Wednesday Friday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25c-08-the-law-as-gods-promise-for-us/

Join It Is Written Sabbath School host Eric Flickinger and this quarter’s author, Dr. Jiří Moskala, as they provide additional insights into this week’s Sabbath School lesson.”

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/8-covenant-at-sinai-it-is-written-discussions-with-the-author/