| (Copyright 08-24-2025) by Rod Reynolds (Wentzville, Missouri) |
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| Dear Friends and Brethren, It’s commonly taught among professing Christian churches that some or all of the commandments of God, especially the ten commandments given from Mt. Sinai, are not applicable to Christians. Christ, we are told, has “replaced the law,” including the ten commandments, thus they are no longer obligatory for Christians. An example of this general idea is found in how the Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary interprets the meaning of Colossians 2:14: “The law (including especially the moral law, wherein lay the chief difficulty in obeying) is abrogated to the believer….” “The ‘handwriting’ (alluding to the Decalogue [i.e., the ten commandments])….” “Not only was the law against us by its demands, but also an adversary to us by its accusations.” “In His person nailed to the cross, the law itself was nailed to it.” For an explanation of what Colossians 2 actually teaches see our article: “Were the Commandments ‘Nailed to the Cross‘?”. After Herbert W. Armstrong, founder and leader of the Worldwide Church of God, died in early 1986, within a few years his successor, Joseph Tkach, began to teach radically different doctrines from those formerly taught by that Church, concerning how the ten commandments and ancillary laws apply to Christians, as well as a number of subjects. Under Tkach’s leadership teachings adopted from “Evangelical Christianity,” as reflected in the above quotation, replaced the former teachings of the Church which were to the effect that Christians are obliged to obey the ten commandments and ancillary laws. At the time, I was a member and ordained minister of the Worldwide Church of God and had been for a number of years. I was amazed at how quickly and eagerly many of the people I had known and respected, whom I had assumed to be converted, embraced the “new” teachings. While some ministers and members rejected the apostasy and began to separate themselves from the Worldwide Church of God, which subsequently changed its name, about ninety percent did not, but many of them soon abandoned the Church as well, for different reasons. It is easy to be deceived about what the Bible teaches, and in fact, most people, including most people who call themselves Christians, as well as Jewish people who claim to follow the teachings of the “Old Testament,” are deceived about much of what is taught in the Bible. It’s much more difficult to find and hold to the truth of what is taught in Scripture. Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). The “god of this age [or world, KJV]” is Satan, and he “deceives the whole world” (Revelation 12:9). One common way in which people are deceived is to simply latch on to one or more human devised traditions of men, contrary to Scripture, who claim the authority to teach religious doctrine, often even claiming that such traditions are sanctioned in Scripture. Much of what is taught in popular “Christianity,” both Catholic and Protestant, as well as Judaism, is based on such traditions of men. In reference to such traditions, Jesus said to the Pharisees and scribes (there were scribes of both the Pharisees and Sadducee’s, leading sects among the Jews at the time): “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition” (Mark 7:9). It’s quite common for individuals to attempt to justify their beliefs and practices not only by appealing to the authority of “Church tradition,” or some person of reputation, such as a minister or priest or scribe, but also by isolating one verse of Scripture, or a portion of a verse, or sometimes several scattered verses, and reading into these a meaning that conflicts with the context, both of the portions cited, as well as the overall context of Scripture. In some cases, faulty and misleading translations of a verse or portion of Scripture are relied on as well. So it is with the idea that the commandments God gave to Israel at Mt. Sinai, particularly the ten commandments, do not apply to Christians. In the sermon I intended to post on the Sabbath of August 23, titled “New Covenant Law,” I address the idea that these commandments are abrogated for believers under the New Covenant. I hope everyone who receives this newsletter will take the time to listen to this sermon, which I have edited and re-posted as of today (the day following the Sabbath), due to the fact that circumstances did not allow sufficient time to get it posted on the Sabbath. In any case, there are individuals on the mailing list of this newsletter scattered over various parts of the world, in different time zones, so even though I attempt to post the sermons during the Sabbath in the time zone where I am located, you may not receive the newsletter until well after the Sabbath, depending on where you are. Certainly, you should attend services on the Sabbath with an assembly of Christians faithful to God’s word, if possible, wherever you are. Or if not, listen to a sermon as well as study the Scriptures on the Sabbath. Of course you should study the Bible daily, but listening to a sermon featuring sound doctrine is profitable at other times as well as the Sabbath. As noted above, it’s very easy to fall into a lax posture regarding your relationship with God and becoming a victim of deception. Don’t take it for granted that you cannot be deceived if you are not careful to study the Scriptures and clearly understand what God requires of you. In this sermon I go through a number of Scriptures related to the subject, and it’s important to have these Scriptural precepts engraved in your consciousness at all times. For your convenience, I am including a link to the notes for this sermon, which I intend to post as an article after the material is edited and reformatted. I encourage you to take note of the Scriptures quoted and look them up in your own Bible and review them as often as necessary to keep mindful of them. Your ultimate salvation may depend on it. In Christian love, Rod Reynolds Editor’s Note: We do not listen to video links or read print material that is linked to items we print, so we may or may not agree with those links. We only look at print material that is sent to us for print. Laura Lee ————————————————————————————- Reprinted with permission from: Messenger Church of God https://www.cogmessenger.org/ ————————————————————————————- |
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