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Software Vault: The Gold Collection
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Who Nailed What To The Cross?
Martin Luther, a Roman Catholic monk, was professor of Biblical
literature at the Catholic University of Wittenberg, Germany. On
October 31, 1517, as the festival of All Saints was approching, he
tacked on the Castle church door a paper containing ninety-five pro-
positions of which he had written against what he believed to be
unholy practices of the Catholic Church.
Luther's bold act was a world-shaking event. It set into rapid
movement the forces of Protestantism. Such was the good result of
posting a paper on a church door.
More than nineteen hundred years ago Roman soldiers nailed, not
a holy protest to a church door, but a holy Man to a tree. These
men did not realize who the Man was or what they were really doing.
And the Man prayed, "Father forgive them; for they know not what they
do. " Luke 23:34."
The cruxifiction of Jesus Christ was a universe-shaking event,
opening a new era of world history and assuring a day of universal
good will-a time when all the intelligent creation will worship the
true God and obey the precepts of his holy law.
The Mysterious Manuscript of the Cross
The dying Son of God Himself is said to have nailed something to
the cross. The apostle Paul speaks of it in these words:
"Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, ...
and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross." Colossians 2:14.
This does not mean that Jesus took a hammer and nailed a roll of
ordinances to the cross. But it does signify to all of that some law
or set of laws ended then.
Paul again speaks of it in Ephesians 2:15: "Having abolished in
his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ord-
inances. "
It is clear to all that there must be more than one type, or
kind, of law in the Bible. We know that the ten-commandment, moral
law of God did not end at the cross. This we have already learned.
It is just as wrong today to steal, kill, commit adultery, or break
any one of the Ten Commandments as it ever was.
Christ did not come to destroy this law; He came to fulfill it.
Consider also that had God desired to abolish this law, Christ need
not have died to meet its holy demands. Gods holy moral law is as
enduring as His own character.
Three Types of Laws
First and foremost, there is the moral, ten-commandment law,
written by God on tables of stone. (Exodus 31:18.) "Think not that I
am come to destroy the law," said Christ. Matthew 5:17.
Second, there are the ceremonial, sacrificial sanctuary laws-
the ritual laws of worship.
Third, there are the civil laws of the Jewish nation. These
regulated the multitude of matters pertaining to health, sanitation,
disease, crime, court procedure, and so forth.
What Laws Were Nailed to the Cross?
With the ending of the Jewish nation as God's chosen instrument,
the civil laws naturally lapsed. For instance, by the law of Exodus
22:1, one who stole an ox was, if apprehended, required to give the
owner five oxen. Though this law was a good one, it would not of
necessity be followed in a nation today. However, the principles
underlying the civil laws remain unchanged. For instance, it is
just as obligatory upon a Christian to abide by the principles of
health as lt ever was for a Jew.
But more specifically, the ceremonial laws were nailed to the
cross. "The law of commandments contained in ordinances." "The
handwriting of ordinances that was against us."
Gone were the blood offerings, the meat and drink offerings, the
special holy days and yearly sabbath days "which are a shadow of things
to come; but the body is of Christ." Colossians 2:17. The typical
services and their yearly holy days (not the weekly Sabbath of the
Ten Commandments) pointed forward to Christ the His death on the
cross.
When He died the great veil of the Jewish Temple at Jerusalem
was torn from top to bottom. (Matthew 27:51.) This signified the
end of the ceremonial system and laws.
In the figure of Paul's speech they had been nailed to His
cross. (See the delineation at the close of this chapter for a com-
parsion of the moral and ceremonial laws.)
What Men Say
Prominent Bible students have always recognized these different
types of laws in the Bible.
The great Dr. Barnes writes, when commenting on Matthew 5:18:
"The ceremonial laws are such as are appointed to meet certain states
of society, or to regulate the religious rites and ceremonies of a
people. These can be changed when circumstances are changed, and yet
the moral law be untouched."--Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the
Gospels (1860 ed.), vol. 1, p. 65.
Methodists Articles of Religion, article 6, says, "Although the
law given from God to Moses, as touching ceremonies and rites, doth
not bind Christians, nor ought the civil precepts thereof of neces-
sity be received in any commonwealth, yet, notwithstanding, no Chr-
istian whateverso is free from the obedience to the commandments which
are called moral."--Cited in Philip Schaff, The Creeds of Christendom,
vol. 3, p. 808.
A Lutheran catechism states:
"Ques.--How many kinds of law are given in the Old Tesetament?
"Ans.--Three. (1) The ceremonial, or church, law, which God
gave to the Jews for the regulation of their worship, sacrifices,
festivals, and other ceremonies; (2) the civil law, or that which
regulated their political affairs; (3) the moral law, or that which
rekated ti their duties to God and man, which is summarily compre-
hended in the Ten Commandments.
"Ques.--Are we under obligation to keep the ceremonial, or church,
law of the Jews?
"Ans.--No, the ordinances which it enjoined were only types and
shadows of Christ; and when they were fulfilled by His death, and the
distinction between Jew and Gentile was removed, the ceremonial law
was abolished, because it was no longer necessary.
"Ques.--Are we under oblgation to keep the moral law?
"Ans.--Yes, because that is founded on the nature of God and
cannot be changed; it is of universal applcation, which was impossible
with respect to the ceremonial and civil laws. Christ demands obedience
to His law."
The special emphasis we have placed on the distinction between
the moral law and other laws in order that you may be well armed to
meet deceptions that would distort the teaching of God's Holy Word
against His holy law.
The ceremonial laws are like the scaffolding of a building, to
be removed when the building is finished. The moral law is like the
foundation of the building.
Throwing away the Ten Commandments with the abolition of the
ceremonial law is like tearing down the building when removing the
scaffolding.
Said Jesus: "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine,
and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his
house upon a rock: and the rain decended, and the floods came, and
the winds blew, and beat upon the house; and it fell not: for it
was founded upon a rock." Matthew 7:24, 25.
Many years ago a bridge was to be built across the Conemaugh
River in Pennsylvania. The contract for the job was given out, and
the contractor set to work. On each side of the river he dug down
And down to bedrock. Friends said it was too expensive, but he was
building solidly. Finally his bridge was finished, and the matter
forgotten.
In late spring of 1889 melting snows in the mountains and heavy
rains brought more and more water down the streams. The South Fork
Reservoir was surely filling to the very top. Its walls were weak,
and finally gave way, permitting a mighty wave of water to sweep
down the valley. Trees, houses, buildings--everything was swept
before the gigantic liquid wall.
What would happen when all this water and wreckage would strike
the bridge built many years before? With awful impact it struck.
The bridge staggered, groaned, shivered, and shook; but it stood!
The flood swept on, spreading death and desolation in one of America's
greatest disasters--The Johnstown Flood. That bridge, built on the
solid rock, stood like a lone and mighty stronghold in the midst of
ruin and desolation. It had stood the test of storms and floods
because it was fastened to the rock.
Let us build upon the rock of Christ Jesus and upon the found-
ation of His unchangeable, everlasting law.
"We are building every day
A temple the world may not see,
Building, building every day,
Building for eternity.'"
Moral and Ceremonial Law Compared
Moral law Ceremonial Law
Ten Commandments Commandments Contained in
Ordinances
1. A perfect law. 1. An imperfect law.
"The law of the Lord is "For there is verily a dis-
perfect, converting the soul." annulling of the commandment
Psalms 19:7. going before for the weakness
and unprofitableness thereof.
"All thy commandments For the law made nothing perfect,
are righteousness." Psalms but the bringing in of a better
119:172 hope did." Hebrews 7:18, 19.
"Thy righteousness is an "For the law having a shadow
everlasting righteousness, and of good things to come, ... can
thy law is the truth." Verse 142. never with those sacrifices which
they offered year by year contin-
"Wherefore the law is holy, ually make the comers thereunto
and the commandment holy, perfect. Hebrews 10:1.
and just, and good." Romans 7:12
2. A law not in itself spiritual.
2. A law in itself spiritual.
"Which stood only in meats and
"For we know that the law drinks, and divers washings, and
is spiritual." Romans 7:14 carnal ordinances, imposed on
them until the time of refor-
mation. " Hebrews 9:10."
3. Spoken by Jehovah. 3. Spoken by Moses.
"And the Lord spake unto "And the Lord called unto
you out of the midst of the Moses,...saying, Speak unto the
fire....And he declared unto children of Israel, and say
you his covenant, which he unto them, If any man of you
commanded you to perform, bring an offering unto the
even ten commandments." Lord, ye shall bring your of-
Deuteronomy 4:12, 13. (Ex- fering of the cattle, even of
odus 20:1.) "He added no the herd, and off the flock."
more. " Deuteronomy 5:22." Leviticus 1:1, 2.
"This is the law of the
burnt offering, of the meat
offering, and of the sin offer-
ing,... which the Lord comm-
anded the children of Israel
to offer their oblations unto
the Lord." Leviticus 7:37, 38.
4. Written by the Lord upon 4. Written by Moses in a book.
two tables of stone.
"These words by the Lord "And the Lord said unto
spake unto all your assembly Moses, Write thou these
in the mount out of the midst words." Exodus 34:27.
of the fire, of the cloud, and
of the thick darkness, with a "And Moses wrote this law,
great voice: and he added no and delivered it unto the
more. And he wrote them in priests the sons of Levi."
two tables of stone." Deute- Deuteronomy 31:9.
ronomy 5:22. (Exodus 31:18.)
"And they spake unto Ezra
the scribe to bring the book
of the law of Moses." Nehe-
miah 8:1. (2 Kings 22:8-16.)
5. Eternal, therefore requi- 5. Abolished, therefore not
ring obedience from all. requiring obedience from any.
"Do we then make void the "Having abolished in his
law through faith? God for- flesh the enmity, even the law
bid: yea, we establish the law. of commandments contained in
Romans 3:31. ordinances." Ephesians 2:15
"Think not that I am come "Blotting out the handwriting
to destroy the law, or the of ordinances that was against
prophets: I am not come to us, which was contrary to us,
destroy, but to fulfil." Mat- ...nailing it to his cross....
thew 5:17. Let no man therefore judge you
in meat, or in drink, or in re-
"But it is easier for heaven spect of an holyday, or of the
and earth to pass away, than new moon, or of the sabbath days:
for one tittle of the law to which are a shadow of things to
fall. " Luke 16:17, R.V." come; but the body is of Christ."
Colossians 2:14-17.
"If thou wilt enter into life,
keep the commandments." "Certain which went out from
Matthew 19:17. us have troubled you with words,
subverting your souls, saying,
"Circumcision is nothing,and Ye must be circumcised, and keep
uncircumcision is nothing, but the law: to whom we have no such
the keeping of the commandments commandment." Acts 15:24.
of God." I Corinthians 7:19.
"Blessed are they that do his
commandments, that they may have
right to the tree of life."
Revelation 22:14.
Typed by Ernst Verner
The Verner Group, INC..