Genesis Vol 3.pdf - College Press

THE OLD COVENANT
the Christian System. When a man makes two wills, he
may take certain provisions of the old will and re-incorporate
them in the new; and they are binding, not because
they were in the old, but because they are in the new. A
careful survey of the apostolic writings reveals the fact
that all the Ten Commandments, with but one exception,
have been re-stated in the Christian Scriptures, with
this fundamental difference: in the Old they are stated
negatively, but in the New, positively. The Fourth Commandment
is not re-enacted in the New Testament. There
is no command in the apostolic writings that we as Christians
should keep the Sabbath. There would be no reason
for our keeping it, as it was a memorial to the fleshly seed
of Abraham of their fathers’ deliverance from Egyptian
bondage. It would be meaningless to a Gentile. Therefore,
we as Christians are to keep the first day of the week,
the Lord’s Day, instead of the seventh day. The Lord’s
Day is a memorial of the resurrection of our Lord (Mark
16:9, Acts 20:7, Rev. l:lO, Psa. 118:22-24, Acts 4:ll-
12). (Note the parallels: Exo. 20:3-Acts 4:15, 17:24-
31; Exo. 20:4-6-1 John 5:21; Exo. 20:7-Jas. j:12; Exo.
20:12-Eph. 6:l-4; Exo. 20:13-Rom. 13:9-10; Exo.
20:14-Matt. 5:28, 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Exo. 20:lj-Eph. 4:28;
EXO. 20:16-C0I. 3:9; EXO. 20:17-Eph. 5:s.)
A great many persons seem to have the notion-and
it is one that should be corrected-that all they need to
do to be saved is to keep the Ten Commandments. This
is a false and misleading idea. Obeying the Ten Com-
mandments will make a man a respectable citizen and keep
him out of jail, but he might obey the Coinmandments
consistently, even perfectly if that were possible, and still
not be a Christian. (Cf. Mark 10:17-22). There is nothing
in the Decalogue about Christ and His church. We might
keep the Commandments perfectly and never believe in
Christ, never be baptized, never pray, never observe the
Lord’s Supper, never attend a Christian worshiping assem-
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