A common claim from the SDA Church is that the 10 Commandments were known before Sinai. To this, many former Adventists have taken great umbrage rightly pointing to the 10 Commandments being the “words” of the Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 34:28). However, the SDA Church’s claim is not novel to them and we should be careful to not commit the genetic fallacy—that because the SDA Church believes it, it must be wrong.
Paul makes it clear that God has written certain moral precepts upon the consciences of humans (Romans 1-2). The conscience either excuses or convicts a person when they go against theirs and sin against God. He specifically mentions that even though the Gentiles were not given the law, the conscience served and functioned as a natural law unto them (Romans 2:14). The revealing of the law actually increased the knowledge of sin already present (Romans 3:20, 5:20, 7:7-9).
Theologian, Harrison Perkins, nicely explains this where he writes:
In Romans 5:12-14, Adam’s role as a covenant head more directly confirms this notion of the law given to humanity by nature. Death is the consequence of sin, which was in the world before God gave the written law at Sinai, yet sin is counted only where a law is present. Clearly, Paul again had in mind that distinction between the law as known by nature and the law as written at Sinai because of the time frame “from Adam to Moses.” Sin, which results in death, is the lack of conformity to or the breaking of God’s law. Adam, then, had a law because Paul said death results from sin, Adam certainly sinned and died, and yet sin requires a law. Paul had said in Romans 4:15: “Where there is no law there is no transgression.” So, Adam clearly possessed a law, which we will see is a crucial feature of the covenant of works.
Harrison Perkins, Reformed Covenant Theology, pg. 34
Perkins continues by explaining how this concept might seem new to some, but is actually a very ancient Christian (and Jewish) understanding:
The church, then, unsurprisingly values the Ten Commandments as a guide to living the Christian life. The idea that God revealed these laws before he wrote them on stone tablets at Mount Sinai might be new to some, but the idea is actually ancient. Even prior to Christ’s coming, intertestamental Jewish writers taught that the Torah had an eternal basis and was known before its revelation at Sinai. After the apostolic period, Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130-c. 202) argued, “For from the beginning, God certainly was admonishing them through the natural precepts which he had built into humanity from the start, that is through the Decalogue. Irenaeus understood that God wrote the law into humanity by creation and gave this natural law again in the Ten Commandments.
Harrison Perkins, Reformed Covenant Theology, pg. 35
The Heart of the Matter
The essence of the Ten Commandments—love for God and love for neighbor (Romans 13:8-10)—is intrinsic to humanity. It is written on our hearts, enabling us to discern certain moral truths by virtue of how God designed us. This moral awareness is part of being made in God’s image. However, a person can dull or distort this moral conviction by searing their conscience, leading to a debased mind (Romans 1:28).
Scripture provides several examples of commandments being violated before the law was formally given at Sinai, with God holding individuals accountable:
- Murder and Violence (Genesis 4:6-12; 6:5, 11-12)
- Adultery (Genesis 12:17-20; 20:3-7)
- Lying (Genesis 12:11-13; 20:2)
- Homosexuality/Rape (Genesis 19:4-7)
- Drunkenness and Incest (Genesis 19:30-38)
- Theft (Genesis 27)
- Unequal Measures (Genesis 29:18-23)
- Worshiping God Alone (Genesis 35:2)
- Kidnapping (Genesis 37:12-29)
- Bearing False Witness (Genesis 39:17-20)
These examples demonstrate that many principles found in the Ten Commandments are moral in nature. They reflect God’s character, and violations of them misrepresent Him as the Creator. For example, stealing is wrong because God is not a thief. To steal is to fail to bear His image faithfully.
Although the Ten Commandments were given as part of the Mosaic Covenant, their principles are not confined to it. For instance, lying is universally wrong, a truth that transcends Sinai and is written on the human heart. The Mosaic law had specific purposes, some unique to Israel’s covenantal context and others carrying over universal moral principles.
Under the New Covenant, foretold by the prophets, the law transitions from stone tablets to being written on human hearts (2 Corinthians 3:3; Ezekiel 11:19; Ezekiel 36:26; Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10). The “law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2; 1 Corinthians 9:21) is ultimately summarized as love for God and neighbor, which Scripture identifies as the fulfillment of the Ten Commandments (Mark 12:28-31).
Some argue that the law of Christ contradicts the law of God, but Christ’s own teachings clarify this misunderstanding. He declared that He came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it, emphasizing its enduring significance (Matthew 5:17-20). The law of Christ does not negate the law of God but affirms and fulfills it, pointing us to Christ himself.
Much of the criticism directed at the SDA Church in this area centers on the fourth commandment—the Sabbath—and efforts to demonstrate that it is not binding on Christians. Many believe that conceding the binding validity of the fourth commandment would automatically prove the SDA Church is correct in their teaching on the Sabbath. However, this is not the case. The SDA Church did not originate the idea that the Ten Commandments predate Sinai. Instead, it borrowed this concept from earlier sources, distorting their interpretations to fit the SDA Church’s unique and novel Great Controversy worldview. Notably, the individuals whose work the SDA pioneers drew upon were sabbatarians themselves but did not agree with the SDA Church’s view of the Sabbath.
The issue lies not with the law of God but with the SDA Church’s misinterpretation and misapplication of it. As Paul affirms, the law is holy, righteous, and good (Romans 7:12). The key is to apply the law properly, understanding the distinction between law and gospel—something SDA theology fails to do.
While we do not view the Ten Commandments as exclusive to Sinai, we fundamentally disagree with the SDA Church’s erroneous definition and application of the law, including the fourth commandment. The Christian Sabbath should not be conflated with the Jewish Old Creation Sabbath upheld by the SDA Church.
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