The Truth Found

WHAT IS THE LAW?

God has in many ways revealed his purposes to man, but when he made known his law, he spake it with his own voice, and himself engraved it on tables of stone; which gives us an idea of its holiness and perpetuity. Man is a moral agent, required to be holy, or develop a holy character. Of course the law which defines the duty of a moral agent must be purely a moral law; and the law which would prove a man to be holy because he kept it, must be a holy law. See Exodus 19:5, 6. This holy, moral law is a transcript of the divine mind and a development of the divine perfections, as it is the perfect will of a holy God. It was called God’s holy covenant, as Moses said to the children of Israel: “The Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire; ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice. And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.” Deuteronomy 4:12, 13. The Lord said to Moses: “Come up to me into the mount, and be there; and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.” Exodus 24:12. TFNOS 3.3

That the ten commandments constitute God’s law is not only abundantly proved by the Bible, but it is admitted by every considerable body of professed worshipers of God, whether Jews, Catholics, or Protestants. This we learn from the of their respective authors, and from their church articles and catechisms. TFNOS 4.1

That there is a great deal of sin at the present time, none will deny; of course the law of God is much disregarded; for “sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4. And as it is God’s decree that “the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4), we feel that it is a duty we owe to God and to our fellow-men, for the honor of his government and the salvation of their souls, to raise our voices in warning them to turn from their sins, and live. TFNOS 4.2

But there are many who will not be convinced of their sins; they deny the Bible, the text-book of righteousness, and charter of our eternal inheritance. Such we are obliged to leave to their own ways; for they cannot be saved who willfully reject the counsel of God. We lament their blindness, but can do no more. TFNOS 4.3

But we also think that many who acknowledge that the Bible is true, and reverence that law which Jehovah spake with a voice that shook the earth, are unknowingly transgressing that law from week to week. To such we would make an earnest appeal, and ask them to lay aside all prejudice, and, as frail mortals on the way to Judgment, humbly look up to Him who has said, “I am God, ... my counsel shall stand.” To them we would say, Let no vain excuse turn you away from learning perfectly God’s truth; for we have his revealed will placed before us, and if we neglect to search for his light and his truth, we shall be guilty of slighting the all-wise counsel of the Just and Holy One. TFNOS 5.1

That you may understand how great is the departure from God’s word and law, even by those who profess to love him and follow his Son, and that you may be enabled to conform to it yourselves, if not now fully observing it, we ask you to examine TFNOS 5.2