Facts of Faith

In Norway

The controversy in America had its counterpart in Norway and Denmark. At the “Ecclesiastical Association in Christiania [Oslo],” February 8-10, 1854, and at the “Theological Association of the Deans of Drammen,” held August 15, 1854, the Sabbath question was the great subject for discussion. At first some seemed to think only of the proper observance of Sunday, but the question soon arose, how the sacredness of the Sabbath could be transferred from the seventh to the first day of the week. Pastor Kaurin thought it could, but Pastor W. A. Wexels declared that this could not be done, for “God Himself cannot transfer the reason for sanctifying the seventh day (God’s rest at creation) to another day. Besides this we have no certainty of any transference of the day.” — “Theologisk Tidsskrift for den Norske Kirke,” Vol. VI, pp. 629,630. Oslo: P. T. Mallings, 1855. FAFA 185.3

Some of the speakers felt that the only way to get around this troublesome question was to teach that the Sabbath commandment was abolished, but “Dean Lange found it incomprehensible that any one who knew the sermon on the mount [Matthew 5] could urge the abolition of the Sabbath commandment.” — Id., p. 533. And Wexels pointed out that the Sabbath commandment forms such an integral part of the moral law that what was said against one command affected the whole law. But he felt that as Christ had “finished” His work on the cross Friday evening, and rested on the Sabbath, “the Christians have [thus an appeal] on Saturday to live in ... the memory of the Lord’s own rest after His work on earth was finished, and of the Sabbath rest.... If these sacred Sabbath-memories, considered as the common property of the church, should seek an expression in a united outward service on Saturday, it would be entirely becoming.” — Id., pp. 608, 609. FAFA 186.1

During these long debates one cannot but see a carefully worded attempt to return to the only Bible Sabbath, but who had the courage of a staunch reformer, daring to stand out alone on Bible truths? FAFA 186.2

Dean Fr. Schiorn, of Oslo, says: FAFA 186.3

“It has been claimed, that the relation of Jesus to the Sabbath commandment was one of protest against the continued validity of this command in the New Testament. On the whole it may he safely considered that the effort to remove the Decalogue as the unchangeable rule of divine authority can be traced principally to the fact that they want to blot out the Sabbath commandment. They can, of course, see, that it is impossible to take this one commandment out of the series of commandments as long as they acknowledge the other nine binding and obligatory. The Ten Commandments form such a definite circumscribed unity that they must stand or fall together. So they would sooner let all fall than to let the third [fourth] commandment remain standing.” — “Relation of the New Testament to the Old Testament Legislation,” p. 11. Oslo: 1894.

“It is clear also that this commandment belongs to the divine law for the church. It has always been a mystery to me, why many have such a living interest in getting this commandment blotted from the Decalogue. That the enemies of Christianity want the Sabbath day, or its divine validity, removed, that I can naturally understand. But why living Christians, zealous workers in the church, want it removed, that I cannot understand.” — Id., p. 12. FAFA 187.1

“Has Jesus anywhere expressed Himself against the Sabbath commandment or the continuance of its validity? Has He ever violated it, or advised His disciples to violate it? Never! He has combated the misuse of the Sabbath commandment by the Pharisees in the same way that He combated their misuse of prayer, fasting, tithing, almsgiving, etc., that is, all self-righteous piety by works, all spiritless use of the Sabbath, but never the Sabbath commandment itself.... He says (Mark 2:27): ‘The Sabbath was made for man.’ ... God gave man - not only the Jews - the Sabbath ... and He has protected this His gift by a definite command, which has its continued validity for the new covenant people as well as for the people of the old covenant, because their need and circumstances are essentially the same. FAFA 187.2

“When it is said that the third [fourth] commandment does not obligate the church, because Jesus has not imposed on us any Sabbath commandment, then this is to me very strange and incomprehensible talk. The commandment was already given in the law, which Jesus would not abolish, but fulfill. It was therefore a piece of superfluity for Jesus to give a Sabbath command. He, as Lord of the Sabbath, has caused His church to retain it, for which His church owes Him the very greatest thanks.” — Id., pp. 14, 15. FAFA 187.3

On the other hand Pastor L. Dahle declared: FAFA 187.4

“The third [fourth] commandment is abolished for us Christians, and has no more as a command any binding claim. FAFA 187.5

“It is a false imagination, if any one thinks he obeys the third [fourth] commandment in the law of Moses by keeping holy the first day (Sunday) instead of the seventh; for the commandment does not at all speak of one day in seven, but of the seventh day of the week. If therefore the commandment continued to be in force, then without doubt, were the Jews and the Adventists right, when they say that if we will obey God’s command, we must keep Saturday holy. There cannot be the least doubt about this. Every attempt to explain away this fact will and must fail. FAFA 187.6

“It is therefore only an imagination that we keep holy our Sunday according to the requirements of the third [fourth] commandment. FAFA 188.1

“Consequently it is an established fact, that if the third [fourth] commandment is still in force, then we must acknowledge the Adventists to be right, and begin to keep Saturday holy. If we are unwilling to do this, we must prove from the word of God that the Sabbath commandment is abolished in the New Testament and is no more binding on us Christians.” — “The Adventists, Sabbath, and Sunday,” pp. 23,24. Stavanger:1903. FAFA 188.2

Pastor K. A. Dachsel says, significantly. FAFA 188.3

“For this reason many godly Christians have solemnly upbraided the Christian church for keeping Sunday instead of Saturday: it [the church] can have no right to change God’s commandment, and if in the catechism the whole commandment had been embodied verbatim from Exodus 20:8-11, as has been done in the Heidelberg Catechism, then we should still keep Saturday holy, and not Sunday.” — “Edifying Instruction in the Catechism,” p. 24. Bergen: 1887. FAFA 188.4

Thus we see how the truth was forced upon the minds of leading churchmen by this prolonged discussion, and all were given the opportunity to make their choice. But, as is always the case, no one wishes to step out alone, they wait for all to step out in a body, a thing which has never occurred during the whole history of the world. God’s work is an individual matter, not a mass movement. FAFA 188.5

In the discussion carried on in Denmark, Bishop Skat Rordam and Dr. Fr. Nielson took the same stand as Pastor L. Dahle in Norway, and “The Norwegian Synod” in America, that the Sabbath commandment was abolished, but that the church keeps Sunday as a proper church regulation. (See Bishop Rordam’s remarks on p. 108) FAFA 188.6

On the other side stood Dean C. O. C. E. Krogh; Pastors John Clausen, Wilh. Beck, I. Vahl, P. Krag, A. G. Fich, and 1. S. D. Branth, who declared that we have not nine, but ten commandments. “And the Ten Commandments are God’s commandments for all men in all ages. It is that law which Christ would not destroy, but fulfill, and the Sabbath commandment is a part of it,” declared Dean I. Vahl. Pastor P. Krago said: FAFA 189.1

“When Paul in the letter to the Colossians speaks about the law being abolished by Christ, he refers to the middle wall that separated Jews and Gentiles, the law of Moses. The Ten Commandments, in which Moses had no part, were given by God’s own voice, and this God wrote with His own hand as an evidence that they should be in force for all times.” — “Report of the Second Church Meeting in Copenhagen,” Sept. 13-15, 1887, P. Taaning, pp. 68, 69. Copenhagen: 1887. FAFA 189.2

The reports of these discussions are very interesting and illuminating, but our limited space does not permit us to quote further. This, however, is sufficient to show how God led one by one of the leading denominations to investigate the Sabbath truth, and offered them the grand privilege of carrying the Reformation to completion. If they had accepted the Sabbath truth, He would have led them on step by step till they had reached the divine standard of the apostolic faith. Many of the truths of God’s word, which the Roman church, during the Dark Ages, had buried beneath the rubbish of human tradition, still lay untouched, as costly jewels beneath the sand of centuries. These must be dug up, so that the “remnant” church could stand forth in its apostolic purity, possessing the complete “faith which was once delivered to the saints”; for those who shall meet the Lord in peace, when He comes in glory, must “keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Jude 3; Revelation 12:17; 14:12. FAFA 189.3