Acts 15:5 says that Jewish elements within the church were trying to force Gentiles to observe the law of Moses, just as you are attempting to do:
Acts 15:5 [SUP]
5 [/SUP]But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”
Acts 15:10 unmistakeably calls it a yoke of bondage:
[SUP]
Acts 15:10 [/SUP]Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?
The decision was made that these things did not apply to Gentile Christians:
Acts 15:28-29 [SUP]
28 [/SUP]For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements:
[SUP]29 [/SUP]that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”
Jews in the NT church continued to observe those elements, even circumcision, as we find them doing so in Acts 21. However, they were doing so not as a requirement or condition or necessary fruit of salvation, but because it was part of their history and heritage and had witness value. Messianic Jews today do the same thing. It connects them with their family and their culture. In addition, their observances avoid unnecessary offense. I have used the analogy of witnessing to Muslims with a Bible in one hand and a beer or a ham sandwich in the other hand. While there is nothing objectively wrong with either, it wouldn't be considerate in a Muslim society.
Galatians 5:1 states;
Galatians 5:1 5 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
As mentioned, Acts 15 clearly identifies this yoke of slavery with the Old Covenant and ceremonial and ritualistic aspects of it. The entire book of Galatians is very clear in discussing the nature of their issues, in that Judaizers were attempting to impose Old Covenant elements on Gentile believers.
I would challenge anyone to read it in depth, without their chosen "interpreter", whether that is Ellen G. White or Herbert Armstrong or whoever, prayerfully, asking God to open their minds to any deception they may have.
By the way, I make it my regular practice to ask God to remove any deception I have remaining in my understanding of Scripture as well...regardless of what it's on. I believe that orthodox Christianity is wrong on a few topics, like eternal torment, and I have discussed those topics with my other Christian friends, sometimes in very strong discussions. However, the cults are wrong on MANY topics..not just a few. One of their biggest issues is that they tend to judge others as unsaved that are outside of their group.
If Jesus changed or abolished any part of God's law, there's about 49 contradictions in the NT alone. And if you add all the scriptures in the OT which plainly say that God's law never changes, and that it will practiced in the future, during the milleniel reign, there's over 200 contradictions that can be mentioned.
Sometimes, the hardest thing for an ordinary human being to do is admit when their wrong. Throwing out false knowledge that you're comfortable with and replacing it with true knowledge from the Bible requires you to be humble, which is contrary to human nature. But God's people love truth and hate decepetion, and they allow the scriptures to change their beliefs instead of letting their beliefs change scripture.
You will never hear this particular scripture mentioned in your church. The reason is because the devil doesn't want you to hear it. It has a tendency to wake people up to the fact that the majority is wrong.
Revelation 12:9- This great dragon--the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world--was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.
Mathew 7:13- Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
