By Carroll Graybeal - Guest Columnist

Today we look at the second of two concerns facing the Ten Commandments Commission. Unless corrected, either one of these two could easily serve to counteract the influence of this otherwise worthy enterprise. Last week the first concern was identified as an agenda to legislate morality. The second concern is this: The vast majority of those promoting and defending the Ten Commandments do not teach them in their original form as recorded in the bible, but rather advocate a version revised by man.

The original form is as follows.

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:8-11).

As you can see, the fourth commandment declares the seventh day of the week to be the Sabbath of the Lord God (verse 9), but the leadership of the Ten Commandments Commission advocates the observance of the first day instead. By so doing they open the door for the enemies of God’s Law to charge them with inconsistency by promoting a law they themselves do not entirely adhere to. To say it another way, while it appears they are defending the commandments written in stone by the finger of God, in actuality they are promoting a different version, one that has been changed by man; which lends for confusion. Some may say, what’s the big deal? After all it’s just one little word that has been changed. True, but, the experience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden should suffice to tell us that every little word coming from the mouth of God is important; it was just one little bite from one little piece of fruit that plunged our world into a state of sinfulness.

The bottom line is this; God has not appointed Chief Justices to set in judgment over His laws, nor has He given any man authority to make changes there-in which might suit their liking better. The following warning while referring to the book of Revelation in particular, is also applicable to any part of God’s Word.

“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book” (Revelation 22:18). Next week, a response to the concern expressed here from leading supporters of the Ten Commandment Commission. Your comments are welcome. 

Carroll Graybeal is the retired pastor of The Seventh Day Adventist Church.