Understanding Bible Commentaries Through Design Law

Understanding Bible Commentaries Through Design Law

Over the years, I have received repeated requests to help people understand, through a design-law lens, quotations from various Bible commentators that can easily sound penal-legal.

Below is an example of one such quotation from a founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, followed by my comments explaining how her concept are best understood through a design-law perspective.

(If you are not familiar with the difference between imposed law and design law, please see my blog: The Design Laws of God).

The following quote is from Selected Messages, Volume 1, page 371. My comments are in italics.

In presenting the binding claims of the law, many have failed to portray the infinite love of Christ.

Why would “presenting the binding claims of the law” cause many to fail to portray the infinite love of Christ? Because they present the law through an imposed-law lens, and imposed laws are rules given by a rule-giver who then uses his power to enforce obedience using the infliction of punishments. Understanding God as Creator and that His moral laws are design laws, the protocols life is built to operate upon, we immediately understand the laws are for our health, welfare, and good – like the laws of health. Violations injure us directly, and God is working through Christ to heal the damage to us and to restore us to eternal life. The “binding claims of the law” are the claims that sustain life, like the law of respiration – if you want to live, you must breathe.

“Those who have so great truths, so weighty reforms to present to the people, have not had a realization of the value of the atoning Sacrifice as an expression of God’s great love to man. Love for Jesus, and Jesus’ love for sinners, have been dropped out of the religious experience of those who have been commissioned to preach the gospel, and self has been exalted instead of the Redeemer of mankind. The law is to be presented to its transgressors, not as something apart from God, but rather as an exponent of His mind and character. As the sunlight cannot be separated from the sun, so God’s law cannot be rightly presented to man apart from the divine Author.

If we understand “atonement” through imposed law, then we misconstrue it to mean payment, appeasement; however, when we understand design law, we realize its true meaning, which is at-one-ment. Atonement means restoring back into unity two parties that were separated. What has separated us from God? In the design-law view, it is our sin, our sinful hearts filled with lies about God, fear, and selfishness and, therefore, we no longer trust God. Thus, atonement is providing what is necessary to “circumcise” our hearts, to remove the heart of stone and put in a tender heart–or as the New Covenant describes, God writing His law upon our hearts and minds. It is healing and restoring us back into oneness (unity) with God. But under the imposed-law lie, atonement is a blood payment made to the sovereign rule-maker to pay a legal debt so that he won’t use his power to torture and kill us.

Which type of law more closely fits the analogy of the sun and sunlight? Imposed law with a deity that makes up rules and inflicts punishment, or design law with a Creator God who built reality to operate only in harmony with Him and who is constantly disbursing His life-giving energy to sustain His creation?  

“The messenger should be able to say, ‘In the law is God’s will; come, see for yourselves that the law is what Paul declared it to be – “holy, and just, and good.”’ It reproves sin, it condemns the sinner, but it shows him his need of Christ, with whom is plenteous mercy and goodness and truth. Though the law cannot remit the penalty for sin, but charges the sinner with all his debt, Christ has promised abundant pardon to all who repent, and believe in His mercy.”

Why can’t the law remit the penalty of sin? For the same reason that the laws of health cannot remit the penalty of drinking poison. What can remit the penalty of drinking poison? An antidote, a remedy or cure. If someone drinks poison and begins to die, but a remedy is provided and they take it, wouldn’t they be effectively “pardoned” from experiencing the penalty of their transgression of the laws of health?

What does “charge the sinner with all his debt” mean? It simply means that the law accurately diagnosis each of us in all our sin-deficiency, in every place we are out of harmony with God’s design for life – where we are sick and in need of healing. In other words, the law accurately diagnosis us as terminal, dead in trespass and sin.

The abundant pardon is freely given by God, who loved the world so much that He sent His Son not to condemn the world but to save it (John 3:16, 17). The sin problem was never a problem with God’s attitude; rather, it is a problem with our very condition. God’s personal pardon or forgiveness wasn’t deficient, and the sacrifice of Christ was not necessary to secure it. What was deficient was our trust of God and our ability to heal our own hearts. Thus, God sent His Son to win us to trust and provide the remedy to heal our hearts – thus pardon us from the death that unhealed sin brings.

“The love of God is extended in abundance to the repenting, believing soul. The brand of sin upon the soul can be effaced only through the blood of the atoning Sacrifice.

A “brand” is a scar, a mark, a searing. In this case, it is the branding of our hearts, minds, characters, and souls by fear and selfishness that sin does to us. The blood is a metaphor for life (Leviticus 17:11), and in this case, the blood represents the perfect sinless life of Jesus. Thus, it is the life of Jesus that effaces the brand of sin upon the soul. Sin marred or branded our characters to look like Satan’s, selfish and fearful. Jesus, as a human being, was tempted in every way just like we are but without sin (Hebrews 4:15), and in His humanity, He destroyed the infection of fear and selfishness and perfectly restored God’s character of love into the human species. Thus, only through Christ’s life, of which we are privileged to partake by trust, do we experience rebirth, with new heart motives of love and trust – the brand of sin is effaced or erased or replaced with the character of Christ! As Peter says, “we become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). Paul accurately describes that the purpose of Christ’s substitutionary death for us is to restore in us God’s perfect righteousness: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV84).

No less an offering was required than the sacrifice of Him who was equal with the Father.

Why was an offer of One equal with the Father necessary? Why couldn’t an angel’s life suffice? Because the lies of Satan were not about angels; the lies were about God Himself. Our trust is not to be placed in angels; our trust is to be placed in God. Our Creator is not an angel; our Creator is God Himself. Thus, only One equal with God could be our Savior, reveal the truth about God to dispel the lies of the enemy, win us back to trust in God, and eradicate the infection of sin from humanity and thereby provide an effective remedy to transform our hearts back to the righteousness of God.

And to whom is this offering given? To whom did Jesus given His life? “For God so loved the world that” … what? … that He gave His only begotten Son to Himself? No – He gave His only begotten Son to us and to the onlooking universe! Jesus was given to humanity as our Savior, to be the stairway, the connecting link, the way back, the cure, the remedy, to fix and heal the sin condition and give us eternal life! And this evidence, the truth about God and how God saves us, is what angels long to look into (1 Peter 1:12).

The work of Christ – His life, humiliation, death, and intercession for lost man – magnifies the law, and makes it honorable.

How? By showing that the law of love is the law of life, once He was tempted in every way like we are, once He faced the full force of what fear and selfishness can do and, instead of giving in, He chose to love perfectly, even unto death, He restored perfectly into His humanity God’s law of love. And what was the result of the law of love perfectly lived out in humanity? Life! He rose again as the inevitable outcome of finishing the work He was given to do: restoring in humanity God’s design law for living!

This is how Jesus could repeatedly tell His disciples that He would die and rise again, yet the same author who wrote the quote we are analyzing in this blog could also write:

“Satan with his fierce temptations wrung the heart of Jesus. The Saviour could not see through the portals of the tomb. Hope did not present to Him His coming forth from the grave a conqueror.” The Desire of Ages, p. 753

Jesus didn’t tell His disciples that He would rise again because He was given a vision of the future or saw the future in a prophetic dream. No – He was able to tell them He would rise again because He understood God’s design law for life, what He was sent here to accomplish – to destroy death and bring life and immortality to light – by restoring God’s law into living humanity.

Amazing grace, Infinite love, praise God for His goodness!

So in the future, when commentaries or other resources are presented that might seem to present a penal/legal viewpoint, stop and reread it all through the lens of God’s design law of love, and things will become ever more understandable.


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Liz H., Port Angeles, WA, USA

 

 

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Your message of design law vs imperial law is so uplifting and makes so much sense- it is a game changer for me. The fact that Jesus’s death is not a big payment by an angry God is , quite frankly, a relief.

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We really appreciate your views on the judgment and they make good sense considering our free choice.

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I cannot thank you enough for opening my understanding to the beautiful truth of God’s Law of Love and how it applies to everything. I have been a Christian for over forty years, but I feel like I am only now seeing with my eyes open. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!

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Testimony 70

I have been watching you for many years and have learned to love God with all my heart. I was raised by a loving Christian mother that had been lied to about who God really was, so our religious upbringing was hell fire and damnation. As soon as I was old enough and moved out, I not only left the church, I ran as fast as I could to get away from it. Sad to say, it wasn’t until the past couple of years that I learned and understand who my Father really is and how much He loves me. I understand God’s Design Laws (which make sense) and when I’m teaching my church Bible study class, I’m able to really put to use the things I’ve been learning and Holy Spirit is leading. Thank you for introducing me to my Father of true, pure love. Everyday with Him is new and exciting. One thing that breaks my heart is that I didn’t know Him sooner. God Bless you and your ministry!

Judy Phelps, Reno, NV, USA

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I’ve been reading the bible and walking with Jesus since I was around 16. I’m 42 now. I’ve mostly been alone in my walk although I went to several churches in different denominations. For the past 3 years God has been showing me His character of agape. It’s been a blessing and changed how I view God and my walk with Jesus. About a year ago I came across the power of love and the principles of design law. These teachings changed how I read scripture and have been such a beautiful blessing. I’m very excited and grateful for these truths. We share these truths of agape, design law and the reality of the principles of the two trees in the garden of Eden with people on Facebook and YouTube. People all over are learning to trust God and His agape design law which makes life possible. Thank you for everything you shared with me. May God continue to bless your ministry and lives.

Bradley M., Hinsdale, NY, USA

 

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I have been sharing Come And Reason Ministries Bible study lessons with several folk. You have such a beautiful view of the plan of salvation. If we had this message preached when I was young, my generation would still all be in church.

H. R., New Zealand

Testimony 50

After coming into contact with Come And Reason Ministries, I can finally say that many of my unanswered questions have fallen into place. I discovered that my view of God’s Law was “imposed laws and rules” with “imposed punishments” and that this was the major culprit of my many unanswered questions. Thanks be to God for using you and those around you to help us who have struggled with this “infection” of thought. I have now rejected the “imposed law” concept to fully embrace “Design Law”… to look thru “Design Law,” instead of “imposed law,” is a relief.

Viliami L., Australia

 

Testimony 41

I have been blessed by your ministry. I have experienced personally, and deeply resonate with, the God of love and the beautiful picture of God’s character that you present. I have seen your seminar series on YouTube, read ‘The Journal of the Watcher’ book, used your mobile app, and also listen/study the bible study lesson with you each week. I concur with many of the thoughts and perspectives that you share. I understand your conclusions on natural laws vs imposed law and the legal/penal substitution (incorrect diagnosis). This makes perfect sense to me.

Bless you for all you do.

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Testimony 72

I am blown away by the truth that you present. God’s Design Law makes so much sense! You have validated my impression that, if God is love, He would not kill those who don’t want to know him. If God gives us choice, then how can He destroy us if our choice is not to follow him. Thank you for opening my eyes and heart to the pure love of God seen through Jesus. The love I now have for Jesus is deeper and free from condemnation. My heart has been opened to love others as Jesus loves me. May God continue to bless your God-given insight into His word and your ministry. The truth has set me free!

H. Miller, Centereach, NY

Testimony 34

I was introduced to Come and Reason Ministries by accident, via a passing comment made in a bible study class we were visiting. I checked this website out and my life was changed. The understanding of the truth of God’s character, and how we apply it, is so right. The tricky part is consistently applying which “lens” to look through. As I began to understand, I started sharing the basics of this understanding with a discussion group I was leading and, suddenly, a lot of things started to make sense that never used to. At the same time, I enjoyed an amazing opportunity. I was able to conduct a full bible study at WORK! What an amazing experience! It is such a joy to share the truth about God and to share how it all fits in the war between God and Satan. So many people benefit when we have a correct understanding about how God works and who He really is! Thank you for this transformational understanding. Keep up the good work! God Bless you!

Tony P., CA, USA

 

Testimony 40

I was brought up in a different faith and have been petrified my whole life of God. I believed that I would burn in hell for eternity. When I was 12 I started pursuing the things of this world, but for the next 45 years the Spirit was always calling me, as I knew there was a God through nature. I could see the vast sea of stars in the universe and knew there was something bigger out there. Five years ago, through a Revelation seminar, I was blessed to learn about God’s character and government.

Then I found Come and Reason Ministries and have come under some extreme pressure when I speak about the ministry. One time a member sent me an internet article titled “Whats wrong with Tim Jennings?” I asked her what she thought of it and she said “I don’t know, I didn’t read it.”

I have always wanted to find out for myself the truth about God, so I stayed with the Design Law construct and have been liberated to understand the big picture. Once we consider Design Law, all other Bible stories and prophecies seem to fit perfectly. It is truly beautiful to see people grasping how God operates this Universe of Love and the liberation it has provided in their lives. It blows my mind to see how consistent Design law is with what our founders believed. I hear statements like “This makes so much sense.”

Tom W., Mt. Pleasant, MI, USA

 

Testimony 19

I truly believe that to know who God really is the first step to understand ourselves in a balanced and kind way, so the healing can take place. Your approach really makes sense – Thank you for your ministry!

A.M., Pittsburg, PA, USA