Former Adventists and New Covenant Theology's View of Moral Law

When it comes to understanding the Ten Commandments, the Former Adventists Philippines (FAP) group has largely chosen New Covenant Theology (NCT) over traditional Covenant Theology (CT). This choice comes down to several key differences in how NCT explains God's plan for salvation through Christ. FAP members find NCT's views on the end of the Old Covenant, the single covenant of grace, the Law's purpose in light of Jesus, and how Christians should live, all make more sense to them.

Why FAP Prefers NCT for the Ten Commandments

One big reason FAP adopted NCT is how it sees the Old Covenant ending. While Covenant Theology often views the Old Covenant (including the Ten Commandments) as simply a continuation of God's grace, NCT makes a sharper distinction between the Old and New Covenants. FAP members, who moved away from Adventism's strong focus on keeping the Mosaic Law forever, find NCT's idea that the Old Covenant, as a legal system, was set aside in Christ to be freeing and biblical. This doesn't mean the moral ideas in the Ten Commandments are thrown out. Instead, it means their legal power and their role as part of the Mosaic Covenant no longer apply to believers under the New Covenant.

Also, NCT's idea of a single "covenant of grace" that has always been present throughout history and fully revealed in Christ deeply resonates with FAP. While Covenant Theology also talks about a covenant of grace, NCT clarifies that the Mosaic Law, including the Ten Commandments, was an administration of this covenant of grace, not the covenant itself. For FAP, this difference is vital. It emphasizes that salvation has always come by grace through faith, even in the Old Testament. The Law's job was to show people their sin and point them to Christ, not to offer a way to be righteous. This idea fits with their belief that we become righteous only through what Christ did for us, not by following a set of rules.

The Law's role in a Christian's life is another major point where FAP favors NCT. Covenant Theology often struggles with how the Ten Commandments apply to believers, sometimes leading to what feels like bringing back a legal system. However, NCT firmly teaches that while the moral principles of the Law always show God's character and are fulfilled in Christ, believers are not under the Law as a covenant for righteousness or holiness. Instead, the Holy Spirit lives inside them, helping them live righteously. This means they fulfill the "righteous requirement of the law" (Romans 8:4) not because they're forced to, but because they're changed from the inside out. This focus on living by the Spirit's power rather than strict rule-following is very appealing to those who've felt the weight of legalism in Adventism.

Finally, the practical ways NCT shapes Christian living offer a more Christ-centered and grace-focused approach that appeals to former Adventists. By understanding that the Ten Commandments are fulfilled in Christ and that believers aren't bound by the Mosaic Law as a strict covenant, FAP members find freedom from trying to earn their salvation. They can instead focus on Jesus's life and work. This leads to a deeper appreciation for the freedom the gospel brings, where ethical living comes from a heart changed by grace, not from fear of breaking a legal code. Ultimately, choosing NCT gives FAP a more consistent, Christ-honoring, and freeing way to understand the Ten Commandments.

The Moral Law: Love vs. Commandments

The different ways Covenant Theology (CT) and New Covenant Theology (NCT) define the "moral law" is a central issue, especially for groups like Former Adventists Philippines (FAP). How they define it greatly influences their view of the Ten Commandments and how God's law applies to Christian life.

Covenant Theology often directly links the moral law with the Ten Commandments. For example, the Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question 41, asks: "Wherein is the moral law summarily comprehended?" The answer: "The moral law is summarily comprehended in the ten commandments." Likewise, the Westminster Larger Catechism, Question 98, states: "Where is the moral law summarily comprehended?" The answer: "The moral law is summarily comprehended in the ten commandments, which were delivered by the voice of God upon Mount Sinai, and written by him in two tables of stone; and are recorded in the twentieth chapter of Exodus." This view suggests the Ten Commandments are the direct and complete expression of God's eternal moral law, meaning they are always binding on everyone, including New Covenant believers, as a guide for life.

On the other hand, New Covenant Theology takes a more subtle and, for FAP, a more biblically satisfying approach to defining the moral law. NCT sees the true moral law not as the Ten Commandments themselves, but as the eternal, universal law of love. This "law of love" is considered the basic principle behind all God's commands, perfectly shown and fulfilled by Christ. From an NCT viewpoint, the Ten Commandments are a specific revelation or summary of this universal law of love given within the Mosaic Covenant, but they are not the same as the moral law in its purest, eternal form.

This understanding comes from Jesus's own words in Matthew 22:39-40, where He says, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." For NCT, and thus for FAP, this passage emphasizes that the core of what God expects morally is love for God and love for others. While the Ten Commandments contain important moral principles, they are seen as expressions of this greater law of love rather than its complete definition. This allows for the recognition that the Old Covenant, as a legal system, has been replaced, while the deeper, eternal moral principles of love continue to be active and are now written on the hearts of believers by the Holy Spirit.

So, for Former Adventists Philippines, this difference is very important. They reject the idea that the Ten Commandments, as a Mosaic code, are the moral law they must continually follow. Instead, they embrace NCT's view that the main moral law is the law of love, fulfilled in Christ. This shift in understanding allows them to affirm God's enduring moral character without feeling tied to the specific legal system of the Old Covenant, which they believe was ended in Christ. It offers a way to live a Christian life that is driven by grace and empowered by the Spirit, which aligns with their journey away from the strict, legalistic interpretations often found in their former faith.