Part 1: A Point by Point Response to an Adventist Critic: Galatians

THE CHARGE:
Galatians 3:17-19 says that the Law began to exist 430 years after the promises made to Abraham! Therefore, the law started after the promise to Abraham.
THE SHORT ANSWER:
This argument claims the law did not exist prior to the giving of the Decalogue from the top of Mt. Sinai, but that is nonsensical. How did individuals get punished prior to Mt. Sinai if there were no law condemning their actions? In fact, "where no law is, there is no transgression (Rom. 4:15), therefore, there was law that was transgressed before Mt. Sinai since there was sin and transgression before Mt. Sinai. Examples such as the incident of the Manna in Exodus 16, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Flood, the punishment of Cain for killing and lying, and the punishment of Eve for coveting and stealing the forbidden fruit, all point to the fact that there were principles, or laws, forbidding those actions.
A closer look at the texts in questions reveal this fact. Verse 19 says the law was added "because of transgression." Therefore, laws were being "transgressed" prior to the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai. Romans 4:15 reveals that wherever there is transgression, there is law, and so, law already existed. But why was it "added?" It was added, first, because it was being broken (transgressed) and second, because sin needed to be amplified. People needed to see they were sinning, so the law "entered that the offence might ABOUND..." (Rom. 5:20). But "adding" does not always mean it didn't exist prior. Souls were "added" to the church, but those souls existed prior (Acts 2:41). Adding table salt to your meal doesn't mean it didn't exist prior. The Greek word for added is translated "spoken" in Hebrews 12:19. In other words, the Ten Commandments were already being transgressed, but God added it or spoke it in a special sense, to reveal to His people their sins and need of salvation. Thus Paul can write that the Law revealed his sin, and he is specifically talking about the Ten Commandments (see Rom. 7:7).
In conclusion, what came 430 years after the promises to Abraham was the Decalogue as it was spoken and written down on stones from Mt. Sinai in order to reveal sin, but its principles were being "transgressed" prior. This is all Paul is trying to communicate in Galatians 3:17-19. As for whether the Law ended or not, is for another conversation which will soon show up as we record this series.
THE LONG ANSWER:
For a longer, more detailed answer to this charge, visit this link: adventistdefen...
ABOUT THIS VIDEO SERIES:
A new challenge has recently surfaced by a critic of Adventism named Chris Tucker, asking Adventists to openly answer questions like this one, which he believes no SDA can answer. The questions are nothing actually new, and Adventists have been responding to challenges like these for many years now. However, this challenged opened up an opportunity to provide a public answer with some fresh insights.
Edwin M. Cotto has accepted the challenge, and various Adventists have joined him. A Zoom meeting was set up and the link was sent to the challenger to join. He didn't, but we did the study anyway, and it has now become a series which we will be responding to for the next few weeks.
This begins Part 1 of our series. The first question is: When was the Law established? And Gal. 3:17-18 is quoted.
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CREDITS
_Edwin M. Cotto, Founder, Advent Defense League
_Jason Thomas, Instructor, Advent Defense League
_Douglas Mcdonald, ADL Group Member
_Dave Bass, ADL Group Member
_Wences Arboleda, ADL Group Member
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