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Question,

Do you tithe?

Do you abstain from fornication?

Do you abstain from unclean food?

              If your answer to these questions was yes, than why do you do them? They are statutes. If the Decalogue (10 Commandments) is your code of conduct, i.e. the whole duty of man, than why trouble yourself with these statutes which are not obligatory?  Sounds like nonsense doesn’t it?   Don't get me wrong, I believe you should tithe and abstain from fornication and unclean foods,  but what the leaders of the SDA church don't want you to know, is which laws you are obeying when you keep these laws, to avoid the risk you wondering why they don't want you to obey the other Statutes in God's Law. 

            The truth is, that the SDA founding fathers knew, and many of the current SDA leadership knows that tithing, abstaining from fornication and unclean foods are statutes. The problem for them is that other things like annual feast days and New moon days are also statutes that they don’t want their flock to understand. They point to the animal sacrifices as “supposed evidence” that the feast days while they are clearly called statutes in scripture, are not binding. There’s one major flaw with that argument. The animal sacrifices were not statutes. Can I proves this? Yes, if you trust the inspiration of EGW. Let’s look at what she wrote in the Review and Herald October 24, 1899 par. 11

             “Christ passed through all the experiences of his childhood, youth, and manhood without the observance of ceremonial temple worship. He held no office, he assumed no rank. He passed through the experience of infancy, childhood, and manhood without a stain upon his character. He consecrated himself to God that he might benefit and bless others, to show that in every period of life the human agent can do the Master's will.” 

Animal sacrifices were at the very heart of “ceremonial temple worship”. At the very minimum Jesus would have been required as a single adult male and head of His household, to slay the Passover lamb in the temple at least once a year, that is if the animal sacrifices were statutes. Why? 

Because otherwise He (Jesus Christ) would have been a sinner for violating that statute. The irony of Jesus being required to partake in the very sacrifice of the type (symbol) that He Himself was represented by is mind boggling. Never the less, as our perfect example He would have done it if we were required to do so in avoidance of sin. Since we know that Jesus was sinless, and He never sacrificed any animals, than sheer logic dictates that the animal sacrifices are not, and cannot be statutes in the law of God. That one sentence by EGW, “Christ passed through all the experiences of his childhood, youth, and manhood without the observance of ceremonial temple worship” is a fatal blow to the argument of those who point to the animal sacrifices as evidence that the feast days are not statutes, or are not binding.

            Animal sacrifices were at the very heart of “ceremonial temple worship”. At the very minimum Jesus would have been required as a single adult male and head of His household, to slay the Passover lamb in the temple at least once a year, that is, if the animal sacrifices were statutes. Why?

Because otherwise He (Jesus Christ) would have been a sinner for violating that statute. The Irony of Jesus being required to partake in the very sacrifice of the type (symbol) that He Himself was represented by is mind boggling. Never the less, as our perfect example He would have done it if we were required to do so in avoidance of sin. Since we know that Jesus was sinless, and He never sacrificed any animals, than sheer logic dictates that the animal sacrifices are not, and cannot be statutes in the law of God. That one sentence by EGW, “Christ passed through all the experiences of his childhood, youth, and manhood without the observance of ceremonial temple worship” is a fatal blow to the argument of those who point to the animal sacrifices as evidence that the feast days are not statutes, or are not binding.

           “In consequence of continual transgression, the moral law was repeated in awful grandeur from Sinai. Christ gave to Moses religious precepts which were to govern the everyday life. These statutes were explicitly given to guard the ten commandments. They were not shadowy types to pass away with the death of Christ. They were to be binding upon man in every age as long as time should last. These commands were enforced by the power of the moral law, and they clearly and definitely explained that law.” Review and Herald, May 6, 1875 par. 10 (emphasis supplied)

         There really is no surprise that Ellen White whole heartedly endorsed and taught us that the statutes were still binding upon men. The scriptures are also replete with the same exhortations that Ellen White gave us concerning the statutes and judgments. 

“Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” Genesis 26:5.

“Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.” Leviticus 18:5.

“And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:" Leviticus 26:15.

Did you catch that? The LORD called the statutes and judgments “my statutes” and “my judgments” similar to the way HE calls the Sabbath “HIS holy day”. And then unmistakably declares the statutes and judgments to be conditions of the covenant.

“Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statutes.” Psalms 119,155.

“Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:” Malachi 4:3-5. (emphasis supplied) 

The LORD was also very clear concerning His law,   “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Mathew 5:19. (emphasis supplied)

This fearful warning was giving with the weight of all the inhabitants of heaven, as a witness to the greater order of magnitude that those who teach men either in righteousness, or in lawlessness, will be judged. The phrase “one of the least,” carries with it the inference that none of the commandments, and by extension, the statutes and judgments can be broken or violated without it being a commission of sin.

            “Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.” Deuteronomy 6,1 and 2.

“And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.” Deuteronomy 6:24.

“And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:” Deuteronomy 17:19.

“The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.” Psalms 25:14.

“Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations;” 1Chronicles 16:15.

“He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant.” Psalms 111:5. 

                                                            “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.” Psalms 89:34.

        “I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.” Ecclesiastes 3:14, 15.