Full Question:
ELI SORIANO, A SELF-PROCLAIMED UNDEFEATED CHRISTIAN, CLAIMED THAT TEN COMMANDMENTS ARE NO LONGER BINDING
Answer:
I am having a discussion with a member of “Members of the Church of God International” (MCGI) or also known as “And Dating Daan” (ADD). Our discussion was led into arguments why the Catholic Church is the continuation of the Old Testament Judaism. I have foreseen that the topic might change to the issue that the Catholic Church changed the Ten Commandments of the Bible because this is a common argument against the Church. However, I was wrong when it comes to my assumption of his argument because instead of dealing why the Church changed the Ten Commandments, he said that it is wrong to make the Ten Commandments binding. And because of my shock (knowing that this comes from a member of a denomination which claims to be a Christian), I looked at what Eli Soriano had to say on this matter. This is a statement from Eli Soriano:
“The essence of Ten Commandments exists, but it is not in any more effective for Christians. It does exist because it’s in the Bible. It exists. It is in words. It is written. In fact, it was written by God on the two tablets of stones. And it is now written on the papers of the Bible.”
This is a very horrifying comment from a person who claims to be undefeated. This is the same person who claims to be a Christian. In his statements, he acknowledged the fact that the Ten Commandments is in the Bible, but he claims that it is no more effective for Christians. He believed that the Law of Jesus Christ replaced (not summarized) the Ten Commandments, and one of his proof texts is Acts 13:39, the same verse that his member used against me.
Acts 13:39
39 and by him every one that believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.
According to Soriano, the Ten Commandments is part of the Law of Moses, therefore, Jesus Christ freed us from the Ten Commandments. However, the chapter does not give any clue why the Ten Commandments are being described as the Law of Moses. Rather, Paul was saying that even though the Gentiles were not part of the Jews (which means that they did not have any Works of the Law), they can still receive the sanctifying grace from Christ. This is the very same reason why the Judaizers forced the Gentiles to be circumcised in order for them to be saved in Acts 15.
Acts 15:1
15 But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
In fact, every time that the Bible differentiates the Law and Grace, the author makes it specifically clear that the law talks about the Works of the Law, and not the Ten Commandments.
Romans 3:28
28 For we hold that a man is justified by faith apart from works of law.
Galatians 2:16
16 yet who know that a man is not justified[a] by works of the law[b] but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by works of the law shall no one be justified.
Romans 3:20
20 For no human being will be justified in his sight by works of the law, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
When the Bible says that we are not justified by the works of the law, it means that we do not receive grace from circumcision, purification ritual, multiple atonement, etc. At the same time, it’s ok not to perform those works of the law. This is the reason why the works of the law are no longer binding. However, to say that the Ten Commandments are no longer binding means that we can break the commandments, and nothing happens. But, is it fine for us to break the first commandment? Is it fine for us to perform idolatry, and still be saved? That’s a contradiction because no “Bible” Christians should worship other gods than the God of the Bible. This is the consequence of believing in a person who claims to know the Bible, but in reality, he does not. He can say all the things that he wanted to say, but it does not change the fact that he is leading people to error.
-Pastor Manny
