July 21, 1997
TO THE CHURCHES OF GOD, WHO LOVE GOD
GREETINGS FROM UKRAINE
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments.
I John 5:2
The Union of the Christian Sabbath-Keeping Churches sends sincere greetings to all Christians in the Churches of God in various countries throughout the world.
We are sincerely glad that in many countries of the world there are Christians who observe the Commandments of God and who have faith in Jesus.
And we feel very sorry that there are many sincere Christians who, for various reasons, have not yet understood the truth of God, without which it is impossible to receive eternal life.
We believe that God’s 10 Commandments are the basic Law by which we know sin (Romans 7:7).
We believe that whoever observes the whole law and yet sins in one point is guilty of breaking the whole law. "For he that said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not kill. But we believe that the same one who said "Do not commit adultery" and "Do not kill" also said "Remember the Sabbath Day."
Therefore we remember the Sabbath Day and sanctify it. Six days we work and do our own works. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord our God. We believe that God created the heavens and earth in six days, the sea and all that in them is; but on the seventh day He rested. Therefore God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it. (Exodus 20:8-11). Therefore we believe that the holiness of the Sabbath Day can never be annulled. Observing the Sabbath Day, we prove that we recognize God as our Creator, the Creator of heaven and earth, and all that is visible and invisible.
We believe that the law of the Spirit of life (Romans 8:2,4) is the basic law of God, expressed in 10 commandments. When we observe these 10 commandments, we are freed in Christ from sin and death. The Apostle Paul has this to say about the law of the Spirit of life: "For we know that the law is spiritual" (Romans 7:8). The prophet Isaiah speaks of this law: "The Lord is well-pleased for his righteousness sake; he will magnify the law and make it honorable" (Isaiah 42:21). Christ came to this earth with this law in His heart in order to fulfill the will of God. We read about this in Psalm 40:7-8. "Then said I, Lo, I come; in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart."
The Apostle Paul writes about this law: "For I delight in the law of God after the inward man" (Romans 7:22).
And he again writes the following about his law: "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be" (Romans 8:7).
Therefore, we believe that "not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified" (Romans 2:13).
We believe that we have received the forgiveness of sins by faith, through the sacrifice and blood of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:3; 10:14). And then the forgiven Apostle Paul writes: "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).
The family of Lot was also physically saved from the fire of Sodom and Gomorrah, but, being saved from the fire they were to have preserved their lives by obedience and observance of the two commandments "don’t look back" and "don’t stop anywhere." Lot’s wife, being saved, did not preserve her life and died for disobedience, not having restrained herself from breaking the first command: she looked back.
We also, at the present time, are saved by the grace of God through Jesus Christ, but God gave His commandments to His saved ones, and it is necessary to observe this law in order to receive eternal life. Just like Lot and his daughters obeyed those two commands and saved their lives.
We know that those who observe God’s law are patient, as it is written in Revelation 14:12: "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." Israel wanted to be saved and attain righteousness by their own efforts, by observing the law without accepting Christ by faith (Romans 9:31-32).
We believe that in order to attain to righteousness and eternal life we must not only observe the commandments — the law of God — but we must also have faith in Christ, as the Apostle Paul writes: "For Christ is the end of the law to righteousness for everyone that believes" (Romans 10:4).
This means that the perfection of the law which we must observe is Christ, and we must accept Christ by faith in order to be righteous. We believe that the law of God is holy and the commandment is holy and just and good (Romans 7:12). Therefore we do not destroy the law through faith, we establish the law (Romans 3:31).
We believe that God gave wise laws to humankind which are profitable not only for the spirit, but for the body and soul as well.
The food laws fall into this category. In these food laws, God divided all animals, cattle, fish, and birds into the clean and the unclean. With regard to unclean animals, God has said: Don’t eat it (Leviticus 11:8). We keep this law and believe that God gave this law to humankind for its own good.
God desires that we keep not only our spirit and body holy, but also our souls. God has this to say about our souls: "the life of the flesh is in the blood; the blood is the life thereof" (Leviticus 17:4). Therefore he says in Leviticus 11:44 "For I am the Lord your God: you shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall you defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."
In our time, there are several Christian groups who try to use prayer to sanctify those things that God has not sanctified. They refer to the scripture in I Timothy 4:4-5 where it is written: "For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer."
We believe that those things that God has declared to be abomination and unclean cannot be sanctified by human prayer to then be made clean. By prayer humans can only sanctify those things that God has already sanctified by His Word, those things that He has already declared clean.
In the New Testament, the Apostle Peter was taught by Jesus Christ to refuse to taste the unclean, and declares: "I have never eaten anything common or unclean" (Acts 10:14). John, in the book of Revelation, also refers to animals and birds as being clean or unclean (Revelation 16:13; 18:2).
Therefore the Apostle Paul, knowing this truth, in his epistle to the Thessalonians desires that not only their spirit and their body, but also their soul, might be holy and blameless. In I Thessalonians 5:23 he writes: "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
And so: "Watch you, stand you steadfast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong" (I Corinthians 16:13; Deuteronomy 31:6).
You need patience to fulfill the will of God and receive the promises (Hebrews 10:36).
Here is the patience of the saints who observe the commandments and faith in Jesus.
For this faith, faith in God and His Truth, many of us have suffered in prison, in exile, have endured the food of adversity, persecution, and much more.
We desire to keep this faith to the very end, in all its fullness, in order to have a right to eternal life.
By commission of the Union of Christians of the Sabbath Day
Ivan Pavlij
Vasyl MondichKhust, Transcarpathia
Ukraine