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The Law Before Sinai

The Law Before Sinai: God’s Eternal Principles Codified, Not Created, at the Mountain

Introduction: The Dangerous Myth of “New Law”

A dangerous misconception in modern theology suggests that God’s requirements for humanity—His “Law”—only began when the finger of God etched the Ten Commandments on stone tablets at Mount Sinai. This viewpoint implies that before the Exodus, mankind had no concrete moral standard, or that the principles governing salvation were somehow temporary.

This position is wholly inadequate. The moral framework of the Almighty is eternal and immutable. Sinai was not the genesis of God’s law; it was the codification of principles that governed humanity from the Garden of Eden onward. To understand the true weight of God’s judgment and the anticipation of The Lord’s Return, we must recognize the fundamental principles established before the thunder of the mountain.

Phase I: The Original Law in Eden (Before the Fall)

The first requirements God placed on man were foundational and moral, establishing the essential relationship between the Creator and the created.

1. The Principle of Obedience and Authority

  • The Command: Do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17, KJV).
  • The Uncodified Law: This command established the Law of Authority and the Law of Choice. Obedience was the only moral rule necessary for perfect communion with God. Disobedience introduced the principle of sin (transgression of the law, 1 John 3:4, KJV) and the principle of death (Romans 6:23, KJV).

2. The Principle of Marriage and Family

  • The Command: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24, KJV).
  • The Uncodified Law: This established the fundamental, divine structure for society and relationship—a principle later enshrined in the spirit of the seventh and tenth Commandments.

Phase II: The Law Enforced in the Early World (Cain, Noah, Abraham)

Even without written tablets, God’s judgment and blessing were directly tied to moral laws that were understood by conscience.

3. The Principle of Life (The Pre-Sinai Sixth Commandment)

  • The Evidence: God’s judgment upon Cain for the murder of Abel (Genesis 4:10-12, KJV). After the Flood, God establishes the legal principle of capital punishment for murder: “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.” (Genesis 9:6, KJV).
  • The Uncodified Law: The sanctity of life (Thou shalt not kill) existed long before Sinai as an unassailable principle of divine justice.

4. The Principle of Worship and Sacrifice

  • The Evidence: Abel’s sacrifice was accepted while Cain’s was rejected (Genesis 4:4-5, KJV). Noah offered burnt offerings upon leaving the Ark (Genesis 8:20, KJV).
  • The Uncodified Law: God required a specific form of atonement and reverent worship long before the Levitical system was formalized. This shows the Law of Atonement is ancient and foundational.

5. The Principle of the Sabbath

  • The Evidence: The Sabbath was set apart at Creation (Genesis 2:3, KJV). Before the manna was given, God instituted the rule that they should gather enough for six days, and none on the seventh (Exodus 16:26-29, KJV)—before they ever reached Sinai.
  • The Uncodified Law: The obligation to recognize God’s sacred time was not a new “rule” for Israel, but a Creation ordinance and a practice re-instituted before the Ten Commandments were given.

Conclusion: The Finality of the Pre-Sinai Law

The evidence is clear: the fundamental requirements for life, worship, authority, and time were already in place. The Law was known to Adam, enforced with Cain, and reaffirmed with Noah and Abraham.

Sinai simply took these eternal, uncodified principles and made them explicit, giving the new nation a concrete standard.

The Return Question: If principles like the Sabbath and the sanctity of life existed as unchangeable moral obligations before Israel existed, can the modern Church truly claim an exemption from any foundational principle of God’s character simply because a codification system was declared fulfilled? Understanding this foundational law is the first step in preparing for the just and holy judgment inherent in The Lord’s Return.