From the first the great controversy had been upon the law of God. Satan had sought to prove that God was unjust, that His law was faulty, and that the good of the universe required it to be changed. In attacking the law he aimed to overthrow the authority of its Author. In the controversy it was to be shown whether the divine statutes were defective and subject to change, or perfect and immutable.

Lige fra begyndelsen havde striden drejet sig om Guds lov. Satan havde søgt at bevise, at Gud var uretfærdig, at hans lov var ufuldkommen, og at det var nødvendigt for universets bedste, at den blev forandret. Ved sine angreb på loven søgte han at omstyrte dens ophavsmands myndighed. I denne strid skulle det vise sig, om de guddommelige forskrifter var mangelfulde og foranderlige eller fuldkomne og uforanderlige.