I am writing primarily to brothers on facebook whom have misunderstood my sabbath observance thing. I want to tell you the whole story how this came about. First, a dear brother was with other brothers who remember and keep the sabbath, but are evangelical christians. Kind of like seventh day baptists, Not Seventh day adventist. My brother in Christ then came home and showed me these things in the Bible and I started to become convinced That Gentiles should remember and keep the sabbath, the same way Gentile believers after conversion don't lie, steal or covet becuase they love their savior Jesus Christ.
First from scripture, there is the sabbath in the creation account, before jews and gentiles where God rests from his creation on the seventh day. Obviously God wasn't tired, he is God, but it is in the creation account. Next we have Exodus 16, which pre-dates the 10 commandments, Where the sabbath was to be kept and yes this was to the nation of israel. Next you have exodus 20 and the 10 commandments, the moral law. My understanding is that the moral law never ends. Also, God in general is very specific about how he is to be worshipped in the OT and the day the sabbath is to be observed is the seventh day, which is the equivelant in our calendar is friday night to saturday night.
Now I do understand that there are many,many,many rules about the sabbath in the old testament. Then we get to the new testament and Jesus said that he came not to abolish the law but to fulifill it. Now the releigous people of the day did abuse the sabbath and Jesus corrected them. Jesus observed the sabbath in the gospels. Now, Jesus dies and is resurected on sunday. After his death. there are a few texts that talk about meeting on the first day, Acts 20:7 is one of them and they did meet on the first day of the week to break bread and hear preaching, no doubt about it.
There are some other texts that talk about gathering offerings on the first day, and John being in the spirit on the Lords day, but these texts I don't believe are adequate to say that there is now an observance of the "Lords day" as opposed to the sabbath. And I firmly belive Jesus is Lord of the sabbath and that he fulfilled the law, but even though he fullfilled the law, we come to Jesus in our sin, repenting and believing, then out of love for God with our new nature, we naturally keep the things in the law. We don't want to lie and offend God, or steal or lust becuse we love our saviour. *I am not suggesting observing the Sabbath becuase we must fullfill a legal requirment for salvation, I am not saying that at all.*
Here is the skinny that im thinking. The moral law, 10 commandments are clear. Salvation by grace through faith is very clear. the Sabbath being the seventh day is clear. The idea of a change from the sabbath to Lords day observance is not clear. That is what I am seeing. Now please understand I have not come to a definitive conclusion, I am doing as the bereans, searching the scriptures to see if these things are so. I have just been confronted with something that seems to be true, and i am going to the Word of God and the Word ALONE for the answer. I welcome you into the discussion with me, but please understand, I am in no way abandoning Jesus to attempt to keep 600+ laws, What I am becoming convinced of is that I should observe the sabbath the same as I don't lie, steal, look with lust.
Acts 15 the Jerusalem council must only have been about a few issues, in the apostles response, they didn't say "and teach them not to lie, not to steal, to obey parents, etc." They seem to be only concerned with a few matters their given their response. Collosians 2 and a few other texts state let no man judge you in sabbath, new moon or festival, etc. My understanding of these passages seems to be that he is refering to the festivals, ceremonies, and other sabbaths that were fullfilled in Christ. I am not making a case that we should keep the festivals, ceremonies and other sabbaths.
Now I will be honest and also write that there is no warning in the new testament that sabbathbreakers wont inherit the kingdom of God, why is there not. I have no idea, but I can only be honest and say its not there. We dont have sections of scripture where the gentile believers are being taught to obey sabbath, I acknowledge this to be true.
My email is Benjamind105@gmail.com and feel free to tell me your thoughts, but only from scripture, I don't care about mans opinions. If you send me church history, include scripture, or I will not read/look at it. Church history can only be called right if it followed the scriptures in whatever area. Please only send me things related to my issues, I don't disagree that Jesus is our sabbath rest or that he is Lord of the Sabbath, that is not my issue, My issue is observance of the 4th commandment, not out of legalism for salvation, but love for my savior. God Bless.
P.s. don't gossip about this, talk strait to me.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Hi Ben, good stuff! I have one question first, then will offer more thoughts later.
Are you viewing the Sabbath as a specific day (24-hour period) to be observed, or as a principle that the believer should rest one day in seven, as described in Genesis 1?
The best example would be someone whose line of work includes the requirement to be working on Sunday - from football players to EMTs. If they work Sunday, and consider Monday their day of rest and worship, are they fulfilling the pattern of one day set aside in seven? Would that be following the principle of the Law even if not following the exact pattern of the Law?
Thanks again,
-James
I am currently viewing the sabbath as a specific day because as first revealed in the Old Testament, it is revealed as the seventh day, or our equivalent friday night to saturday night. I am also kind of bringing in the principle that God is very specific in how he is to be worshipped. Now, many ceremonies and other sabbaths have been fullfilled in christ along with the sabbath, so we don't offer incesce anymore, but the principle in general is that God is specific in how he is to be worshipped.
I am hearing some that say that the sabbath is about principle not about day. Now there are commands in the OT about the sabbath that aren't the same for us, We don't stone people (Jesus didn't stone the adulterous woman). I can't get around the whole thing that in creation in genesis it is the seventh day, in exodus 16 before 10 commandments its seventh day, its in the 10 commandments moral law which never dies, and all through out the old testament it is a spcific day. My other issue is that im not 100% sure that biblically the day of worship changed. Acts 20:7 they are worshipping on sunday, the other texts that im aware of in the NT point toward collections being taken, in revelation john is in the spirit on the lords day, but I don't think those verses really prove the change of day. I could be wrong, and im hoping i am honestly, Im just really trying critically to look at the text. I am not making any judgement on anyone else, i am definitely not saying that if you don't keep the sabbath on saturday youre going to hell, there is no bible verse for that.
In evangelicalism today, when this issue comes up, most people start pointing to the early church fathers and what they said, but they are not scripture, I am just really trying to look at scripture on this. to put my hangups in a few points
1. The sabbath was defined from the begining as a specific day.
2. the Moral law 10 commandments never die
3. Based on Sola Scriptura, Where does this concept of a change in day or the sabbath being a principle come into play?
4. Jesus is Lord of the sabbath and fullfilled the law, but now that we are saved by grace, we don't lie , steal, commit adultery becuase if we love him we keep his commandments. I think to quickly say he fullfilled the law and thats it with the 4th commandment is not an adequoute biblical answer.
I have gotten much heat from this, please understand Im just a Christian trying to be a berean in this matter. feel free to respond, but please only to my specific points. Many other have responded with the typical answers, to questions im not asking. thanks for reading
Ben, thanks for the note. It seems to me that there's two ways to view the Sabbath as it relates to the NT believer. (In addition to writing it off with a wave of the hand and saying "the Law is fulfilled", that is.)
One would be a literal application - that the Christian should should observe not just "a" day of rest & worship, but "the" day. Seventh Day Adventists point back to the original Sabbath formula, but most Christians take the approach that the Day was shifted to Sunday (the Lord's Day), based primarily on the passages you quoted.
I too am not convinced that the NT makes this transition. For one, it is definitely not stated in a clear and forceful manner. If this is such an important issue, and if the normal observance was to continue - but change to Sunday - why was that not explicitly stated? And secondly, the only way God ever defined a "day" was as the 24-hour time period from sundown to sundown. Thus, it would seem to me that if you believed that: a)the Sabbath should still be observed, and b) the actual day itself matters (so as to negate my Monday example from the previous comment), then you have to accept a sundown-to-sundown formula. Which would mean Saturday evening is actually part of the Sabbath in the Sunday/Lord's Day formulation.
The other way to view it would be to focus on the principle of the Sabbath over the form. This can take several forms, including the example I gave of having "a" day of observance vs. "the" specific day (be it Saturday or Sunday). I am more convinced of the principle of the Sabbath Rest in Christ that was achieved for the believer on the cross and will continue throughout eternity in heaven.
Consider that the original day of rest came in Genesis, when God rested from His work on the 7th day. And compare that to Hebrews 4:9-10 - "9There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his."
To me, the point of the passage in Hebrews is to tie the OT Sabbath - and the principle of resting once one's work is completed - to the fundamental truth that the work of our salvation has been completed. God rested from His work on the Seventh day after He completed His work of creation, and now we are to rest in Him and His completed work of salvation. Of course, this does not mean that we do nothing and just sit around happy that he saved us, waiting to be raptured. But it does mean that we are to cease our striving for salvation - to stop trying to earn a righteousness that we can never merit.
And just as the OT Sabbath was not a day of absolute inertia - it was meant to focus on worshiping God - our continual Sabbath in Christ is to be focused on worshiping Him. Ultimately, this will be found in Heaven - where we will be resting and worshiping. But for now, I believe the focus is to be continually resting in Christ for our salvation and worshiping Him in all we do, regardless of the day on the calendar.
Anyway, thanks for bringing the subject - it is an important one, and should not be assumed - regardless of one's convictions.
-James
Post a Comment