Sabbath-Keeping

[Trekson]

Hi Brakelite, Your words: "Are you suggesting that the liberty we are called to is a freedom from restrictions? Is that how you view God's law or His Ten Commandments? A set of restrictions? God's call to you as a husband to be faithful to your wife is a restriction? A commandment of bondage perhaps?"

C'mon now, you know better than that. You know I'm speaking of sabbath restrictions and yes there are none!

 

[Raeneske]

Hi Brakelite, Your words: "Are you suggesting that the liberty we are called to is a freedom from restrictions? Is that how you view God's law or His Ten Commandments? A set of restrictions? God's call to you as a husband to be faithful to your wife is a restriction? A commandment of bondage perhaps?"

C'mon now, you know better than that. You know I'm speaking of sabbath restrictions and yes there are none!

There are restrictions in the law of God. These restrictions are for our own good, and for the good of others. The commandment "thou shalt not kill" is made to protect your neighbor's happiness. The commandment "thou shalt not bear false witness" is again made for the good of our neighbors. We are "servants of righteousness". The 10 Commandments protect the peace and the happiness of all. What is wrong with being restricted from working once every single week, to come together with brethren to the praise and glory of God? What is wrong with spending one day where thoughts do not dwell upon worldly themes? Nothing. What I do find error with is how the Pharisees kept the Sabbath. They believed it was inappropriate for a man to receive a miracle of being healed on the Sabbath. They believed it was inappropriate to be walking through a field and plucking a few pieces of grain/corn upon the Sabbath day. Ask yourself, are those things what God forbade on the Sabbath? Did God forbid the satisfying of our hunger on the Sabbath? Did God forbid miracles to be performed on the Sabbath? If you answered yes to any of those things, than you have a wrong view of the Sabbath. The reason we find Jesus rebuking the Pharisees so badly on the Sabbath is because their views were a burden upon humanity. What? Is it wrong for me to travel to a congregation to preach on the Sabbath? Is it wrong for me to be out with my family on the Sabbath, and pluck a few apples from an apple tree to give to me and family members?

The Sabbath forbade all manner of secular labor upon the Sabbath. It did not forbid basic needs of men and women, and it did not forbid the going forth of the truth on the Sabbath. This needs to be understood.

Isaiah 58:13-14 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: 14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Nehemiah 13:15-22 In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. 16 There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. 17 Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? 18 Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath. 19 And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day. 20 So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware lodged without Jerusalem once or twice. 21 Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath. 22 And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.

Doing our own pleasure is forbidden upon the holy day, doing our own daily ways, speaking our own daily words is forbidden upon the Sabbath. The day is meant to be a glory to God, not a day of frivolous ease. It is not a day of large feasts and dancing, and partying. It is a day of rest from worldly care. It is a day to spend to glorify the Creator. One can spend time resting in nature, and thinking upon God's goodness. Or simply being in nature that very one day and spending time in prayer with God in His creation.

None need keep the Sabbath to get saved, for all who keep any law to get saved, are keeping the law in vain. We are saved by grace through faith. The keeping the law is the exercise of faith. Christ is our Saviour. He does not only save us from death, but also saves us from our sins. He sets us free from our sins. The lives before that we lived where we could not obey God's law, He now gives us the ability to obey God's law. All 10 Commandments are to be obeyed, literally and spiritually. We do them because we are saved, not to get saved. There is nothing wrong with pleasing God, and choosing to please God over man. But, to do these things to try to get saved are erroneous.

The Sabbath has more to do with your happiness and the happiness of all of mankind than you may think. It would have been wise for all of mankind to keep the Sabbath forever. All of mankind needs the Sabbath. All of mankind needs the refreshing repose of the Sabbath. One day each week to obtain special spiritual grace and knowledge. One day each week to put aside all secular things, and come together and meet with the Creator, to spend that one very day with Him. There can be no substitute for the Sabbath day. The one day a week you may choose is not the Sabbath simply because you want it to be. Sure, you can spend a day with the Father and be blessed. But there is no harmony in replacing the Sabbath with a day of your own choosing. This one day is given to us by God to be a special holy day. It is inharmonious to keep Sabbath whenever you shall please. Some may choose Wednesday this month, Thursday the next. Some may choose Monday forever. Some may choose Tuesday and Thursday next week, but the week after choose not to rest. There is no harmony in this. We are all to rest upon the 7th Day of the week. Us, all the angels in heaven, all the inhabitants of the other worlds, and our Creator, all will rest upon the 7th Day Sabbath. There will be no disunion in this commandment.

 

[heretoeternity]

It looks like satan is alive and well deceiving "christians" about God's Holy Sabbath day...this seventh day was created by God as the seventh day of the first week, and He rested, blessed it and sanctified this day...so it is clear in Genesis 2 it is a special day as God made it..it is placed in the ten commandments by God personally writing it "remember the sabbath day to keep it holy"...God commanded it, and that is good enough for me..I keep this day each week sunset Friday to sunset Saturday as Jesus and His apostles did throughout their ministries and their lives......the seventh day of the week..
It seems the misguided "christians" would sooner follow pagan Rome and it's sunday first day of the week keeping in honour of the sun god..oh well you got free will folks..knock yourselves out..but remember those words of Jesus.."depart from me I never knew you, you who practice lawlessness" Matthew 7

Remember salvation is through the Son of God, His grace and commandments, and not the sun god/satan and his days of sunday, dec 25th and easter, all of which are non Biblical and pagan in origin.

 

[Trekson]

Hi Rae & Here, I direct you back to the OP, any reply to your posts that I could make was already said there.

 

[Raeneske]

Hi Rae & Here, I direct you back to the OP, any reply to your posts that I could make was already said there.

Your view of the Sabbath throws mud on the wall about the truth. Keeping the Sabbath is not to say, "I followed you and obeyed you all week long but now because it's the Sabbath day, I really mean it this time." Such a thought should not cross the Christian's mind, anymore than you would believe it's okay to go to church on Sunday and say, "I obeyed you all week, but now that it's church time, I am REALLY going to follow you." And although some Christians are Sunday Christians, where they only behave whilst in church, this is not the object of the Sabbath, as you could argue this is not the object of going to church on Sunday. It is not to get men to obey only, or "more so" on one specific day. It is to bring men in harmony with their Creator, and to learn more of Him. It is a day to spend with Him each and every single week.

You said "What can a calendar day do for us that the Holy Spirit residing within us can't do? My answer is...absolutely nothing!" This misses the point of the Sabbath. It is not that a calendar date will bless you where the Holy Spirit cannot. You can try to keep the Sabbath without the Holy Spirit, or as an atheist. How will it be beneficial to your experience without the Holy Spirit leading you, blessing you, helping you? But for a man who has the Holy Spirit, shall you deny that spending one blessed day with God a week is not beneficial? Shall there be no benefit for the man who 52 times a year, rests when God commands him to? That may not sound like a lot, but the man who spends hours upon hours upon hours in fellowship with the Church, hearing sermons, teaching others, learning from sermons and others -- shall that man come away not blessed? You cannot possibly think that. Iron sharpeneth iron. There is no way at all that the Sabbath shall not be a blessing to that man.

You said "They are saying that the Sabbath becomes holy through our observance of it and physically observing it the way the law originally intended it." First, the Sabbath is already holy. The commandment tells us to keep it holy, it refers to us being holy throughout the day. Next, the law is intended to be kept in a spiritual manner.

Romans 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

The 10 Commandments are that spiritual law of love. It is the law of heaven which the angels themselves obey.

Psalms 103:20 Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.

If the law is therefore spiritual, and not carnal as man, then the law reaches the depths of the spirit. Thou shalt not kill does not only point to the outward refusal to kill, but to the inward refusal to hate someone in your heart. That is the very beginning of murder. The Commandment forbids even the very beginning, the very thought of murder. Thou shalt not steal refers even to the tithe.

Malachi 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

You cannot go to your neighbor and take his goods from him, and neither the goods given to you from God, you cannot withhold from Him. He requires it of you. It is a test to see if you will return unto God what is not your own in the first place. Those who withheld the tithe not only stole from God, but stole from their Levites as well.

What of those who steal the affections of a wife from her husband to take her as his own? He is obviously first coveting after someone which is not his own, but he is also committing theft in winning the affections from her to himself. Theft does not only refer to the outward show, but the inward heart as well.

Those 10 Commandments are perfect. They are the law of love. Ten Simple Commandments, and all sin can come back to the law, where we are breaking it. Those who get drunk are committing self murder, for it is very clear that alcohol is a poison, and it poisons us. And since when can we routinely drink poison, and suffer no ill effects?

And that brings me to the temple of God, which we are. You ask "how can going to another building on a special day make us any holier?" Do you believe that you have the Holy Spirit? And do you ever go to church? Your question then defeats your own faith. Do you think you are perfectly holy? No? There is a continual advancement of holiness for the Christian. We are to be cleansed daily, and daily to progress in holiness. We are to become more and more like Christ with each passing day. Will you then claim that going to listen to a sermon on Sunday does not affect you?

Jesus' death vindicated God's law. It shows that not even the Son of God will escape the punishment that is declared for all who transgressed.

Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

And although He was sinless, He took upon Himself our punishment for our sins. "...Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." (John 1:29) He took away our sins, He did not take away the law. His death was the requirement of the plan of Salvation. His death did not enable us to break that law indefinitely, or make it void. It's judgment being executed does not mean that it's demands are from henceforth void to the Christian. It wouldn't make any sense if it did. It's like a man committing theft and having to pay a fine in our day and age, and someone stepping up to pay the fine for him. It does not make the law void. It is still in effect, but the punishment was paid by someone else. And while Jesus paid for all our sins, should we then choose to live in sin? No!

1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Not a single commandment can be transgressed. Not one!

The Sabbath commandment has not lost an ounce of it's force, anymore than any of the other commandments have. It is within the law of love. Those who truly love God will have no problem making room for Him one special day each week, as He absolutely commands us to do. Those who love God make time for Him. Their world revolves around Him. If we refuse to make time for Him as He commands us, if we refuse to take the blessing that is given to us, what does that say about us?

 

[Trekson]

Hi Rae, God's word tells us to "pray without ceasing" and to "be renewed in the spirit of your mind" and that we "put on our new man and put off our old man". The new covenant tells us: "I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts."

You said: "It is to bring men in harmony with their Creator, and to learn more of Him. It is a day to spend with Him each and every single week."

No, we don't need a sabbath rest to stay in harmony with our creator. This is something that is done every day.

You said: "If the law is therefore spiritual, and not carnal as man, then the law reaches the depths of the spirit."

I absolutely agree and because it is spiritual, it is eternal, and what is eternal does not need to be restricted to a single day. As we walk and grow with Christ, our union with Him is an ever on-going, continuous thing that needs not be emphasized on a weekly basis.

You asked: "Do you believe that you have the Holy Spirit? And do you ever go to church? Your question then defeats your own faith. Do you think you are perfectly holy? No? There is a continual advancement of holiness for the Christian. We are to be cleansed daily, and daily to progress in holiness. We are to become more and more like Christ with each passing day. Will you then claim that going to listen to a sermon on Sunday does not affect you."

Yes, I have the Holy Spirit, I rarely go to church. The question of what is holiness can sometimes be up for debate but I agree that cleansing and progression towards God's idea of holiness is a good thing. It depends on the sermon. Most is unneeded milk and every now and then we can hear a good sermon, but it also can be over the radio, tv or internet, not necessarily in a church building.

You closed with: "If we refuse to make time for Him as He commands us, if we refuse to take the blessing that is given to us, what does that say about us."

We make the time daily, there is never a time when we are not in His presence. It was a blessing for the Jews, we have a new and better blessing.

Let me go back to something you wrote about the law. "Thou shalt not kill does not only point to the outward refusal to kill, but to the inward refusal to hate someone in your heart."

Although we know this now, this was NOT the understanding of the OT Jews. Christ changed it in Matt. 5:21-22. As a matter of fact Christ took the law to a whole new level in the whole of Matt. 5 where it says in vs. 17, that He came to fulfill the law and what is fulfilled is finished. Now of course that doesn't mean it's open season for sin time. It means that while we have the Holy Spirit in our hearts we no longer need the written law. BTW, we are also not under the obligation to tithe. That was also for the Jews. The church is to give freely and happily, as much as they can without begrudging, with a cheerful spirit, with the full knowledge that everything we have is God's, if he so desires it.

 

[Axehead]

Is there a Sabbath after Calvary? Yes! Hebrews 4:9-10 says, "There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his." There are two words not found in those verses, "Sabbath" and "day." It is because our rest is no longer a calendar day each week, but every day, which includes the seventh, and thus we keep the Sabbath by living a godly and blood-washed life every day. For we have ceased from our old works. Some people who haven't come to an understanding of what covenant they are under will point out that Paul often went into the synagogues on the Sabbath. If we look at those incidents, however, we see that it was to bring those who hear out of the synagogue and that system of death. Here is what Paul the Apostle said about the seventh day as found in Romans 14:5-6: "One man esteemeth one day above another, another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord, and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it."
We know that the Sabbath law is fulfilled in Jesus Christ and He abides within us. The seventh day Sabbath was not eliminated but fulfilled, and our Savior added six more days to that rest and gave us the timelessness of eternal life. Thus, the seventh day is kept holy with all the other days. We can worship our Lord any day and every day. We know that Sunday is not the Sabbath but rather one of seven days, any of which can be used for worship. Acts 20:7 says, "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight."

It is my humble prayer that all who read this will realize the joy of keeping all seven days of the week holy and thus fulfill the sacred commandment; for it is not our works but the finished work of Christ that has established the eternal timeless Sabbath of the New Covenant by the power of His blood.

Excellent post, Sojourner! Christ is our Sabbath-Rest, He is our Rest. We have ceased from our own works of righteousness and walk with Christ in relationship (not performance or compulsion), and in His righteousness and in His rest, 7 days a week. He is our Sabbath, everyday of the week, even if we get called into work on Saturday or Sunday, or have to work every day of the week to provide for our family. Our rest is dependent on Him, our salvation is dependent on Him and our peace is dependent on Him.

The Sabbath is a Person, not a Day.

And all 7 days are holy unto the Lord for those that walk with Him not one day a week, but seven days a week.

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!!

Anything or anyone that takes you away from the Person of Christ, should raise a red flag in your spirit.

The beautiful thing about Christ is that you can be toiling and working very hard physically and mentally, yet be at complete rest in Him and in your spirit.

Axehead

 

[heretoeternity]

Axehead you seem to be confused between the Mosaic law the 613 sacrificia;. ceremonial, feast, festivals etc laws and God's ten commandments..which were written by God himself. When you use Paul's writings about days, he is referring to the Moses law, not God's law. God's law, as Jesus said in Matthew 5 is in effect until heaven and earth pass away and all is fulfilled...He is obviously referring to the end of the age and His return as outlined in Matthew 24 and the book of Revelation.
Apostle John in 1st John says "sin is transgression of God's law" and Apostle Paul says "do we make void the law through faith? God forbid we establish the law" and "do we sin more so grace abounds? God forbid"
The seventh day Sabbath is as much an integral part of creation as we are. God created the seventh day of the week as a Holy rest day which He sanctified and set aside for Holy purposes. It will be around forever, as long as creation exists..to ignore this day is to ignore creation and the perfect 7 day week God gave us...to ignore this day is to go to a six day week, which is not God's perfect number..his perfect number is 7..would you sooner follow God or satan? Or maybe you would sooner have God do creation all over again and only create a six day week to pacify the non believers?

Remember salvation is through the Son of God His grace and commandments and NOT the sun god satan and his days of sunday, dec 25th and easter, all of which are non Biblical and of pagan origins.

 

[williemac]

I want to add to Axehead's commentary by pointing out a few details about rest. When God created everything, the bible tells us that He did it for His own good pleasure. This was HIS work. This is the work He did for Himself. Then He rested. So, my friends, what did He do after the seventh day? Did He go back to work? No. His work was finished permanently. Creation was completed. But as Jesus said.." My Father is working and so am I" (paraphrased). So what kind of work is God involved in now? It's a different kind of work. It is no longer classified as His work. He is at work, no longer for His own benefit, but for the benefit of His creation. This is called love.

We are told that the law was a shadow of things to come. If so, what would the fourth commandment be a shadow of? Keep in mind that we are told not to enter our own rest but to enter His rest. If we were to take that commandment from a weekly event and somehow make it a permanent rest as God did, what would that look like? Very simple. He who has entered His rest has also ceased from his work as God did from His.

Friends, the only thing that I think can make any sense in answereing that question is the transition from the works of law into faith. It is the foundation that was mentioned in Heb.6:1...repentance from dead works followed by faith toward God. That passage does not say repentance from sin, it says dead works. Paul said in Gal.3:21 that if there had been a law that was given that could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. Incredibly, he was saying that there was no law that could give life. How is it that some insist that some measure of life comes from keeping the seventh day?
In conclusion, I say that the revelation from scripture is that the true sabbath rest and not just the shadow, is for the Jew, coming out of the covenant of law and entering into the covenant of grace through faith. The spiritual sabbath rest is the new covenant. We can even find references in Hebrews that God's chosen were kept from entering into the promise of rest. And this was in relation to their unbelief that kept them from entering the promised land.

The true sabbath rest is not something we do, it is something we receive. It is not a work, it is a promise. Ironically, by putting it into the ten commandments, God made sure that it was understood that in keeping it, the people were doing a "work" of the law.

Here's the irony. One cannot keep the sabbath law and at the same time be in rest. It is a work of law. And all of the law, especially the ten commandments, carried a promise for those who kept them, and a curse for those who broke them. Therefore, those who kept the law to the best of their ability were given self serving incentive. Each person keeping the law was doing "his" work.

This is the reason why God starts the believer at the very top. We are joint heirs with Christ. We are seated with Him (positionally) in heavenly places. We have all things that pertain to life and godliness.....right now. There's nothing we can do or need to do for our own profit or gain in His kingdom. He has given it all to us up front. This frees us from doing "our own work", as it were. We now can do all things as a demonstration of His life and love in us. Real and genuine love does not seek its own. If we had anything to gain by resting one day a week, we would be seeking our own.

Hence Paul said that some consider one day above another, and some consider them all the same...let each one be convinced IN HIS OWN MIND.

To which I say with all due respect and reverence....sabbath keepers get off our backs...please. Besides, most sabbath keepers have made this about which day we worship God. The fourth commandment is not even about worship . It is about rest. Sorry, folks, but I've done that already. I'm at rest.

 

[heretoeternity]

The seventh day Holy Sabbath day was created before Jew, Gentile...just human beings..so it applies to everyone...it is part of the ten commandments..if you break the fourth commandment "remember the Sabbath day to keep it Holy" you break them all, according to Apostle James..

Remember salvation is through the Son of God, His grace and laws, and not the sun god/satan and his days of sunday, dec 25th and easter all of which are non Biblical and of pagan origin.

 

[Trekson]

Good post Williemac!

 

[heretoeternity]

The seventh day sabbath is an integral part of creation, just as we are. God created specifically the seventh day of the week as a Holy day..He rested, BLESSED AND SANCTIFIED the seventh day..which means He made the day Holy and set it aside for Holy purposes...no other day, but the seventh day....guess the people who do not like it would like God to do creation all over again, and make only 6 day week lol...

Remember Salvation is through the Son of God, His grace and commandments, and not the sun god/satan and his days of sunday, dec 25th and easter, all of which are non Biblical and of pagan origin.

 

[Trekson]

Hi Here, Your words: "He rested, BLESSED AND SANCTIFIED the seventh day."


Yes, but because of Christ, WE are blessed and sanctified and we honor that day, by being believers and Christ-like every day!

 

[Raeneske]

There is a lot of confusion about faith and works. If you are keeping the law in an attempt to gain entrance into heaven, you will never get into heaven. We are saved by grace through faith. This is essential to understand. Once you understand this, you must understand that a belief in Christ does not produce evil works. Christ came to free us from our sins. He did not only die for our sins, that we may be forgiven, but He also came to cleanse us from all evil. If we are cleansed from evil then we will do good. Is not God's law good?

Romans 7:12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

Is murder, or adultery, or theft good or bad? They are sin, they are evil, and Christ freed us from those things.

John 8:34-36 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

What about the Sabbath? Is it good to break God's law? Why is it bad to steal, but it's not bad to disobey God and rest specifically when He told us to? This is what it's all about. Will you obey God, or not? We can theoretically be called a "good person" for refusing to steal, and refusing to lie, and for refusing to murder. But the line of separation is drawn between those who keep the Sabbath and those who do not. It comes down to obedience. There is one class who obeys God, and does whatever He commands, and there is another class who does not obey God. This is what the Sabbath is about. Obedience. Regardless of how insignificant you may think it is (though it is not), it is a requirement of the worshiper of God to keep His Sabbath. It is about obedience. Will you obey God, or will you not? Will you accept the mark of the beast, or will you accept the Seal of God? You get one choice. Choose wisely.

Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Revelation 14:9-12 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. 12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

 

[Wormwood]

I would encourage all of you to read Acts 15. No where do we see the early Jewish Christians requiring Gentiles to observe the Sabbath as part of their covenant relationship with Christ. In fact, Paul expressly says we should not allow people to judge us according to days or feasts. Historically, we see Christians changing their day of worship and focus on the Lord to the first day of the week very early on. For those who think we are bound by the Sabbath, should we keep the feasts too? How about circumcision? Christ is our circumcision, the fulfillment of the feasts and our Sabbath rest. If you feel you need to rest on the Sabbath in order to please God, then I encourage you to do so. However, the law for Christians is summarized by loving God and loving others. There is not one command in all of the NT that defines our love for God as Sabbath-keeping.

 

[heretoeternity]

I would encourage all of you to read Acts 15. No where do we see the early Jewish Christians requiring Gentiles to observe the Sabbath as part of their covenant relationship with Christ. In fact, Paul expressly says we should not allow people to judge us according to days or feasts. Historically, we see Christians changing their day of worship and focus on the Lord to the first day of the week very early on. For those who think we are bound by the Sabbath, should we keep the feasts too? How about circumcision? Christ is our circumcision, the fulfillment of the feasts and our Sabbath rest. If you feel you need to rest on the Sabbath in order to please God, then I encourage you to do so. However, the law for Christians is summarized by loving God and loving others. There is not one command in all of the NT that defines our love for God as Sabbath-keeping.

Read acts 15 and you will see if refers to the law of Moses, the sacrificial, ceremonial, feast, circumcision, cleanliness, food laws, 613 in total
you are confusing these with God's ten commandments, which are separate altogether...The seventh day sabbath is part of the ten commandments, as the fourth commandment...and

Remember Salvation is through the Son of God, His grace and commandments, and not the sun god/satan and his days of sunday, dec 25th and easter, all of which are non Biblical and of pagan origin.

 

[Wormwood]

Show me where the Jewish people distinguished between the 10 Commandments and the rest of the law. As for the celebration of Christmas and Easter, I see nothing wrong with taking a pagan holiday and using it as an opportunity to celebrate and focus on Jesus instead of pagan gods. Some of the hymns you sing were written to old drinking tunes. Nothing wrong with taking something bad and turning into something that glorifies God.

 

[heretoeternity]

Maybe you do not see anything wrong with trying to play God, and make things holy. I am under the impression God is the only one who can make things Holy and tell us how He wants to be worshipped.(the only true Holy day is the seventh day Sabbath, right from the beginning in Genesis 2). However if you want to play god, thats YOUR choice..god gave us free will..but you should not try to misrepresent the word of God to suit your own agenda..and remember

Salvation is through the Son of God, His grace and commandments and NOT the sun god/satan and his days of sunday,dec 25th and easter, all of which are non Biblical and of pagan origin.

 

[Wormwood]

No one is playing God. Acts 15 says nothing about Gentiles observing the Sabbath. They were ONLY required to abstain from sexual immorality, idolatry and blood. Perhaps you are adding to the word of God by mandating Christians follow the old covenant regulations and judging people with regards to days of the week.

“Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” (Colossians 2:16–17, ESV)

Perhaps you are playing God by suggesting that Jesus is not our Sabbath rest but that true rest is really only found through Sabbath observations....in opposition to the clear teaching in Hebrews 4.

“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.” (Hebrews 4:9–10, ESV)

In fact, the book of Galatians makes it quite obvious that those Gentiles who were seeking to be justified by law were falling from grace. There is not one mention of Sabbath observations being a requirement for these believers, but only faith working itself out in love. Thus, in light of zero NT commands for Christians to observe the Sabbath, and NUMEROUS texts that clearly state that we are not to be judged by such days and that some consider all days the same, which is not condemned........who is trying to "make things holy?" Christ makes us holy, not our observance of the Sabbath.

Pagan origin? By that rationale, the NT is of pagan origin. The first attempt at a NT canon was a heretic gnostic named Marcion. Also, you better throw your computer away. After all, all greed is idolatry. Your computer was not made to glorify God, but for the purpose of a company trying to make money off their product.

“πάντα καθαρὰ τοῖς καθαροῖς· τοῖς δὲ μεμιαμμένοις καὶ ἀπίστοις οὐδὲν καθαρόν, ἀλλὰ μεμίανται αὐτῶν καὶ ὁ νοῦς καὶ ἡ συνείδησις.” (Titus 1:15, NA27)

 

[Raeneske]

I would encourage all of you to read Acts 15. No where do we see the early Jewish Christians requiring Gentiles to observe the Sabbath as part of their covenant relationship with Christ. In fact, Paul expressly says we should not allow people to judge us according to days or feasts. Historically, we see Christians changing their day of worship and focus on the Lord to the first day of the week very early on. For those who think we are bound by the Sabbath, should we keep the feasts too? How about circumcision? Christ is our circumcision, the fulfillment of the feasts and our Sabbath rest. If you feel you need to rest on the Sabbath in order to please God, then I encourage you to do so. However, the law for Christians is summarized by loving God and loving others. There is not one command in all of the NT that defines our love for God as Sabbath-keeping.

Acts 15:28-29 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; 29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

It would be absurd to think this means that Christians can now commit murder, steal, and lie to each other because of this passage. Yet this same passage is applied to yet another commandment in the Great Moral Law, to mean that we can now break God's Sabbath.

The passage in question regarding people judging us in regards to feast days, has nothing to do with the obligatory moral law. Yes, we are obligated to spend time with our Creator each and every single week. It is within the Moral Law. How can one love someone supremely, but refuse to set aside that special time that is needed for the relationship to foster and grow? No, this obligation is not a dread, any more than the obligation to be honest with your neighbor is. It is a blessing to be with God upon the day He specifically set apart for us.

The sabbaths in which Paul speaks of were not part of the Moral Law. The 7th Day Sabbath however is part of the Moral Law. We need not group every single law into place when we hear the word "law" or "Sabbath". Then we just may make the erroneous mistake that the 10 Commandments, which are laws, are nailed to the cross. Murder nailed to the cross? Adultery nailed to the cross? Of course not. Context is key.