Jesus was Jew and kept, and fulfilled, the Jewish Law. We are not Jews. We are under the New Covenant not the Old Covenant.
The first Jew was about 2500 years in the future when this was stated…
Gen 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
Gen 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
Gen 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
Not a Jew in sight and Abimelech (a gentile king) knew that adultery was sin…
Gen 20:9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.
Rom 5:13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Rom 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
Death reigned from Adam to Moses?
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Gen 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
Sin lies at the door?
Rom 4:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
Plainly, sin was recognized as the transgression of the law and it existed from Adam to Moses. Now, Paul plainly says that without law there is no sin.
Jewish law?
Exo 20:1 And God spake all these words, saying,
And then continued to give the Ten Commandments.
By the way , it seems apparent you do not know what the New Covenant is…
Heb 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Heb 8:9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
Heb 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
A direct quote from…
Jer 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Jer 31:32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
Jer 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
The Old Testament written law has been replaced by the New Testament law "written not in ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets that are hearts of flesh." (
2 Cor 3:3).
Hmmm, our Lord and Savior and Author of the New Covenant says…
Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Mat 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
And just to make sure which law He is speaking of…
Mat 19:16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
Mat 19:17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life,
keep the commandments.
Yes but which Commandments? (Same thing the wealthy young man asked)
Mat 19:18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
Mat 19:19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Nowhere in the NT are we instructed to keep the Jewish Sabbath.
Two problems with this statement…
1.) The Sabbath is not Jewish…
Lev 23:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev 23:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them,
Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations,
even these are my feasts.
Lev 23:3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
Exo 20:10 But the seventh day is the
sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
“But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up, and said, ‘It is necessary to circumcise them, and to charge them to keep the law of Moses.’" (Acts 15:5).
The decision was to do neither so clearly they did not ask anyone to continue to observe the Sabbath. And they didn't.
There is a difference between circumcision, the Law of Moses and the Law of God. I will address this difference a little further down.
Paul says “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 only a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.” (Col 2:16-17).
Paul did not expect anyone to keep the Sabbath or be judged for not keeping it. It was a shadow of what was to come in Christ
Paul did expect them to keep it, He said not to let anyone judge you for
KEEPING it. This was written 20 some years after the death, burial and crucifixion of Christ and Paul plainly says it is a shadow of something YET (that means future) to come.
“Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Master is able to make him stand. One man esteems one day as better than another, while another man esteems all days alike. Let every one be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it in honour of the Lord.” (Rom 14:4-6).
If Sabbath keeping was mandatory this is surely a place for Paul to mention it.
You assume Xmas is to be kept, (it is not, but that is a completely different thread) so do you have to restate it every year? The Sabbath was never a question and very little is written about it in the New Testament. The Sabbath was one of the Ten Commandments. Now the subject of circumcision, which is NOT one of the Commandments, required a church conference and James (the head of the New Testament church) had to write a decree concerning it. If the Sabbath was changed or abolished, why are the Apostles completely silent on the subject?
Furthermore, Rom 14 is not about the Sabbath or clean and unclean meats. What is the subject?
Rom 14:1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
Rom 14:2
For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
Rom 14:3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
Rom 14:4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
Judging one another for vegetarianism. What about observing the day?
Rom 14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
Rom 14:6 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. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
Read verse 6, it is about setting aside a day of fasting. Notice that regarding the day is connected with eating or not eating. Notice a little further down the chapter…
Rom 14:15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.
Rom 14:16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Rom 14:18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.
Rom 14:19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
Rom 14:20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.
Rom 14:21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.
Rom 14:22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
Rom 14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
Notice the word for meat in verse 20 is…
G1033
βρῶμα
brōma
bro'-mah
From the base of G977; food (literally or figuratively), especially (ceremonial) articles allowed or forbiden by the Jewish law: - meat, victuals.
Food. Not meat but any food.
In the whole of Hebrews the word Sabbath appears just once, in Heb 4:9. And it does not say the Sabbath day but Sabbath rest. Indeed Hebrews 4:1-11 is about rest, about entering into God’s rest.
2.) Heb 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
What is the word for rest here? It is different and the only time it is used in Bible, the word is G4520: Sabbatismos and means “a keeping of the Sabbath”. It is derived from G4521
G4521
σάββατον
sabbaton
sab'-bat-on
Of Hebrew origin [H7676]; the Sabbath (that is, Shabbath), or day of weekly repose from secular avocations (also the observance or institution itself); by extension a se'nnight, that is, the interval between two Sabbaths; likewise the plural in all the above applications: - sabbath (day), week.
And in every case is used as the Sabbath day, not some nebulous rest.
Now remember what Paul says in Col 2:17 – “the substance belongs to Christ”.
“Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Mt 11:28-29).
The Sabbath rest is fulfilled in Christ. This is why Jesus declared himself the Lord of the Sabbath (Mt 12:8).
Heb 4:1-3
1 Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest remains, let us fear lest any of you be judged to have failed to reach it.
2 For good news came to us just as to them; but the message which they heard did not benefit them, because it did not meet with faith in the hearers.
3. For we who have believed enter that rest,”
We enter that rest (God’s rest) by faith (in Christ) not by Sabbath keeping. Those who fail to enter his rest fail because of lack of faith/disobedience (Heb 3:19, 4:6)
The Sabbath day, points to, is a shadow of the 1000 year reign of Christ we call the Millenium. The week is a shadow of the 7000 year plan of God, 6000 years for man to do His works and then a Millenium of rest brought about by Christ and His Kingdom. The substance of the Sabbath is the Millenial rest of Christ and the Sabbath is the weekly shadow of the things YET to come…
Col 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.