whitestone said:
Unless you are filled with the Spirit of Christ now and forevermore, you can only imagine the true Sabbath Rest. Until then, the verses you cited are only "types" and "shadows" of the True Sabbath fulfilled in Christ. Don't confuse natural with Spiritual. The true Sabbath is perfect only in the Ultimate, which is in Spirit of course. This is the difference between being "of the letter under the law" compared to we who are of the Spirit Given to know and receive all things and Rest Now in Christ. Living Now in the Land of Promise, all by Faith, all by the Spirit of Christ, our Head. O that you could see what I see dear brother!
Peace
(1Co 15:46)
Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
The Law of God, the 10 Commandments, are an eternal reality. The Sabbath Commandment, was not classed with the Moral Law by a mere whim of God. The other 9 Commandments have eternally binding claims, for the goodness and wellbeing of all mankind to be in harmony. The Sabbath Commandment is no different in regards to the eternal realities of it. One Day out of the Seven to spend entirely with the Creator God, and close fellowship with others whilest glorifying God, is not sin. It is a statement of our love, and dedication to Him, that we will take time out of our supposedly busy lives, and spend an entire day with Him.
Thegoodground said:
The Sabbath Law - what was it?
Gen 2:2-3 God rested on seventh day and blessed and sanctified it.
Exodus 35:2 Command given to make it a holy day of rest to Yahweh – if worked you would die!
Exodus 20:8-11 Six days to work, seven to rest as God did.
Num 15:30-31 Any ignore Gods laws with a high hand will be cut off
-35 Man gathering sticks on seventh day.
Mark 2:27 Sabbath day made for man to teach him principles.
How long did God intend this Sabbath Law to continue?
Exodus 31:16-17KJV God only intended law to continue for a hidden period.
Gal 3:19 Law was only
added till seed should come.
Gal 3:24 It was given as a school master to bring us to Christ
Why Don’t we need to keep Sabbath Law today?
Gal 3:24 Law was given to bring us to Christ
Heb 10:1 Law a shadow not substance
Col 2:17 Sabbath a shadow of things to come
Gal 2:14 Question asked why Gentiles should live as Jews
Rom 3:19 Only applied to those
under the law.
Col 2:14 Christ took the law out of the way
Gal 3:19 Law a teacher till Christ comes
Gal 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law
2 Cor 3:6 Keep the spirit of the law not the letter.
Num 28:8 Priest did double the work on Sabbath day and were blameless
John 5:16-17 Christ worked on the Sabbath day doing his fathers work which was to restore then Sabbath rest.
We must keep Sabbath principles seven days a week - Christ fulfilled the Sabbath principles everyday as per Isaiah 58:13,14
“Christ kept the Sabbath Principles perfectly”
John 5:30 Refrained from doing his pleasure
Psalm 40:8 Saw law of God as a delight
John 17:4 Honoured his Father always
John 4:34 Ceased from doing his own works
John 14:10 Did not speak his own words
Heb 4:9-10 There remains a Sabbath keeping for us.
John 5:16-17 Man broke the Sabbath in Eden – Christ sent to restore it.
Raeneske, once a complete view of the Law is revealed to you, its sacrifices, the holy days, feasts and every letter, you will cease to keep days and weeks or years, but rather focus as Christ did - for what did he say?
John 5:17.
And why did he say it?
Because those ignorant men in John 5:16 could not see everything contained within this post...they did what you are doing....upholding a religious system, rather than practicising truth.
Keep on defending whatever religious body you belong too, but know this, and know it well, when Christ comes be very prepared for repentence and change or perish.
TGG.
Okay, let’s look at the verses you presented.
In Genesis we do find that God then blessed the 7th Day Sabbath, and made it Holy. In Exodus 35:2, we find that the law breaker of the Sabbath was put to death. Much like those who broke the Commandment of adultery, was surely to be put to death.
Leviticus 20:10 - And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
We find in Exodus 20:8-11 the 4th Commandment. Here we can find that God did in fact set apart the Sabbath Day for Holy use, and we can find that the Sabbath Commandment bears the signature of the Lord of God over all of His creation. In Numbers 15:30-35, we can find God’s distaste for Sabbath breakers. In Mark 2:23-28 we can see that Jesus says the Sabbath is made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. The Sabbath Day was supposed to be a day of rest that man could spend with his Creator. There was no need for a man to starve himself on the Sabbath day – how would starving oneself be restful? It is a day to recuperate, not starve yourself from basic human needs.
Exodus 3:16-17 show that indeed the Sabbath was a perpetual covenant. Greater truth could be understood here when one recognizes the binding claims of the Sabbath. As it was perpetual, for Israel, and all their generations to come. We, though not the literal physical Israel, are Israel of the Spirit. All those who were Christ’s seed were to become Abrahams seed as well, and heirs according to the promise. Also, we are grafted in with natural Israel, though we were at first wild olives. Galatians 3:19-24 refers to a law that was added
because of transgressions. Is worshipping God only something that was added because of sin? Or is that something that was an eternal reality? It’s an eternal reality. Christ was the seed that was promised to come
because of sin, thus the law of sacrifices was added. Sacrificing animals was never something that was an eternal reality. But, not murdering, or not worshipping other Gods? That is
very eternal. 9/10 Precepts, I’m sure many would agree are eternally binding, whether they say we should focus on the law, or not. It matters not, these are eternally binding claims, that promote peace, unity, and harmony within God’s Universe. God purposely, not arbitrarily, classed the Sabbath Commandment with the Eternal Law of God.
Now, let’s apply the eternal realities, to the next verses you stated. Galatians 2:24 does state that the law was to bring people to Christ, but even the OT sacrifices were to bring people to Christ. The lamb of God, without blemish, all these were perfect realities, to teach one of the accomplishment Jesus Christ was to do. The ceremonial law, was a shadow of things to come. It only preached Christ to the best of a shadow’s ability. The 10 Commandments also are related to Christ, but not as shadows. They are a direct transcript of Jesus Christ. His love for His Father and His Love for humanity are portrayed in the Commandments. Those who mimic Christ, will do the same, obeying the precepts that command our love of God, and obeying the precepts which command out love towards humanity. Colosians 2:17 warrants the same type of response. Galatians 2:14 shows an example of Jews imposing Jewish rites, and customs upon Gentile converts; Jews had no right to impose things such as circumcision upon the new Gentile believers. The Law of God, is not something that was solely classed for humanity. Even the angels keep the commandments of God (the real ones, at least), which you can find in
Psalm 103:20 - Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Clearly then, the commandments of God are not the issue of that which was being pushed onto the Gentiles. Romans 3:19 does not say that the law only applies to them that are under the law, as that would contradict the testimony in Romans 3:31. The final comment in this chapter asks if the Law of God is gone, because of our faith. “God forbid” is the answer. Once again, Colossians 2:14 is not saying Christ took away the 10 Commandment Law, but rather the laws contained in ordinances, that being the ceremonial laws. Christ does not nail “Thou shalt not kill” to the cross.
Galatians 3:13 is a strong point. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law. Now, what is the curse of the law? The Law itself? Absolutely not.
Deuteronomy 11:27-28 A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.
It is indeed the spirit of the law, which gives life, as the letter kills according to 2nd Corinthians 3:6. But, if you keep the Spirit of the Law, you shall also be keeping the letter of the law, instead of aiming straightway for the letter, and forgetting the spirit of the law.
Numbers 28:8 is not an argument for not keeping the Sabbath. The priests did/do perform more work, teaching their congregations on the Sabbath day. Is this sin? To those who cannot see past the letter, probably. But to those who can see the spirit of the law, can understand that it is not God’s will that the up building of His Kingdom shall be put away for an entire day. Why, this was the perfect day to serve God. Certainly then, there is no sin in doing spiritual work on the Sabbath Day. This same thing can be said for John 5:15-16. Except I would take John 5:15-16 back to encompass more, that being John 5:14-19. Christ healed a man, and showed that the man’s issue came upon him because of his sins. Hence, Christ forgave the man saying “Go, and sin no more”. What more ways could God be glorified on the Sabbath Day than this? A sinner healed, brought to repentance to be once again reconciled with our Father in Heaven. Certainly then, this neither is an argument for not keeping the Sabbath.
The Sabbath principles, you have stated were in Isaiah 58:13-14. If anyone was to look at these principles, and took all the principles of the Sabbath in, they would see the utter impossibility it was to keep the Sabbath Day for 7 days a week. Not doing your own pleasure, nor your own thoughts? Goodbye video games, television, football, hanging out with friends, etc. Not to mention, even bothering to go to a secular job.
As for the positives, Christ did in fact keep the Sabbath perfectly. That’s our sinless Saviour for you. As for Hebrews 4:9-10, you are right, there
does remain a Sabbath keeping for us. If Jesus had given us rest, wouldn’t he also have spoken of
another day. Here still shows the binding claims of the Sabbath. Show me where Jesus contended with the Pharisees for any other day being Sabbath other than the Sabbath Day. And did He not himself state the Sabbath was made for man, and that not a jot or tittle in the law should change? What about in Hebrews 4:4, where it shows God was speaking about the 7th day? Of course there still remains a keeping Sabbath for us, that’s what I have been trying to state this entire time. John 5:16-17 does not make any sense, because you said something about Adam and Eve breaking the Sabbath. I’m sure then, that would have been the cause of their fall if they indeed have.
The religious men in Jesus’s day, couldn’t even keep the Sabbath. There error was not keeping the Sabbath, but rather their legalistic opinions, and them making void the law of God, where the Law of God is eternal. The Law of God still stands, and shall stand for all eternity.