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| What is the Sabbath? |
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According to scripture it is a day of rest and reflection on the Lord. It is also one of the 10 Commandments. We as a nation have fallen away from teaching or keeping this one commandment. How many of us can truthfully say, we keep the Sabbath? Refraing from doing regular things, working for our selves, how many of us honor the Lord on the sabbath by meditating on Him.
We Christians teach our kids:
Honor the Lord, Don't worship idols, Don't worship any other god but HIM, Don't use His name in vain, Honor your father and mother, Don't murder, Don't commit adultry, Don't steal, Don't lie about people, Don't covet other people things,
But never about keeping the Sabbath. At least this is what I remeber growing up.
What we need is another Nehemiah to open the ears of the people, but I fear that most of the Christians would rebel and stone him, not with rocks, but with insults and accusations,
Things like, we are under grace, we don't have to keep the commandments, we are not under the law, we go to church on sunday, god changed the sabbath to sunday, the sabbath is made for man, ect.
Making comments they don't even understand the truth about.
Let me know your thoughts.......... |
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Grant |
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March 22, 2008 at 10:38pm |
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 A day? Where is that in the New Testament please? In the Old Testament people were commanded to take a particular day each week for bodily rest. However, that did not solve the dilemma of rest for the soul. Mental, emotional and spiritual rest can certainly be aided by bodily rest, but that is not the whole answer.
There is only one command in the entire New Testament regarding rest. Neither Jesus nor his disciples commanded any particular day of the week, Saturday or Sunday. Instead, Jesus said, come to me all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. What kind of rest was he talking about. He spoke of the kind of rest that a physical day off or even meticulous religious regulations (such as strict Sabbath observance) cannot give, rest for our souls. Rest for our souls is not available in a day and certainly not in burdensome man-made religious rules. It is only available in a person. If we want rest for our souls, we must come to Jesus!
The New Testament mentions no Sabbath day in the form of a "thou shalt" or command at all. It matter of factly reports Jesus or Paul going into a Synagogue on that day, but never commands it for Christians. It also matter of factly reports certain activities that could be related to Sunday worship, but never commands that day for Christians either.
Is bodily rest good? Absolutely! Is it mandated in order to maintain your status as a saved Christian? Nowhere! The only Sabbath that is mandated in the entirety of the New Testament is our rest in Christ now and for eternity (Matthew 11:28-30; Hebrews 4).
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Grant-
New Testament: Mat 12:8 , Mat 24:20 , Luk 23:56, Act 1:12, Act 13:42 , Act 13:44, Act 17:2, Heb 4:4,
"There is only one command"
Matt: 22:36-40, Mk 12:28-31, 1Jn 3:24, 2Jn 1:6
Historically, Christians worshiped the Lord on the Sabbath all the way up until Constantine changed the day for Christians to worship on SUNday, to appease the sun worshippers, and to convert them, but allowing them to keep their own traditions, and forbade worship on the Sabbath, just like the Lord told Daniel it would happen.
"Is it mandated in order to maintain your status as a saved Christian?"
Even Christ keep the commandments, Love the Lord with all of your heart, and love your neighbor.
Love the Lord is the first 4 commandments:
No other gods before HIM, No graven images, Don't take the Lord's name in vain, and Remeber the Sabbath for it is Holy.
Love your neighbor is the last 6 commandments:
Honor your father and mother, Don't murder, Don't commit adultery, Don't steal, Don't lie about your neighbor, Don't covet your neighbors stuff,
As to will you be sent to Hades for not keeping the Sabbath, I hope not, but I do know there is a deeper walk with Christ, when we follow His example, for some will remeain as children staying on the milk, but He desires us to wake up and to start eating with the adults, the meat laid before us. Yes we are to come to His as children, trusting Him fully, but Paul also writes, in 1Co 3:2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
He calls us to maturity in Him, but with that calling is a greater responsibilty. For it is said in Heb 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
Before we know the truth, God winks at the sin, but once we have been shown what the Lord has asked us to do, it is a time of repentance and change. Act 17:30 |
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Grant |
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March 23, 2008 at 2:28pm |
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 I appreciate your perspective. I used to believe the same when I was spiritually younger in Christ. I hope you don't mind that I disagree. We don't have to all agree with each other. In the end of the day, we are judged by Christ and not each other. I sincerely believe as I do now and believe that it is a stage of growth in Christ to listen to the multitude of counsel from church history. There are many wonderful explanations on this very topic throughout Christian history.
Of course the place to begin is in Holy Scripture. Starting with Christ's interpretation of the law in the Sermon on the Mount through to Paul's explanation of circumcision being of the heart, we see that the spirit of all 613 OT Commandments can be kept by the Christian, without the need to keep them in the letter or the flesh.
Some object to this with commands like adultery and stealing. However, the letter of any law also allows loopholes, whereas the spirit does not. The Pharisees kept Torah more strictly than any Christian in the letter, but also found loads of loopholes to disobey the spirit. So, the spirit even of these laws is far superior to the letter.
Today, as I have grown in Christ, I have learned that the letter is weak, the flesh is worldly and that only the keeping of the Old Testament law in the spirit counts with Christ. You are certainly entitled to your opinion and I respect the Holy Spirit's timing in bringing this understanding to your attention when he sees fit. One day you will come to understand this, even though you do not believe it now.
In the meantime, a word of advice -- don't be so quick to judge people by things that you do not fully understand -- be just a little bit humble and realize that you may not know all the answers.
Blessings, Grant. |
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Thankyou, I am still learning, as we all shall, till the day our Redeemer returns. I am not trying to keep all of the laws, only the Commandments, the others were fulfilled on Calvary. My reasoning is in Matt. though
Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law (nomos-Moses' 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 (nomos-Moses' Law), till all be fulfilled. (Sacrifice of the lamb- Day of attonement)
Mat 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments (entolē- 10 Commandments by God's finger, Ex 20:1-17), 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. Mat 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
As to judging each other, He does call us to judge with-in the body
1Co 5:10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 1Co 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. 1Co 5:12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?1Co 5:13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
when Paul writes in his letters not to judge, keep in context of his writtings, he is speaking of the dietary laws, and of the other laws of Moses. |
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Rob |
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March 27, 2008 at 5:12pm |
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Grant,
You have an ability to express yourself that exceeds mine. We bloggers must be like ants to you!
Seriously, though, your point is excellent (as always) and I would only add that under the New Covenant, the true Sabbath is a "Day" - a day called "To day". In other words, the Lord of the Sabbath is indeed Lord of the Sabbath because He ushered in what I refer to as the "Age of the Sabbath" - better known as the kingdom of God.
You rightly say that the Lord of the Sabbath, by His perfect sacrifice, saved us from "works righteousness". The people who believe that are the only ones who are "keeping the Sabbath". People who believe that the Sabbath is a "day of the week" are interpreting the New Covenant in light of the Old. That is, they are viewing the Law of Moses with a veil over their hearts.
The veil is lifted only when the heart turns to God. If the heart is still on man then Christianity becomes a list of dos and don'ts that we use to make ourselves acceptable to God. Hence the emphasis on what I have to do to keep myself saved (or whatever the logic is behind works righteousness).
There have always been two camps in the church. Paul's theology is radically different from what traditional Christianity has characterized it for thousands of years. There is no harmony between the theology of the "establishment church" and "Paul's gospel". There was no harmony of faith in the first century and there will not be harmony till Jesus returns. Like the Wheat and the Tares, the "faith righteous" and the "works righteous" will grow up together in the same field until harvest time.
James the Just taught that we are "justified by what we do" (see Jas. 2:24) and Paul maintained that "by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified" and again "the righteous shall live by faith" and all those other Old Testament scriptures that tell of the real righteousness of God.
Hebrews 3 and 4 explains what the Sabbath is all about if you believe it. If you don't believe it, then it's back to the schoolmaster for you, young man! - back to the Law. The "Christian Sabbath" (if I may) is an age or era - not a "day of the week" or a "place in the sand".
Or so it seems to me,
Rob |
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Grant, Paul teaches that we are saved by grace, not by following Moses Law, and James expounds on this by stating that our relationship with the Lord is more than faith, he states that faith without works (fruits) is dead. Basically if you "say" you have faith, but your fruits are rotten, then you are a liar. So if you want to throw out the book of James, as by your tone.......because you don't understand his principles, is a mistake. as to the chapters in Hebrews, I see what you mean, if you take it out of context, as to an era, this is a theology of error, for it is not in the Word of the Lord, but is in dis-obedience to His Word. He is the Lord of the Sabbath. This saying of Christ never states that we no longer observe the Sabbath, but He stated that the ruling Jews were white-washing their own lives, while their hearts were on their power over people by intimidation, instead of on the Lord in service. When He died on the cross, He fulfilled all of the LAW of Moses, but the Commandments are still in force. The Commandments were never to be a list of do's and don'ts, but rather a guide line of our love, just as in a marriage, if you loved your wife, you would WANT to do the do's and don'ts I WANT to not have any other gods beside my G-D
I WANT to not bow down before any idol, or have any graven image. I WANT to not use my Lord's name in vain. I WANT to a day of rest and dedicate my self to Him on that day. I WANT to honor my mother and father. I WANT to not murder, or even hate my brother. I WANT to not have an affair, or even look on another woman with lust. I WANT to not steal. I WANT to not tell a lie about my neighbor. Will I fail these, of course I will, I am born in sin, but by His grace, I have been forgiven. All I have to do is ask for His forgiveness, and turn from doing it again. It is when we continue in our sins, and get a calloused heart, and refuse to listed to the Holy Ghost working on our consciousness, that He will turn us to our reprobate minds, and thus allowing Satan have is work in us, unto death (physical and spiritual) No as to your comment at the beginning, why do you allow the enemy to work through you in such condescending language. |
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Rob |
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March 28, 2008 at 3:27pm |
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Gary,
You just did what I always do. I'm glad it's not just me :)
You replied to my reply and not to Grant's. Grant's post is much less abrasive. He's a pretty great guy - I'm a little less so.
Regarding "throwing out the book of James": I think that would be unfortunate. Martin Luther wanted to throw it out because it is such a faithless tome but I think it's good to have both sides represented.
Where did God say, "See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil". God is all about choices. So I think it's healthy to have the book of James in the bible. It's a true representation of James' Nazarite theology.
Be that as it may...
In your reply (above) you said, "This saying of Christ never states that we no longer observe the Sabbath..." I agree.
In my reply (above) I said, "The people who believe that [Jesus' perfect sacrifice saved us from 'works righteousness'] are the only ones who are 'keeping the Sabbath'". Keeping the Sabbath is the goal. Which one is doing it?
According to the book of Hebrews, this "Sabbath rest for the people of God" is reserved for only those who believe that Jesus blotted out that handwriting of ordinances, nailed it to the cross, and took it out of the way. We don't have to "celebrate the Sabbath Day" as a day of the week anymore because, thanks to Jesus, the Sabbath Day is EVERYDAY, bless God! But only if you believe it. If you don't believe it, then for you it is not a reality and you must revert back to the old code. It's that simple. I can't state it any clearer than that.
Jesus gives us whatever we wish (John 15:7). If you wish to observe the Law then go, go, go. If, on the other hand, you believe that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law (Torah or whatever they're calling it) then that's a valid lifestyle as well. The question is, which lifestyle is "of faith" and which is "of works"?
That's a judgment call that each individual has to make for him/herself.
Or so it seems to me,
Rob |
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| oops, sorry Grant, as Rob said, I read the reply from incorrectly. |
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