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Post by Brother Ben on Feb 9, 2010 13:06:43 GMT -5
We have alot of Messianics and Sabbath Keepers here in the "sticks" of Tennessee, so this is a topic I have addressed several times. The following is my two cents worth, (so just add $1.40, and MAYBE you can get a cup of coffee with it.)
Exd 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
As one of my professors in college said, the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. Thus as God dealt with his people in the OT, he gave them many things, tabernacles, altars, special days, sacred items, the Promised Land, etc.
When he gave them the Sabbath Day, he was serious about their need to "keep" the Sabbath because it was a special point of connection between He and they. Sabbath, which means, rest, was pictoral of the day they would no longer sojourn as strangers in a strange land, but would "tabernacle" with Him in peace.
But, like the many "things" they had to remind them about the importance of their relationship with Him, "things" never did fulfill the truest essence of relationship. No, this was going to have to be done in a more personal way.
Gal 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, Gal 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Enter, Jesus Christ, the Messiah of Israel. Little did they know that the Promised One had come to give them "rest" (sabbath.)
Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Mat 11:30 For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light. Mat 12:1 ¶ At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. Mat 12:2 But when the Pharisees saw [it], they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. Mat 12:3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; Mat 12:4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? Mat 12:5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? Mat 12:6 But I say unto you, That in this place is [one] greater than the temple. Mat 12:7 But if ye had known what [this] meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. Mat 12:8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
With the coming of Christ "rest" went from being a "day" to being a "person." This is why Jesus said, "Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. The Jews knew the "letter" of the law, but they did not know the "spirit" of the law. Jesus Christ was the New Testament fulfillment of the Sabbath Day, just as he was the NT fulfillment of the Lamb of sacrifice.
Col 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath [days]: Col 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body [is] of Christ.
You'll notice that Paul met with the Jews on the Sabbath because that was the day they met together and he could appeal to many at once, because the gospel is to the Jew first, then to the Gentile.
As to the day of meeting, worship, prayer, communion, and offering, Paul made it clear for those under the New Covenant:
Act 20:7 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. 1Cr 16:2 Upon the first [day] of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as [God] hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
So, to sum it up in a nutshell, the OT Sabbath was a day of religious observance, the NT Sabbath is the privilege of relationship.
Ben
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Post by kjvsteve on Feb 9, 2010 20:02:15 GMT -5
I've always been a little confused with the whole Sabbath day/Lords Day Saturday/Sunday and just generally what a Christian rest day should look like today. When talking sabbath, I always remember the words of the Lord in Jeremiah, which show how serious this is, to wit; But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched. [Jeremiah 17:27] I was thankful to receive a booklet last year entitled 'Remember the Lords Day' by Peter Masters [Pastor Metropolitan Tabernacle]. In his book, Masters notes; The new Lords day did not continue the extra duties and symbolic rites of worship given to Moses, but it preserved the vital essence of the fourth commandment, which included the following reasons and purposes:
(1) God's reserving of one day out of every seven is a creation decree, and also one of the ten commandments, which are abiding moral law, written by the finger of God.
(2) There must, therefore, always be a day of commemoration of creation.
(3) There must continue to be a day for worship and instruction.
(4) There must continue to be a day for remembering and proclaiming redemption, now in Christ. Proclamation is a particular element of the day, for Christ displayed and explained the works of God on sabbaths, and so must we by the evangelisation of adults and children. One of the reasons that churches find it so hard to restart Sunday schools for the young is that ease and recreation has invaded the Sundays of many believers.
(5) There must continue to be a day of rest for all workers, so that they also may benefit from (1) to (4). This precludes the unnecessary use by Christians of Sunday trading industries, whether shops, restaurants, filling stations or recreational facilities. (Deuteronomy 5:14 That thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.)
(6) Like the sabbath, observance of the Lords Day is a witness to the world.
(7) It is also a shaping, sanctifying practice, ordering the priorities of Gods people.
Thomas Watson said about sabbath morning; You must dress your souls for hearing the word. As the people of Israel were to wash themselves before the law was delivered to them, so we must wash and cleanse our souls; and that is done by reading, meditation, and prayer.John Calvin urged upon Christians 'the complete death of self' on Sunday, along with the putting aside of all distracting activities, in order to be filled by God. He also says that 'having spent Sunday in praising and glorifying the Name of God and meditating on his works, then, throughout the rest of the week, we should show that we have benefited from it'. Finally, in the Confession of faith 1689, it says; Article 22 Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day7) As it is the law of nature, that in general a proportion of time, by God's appointment, be set apart for the worship of God, so by his Word, in a positive moral, and perpetual commandment, binding all men, in all ages, he hath particularly appointed one day in seven for a sabbath to be kept holy unto him, which from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ was the last day of the week, and from the resurrection of Christ was changed into the first day of the week, which is called the Lord's day: and is to be continued to the end of the world as the Christian Sabbath, the observation of the last day of the week being abolished. (Exod. 20:8; 1 Cor. 16:1, 2; Acts 20:7; Rev. 1:10) 8) The sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering their common affairs aforehand, do not only observe an holy rest all day, from their own works, words and thoughts, about their worldly employment and recreations, but are also taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy. (Isa. 58:13; Neh. 13:15-22; Matt. 12:1-13) For me, The Lords Day is something I need to work on. It's been on my mind for some time, so I'm glad you brought the subject up, Ben I'd pinpoint Lords-day keeping as one of my biggest and most consistent failings. Still, I'm moving out of the family home in a couple of weeks, and I think that'll be a good opportunity to start keeping each and every entire Lords-Day FOR the Lord. Anyway, speaking of rest, it's 1am, so I'll have to say goodnight, Steve
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Post by Brother Randy on Feb 9, 2010 23:12:45 GMT -5
A few on here are probably old enough to remember when we has Blue laws on the books . Making a lot of business being open on Sundays small in number. Even bars could not open until after noon on Sunday.
I noted with interest in a article that was in a christian publican I get, " Germany's highest court has upheld a ban on most sunday shopping, overruling laws enacted in 2006 that allowed stores in Berlin to operate 19 sundays a year. the German constitution court noted that Sunday as a day of rest was not only based on Christian tradition , but also served a vital societal function by giving workers a day off and giving families more chances to spend time together. ( Religious News Service, Mennonite weekly Review, 12-14-09) "
It is amazing that even the world sees the need for a day of rest. When a lot of christian are out doing whatever. Now i do realize that there is a certain need for some to work on Sunday , but do think it can be limited, And like many I am sure I do things on Suday that could easily be done another day. But I do try to watch it as much as I can not too.
Just thoughts
Bro Randy
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Post by kjvsteve on Feb 10, 2010 10:25:22 GMT -5
A few on here are probably old enough to remember when we has Blue laws on the books . Making a lot of business being open on Sundays small in number. Even bars could not open until after noon on Sunday. I remember [just] the days in the UK when bars opened between 12 and 3pm, and then 7 - 10:30pm. Those days are well and truly gone. All day every day now. Our Labour government have finally admitted their 24 hour drinking law isn't working - their solution... 21 hour drinking. I am not joking! These turkeys think by forcing bars to close at 3am, and reopen at 6am it will solve all the drink problems in the country! Back to Sundays, I know large stores are limited to 6 hours of trading, but business as usual for small shops. Trade unions at the time agreed only agreed to a change in the law on the grounds that Sunday working would be strictly voluntary, with double time paid. Of course, that stipulation can never really be policed. Steve
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Post by George on Feb 10, 2010 13:20:30 GMT -5
You are correct Brother Randy. I have been in West Germany a number of times. The community I used to stay in was very small and composed mostly of farmers of one type or another. It was literally not possible to buy anything in that area on Sunday. The people in the community generally went out and bought what they were going to eat on any particular day fresh from the market. That meant that most Sundays the meal was composed of some kind of wurst (we call them sausages) and bread. That is unless there were leftovers from Saturday that could be warmed up. Interestingly enough the gasthaus was always open. A gasthaus is roughly our equivalent of a bar.
I try my very best to not do any kind of activity that could be considered work on Sunday. Occasionally I do have to dash out to the store to buy something. Other than that all I do is cook, wash dishes and things that are really necessary. Interestingly enough I have seen people leave Church and head to the grocery store or some other kind of store and then overheard them criticizing the store for being open on Sunday! My goodness, if they did not support the store by shopping on Sunday the store probably would not be open. As I said, I do occasionally go out and buy some kind of fresh produce or milk or something of that nature which I discover I need in order to cook something. I do try to hold it to a minimum.
By the same token I personally know people who come home from Church, promptly change into their everyday clothes and immediately go to work doing things I do not believe ought to be done on Sunday. I have a dear friend that used to do that. I worked on him for over a year to keep the sabbath or the Lord's Day or whatever one chooses to call it holy. After all, God gave us life, is it asking too much to reserve one day to honor and worship Him? Of course as it was stated in the thread earlier hopefully we will work everyday to honor God in all we do. Fortunately when we mess up we have an Advocate.
In Christ, George
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Post by Tammy on May 19, 2010 0:19:36 GMT -5
The Sabbath has been on my mind a lot lately. I know a family of Messianics, and they do not believe the Sabbath was abolished. They say that Constantine was the one who declared the Christians would meet on the first day of the week instead of the seventh day, so as not to appear Jewish.
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Post by Brother Ben on May 19, 2010 8:24:28 GMT -5
Sister Tammy, you know how the Messianics told you: This is typical adventist retoric. Of course we know the believers met on the first day of the week from...the Bible (I know you and Bro. Daniel know that.) Act 20:7 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. For what it is worth, one can research the comments of early church fathers, way before Constantine, and see that they met on the first day of the week, and sometimes many times a week. The term "Sabbath" derives from the Hebrew shabbat, "to cease" Rom 7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, [even] to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. In Christ, we are to cease trying to keep the law, and find our fulfillment in Him. Jesus Christ is our Sabbath, our Rest!
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Post by Tammy on May 21, 2010 13:35:39 GMT -5
Amen, Brother! And I just read Hebrews again. Jesus IS our Sabbath!
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Post by Tammy on Mar 17, 2011 23:33:57 GMT -5
Well, I think we've had a change of heart about this. Jesus is, of course, our spiritual Sabbath, but the fourth commandment seems to still stand, as written. We have studied and studied about this, and have found no place in the Bible where our day of worship was changed to Sunday. Regarding the two passages that mention the early church meeting on the first day of the week, take a look:
The word "day" in our Bible is italicized, meaning it was added in. That word "week" is from the Greek word, "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.
Acts 20:7 should read something like, "And upon the first of the sabbaths..."
Same applies to I Cor. 16:2.
I think there is more to it than Seventh-Day Adventist rhetoric. God blessed and hallowed the Seventh Day from the very beginning. There is never another day that God sanctified. The Sabbath was observed before the Law was ever given, and it will continue to be observed in the Millennial Reign (Is 66:22-23). Why would an unchanging God anull one of His own commandments?
It looks like God did not change the day, but man did!
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Post by Tammy on Mar 18, 2011 0:28:33 GMT -5
I keep coming back to this post, grappling with the way it comes across. I do not wish to cause contention. I do hope to stimulate more discussion on the subject, though!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2011 11:04:06 GMT -5
Here are my two cents, for what they are worth.
We have a Celebration of Sabbath patterned after the Jewish Shabbat ceremony which has helped the children to have a more tangible example of Sabbath celebration and separation all centered on Christ as Messiah-Savior, all to reverencing and worshipping Him. It is as a time to really observe and make holy a day unto the Lord, though we strive for this every day we aim for this with specific detailed attention in word and action on the Sabbath; this is Saturday evening to Sunday evening for us as the assembly we are a part of observes the Lord's day on Sunday.
We do believe their is to be a specific day with specifically focused attention as it is one of the Ten Commandments, though we do agree our true Sabbath is indeed found in the person of Jesus Christ. Our Sabbath observance is a day of Celebration and worship of the Lord and Risen Savior, a day of believer fellowship (in so much as we can find it), a day of study and instruction in and from God's word, and a day of rest and renual from the labors of the rest of the week. It helps us to set our relationship with God as a priority.
God has discerned us regarding this matter through the following scriptures:
Exodus 20:8-11 "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 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: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
(In a 7 day period we are to set aside and observe 1 day as Sabbath).
Colossians 2:16-17 "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ".
1 Corinthians 10:31 "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God".
In my understanding, thinking we must keep the 7th day or the 1st day is the letter of the law; keeping a Sabbath unto the Lord in worship of and communion with Christ is the spirit of the law.
Submitted in humility~Joanna
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Post by Brother John on Mar 22, 2011 17:29:30 GMT -5
Well, I think we've had a change of heart about this. Jesus is, of course, our spiritual Sabbath, but the fourth commandment seems to still stand, as written. We have studied and studied about this, and have found no place in the Bible where our day of worship was changed to Sunday. Sister Tammy, You said that "we've had a change of heart." I'm assuming that means you and your husband. Therefore, I'd like to take a few minutes here to address some issues and bring out some points for you both to consider regarding the issue of the sabbath. Let me just give you a little bit of background first. Soon after I got saved, I fell in with the Seventh Day Adventists. I was with them for about a year or so before the Lord sent some good brethren into my life to show me the error of my ways. Praise the Lord that He brought me out of that mess! However, for that year that I was a sabbatarian, I was absolutely convinced that I was obeying the scriptures and doing the right thing. My only motive was to obey and please God and I believed with all of my heart that I was doing so by keeping the sabbath. My heart and motives were pure and right in the matter. I believe that’s why the Lord had mercy in delivering me from that deception. My point is that often we believe things and do things for all the right reasons, but that doesn’t make the thing we believe and do necessarily right. Like they say, you can be sincere yet be sincerely wrong. I have no doubt that you and your husband have the same pure intentions before God that I did. I also believe that you want truth. That's why I'm writing this now, with a desire to be a blessing to you. I am also very well aware of Constantine, his edicts and his corrupting influence upon the church. This is a favorite point of argument used by sabbatarians. Although there is truth to it, that truth is twisted to arrive at a false conclusion. Let’s bypass Constantine, Rome and the church fathers for a moment and take a look at our final authority in all matters of faith and practice. In the end, the ONLY thing that matters is, “What saith the scriptures?” In order to have a correct scriptural understanding of the sabbath and how it pertains to us as New Testament saints, it is absolutely essential to have the proper foundation in regards to Biblical interpretation. Invariably, incorrect ideas about the sabbath and other similar issues arise out of some misunderstandings concerning basic and fundamental scriptural truths. The first of those truths is found in 2 Timothy 2:15: "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."So then, there are right and proper division in the scriptures. The most obvious being that of the Old Testament and the new, or the old covenant and new. We know that the Old Testament is just as much scripture as is the new. Not only that, but it is written for our learning and admonition (Romans 15:4;1 Cor. 10:11). After all, the Old Testament scriptures are all about one subject, the Lord Jesus Christ (John 5:39; Luke 24:44). That being said, the Old Testament (old covenant/Law of Moses), DOCTRINALLY, is not applicable to the New Testament believer. The covenant was made with a specific people, Israel. The Law was given to them and they were under it. You and I are not under the Law of Moses. We are not Israel, and we are under a new covenant or the law of the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:6; Rom.8:2). So, there is a big difference. There is a division that must be made and understood. The misunderstanding or the twisting of this truth has brought forth much heresy and false teaching. Here's another division found in 1 Cor. 10:32: "Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:"Scripture speaks of three distinct groups of people. The Jew, or Israel. The Gentile, or non-Jew. The church of God, or saved Jews and Gentiles as one in the body of Christ. That's a fundamental difference that must be understood. So, whenever reading any book, passage or verse of scripture, you have to ask yourself who is it speaking to directly and doctrinally. Also, in what time period does it apply? Before the law? Under the law? After the law? Church Age? Tribulation? Millennium? etc. These are all divisions. The whole of the Bible is scripture given by inspiration and is profitable, but the whole of the Bible is not doctrinally applicable to us. It's one Book, but every part of that Book has it's place. Likewise, there are other divisions in scripture that must be properly made. Think of the Bible as a puzzle, with all the pieces having their proper place. Place one piece in the wrong spot and the whole thing doesn't make sense. Also, keep this in mind. Every verse of scripture has at least three applications to it. First, doctrinal. Again, to whom does a particular passage or verse doctrinally apply? Jew, Gentile or Church? Second, historical or prophetical. Where does this verse fit in the history of God's dealing with men and in what time period does it apply? Is it Church Age, Tribulation, etc.? Third, devotional or spiritual. In other words, what spiritual lessons can I learn from this passage regardless of it's doctrinal application? This fundamental approach to scripture is the key to proper interpretation of scripture....rightly dividing the word of truth. It clears up many of the false ideas and teaching that people hold to. That's why we are told not just to study the scriptures, but how to study them, by rightly dividing them. Things that are different are not the same! So to understand the sabbath, you must have an understanding of the differences between the covenants or testaments, between the different time periods and between Israel and the church. At this point, it would be proper to go into the law and its place in the New Testament and relationship to the New Testament saint. It is essential to get this point right in order to get the sabbath right. For the sake of time and space, however, I won’t get into it here and now. I believe that most of the brethren here on this forum already have a good and correct understanding of this very important doctrinal issue, so I’ll just skip ahead and get right into the issue of the sabbath itself. If there is any confusion concerning the law as a whole, I’d be happy to revisit it later. Now, regarding the sabbath, the first question is who is it for and why. Just as important, who is the sabbath NOT for. In order to understand why the sabbath is not a commandment for the New Testament church, you have to understand what the sabbath is and to whom it was given. We know that God rested from His work on the seventh day and sanctified that day (Gen.2:2,3). No question about that. However, are you aware that not a single Old Testament saint from Adam up until Moses ever observed the sabbath? That includes Abraham (the father of our faith), Isaac, Jacob and his sons, Noah and his sons, and so on. Have you ever considered that? Look it up! The first time you will find anywhere in scripture that the sabbath is mentioned or that anyone kept it is in Exodus 16 with the Israelites in the wilderness under Moses. Even then it was not associated with Genesis 2 and creation. The fact is that the sabbath as a commandment connected with God resting on the seventh day was not given until Moses was given the law, 2,500 years AFTER creation! Watch... "And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day." Deuteronomy 5:1-3 What covenant is it that the Lord did not make with the fathers, but with Israel under Moses? It's the law and the commandments, including the fourth commandment. Read the rest of the chapter and you'll see it clearly. One more time.... "Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant:" Nehemiah 9:13,14 He made known to them his sabbath upon Sinai, by the hand of Moses! How about that? Prior to Sinai and Exodus 16, the only mention of a day of rest is in Exodus 12 with the Passover and days of unleavened bread. However, that was not the normal weekly sabbath and, in fact, the first day was set apart there as a day of rest along with the seventh! So, fact number one, the sabbath was not commanded or observed between creation and Moses by anyone. Fact number two, the sabbath was given to the Israelites, to the Jews. Why? Read Exodus 20:8-11 and you will see that the sabbath was initially given as a memorial of creation. However, read Deuteronomy 5:15 and you'll find another reason given: "And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day." So, according to this verse, although the sabbath was initially given as a memorial of creation, it was later given as a remembrance for Israel of God's hand in bringing them out of Egypt! Now, when did God ever bring any Gentile nation out of the land of Egypt? He didn't. Who's the "thou" and the "thee" in the passage? Who was it that was a servant in Egypt and was rescued by God? This was a commandment given to a specific people as a testimony to what God had done for them! The sabbath was specifically given to the nation of Israel as a sign between them and God. "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed." Exodus 31:12-17 Speaking of Israel, the prophet Ezekiel wrote the following: "Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them... And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God." Ezekiel 20:12,20 A simple reading through the scriptures makes it abundantly clear that God's dealing with the Israelites involved lots of signs and wonders, of which the sabbath was one. In fact, the nation of began with signs at the hand of Moses (Exodus 4:1-9). God always, from the beginning, dealt with the Jews by signs. That's why Paul says the following... "For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:" 1 Corinthians 1:22Notice that the Jews require a sign, not the Gentiles and not the church. The sabbath is a sign...for the Jew. Have you ever noticed how that not one Gentile in the Old Testament is ever commanded to keep the sabbath? The exception to that is the stranger who dwelt with Israel and submitted to the law of Moses and the old covenant (Ex.20:10). Further, if a Jew broke the sabbath he was stoned to death (Exodus 31:14,15). What about a Gentile who didn't observe the sabbath? What was the punishment for him? Nothing...nada.....zip. You can search the scriptures night and day and you will not find any condemnation or punishment for a Gentile who breaks the sabbath? Telling, isn't it? So, to recap what we've seen thus far. The sabbath was sanctified and set apart during creation week, but was not commanded or observed until Moses and the giving of the law, 2,500 years after Genesis 1 and 2. When it was commanded, it was commanded only of the nation of Israel as part of their covenant with God and as a sign for them. There was judgment and punishment upon any Jew who broke the sabbath. No Gentile, however, was ever commanded to observe the sabbath. Nor were they punished for not doing so. Bottom line, the sabbath is part of the Old Testament law, given by God through Moses, to the Jews, as a sign between Himself and them. It is not a requirement for any Gentile or member of Christ's body, the New Testament church. Now here again, we can proceed into the New Testament and see what it has to say regarding the law and the sabbath. We could look at Romans, Galatians and Hebrews. We can observe the Judaizers as they attempt to get New Testament saints back under the Old Testament law and talk about modern day Judaizers such as SDA, sabbatarians, Hebrew Roots, and so on. We can consider the final judgment of the council at Jerusalem in Acts 15 regarding this matter. In other words, there is a LOT we can look at. The truth is, however, that I am tired of writing and I have four children eagerly waiting for me to come downstairs so they can topple the king of the ping pong table (not going to happen)! I will say this though, my dear sister Tammy. You said that you found no passage of scripture where the sabbath was changed to the first day of the week. That's because it wasn't. I agree completely. It's not there! There is precedence and example laid down in the New Testament for the first day, but there is no command anywhere in the New Testament to keep any one particular day, whether Saturday, Sunday or otherwise. Anyway, this is another study, which I may post on later. Lord bless you. John
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Post by Brother Ben on Mar 23, 2011 14:37:03 GMT -5
I want to preface this post with the understanding that quotes from early church fathers DO NOT take precedence over the word of God. However, they can be a window into the Christian issues of their day. I had read quote before regarding the eight day and found a site that had done the footwork already. The follow quotes are from the site, Pastor Steve Weaver's Blog and I want to give credit to him for his diligence. If you visit there, you will see he has addressed several topics relating to keeping the Sabbath. Here are the quotes: John Calvin on the Early Church Fathers on the Sabbath/Lord’s Day Issue However, the ancients did not substitute the Lord’s Day (as we call it) for the Sabbath without careful discrimination. The purpose and fulfillment of that true rest, represented by the ancient Sabbath, lies in the Lord’s resurrection. Hence, by the very day that brought the shadows to an end, Christians are warned not to cling to the shadow rite.” John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, trans. Ford Lewis Battles (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1960), 1:399-400.
5th Century St. Augustine: “The day now known as the Lord’s Day, the eighth, namely, which is also the first day of the week.” St. Augustine, Letters of St. Augustine, 55, Chapter XIII.
4th Century A.D. 306 Peter, Bishop of Alexandria in Egypt: “But the Lord’s Day we celebrate as a day of joy, because on it, he rose again.” Canon 15.
3rd Century A.D. 270 Anatolius, Bishop of Laodicea, in Asia Minor: “Our regard for the Lord’s resurrection which took place on the Lord’s Day will lead us to celebrate it.” Chapter X.
3rd Century About A.D. 250 The Apostolic Constitution: “On the day of our Lord’s resurrection, which is the Lord’s Day, meet more diligently.” Book 2, sec. 7.
3rd Century A.D. 250 Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage in Africa: “The eighth day, that is, the first day after the Sabbath and the Lord’s Day.” Epistle 58, section 4.
2nd Century A.D. 200 Tertullian in Africa: “We solemnize the day after Saturday in contradiction to those who call this day their Sabbath.” Apology, Chapter XVI.
2nd Century A.D. 194 Clement of Alexandria, Egypt: “He, in fulfillment of the precept, according to the gospel, keeps the Lord’s Day, when he abandons an evil disposition, and assumes that of the Gnostic, glorifying the Lord’s resurrection in himself.” Book 7, Chapter XII.
2nd Century A.D. 140 Justin Martyr: “But Sunday is the day which we all hold our common assembly, because Jesus Christ, our Saviour, on the same day rose from the dead.” Apology, Chapter LXVII.
2nd Century A.D. 120 Barnabas: “We keep the eighth day with joyfulness, the day on which Jesus rose again from the dead.” Chapter XVII.
1st Century A.D. 96 St. John on Patmos: “I was in the spirit on the Lord’s Day.” Rev. 1:10.
1st Century A.D. 60 Luke, Asia Minor: “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them.” Acts 20:7.As anyone can see, these quotes were made way before Constantine came into the picture. Sabbitarians and The Seventh Day Adventists probably know about these quotes, but prefer to avoid them because they stand in the way of the agenda. Agenda can be a danger because it cause any subject to it, to ignore and override problem texts and historical facts. May God help us in our quest for the truth. In brotherly love, Ben
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Post by Brother John on Mar 25, 2011 10:32:04 GMT -5
I’d like to post some more about the sabbath. As we’ve seen, the sabbath was given by God to the Jew as a sign between Himself and the nation of Israel. We also looked at the fact that Israel, or the Jew, is a distinct and different entity than the Gentile and the church. The Old Testament is a record of God’s history, dealings and covenants with His people Israel. So, where do we as the New Testament church go to find God’s instructions to us? Well, to the New Testament of course. Remember, all scripture is given by inspiration and is profitable, but not all scripture is directly and doctrinally aimed at the church. God deals differently with different peoples in different times and for different purposes. Israel was God’s chosen people to establish a physical kingdom here on earth. A kingdom which is yet to be realized. Therefore, the Jew’s religion is a physical one with a physical building and rituals and with God physically manifesting Himself to them with outward signs and wonders that can be seen. Along with that, the Jew was given a physical day of rest for his body! What about the church? She is the spiritual people of God, manifesting the spiritual Kingdom of God. Therefore, we don’t have a temple of stone in which to worship. We are the temple of God in which He abides. We offer no fleshly sacrifices, but those of praise and thanksgiving. We are given no physical manifestation of signs and wonders because we walk by faith and not by sight. Ours is the Kingdom of God which is within, not the outward theocratic kingdom of the Jew. So then, our sabbath is not a Sabbath for the body which was just a shadow. Our sabbath is the realization of that shadow. It is a spiritual rest in Jesus Christ and His finished work. So, if I as a New Testament believer want doctrinal truth for me regarding the sabbath or anything else, I am going to go to that portion of the word of God which is written to me. I am part of the New Testament church and it is to the epistles and letters to the church to which I must ultimately look for my instructions. What about the Gospels? Now here is where many sincere and well meaning saints lose their bearings, including those who teach sabbath keeping for Christians. After all, didn’t the Lord Jesus and his disciples keep the sabbath and can you not find record of this in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? Yes. Well, doesn’t this prove that the sabbath is a New Testament commandment for the church. No. Let's start by making one point very, very clear. It is an extremely vital point which cannot be missed, or our entire understanding of the New Testament Christian faith will be effected. The New Testament did not start with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Although those books are in the New Testament section of our Bibles, everything that took place in those books up until Christ's death and resurrection took place under the Old Testament. When you read the Gospels, you are reading of events taking place and teachings being given under the Old Testament Jewish setup. When did the New Testament actually begin? What saith the scriptures? "And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator]iveth." Hebrews 9:15-17 Here is an extremely important and foundational fact...the New Testament did not start until after Christ died. When Jesus came He came as the Jewish Messiah to the Jewish people. “But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Matthew 15:24He lived and taught as a Jew under the Old Testament Jewish Mosaic law. "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law," Galatians 4:4 So when you read about Jesus and His disciples keeping the sabbath in the Gospels, you are NOT reading about Christians and their New Testament faith. You are reading about Jews under the Old Testament, under the law, under Moses. These same men were bearded, abstained from pork and unclean meats, went to the temple, kept the feasts, offered the sacrifices required and were old covenant Jews in every point. There is a BIG difference! Again, things that are different are not the same. Does this mean that we disregard the Gospels completely? Not at all. They are scripture and man shall live by every word of God. Again, however, you have to put all the pieces of the puzzle in their proper place or you will not get the correct picture. The Gospels, particularly Matthew, are transitional books taking the reader from the Old Testament and into the New. There are doctrinal truths found in those books that match those written and aimed at the church. We can certainly apply those to us. There is also spiritual and prophetic truth in the Gospels for us to read, study, understand and apply. And of course, it’s in the Gospels where we learn of our Lord’s earthly life and ministry. So there is much in Matthew to John for the New Testament believer to learn from. Doctrinally however, you are on Old Testament turf. You’re on the wrong side of the cross when it comes to doctrinal truth for the New Testament saint. How about the book of the Acts of the Apostles? Here again many sabbatarians go to justify the keeping of the sabbath for the Christian. Paul kept the sabbath so we should, right? Wrong. Acts is another transitional book, taking us from Israel and into the church, or from the Jew to a Gentile bride. Things are always changing in Acts and it’s shaky ground upon which to build New Testament doctrine. What about all those references to the sabbath in Acts? Do they prove we need to keep the sabbath? Let’s take a look at them and see. 1) Acts 13:14,42,44 - Read the chapter and you will see that it was NOT the church or Christians meeting on the sabbath. It was unbelieving Jews to whom Paul went to evangelize. Although Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13), yet he had a great burden for his own people, the Jews, and preached to them every chance he had (Acts 17:1,2). So, if you were Paul and wanted to preach Christ to the lost Jews, where would you go? You would go to where the Jews gathered, of course. You would go to their synagogue and preach to them there. That's exactly what Paul did. And when did the Jews gather at their synagogue? On the Jewish sabbath! Further down in the chapter you'll see that after preaching to the Jews on the sabbath, the lost Gentiles asked Paul to preach the Gospel to them on the next sabbath also. So on the next sabbath, the Jews gather for their meeting and ,lo and behold, there's a bunch of Gentiles there! The Jews were not happy. In any case, the fact is that these were not believers gathering on the sabbath, but Jews to whom Paul went to evangelize. This was Paul's method. If I’m in New York City and want to preach the gospel to Jews, I’m going to hang around their synagogue on a Saturday and try to talk to them as they go in and out. If I want to reach Muslims, I will stand outside a mosque on a Friday and evangelize. And if I want to reach the Baptists… 2) Acts 16:13 - This time Paul goes to a river side where people gathered to pray on the sabbath. Why? To preach the Gospel to them. Why? Because it was lost unbelievers that were gathering, not Christians! He preached to the women who were there and one of them, Lydia, got saved. Another case of lost people meeting on the sabbath and Paul using the occasion to evangelize them. This is NOT the church observing the sabbath. 3) Acts 17:2 - We have the same situation here with unbelieving Jews gathering in their synagogue (verse 1) to observe the sabbath and Paul going in unto them for three sabbaths in a row in order to preach Christ to them. JEWS....in their SYNAGOGUE....NOT THE CHURCH! 4) Acts 18:4 - Same thing. Paul spent the sabbath days in Corinth in the synagogue preaching Christ and evangelizing Jews and Gentiles. Not one of these instances has anything at all to do with Christians observing the sabbath. Not one. In every case it is Jews doing what Jews do. That is, observing the sabbath by gathering in their synagogues. On occasion, lost Gentiles came in to hear the Gospel preached also. Paul takes advantage of that and uses it to preach Christ unto them all. That's all that's happening there. Period. Nothing more and nothing less. Now we come to the Pauline epistles, the main body of text for revealed New Testament truth and instruction for the body of Christ. So, out of 13 letters written to the church or to New Testament saints, how many times does Paul mention the sabbath? Once. Only once, and here it is: Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Colossians 2:16,17The only mention of the sabbath by Paul and it is an admonition for Christians not to be judged by Old Testament ordinances and observances, including the sabbath. Why? The answer is back up a couple of verses in verse 14. “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”The handwriting of ordinances, the ten commandments, the law of Moses, the old covenant, the sabbath….blotted out, taken out of the way, nailed to the cross to make way for a new and better covenant. Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. 2 Corinthians 3:6-11That’s pretty clear and self explanatory. Paul’s letters are full of similar passages that make abundantly clear the place of the Old Testament law in relation to the New Testament believer. A simple reading through Romans and Galatians with open eyes and a believing heart should be enough to settle the matter for any believer. Paul goes so far as to say that we are dead to the law (Rom.7:4; Gal.2:19). We’re told that the law is a curse for us from which Christ has rescued us (Gal.3:10,13). In those same verses we’re told that if you want to keep any part of the law, including the sabbath, you must keep the whole law and continue in all of it. Why do so many of God’s people today seek to go back under the bondage of that which was death and a curse to us and to which we are dead and from which Christ has set us free? But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. Galatians 4:8-11As stated, Colossians 2:16 was the only mention of the sabbath by Paul. In addition, you will not find it mentioned by James, Peter, John or Jude either. The simple fact is that there is not one word in the New Testament requiring sabbath observance by any Gentile or member of the church. In fact, Paul specifically excludes the sabbath commandment when he lists the commandments in Romans 13:8-10. “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”Listed in this passage are all the commands regarding our relationship with our fellow man. For the New Testament believer, these commands are fulfilled through the law of the Spirit by love and not by adherence to the letter of the law. What of the commands regarding our relationship to God? Having no other gods and abstaining from idolatry is a reoccurring theme throughout the NT (1 Cor.8,10; 2 Cor.6; 1 Thess.1; 1 John5). Taking God’s name in vain is addressed in Romans 2:24 and 2 Timothy 2:19. How about the sabbath? Nothing. It’s just not there. So what is the rule for the New Testament saints in regards to keeping a particular day for worship or for rest? What are our instructions? Simply this... 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]. 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. Romans 14:5,6If a Christian wants to set a particular day aside for rest, or for worship, that is perfectly legitimate. Whether that day for you is Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday or no day at all...it is a matter of choice between you and the Lord. No one can judge you for it. There's nothing wrong with it. Where it becomes wrong, however, is when someone attempts to put the saints under a commandment to keep one particular day when God never gave such a command. Those who do this almost always end up judging their fellow saints for not keeping a day. In essence, sabbatarians seek to serve God by keeping a command that God never commanded while breaking a commandment which He did give (Col.2:16)! So we may keep a day if we choose to, but understand that it is because we choose to. Not because there is any such requirement for the New Testament child of God to do so. And if we do choose to keep a day, keep it unto God and don't use it as a point of judgment upon our fellow brethren who choose not to keep it. I still want to address several other matters including Acts 15, Hebrews 4, Judaizers, Sunday, the "Lord's Day," the "Christian Sabbath," and some other points. I'll have to save that for later tonight. Lord bless you all. John
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Pam
Member
Posts: 95
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Post by Pam on Mar 26, 2011 16:19:02 GMT -5
Thank you Bro. Ben! I had no idea that sabbath meant rest and that it now stood for a relationship. I have read so many things that actually bring condemnation on those of us who attend church on Sundays, but now, after your teaching on it, I can put my mind to rest and just enjoy it in the fellowship of believers!
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