Argument One - Christ abolished the Law
Argument Two - God substituted Sunday
Argument Three - Sabbath given exclusively to Israel
Argument Four - Every day is a Sabbath Day
Argument Five - Sabbath Keeping is Legalism
All scripture references are quoted from the Revised Authorized Version (New King James) unless otherwise indicated.
Copies of this booklet (with illustrations) are available by request.
As a child Sundays were special. The early mornings were busy with the donning of the Sunday-best. Little starched shirts with a tie around the neck and globs of hair oil preserving the "slicked back" look for most of the day. Sunday school and church took care of the morning and occasionally of an afternoon a beach mission took us down to the sea-side. In our Sunday-best we sat in the warm sand beside other boys and girls dressed in togs who licked big drippy ice blocks while they listened to the Bible stories. Our job was to sit still and look interested so that other children might be drawn in from the water to hear the gospel story. And that we did, being careful not to be too quick to answer the questions so that those young unsaved souls had a chance to join in too. Sinners they were to be sure, for no Christian child would go to the beach on the Lord's day.
In Sunday school I was taught to honour Sunday, as the "Lord's Day". Although I dutifully kept the day holy, I never really knew why it was holy. We were taught that God rested on the seventh day and set it apart from other days. We were told that the Jews kept the Sabbath day, the seventh day of the week. We knew that our "sabbath" was now Sunday, but as to how this came about we did not know.
As I grew up I rarely questioned my parent's beliefs. Yet, in my heart, I felt a strange uneasiness every time I heard the Ten Commandments read. Each commandment was clear and true except for the fourth. That Sabbath commandment always needed to be added to or explained away to make it palatable. While studying for scripture exams in a Methodist Sunday school I learnt to recite catechisms 71. and 75.
Quote. "71. "WHAT IS OUR DUTY TO GOD?" Our duty to God is contained in the first Four Commandments: ..........
(iv) Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day
75. WHAT DOES THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT MEAN? God has set aside one day in seven so that we may rest from work and worship Him." Unquote. (Emphasis supplied)
But which day? From what I knew of scripture there was only ever one day set aside, that is the seventh. Who was it then that set aside Sunday? Is the changing of the day recorded in the New Testament? Alas not one word either states or implies a change of God's sacred day.
As a teenager I started attending a Baptist church. Some years later, I was baptized by immersion believing that my former sprinkling as a child failed to fulfil the requirements of God as set out in the Bible.
After several years I came to a point in my life where I felt convicted to re-examine my traditional beliefs. I found it necessary to discover for myself the biblical truths that were taught to me as a child. I knew what I believed, but I wanted to be sure that I believed what I believed. During the course of my study, the Sabbath became the topic in question.
Looking for reassurance that Sunday is the Lord's day, I studied some of the writings of those who support Sunday- keeping. I found that the strongest argument for Sunday observance was based on the historical evidence that it has been in place for most of the recorded history of the "church".
However, I wasn't satisfied with tradition as my principal basis for belief in the doctrine of the Sunday Sabbath. I searched the bookshelves again for a more biblical answer to the question. There were those who claim that God substituted the first day of the week, the "Christian Sabbath" for the old seventh day Sabbath of the Bible. Others claimed that the Sabbath was done away with on the cross, leaving no obligation to observe any day as a holy day of rest. Still others recognize the validity of the commandment in part, believing that it applies spiritually to a life of rest rather than an actual weekly day. But these three arguments all contradict each other. If the Sabbath commandment was done away with at the cross then the command to rest and keep holy cannot be transferred to Sunday nor can it be spiritually applied to our lives on a daily basis. After studying several of the popular theories I was faced with a dilemma. To choose one of them or to reject them all. I was forced to go back to the study of the Bible alone, to look at the Sabbath question objectively.
What I found wasn't the reassurance I had originally looked for. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit I discovered three things concerning the Sabbath day. The commandment of Christ, the example of Christ, and the warning of Christ. These things I will endeavour to share with you, in the hope that this candle of light might also be a blessing to you. This booklet is written as my testimony.
It is unfortunate that many folk have not stopped to investigate the Sabbath for themselves, but have always blindly followed the teaching of tradition. Tradition has no authority of itself. The "it has always been so and therefore must be correct" theory is not a valid argument against the Sabbath. The history of Sabbathkeeping in the early church and the introduction of Sunday worship is not treated in detail in this booklet. For those who are interested I recommend two publications. "A History of the Sabbath and Sunday" by John Kiesz published by the BibleSabbath Association, and for the more advanced scholar, Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi's "From Sabbath to Sunday" published by the Pontifical Gregorian University Press, Rome.
In hindsight, I can see that my preconceived notions about the Sabbath hampered my objective study of the subject. At the time I was unaware that my behaviour had already predetermined my opinion. Let me explain by the use of an illustration.
Many years ago, a devout villager welcomed a group of pilgrims into his home to rest until they were strong enough to continue their journey. "Men of God," the villager enquired, "What is your opinion of the Sabbath day? Is it a holy day or not?" Each man looked at the other but said nothing for fear of offending the hospitable stranger. A few days later the pilgrims thanked the kindly gentleman and bade him farewell. "Gentlemen," the villager said, "You chose not to answer my question, but each one of you has given me the answer that I sought. You Sir, are of the opinion that the Church's first day has replaced the Holy day for you rested not on the seventh but the first. And you Sir, you hold no day sacred for you neither rested nor pondered the Word at any time. As for you Sir, you are indeed a keeper of the Holy Sabbath for the deeds of your hands have betrayed the thoughts of your heart."
Nobody can remain neutral on the subject of the holiness of the Sabbath day for more than a week. The things that you do on the Sabbath and Sunday give you away. At one stage of my wrestle with the Sabbath question I really wanted to believe that the Fourth Commandment had been done away with. However, when it came to putting this belief to the test by treating Sunday as a common day I found no inner peace at all.
The chapter headings of this booklet each raise an objection to the keeping of the Sabbath. They follow the path of my struggle through the Sabbath question. Each objection is treated in turn.
Together we shall weigh them in the balance and discover whether or not there is any real Bible support for them. My intention throughout is to present another viewpoint for your consideration.
Argument One
"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfil.
"For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
"Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:17-19
So Christ's purpose was not to destroy the law but to fulfil it. The law is a revelation of who God is. The law reveals the nature of God. Christ, having the full nature of God in his human form, not only practised the written law but exemplified the spiritual law. The word translated "fulfil", in the N.K.J.V. does not imply "putting an end to". Christ lived the Law, and now Christ lives in us. 1 John 3:24 Christ came not to destroy but to fulfil. These two words cannot have one and the same meaning. The use of the conjunction "but" implies that they are contrary to each other. In fulfilling the law, he could not have destroyed the law. Another translation puts it this way, "I have come not to subvert, but to establish".
HOW DID PAUL DEFINE FULFILMENT OF THE LAW?
"Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbour as yourself." Love does no harm to a neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilment of the law."
Can you grasp the importance of those verses? Paul is urging us to fulfill the law by love. Not to discard it. To love our neighbour is to fulfil the just requirements of the law. Paul quotes the very commandments that some say were destroyed to show how relevant they are to love. Love toward God is the essence of the first four commandments and love toward your neighbour is the essence of the last six.
If there is still a doubt as to what Christ actually meant, by fulfilling the law then it should become plain upon reading to the end of Matthew chapter 5 in which the Lord gives several examples of the law and its 'fulfilment' or magnification in Christ. Here the relationship between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law is beautifully expounded.
DID CHRIST DO AWAY WITH THE LAW ON THE CROSS?
It's claimed by some that Paul taught this in his letter to the Colossians, chapter 2 verses 13 and 14. (below)
"And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he has made alive together with him, having forgiven all your trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And he has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."
Paul was speaking to Gentiles. They were uncircumcised and dead in their sins even though they did not have the Law in its codified form. Here he tells them the good news that in Christ they were circumcised, and in Christ they were raised to life, having been forgiven for all their sins. And the record of their guilt and the sentence, the penalty of death they should have faced, was taken out of the way by Christ's death. (See previous verses)
Mark's Gospel Chapter 15 verse 26 tells us that when Jesus was crucified "the inscription of his accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS." This "inscription of accusation" was his alleged "crime". But he was not deserving of death, for against him there was no just accusation of law-breaking. He was without sin! In contrast, against our names is a long record of trespasses.
"The handwriting (Greek word 'cheirographon' - certificate of debt [Moulton-Milligan, "The Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament" 1929, page 687.]) of requirements that was against us" was our inscription of accusation. Until the death of Christ, the record of our sin was a 'certificate of debt' that could only be paid by death. It stood in the way of our relationship with God. It was contrary to our hope for eternal life. This record of our sin was nailed to his cross and he paid the penalty for our sin taking away our record of guilt and substituting it with blessed forgiveness.
What a wonderful Saviour! But no abolition of law here! Consider this, if the law no longer exists then we cannot be guilty of wilfully breaking it. (Romans 3:20, 7:7, 5:13) But if the Law is eternal (Psalm 119:160) then it is by breaking that holy law that we are guilty and deserving of death; but thank God, Jesus has died in our stead.
It is not hard to see that Christ did not abolish the commandment "You shall not murder", or any of the other nine commandments. Go through each one in Exodus 20. Each one stands today as it did then. The fourth commandment is no exception. Would James have repeated the sixth and seventh commandments in James 2:11 if these had been abolished at the cross?
SACRIFICES
But what about the ceremonies and sacrifices, didn't they cease when they were fulfilled? Yes. It is true that the sacrificial system was fulfilled in Christ's death. The Levitical law and priesthood was superseded by the priesthood of Christ 'according to the order of Melchisedek'. The animal sacrifices pointed forward to the day when the true Sacrifice would be offered. The daily sacrifices were no longer required because the once-offered true Sacrifice had come to replace them. So then, the system of sacrifice continues, so to speak, but in a new and better way, in that Christ's sacrifice only needed to be offered the once. (Hebrews chapters 9 & 10)
THE ENMITY OF THE LAW ABOLISHED
Another passage that is used to support the doctrine of the abolition of the law is Ephesians 2:14-16.
"For he himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of division between us, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity."
Here Paul explains to the Gentile Christians that in Christ the enmity between Jew and Gentile is finished. The Mosaic laws excluding the uncircumcised Gentile from the temple- based worship of the one True God under the Levitical system are rendered powerless. In his flesh the uncircumcised are made circumcised, and the unacceptable are made acceptable to God. The whole context and topic of these verses are the broken walls of division between Jew and Gentile, not the abolition of the Ten Commandments. As Paul said in first Corinthians 7:19, "Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters." It is interesting to note that the word KATARGEO translated "abolished" in Eph. 2:15 means 'to reduce to inactivity'. (W.E. Vine "Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words) The difference is subtle but significant. To abolish something is to destroy it completely. The middle wall of division that was between us (us meaning Jew and Gentile, see previous verses) were those "apartheid" rules which served to segregate the Jew from the Gentile. The particular laws referred to here are the Mosaic laws relating to ordinances. These laws of division caused enmity between Jew and Gentile. The most important of these was the law of the ordinance of circumcision. The restrictions that were placed upon the uncircumcised, including the notion that the same were unclean, caused considerable enmity. (Galatians Ch 2:11-13) Circumcision was not abolished in Christ, rather, the uncircumcised received circumcision in Christ.
"In him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, ..." Colossians 2:11
But the laws of physical circumcision were 'reduced to inactivity' because their power to cause justifiable enmity was cancelled by Christ 'in his flesh'. When Jesus discussed the enmity between Jew and Gentile with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:20-24) he referred to a time when that enmity would give way to the true worship of the Father. No longer the worship of God at the temple in Jerusalem but the true worship of God in spirit and in truth.
PAUL AND THE COMMANDMENTS
If Paul did advocate the abolition of the Ten Commandments in Eph 2:14-16 it would seem very strange that he used one of these 'abolished commandments' to instruct the church just four chapters later in the same letter where Paul said, (in Eph 6:2,3 quoting Deut. 5:16)
""Honour your mother and your father," which is the first commandment with a promise: "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.""
Paul here acknowledges the existence of the Ten Commandments by referring to this commandment as 'the first with a promise'. He not only confirms that the commandment is still valid but goes further to imply that the promises attached to those commandments applied to the gentile Ephesians and therefore still apply to us today. That is to say that the blessings which come through the obedience of God's Law are poured out today on those who obey his commandments. In this case, long life. In the case of the Sabbath commandment, blessing and joy. (Isaiah 56:2,7)
"If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on my holy day, And call my Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the Lord honourable, And shall honour him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken." Isaiah 58:13
If Paul's teaching on God's Law was consistent, then it must also harmonize with these words from his Epistle to theRomans.
"Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law." Rom. 3:31
"Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. Rom. 7:12
"... for by the law is the knowledge of sin." Rom. 3:20
Therefore, if the Sabbath commandment is holy law and it is by the law that we have the knowledge of sin, then wouldn't one have knowledge of sin if obedience to the law was refused? Can you honestly believe that God's Son would abolish God's commandments?
"Now by this we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He who says, "I know him" and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." 1 John 2:3,4
Close examination of the New Testament reveals that neither Christ nor Paul taught the destruction of the law. Whatever the source of this widely accepted doctrine, it is not the Holy Scripture. Therefore, if the Sabbath day is not valid for Christians today then it is for some other reason. Let's look at another.
Argument Two
I later realized that the seventh day was sanctified by God at creation, and the principle of the holy rest was instituted at this time by the very example of God himself on the seventh day of creation. (Genesis 2:3)
If I was to be so bold as to hallow another day then the onus was on me to prove that God had indeed substituted Sunday for the Sabbath. As Christ's own example was to keep the Sabbath day, I looked to the apostles for their example.
To my dismay, I had to admit that if God did substitute another day for the Sabbath then he failed to leave a record of his doing so. Nowhere from Genesis to Revelation does Scripture tell us to observe any day of the week in lieu of hallowing the seventh day Sabbath. In addition to this fact, if there was a substitution made, the disciples completely ignored it. For nowhere is there a record in scripture of any Christian resting on Sunday or regularly keeping it as a day of worship. There is however ample evidence to show that the disciples kept the seventh day.
THE EXAMPLE OF PAUL
Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13:14
"... went into the synagogue on the Sabbath Day ..."
They preached the word of God. After they left the synagogue, many Gentiles asked Paul to preach again next Sabbath. If they were keeping Sunday at that time, Paul could have preached to them on the next day. But Paul waited till the next Sabbath to preach. Wherever Paul travelled, his custom was to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. When in a pagan city where there was no synagogue Paul went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made, but once again on the Sabbath day.
"And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made." Acts 16:13
When Paul arrived at Thessalonica he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day.
"Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures," Acts 17:2
In Corinth, Paul worked with Aquila and Priscilla who were like him, tentmakers.
"And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks." Acts 18:4
When Paul was finally thrown out of the synagogue he went next door to the house of Crispus. He stayed on with Aquila and Priscilla in Corinth for eighteen months. (Acts 18:11) On leaving Corinth, they headed for Ephesus where Paul and Aquila and Priscilla once again worshipped in the synagogue. Paul spoke every Sabbath for three months in the synagogue at Ephesus. (Acts 19:8)
Did Paul simply use the Sabbath to reach the Jews and Proselytes and then later teach them to change their day of worship to Sunday? His later actions in Jerusalem do not support this view.
When Paul came to Jerusalem, he met with James and the elders of the Jerusalem Church,
"And they said to him, "You see, brother, how many tens of thousands of Jews there are who have believed and they are all zealous for the law;
"but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs.
"What then? the assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come.
"Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow. Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads, and that all may know that those things of whichthey were informed concerning you are nothing, but that you yourself also follow the rules and keep the law." Acts 21:20-24
Paul's cooperation with his fellow Christians in this ritual, was not a deception. Paul did keep the Law and was eager to prove this to his fellow Christians. This keeping of the Law (by implication) included Sabbath keeping.
Unfortunately, non-believing Jews stirred up trouble for Paul when he entered the Temple and had him arrested.
When brought before Felix, Paul said in his defence,
"But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and the Prophets." Acts 24:14
Though the Jews brought many accusations against Paul, not one Jew ever brought an accusation of Sabbath breaking against Paul of any of the disciples. Didn't the Pharisees attempt to discredit Jesus by wrongly accusing him of Sabbath breaking when he healed on the Sabbath? (John 9:16) It seems a little strange then that this same line of attack was never used on the disciples who supposedly rejected the Sabbath entirely. Furthermore it is strange that Peter so strongly resisted the breaking of the Jewish food laws if he had been accustomed to breaking the Sabbath commandment for several years. (Acts 10:14) So the commonly held belief of apostolic Sunday keeping begins to lose credibility.
PAUL'S FAREWELL DINNER
Now there is one particular gathering of disciples recorded in Acts 20:7-12 that is often held up as proof of Sunday worship. It is recorded because on this occasion a miracle took place. The circumstances that led to this miracle are very important to the story and are related here.
"Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together."
Paul was on his way to Jerusalem knowing full well that it could be his very last journey. (verse 25) He could only stop in Troas seven days. Imagine if Paul came to your local church for a week. Would you wait until Paul's last day before you held a meeting and then sit up till daybreak listening to Paul's message? It is more likely that the disciples gathered together every night after sundown to have a meal together and listen to Paul's teaching. We know that they were prepared for a night meeting because there were many lamps. This was a special meeting. It was a farewell to Paul who knew that trouble would be in store for him in Jerusalem. Paul spoke till midnight. He then ate, and spoke on till daybreak.
In those days the new day started at sunset. If the church was in the habit of meeting on the Sabbath day, then it is quite likely that they would have all gone home and brought food back for a last chance farewell meeting at night, the first day of the week. If, as some claim, they met on a Sunday, then the meal was to be eaten before the sun went down because they gathered together to break bread on the first day of the week. Paul, then, was more than just a little overtime with his message. They didn't 'break bread' until after midnight. (verses 7,11) As "the first day of the week" can be taken to mean either Saturday evening or some time before Sunday evening, nothing can be proven from these verses. The Today's English Version acknowledges this fact in its translation of the verse as:
"On Saturday evening we gathered together for the fellowship meal." Acts 20:7 (Good News Bible)
Note also that the term 'break bread' is used in its general sense of partaking of a meal. (Acts 2:46) Many commentators agree that this is not a reference to the Lord's Supper.
Another verse that confuses some is 1 Corinthians 16:2. Paul is speaking to the Christians who had believed during the time that "he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath". Acts 18:4. When he was no longer welcome in the synagogue he held his meetings next door. This action implies that he continued his Sabbath day preaching so that the synagogue worshippers would be attracted to his meetings after synagogue. As a result, the ruler of the synagogue, Crispus, became a believer.
Now Paul was appealing to the Corinthians to help the suffering believers in Jerusalem. And he asked,
"On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come."
Why didn't Paul want to have a collection when he came? For the same reason that he did not want the collection done on the Sabbath! The matter of what and how much should be given was a personal concern for each one, in proportion to his capabilities. It involved an end of week stock take, working out what were surpluses that could be stored up and what could be spared as an offering. The monetary system in those days was not as sophisticated as it is today. Most people worked on a day to day basis. They often didn't know what they would earn until they earned it. Only in hindsight could they work out what they could afford for an offering. It was something that could only be done at home, not at church. The offerings were not only money. A good deal of the offerings were non-perishable goods. More than one person was needed to convey the gift to Jerusalem. (next verse) So the gift was not only money. Furthermore, if drought was the reason for the saint's hardship then gifts of food, wine and oil would be far more valuable than gold. Is there evidence of a drought in those days? The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus tells of such a drought around this time and confirms that Queen Helena on her arrival in Jerusalem found many Jews dying for lack of food. She sent servants with money to Alexandria and Cyprus to purchase corn and dried figs. (Antiquities of the Jews. Book XX Ch II, 5) But we need look no further than Acts 11:28-30.
"Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world which also happened in the days of Claudius Caeser.
Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea.
This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul."
The messy business of collecting these offerings was hardly an activity for a holy day. Even Paul's time with them was too precious to be wasted on such menial tasks. It was a chore fit for a common work day. The first day of the week was the first opportunity after the working week (excluding the Sabbath) to store up and make an assessment of the household needs. This verse does not suggest a meeting or a gathering of any kind on the first day of the week, but on the contrary it implies a keeping of the seventh day Sabbath.
Furthermore, whenever Paul and the other writers of the New Testament (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) refer to the seventh day they give it the revered "Sabbath" title. The first day of the week is never given any special treatment. Its designation is derived from its relationship to the Sabbath day. The writers did not translate the name for the seventh day into the Greek language by using the Greek or Roman equivalent. They preserved the special nature of the day by using the transliterated form 'sabbaton'. Thus in Scripture the word continued to carry its meaning of "a day of rest" with all the connotations of its heavenly appointment. History shows that the first Sunday keepers were quick to adopt the title "Lord's day" for Sunday. If the sanctity of the Sabbath had been transferred to Sunday, then wouldn't you expect Paul to choose a more exalted title for the first day of the week?
THE DISCIPLE'S SUNDAY MEETING
There is a record in John 29:19 of a gathering of the disciples on Sunday after the resurrection of Christ.
"Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews,...."
This was not a religious meeting held on Sunday to celebrate the resurrection, for some still doubted that there had even been a resurrection. It is more likely that they were there hiding 'for fear of the Jews'.
There is no evidence in the New Testament to suggest that the disciples of Jesus kept Sunday as a day of worship or a day of rest. There is no reference to the keeping of any day other than the Sabbath. Some Sunday keepers claim that Sunday is a memorial of the Resurrection, based on the belief that Christ rose on that day. But Jesus only commanded his disciples to celebrate his death not his resurrection. Even if Sunday was a valid celebration of the Resurrection it does not automatically cancel the divinely appointed Sabbath. If a substitution did take place then it must be shown how the new cancels out the old. No event in human history regardless of its importance can change the fact that the rest and blessing of God on the seventh day of creation is the origin of the Sabbath. The significance of Gods's sacred rest day and its relation to the seventh day of each subsequent week was put in place by the word of the Almighty. The Bible does not establish every first day of the week as a celebration of the day of Christ's resurrection. The relationship presumed by some Sunday keepers is without the support of scripture. The command to rest or to keep holy was never applied to Sunday. The solemnity of the Sabbath was never transferred to Sunday.
Proponents of the "substitution" argument at least acknowledge the fact that "a Sabbath day" still exists, even if they do believe it to be Sunday. They realize that a Christian needs a holy rest day, for both physical and spiritual refreshment.
"If you keep your feet from breaking and Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord's holy day honourable, and if you honour it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find joy in the Lord,...." Isaiah 58:13,14 (NIV)
Our impious society scorns the suggestion of the observance of a holy day. Man has no interest in the things of God. Worldliness within the Church has, in recent times, led to the erosion of the Lord's day from a day of worship to an hour of worship. Let those who would deny the Lord his sabbath time heed his word.
"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that will he also reap." Galatians 6:7
Argument Three
Listen to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ as recorded in Mark 2:27.
"The Sabbath was made for man ..."
Notice two things here. The Sabbath was made. It was the creation of Jesus Christ, for "All things were created through him and for him". Col 1:16. Secondly, Jesus Christ's Sabbath day was created for man. When? After the seventh day of creation.
"For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it" Exodus 20:11
Now there was only one man alive at that time, Adam, the common ancestor of every human being on this earth. So the Sabbath day was created for the benefit of every man, woman and child on this planet. But how is a Sabbath day created? He created the Sabbath day by resting on that day. Genesis 2:3.
"Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it he rested from all his work which God had created and made."
There are three significant things to note in this verse. Firstly, God blessed the seventh day. He singled out that particular day for blessing. In Genesis 27 Isaac could not rescind the blessing he bestowed on Jacob even though it was gained by dishonest means. Likewise, the Bible bears no record of the Almighty annulling the blessing of the Sabbath day or of his blessing another day. Secondly, God sanctified the day. Sanctification is a declaration of holiness. This day was set apart for holy use. Throughout the Old and New Testaments we see examples of many things set apart for holy use, Many inanimate objects were set apart for use in the worship and service of the Lord. God ordained this day to be set aside for men to worship and honour him. This sanctification was for man's benefit so that man might acknowledge this day as a time set apart for God.
Thirdly, God rested from his work of creation on this day. It wasn't exhaustion that caused God to rest. His rest was an example provided for our benefit. The Sabbath rest, as explained to Israel, is a acknowledgement of the Creator's example of rest on the seventh day of creation. We have no right to rest on any other day.
There are the three features of the Sabbath, blessing, holiness and rest. Yet, at this point of time, we are thousands of years away from the birth of Israel and the Old Covenant! God had not yet written out his laws on tablets of stone but they existed, not in letter but in Spirit. Affirming the view that God's Law existed before Sinai, Genesis 26:5 says, "because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws."
SIN AND THE LAW
When did man become aware of God's spiritual law? In the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the spiritual law was imparted to them. God said in Genesis 3:22 "Behold, the man has become like one of us, to know good and evil."
The knowledge of good and evil is law. Without law there is no knowledge of good or evil. Armed with the knowledge, man is capable of sin. Romans 7:7 and 8 says,
"... I would not have known sin except through the law." "...... But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead."
Examine the actions of Cain in Genesis 4. Do his actions appear to be those of an innocent person? No. When he became angry, God warned him, "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."
Cain knew right from wrong. He knew that if he did right God would accept him. He knew that he could choose to sin or overcome the temptation. He chose to sin and knew he was guilty, for he tried to cover up his action by a direct lie. He knew the commandment "You shall not murder."
Other examples of the existence of the spiritual law prior to Sinai are seen throughout the Old Testament. The law and the ideal of marriage dates back to the creation week. Its validity and superiority over the written law of Moses is attested by the words of Jesus in Mark 10:2-9. The principle of making offerings to God was around in Abel's day. Noah clearly understood the distinction between clean and unclean animals. He was commanded to abstain fromblood. (Gen 7:2) Noah's sons knew it was proper to "Honour you father and your mother." Abraham gave a tithe to Melchisedek, priest of the Most High God. Sexual immorality was understood to be sinful, hence the destruction of Sodom and Gommorah. Pharaoh knew the law forbidding adultery. (Gen 12) If God's spiritual law was not the yardstick by which the wicked were judged, then by whose law were they found guilty? But did the observance of the Sabbath day precede the establishment of the Old Covenant? Yes, and this can be positively shown from Scripture.
THE SABBATH BEFORE THE OLD COVENANT
Four hundred years of heathen Egyptian culture and many years of slavery had robbed the Children of Israel of their knowledge of God's way including the Sabbath. God called them out of Egypt, a type of God's calling us out of sin and this world. Once clear of Pharaoh's armies God tested them, "whether they will walk in my law or not." Exodus 16:4
God's law was in place but had not been given to the people in its written form. The knowledge of God's law was hidden from them in much the same way as it is today. But God was soon to reveal himself to his called out ones.
"Tomorrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord:" Exodus 16:23 (A.V.)
On the Sabbath day they were to eat the surplus of manna that God gave them on the Preparation day. They were not to go and gather it on that day. Even though God had not yet commanded them to "remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" he was loath to see them gather on that sacred day, which clearly suggests that the Sabbath command already existed though not practised by Israel at this time.
"Six days shall ye gather it; but on the seventh day which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. And it came to pass that there went out some of the people on the seventh day fore to gather, and they found none. And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and laws?" Exodus 16:26-28 (A.V.)
Now turn in your bible to Exodus 20, three chapters on, and you will read the first words of the Ten Commandments and the first mention of the covenant with Israel in chapter 19. The Sabbath was clearly in force before the Old Covenant was made and was part of the spiritual law that preceded the written law. If the Old Covenant was never made, the Israelites would still have known the Sabbath. Therefore an annulment of the Old Covenant would not automatically annul God's Sabbath.
Let me reiterate for the sake of clarity. The Sabbath was introduced before the Old Covenant. The Israelites would have had the knowledge of God's holy day even if the Old Covenant was never made with Israel. Sabbath keeping was required of them before the conditions of the Old Covenant were made known to Moses.
THE SABBATH LAW FOR ALL
Now look at the sabbath law in Exodus 20 verse 10.
"but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, not your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, not your stranger who is within your gates."
The Sabbath day was not given exclusively to the Israelites but to every person, male and female, slave and free, Israelite or alien, and even to the cattle. God could not have made it clearer. The holiness of this day is for everyone. However, there were laws there were exclusively for Israel. Contrast the universality of the Sabbath laws with the more exclusive Passover laws.
".... This is the ordinance of the Passover: No outsider shall eat it. But every mans servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it." Exodus 12:43.44
"And when a stranger sojourns with you and wants to keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it." Exodus 12:48
The Passover was only to be eaten by the Israelites or those who were circumcised into the Israelite nation. This is very clear, strong language. But listen to what Paul says to uncircumcised Gentiles who have been 'circumcised in Christ' and who are spiritual Israelites. 1 Corinth 5:7,8
"For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast,..."
If through Christ, Gentiles are fit to keep the Passover in its spiritual application, how much more fit should we consider ourselves to be partakers of the Sabbath.
(FOOTNOTE: It is true that the feast referred to here is the Feast of Unleavened Bread but as the two feasts are inseparable a keeping of the Passover is implied.)
"I will give them an everlasting name That shall not be cut off. Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, And to love the name of the Lord to be his servants- Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And holds fast to my covenant Even them I will bring to my holy mountain, And make them joyful in my house of prayer. Isaiah 56:5,6,7
CHRISTIANS WARNED NOT TO EAT BLOOD
Let's look at one final thing before we leave this topic. Under the laws that the Israelites were given, blood was not to be eaten. They were not allowed to eat meat that hadn't been drained of its blood. In Acts 15:29 the disciples warned the new Gentile Christians to abstain from blood as well.
"that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality."
If the Ten Commandments did not apply to the new converts then it doesn't seem logical that these other laws would apply either. But in actual fact, the Jews were not concerned for the Gentiles but for themselves. The problem was that the Jewish Christians were mixing more with the new Gentile converts and they wanted them to be ritually clean so that they could continue to fellowship with them without defiling themselves.
THE CIRCUMCISION CULT
Some had gone out from Jerusalem telling the new Gentile converts that they must become circumcised and keep the law of Moses. This was not the teaching of Paul or the apostles, especially Peter, who had learned through a vision as recorded in Acts 10-9-16, that the Jews should accept the Gentile believers just as God had accepted them. There was no necessity to go through circumcision and keep the ceremonial law of Moses in the manner of the Jews. It must be clearly understood that in the early church the Jewish Christians still held to their customs and law including various sacrifices and offerings. (See Acts 21:20-25).
Most of the early Gentile converts were Jewish proselytes who were contacted through their synagogue attendance. As the gospel spread, many pagans came to know the Lord. These had not been schooled in the Law. When the Jewish Christians were obliged to fellowship with these Gentiles who were coming to know God, a problem arose. Some chose to remain separate and not eat or associate with them. Others accepted them as long as they were circumcised. This latter party were known as the 'Circumcision' group. A dispute arose between Peter, Barnabas and Paul regarding this very issue. (Gal 2:11) Paul was of the opinion that if God had deemed them clean then they needed nothing else to make them "clean" to the Jewish brethren.
The issue had become divisive, and a decision had to be made. The result was the 'Jerusalem Decree'. The decree allowed the Jewish Christian freedom to associate with the Gentile believers without risking defilement.
This decision did not please everybody and so the Circumcision group lived on. Had the Sabbath been replaced by Sunday this whole problem would not have occurred because none of the strict Jewish Circumcision group would have had anything to do with Sabbath breakers.
Almost every epistle written by Paul warns the young churches to beware of those of the "Circumcision". The fact that the Circumcision group had such a wide area of influence is further proof that the young Gentile church, including the Roman church, also observed the Sabbath in their early years.
THE JERUSALEM DECREE
Let's examine the 'Jerusalem Decree' further. The restrictions placed on the Gentiles were taken from Leviticus chapters 17 and 18. In chapter 17, verses 8,9,12,13 and 15, and in chapter 18, verse 26, indicate the need for sojourners and strangers in Israel to adhere to the abstinence from blood, offerings to idols and sexual immorality.
One may be accustomed to regarding this decree as though, for the benefit of the new Christians, only a few important restriction's were placed on them. As though, to make it easy for them to convert from paganism, the rest of the law was to be ignored. But this is not so! Opponents of God's Sabbath have used this decree as proof that Gentiles were not under obligation to keep the Ten Commandments. But it is quite clear that the decree was for the benefit of the Jewish Christians not the Gentiles. It allowed Christians both circumcised and uncircumcisied to fellowship with one another especially in the observance of the Lord's Supper.
"Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles, who are turning to God, but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city being read in the synagogue every Sabbath." Acts 15:19-21
Note the phrase "are turning to God". Notice that this was not a letter written to Jewish Christians but was penned exclusively for "those from among the Gentiles". This wasn't therefore a decree for all new Christians. It was specially for those who had no prior knowledge of the law. The last sentence gives the reason why it was not necessary to rewrite the Moral Law in this decree. For the books of the law were read in every city in the synagogue on the Sabbath day. This they could hear and learn for themselves.
Common sense tells us that it would be of little use keeping away from things offered to idols, from things strangled, from sexual immorality and from blood if they were still cheating, lying, murdering, coveting and blaspheming. The apostles confidently relied on the reading of the law in the synagogue to educate the Gentiles in these areas.
SAVAGE WOLVES EMERGE
As the believers were progressively expelled from the synagogue as prophesied by Jesus (John 16:2), the need for apostolic instruction increased. Letters from the disciples would have been helpful, but the lack of teachers of sound doctrine possibly played a big part in the loss of truth and in the infiltration of false apostles.
Before long, church after church fell prey to those who would lead the church into compromise with paganism. The extremes of the Circumcision group who wished to convert all to Judaism gave the 'mystery of lawlessness' (2 Thess. 2:7) an opportunity to allow false teachers to turn grace into licence (Jude 1). Instead of steering the new Gentile converts away from paganism into righteousness by faith, false teachers sought a compromise between pagan customs and christian doctrine. Hence the merger of Christianity and Paganism that we see today. False teachers 'christianized' the pagan festivals. They chose to worship and rest on the 'venerable day of the sun' rather than the Sabbath. They have ignored the commandments of God, worshipping idols and images. They have persecuted the saints of God, who keep his commandments.
Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commandments".
Argument Four
Baptism is a fitting illustration of how the physical relates to the spiritual. The baptismal candidate should identify with Jesus Christ in his death, burial and resurrection. If he or she does, then God raises that person to new life in Christ. But the candidate's experience of baptism in its spiritual sense does not mean that water baptism becomes unnecessary. On the contrary, the candidate's spiritual experience will strengthen the desire for complete obedience.
Many Christians see the Ten Commandments as belonging to the Old Covenant only. They fail to see the relationship between God's Law and the New Covenant.
"... I will make a new covenant .... I will put my law in their minds, and write it on their hearts;....." Jeremiah 31:31-33
The New Covenant is about God's Law, including the Ten Commandments, being written in our minds and on our hearts. Now through the Spirit we can keep the law in the Spirit, as opposed to the keeping of the law in the letter though human endeavours .
"He is the mediator of the new covenant, by means of his death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance." Hebrews 9:15
One must transgress under the first covenant in order to be redeemed through Christ's death and become a partaker of the new covenant. Therefore the transgressions that necessitate our redemption are those we have committed under the first covenant. Transgression is breaking the law of the Old Covenant, the Ten Commandments.
The idea of keeping the fourth commandment in spirit only, presents quite a few problems in practice. Let's look at the commandment for a minute. This commandment is fourfold. It is a command to remember, to keep holy, to labour and to rest.
"Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, Six days you shall labour and do all your work,"
How do you spiritually remember the seventh day by forgetting it completely? How do you spiritually keep the Sabbath holy by defiling it? And how is it possible to spiritually labour six days if you're supposed to be spiritually resting every day in the Lord. The command is to labour as well as to rest! If the particular day that God chose is no longer holy to us, on whose authority do we declare the seventh day no longer holy? Only a higher authority than God can override God's declaration of holiness. Peter was warned against a similar thing in Acts 10:15.
How does resting in the Lord eliminate our need for meeting together and worshipping God? How can we say that the day that God set aside for the purpose of rest, worship and separation from the secular things of life is no longer of any value to the Christian? If it is still of value to the Christian then why would God want to get rid of it?
THE SABBATH REST IS A "TYPE"
The rest we have in Jesus in this life is not the only kind of rest of which the Sabbath is a "type". Turn to Hebrews 3:14 and 4:1-12 in your Bible and read the whole passage. Only the key verses will be reprinted here.
Verse 14. "For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end."
Chapter 4 Verse 1,2,3 "Therefore, since a promise remains of entering his rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as he has said: "So I swore in my wrath, They shall not enter my rest"
Verse 4,5,6. "for he has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: "And God rested on the seventh day from all his works"; and again in this place: "They shall not enter my rest." Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience,"
Verse 9,10 "There remains therefore a rest for the people of God." For he who has entered his rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from his."
Verse 11 "Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone should fall after the same example of disobedience.
Verse 12 "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sward, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
Notice that in verse 9, the original Greek says, there remains a SABBATISMOS i.e. 'Sabbath keeping' for God's people. In the King James Version, 'sabbath rest for' is placed in the margin.
In Christ we have a foretaste of the coming rest. Our works for salvation have ceased. The rest in Christ is with us today in a very real sense. Yet in another way the fulfilment of our 'Sabbath' rest is still future, that is Paradise. Without denying the rest we have in Christ, these verses clearly associate the seventh day sabbath with the promise of our future rest. Disobedience will disqualify us from reaching our rest. Let's repeat verse 11 again.
"Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone should fall after the same example of disobedience."
What particular act of disobedience? The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow came together. It judges the desires and thoughts of man's heart. Let the word of God judge your heart as it reveals to you the exact example of disobedience that is meant here. Turn to Ezekiel 20 and read about this very same example of disobedience in the wilderness when God swore an oath that they would not enter the promised land. Note particularly verses 15 and 16.
"So I also lifted my hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands, because they despised my judgements and did not walk in my statutes, but profaned my Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols."
This is the example of disobedience that we should be careful not to fall by! They knew which day was the sabbath day, they knew what God required, but they wilfully disobeyed and follow their false gods instead. Can we continue to keep the "venerable day of the sun" as commanded by men or should we keep the Sabbath day of the Lord?
Argument Five
Galatians 5:4 says, "You have become estranged from Christ you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace."
To me, this is the definition and fate of the legalist. When a person takes their eyes off the Lord Jesus Christ and begins to trust in their own righteousness for salvation they fall headlong into the snare of legalism. But this is not what is advocated by the keeping of the Sabbath. Obedience is not legalism. Righteousness by faith is not legalism.
It is absurd to suggest that we should sin in order to prove our dependence on salvation by grace. (Romans 6:1)
WHAT IS SIN?
There are many varied definitions of sin but simply defined from the Scriptures, "Sin is lawlessness." (1 John 3:4) What is lawlessness? Lawlessness is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as -Disregard for the law. Paul spoke of the mystery of lawlessness [disregard for the law] at work in his day. (2 Thess. 2:7) The Man of Sin, the son of perdition, is called the 'lawless one'. Lawlessness is his trademark!
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who practise lawlessness!' Matt 7:21-23
Lawlessness is also the trademark of the false Christian!
The law, including the Sabbath, stands as a witness against these rebellious ones. (1 Tim. 1:9)
My experience is that keeping the Sabbath does not create in one a sense of self-righteousness. If anything, the Sabbath serves as a reminder of one's inadequacy (in our own strength) to keep God's commandments. Try it! You will quickly find that keeping the things of God foremost in your mind throughout the day doesn't come naturally. And be prepared for hardship. (2 Timothy 3:12)
Sin is disregarding the law of God. How then can keeping the law of God be sin? Can there be any evil in doing what God commands just because, out of faith and love for Him, we want to please him? NO. The sin of legalism is one of trusting in one's own righteousness, rather than trusting in the righteousness of Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ kept the Sabbath. The disciples kept the Sabbath. There are still today those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Rev 12:17)
WHATEVER IS NOT FROM FAITH IS SIN
Another verse that is worth looking at is Galatians 4:8-11
"But then indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have laboured for you in vain."
Some may think that 'observing days' is a direct reference to Sabbath keeping. If Paul is berating the Galatians for keeping the seventh day, then his disapproval of such a practice would apply equally to those who keep Sunday. Could you imagine Paul telling his congregation to go back to work or to the beach instead of meeting for fellowship and worship. Not likely.
Leviticus 19:26 A.V. says,
"You shall not eat anything with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times".
Astrology, predictions, superstitions about days, moons and seasons were an integral part of pagan culture. Each god had his/her own special day. The seasons and their meaning were very significant in pagan religion and mythology.
The letter to the Galatians was written by Paul to counteract the teaching of the Circumcision group who insistedthat the observance of the ceremonial law was necessary for salvation. Within the ceremonial law was the observance of certain days, moons, seasons and years. If this passage is taken to mean that Paul was outrightly condemning the observance of all Jewish customs and days then he is no more than a hypocrite, as Paul kept these himself. (Acts 18:18,21) His plea, "Brethren, I urge you to become as I am ..." becomes meaningless. (Gal 4:12)
On closer examination, it is evident that Paul's condemnation is of their attitudes not their actions. Their eagerness for the observance of the full spectrum of Jewish ritual was an enslavement to them. They desired to be ruled by the Jewish ceremonial calendar rather than keeping their eyes firmly fixed on the Lord. He deliberately reminds them of their former association with idols and relates it to their present superstitious observance of times which had become a substitute for their former traditions. They had become obsessed with becoming circumcised in order to be eligible to keep the Jewish customs and law. In their uncircumcised state they had all they needed for salvation. But they weren't content with that. They wanted to become Jews by circumcision although this was not necessary for salvation. They wanted to add works as a means of salvation. He was concerned that their observance of days, months, seasons and years was no more than return to the superstitions of paganism.
Indeed there were times when God showed his disapproval of the worship of the Israelites when their motives were not pure.
"Your New Moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates" Isaiah 1:14
The Sabbath needs to be kept out of pure motives. A legalistic (works for salvation) attitude toward the Sabbath does not please God. An attitude of obedience to God is what is required. Jesus taught his disciples how to properly keep the Sabbath day. He taught them not to be judgemental.
"Therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths," Colossians 2:16
This was the essence of Christ's teaching on the Sabbath. He alone is Lord of the Sabbath. The Pharisees made all kinds of rules about how to keep the day; what was defined as work, what was allowed and what was disallowed. These are spiritual decisions that can only be made between God and man. (Mark 2:23) The Pharisees had became worshippers of the Sabbath, rather than worshippers of the Lord of the Sabbath.
ESTEEMING SPECIAL DAYS
Now let's look at Romans 14:5 which says,
"One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike."
One could be excused for thinking that this verse is speaking about the Sabbath day. But verse 1 of this chapter introduces the subjects to be discussed as 'doubtful things', not worth disputing over.
There was nothing doubtful about which day was the Sabbath. I am not aware of any verse in the Gospels or the letters addressed to Gentiles where, in reference to the Sabbath, the writer does not presume prior knowledge of the seventh day Sabbath and the manner in which it was observed. The Sabbath is never called the Jewish Sabbath. The Holy Feast days were, on the other hand, consistently called 'Feasts of the Jews' in the Gospel of John. During that time, there were some who were Jews and proselytes and others who were uncircumcised. The Jewish brethren in Rome, although they were a long way from the temple, continued to keep the holy feast days. They journeyed to Jerusalem to keep the Jewish feasts whenever possible. Some of them insisted that the keeping of the feasts were mandatory. (Colossians 2:15 quoted above) Others felt that it was not obligatory, especially since the uncircumcised Gentile brethren were not even eligible to fully participate in them. Paul is advocating tolerance here. He does not make a judgement. The choice is between observing the day or not observing the day. It is not a matter of which is the correct one to observe.
It is most probable that the majority of Christians kept the feasts in a new way, in the spirit of their full meaning in Christ. History shows that this was definitely what did happen in the case of the new Passover. The followers of the apostle John and the churches established by Paul held to the new Passover on the 14th day of Nisan. Shortly before the third century A.D., a dispute arose between Victor, the Bishop of Rome, and Polycrates representing the Eastern churches. Victor insisted, using threats of excommunication, that the Eastern Christians adopt "Easter" - the christianized festival of Ishtar or Astarte the wife of Baal, the sun god.
This dispute, known as the 'Quartodeciman' controversy, was still current at the time of the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine. In addition to his intervention in this doctrinal controversy, Constantine in 321 A.D. decreed that all persons should rest on the 'venerable day of the sun', that is the day we call Sunday. This was done to promote the amalgamation of the sun worshipping cults of the day and Roman style Christianity.
The Church cannot overrule Holy Scripture. If God declares or commands, it is the duty of the Body of Christ to believe and obey, not to overrule, sidestep or rebel.
Listen to the wise words of Solomon, "I know that what ever God does it shall be for ever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken from it. God does it that men should fear before him."
Ecclesiastes 3:14
If you choose to obey the teachings of man in preference to God's word then listen also to words of the Saviour,
"..... Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. "Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
'These people draw near to me with their mouth,
And honour me with their lips,
But their heart is far from me.
And in vain they worship me,
Teaching as doctrines the
commandments of men."' Matt 15:6,7,8,9
Protestant Christians who trace their roots to Martin Luther must ask themselves if Martin Luther came out of Catholicism completely. Baptists and those who believe in full immersion must acknowledge that Luther's understanding was not fully complete. Is there now a need for yet another reformation? Could the major reformers have missed the truth of the Sabbath?
Did you realize that the first full day that Adam and Eve spent on this planet was spent in fellowship with God. Imagine the love and joy that was shared between them. On the day that my daughter was born I can remember the happiness that I felt during those first moments of her life. Can you imagine the scene in the garden as God and man fellowshiped together for the first time. Do you remember what day that was? The seventh day of creation. God wants you to remember that day because He wants to bring you back into perfect fellowship with Him. During the whole six thousand ugly years that man has consistently rebelled, God has been enacting his plan to bring Adam's race back into the sweet fellowship of that blessed seventh day. This is what the plan of salvation is all about. This is why Jesus Christ died on the cross. Certainly, God wants to save you from sin but do you know why? The long term goal is sweet Sabbath fellowship with God. Your Heavenly Father longs to renew the fellowship of the seventh day. That is the reason why it is a holy day of rest. Like it or not the gospel is ultimately about the Sabbath. The seventh day points back to creation and forward to the Day of the Lord. It is a symbolic bridge that spans the millenia between Adam's broken fellowship and our future glory. The Sabbath was a special sign to Israel because it was a promise of the rest waiting for them in the Promised Land. Through disbelief they never entered that rest. (Hebrews 4:6) The Sabbath to the Christian is an even greater sign. It is a promise of eternal rest with God.
"Therefore, since a promise remains of entering his rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it." Hebrews 4:1
God, through Christ, created the Sabbath day on the seventh day of Creation by his blessing, resting and sanctifying of that day. As this day was created for the benefit of mankind, God commanded man to observe the day by rest after his own example. Later, a written version of the Sabbath commandment was included in the Ten Commandments. At different times throughout the recorded history of Israel, the Sabbath was profaned and idolatry flourished. Periods of Sabbath indifference and apostasy were followed by periods of punishment and exile. When Jesus Christ came both he and his disciples kept the Sabbath. The Lord Jesus, perceiving man's misconception of his Divine Purpose, categorically denied any intention of destroying the Law. Foreseeing the coming lawlessness, he clearly reproved anyone who "breaks one of the least of the commandments, and teaches men so". The Apostles continued to keep the Sabbath along with Paul and all the new churches throughout the Diaspora. Shortly after the deaths of the Apostles, some churches substituted 'the day of the Sun' for Christ's Sabbath. The command to rest on Sunday was made law throughout the Roman Empire by the decree of Constantine the Great in 321 A.D. The persecution of Sabbath keepers (including Jews) followed. After many centuries, small groups of Sabbath keepers continued to remain despite the severe persecution of 'heretics' by the Roman Catholic Church. The Sabbatarian Baptists formed a church in London in 1617. Due to persecution some left for America where the first American Seventh Day Baptist Church was established in 1671 at Newport, Rhode Island. Today, Seventh Day Baptist Churches can be found in many different countries including Australia and New Zealand. In 1845, the Seventh Day Baptists imparted the truth of the Sabbath to the Adventist Movement. (Later known as the Seventh-day Adventist Church; not be to confused with the Seventh Day Baptists.) Today, Seventh Day Baptists continue to bring the gospel and the knowledge of the Sabbath to believer and non-believer alike.
It is hoped that this booklet will kindle a desire for further prayerful study on this subject and lead to a meaningful understanding of God's will.
My decision to obey the Sabbath command was preceded by many months of soul searching. Not wanting to let go for fear of being branded as one of the 'cults', I dodged the truth of the Sabbath for quite a while. That was foolishness.
It was quite a long time until I was brave enough to admit to my family and friends that I kept God's Sabbath. My first observance of the Sabbath day came with a little uneasiness. The Sabbath didn't all at once feel like Sunday. Keeping sunset Friday to sunset Saturday felt a little strange, yet I was full of joy knowing that I was doing so in obedience to Christ Jesus my Lord.
There was joy and there was blessing, and in my obedience there was the lifting of the burden of mental turmoil that was a result of my wrestling with God. Discovering the truth about God's Sabbath can be quite unsettling. It may take time and prayer to come to the point of obedience. One is left wondering how to handle the situation. Should one stay in a Sunday church by making some kind of compromise, or should one break away completely? This is a matter for serious prayer.
Let me say from experience, that this is not an easy decision, but it is a rewarding one. There are Christians just like yourself, in every part of the globe. They understand just how you feel.
I urge you to make contact with them in whatever way possible.
We invite you to write to us care of the address below and we will be happy to help you in any way we can.
God bless you and keep you,
David Harold Hill
List of Sabbath Keeping Churches (130k)
Return to: Australasian Conference of Seventh Day Baptists