Sabbath Not A Law For Christians
By Robert K. Sanders
Many Sabbatarians have written to challenge why I renounced keeping the7th day Sabbath which begins sundown Friday through sundown Saturday.
Renounced the Sabbath after 47 years. To answer their objections is the reason for this article,
"Sabbath Not a Law for Christians".
When I was a Sabbath keeper, I was questioned by non-Sabbath keepers, "why do you still hold to Sabbath keeping and renounce the other Old Covenant teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church"? They asked, "would not the same arguments that I use to show that
tithing and
unclean meat are no longer binding on Christians be the same arguments to show the Sabbath is no longer binding on Christians"? After careful study I have had to conclude they were correct.
Sabbatarians believe the Sabbath is binding on all nations and all people for all time when in fact it was a law given one time to one nation, Israel and was conditional of Israel being God's covenant people. God made a covenant with Israel, and later it is called "the Old Covenant". Circumcision was the entry sign into the covenant God made with Abraham and his descendants (Lev. 12:3) and the Sabbath was a weekly remembrance sign for Israel that they were members of the covenant. Israel agreed to keep the terms of the Old Covenant and it was ratified by the blood of slain animals (Ex 24:5). The Bible teaches that "the Old Covenant" ended at Calvary.
The New Covenant was ratified by the blood of Christ at Calvary. Baptism is the entry into the New Covenant and the Lord's Supper is the remembrance sign that we are members of the New Covenant.
1 Cor 11:24 - 1 Cor 11:26 (NIV) 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said,
“This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.†25In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.†26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Sabbatarians read Sabbath keeping through the Old Covenant (contract )God made with Israel. They do not accept fact that the Old Covenant ended at Calvary and that God made a New Covenant with Israel which did not include the entrance sign of circumcision or Sabbath keeping. Sabbatarians equate rejecting the Sabbath commandment the same as rejecting God.
It is important to understand the following definitions of terms to understand the covenants.
Definitions:
Law of Moses, Torah, Pentateuch: The first five books of the Bible, which includes the Ten Commandments, the Law, and Ordinances.
Old Covenant: The Covenant
(binding agreement) God made with Israel at Sinai. It includes the Law written by Moses, and the Ten Commandments written on stone by God. All equally holy and binding.
New Covenant: The Covenant God made with Israel which is the church, after Calvary, ending the Old Covenant. â€â€Hebrews 8:7-13.
What Ended at the Cross?
Jesus Abolished the Law with Commandments and Regulations.
Eph 2:14 - Eph 2:15 (NIV) 15by
abolishing in his flesh
the law with its commandments and regulations.
Notice, "the law" is singular that was abolished, not laws. There were just "one law" the Torah and it was abolished by Jesus. The Bible does not teach, nor do the Jews regard as do Sabbatarians that there are two laws, one ceremonial and the other the Ten Commandments. Within the Torah, there are ceremonial commands, commands dealing with diet, dress, tithe, disease, and moral commands. To the Jews there is but one law, "the Torah", and it is all equally holy and binding. There are 613 commandments in the Torah.
The Written Code Canceled With Regulations Nailed to the Cross.
Col 2:14 - Col 2:14 (NIV) 13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14
having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us;
he took it away, nailing it to the cross.
What was the "written code"? It is the Old Covenant with the Ten Commandments. Not only was Jesus nailed to the cross so were the ordinances nailed to the cross with him which was the law with its ordinances that it produced. It is important to understand that ALL of the Old Covenant God made with Israel ended, including all laws, commandments and regulations. Sabbatarians try their best to pry the nails from the cross to make the Sabbath binding on Christians. Jesus was taken down from the cross, but the Torah/Law remains nailed to the cross for eternity.
Christians are released from the Torah/Law and now serve the Spirit.
Rom 7:4 - Rom 7:6 (NIV) 4So, my brothers,
you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. 5For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. 6But now, by dying to what once bound us,
we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit,
and not in the old way of the written code.
How was the Torah/Law against us?
Deut 31:25 - Deut 31:26 (NIV) 26“
Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God.
There it will remain as a witness against you.
"The Book of the Law" is the Old Covenant, and it condemned Israel if they broke the law. The Ten Commandments were written in "this book of the law". The stone tablets were placed inside the ark of the covenant. When they broke the Covenant, they came under the cursing of God. Christians are not cursed or condemned by God if they break the Old Covenant as it has ended.
Rom 8:1 - Rom 8:1 (NIV) 1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus
Christ is the end of the Law/Torah. Rom 10:3 - Rom 10:4 (NIV) 4Christ is the end of the law so that there
may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
Christ is the end of the Torah/Law. Israel was commanded to keep "all" the laws including the Sabbath so that they could have righteousness. Deut 6:24 - Deut 6:25 (NIV) 24The LORD
commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the LORD our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. 25And if we are
careful to obey all this law before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us,
that will be our righteousness.â€Â
New Covenant believers have their righteousness in Christ and not in keeping the Sabbath or the rest of the Torah. Christ ended the Old Covenant Law "so that there may be righteousness for everyone that believes." Sabbatarians look to the law/Sabbath for righteousness and to be made holy. This is blasphemy!
Paul is not under the Law and tells Christians they are not either.
1 Cor 9:19 - 1 Cor 9:20 (NIV) 20To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law
(though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.
Rom 6:13 - Rom 6:14 (NIV) 14For sin shall not be your master,
because you are not under law, but under grace.
Gal 5:17 - Gal 5:18 (NIV) 18But if you are led by the Spirit,
you are not under law.
Paul tells us that those that want to be under the Old Covenant law, are not "led by the Spirit." Paul and the church opposed the Judaizers that were trying to impose the Law of Moses on the Gentiles. Keep in mind the Law of Moses was from God and included the Sabbath command.
Acts 15:4 - Acts 15:5 (NIV) 5Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said,
“The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.â€Â
The Old Covenant Ended Including the Ten Commandments
Hebrews tells us very plainly that the Old Covenant ended which included the Ten Commandments. The Seventh-day Adventists, other Sabbatarians view the Ten Commandments as binding on the church. Read carefully what God tells us.
God makes a New Covenant Israel and makes the Old Covenant obsolete.
- Heb 8:7 - Heb 8:13 (NIV) 7For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8But God found fault with the people and said, “The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 9 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. 10 This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people. 11 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.†13By calling this covenant “new,†he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.
The Ten Commandments are "words of the covenant" which has ended.
- Ex 34:27 - Ex 34:28 (NIV)
- 27Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.†28Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenantâ€â€the Ten Commandments.
"The first Covenant" had "the stone tablets of the covenant."
- 1Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.
The Sabbath is called a "lasting covenant".
- 16The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant.
The "terms of the covenant" included the Ten Commandments made at Horeb (Sinai) and the Law wrote by Moses. One Law, One Covenant.
- Deut 29:1 (NIV) 1These are the terms of the covenant the LORD commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb.
God did not make two covenants with Israel a ceremonial covenant and a Ten Commandments covenant as Sabbatarians would have you to believe, but one covenant.
The Ten Commandments are never called "the law".
Moses wrote the Ten Commandments in the Book of the Law.
Deut 30:10 (NIV) 10if you obey the LORD your God
and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
The Sinai Covenant including the Ten Commandments is Slavery.
Gal 4:21 - Gal 4:31 (NIV) 21Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? 22For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 23His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise.24These things may be taken figuratively,
for the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. 25Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. 26But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. 27For it is written: “Be glad, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth and cry aloud, you who have no labor pains; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband.†8Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. 30But what does the Scripture say?
“Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.†31Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.
Living Under the New Covenant
Without the Ten Commandments
The New Covenant
- 10 This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people.
What are the laws that God is going put in their minds and to write on their hearts? Sabbatarians insist this has to be the Ten Commandments and if the Ten Commandments are not binding on Christians then they are at liberty to commit adultery, steal, kill, etc. The Jews were custodians of the Ten Commandments and it did not keep them from breaking the law. Christians have tried to live by the Ten Commandments and have failed.
Are there moral laws in the Torah not found in the Ten? Yes. Israel was to love God and their neighbor. Are there ceremonial laws in the Torah? Most certainly. Now are there moral laws in the Ten? Yes, there are. Are there a ceremonial law in the Ten? Yes, the 7th day Sabbath is a reoccurring ceremonial law that celebrates Israel's deliverance from Egypt and that they are God's Covenant people and acknowledging that God created the world.
The Ten Commandments were just a limited representation of how God wanted Israel to live. Jesus expanded the moral concepts that was written in stone and wrote them on the tablets of flesh, our hearts. You can read in Matthew 5, how Jesus made the principles of the Ten a spiritual relationship between man and God.
If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Sabbatarians want you to be led by the law in order to enforce the Sabbath Commandment.
Christians are not under the law.
- Gal 5:16 - Gal 5:21 (NIV)
- 16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. 19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Paul writing to the Galatians says to "live by the spirit." The Holy Spirit will impress those that choose to be led will not be involved in "sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like." The Ten Commandments do not address all these issues. The New Covenant is a much high standard to live by. If you are a Sabbath keeper you are not led by the Spirit but by the Law/Torah. You are living under Moses, and not Christ.
Jesus gave a new commandment for his church to live by.
John 13:34 - John 13:35 (NIV) 34“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.†The world will know you are Jesus' disciples if you love one another.
The Old Covenant Law was to love your neighbor as yourself, the new commandment is to love one another as Christ loves us. Jesus could have said, the world will know you are my disciples if you keep the Sabbath. Sabbath keeping is not commanded by God in the New Covenant Church. We gave no record of any Gentiles keeping the Sabbath. In the Old Covenant Gentiles must first be circumcised before they could keep the Sabbath. In the New Covenant both are no longer commanded.
Paul tells the church though Titus to live a moral life and what to teach.
Titus 2:11 - Titus 2:15 (NIV) 11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12It teaches us to say “No†to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13while we wait for the blessed hopeâ€â€the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to
redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
15These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.
Do Sabbatarians Follow Jesus' Example?
Sabbatarians enjoy pointing to Jesus as our example to keep the Sabbath. Is this a valid argument? If we are to follow Jesus' examples of how he lived then we should consider this:
Do Sabbatarians Follow Jesus' Example? No!
Jesus wore tassels on a robe with a blue cord.
Jesus paid tax to the temple and supported temple worship
Jesus went to a Jewish synagogue on Sabbath and read from the Torah in Hebrew.
Jesus spoke out against the Jewish Leaders.
Jesus limited his study only to the Torah.
Jesus kept all 12 Sabbaths including eating the Passover lamb.
Jesus did not baptize anyone.
Jesus did not own a home, did not marry, was not employed, had no income, stayed in other peoples homes,
rode donkey.
Paul Nor the Apostles Kept the Sabbath.
Whenever the Apostles is mentioned in connection with the Sabbath,
it was for evangelism and not Sabbath Keeping. Paul often went to the Temple and synagogues
to preach Christ to both Jews and Gentiles. It is never recorded that Paul or the Apostles preached Sabbath keeping to Jews or Gentiles. Notice Paul in Acts 17:2, did not go to the synagogue to keep the Sabbath or to worship. Worship was done at the temple, not the synagogues. The synagogues were used to teach the Torah. Paul taught from the Torah how Christ fulfilled the prophecies found in the Torah.
Not once in the book of Acts is the Sabbath a point of discussion. Gentiles were coming into the church by the thousands and were not taught the Sabbath Commandment or how to keep the Sabbath, or the penalties for breaking the Sabbath.
- Acts 17:2 - Acts 17:4 (NIV) 2As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ, he said. 4Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women.
Does Paul quoting the Ten Commandments prove that the Sabbath is binding on the church?
Rom 13:8 - Rom 13:10 (NIV) 8Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,†“Do not murder,†“Do not steal,†“Do not covet,†and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.†10Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Paul was always silent when it came to Sabbath keeping. He does quote the Ten Commandments, but not as a duty for the church. Paul is saying the duty for Christians is to love your neighbor as yourself and it is this that fulfills the requirements of the Torah/Law. The Jewish audience that Paul was addressing believed that if they kept the Ten Commandments they were fulfilling all the Torah/Law but they were not, if they did not love their neighbor.
Gal 5:13 - Gal 5:14 (NIV) 14The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.†Matt 5:44 - Matt 5:44 (NIV) 43“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you"
Answering Sabbath Arguments
Here is a list of often used arguments to support the Sabbath.
- Argument: God rested on the Sabbath at creation, he made the day holy, and sanctified the day. Therefore all mankind is bound to keep the day holy.
Gen 2:3 - Gen 2:3 (NIV) 2By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
The term "Sabbath" is not used in the Genesis account. Genesis tells us that only God rested on the Seventh day but not Adam and Eve. Each day of creation had an evening and morning, but the Sabbath had no evening. Gen. 2:2. Of course the 7th day ended as any other day of the week ended with the setting sun. Was the first 7th day celebration to last for eternity if sin had not entered the world? Adam and Eve were created on the 6th day so did they have need to rest from their labor the next day? No. It was after sin that Adam had to earn his food by the sweat of his brow.
God was very specific in giving Adam and Eve commands on what they should and should not do before they sinned. Adam could name the animals, what they could eat in the garden, the penalty for eating from the forbidden "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, but no command or penalty for keeping the 7th day holy. Even after they sinned, God told Eve she would be subject to her husband and bear children in pain, and the earth would be cursed with thorns and thistles and Adam would have to work for his food, and that they would die. But still no command to keep the Sabbath. The Genesis account does not support God giving the Sabbath to Adam and Eve as a rest day, especially a Levitical rest day with all the restrictions.
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- Argument: Abraham kept all God's commandments, therefore he kept the Sabbath.
Gen 26:5 (NIV) 5because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws.â€Â
The Law was not given to Abraham as it was given by God to Moses. John 1:16 through John 1:18 (NIV) 16From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. 17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.
Abraham did keep God's commandments, but not the Sabbath. God "commanded" Abraham to change his name from Abram to Abraham, to believe God, to leave his home in Ur and go to a country he did not know, to be circumcised, to offer up his son Isaac, etc. Abraham never saw the tables of stone. The laws that Abraham obeyed were not the Levitical Laws. Circumcision evidently was more important to God than the Sabbath as God made circumcision the Covenant sign and not the Sabbath with Abraham. Gen 17:10 - Gen 17:11 (NIV) 10This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you.
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- Argument: The Sabbath is an eternal covenant or a lasting covenant, depending on the translation, therefore it will never end.
Ex 31:16 - Ex 31:17 (NIV) 16The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. 17It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he abstained from work and rested.’â€Â
God told Israel the time would come that he would end their Sabbaths.
Hosea 2:11 (NIV)
11 I will stop all her celebrations:
1 1her yearly festivals, her New Moons,
1 1her Sabbath daysâ€â€all her appointed feasts.
All the Sabbaths not just the 7th day Sabbath, were a "lasting covenant" that God made with Israel. As long as the Old Covenant was in force so was all eleven Sabbaths. See Leviticus 23 for the list of Sabbaths.
Examples of Lasting Ordinances and Covenants".
Feast of Unleavened Bread: Lev 23:6 - Lev 23:8 (NIV) 6On the fifteenth day of that month the LORD’S Feast of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. 7On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. 8For seven days present an offering made to the LORD by fire. And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.’â€ÂEx 12:16 - Ex 12:17 (NIV) 17“Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.
Lamps:
Ex 27:20 - Ex 27:21 (NIV) 21In the Tent of Meeting, outside the curtain that is in front of the Testimony, Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the LORD from evening till morning. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations to come.
Circumcision:
Gen 17:13 - Gen 17:14 (NIV) 13Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.â€Â
Live in Booths seven days:
Lev 23:41 - Lev 23:43 (NIV) 1Celebrate this as a festival to the LORD for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. 42Live in booths for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in booths 43so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’â€Â
Some Sabbatarians want to make just the 7th day Sabbath holy and "eternal covenant" to meet their agenda and discard the other ten Sabbaths found in Deuteronomy 23 . Paul tells us that these weekly, monthly and yearly Sabbaths are temporary "a shadow." Col 2:16 - Col 2:17 (NIV) 16Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
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- Argument: Isaiah proves the Sabbath is eternal as it will be kept in the earth made new.
Isa 66:22 - Isa 66:24 (NIV) 22“As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,†declares the LORD, “so will your name and descendants endure. 23From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me,†says the LORD. 24“And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.â€Â
The promises God made to Israel was based on them being God's Covenant people. Under the Old Covenant, there were Sabbaths to be kept each month as well as the weekly Sabbath. The "New Moon" applies to the monthly Sabbaths. See Leviticus 23, to see the list. These monthly Sabbaths pointed to Christ and ended with the Old Covenant. Will the Sabbatarians in the New Earth go out on the Sabbath day and view dead bodies? Will they see "worms that will not die" and "fire that will not be quenched" and "they will be loathsome to all mankind"? God's plan for the New Earth under the New Covenant, there will be no more death or tears. If the messages of Isaiah applies to the Christian Church, then we are faced with a lot of problems. Isa. 65:17, talks about when God will create a new heaven and earth. vs. 20, people that do not live to be 100 will be accursed. (People will die in the new earth?) vs. 22, people will live as long as a tree. (Many trees do not live 20 years) vs 23, women will bear children. (Jesus tells us, there will be no marriage in heaven.) As you can see this has nothing to do with the Christian belief of the New Heaven and the New Earth. If Israel had been faithful/obedient to God these blessings would have come to them. Isaiah's prophecy applies only to Israel and not Christ's Church. Will the saints really need a weekly Sabbath to rest from their labor, to remember they were delivered from Egypt and that it was God that created the world? I think not.
The Sabbath will not be kept in the New Jerusalem!
Rev 21:23 - Rev 21:25 (NIV) 23The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.
How indeed can the Sabbath be kept in the New Jerusalem with out any night to define the start and end of the day? Is God going to ring a bell? It is ridicules to think the saints will need a day "of rest" once a week to commune with God or to rest from work.
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- Argument: Jesus did not abolish the Ten Commandment law, therefore the Sabbath is binding.
Matt 5:17 - Matt 5:19 (NIV) 17“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.[list:b1f60]
- First what is the "Law and the Prophets that Jesus did not abolish? The Law is called the Torah or the Pentateuch, which are the first five books of Moses. Never is the Ten Commandments called "the law". The "Law" pointed to Christ in the Sanctuary Service. The Prophets are the books written by the Prophets and many of these prophesied of the coming of the Messiah. The Law is not limited in this case to the Ten. Matt 11:12-Matt 11:13 (NIV) 13For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. [/*:m:b1f60]
- Second what does fulfill mean? First notice that the law will "disappear" when everything is accomplished. Jesus fulfilled the Law/Torah and the prophecy of the Prophets that pointed to his manner of coming and death. This has nothing to do with the Ten Commandments as it does not point to Christ. Once Christ "fulfilled" the prophecy, it would never be done again. Matt 1:22 - Matt 1:23 (NIV) 22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuelâ€â€which means, “God with us.†Matt 21:4 - Matt 21:5 (NIV) 4This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ [/*:m:b1f60]
- If Jesus were to abolish the law he could not be the Savior as he could not fulfill it. The law foretold what Jesus would accomplish.[/*:m:b1f60]
- What does "until everything is accomplished?" "Everything was accomplished" at the cross when Jesus, the Lamb of God made full atonement for sins by shedding his blood. The curtain between the Holy and Most Holy was torn into, where anyone now could see into the Most Holy Apartment. This alone shows that the Old Covenant ended. "Everything accomplished" is not the end of the world as taught by Sabbatarians, but what Christ came to accomplish at Calvary. John 19:29 - John 19:30 (NIV) 30When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.†With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. [/*:m:b1f60]
- "heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." This is true, as long as heaven and earth remains, not a stroke of a pen would change the Torah, it remained intact till Jesus fulfilled the prophecies found in the Torah/Law at Calvary. [/*:m:b1f60]
[*]Those that practice and keep the commandments will be called great. "Commandments" does not mean just the Ten Commandments it was all the commandments in the found in the Torah. Jesus was speaking to the Jews that were still under the Old Covenant. The Torah had 613 commandments and God commanded Israel to be keep them all.[/*:m:b1f60]
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[*]Argument: If you break one law you break them all. Therefore breaking the Sabbath makes a person a law breaker.
James 2:9 - James 2:13 (NIV) 8If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,†you are doing right. 9But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,†also said, “Do not murder.†If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. 12Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
James does not identify the "royal law" as the Ten Commandments. The "royal law" must be the Torah as this is where the command "to love your neighbor" is found. Lev 19:17 - Lev 19:18 (NIV) 18“‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
The Ten Commandments are just one part of the Torah/Law. James says that if you "stumble" in just one point of the law, which is 613 commandments of the Torah, your are guilty of breaking them all. Paul uses then uses the Ten Commandments as an illustration for those that were attempting to live by the Torah/law that they will be judged by the Torah. Those that break the Sabbath will be judged as breaking all the Torah not just the Ten Commandments. The New Covenant does not tell the church they will be judged by the Torah.
- Matt 22:36 - Matt 22:40 (NIV) 36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?†37Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.â€Â
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[*]Argument: The Lord's Day is the 7th day Sabbath, because Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath.
Rev 1:9 - Rev 1:10 (NIV) 10On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,
This is one of many examples of Sabbatarians twisting the meaning of words in the Bible. The Lord's Day is used one time in the Bible. Rev 1:10 (NIV) 10On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet
Never is the Sabbath called "the Lord's Day" in the Scriptures. The Sabbath is always called in the Greek Sabbaton or in the Hebrew Shabbath. Strong's: G4521 σάββατον sabbaton sab'-bat-on Of Hebrew origin [H7676]; the Sabbath (that is, Shabbath), or day of weekly repose from secular avocations (also the observance or institution itself);
The term "Lord's Day" is used one time in Scripture. Never in the Bible is the Sabbath ever called the Lord's Day. The Church fathers in the first centuries called Sunday, "the Lord's Day" because Christ rose from the grave on Sunday. They choose this day as a celebration for their deliverance from sin and salvation by Christ. Thus, they called Sunday the first day of the week, the LORD'S DAY. This did not make Sunday a holy day or a Sunday Sabbath.
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[*]Argument: Worshiping on Sunday is honoring the sun god.
Jesus rose from the grave early on the first day of the week, Sunday. Was Jesus honoring the sun god? The pagans of the Roman empire never celebrated a weekly day to the sun god. It is despicable for Sabbatarians to insinuate those that go to church on Sunday are worshiping or honoring a pagan god. Sabbatarians go to church on week days. If they go to prayer meeting on Wednesday for example are they worshipping the pagan god, Woden, chief god in Norse mythology? As you can see this is a ridiculous allegation to make against Christians that worship the Creator.
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[*]Argument: Christians should worship on the Sabbath Day.
Christ never commanded a day for worship for his church or a day of the week to worship. God gave Israel a day of rest, after being in bondage in Egypt after their deliverance from making bricks. The Jews had sabbaths that fell on week days as well as going to the Temple in Jerusalem three times a day every day to pray.
If you notice only the Israelites were commanded to keep the Sabbath "covenant." The Sabbath was never given to any other nation or race of people on the face of the earth. Until an Israelite was circumcised, he was a Gentile and could not keep the Sabbath. The same with any Gentile that came into the camp of Israel, they had to be circumcised and become a Jew to keep the Sabbath. The Sabbath Covenant is only for the circumcised. The Sabbath was a "lasting" as long as Israel was God's Covenant people. When Israel rejected Christ, they were no longer under the Covenant God made with them. Under the New Covenant circumcision was abolished, so how could a person keep the Sabbath according to the Levitical Sabbath law of the Torah without first being circumcised? This proves that the Sabbath ended.
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[*]Argument: Hebrews 4 proves Christians are to keep the Sabbath.
- Heb 4:9 - Heb 4:11 (NIV) 9There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. 11Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.
Israel had the 7th day Sabbath, but they did not have the Sabbath-rest in God. Now God wants his church to have the rest in him that he promised Israel. If we are led by the Spirit, we will enter that rest. This offer by God has nothing to do with keeping the 7th day Sabbath.[/*:m:b1f60][/list:o:b1f60]
Sabbatarians Judge non Sabbath Keepers! It is Sabbatarians that judge Christians that do not keep the Sabbath as breaking God's law and making it a salvation issue. It is rare to see Christians judging Sabbatarians for keeping the Sabbath.
Rom 14:4 - Rom 14:8 (NIV) 4Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
I am like the man Paul says that "considers every day alike."
Summary
- The Ten Commandments are the words of the Old Covenant. [/*:m:b1f60]
- The Old Covenant is the covenant God made with Israel at Sinai. [/*:m:b1f60]
- The Old Covenant is ONE LAW, not two that includes moral, ceremonial, and civil regulations, including the Ten Commandments. [/*:m:b1f60]
- The Old Covenant was given to only to Israel and not other nation or people. No one saw the tables written on stone till Moses. [/*:m:b1f60]
- The Old Covenant including the Ten Commandments was in force till the death of Jesus on Calvary. [/*:m:b1f60]
- God made a New Covenant with Israel that was much better than the Old Covenant. [/*:m:b1f60]
- The New Covenant was better because Christians would have to keep 613 laws of the Old Covenant, which would convict them as sinners. Israel looked to "the law" to find their duty. Christians now look to Christ and are "led by the spirit" to live a moral life. [/*:m:b1f60]
- The New Covenant expands the moral principles found in the Old Covenant. The Sabbath is not a moral principle, but a ceremonial weekly ritual that was given ONLY TO ISRAEL. The Sabbath like tithe, is never commanded in the New Covenant.[/*:m:b1f60]
Sabbath Keeping is An Alaska Problem!
This shows that the Sabbath was a regional, temporary command
for Israel and not for the world.
From: TOAMREALTY@aol.com [mailto:TOAMREALTY@aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2003 7:01 PM
Subject: Sabbath
Interesting problem in Alaska ....according to the officious SDA sunset calculator, on Friday eve, May 30th, in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, the sun set below the horizon, bringing with it the Jewish Shabbat, at 11:38 PM, almost midnight. Note: AK is so far west, it is on Hawaiian time!!! Here is the quote:
Calculations for:
Longitude: -148.34000
Latitude: 70.27000 Prudhoe Bay, Alaska
Time Zone: Hawaiian Standard Time, HST
Date: 5/30/03 Friday
Sunrise: 0:07am HST (sunrise Friday morning)
Sunset: 11:38pm HST (sunset, Friday night, becoming sabbath)
Next, we find sunrise on Sabbath, May 31st, actually starts before midnight Friday night!!! and el sol invictus stays up all day Sabbath, and into Sabbath night, and into Sunday morning, and into Sunday night, for the next two months!!!!!
Date: 5/31/03
Sunrise: Sun above horizon HST
Sunset: Sun above horizon HST (meaning the sun never sets!!!! ) meaning: if you live and work in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, extracting dino remains buried and liquified by Noah's flood less than 4500 years ago, you have a problem!!!!! (no!! dummy!! not the recent age of the earth!!!!)... you have to quit working!!!
Because on Friday night, May 30th, when the sun went down at 1l:38, bringing in the holy Lord's day, you had to stop working, thou, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and all the strangers within thy igloo. But the sun came up again on Sabbath just a few minutes later, but never went down after that!!!
As I scribble this nonsense it is still Sabbath in Prudhoe Bay...cause the sun never went down....no Saturday sunset. So if you believe literally that you must keep sabbath from sunset on Friday night to Sabbath sunset.....the next day, Sabbath, did NOT have a sunset this summer!!! Won't be a sunset for another two months!!!!! So you are faced with keeping Sabbath for two months straight, and giving up your job with Exxon!!!! Unless of course, you are the camp padre, trying to spread the word that black gold comes from dead dinos who missed the ark, or in the medical profession raking in piles of dough and salving your conscience by paying plenty of tithe to keep the hired-archy gainfully employed....
John
For more information on the Sabbath
Renouncing the Sabbath After 47 Years by Robert K. Sanders
Pope_Did_Not_Change_Sabbath_Sunday.htm by Robert K. Sanders
Sunday the First Centuries by Robert K. Sanders
NL_April6_03.htm Former SDA Pastor Gregg Taylor explains why the Sabbath is not relevant for Christians.
[url="http://www.ratzlaf.com/downloads.htm"]http://www.ratzlaf.com/downloads.htm[/url] See the Covenants,
The Continental Divide of Bible Interpretations by former SDA pastor Dale Ratzlaff. This is a must read!
"Sabbath in Christ" A new book by former SDA Pastor Dale Ratzlaff, that explains how Sabbath keepers have been misled. Be a Bible Berean and read this book. Thousands including SDA pastors have left the SDA Church after getting their eyes opened. Order from: [url="http://www.ratzlaf.com/Qstore/Qstore.cgi?CMD=009&DEPT=1001714459&BACK=A0001A1"]http://www.ratzlaf.com/Qstore/Qstore.cg ... CK=A0001A1[/url]
[url]http://www.sabbaths.org/sabbath.html[/url] Rob Chaffart
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Canright IS a good source though.
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