"Christ is now our rest!"
"I don't have to be holy one day a week. We are supposed to be holy every day!"
"I don't limit my worship to one day a week. I can worship God in the Spirit everyday!"
"I don't just do good on one day out of the week! With Christ as my rest, everyday is a day to do good and live righteously!"
"I don't just love God and my neighbor one day of the week. I love him everyday and will shout it from the hilltops!!!!"
...
...
...
I'm sure you've heard such statements before and may have made them yourselves (I used to too).
These types of comments are commonly used, in my experience in debate, whenever the subject of keeping the sabbath is in question. I know every one is tired of hearing about the sabbath, but I just had to bring this up and clarify such positions on this controversial commandment as I keep seeing examples of this thinking.
I don't seek to prove sabbath-observance or impose it on anyone (that is Yahweh's place), but I do want to explain why, regardless if whether or not sabbath-observance is something the bible commands, these arguments are not good ones to disprove sabbath-observance.
Let's examine the logic behind some of these statements.
Consider the title and first popular comment:
"Every day is a holy day!"
Usually, at least when people say this to me personally, they mean the sabbath no longer has to be observed and is useless as a holy day any longer. This, however, is a contradiction of terms.
To be "holy" means to be "set apart". Everyday cannot be set apart. That's like saying everyone is special above everyone else! This makes no sense. Aside from the contradiction created by this argument, there is also the cutting fact that no scripture says such a thing.
Consider the next one:
"Christ is now our rest!"
By saying "now", one assumes that Christ replaces the sabbath. Let's examine the scriptures that are commonly used to prove this. I'll do three of them:
#1.
Matthew 11:28
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest
However, Christ was not speaking about the sabbath. This could only be used to say he replaced the sabbath if replacing the sabbath was the nature of his words. Just because we see the word "rest" does not mean it has anything to do with the sabbath either. Consider these scriptures:
Exodus 5:5
And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.
Here the king of Egypt said Moses and Aaron had caused the sons of Israel to rest from their burdens. Were Moses and Aaron a special, spiritual, sabbath rest that caused Yahweh not to require literal sabbath observance from Israel when he gave it to them?
Philemon 1:7
For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.
The word for "refreshed" here is anapauo. It is the same word used in Matthew 11:28. But here Paul says the saints are refreshed, or receive rest, from Philemon!!!
Is Philemon now our sabbath rest that replaces the literal seventh-day sabbath?
#2. The 4th chapter of Hebrews is used to prove "Christ is now our rest". Usually verses 3, 9, and 10 of this chapter. Nevertheless, the text does not say this, for one thing, and two, even if it was hinted at that Christ is some type of spiritual sabbath rest, this chapter does not say "as opposed to a literal seventh day sabbath".
The point of the author is not to prove why we don't have to keep a literal sabbath. The point of the author is to give us an example of why we should not be unbelieving, using the sabbath precept as an example.
"Christ is our rest so we do not have to keep a literal sabbath" is not the subject of the passage. That must be read into the text. Eisegesis. If you believe this is an acceptable interpretation, you can believe that personally. But comments like I've heard about "the 4th chapter of Hebrews makes it clear that Christ is now our rest and you don't know Christ if you don't see it" are unwarranted. This scripture cannot be used to disprove sabbath observance.
#3.
Colossians 2:16
Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Colossians 2:17
Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
The KJV does acceptable justice to the Greek here. Several, especially of the newer translations, add words and translate words to mean other than what the Greek actually says. Example, many translate the Greek word soma here as "substance" and "reality". However, the Greek word soma simply means "body". It is translated as such all throughout this epistle and all throughout the NT (and variations thereof like "bodily" etc). Never is it translated "substance" or "reality" and cannot be. Dishonest exegesics have been used here to support the biases of the translators. It's amusing how 8 times soma is used in Colossians, and in 7 instances the translators honestly translate it as "body, but when we get to 2:17 because we see things pertaining to the law in 2:16, it means "reality" and "substance" and other such things. The KJV translates it correctly. There are more examples of blatant corruption but, we can get to that later.
All this scripture is saying is that no one is to judge us when we do these things. It doesn't say for not doing them. Notice also that it does not say these things "were" (Greek is not in the past tense) shadows of Christ. It says they are shadows of things to come.
Consider the 3rd:
"I don't have to be holy one day a week. Now we are supposed to be holy every day!"
By saying this, one implies that at one time the sabbath was to be observed and one was supposed to be holy only on this day. However, this is wholly untrue and hangs on air.
Yahweh said, outside of a sabbath context, "be holy for I Yahweh your Elohim is holy". He did not mean only on the sabbath. He meant everyday, of course. Secondly, nothing about the sabbath says anything about you being holy on this day as opposed to other days. The sabbath is about keeping the actual sabbath day holy, not yourself holy on this day while walking unholy on other days.
The 4th:
"I don't limit my worship to one day a week. I can worship God in the Spirit everyday!"
The individual who argues in this manner assumes that the original sabbath commandment included a prohibition of worshipping on any other days or being together with brothers in the faith on any other days. This is erroneous and creates a false dilemma.
Analogy: I can say that every Tuesday you must go out with your friends and eat junk food. This does not mean you cannot do this on other days if you choose. All this means is that when Tuesday comes around, you must do it whether you would choose to of your own initiative or not.
We must also be logical. To quote John Hagee (whom I don't really like, but this quote was funny), you can't be so "heavenly minded" and therefore "no earthly good".
You can't have your head stuck in the clouds in spiritual mode when it supports your position. In this life, we have to work and make a living. You can't just go around gathering and worshipping with believers any time you choose. That is why the sabbath is a moed. This Hebrew word means "appointed time" (see the 23 chapter of Leviticus) This way, as well as being set apart from the world and their manmade ways and statutes and setting apart Yahweh, brothers can gather at an organized time and yet have no worry of earthly obligations because you know this day was given to you by Yahweh and he would not have you keep it at your inconvenience and not take care of you, though you rest and cease from labor on this day.
It has a spiritual significance to it. We can find an example in the 16th chapter of Exodus. Instead of having to go out and gather manna everyday, Yahweh was teaching Israel to count his sabbath as a "delight" or "luxury" (Isaiah 58:13). It's good to know that you can trust in Yahweh to sustain you at no cost to your livelihood. The weekly sabbath teaches this principle.
Consider the 5th:
"I don't just do good on one day out of the week! With Christ as my rest, everyday is a day to do good and live righteously!"
You can probably tell what I am going to say based off previous statements of mine above. But in brief, this person (not specific) creates a false dilemma by making it seem as if the sabbath was the only day, according to the original commandment, that you were supposed to do good and live righteously. Of course, that is absurd.
Consider the 6th:
"I don't just love God and my neighbor one day of the week. I love him everyday and will shout it from the hilltops!!!!"
Again, you probably know what I will say. :-D
That's all I have to say for now.
"I don't have to be holy one day a week. We are supposed to be holy every day!"
"I don't limit my worship to one day a week. I can worship God in the Spirit everyday!"
"I don't just do good on one day out of the week! With Christ as my rest, everyday is a day to do good and live righteously!"
"I don't just love God and my neighbor one day of the week. I love him everyday and will shout it from the hilltops!!!!"
...
...
...
I'm sure you've heard such statements before and may have made them yourselves (I used to too).
These types of comments are commonly used, in my experience in debate, whenever the subject of keeping the sabbath is in question. I know every one is tired of hearing about the sabbath, but I just had to bring this up and clarify such positions on this controversial commandment as I keep seeing examples of this thinking.
I don't seek to prove sabbath-observance or impose it on anyone (that is Yahweh's place), but I do want to explain why, regardless if whether or not sabbath-observance is something the bible commands, these arguments are not good ones to disprove sabbath-observance.
Let's examine the logic behind some of these statements.
Consider the title and first popular comment:
"Every day is a holy day!"
Usually, at least when people say this to me personally, they mean the sabbath no longer has to be observed and is useless as a holy day any longer. This, however, is a contradiction of terms.
To be "holy" means to be "set apart". Everyday cannot be set apart. That's like saying everyone is special above everyone else! This makes no sense. Aside from the contradiction created by this argument, there is also the cutting fact that no scripture says such a thing.
Consider the next one:
"Christ is now our rest!"
By saying "now", one assumes that Christ replaces the sabbath. Let's examine the scriptures that are commonly used to prove this. I'll do three of them:
#1.
Matthew 11:28
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest
However, Christ was not speaking about the sabbath. This could only be used to say he replaced the sabbath if replacing the sabbath was the nature of his words. Just because we see the word "rest" does not mean it has anything to do with the sabbath either. Consider these scriptures:
Exodus 5:5
And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.
Here the king of Egypt said Moses and Aaron had caused the sons of Israel to rest from their burdens. Were Moses and Aaron a special, spiritual, sabbath rest that caused Yahweh not to require literal sabbath observance from Israel when he gave it to them?
Philemon 1:7
For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.
The word for "refreshed" here is anapauo. It is the same word used in Matthew 11:28. But here Paul says the saints are refreshed, or receive rest, from Philemon!!!
Is Philemon now our sabbath rest that replaces the literal seventh-day sabbath?
#2. The 4th chapter of Hebrews is used to prove "Christ is now our rest". Usually verses 3, 9, and 10 of this chapter. Nevertheless, the text does not say this, for one thing, and two, even if it was hinted at that Christ is some type of spiritual sabbath rest, this chapter does not say "as opposed to a literal seventh day sabbath".
The point of the author is not to prove why we don't have to keep a literal sabbath. The point of the author is to give us an example of why we should not be unbelieving, using the sabbath precept as an example.
"Christ is our rest so we do not have to keep a literal sabbath" is not the subject of the passage. That must be read into the text. Eisegesis. If you believe this is an acceptable interpretation, you can believe that personally. But comments like I've heard about "the 4th chapter of Hebrews makes it clear that Christ is now our rest and you don't know Christ if you don't see it" are unwarranted. This scripture cannot be used to disprove sabbath observance.
#3.
Colossians 2:16
Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Colossians 2:17
Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
The KJV does acceptable justice to the Greek here. Several, especially of the newer translations, add words and translate words to mean other than what the Greek actually says. Example, many translate the Greek word soma here as "substance" and "reality". However, the Greek word soma simply means "body". It is translated as such all throughout this epistle and all throughout the NT (and variations thereof like "bodily" etc). Never is it translated "substance" or "reality" and cannot be. Dishonest exegesics have been used here to support the biases of the translators. It's amusing how 8 times soma is used in Colossians, and in 7 instances the translators honestly translate it as "body, but when we get to 2:17 because we see things pertaining to the law in 2:16, it means "reality" and "substance" and other such things. The KJV translates it correctly. There are more examples of blatant corruption but, we can get to that later.
All this scripture is saying is that no one is to judge us when we do these things. It doesn't say for not doing them. Notice also that it does not say these things "were" (Greek is not in the past tense) shadows of Christ. It says they are shadows of things to come.
Consider the 3rd:
"I don't have to be holy one day a week. Now we are supposed to be holy every day!"
By saying this, one implies that at one time the sabbath was to be observed and one was supposed to be holy only on this day. However, this is wholly untrue and hangs on air.
Yahweh said, outside of a sabbath context, "be holy for I Yahweh your Elohim is holy". He did not mean only on the sabbath. He meant everyday, of course. Secondly, nothing about the sabbath says anything about you being holy on this day as opposed to other days. The sabbath is about keeping the actual sabbath day holy, not yourself holy on this day while walking unholy on other days.
The 4th:
"I don't limit my worship to one day a week. I can worship God in the Spirit everyday!"
The individual who argues in this manner assumes that the original sabbath commandment included a prohibition of worshipping on any other days or being together with brothers in the faith on any other days. This is erroneous and creates a false dilemma.
Analogy: I can say that every Tuesday you must go out with your friends and eat junk food. This does not mean you cannot do this on other days if you choose. All this means is that when Tuesday comes around, you must do it whether you would choose to of your own initiative or not.
We must also be logical. To quote John Hagee (whom I don't really like, but this quote was funny), you can't be so "heavenly minded" and therefore "no earthly good".
You can't have your head stuck in the clouds in spiritual mode when it supports your position. In this life, we have to work and make a living. You can't just go around gathering and worshipping with believers any time you choose. That is why the sabbath is a moed. This Hebrew word means "appointed time" (see the 23 chapter of Leviticus) This way, as well as being set apart from the world and their manmade ways and statutes and setting apart Yahweh, brothers can gather at an organized time and yet have no worry of earthly obligations because you know this day was given to you by Yahweh and he would not have you keep it at your inconvenience and not take care of you, though you rest and cease from labor on this day.
It has a spiritual significance to it. We can find an example in the 16th chapter of Exodus. Instead of having to go out and gather manna everyday, Yahweh was teaching Israel to count his sabbath as a "delight" or "luxury" (Isaiah 58:13). It's good to know that you can trust in Yahweh to sustain you at no cost to your livelihood. The weekly sabbath teaches this principle.
Consider the 5th:
"I don't just do good on one day out of the week! With Christ as my rest, everyday is a day to do good and live righteously!"
You can probably tell what I am going to say based off previous statements of mine above. But in brief, this person (not specific) creates a false dilemma by making it seem as if the sabbath was the only day, according to the original commandment, that you were supposed to do good and live righteously. Of course, that is absurd.
Consider the 6th:
"I don't just love God and my neighbor one day of the week. I love him everyday and will shout it from the hilltops!!!!"
Again, you probably know what I will say. :-D
That's all I have to say for now.