Featured The Crux of Keeping the Sabbath Day Contention

No, I don't find any moral obligation to keep the Sabbath day. It raises too many questions.
What does it mean "to keep the Sabbath Day"?
If one follows the OT injunctions, as some Messianic Jews do to this day, they would not drive their cars, use electricity, natural gas, gasoline, etc. They would not use anything that would be work or cause work for anyone else. The night before they would light their place of worship with candles and without the use of matches keep the candles lit for the remaining 24 hours or as long as they think they would need light until the Sabbath was over. Even to strike a match is considered work.

Where does one get the idea that "keeping the Sabbath" is just showing up for church on Sunday?
It is the sign of the covenant given to the Israelites and them alone.

Exodus 31:15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

It is also evident that it is a day of rest that could only be kept in a geographical location such as the nation of Israel lived. I live in Canada, in fact in northern Canada. I could never adhere to the strict prohibitions of the Israelites. We would freeze when temperatures approach minus 70 F.
Consider a ten hour drive north of here. In the summer the sun never sets. In the winter the sun never rises. It is called the land of the midnight sun. How does one celebrate the Sabbath in a place where there is no sunset or sunrise for a good part of the year?

The principle in Creation, that God rested the seventh day, is just that--a principle of rest. Man should have one day out of seven to rest. Typically we do that in conjunction with what we call "The Lord's Day. But it is a day of rest. In our society keeping the Sabbath would not be a day of rest.

 

Two things,

One,
You have said it, with all due respect, DHK, "~In our society keeping the Sabbath would not be a day of rest.~" ---"~In our society~". So "~our society~" is your final arbiter. Let's say it in plain English and in all honesty, "~our society~" is your final Law.

Two,
You kept complete silence about the New Testament Sabbath, "The Lord's Day", "of The Body of Christ's Sabbaths' Feast".

 

My final arbiter is the Word of God:

Exodus 31:15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

Tell me Gerhard. What tribe do you belong to?

 

I doubt by your questions that you haven't researched the subject from others. If not, if this is indeed a new idea to you, I am glad to outline the biblical reasons for the perpetuity of the Sabbath day and its change from Saturday to Sunday. I am assuming you have read others who have argued for this.

What I will address briefly is how you cannot find any moral obligation to keep the Sabbath day holy when its the 4th commandment. By what right do you have to disregard that command? Do you find no moral obligation to keep the 1st commandment? What about the 6th? Is it lawful for you to covet? I would imagine (I hope) your answers are no, it is neither lawful for you to covet or to commit murder or to worship other gods. Yet you say its lawful for you to not keep the Sabbath?

This line of reasoning does not follow.

 

I have thought this through carefully many times.
The Lord's day is not the Sabbath Day, does not replace the Sabbath day, has no relevance to the Sabbath day, IMO.
The commandment to keep the Sabbath Day holy is the only commandment of the Ten not repeated in the NT.
It is the only commandment of the Ten that is directly linked as a sign to the Israelites, as demonstrated in Exodus 31.
There is no command anywhere for the NT believer to keep the Sabbath Day.
Concerning the law, keeping the Sabbath is not a "moral law."

For example, Paul writes:
Romans 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another

The law is written on the hearts of all men; and they all have a conscience that bears witness to God.
But what is that law. I believe it is nine of the Ten, which is God's moral law. No matter where you go people know that it is wrong to steal, commit adultery, murder etc.

But is it morally wrong to "keep the Sabbath" or break that command?
They don't even know what it means, and neither do most people today.
It is not a "moral law." How is it either moral or immoral. It is amoral.
How am I being immoral if I don't worship on a Sunday or a Saturday? What if I am in a nation where I am forced to work on a Sunday and the only day I have free is Friday. That is the way it is in some Muslim nations, since Friday is their holy day, and some of them work a six day work week. Is it wrong to worship on a Friday instead of a Sunday? Not according to Romans 14.
The Lord has not forced such a "law" upon us. We live in an age of grace.

 

Thanks for the help with my spelling . . . it's awful.

 

It says, "WHEN the Gentiles ... do by nature the things contained in the law ... are a law unto themselves". Unbelievers NEVER have the Law of God in their heart by nature. Man's nature and or heart is deceitful above anything deceitful. In fact, the heart and nature of all men, believers and unbelievers, stay most deceitful until the day they die.


It is not said the law which Gentiles MAY have in their hearts or may NOT have in their hearts, is the righteous (~moral~) Law of God; it is not said what that law "contains" are the things day and night the meditation and desire of True Believers. On the contrary, Paul refers to some "law they do by nature" ---by their own evil nature.


It is expressly stated the law supposed to be in the hearts of gentiles is they themselves, "the law-unto-themselves" and desperately inadequate, incomplete and distorted and misleading.


Of course 'natural man' is the "law-unto-himself"; it is seen everyday in the life of everyone, believer and non-believer alike. That’s why the world is in the state it is ---of dire need of a Saviour, the ONLY Saviour, who at once will be unto men, their Law ---the Law of God and of his ONLY Word ever spoken to men—through the Son and the Spirit of the Son and of the Father “ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES”.


All men “do by nature the things contained in the law” which is their “law unto themselves: 15Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts”! Which law shown by which work(s)? “the law written in their hearts” shown by its “works” SEEN EVERY DAY ALL AROUND, wicked, vain, devoid of “The Righteousness which is OF GOD” : “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS”!


There are no shortcuts to God the Father—not through the law of the nature of man written on his own heart however noble and good and perfect; not through the righteous works of the Law in and as the Scriptures written on the heart of the born-again true believer however noble and good and perfect; but by the Law of God’s Love mercy and grace through Christ Jesus by faith—the faith of God’s Eternal Purpose, irresistible Call and indestructible Destination COME TRUE, FULFILLED, and MADE FAST in God’s Eternal Council of his own will forever.


Paul concludes as he precluded, “… the Gentiles … have not the law (of God) … having not the law (of Christ), they, are law-unto-themselves: law-unto-themselves which shows the work of the law written in their hearts : which shows their conscience also bearing witness (against themselves, not unto justification), their thoughts al the while ACCUSING; or when not ACCUSING, excusing ONE ANOTHER (not their sins forgiven by God through Christ)”.

Theirs is SELF-righteousness—not “The Righteousness which is of God” : “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” which is Jesus Christ.

 

"The eyes of your understanding being enlightened … you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of HIS INHERITANCE IN THE SAINTS."


My "~tribe~" is Christ's tribe—the tribe of "HIS INHERITANCE IN THE SAINTS"; and my God is "the God and Father of glory, Father of our [tribe's] Lord, Jesus Christ". Unto us, I believe (and no man can condemn me or us for believing) may be given the Spirit of (God’s) wisdom and revelation IN THE ACQUAINTANCE / KNOWLEDGE OF HIM … our Lord Jesus Christ.”


What you may think or judge about my and our claim to my and our tribe, DHK or whoever, is of no consequence to me or us whatsoever. God be merciful to us as to you, DHK, “~my brother in Christ~”.

 

Thanks for the answer. I see where your coming from, but I don't agree with it. I think the rationale that because something isn't repeated in the NT therefore it isn't valid is faulty. Nor is the grace of God against the Law of God. I cannot separate the 4th commandment as you and others do. For me that is sufficient.

 

Thanks for your graciousness. I have been in this forum for a number of years now battling with the SDA's which has forced me into the Scriptures to study the scriptures concerning the Sabbath.
I believe their stand is totally unbilbical for a number of reasons. But as I mentioned I do believe there is a principle of one day out of seven that man should take for rest that we can take from Creation.
I also believe from Hebrews four, that Christ Himself is our rest.
Also, in Col. 2:

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:
17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

The sabbath was but a shadow of that which was to come, which was Christ.

We have Christ. He is "the real thing." The Sabbath was simply a shadow, now done away with.
Christ is our Sabbath. We have entered into his rest, and did so at salvation.

 

Thanks. I have had discussions with SDAs too. The Reformed doctrine of the Christian Sabbath, or Lord's Day is not the same as the SDA doctrine or that of 7th Day Baptists. I too agree that the Jewish seventh-day Sabbath has been abolished with the coming of our Lord Jesus. I also agree that Hebrews 4 is referring to Christ Jesus and that the entering into that rest is done by believing in the Lord. I do maintain it is moral, however, because all the 10 commandments are moral. It will always be wrong to murder, covet, or commit adultery as it always has been. Therefore, to not set aside time to worship God is immoral. So, the 4th commandment is moral. I do not see how this supports 7th day doctrine or puts a yoke on the believer. Nor does it fall under Colossians 2:16 as it refers to the ceremonial laws under the old covenant.

The Lord's Day, referred to by John in Revelation, is the Christian's Sabbath and is Sunday. I find this based in Scripture not by explicit command, but by the actions of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the practice of the Apostles and churches.

 

I am certainly happy for the Baptist emphasis on soul liberty throughout the ages.
I believe the apostles put an emphasis on Sunday, as the first day of the week, the day that Christ rose again, and began to worship the Lord on that day. Actually their worship, according to Acts 2 was daily, and then some time later the first day of the week was the day they chose. I don't believe it was a substitution for the Sabbath, but a break from the Sabbath; new and entirely different in every aspect.

The Sabbath had many restrictions. It started from sundown and went to sundown. No work was allowed. The lighting that Paul had in acts 20 probably would have been against the Sabbath. The restrictions were harsh and hard to keep.
I don't see how simply "worshiping in our own way" is keeping the Sabbath. It has no similarity.

 

Isaiah 58:13-14, NIV. 'If you keep your feet from breaking the 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 your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob. The mouth of the LORD has spoken.'

 

The Context:
The two preceding verses say:
Isa 58:10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:
Isa 58:11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

This is speaking of the restoration of Israel during the Millennial Kingdom. It has nothing to do with us today. There is still no command for the NT believer to keep the Sabbath.

 

I'm sorry but I can't chop my Bible up like that. Both the command and the promises are for us today, not for some hypothetical future state.

 

I see no reason to further the discussion without starting a new thread to state the biblical (and reformed) doctrine of the Christian Sabbath. DHK, thanks for your replies. One of the things I learned is (it seems) that the discontinuity some see in the 4th commandment to the New Covenant may indeed be tied into their adherence to dispensational theology. I say that it "seems" that way because of how you interpreted Isaiah 54 in a futurist, premil way. I have not given this too much thought yet, but I wonder how much one's view of the covenants affects our view of the continuity and discontinuity of covenants.

 

That may be true. The only references that are even remotely related to Gentile believers are found in the OT, and still relate more to Israel than to NT believers. In the NT there is still no command to keep the Sabbath. Even the command in Isaiah does not refer to the "Lord's Day" but to Saturday. Thus the day that you are keeping as the "Christian Sabbath" is not the same day that is being referred to in Isaiah.

 

Sufficient for you and perhaps for me as well isn't equivalent of sufficient for God. Christian Faith accepts for sufficient for God that which is "according to the Scriptures" sufficiently.


Now what you say is not sufficient "according to the Scriptures". Yes, it's sufficient for the Church. That doesn't change it the fact it's not sufficiently the SCRIPTURES!


And you know well in which respect your statement lacks sufficiency "according to the Scriptures".


In the end the only thing that matters is, WHOSE "day The Seventh Day Sabbath" is. It is "the day the Seventh Day Sabbath OF THE LORD GOD"


As little or nothing the fact Sabbath-keepers don’t keep the Sabbath makes to "the day the Seventh Day is Sabbath OF THE LORD GOD", as little or nothing does the fact Sunday-keepers simply DELETE "the day the Seventh Day Sabbath OF THE LORD GOD" from Scripture make, to "the day the Seventh Day Sabbath OF THE LORD GOD".


“The day The Seventh Day IS Sabbath OF THE LORD GOD”. You may like the RC tear the Fourth Commandment from the OT or you may like the Evangelicals tear the Fourth Commandment from the NT or you may like the Calvinists tear “the day The Seventh Day” from the Fourth Commandment— it will make NO DIFFERENCE to “the day The Seventh Day Sabbath OF THE LORD GOD”. “According to the Scriptures” Old and New Testaments only one “day” is “The Lord’s Day”; it is “the day The Seventh Day Sabbath OF THE LORD GOD”.


And the Lord’s Day is “the day The Seventh Day Sabbath OF THE LORD GOD” because “the LORD in it triumphed” … triumphed in Christ and “the Seventh Day from all his works rested”. “For God thus concerning THE SEVENTH DAY SPAKE … spake BY THE SON … spake IN THESE LAST DAYS … and God the day The Seventh Day, from all his works rested”— NEW Testament : Hebrews 4:4!


It suffices GOD, “for GOD : the Seventh Day blessed”;

It suffices GOD, “for GOD : the Seventh Day hallowed”;

It suffices GOD, “for GOD : the Seventh Day finished”;

It suffices GOD, “for GOD : the Seventh Day rested”;

It suffices GOD, “for the LORD : the Seventh Day was revived”.


Who cares what Sabbatharians and Sundaydarians do or think or design or decide; who cares what popes and councils of the church and general conferences and counsels of the prophetess do or think or design or decide?

 

This is speaking of Jesus Christ in the fast of his life's Suffering and Dying and Death and Burial and Resurrection for the reconciliation and restoration of all Israel through the forgiveness of their sins. It has EVERYTHING to do with us today, including CHRIST'S "honouring My Holy Day and calling the Sabbath, Delight." There NOW, is the Command for the NT believer to believe the Sabbath : Christ's honouring of it, for which the LORD GOD having RAISED HIM from the dead "on the Sabbath", made Him "TO RIDE THE HEIGHTS OF THE EARTH".

Isaiah 57,58 is the Holy Spirit witnessing through the prophet Isaiah of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, in the Old Testament.

 

Says DHK and applauds Reformed Baptist, while incapable to present Scripture. Very brave!