Featured SALVATION BY THE SABBATH

Jeremiah 17.21-27
21.This says the Lord: 'Take heed for yourselves and do not carry any load on the Sabbath day, or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem.

22.And you shall not bring a load out of your houses on the Sabbath Day, nor do any work, but keep the Sabbath Day holy as I commanded your forefathers.'

23.Yet they did not listen or incline their ears, but stiffened their neck in order not to listen or take correction.

24.But it will come about, if you listen attentively to Me', declares the Lord, 'To bring no load in through the gates of this city on the Sabbath Day, but to keep the Sabbath Day holy by doing no work on it,

25.then there will come in through the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever.

26.They will come in from the cities of Judah and from the environs (vicinity) of Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the lowland, from the hill country, and from the Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the House of the Lord.

27.But if you do not listen to Me to keep the Sabbath Day holy, by not carrying a load and coming in through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath Day, then I shall kindle a fire in its gates, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and not be quenched.'


This passage of Jeremiah quite surprised me. These Words of GOD had been given to Jeremiah in order that He will declare them to the people of Jerusalem, because GOD was ready to unleash the Babylonian invasion on His people for their evil deeds and idol-worshiping.

But what really surprised me in this passage is that the Lord GOD in order to save Judah, the last standing remnant of His people Israel, asked them to obey and observe only one Commandment out of many.

Usually GOD asked His people to stop worship idols and stop injustice, deceit, lies, bloodshed, and turn to Him. But this particular time the Lord GOD asked His people only to fulfill one single Commandment, and if they do obey this Commandment they will be saved and no disaster will come on them.

And even more surprising that the Lord GOD chose only the Sabbath Commandment out of all others. Why GOD chose only Sabbath to save His people from approaching disaster?

The Sabbath is actually a 4th Commandment, the first Commandment according to Words of Christ is to love your GOD with all your heart and with all your soul.

But despite this fact the Lord chose the Sabbath as condition to save Judah from Babylonian invasion.

Does the Sabbath is more important than the Love for GOD? Probably not. But if take a look at 10 Commandments, the Sabbath Commandment perhaps looks much more simpler that the rest of other Commandments.

Indeed, how hard to observe and fulfill the Sabbath Day? Just do not do any work on this Day, eat, drink, have holy convocation, praise the Lord and relax, what could be better and easier than that?

Concerning other Commandments, they are not so easy, because they required much higher moral and spiritual standards and quite not compatible with our human nature, and because of it they are much more difficult to fulfill. May be this is why the Lord GOD chose the Sabbath Day for Judah to save them from destruction.

But besides this point there is another issue. The issue is about GOD'S great mercy and His compassion and love. GOD knew that absolutely nothing will turn back His people, no any Law, no any Commandment, no numerous warning or threats, but He still tried to give them the very last chance, giving them the most easiest and simplest Commandment of them all in order to save them.

And if Judeans would fulfill this only Commandment of Sabbath Day:

25."then there will come in through the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever.

26.They will come in from the cities of Judah and from the environs (vicinity) of Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the lowland, from the hill country, and from the Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the House of the Lord."

Does Sabbath still relevant today? I am certain it is relevant today and forever!

 

You wrote:
"We are now under the New Covenant."

Can you specify for me please, what this New Covenant contains?


You wrote:
"The Sabbath is not required."

By Whom?

Why Sabbath should be even required? It is already been established on the 7th Day right after GOD created first human being.


You wrote:
"The Apostles did not establish it as an ordinance for anyone to keep."

Of course Apostles did not established the Sabbath Day, because it already had been established long before them by GOD Himself.

And why Apostles should reestablish the Sabbath, after GOD established Himself the Sabbath Day at the dawn of times, blessed and sanctified it?

 

Acts 15.22
22.Then it seemed good to the Apostles and the elders with the whole church, to choose men from among them, to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren.

Acts 15.29
"That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well."

I am sure this is a very small part of that Paul, Barnabas, Judah, and Silas teach people in Antioch (Acts 15.22).

Acts 15.19-21
19.Therefore, it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to GOD from among the Gentiles,

20.but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols, and from fornication, and from what is strangled, and from blood.

21.Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him (Law of Moses), since he (Law of Moses) is read in the synagogues every Sabbath."

Do you guys actually believe and assume that these Apostles who came to Antioch to teach Gentiles the Law of Moses teach them on Sunday and not on the SABBATH DAY? It would take at least three centuries before Sunday was established as a worship day by Pop of the Roman church.

Because you did not find the word Sabbath in the passage of Acts 15 29, and immediately assumed and declared that no commandment to observe Sabbath was issued at this particular moment, you immediately jump to conclusion and opportunity to ignore and delete the Sabbath Day as requirement for Gentiles.

Not so fast.

Do you realized that it was not a church but a synagogue in Antioch, because first conducts of Christian teaching were conducted only in synagogues and nowhere else, churches do not existed at that time. While New Testament many times called a place of Christian worship as a church, in reality they were are synagogues.

Purely Christian churched built much latter after period of Apostles.

And surely it was not a Sunday day when Apostles came to Antioch a teach Gentiles, because Sunday never been a day of worship and people do their regular work and would not attend the meeting on Sunday, but certainly it was the SABBATH DAY, already observed by Gentiles who attended synagogues and learned Judaism, many of whom actually totally converted to Judaism, and then when Apostles came they start listening preaching of Christ and His Apostles on every Sabbath Days at the opening of the synagogue.

Any way, what Gentiles had without Law of Moses and Sabbath Day of worship, they had absolutely nothing, and even today would have nothing and would worship their own idols, and other gods.

All teachings of Christ based on the Law of Moses and prophets of the Old Testament, and Jesus teach Jews and Gentiles Spiritual Commandment of the Law of Moses on every Sabbath Day, never missed even one, included all the rest of the holy holidays and its holy convocations.

So because in this single statement of Acts 15.29 Sabbath is not mentioned among requirements of the Law of Moses, the Sabbath became void and obsolete?!

I respect your opinions guys, but I do not think so.

 

Acts 15.28
28."It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no *greater burden than these **essentials,..."

*greater burden. I understand greater burden as all those Rules and Regulation concerning Physical Rituals of the Law of Moses, such as animal sacrifices, physical circumcision, Rules concerning cleanness and uncleanness of human bodies and things, food choices, and other similar things related to these physical regulations and ordinances.

While all these things still relevant at that time because the Temple was still standing, and will stand for another some 40 years before its complete destruction, Apostles of Christ decided, and their decision was absolutely right, not to burden newly converted to Christ Christians with physical ritual obligation of the Law of Moses, but put them on the path of the Spiritual Ordinances of the Covenant instead of Physical Ritualistic Laws of the same Covenant.


To teach new Christians the Spiritual Commandments of the Law of Moses only, as was done by Jesus Christ, to BURDEN people not by traditional physical commandments but by Spiritual Commandments of the Law of Moses, such as: FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE, and by all other related spiritual qualities associated with these three great properties of the Spirit.

To be holy not by physical cleanness and proper sacrifices, but now, under Spiritual context of the Law of Moses - the New Covenant, to be holy in your own spirit by having FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE, on which entire New Testament is based upon according to teachings of Christ.

1Corinfians 13.13
13.But now abide Faith, Hope, Love, these things, but the greatest of these is Love.


Acts 15.29
29.that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication. If you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell."

Verse 29 presents continuation of Apostle's teachings, who are indicated to their audience from which particular *essential newly born Christians shall abstain, which are basically pagan things: from meat sacrificed to idols, from eating meat with blood, and fornication (sexual intercourse between people not married to each other), which are all actually recorded in the Law of Moses as forbidden to do.

Paul sometimes call The Law of Moses as "burden", but under "burden" he meant not entire Law of Moses as many Christian think and came to quick and wrong conclusion that Paul discarded the Law, but Paul under "burden" meant only part of the Law that concerns physical rituals, but the Spiritual Part of the same Law, Paul vigorously teach, in the same way as Jesus Christ did.


2Peter 3.16
16."as also in all his letters speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction."


You asked:
"Also, if we state that the law regarding the Sabbath is included, shouldn't the penalty for breaking it be valid?"

Sabbath of course is not included in forbidden by Apostles reference of things, observing Sabbath is a Spiritual Commandment which is included in 10 Commandments and must be obeyed.

Actually all 10 Commandments are all SPIRITUAL COMMANDMENTS, because every each of them comes from the heart (souls-spirit) and all must be observe and follow, no exceptions.

I firmly believe that those who do not observe the Sabbath Day, may carry the guilt on themselves, in the same fashion if someone disobeying any other ordinance of the Ten Commandments.