Originally posted by Eric B:
The "lawkeepers" are obviously the ones who do the judging. Who is the one coming onto the board suggesting that everyone is sinning by not keeping the right day?
Talk about a total turnaround. We are the "legalists" (the word means one preaching Law; not the one claiming to not be under the Law!)The passage says "judge..in regards to...a sabbath day". Not "judge you for keeping the day". What Paul teaches us elsewhere is "One man esteems one day above another day; and another esteems every day alike. Let each one be fully assured in his own mind. He who regards the day regards it to the Lord; and he not regarding the day, does not regard it to the Lord." (Roman 14:5, 6-- which agrees with the teaching in Col.)
If the rest is Jesus Christ; then that means this is spiritual, and not a literal "rest" on a particular day.
There are other "commandments" besides the letter of the 10 Commandments; so that does not prove the sabbath either.
See Sabath and the Faith of Abraham
First, as I see it - no Scripture to back me up with - a "lawkeeper" is not a legalist, but a legalist is one who, where there is no law, creates his own, to obey as though his life depends on it. Not your usual version, but holding water. The Pharisees were legalists - they weren't "lawkeepers", because they BROKE God's Law in order to obey thei OWN laws. The Sabbath-incidents in the Gospels illustrate very well. With doing their own laws, the Pharisees thought they could earn God's favour (in whatever respect). By not caring about the love-principle of God's Law whether as contained in the Fourth Commandment or whether as contained in the Greatest Commandment itself, concerned them no bit.
Now I say Christianity generally despieses the Fourth Commandment because they say Christ is not honoured by it. Are they not sinners for it however they may protest?
But then Christianity generally increases its indebtedness to God's Law by setting up their own - which is Sunday-keeping, and think they honour Christ through it. Are they not legalists for it?
Behaving as though Sunday-keeping does not exist as Law and works of the Church won't excuse it. It just further proves the hypocracy of it.
But worst is to force God's Word to excuse oneself while simply despising the Sabbath-Commandment as the Sabbath, and adoring and venerating Sunday in practice, doctrine and ideology.
Who is fooled?
As to your references to those two Scriptures, I have dealt on them a lot already on BaptistBoard, and on
http://www.biblestudents.co.za
So:"The passage says "judge..in regards to...a sabbath day". Not "judge you
for keeping the day"."
The passage does NOT say "in regards to...a sabbath day". It says: "in regards to eating and drinking (=feasting) OF Feast or OF Sabbaths", and that again, = feasting. In short: Don't YOU (the Church) let anyone (tis) (of the world) judge = condemn you (hymahs, Acc.) with regard to (en merei) FEASTING (brohsis kai posis), or (by ellipses, FEASTING) OF, Sabbaths FEAST - whether OF month's (singular) or of Sabbaths' (Pl.weekly) (occasion).
Sour old Paul who condemned the happy Church for celebrating her Sabbaths' Feasts? No! Sour old legalists, who demanded, "Don't touch! Don't' taste! Don't practice!"
And you know WHY paul "solicited" (2:2) the Church not to be intimidated and incriminated because she feasted her Sabbaths' Feasts? Because, said he, Christ triumphed over all the sour old legalists - the "authorities" and the "principalities" of this sour old world. Tkae solice - be comforted, as weel as be given good legal advice, Don't you mind these with their blown up greatness, they are but puffed up wind bags, over whom Christ has triumphed gloriously. "THEREFORE (oun): "FEAST your Sabbaths' Feasts!"
Like it? I'm sure you abhore it!
So be it. But that is what the TEXT, means, and with almost so many words, states. To the shame of many a 'translator'.
Not "judge you
for keeping the day".