The Bible makes it plain that True Christians are to keep God�s commandments. The Apostle John wrote: "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked" (1 John 2:3�6).
But how can True Christians walk "just as He walked"? If Jesus Christ had to come and give His life because all have violated God�s law, how can anyone keep that law? Again, perhaps the most concise explanation was given by the Apostle Paul. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ LIVETH in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20, KJV).
A True Christian does not obey the law on his own, but through the power of Christ living in Him. Paul goes on to emphasize that law-keeping comes through the grace of God, and that law-keeping does NOT earn grace. "I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain"(Galatians 2:21). With God�s grace, a converted Christian WILL keep the law; but without that grace, NO AMOUNT of effort will bring righteousness and salvation.
WHAT SHOULD A CHRISTIAN DO?
One can recognize a True Christian as someone striving, through Christ�s help, to live by every word of God (cf. Matthew 4:4)."Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect"(Matthew 5:48). By yielding to Jesus Christ, the fruits of the True Spirit will become more and more evident in a Christian�s life.
A True Christian is more than someone who "knows" the truth. The Gnostics believed that "knowledge" brought salvation, and some today would deny that one has to "do" anything as a True and faithful Christian. Yet Scripture gives a very different instruction: "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22).
True Christians are to DO as Christ did. In the "Great Commission" He instructed His followers: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations BAPTIZING them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe ALL THINGS that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19�20). True Christians are to take His message to "all the nations" and teach "all things" that He COMMANDED! They were NOT to CHANGE or alter His message so much that it is today almost unrecognizable!
No disrespect intended and any similarity to people...person...place or thing is strictly coincidental and blah...blah...blah, but the way I see it -- you might need to "study" what Ms. Jude wrote and "read" The Scripture she cited.
"Jesus never commanded we keep the Sabbath. For anyone to make claim that we are suppose to keep the Sabbath then they would have to prove it by showing clear scriptures where Jesus verbally COMMANDED His Apostles to keep it."
How can you be sure that Jesus never commanded His Apostles to "Keep the Sabbath Holy"?
In John 21: 25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written Scripture
How can you be certain that Jesus did not command His Apostles and all His followers to "keep the Sabbath Holy"?
The Church believed this from the begining. Again, you hamper your faith by not having The Whole Deposit of Faith Christ left with His Church. And without The Authority given His Bride by Christ...you have what we see here -- Good Christians beating each other up -- with God's Own Revelation!!
This is really very simple. In Mat 28:19-20, Jesus gave us a very specific command. To teach all things whatsoever He COMMANDED His Apostles. This tells us what we are to teach. If God in His infinite wisdom wanted us to know what Jesus taught the Apostles then I believe HE would have laid it out in the scriptures for us. After all He is God. To make an argument from "silence" in that we don't know everything Jesus taught and so speculatively He MIGHT have taught them to keep the Sabbath is not a sound foundation to build an argument or doctrine.
Considering that the entire Mosaic Covenant was completely replaced and done away with as per the clear teachings of scripture and the Sabbath Law was part of that Covenant and only for JEWS to keep and considering that the Jerusalem church convened and specified that GENTILES were never obligated to keep the Mosaic Covenant.
(Acts 15:23-24) �The apostles, the elders, and the brethren, To the brethren who are OF THE GENTILES in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings,
Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, �You must be circumcised AND KEEP THE LAW� � TO WHOM WE GAVE NO SUCH COMMANDMENT� it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth.
For it seemed good to THE HOLY SPIRIT, and to us, ***to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality.*** If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.� .
Acts: 21: 25 But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written and decided that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality."
Notice that they knew that GENTILES were not required to "Keep the Law" and naturally no mention of keeping the Sabbath was made since that was part of "The Law".
Steve....you said: "The Church believed this from the begining.
WALTER: Obviously the scriptures disagree with your opinion.
STEVE: "Again, you hamper your faith by not having The Whole Deposit of Faith Christ left with His Church. And without The Authority given His Bride by Christ...you have what we see here -- Good Christians beating each other up -- with God's Own Revelation!!
WALTER: You could not be more wrong. Christ gave us His written word and for each real Christian He gave us the Holy Spirit to live in us and teach us and guide us in all things. He did not place authority in any one organization like the Roman Catholic Church who teaches doctrines contrary to scripture.
Furthermore, no one is beating up on anyone. We are merely discussing scriptures and what they do and do not say. This debate on the issue of The Law vs Grace is an issue affecting salvation and forfeiture of it. This is serious business and unfortunately some do not realize how serious it is.
2Tim 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. NKJV
matthew 12:12 Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."
lemme give you a little more of what i see this verse says and more importantly what the verse doesnt say...
JESUS says therefore it is lawful to do good on the sabbath..
break it down some,, it is lawful to do good..when ? on the sabbath..
so to me JESUS is sayin it is ok and lawful to do good on the sabbath.. HE was also makin a point that they was bein hypocrites.. cause if their sheep fell in a pit , theyd get him out.. or they took their animals to water , or their ox gets stuck in the mire well theyd get them out and theyd take em to water..
they were already doin these things,,, those who were speakin ill of JESUS wantin to heal this mans hand..
then JESUS says what is of more value a sheep or a man.. and proceeds to heal that mans hand.. and states that it is lawful to do good on the sabbath..
now also i believe its really important as to what JESUS did not say here..
HE did not say that it was lawful to just go out and do on the sabbath.. yet only good was lawful... so to me HE is not sayin forget the sabbath..yet HE is teaching and showing the people there and the deciples ,,,, but yet only that if you must do on the sabbath then only good is lawful then.. and if ya have to do a good work on the sabbath then not to beat yourself up as it is lawful..
and to me the sabbath, your day of rest and remembrence and worshipin of the LORD falls under the first of the two greatest commandments.. unless you need to do good then..
i dont believe the laws were meant to be totally done away with persay.. yet JESUS taught us a simple way that we can fulfill them all..without even havin to remember them all..
i surely cant remember em all.. hehe my memory aint all that good.. and thats with rememberin the two greatest commandments of all as spoken by JESUS ..
and when were not doin them , i believe then we can know that we need to be askin of forgiveness and repenting..
cause when were not following the 2 greatest commandments you can bet were not fulfilling the laws and commandments ..
heres a little summin else to ponder on..
there was this young lady that worked as a e m t , and her job had her workin on sundays so she missed church alot and her pastor was giving her alot of grief about it.. for doin her good works..
the advice i gave to her was to ask him if he was a salaried pastor for her church... if so then he was bein a hypocrite.. as he was bein paid to preach and was working as well ,,,and she was paid to medically help others in need.. both accordin to matthew 12:12 were being lawful..
dear phillip, you have a right to believe that if you wish..
matthew 12:11-13 11 Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." 13 Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.
this is what i believe ,,,,,here in verse 11 JESUS gives them the opportuniy similiar to the time HE said he who is without sin among you cast the first stone...
HE was showing them that they would do good themselves on the sabbath.. as in gettin their sheep out of the pit if it fell in it.. and asks them which one of you wouldnt?
HE gives them the chance to say no i wouldnt do that.. but ya know what they were all guilty as charged.. so no one could speak up..
then HE tells them it is lawful to do good on the sabbath.. and that how much more value is a man than a sheep..
and procedes to heal this man...
see the pastor in the story i told he was like those men who were tryin to acuse JESUS of doing wrong ..
he is a man who doesnt see himself as working .. and condemning another for working and helping heal others saving lives ect.. those doing good same as himself is..
he is doing good preaching the word of GOD and tending to the flock.. but also the lady is doing good too..
and JESUS said thats lawful.. so why is she condemned by the pastor? when JESUS HIMSELF doesnt? ill let yawl decide for yourselves..
In essence, the argument seems to be this: Jesus Christ occasionally found it necessary to disobey the written Word of God in order to do what God really wanted him to do. Likewise, we will find it necessary on occasion to disobey God's written Word in order to faithfully carry out God's will.
Is this the case? Did Jesus Christ break the Law in order to keep it? Is it ever necessary for us to disobey God's Word in order to obey God? It should be clear already that this argument opens up a very large can of worms for any Christian trying to carry out the will of God. Once you break free from the written Word of God as your standard for truth, you can justify ANYTHING -- lying, stealing, adultery, murder -- as necessary for carrying out God's will, based on the expected beneficial results. Without the written Word of God as our standard, it is very hard not to fall back on "the end justifies the means" as our standard of behavior.
Why did Jesus heal on the sabbath? Was he blatantly breaking the Law in order to do what he knew in his heart was God's will? Or did he have a concrete, biblical reason for doing what he did? Since we are supposed to be imitators of him in our walk with God, it is important that we find out why he did what he did, so that we know what we, ourselves, are supposed to do in similar circumstances, and why.
Jesus gave a clue to his reasons in his castigation of the Pharisees in Matthew 23:23. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier [matters] of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Two things stand out here. First, Jesus wasn't reproving the Pharisees for their strict adherence to the Law. Rather, he reproved them for their hypocrisy, for play-acting, for faking it in their walk with God. They were careful to look on the outside like they were carrying out God's Law, while their hearts and motives remained filthy.
Second, Jesus pointed out here that some parts of the Law are "weightier" than others. In other words, some parts of the Law have priority over others. In keeping the Law, then, obedience in the "weightier" parts should take priority. This does not, however, excuse you from doing the rest. Rather, you should endeavor "not to leave the other undone."
But does that not leave us right back where we started? Fortunately, this is not all Jesus had to say on the subject of his Sabbath activities. Isaiah had prophesied that the Messiah would be of "quick understanding in the fear of the Lord..." (Isaiah 11:3) Nowhere is this more evident than in Jesus' handling of the Sabbath issues. Far from disobeying the Law regarding the Sabbath, Jesus understood it and obeyed it far better than anyone before or since.
Jesus gave at least eleven different reasons for apparently breaking the Sabbath law . 1. Pulling ox out of ditch on the Sabbath was permitted.2. Circumcision is permitted on the Sabbath.3. It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.4. The example of David eating the shewbread.5. Priests work on the Sabbath and are blameless.6. The ministry of the Messiah is greater than the ministry of the Temple.7. God desires mercy from His people and not sacrifice.8. The son of man is Lord of the Sabbath.9. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.10. It was lawful to lead animals to water on the Sabbath.11. The Father works on the Sabbath.
As we examine these reasons, we will see the greatness of his respect for and adherence to God's written revelation. We will see how carefully Jesus distinguished between what men said, and what God said. We will gain greater insight into how Jesus applied the scriptures to everyday life, and how he balanced walking in love with walking according to the scriptures. And we will gain an even greater appreciation of the incredible insight Jesus had into the heart of God. It all comes down to love, For love is fullfilling of the law! Rom.13:10
Well, I'll let y'all in...I'm the lady cattleman is referring to.
I work every third Sunday (or Saturday) and every Wednesday and my preacher didn't like it very much. But I know without any doubt at all, that this profession is what God created me to do, and it's God's Will for me to work for the ambulance services that I work for.
I wish there was never a need for an ambulance, but that's not the case. We (emergency services workers) can't just work bankers hours. I usually work 24 hour shifts because you can't tell someone they aren't allowed to have a heart attack or a car wreck after 5pm.
For those of you that think I'm doing wrong, I pray that you or a loved one never needs an ambulance on the Sabbath. You could recieve care from an unbeliever and I'll just tell ya, God uses my hands to deliver His Will. (I wouldn't want an unbeliever caring for one of my loved ones.) And give God praise that you don't have to stand in judgement for me and the decisions I make.
dear folks,,, cakes, i dont believe JESUS broke the law.. as HE said it was lawful to do good on the sabbath..
if it was lawful how could HE possibly be breaking the law..
who knows GODS mind better than JESUS ? HE would not of spoke it if not of told by the FATHER to do so.. would HE NOT ? as JESUS was always doin the will of the FATHER who sent HIM was he not ?
i have a few questions for yawl...
how many of you go to church and then go out to eat afterwards? alot of folks i know do.. most folks who have a little extra money tend to like to go eat after church..
wouldnt that be partisipating in helping others to not observe the sabbath? i mean cause you wanna eat out after church then them folks have to work .. ya know if nobody showed up to eat then them folks wouldnt have to work.. ya recon?
or does your wife or someone in your family have to go home and work and cook you all a nice meal ?
sposin your plumbing goes bad on church days.. what do you do when your septic is backing up in your house? or your water line busts and is flooding your house?
do you try to fix it yourself? or do you call a plumber ..?
do you wait till the next day to do so, or tell em dont worry no need to come till tomorow? what do ya do when you have pure raw sewage comin up into your house? what do you do. ?
what if your car breaks down goin to or comin home from church? do you call a cab? do ya call a friend and make them have to come get ya on the sabbath? do you call a wrecker right then or do you just leave your car there and wait till the next day?
what about the older folks in the nursing homes.. do you think they should just shut down for a whole day and leave them to their own devices?
what about the emergency rooms? or hospitals? should you just not see anyone and not help them? and just leave the ones there on their own with no care?
i ask you what sounds more like what JESUS would have you to do? didnt HE say it was lawful to do good on the sabbath? or do ya just leave folks to have to fend for themselves for a whole day? or do ya do good?
what say a cattle rancher who has a cow sick or havin a problem having a calf? do you just watch em suffer or do ya go do good and help em out?
what if your ox or donkey or sheep is stuck and mired down in the mud? do you go do good and get em out?
what if they fell in a pit? do ya just leave em or do ya go do good and get em out? or do ya just let em suffer?
i believe the words cakes used was mercy and love .. mighty good words.. mercy.. and love...
what about the policemen and firemen and emergency transportation folks? should they just shut down for a day and leave everyone to fend for themselves? or do they do good and serve and protect?
your preacher does his job and preaches to ya on the sabbath or the day you observe it.. long as youre payin him a salary and he is gettin paid then he is doin a job right? he is working right?
most of em do less theyre like me and wont accept any monies for anything they do for the LORD. even so he is doin good then too right? and lawful..
i recon its whats ever in your hearts to do good..
all i can tell ya is i know where my heart would be..
this is just my belief folks.. and what i gather from the word..
