Thread: Attention Sabbath Keepers! & New Covenant Keepers!
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Attention Sabbath Keepers! & New Covenant Keepers!
Posted : 3 Dec, 2010 05:41 PM
I would like to hear from real live Sabbath keepers and from those who believe the Sabbath has been fulfilled in Jesus. From those who believe the day to worship has been changed to Sunday or everyday is alike under the New Covenant or should the Sabbath still be kept.
I also would like to hear from anyone who made the switch to Sabbath keeping : What if any benefit did you notice in your life?
I do not want to start a arguement, but a passionate discussion among brothers and sisters would be helpful as I have mixed feeling on the subject.
Attention Sabbath Keepers! & New Covenant Keepers!
Posted : 3 Dec, 2010 09:50 PM
I think the discussion is simple. Who is our example? What did Jesus do? What did the disciples/apostles do? I don't believe that Jesus came to get rid of the law, He came to show us it's true purpose. The true purpose of the law is to teach us how to truly love God and our fellow man. I just believe that if God had decided to remove just one, and only one commandment from His "Law of Love", He would have said so Himself, or He would have had a prophet tell us. Unfortunately there is no such scripture/prophecy. The only verse that affords any kind of proof that it doesn't matter any more is the verse that says "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbaths" (Col 2:16), but I would argue that verse is obviously talking about the ceremonial laws of Israel, and not the 10 commandment law. There were many days of rest that were not the weekly one instituted/made holy at the beginning of the world, and even if it was talking about the sabbath, it doesn't say not to keep it or that we get to choose the day instead of God. I do give some credit to the argument that as long as we have 1 day in 7 to keep holy that the "spirit" of the law is fulfilled, but I still think that the day we should keep holy is the one that God chose/made holy, and not one that we pick. If we can choose whatever day WE want, then it is showing more love toward ourselves than God. It is a commandment in the "love God" category after all, and it is in God's law, which made breaking it a sin against God at some point. I don't know...I just think that if one law was done away with at the cross, then the whole law had to be. It doesn't make sense to just pick one out and call it legalism. We're "free from the law", but just one of them? 9 out of 10 are still in effect, but one isn't? Why isn't keeping the other 9 called "legalism"?
Matt. 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Luke 10:25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 4For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
:peace::peace:
P.S. The weekly cycle has never changed, and the Jews have been keeping the sabbath religiously(no pun intended) since the death of Jesus. They're probably keeping it in the wrong way(like a rule that we get points for vs. a principle that builds our Christ-like character), but still.
Attention Sabbath Keepers! & New Covenant Keepers!
Posted : 4 Dec, 2010 07:09 AM
I try to look at the fourth commandment based upon the teachings of Jesus,specifically that the sabbath was made for human beings, not human beings for the sabbath. What is critical in sabbath rest is that it happens and that we take the sabbath time to be devoted to God. Keeping that day strictly on Saturday (the 7th day) is not understood as being required by Jesus.
Similarly, I prefer to approach salvation and the Christian life based upon the understandings of grace, not works. Salvation comes by grace through faith, not by keeping the works of the law. Now, someone who is living by grace through faith will have the life of Christ within them, and that will lead them to take their sabbath rest, but this flows from God through our faith, not from us as our work.
Attention Sabbath Keepers! & New Covenant Keepers!
Posted : 4 Dec, 2010 09:57 AM
The only thing that is left to add would be that there was no "new day". There was only one day to keep holy back then, so there was no argument over which day to keep until quite a time later. Whether it was a requirement or not, the bible is pretty plain that all the apostles and Jesus kept the 7th day and saw no need to change it. There was no reason or desire or command by the apostles or Jesus to keep any other day.
I agree that Jesus came to fulfill the law, but I notice that whenever the apostles talk about not being "under the law", or that the law was done away with, they always are talking about the ceremonial law. It's always about circumcision, or food, or festivals, which were all part of the ceremonial/governing law of Israel that was kept outside of the ark of God. It was a requirement for pre-new covenant Jews, but it isn't anymore.
That contrasts with when the apostles talk about any of the 10 commandments. They are always saying not to sin by adultery/idolatry/theft/false witness/murder/having other gods/etc. That was the law that was kept inside the ark of God, and was included in the old covenant...obviously. It was the most important part of His message to us. Why would God leave out what He wanted to children of Israel to learn the most, why would He leave it out of the new covenant? I don't believe He did. It is the "law of love" that shows us how to love God and love our fellow man. That is the Royal law of love He wants written on our hearts. That is the law of love that Jesus came to show us. Jesus wants us to be like Him, and follow Him. He came to show us what kind of loving character His Father has, and how to have that loving character in ourselves.
And while I can partly understand the idea that the law is spiritual, and that we can keep one day holy to honor God...I just can't understand it completely. We get to choose whatever day we want? If a friend came and asked you to help him move on Monday, and you told him that you would help, but not until Friday...would you be putting him first or yourself? Would you be showing love to him or to yourself? It would only be half way, right? The 4th commandment is a law about loving God and doing what He asks for no other reason except that He asked us to remember it. That's how I see it anyway. And I don't think it's an arbitrary law either. God isn't about feeding His ego by making us to random pointless things. I think He knows very well that we need "time off" to be health/happy, so in asking us to keep a principle that shows our love for Him, it is actually a principle that includes His love for us as well. That's the way all of God's laws work if you really look at them closely.
Attention Sabbath Keepers! & New Covenant Keepers!
Posted : 4 Dec, 2010 01:10 PM
I have often wondered the reason the early church started worshipping on Sunday. Could it be something so simple as : Since Christianity started out as a sect of Judaism, perhaps they used the same building? Or perhaps everyone was going to synagogue on Saturday, christians included so the only time left with for them was Sunday? Or was it actually because Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday? Did they keep both Saturday and Sunday in the early church in Jerusalem or just one or the other?
Does anyone know exactly when or where this started?
Attention Sabbath Keepers! & New Covenant Keepers!
Posted : 4 Dec, 2010 01:22 PM
The law was given to Israel and was never given to Gentiles. The law separated Jews and Gentiles. The law as given to not to keep as that is impossible. The law makes all who try to keep it guilty before God and it never justifies anyone, except Christ.
Proof: Romans 3:19 �Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
James 2:10 �For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
The law was given go point us to Christ not to keep its commandments.
Proof: Galatians 3:24 �Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Galatians 3:25 �But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
If we have our faith in Christ we are to rest in Him 24/7 for the rest of this life not to rest one day a week under the law. Doesn't make sense. If a person is in Christ and not under the bondage of the law but led by the spirit that person is free of the law.
Proof: Galatians 5:18 �But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
If we are in the spirit, then our rest is in Christ and not in a chosen day.
Galatians 4:9 �But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
10 �Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
11 �I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
Christ is a believers rest. According to God's word those who continue a day of rest under the law have not believed as revealed in Hebrews the fourth chapter. This rest is also for Gentiles as well as Hebrew {Jewish} believers.
Proof: Matthew 11:28 �Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. {How beautiful that verse is, wow}
Hebrews 4:9 �There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
10 �For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
11 �Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
