Sabbath Provoking Debate

Sabbath benefits those Christians who keep it today.  Christians robbing Christians of the Sabbath.  Provoking debate:  The answer is obvious but we need to remove our traditional glasses - Thanks to Jim Staley and Chris Rosebrough pointing it out.  

12 Points to consider

1.       God told Adam to tend the Garden and it is only logical that He blessed that day for Adam to rest every 7days per Exo 20:11.  God set it apart and put a special blessing on that day (not every day).  If this is before the fall, how much more after (Gen. 2:2).  Adam and Eve were not Jews.

2.       God kept it, He is in Christians therefore we are to keep it (Gen. 2:2).

3.       Jesus my Lord kept it and called out that He is the Lord of the Sabbath.  He can only be Lord of something that exists.  If He removed it then He is not Lord of it (Matt. 12:8). Think about it.

4.       Jesus didn’t remove the Sabbath, He kept it, He affirmed it by saying we are to do good on the Sabbath (Mark 1:21; 3:4; Matt 12:12; Luke 4:16).

5.       Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.  Notice Jesus didn’t say the Sabbath was for the Jews but said it was for man.  We want all of God’s benefits (Gen 2:2; Is. 56:2, 6-7; 58:13-14; Mark 2:27-28; Matt. 4:4). Yes in Christ we are blessed but we appropriate the blessings by the things we do.  It is called obedience.  If someone didn’t need the benefits it was Jesus and His disciples, yet they all kept it as well as the women who were with Jesus (Luk 23:56).  It is quite simple to me – If we were walking with Jesus in Jerusalem, we would imitate Christ and would have kept it.  That’s why we are baptized as an adult and ignore infant baptism (Matt. 12:12; Mar 1:21; Luk 4:16; John 7:22-23; Mat 28:1; Mar 16:1; Luk 23:56).

6.        Jesus didn’t get rid of the commandments but empowered us to keep them – He is with us (Matt. 5:17-22).  Rom. 3:31 – Paul upholds the law “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.” It is faith in Him, and His faith residing in Christians that empowers them to keep the law automatically – do good works (Eph. 2:10). 

7.       The Sabbath was before Sinai (Gen. 2:2), God taught them to observe the Sabbath (because they forgot about it) when collecting manna (Ex. 16:28-30).  Then again God re-iterated it at mount Sinai, then wrote it down and placed it in the 4^th position (Exo 20:8-11; Isa 56:2, 6-7; 58:13-14). The miracles of the manna that God did, prove that the Sabbath is of primary importance to Him.

8.       Few people realize that the Sabbath is a gift from God.  God knows what we need and we appreciate Him helping us.  The Lord said that He gave them the Sabbath. “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3).  If it is burdensome to keep his commandments then my heart is not right before God.

9.       Sabbath will be kept in the millennium when Christ reigns, proving He hasn't changed it (Is. 66:22-23).

10.   All the scriptures like Rom 14:5-6; Col. 2:14-16; Heb. 4; Gal. 4:8-10 are grossly misinterpreted.  Either they are doing what is right in their own eyes like it has been happening from the beginning or they don’t understand the difference between the law of commandments, ordinances, Old Testament, New Testament, the Sabbaths and the Sabbath, not using the scripture prior to Matthew to interpret scripture in NT (2 Tim. 3:16).   Simply Rom. 14:5-6 (nothing about the Sabbath but doubtful things like fasting days, own special days etc.); Col. 2:14-16 & Gal. 4:8-10 (nothing to do with the Sabbath (7^th day) but Sabbaths involved in Festivals); Heb. 4 (not replacing the Sabbath but talking about their unbelief in what God said about His Son, just like they didn’t go into the promised land, nor obeyed in keeping the Sabbath.  If anything it is for keeping the Sabbath).  If there are heaps of scriptures saying one thing and one or two verses saying something totally different could it be that it isn’t the one or two verses that are the problem but the understanding. 

11.   Paul embraced the Sabbath by teaching the new Gentile converts that came to the Synagogue on the Sabbath (Act 13: 14-15, 42-44; 17:2-3; 18:1-4). Sometimes as long as 18months (Acts 18:11).  He attended a prayer meeting on the Sabbath day, when no synagogue was available (Acts 16:13).

12.   And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, ‘All authority in heaven and in earth has been given to Me.  Therefore, go and make disciples in all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE ALL THINGS THAT I HAVE COMMANDED YOU: and lo, I am with you always, even until the completion of the age” (Mat. 28:18-20).  Jesus is also the Word of God (John 1:1). Like He said, “Sabbath made for man (not Jews)” It is to benefit us and do GOOD on the Sabbath. Who teaches against the Sabbath is going against Jesus Himself.

 

It reminds me of Saul’s refusal to do what God said so Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king." Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD." But Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel." (1Sa 15:22-26).