The Keeping of the Sabbath
(The 4th Commandment)
Why do we worship on Sunday when the 4th commandment clearly tells us to "Remember" the Sabbath day? Aren't we still under the 10 commandments? The new testament history of Christ is that he died on Friday, and that His mother and Mary Magdelane went early in the morning on the FIRST day of the week to prepare His body.
We celebrate Sunday as the day Christ is risen. So doesn't that make Saturday the day in between and therefore the 7th day....which is the day the 4th commandments instructs us to keep. Please help me out on this. Thanks
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So many Christians want to serve the Lord. With a heart full of good intentions try to lead others to do for the Lord also. Which seems like a good thing. What we have to keep in mind is that we are not under a service contract with our Lord. It is a LOVE relationship which is guided by his Holy Spirit and Christ living in us... We are no longer under a School master or Tutor, which is what the Law was.
Why would we want to follow something which we can not do anyway. The Law was a School master to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith is come we are no longer under a school master. But now Christ has abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances.....Ok lets look at it this way...to get saved it had nothing to do with following the law or commandments. we were saved by Grace, but now that your saved are you made better by your flesh or observing days, months, and times, and years. 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 to be in bondage again? Paul said the way we received Christ Jesus we should walk in him. How did you receive him? By Grace and nothing else. So why would you think that to follow him you have to observe the Sabbath or anyday......James said if you follow the law and fall short in any point then you are guilty of all. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: (Why would you want to be under a curse) for it is written, Cursed is everyone that continueth not in ALL the things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the LAW in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
What a lot of Christians want to do is pick and choose which laws or commandments to follow. You have to continue in all things written in the law. Why would you want to do that???? Jesus made a better way. If you really want to serve God, this is how to do it. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. For all the LAW is fulfilled in this. We are to walk in the Spirit not the Flesh. But if ye be led of the Spirit, YE ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW. Following days to be right with God to me is walking in the flesh. We think we are better in Gods eyes because we observe days months years etc....We are 100% righteous because of him and nothing we DO!!!.
If we Just Love God with all our heart and Love our neighbor as our self, then that’s it. To Love your neighbor like yourself is harder than keeping the Sabbath day. Remember the man in the temple, he prayed to God and he kept all the laws etc....yet he was not justified it God’s eyes. But if he Loved his neighbor as himself his prayers would have been different, they wouldn’t have been centered around himself but around others. Esteem others higher than ourselves. We need to edify each other. Pray for each other. Care for each other etc.... For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and LOVE ONE ANOTHER, as he gave us commandment.
One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth everyday alike, Let every man be fully PERSUADED in HIS own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. I believe that we would all say that we are not under Law but Grace. Law was works and Grace is trusting in God. If we are under the law (works) then there is no more Grace. We can’t have both. If you want to keep the Sabbath on Saturday that’s fine, but if your going to live under the commandments then you better keep them all or the bible says your cursed.
But I believe with all my heart that it doesn’t matter which day it is. You want it Sunday, fine. You want it Saturday, fine. The New Testament does not state to honor any day. It tells the exact opposite, not to observe days etc...I give every day to the Lord. But if you want to fulfill the commandments and the law then LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. I know some will read (love your neighbor as your self) and say, yes love your neighbor, BUT, and, however, you have to, you must, etc..!!! There is no BUTS it’s that simple LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF!! Oh how I wish God would reveal this to your heart and give you a revelation. Then and only then you will be free. Our relationship with God is of the Heart. You can keep the Sabbath and still not be right.(The man in the temple praying)
But if your heart is Loving God and your neighbor as yourself then you are in complete fulfillment of Scripture. Our relationship with God is not based on wether or not we keep the Sabbath. If we keep the Sabbath we don’t fulfill the law. But if we LOVE we fulfill the law. As brother Ricky said in the previous thread: >>>>“Acts 17:2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, Acts 18:4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. So Paul observed the Sabbath in fact he taught from the Tenach .(OT)<<<< “ As I read these scriptures it doesn’t say Paul observed, but rather that as his manner was. He went in to the synagogue because that is where the Jews were and he preached about Jesus and that he was risen from the dead. Rom 17: 17 says: Therefore disputed he in the synagague with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him. He preached anywhere and everywhere.
You said “I'm sure there wasn't a debate about whether or not we should observe the Sabbath as there was about circumcision.” There wasn’t a debate because that wasn’t an issue. The issue was that some of the JEWS which got saved tried to make Christians follow the law again for righteousness. Paul said let him be accursed who tried to pervert the Gospel of Grace (Christ).
Knowing this that the law is not made for a righteous man (Which we are in Christ) but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy etc......(why follow this?) Now the END of the commandment is Charity (Love) out of a pure heart.
Col 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath.... I don’t know why we would want to live by the law when the law wasn’t even for the Gentiles.
Rom 2:14 For when the Gentiles which have not the law.....What we have now is not the Letter of the law but the Spirit of the law in our hearts. (Heb 8:10) It’s the spirit that gives life, not observances of days etc... It’s no longer keeping of days.. If someone wants to keep the Sabbath, go right ahead, but I tell you the bible says of a better way.
Acts 15:24 Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, YE MUST BE CIRCUMCISED, AND KEEP THE LAW, to whom we gave no commandment.....To me this is clear as day.
Please take the time and follow the scriptures listed below..
Here is 10 Reasons not to follow the 4th commandment:
1) Neither God nor Christ made it a part of the new covenant. If they had it would be somewhere in the N.T. as the other 9 are.
2) Of all the words of Jesus on earth only 4 references are made of the Sabbath(Mt.12:8; 24:20; MK. 2:7-28; Lk. 6:5). He merely taught that it was lawful to do good on this day and that no day is lord of man. He did not once command any particular observance of any definite day.
3) The old Jewish Sabbath was part of the contract between God and Israel and a token and sign of that covenant (Ex 20: 8-11; 31:13-18; Ezek. 20:12-20) The contract was not made with men before Moses (DT. 5:2-3), or with Gentiles and the church (Rom. 2:14; DT. 4:7-10). The Sabbath was not for them.
4) The 4th commandment was the only one of the ten that was a ceremonial, not a moral law. It’s sole purpose was to commemorate the deliverance from Egyptian bondage when Israel had no rest (DT 5:15) It was only a type of future and eternal rest (COL. 2:14-17; HEB.4:1-11; 10:1) It was natural for it to be left out of the new contract when the reality of rest came of which it was a shadow(Mt. 11:28-29; Col. 2:14-17). The physical and spiritual benefits of a rest day can be realized on any other day as well as on Saturday.
5) The 4th commandment was the only one that could degenerate into a mere form without affecting the moral obligations of men. It is the only one of the ten that could be done away with and still leaves moral law for men.
6) God foretold and promised he would do away with the old Jewish Sabbath (Hos. 2:11; Esa. 1:10-15)
7) The prophets predicted that god would abolish the old and make a new covenant (Esa. 42:6; 49:8 59:21; Jer. 31:31-40; 32:37-44; Ezek, 36: 24-38) That this referred to the N.T. is clear in Rom. 11:25-29; Heb. 8: 8-12; 10: 16-18; Mt. 26:28.
8) In no passage is it stated that men should keep the Jewish Sabbath to commemorate the old creation rest. It was to commemorate deliverance from Egypt( DT. 5:15) This was what they were to “Remember” (EX. 20:8
9) It is the only commandment that could be and has been broken without breaking a moral law. Israel marched on that day (Num. 33:3; Lev: 23: 5-11; Josh. 6: 12-16): Set up the tabernacle (Ex. 40:1, 17 with Lev. 23: 5-11); searched Cananan(Num13:25) and made war (1Ki. 20:29; 2Ki 3:9; Josh. 6: 12-16) David and others broke it and were blameless(Mt. 12: 2-5)
10) The N.T. permits Christians to keep any day as the Sabbath, it being one of the doubtful things not covered by commandment in the new covenant (Rom. 14: 1-13; Gal 4: 9-11; Col. 2:14-17) The day early Christians observed, not by commandment but by choice, was the first day, Sunday (Jn. 20:1, 19; 20:7 1Cor. 16: 2)
10 Reasons why Christians keep Sunday
1) To commemorate the resurrection and the finished work of Christ in his victory over death, hell, and the grave(Mt 28:1; Mk. 16:9; Jn.20:1)
2) The Lord’s manifestations to his disciples were on Sunday( Mt 28:1; MK. 16:9; Jn. 20:1)
3) Christ ignored completely the old Jewish Sabbath. The first day is the prominent day after the resurrection(Mt. 28:1;Mk. 16:9; Din. 20:1,19, 26)
4) The outpouring of the Holy Ghost came on Sunday. Pentecost was the first day after 7 Jewish Sabbaths (Acts 2:1; Lev. 23:15-21). Thus both Christ and the Holy Spirit manifested themselves to the church on this day, completely ignoring the Jewish Sabbath.
5) Christ or no apostle commanded to keep the old Jewish Sabbath, or any other day, but did command all men not to be bound by any particular day (Rom. 14: 5-6; Gal 4:9-11; Col. 2: 14-17. Sin is sin whenever committed. It is transgression of the law that constitutes sin(1 Jn. 3:4) not the day in which it is done. Anything sinful on Saturday or Sunday is sinful on every other day. If it is not sinful on Monday, Tuesday, etc., it is not sinful on Sunday.
6) Although no set day is commanded to be the Sabbath in the new covneant, as in the old covenant which was abolished, they did keep Sunday as their day of worship (Mt. 28: 1; Mk,16: 9; Jn. 20:1; 19, 26; Acts 20: 7; 1Cor. 16: 2; Rev. 1:10)
7) Typology of the old covenant made Sunday a day of worship: (A)The Jewish Sabbath was a changeable Sabbath, changing at Pentecost every year to one day later until each day of the week was observed every 7 years. Pentecost was the first day after the 7th Sabbath (Lev. 23: 15-21)
(B) The feast of first fruits came on Sunday, typifying the resurrection (Lev. 23: 9-14; Mt. 28:1; Jn. 20:1) (C) The feasts of unleavened bread and tabernacles also were observed at least one Sunday and perhaps two, being 7 and 8 days long (Lev. 23: 6-36)
8) God honored Sunday by giving the law on that day (Ex 19:1, 3, 11, with Lev 23:3-6; Ex. 12:2-18)
9) God again honored Sunday when giving the book of Revelation (Rev. 1:10)
10) Constantine and the Pope did not change the Sabbath, 321 and 364 A.D.
I hope this helps you. I pray we all can see what Christ has done for us!!!
LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR AS OURSELF.
This is what we should be trying to do!!
May we all grow in the Grace and Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
God Bless.
In Christ
Tony Ciaramello