Rejoicing In the Sabbath:

[Aquila]

Jay (and all),

Confusion over "keeping the law" always surround a misunderstanding of the difference between the Law of God and the Law of Moses. To recap on their differences, let's review the following:

Law of God vs. the Law of Moses. Please compare the two:

The Law of Moses

Called "the law of Moses"
LUKE 2:22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord.

Called "Law contained in ordinances"
EPH. 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace.

Written by Moses in a book
2 CHRON. 35:12 And they removed the burnt offerings, that they might give according to the divisions of the families of the people, to offer unto the LORD, as it is written in the book of Moses. And so did they with the oxen.

Placed in the side of the ark
DEUT. 31:26 Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.

Ended at the cross
EPH. 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace.

Added because of sin
GAL. 3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

Contrary to us, against us
COL. 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.

Judges no man
COL. 2:14-16 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. 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 days:

Carnal
HEB. 7:16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.

Made nothing perfect
HEB. 7:19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.

And now consider the Law of God (the Ten Commandments):

The Law of God (Ten Commandments)

Called "the Law of the Lord"
ISA. 5:24 Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Called "the Royal law"
JAMES 2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:

Written by God on stone
EXO. 31:18 And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.
EXO. 32:16 And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

Placed inside the ark
EXO. 40:20 And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark:

Will stand forever
LUKE 16:17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.

Points out sin
ROM. 7:7 What shall we say then? is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
ROM. 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Not grievous
1 JOHN 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Judges all men
JAM. 2:10-12 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

Spiritual
ROM. 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

Perfect
PSALMS 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

One of the greatest challenges of a Christian is to distinguish between the Law of Moses and the Law of God when reading about a Christian's relationship to the Law in the NT. The Law of Moses was nailed to the cross not the Law of God (Ten Commandments). The Ten Commandments still stand:

Matthew 5:18
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

[Aquila]

The book of Acts is very interesting in that it preserves the essential manners and customs needed to understand the early church. Regarding the Sabbath we read the following in the book of Acts:

Acts 13:14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day [seventh day], and sat down.

Acts 13:42 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath [seventh day].

Acts 13:44 And the next sabbath day [seventh day] came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.

Acts 16:13 And on the sabbath [seventh day] we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spoke unto the women which resorted thither.

Acts 17:2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days [seventh day] reasoned with them out of the scriptures,

Acts 18:4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath [seventh day], and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.

It becomes evident that the gospel was preached on the Sabbath, especially in the synagogues. Many claim that this is only because the Jews only gathered on the Sabbath. Exactly! No one in the first century church had any other notion than to continue meeting on the Sabbath and attempting to reason with the Jews. We see that Paul’s “manner” was to reason with the Jews in the synagogue every Sabbath day. If you’d have suggested making Sunday an ordained day of corporate worship….Paul and the Apostles would have looked at you and asked, “Why? We have the Sabbath.” Of course, Paul taught us that obeying the Law (including the Law of the Sabbath) doesn’t justify us. We are not saved predicated upon what day of the week we worship. However, Sunday wasn’t seen as a day of worship by anyone in the Bible. That custom didn’t begin until well after the church was Romanized and anti-Semitic notions began to be taught. The doctrine of the Sabbath was one of the first to be rejected for the pagan “Sunday Mass”. Therefore, while it isn't an issue of salvation per se, Sabbath keeping is indeed "biblical" while Sunday Worship services are not.

Those who cling to the Sunday worship service should simply be honest. They should admit that the early church clearly met for corporate worship, reasoning, and teaching of the Gospel on the Sabbath. However, Sunday worship is a tradition of the church, instituted by the Catholic Church, and so as not to “rock the boat” they wish to maintain the Catholic tradition.

Now…that would be honesty in my opinion.

[Titus2woman]

Originally Posted by RandyWayne

Perhaps it is but why are there no major denominations who's entire doctrine is based around other commandments?

Why isn't there a Thou Murderist Not church? Or a Covestist Not Thy Neighbors Wife Federation church? Or even an Excuse me, why doth thou needith a starship church?

Having just had a recent look into Sabbath keeping churches I have to agree with Aquila that there are Sabbath keepers in EVERY major denomination. Sometimes enough of them can be gathered up to form a 'church' of institutional proportions for corporate worship on Sabbath but most times they quietly observe Sabbath at home. They may or may not continue on with a Sunday worshiping church, many do and you would never be able to pick them out at church.

When we talked to the pastor at our last OP church about our study of Sabbath he told us that there were others in our church that observed Sabbath but kept coming to service. In Houston there are a bunch of Sabbath keeping Apostolic churches. One may find a nation wide list of such churches here: http://www.chooselord.apostolicnetwo.../saplinks.html

Many are coming to the knowledge of the importance of Sabbath in our modern world. Many are beginning to understand that this commandment was stolen from us and like all the commandments is for our good and not our harm.

I have found SDA and others like them to be like some OPs in that they have taken something that makes them 'different' and run with it in order to condemn others... and I think I've already covered how I feel about all that.

[RandyWayne]

Originally Posted by Titus2woman

I have found SDA and others like them to be like some OPs in that they have taken something that makes them 'different' and run with it in order to condemn others... and I think I've already covered how I feel about all that.

And this is really my only issue with much of it. It isn't the observance of the Sabbath per say, it is when it is made into THE issue and the single most important doctrine of the particular group or denomination -just as the Adventists have done.

[Truthseeker]

if sabbath is a commandment then I'm lost cause I work weekends?

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by Titus2woman

Having just had a recent look into Sabbath keeping churches I have to agree with Aquila that there are Sabbath keepers in EVERY major denomination. Sometimes enough of them can be gathered up to form a 'church' of institutional proportions for corporate worship on Sabbath but most times they quietly observe Sabbath at home. They may or may not continue on with a Sunday worshiping church, many do and you would never be able to pick them out at church.

When we talked to the pastor at our last OP church about our study of Sabbath he told us that there were others in our church that observed Sabbath but kept coming to service. In Houston there are a bunch of Sabbath keeping Apostolic churches. One may find a nation wide list of such churches here: http://www.chooselord.apostolicnetwo.../saplinks.html

Many are coming to the knowledge of the importance of Sabbath in our modern world. Many are beginning to understand that this commandment was stolen from us and like all the commandments is for our good and not our harm.

I have found SDA and others like them to be like some OPs in that they have taken something that makes them 'different' and run with it in order to condemn others... and I think I've already covered how I feel about all that.

I don't attend a "Sabbatarian church". The church I attend has a service on Saturday nights and two on Sunday Mornings. Midweek gatherings are in house churches throuhghout the week, day depending upon the house church in question. When I attended a UPCI church there were a few families who observed the Sabbath by choosing to rest an have family devotions. It was beautiful. They still attended Sunday services.

People freak out and don't understand what many of us are saying. They are thinking we are condemning all comers like the SDA churches. Not so. For me, it's an issue of sanctification not salvation. Some saved individuals are missing out on the blessings of sanctifying themselves in accordance to God's Law of Liberty and Love.

[Truthseeker]

Originally Posted by Aquila

I don't attend a "Sabbatarian church". The church I attend has a service on Saturday nights and two on Sunday Mornings. Midweek gatherings are in house churches throuhghout the week, day depending upon the house church in question. When I attended a UPCI church there were a few families who observed the Sabbath by choosing to rest an have family devotions. It was beautiful. They still attended Sunday services.

People freak out and don't understand what many of us are saying. They are thinking we are condemning all comers like the SDA churches. Not so. For me, it's an issue of sanctification not salvation. Some saved individuals are missing out on the blessings of sanctifying themselves in accordance to God's Law of Liberty and Love.

So if issue of sanctification then one would be unsanctified if don't observe it?

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by Truthseeker

if sabbath is a commandment then I'm lost cause I work weekends?

No. I do not see it as an issue of salvation. God can, and does, forgive every sin (except one). Breaking the Sabbath isn't unforgiveable.

Now, a hardliner might point out that many down through history have DIED because they honored God's Sabbath (both Jew and Christian). Sometimes our Christianity will cost us. If you sincerely desire to observe the Sabbath (Saturday) but you have to work... seek to maximize the time you do have available on the Sabbath. REST from labors and don't go running around on errands like a mad man until after sunset. Take the time to have a family devotion. Read a children's Bible story to your kids and pray with them. The Sabbath was made for you! Enter into it and find it's blessings. All too often we are so busy we crowd God out of our daily rutines. Eventually worship and focus on the Lord gets pushed to those days wherein we attend church. Today... many Christians will tell you that their religious practice is primarily at the church building. The Sabbath gives you and your family a reason to bring God back into your home. When the entire family chooses to gather together to take at least a little time out from all their worldly persuits to focus on God together, as a unit, there will be a blessing. It can be a very blessed time for the entire family. When I first began to explore the Sabbath it was personally in my own home. My church just happens to have services on Saturday and Sunday. So I go to the Saturday services now.

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by Truthseeker

So if issue of sanctification then one would be unsanctified if don't observe it?

No. Lacking in potential sanctification yes. For example... one can watch television and not go to Hell. However, let's face it...there are some polutions that vex the soul on television. The one who chooses not to watch television will, in more cases than not, be more sanctified than the one who does...at least in this regard.

[Truthseeker]

so it's not a commandment then.

we can't break a command by saying it not unforgivable with no intent to obey the command.