Denomination-specific TheologyA special subforum where a thread starter can restrict threads to replies by members of a particular denomination only to discuss denomination-specific theology.
According to you we need not to put any effort into trying to fulfill the law when the scriptures plainly tell us that when we love we fulfill the law. It takes effort to resist the lusts of the flesh and hold on the Jesus. It takes effort to gain the victory over sin. Not by our own strength but by his strength. But it is our willingless and effort to surrender to him and let him take over us.
If that is the case, then we will have earned our salvation through our efforts and salvation will be a matter of our efforts and not of God's grace. According to John 10:27-29 who holds who? I am quite certain that if it was up to me to hold onto Jesus, I would lose my grip. Where, in the Bible, does it say that it is up to us to hold onto Him?
Jesus will always hold on to us but we can let go. We are the ones who have to hold on to him because he never lets go. Your problem will be the same as the guy who was invited to the wedding feast but did not have the proper garment. The guy did accept Jesus' invitation. But before the feast started he checked all of them and this guy did not have on the proper garment and he was cast on. Accepting Jesus Christ is one step but we must be clothed by his righteousness which we attain when we surrender and let his have control over our lives. It takes effort to give God full control because we are sinful human beings who naturally lean towards ungodliness. Thinking that God will do everything for our salvation is dangerous.
Isa 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Php 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Php 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Don't think that the righteousness that we should be clothed will has nothing to do with your life. It is your righteousness which is actually his righteousness. Gods works in us to do the things that he wants us to do. Because he does not take away our freedom of choice it means that we must surrender to his will. Then he works his righteousness in us so we can be righteous. It is his righteousness which causes our righteousness by which we are clothed. Many will accept the call the call but only few will be found wearing the proper garment. Many are called but few are chosen.
According to you we need not to put any effort into trying to fulfill the law when the scriptures plainly tell us that when we love we fulfill the law. It takes effort to resist the lusts of the flesh and hold on the Jesus. It takes effort to gain the victory over sin. Not by our own strength but by his strength. But it is our willingless and effort to surrender to him and let him take over us.
Jesus will always hold on to us but we can let go. We are the ones who have to hold on to him because he never lets go. Your problem will be the same as the guy who was invited to the wedding feast but did not have the proper garment. The guy did accept Jesus' invitation. But before the feast started he checked all of them and this guy did not have on the proper garment and he was cast on. Accepting Jesus Christ is one step but we must be clothed by his righteousness which we attain when we surrender and let his have control over our lives. It takes effort to give God full control because we are sinful human beings who naturally lean towards ungodliness. Thinking that God will do everything for our salvation is dangerous.
Isa 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Php 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Php 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Don't think that the righteousness that we should be clothed will has nothing to do with your life. It is your righteousness which is actually his righteousness. Gods works in us to do the things that he wants us to do. Because he does not take away our freedom of choice it means that we must surrender to his will. Then he works his righteousness in us so we can be righteous. It is his righteousness which causes our righteousness by which we are clothed. Many will accept the call the call but only few will be found wearing the proper garment. Many are called but few are chosen.
So, exactly what does this have to do with the OP, "Have I Lost the Sabbath?"
My first question was on tithing and here I am, secondly, asking what is probably a novice question of the forum: when we're commanded to keep the Sabbath, what does that mean? I exercise on Sunday, we eat out, the kids do homework, we play games, go shopping. With the exception of going to church, our Sundays (Sabbaths) are similar to other days. While I haven't done an exhaustive study of the Sabbath, I can at least get the sense from a cursory reading of Scripture that my Sabbath's aren't like the ones described for the Jews. We've recently started attending some local churches that have really early services that are heavily attended, and several of the people we've talked to have said they attend the early service so that church won't take up the whole day--they can be done by 10 am! I fear I've lost touch with the notion of "a sabbath" other than acknowledging God in a more formal way on that day. How do you all feel about your Sabbaths? Is it a heart attitude or an expected, literal ritual/limitation on activities of a particular day? Hopefully my form of the question isn't too confusing. I think most of you have strong feelings one way or the other on what I've shared. Thanks to any of you who take time to respond.
David
You have NOT lost the sabbath David! And God makes a promise to you:
Psa 27:8 [When thou saidst], Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.
When you promise to seek the Lords face he will show you His truth and plainly show you His ways.
My first question was on tithing and here I am, secondly, asking what is probably a novice question of the forum: when we're commanded to keep the Sabbath, what does that mean? I exercise on Sunday, we eat out, the kids do homework, we play games, go shopping. With the exception of going to church, our Sundays (Sabbaths) are similar to other days. While I haven't done an exhaustive study of the Sabbath, I can at least get the sense from a cursory reading of Scripture that my Sabbath's aren't like the ones described for the Jews. We've recently started attending some local churches that have really early services that are heavily attended, and several of the people we've talked to have said they attend the early service so that church won't take up the whole day--they can be done by 10 am! I fear I've lost touch with the notion of "a sabbath" other than acknowledging God in a more formal way on that day. How do you all feel about your Sabbaths? Is it a heart attitude or an expected, literal ritual/limitation on activities of a particular day? Hopefully my form of the question isn't too confusing. I think most of you have strong feelings one way or the other on what I've shared. Thanks to any of you who take time to respond.
David
hi there just taking a peek through some of the forums
I understand tithing is 1/10th of your increase.
As for the sabbath, one thing you can ask yourself is- does it help you come closer to Christ or does it help another come closer to Christ?(and going to church is certainly one of the ways of doing so).
if you can say yes to either then I'm fairly sure that you're keeping it Holy.
Also doing things that the Lord asks us to do will also keep the sabbath holy.
hopes that helps.
I also find that lots of prayer, and scripture studies help a lot. Sometimes fasting helps greatly as well.
While actions are important, if the heart is not in it then the actions are a lot less meaningful. (altho sometimes you have to start doing the actions first to get the heart going in it)
my $.02
__________________ Remember now,
the dream you had,
before you were born,
the dream that has
died out.
I was raised Seventh Day Adventist and the Saturday Sabbath was a big issue as was many other things. Then I discovered Gods grace and found for me it didn’t matter what day I worshipped him as long a I kept that one day set aside for Him. The Sabbath was made for man so that we would have a day of rest and worship. I began asking why would God care what day I chose to worship him as long as I committed one day a week to Him. I personally think that we can get too legalistic about certain issues, that is kind of what the Pharisees did and that is what Jesus spoke out against.
I believe that is you seek the Lords will and surrender your will to his leadership He will place you exactly where he wants you. I love the Adventist but I do not hold to many of their denominational beliefs, but that is just me. However if God leads you in that direction then follow His perfect will.
My first question was on tithing and here I am, secondly, asking what is probably a novice question of the forum: when we're commanded to keep the Sabbath, what does that mean? I exercise on Sunday, we eat out, the kids do homework, we play games, go shopping. With the exception of going to church, our Sundays (Sabbaths) are similar to other days. While I haven't done an exhaustive study of the Sabbath, I can at least get the sense from a cursory reading of Scripture that my Sabbath's aren't like the ones described for the Jews. We've recently started attending some local churches that have really early services that are heavily attended, and several of the people we've talked to have said they attend the early service so that church won't take up the whole day--they can be done by 10 am! I fear I've lost touch with the notion of "a sabbath" other than acknowledging God in a more formal way on that day. How do you all feel about your Sabbaths? Is it a heart attitude or an expected, literal ritual/limitation on activities of a particular day? Hopefully my form of the question isn't too confusing. I think most of you have strong feelings one way or the other on what I've shared. Thanks to any of you who take time to respond.
David
The true Sabbath is not a physical rest, though a time of physical rest is a good thing. It is not a day of the week, though one can certainly have a day as a time of rest and worship. Instead the true Sabbath is the resting from our works when we come to faith in Jesus.
I have no way of knowing if you've lost that Sabbath, or indeed if you've ever had it. It's a very important thing because it is through that faith that produces that rest that we are saved.
That Sabbath rest is not something that is a day of the week or is only observed on one day of the week, though there certainly are those who try. When we rest from our works, that lasts our lifetime. It is an every day thing. It is intimately tied to Christ alone saving us.
When one thinks that he needs to contribute to his salvation, then he does not have rest, he labors as a worker trying to earn his wage of salvation.
Marv
__________________ Eze 36:25-27 ESV (25) I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. (26) And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (27) And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
Heb 10:22 ESV let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
I believe we learn from God's examples in creation and redemption that Sunday is the Sabbath, when we are to make sure of our own salvation and to go into all the world with the Gospel. God has given us 6 days to do the things we need or like to do. On Sunday we rest on what Christ has done and honor him and seek his will. The biblical definition of Sunday is found in Isaiah Chapter 58:13, 14. We need that day to worship and fellowship, to study the Bible, that is, to do the things that please Him.
The Old Testament Sabbaths ended at the cross when Jesus was in the tomb. A new era of Sabbath days began when Christ rose that Sunday morning. In Colossians 2 we read that the Old Testament Sabbath was a sign, a shadow of things to come. From Matthew 28:1 “In the end of the Sabbaths, as it began to dawn toward the first of the Sabbaths.” The Saturday during which Christ was in the tomb was the end of the Old Testament era of Sabbaths. The next day, which was Sunday, is the first Sabbath day of a new era of Sabbaths. From then on, each and every Sunday is the Sabbath. (See also Mark 16: 2, 16:9).Also in Luke 24:1 we read from the Greek manuscripts: “Now upon the first of the Sabbaths [not “week”], very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulcher.” This is exactly the same language we found in Matthew 28 and Mark 16. God again insists that the Sunday morning after the cross begins a new era of Sabbaths.
God did the work that is to be featured on Sunday. It is on that day that Christ rose from the grave. He completed the work required for our salvation on the New Testament Sabbath day. The work a true believer is to focus upon each Sunday. The focus should be on the work of raising people from the (spiritually) dead. That is, we are to be concerned with the preaching of the Gospel so that people might become saved.
In Acts 20:7, we read of the church at Troas gathering together on the first of the week to break bread. It was at that time that Paul preached to them. The phrase “first of the week” is the same in the Greek as that used in Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20:1. Significantly, God instructs us that on this Sabbath Paul preached until midnight. This strongly implies that even as the seventh day Sabbath was to be observed as a 24hour period, so is the Sunday Sabbath to be a 24 hour period. Jesus had risen while it was still dark (John 20). We can see that the Sunday Sabbath is to begin while it is still dark, thus reinforcing the 24hour nature of the Sunday Sabbath.
The Holy Spirit was poured out (Acts 2) at Pentecost, which was the eighth Sunday after the cross. On the first Sunday, Jesus was resurrected. On the eighth Sunday, God began His work of spiritually resurrecting (saving) the peoples of the world. Thus, God in a third dramatic way points to the purpose of Sunday as a day to share the Gospel so that others might become saved.
In our day, Sunday has become a day when very few seriously ask the question: What is God's good pleasure for this day? It is a day that has become my day, with the emphasis on me and mine. It is part of my weekend. Unfortunately, few people regard Sunday as God's holy day, which has been beautifully set apart so that we can earnestly, zealously, sincerely, and faithfully serve our Savior. I recall when I was young (40 yrs ago) all businesses were closed on Sunday. I think that is exactly what God wanted. It kept people more spiritually focused. Shopping had to be done Mon-Sat. But then business started to open on the Lords day and people were happy because they had another day to do what they wanted. (I also recall how divorce was unheard of back then but then those rules changed too – another topic I know).
It is difficult to squeeze family needs and desires into 1 day (assuming a 5 day work week and kids). Personally, I love to ski in the winter, enjoy football and I often have to travel for work by air. I choose not to ski, fly, shop, watch a lot of TV/sports or eat out on Sunday so I can maximize my time in scripture and sharing the gospel. Also by doing this I am not asking someone else to work so I can do my thing on the Lord’s Day. Now of course there are times when things happen and cause my needs to disturb Sunday activities but when I have a choice and I choose the right thing I am much happier and when I give into my desires or demands of this life then I pray for forgiveness and help in being more faithful. I do not do this to seek God’s approval so he will save me. I do this because as a Christian I want to honor him and spread his word so others may be saved if it is his will for them. We should do this everyday of the week, but thankfully, He has set aside one day for us that we can use to fellowship with him.
I encourage you to do your best to use Monday – Saturday night to get things done you need to (like homework). Sunday should be spent “in the word.” Nothing is more important than being in the environment in which God saves. This environment is the Bible alone (Romans 10:17, Eph 5:26 I Thessalonians 2:13, Eph: 1:13).
__________________ In Christ's Service,
Bro Dave
"For by grace are ye saved through faith(Christ's faith- Gal 2:16);and not of yourselves: it is a gift of God." Ephesians 2:8
The true Sabbath is not a physical rest, though a time of physical rest is a good thing. It is not a day of the week, though one can certainly have a day as a time of rest and worship. Instead the true Sabbath is the resting from our works when we come to faith in Jesus.
I have no way of knowing if you've lost that Sabbath, or indeed if you've ever had it. It's a very important thing because it is through that faith that produces that rest that we are saved.
That Sabbath rest is not something that is a day of the week or is only observed on one day of the week, though there certainly are those who try. When we rest from our works, that lasts our lifetime. It is an every day thing. It is intimately tied to Christ alone saving us.
When one thinks that he needs to contribute to his salvation, then he does not have rest, he labors as a worker trying to earn his wage of salvation.
Marv
A read of Hebrews 4 makes this abundantly clear. The Sabbath rest we have now is not a weekly one, but one from our works. This is close to exactly opposite what Sabbitarians espouse (the work of Sabbath keeping).
just taking a peek through some of the forums
A read of Hebrews 4 makes this abundantly clear. The Sabbath rest we have now is not a weekly one, but one from our works. This is close to exactly opposite what Sabbitarians espouse (the work of Sabbath keeping). 
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