[POLL] Should Christians Rest and Keep Holy the Sabbath Day?

[listed]

If you're referring to Colossians 2:16, it is not likely that Paul is talking about the weekly worship gathering here. He is most likely talking about celebrating the Hebrew festivals.

How when this is a list; not a commentary?

 

[listed]

Hi guys well to be honest this poll does not prove anything. It is only the Word of God that matters. The 7th Day Sabbath has never been a Shadow of anything. Without taking away from this OP please see the thread on Col 2:14-17 PARTS 1-4 here

A Shadow is part of an unfinished work and the 7th Day Sabbath of creation has never been one.

GEN 2
1Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Scripture context points:
* God finished all the work of creation on the 7th Day of the week (v1)
* God ended His Work on the 7th Day of the creation week and rested from all His work of creation, it was completed no more work required (v2)
* God blessed the 7th Day and set it apart as a holy day as a memorial of creation

Critical questions and answers:

When was God’s 7th Day Sabbath made, before the fall of mankind or after the fall of mankind?
It was made BEFORE the fall of mankind at the end of the creation week on the 7th Day and was the result of a FINISHED work!

Was God’s work of creation a FINISHED WORK or an UNFUNISHED WORK?
The 7th Day Sabbath was the result of the FINISHED AND COMPLETED WORK of creation!

When were God’s Laws and the laws of Moses given, before the fall of mankind or after the fall of mankind? Obviously AFTER the fall of mankind (Ex 20:1-17, Lev 23:1-44, etc) they were part of God’s plan of salvation.

So in summary the 7th Day Sabbath is a memorial of the FINISHED work of creation and if it is a FINISHED work and a memorial of God’s creation that was given BEFORE the FALL of mankind before SIN had entered the world and before the plan of salvation was given to FALLEN man. If it was a part of a FINISHED work then it cannot be a Shadow of salvation because a Shadow was part of an UNFINISHED work given in the laws of Moses and was given AFTER the fall of mankind where the Sabbath was made before the fall.

In Christ Always!

The 7th day of creation isn't and has never been a sabbath. Exodus 20 calls the sabbath a memorial (ceremonial) celebration of it and nothing more. SDA claim ceremonial law was done away with. They then do an about face demanding it be kept.

 

[listed]

Out of curiosity, Tree of Life (and I'm genuinely curious, not just being argumentative), who do you feel are the antagonists in Colossians? The most common interpretation is that they were proponents of some form of amalgamation between Essenism and Gnosticism, but I see absolutely no evidence of Gnosticism present in the letter. They were straight up, 100% Essenes, which would mean they would have been extremely zealous over the seventh day Sabbath and how it was being observed.

The same people raising the roof in Acts 15.

 

[listed]

There are things about the Sabbath command that I won't judge and things I will judge. I think the Sabbath command included ceremonial, moral, and typical aspects. Many ceremonial aspects have terminated in Christ but there remains moral and typical aspects. The Sabbath also contained rest elements and worship elements. It was not only a day of rest, but a day of holy convocation.

So I won't judge you if you practice the Sabbath on Saturday vs Sunday (vs Wednesday for that matter).

But if you do not attend worship once per week I will judge you for that.

Do you have any Scripture requiring weekly worship?

 

[listed]

The Sabbath is not yet fulfilled. I would call this an over-realized eschatology.

Oh. I guess this means we must fulfill the law. Your claim is Jesus didn't. Then is Luke 24:44 false?

 

[Tree of Life]

Oh. I guess this means we must fulfill the law. Your claim is Jesus didn't. Then is Luke 24:44 false?

No. I'm just saying that Jesus has not yet brought about a New Heavens and New Earth. Since the Sabbath command ultimately points to that, it's not yet fulfilled. We still need to observe it in preparation for that day.

 

[Tree of Life]

Do you have any Scripture requiring weekly worship?

Plenty. But the Sabbath command itself is sufficient to demonstrate this.

 

[Tree of Life]

How when this is a list; not a commentary?

I don't understand the question.

 

[listed]

He did not abolish the Law but fulfilled the Law (all 613 laws which the 10 Commandments are 14 of). He tells us to keep His Law (love God and neighbor). To do that the Moral Law is an instruction. Since we are under God's grace we should want to keep the Law to show God that we love Him as it is written in our hearts.

Only if the us you speak about are Israeli.

 

[listed]

No. I'm just saying that Jesus has not yet brought about a New Heavens and New Earth. Since the Sabbath command ultimately points to that, it's not yet fulfilled. We still need to observe it in preparation for that day.

You didn't read the verse did you? You speak about Mat 5 and ignore my verse spoken by Jesus. More proof the law has changed in Hebrews 7:12. Jots and tittles oft he law have indeed been changed or Jesus (God) is nothing more than us, a sinner. It also means no salvation.

 

[Uber Genius]

Jesus fulfilled the Law but did not abolish it.

I interpret the Sabbath as this; when the Lord said if you love me keep my commandments, he was referring to keeping the commandments of love God and neighbor. From those two commandments come the Moral Law or the Ten Commandments which should also be kept in my opinion. I think we should do what we can to rest and worship on the seventh day of the week.

Those are my thoughts.

So what do you think Paul is talking about in Rom 8 about the ineffectiveness of the law? What about Gal 3 where he chastises the Galatians for having begun by the spirit and then continue by the law? Paul calls them,

 

[listed]

Plenty. But the Sabbath command itself is sufficient to demonstrate this.

No bcause it is given to Israel alone. The word you rely on as indicating all mankind is a specific qualified pronoun "you."

 

[Tree of Life]

You didn't read the verse did you? You speak about Mat 5 and ignore my verse spoken by Jesus. More proof the law has changed in Hebrews 7:12. Jots and tittles oft he law have indeed been changed or Jesus (God) is nothing more than us, a sinner. It also means no salvation.

I'm not sure what you're saying here.

 

[Tree of Life]

No bcause it is given to Israel alone. The word you rely on as indicating all mankind is a specific qualified pronoun "you."

God's law is for all mankind even though it was first revealed to Israel.

 

[Uber Genius]

Gal 3

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by[a] the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

Paul has made a direct contrast between Faith and the Law. They are not mingled or conflated.

Those who rely on the Law are described as:

"Bewitched"

"Ignorant of how they received the Spirit"

"Foolish"

"Fleshly"

Those are hardly superlatives.

But that's not all,

"For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”[d] 12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit[e] through faith."

"Under a curse"

"Not justified before God"

"Ignorant of Christ's redemptive purpose"

"3:19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe."

Law in place "UNTIL"

This word demonstrates a time limit!

"The offspring of the promise" (messiah)

"If a law had been given that could give life! righteousness indeed be by the law."

"If" makes this a conditional clause. One that is not ever satisfied according to Paul's thinking.

Now Paul goes on in Gal 4 to describe life as adopted sons (also in Roms 8)

Torah, the Law in Matt. 5 stands directly oppose to Gal 3 and 4. But wait (moderator: recognize the context of my rhetoric as I don't think the Bible contradicts itself but am pointing out how if this poster's inference is correct then we do have an indisputable conflict between Paul and Jesus) if we don't look at the context of the Matthean account we will be forced to conclude Paul and Jesus contradict one another.

Jesus is talking in Matt 5:18ff to the religious leaders, who are asking how they gain relationship withGod through the Law. Jesus is saying, "Let me tell you how strict that law is."

"It is also about one's thought life." It must be perfect.

And you can't just slowly pile good works up because the requirement is eternal. That is if you want to abrogate God's plan of entering by faith and instead enter by your own good works the eternal requirement is perfection (Matt 5:48)

God's holiness is eternal. Anyone trying to enter by his or her own good works will have to be without any sin in thought word or deed. That is the "eternal" piece. But it is both in Gal, Romans, and Matthew a misunderstanding of the purpose of the law.

This is why as Christians we don't keep the Torah. We destroy Satan's kingdom and replace it with God's kingdom, by healing the sick, casting out demons, feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, comforting the oppressed, setting the captives free.

The Law doesn't produce God's goodness. It just restrains evil. It is a prison for a convict. But God, through Jesus reforms people from the inside out, empowering them to destroy evil and spread God's immense goodness.

The Law is a museum piece. Faith in Jesus has transformed me into a destroyer of evil and ambassador of God's goodness through the power of the HS.

Sorry for the length of this post.

 

[listed]

God's law is for all mankind even though it was first revealed to Israel.

The law issued at Sinai is for Israel only. Exodus and Deuteronomy both make this clear.

 

[listed]

The Sabbath is not yet fulfilled. I would call this an over-realized eschatology.

Luke and Hebrews indicate other wise.

 

[listed]

Those words are both imperatival and thus have the same meaning. Though you could say they have different nuances. "Should" could have a hypothetical-imperatival nuance while "must" could carry a categorical-imperatival nuance.

What do you see as the difference?

Should is a suggestion. Must is a requirement.

 

[Tree of Life]

The law issued at Sinai is for Israel only. Exodus and Deuteronomy both make this clear.

Deuteronomy 4:6 says that the nations will be amazed by Israel's Law.

Zechariah 4:16-17 says that one day all nations will worship according to Israel's Law.

1 Kings 10:24 says that the whole earth sought to hear Solomon's wisdom.

 

[Tree of Life]

Luke and Hebrews indicate other wise.

This is exactly what the author of Hebrews says in Hebrews 4.