The difficulty is determining what God's standard actually is. Many folks have limited themselves to ten specific commandments, but toss in others as they see fit. Then there are many areas of life which are completely unaddressed in the Bible. Some find shelter in the umbrella of love - love God and love others - which is not an altogether bad approach. The tightrope in this arena falls between legalism and Antinomianism.
And thus, the narrow Gate is that tight rope. Which is why it's paramount when doing study to let God guide you which most people don't do and just point to some video, article or their church leader to back up whatever they were taught. At the end of the day, we all account for ourselves, so if someone wants to believe what their pastor said on what verses mean, that's entirely up to them. Which is why I said before, that it's not my job to "prove" anything. I've come to the conclusion I have due to biblical study, just as SabbathBlessings has and anyone else that claims a self-taught study approach, even if the views oppose. But there's also an issue with attitude in having these discussions too. Most don't want to even hear you out and just want to bang on their ideas, their interpretations, their "gotcha" moments. I'm just not here for that. You want to have a debate, where we can go back and forth in humility and the pursuit of truth, I'm all for it, even if we share opposing views. Let's have that discussion about the 10 commandments and others, as long as it stays civil and without sarcasm or just attempting to win a debate. Hell, I've been meeting with JW's for the last 8 months and debating them is a breath of fresh air compared to other Christians. So I'm not opposed to the conversation, I just pick and choose what convo I want to be in. But at the end of the day, God will have the final say and my answer comes from study, while also going to God and asking for guidance and correction. So with my own personal doctrinal path, God has corrected me on much including salvation because the church grew up in preached Antinomianism. I have the utmost faith of God's guidance so no matter how difficult it is to determine God's standard, my faith is as long as I keep searching for it and keep asking for Gods direction, he'll get me to where I need to go. So I personally, haven't seen anything against the answer I have fallen on with the direction God has led me.
So, here is what I want you to do, here is what I want you to follow and it's been 1 topic after another as God has put on my heart to research into the sabbath because it was something he wanted me to follow. I can only speak for myself, but that is exactly what started the process into researching that in the first place. I first went back to understand the law and found out its not 1 group of laws altogether, that there are split ideas. Then I went to the new testament and read examples:
Matthew 5:17-20
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."
Has everything been accomplished? Nope. We still have the Lord's second comming.
James 2:10-12
"For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. For He who said, 'Do not commit adultery,' also said, 'Do not commit murder.'... So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty."
When it comes to specifically the sabbath:
We all know Matthew 24 is talking about end times so...
Matthew 24:20
"Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath"
That is still considered a future prophesy. Why would it matter if it was on the sabbath if the sabbath is done away with? Because...
Exodus 31:16-17
"The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”
We are grafted into God's tree. Since keeping the sabbath was apart of the same law group that was taught by Jesus which included murder, theft, idolatry etc, that would mean that that set of rules still applies. When it comes to the Ceremonial laws of attonement, Jesus altered those.
And one that I think is plainly black and white...
Hebrews 4:9-11
"There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.
The entire chapter of Hebrews 4 talks about the Sabbath and because it's linked to "disobedience" not to follow it, we can say that ties into the 10 commandments and not merely a suggestion or option.
This is just a sample of why I'm choosing to follow it because to me, scripture is clear on the matter and I don't want to be a disobedient child.
