I agree that in Acts 15 we see the apostles overrule the necessity of circumcision based on the purpose of the commandments rather than following the letter of the commandments. I believe that this is Jesus’ message in Matthew 22:37-40.
“Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.””
Matthew 22:37-40
According to this I come to the conclusion that we are now under the purpose for which the laws were created not under the letter of the law itself. The purpose of the Sabbath is to honor God. Personally I believe we can do this on any day or every day of the week. I would like to quote brother Peter from Acts 15:8-11
“God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith. So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.””
Acts of the Apostles 15:8-11
Do only those who keep the Saturday Sabbath possess the Holy Spirit? I would say absolutely not. I’ve witnessed the Holy Spirit working in both myself and many others who worship on Sunday. I believe this is a confirmation that God has confirmed that He accepts our worship on Sunday to honor His Son Jesus Christ and it is pleasing to Him.
Yes, I agree with you about Matthew 22:37-40. I think I also read the same language in Deut.6:5, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." I also found the second most important instruction in Lev. 19:18, "you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord."
If Jesus repeats the same language more than a couple times, should we believe He is clear about how He wants us to walk? What did Jesus mean in Lev.19:18 when He said we should "love your neighbor"?
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