Why the silence of the Holy Spirit on Sunday against Saturday?
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Well this is my answer to my brother when he emailed me on a number of Christian topics.
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2) Why do we not keep the Sabbath day holy?
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There’s actually several issues involved in this question that I will break it down into a number of different answers based on various points.
1 A) Because this was not a formal requirement given to the Gentiles that received the Gospel in the “Jerusalem Counsel” recorded in the book of Acts 15:
19 “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”
Commentary: if you notice the Gentiles were going “to church” so to speak where they heard such things preached “on the Sabbath”, but this is not laid out as a formal requirement made by the Jerusalem counsel in the book of Acts (which was presumably speaking by the Holy Spirit).
1B) If the previous point is insufficient, I would also add other verses of saint Paul where he speaks of the necessity of keeping Jewish Holy Days such as: Colossians 2:16, Galatians 4:9-10.
1C) Besides all that there is the “Judaizer” conflict that is all over the New Testament and early Christian history. All the verses where Paul is speaking against people “using works” are essentially referencing people who rejected the Jerusalem Counsel of the books of Acts and were requiring believers to be circumcised, go Kosher, etc. including all the Sabbath keeping stuff.
2) My second answer is that Christians DO KEEP THE SABBATH IF THEY FOLLOW THE LITURGICAL TRADITION OF EARLY CHRISTIANITY. This is the exact reason we have a “weekend”, instead of just having the Jewish Sabbath off, we get the Jewish Sabbath and “The Lord’s Day” (The Day that Christ rose from the dead) off. So, this is actually better than just having one day off, we as Christians get 2 days off. The problem however is that people have taken these days purely for themselves thus they don’t get the spiritual benefit from them.
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- Nov 21, 2008
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Nor were they told not to take God's name in vain in Acts 15
Nor were they told to honor father and mother in Acts 15
Nor were they told to Love God with all their heart in Acts 15.
Commentary: if you notice the Gentiles were going “to church” so to speak where they heard such things preached “on the Sabbath”,
In fact "every Sabbath" Acts 18:4 both Jews and gentiles in church hearing Gospel preaching.
Is 66:23 for all eternity after the cross in the New Earth "from Sabbath to Sabbath shall ALL MANKIND come before Me to worship"
Isaiah 56:6-8 gentiles specifically singled out for Sabbath keeping and a Sabbath blessing
Gal 4:9-10 mentions no Bible holy days at all - not Sabbath or Passover.. only pagan days are condemned there.
Romans 14 defends all Bible holy days.
Col 2 -- condemns "traditions of man" and condemns "judging others" after the cross just as it is condemned in Matt 7 before the cross.
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klutedavid
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You are not quoting correctly from 1 John.
John identifies the commandments that he is referring to.
1 John 3:23
This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
If you stayed in the same letter that your quotation was from, you would have noticed the commandments.
You seem to do a lot of cherry picking verses and quoting verses out of the relevant context.
Please resist misquoting in future as this deceives the reader.
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It is unclear where that idea comes from.
But in John 16 "the Holy Spirit convicts the WORLD of sin"
In 1 John 3:4 "Sin IS transgression of the LAW"
In 1 John 5:2-3 "this IS the Love of God that we KEEP His Commandments".
And as we know from 2 Pet 1:21 that is the Holy Spirit speaking
On the contrary I give an exact quote. And you do not quote the verse I mention at all in your response.
That is a good example of a verse that does not mention "do not take God's name in vain"
It is also a good example of a verse that does not mention "honor your father and mother" quoted by Paul in Eph 6:1-2 as Paul reminds us that this is the "first commandment with a promise" in the still-valid unit of TEN.
If you stayed in the same NT that your quotation was from, you would have noticed the commandments there.
Please resist misquoting in future as this deceives the reader.
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klutedavid
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Here are your two quotations.
And here are the two commandments that John gave us in his letter 1 John.
1 John 3:23
This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
So we have not broken the letter or the scripture which you have done by cherry picking.
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Carl Emerson
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The Holy Spirit leads people into obedience of God & Messiah
if a spirit is leading somebody to disobey God, it is an anti-Messiah spirit. It’s not the Holy Spirit.
the Holy Spirit does not teach things like, “the Sabbath is done away with”, or “the Sabbath is now the first day of the week”, or “Jesus is the Sabbath”.
these are false doctrines and do not come from God.
if a spirit is leading somebody to disobey God, it is an anti-Messiah spirit. It’s not the Holy Spirit.
the Holy Spirit does not teach things like, “the Sabbath is done away with”, or “the Sabbath is now the first day of the week”, or “Jesus is the Sabbath”.
these are false doctrines and do not come from God.
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Carl Emerson
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yeshuaslavejeff
simple truth, martyr, disciple of Yahshua
Every Word of Yahuweh Scripture is truth, of course,
but this particular verse(s) has been so mis-construed as to be almost unrecognizable as Scripture/God's Word/ in so many places/ groups/ teachings.... NOT that it can be correctly 'construed' here and now today/ this year/ on this site/forum, no, as there are too many dissenters, but those who continue seeking the truth can realize that there is more than meets the eye - the usual (or most often seen) comments on this verse(s) don't seem to be associated with the understanding in God's Word and in the first century Ekklesia lives/ beliefs and practices.
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Carl Emerson
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Jeff, does this not raise the issue of the nature of scripture.
If ones salvation depends on keeping the sabbath, and this verse on the face of it presents sabbath as a state of heart rather than a day, are we then saying the scripture is deceptive.
On the other hand is Jesus watching over the scripture to make sure His truth is preserved and easy to read (otherwise He discriminates against the simple)
If we think otherwise then the authority of truth rests with scholars who are not in agreement and we are no better off.
My take on this is that His great love has controlled what we have in mainstream scripture and the plain truth is easily read and understood on central issues.
If the sabbath is a central issue then the verse quoted is rightly understood by plain reading.
If ones salvation depends on keeping the sabbath, and this verse on the face of it presents sabbath as a state of heart rather than a day, are we then saying the scripture is deceptive.
On the other hand is Jesus watching over the scripture to make sure His truth is preserved and easy to read (otherwise He discriminates against the simple)
If we think otherwise then the authority of truth rests with scholars who are not in agreement and we are no better off.
My take on this is that His great love has controlled what we have in mainstream scripture and the plain truth is easily read and understood on central issues.
If the sabbath is a central issue then the verse quoted is rightly understood by plain reading.
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yeshuaslavejeff
simple truth, martyr, disciple of Yahshua
and way too much 'baggage' (previous learned untrue basics and doctrines and dogmas and even so-called 'facts')
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Carl Emerson
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Brother, happy Sabbath! Be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the “error of the lawless” and fall from the secure position of obedience to God’s law, taught to Israel. Remember what Jesus told His followers that our obedience must “surpass” that of those who preceded us:
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. (Matthew 5:20 NIV)
I will help you be on your guard highlighting the context that shows that Paul used the Sabbath experience, established before sin stained us, to tell on another matter. This makes the Sabbath more complex to understand in the Scriptures and distorted by those who wish the Sabbath to disappear. The Bible reveals the truth to those willing to listen instead of looking for any excuse in the Scriptures to defend their wish to remove the Sabbath, written by God’s finger defining the least display of love for God and neighbor in the ten commandments. We can certainly love more, but God does not want less than the ten commandments.
Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 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. (Hebrews 4:6-11 NIV)
This passage by Paul speaks of entering the assured rest of salvation through obedience, making it clear that “disobedience” will not save, even after Jesus, and the decision made “today” to obey will save, which grows to full compliance through a cycle of forgiveness with Jesus as our High Priest who lives forever to complete what He begins in us, just as He completed everything in six days and everyone can rest after completed. Here the Sabbath established in Eden is informing on another issue distorted as an excuse that contradicts the rest of the Scriptures to defend the wish to make the Sabbath disappear. The Sabbath is part of the ten commandments that are the least display of love for God and neighbor.
But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. (2 Peter 3:13-18 NIV)
United in our hope of the soon return of Jesus, Jorge
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Brother, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the “error of the lawless” and fall from the secure place of obedience to God’s law, taught to Israel. Remember what Jesus told His followers that our obedience must “surpass” that of those who preceded us:
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. (Matthew 5:20 NIV)
I will help you be on your guard highlighting the context that shows that Paul has listed “shadow”. The Sabbath established before the need for Jesus to die for humanity is not a “shadow” of our reality in Jesus for our salvation after the fall of Adam and Eve. The Bible reveals the truth to those willing to listen instead of looking for any excuse in the Scriptures to defend their wish to make the Sabbath disappear. The passage does not refer to the weekly Sabbath in the ten commandments written by God’s finger: there were two types of Sabbaths in Israel, the monthly lunar Sabbath day and the weekly Sabbath. This other use of the Sabbath with the monthly lunar Sabbath day makes the Sabbath more complex to understand in the Scriptures and distorted by those who wish the Sabbath to disappear. Paul here refers to the monthly lunar Sabbath day with the previous entries in the list that are “shadow” of our reality in Jesus; the weekly Sabbath is not a "shadow", established before sin stained us:
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17 NIV)
It refers to the monthly lunar Sabbath day and not to the weekly Sabbath established in the seventh-day of creation in Eden before Satan tempted Adam and Eve and there was a need for the death of Jesus to save us. All entries in the list are “shadow” of the sacrificial system replaced by Jesus, the ten commandments are not “shadow”, they are the least display of love for God and neighbor. We can certainly love more, but God does not want less than the ten commandments.
But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. (2 Peter 3:13-18 NIV)
United in our hope of the soon return of Jesus, Jorge
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Carl Emerson
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Why do you think that the Sabbath was not a requirement mentioned by the Jerusalem Council - Acts 15 ??
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Brother, happy Sabbath! Jesus words were never questioned, the concern was over things that Jesus had not explicitly mentioned. We have Jesus clear words in writing, listen to Jesus when asked what must I do to inherit eternal life?
A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’” “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!” “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.” (Luke 18:18-30 NIV)
Jesus not only asked to follow Him as do Christians led by the Spirit, the Counselor sent in His place and not the bishops of Rome who “think to change times and laws” to force Sunday to replace the Sabbath prophesied in their editing of the ten commandments. Jesus sent in His place the Spirit of truth that will teach us all things and remind us of everything Jesus said, notice, Jesus first demanded the ten commandments that all Jews know and follow from childhood before asking him to follow. Jesus asks us the same.
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (John 14:15 ESV)
United in our hope of the soon return of Jesus, Jorge
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