Again, this passage is about fasting. It has nothing to do with the Sabbath; unless one decides to fast on the Sabbath.
I don't fast on the Sabbath. Context is key.
The context is about religious people condemning others because the are not keepIng a part of the the law of Moses that is important to them.
The context is about love, not fasting.
Paul is dealing with the hypocrisy of the Jewish brothers, who have elevated themselves as superior to the Gentile brothers believing that keeping certain parts of the law of Moses made them more spiritual, while continuing to practice the works of the flesh.
Some unlearned Gentiles were carried away with this hypocrisy and began to follow the example of these carnal Jewish brothers, thinking it pleased God to continue in the ordinances of the law of Moses that hade been abolished.
Eating Kosher, observing special days, Sabbaths, new moons, wearing Jewish costumes, using Hebrew words, all have nothing to do with being holy, and have no value against the lustful desires of the flesh.
Context —
Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written:
“As I live, says the LORD,
Every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall confess to God.”
So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.
I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. Romans 13:8-14:14
Special days that were observed under the law of Moses, which include Sabbaths, as well as obstaining from certain foods, are no longer required.
The only thing that matters is walking according to the Spirit, which is the way of love, righteousness and truth.
JLB
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