We keep getting the question: When was the sabbath abolished?
The question contains some serious misconceptions. The real question is what requirements were placed on gentile Christians, on non-Jews joining the Christian Church. The answer is found in Acts 15, where there is a gathering of Apostles and disciples in Jerusalem to discuss that question. Observance of an Old Testament sabbath is not one of the requirements placed on non-Jewish Christians. Neither is there any command to obey the Ten Commandments.
With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and
elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch,
Syria and Cilicia: Greetings.
We have heard that some went out from us without our
authorisation and disturbed you, troubling your minds by
what they said.
So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you
with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul —
men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word
of mouth what we are writing.
It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden
you with anything beyond the following requirements:
You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood,
from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual
immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell
Acts 15:23-29 NIV
In the KJV, the translation that Ellen White used, it comes out this way.
For it seemed good to the Holy
Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than
these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats
offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled,
and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye
shall do well. Fare ye well.
Acts 15:28-29 KJV
The sensible question is what were the requirements for non-Jewish Christians.
They were told to abstain from idolatry and to observe sexual morality.
They were not told to observe an Old Testament sabbath.
Many persons as they interpret the events of Acts chapter 15, arrive at a conclusion which the passage and good sense do not support. They say; "If Sabbath observance was a requirement of the Church, it would have been included among those necessary things,..." .
Are we to believe there is no other command of the Law which applies to the Church? Was this a comprehensive list given by James as to the way of life of a Christian or did he only mention some of what is required; or what should not be done? If that which James mentioned (Acts 15:20-21,29) is all that Gentile Christians should not do then Christianity today is filled with many unnecessary things.
These persons like many others have misunderstood this passage and have imposed on it things which it does not say. This passage rather than making the Gentile more different from the Jew, draws him closer to the Jewish way of life.
Some claim, "...Gentile converts...were ignorant of Jewish Laws" and that "Sabbath keeping:...was unfamiliar to the Gentiles."
The scriptures do not support this.
Gentiles were among those who were in the synagogues on the Sabbath. (See Acts 13:42-48; 14:1;17:1-4; 18:1-4).
In Acts 15 also, James states that; "For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath." (Acts 15:21).
Jewish historian Josephus supports this, "...the multitude of mankind itself have had a great inclination for along time to follow our religious observances; for there is not any city of the Grecians, nor any of the Barbarians, nor any nation whatsoever, whither our custom of resting on the seventh day hath not come... as God pervades all the world, so hath our law passed through all the world also." (Against Apion, 2, 40).
Circumcision - The Point of Contention
The main dispute in Acts 15 was the vexed question of circumcision. Certain disciples were of the view that to be saved, Gentiles had to be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses i.e. they had to keep all the commands in the Law, both those of the sacrificial and of the Ten Commandment system. Note that an uncircumcised person could not take part in the Passover in the Old Covenant (Exodus 12:45-48).
It was being explained by Peter that both Jews and Gentiles will be saved through grace i.e. God's love in allowing His Son to die for us, rather than by sacrifices. (See Acts 15:7-11; Ephesians 2:8-13; Hebrews 9:11-14). Notice that the things mentioned are closely linked to either the sacrificial systems of the Jews or that of the Gentiles and to make it clear what is expected of the new converts then these things were mentioned.
(1) Gentiles had a practice of partaking in food offered to idols (I Corinthians 10:19-21).
(2) Fornication was a part of the rituals performed by Gentiles in service to their gods. (Numbers 25:1-3; I Corinthians 10:8; Deuteronomy 23:17-18; I Kings 14:24)
The Lion Handbook, "The World's Religion" had this comment on Canaanite religion; "According to Hebrew and Greek writings, popular worship included ritual prostitution and other excesses." [Page 66].
(3) Blood was used for atonement in the Old Covenant and was not to be consumed. Animals were to be properly killed to remove the blood.
The heathen also drank blood in worship of their gods. A practice which Israel adopted (Psalm 16:4; Ezekiel 33:25; Leviticus 17:11-14).
Strangled animals i.e. animals which die of itself were given to the stranger or alien in the Old Covenant but now James is saying the Gentile should not partake of such an animal i.e. he should be like the Jew. (See Deuteronomy 14:21; Acts 15:29).
The Gentiles coming into the Church should not adopt the sacrifice of circumcision nor should they continue in their own sacrificial practices of fornication, offering and eating food offered to idols and drinking of blood. The fact that James referred all to Moses, being read in the synagogues on the Sabbath in every city, shows he was not rejecting the whole of the Law, as all things, the Gentiles should abstain from, are proscribed by the Law. (See Acts 15:20-21).
Do Christians Abstain From Things Strangled And Blood
"And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof and cover it with dust...ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh:..." (Leviticus 17:13-14).
It is this command that James is repeating in Acts 15. How many Christians today actually obey this command?
To this writer's knowledge, only Jewish and Moslem butchers take special care to see that animals are butchered in a manner to cause the blood to be drained properly. Other butchers use methods which technically result in the blood remaining in the animal and hence most Christians end up eating the blood in the flesh.
Rather than giving permission to abandon the Sabbath, the conference in Acts 15 has placed more responsibilities on Gentile Christians.These persons attitude is common, as many have not realized what is expected of them. The practice of blood transfusion may also be affected by this command. I urge all to repent of disobeying the commands in Acts 15:20, 29 and of placing the subject of the Sabbath in the passage when it clearly was not a part of the discussion.
