The "Sabbath" doctrine has two simple components.
1. All TEN of the TEN Commandments are included in the moral Law of God that defines what sin IS AND is applicable to all mankind even in the NT.
2. The Sabbath commandment cannot be "edited" by Tradition.
almost ALL of the back-and-forth arguments you will see on this thread are on the easy-simple-part 1 where Bible scholars on BOTH sides of the Sabbath topic, in almost all major denomination - AGREE. (and yet people opposing the Sabbath here -
do not even agree with the majority of the Bible Scholarship
on their own side of Sunday-keeping vs Sabbath topic !!)
I have a really easy solution for you - take a look at where
BOTH sides agree.
Baptist Confession of Faith - sectn 19.
Westminster Confession of Faith - sectn 19
D.L. Moody on the 4th commandment.
Dies Domini (Pope John Paul II)
R.C Sproul
C.H. Spurgeon
Eastern Orhtodox
Catholic Church
Martin Luther
etc.
ALL of them agree with the SDA church and other Sabbath keeping groups --
on these key points.
1. All TEN of the TEN commandments were given as the moral law of God in Eden - to mankind
2. All TEN of the TEN Commandments are included in the Law of God that is written on the heart under the new Covenant.
3. The Sabbath commandment as given by God in scripture - points to Saturday - not Sunday.
4. The TEN Commandments are not in opposition to grace or the Gospel
5. all of mankind are still to this very day held to accountability by the TEN
6. The TEN are not - "just for Jews".
And because people love to see examples that illustrate the point - I am adding them here -- on page 1.
So here is are examples of Bible details about "the TEN" remaining - so obvious that Bible scholars on both sides agree
And here we can see it from the "Baptist Confession of Faith" section 19
Notice that even the Orthodox church confesses "the TEN" -- not merely "NINE" and affirms that they are not "just for Jews" in it's explicit statement
Friday at 5:36 PM #23
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When scholarship on BOTH sides look at the Bible and AGREE on these key details then it is a pretty good option .. take this as the starting point and then work through the differences that remain.
Essentially given all that common ground - the Sabbath keeping POV is
"God's Word cannot be edited ... not even by tradition"... and that is the crux of where all the differences reside when it comes to Sabbath keeping vs the position
taken by those groups I listed.
Someone comments later on in this thread as follows
Which highlights the point I just made above.
So getting to the "easy part" of these Bible details -- where BOTH sides agree - is starting at "square 1".
When you find someone arguing for a solution that does not even make it to "square 1" -- the chances of success are less than optimal.
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Having said that - some more easy things to look at are:
1. Romans 14 does not mention the 7th Sabbath at all in the entire chapter.
"
one man observes one day above another while another man observes them all... he who observes the day observes it or the Lord"
2. A careful reading of Col 2 - shows that it also does not mention the 7th day Sabbath - it only refers to the "Shadow" Sabbaths of Lev 23 - the annual feast days. Holy days in the Bible.
3. Gal 4:9-11 only references pagan holy days that the former-pagan gentiles in Gal 4 "were returning to" after becoming Christians. The observance of even one of them was condemned by Paul in Gal 4 --- as contrasted to the defense of all the Bible holy days defended by Paul in Rom 14.
4. Gal 5:1-5 is not condemning the Bible. So then it is still a sin to "take God's name in vain" for example. Gal 5 is condemning the "made up tradition" of gentiles required to be circumcised to be saved... and the idea that a lost person could "earn salvation" by not taking God's name in vain - without accepting the Gospel and being born again.
And as for the bonus text making it all very very easy
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"
Mark 2:27 "
Sabbath made for mankind"
Is 56:6 - Gentiles singled out for Sabbath keeping.
Acts 18:4 gospel preaching for both gentiles and Jews "
every Sabbath"
(There is only "
one Gospel" -- Gal 1:6-9 and that Gospel "
was preached to Abraham" Gal 3:8 which is why in your OP that Matt 17 text shows both Moses and Elijah
standing with Christ in glory - before the cross... because there is only one Gospel and it was in the OT as well as NT. Same is true for New Covenant in Jer 31:31-34 as well as Heb 8:6-12)
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