Is there any evidence in the Bible indicating that evangelized Gentiles are expected to keep the Sabbath? If not, is there any scriptural evidence against it? Or are the Scriptures rather silent in this regard?
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"Let no foreigner who is bound to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.” And let no eunuch complain, “I am only a dry tree.” For this is what the Lord says: “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant — to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will endure forever.
And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant — these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
And consider this as well: even if we gentiles were not "forced" to keep the Sabbath - would it not be a much better testimony to other people to keep it? If the people around us see us working on Sundays while we claim to be Christians, they would think we don't take God very seriously and we would be negligent with other commands as well. Simply because "keeping the Sabbath" is like the best known "Christian rule".
Isn't this passage talking about the old covenant? Is there scriptural evidence of gentiles being expected to keep the Sabbath in the new covenant?
Isn't the Sabbath on Saturdays?
Is there any evidence in the Bible indicating that evangelized Gentiles are expected to keep the Sabbath? If not, is there any scriptural evidence against it? Or are scriptures rather silent in this regard?
It's in the middle of the 10 commandments .... hmmmm .... let's see are we supposed to keep the commandments????? ummmm YEAH we are.
It's a special day the Lord created for us .... and said ....
Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy .... it's a blessing .... a true blessing.
Go do a search on the forums ..... lots of info about it.
Not sure why you say "gentiles" ... like only Jews are the only one that are supposed to keep it?
Not so ..... there were not any "gentiles" when the Lord created it.
and also now reaffirmed in the NT ..... we are all one in Christ. neither Jew, Greek nor male or female.
We are to follow in the steps of Christ .... He kept the Sabbath even in His death.
All the apostles kept the Sabbath.
For me and my house we will serve the Lord and are thankful for the Sabbath he created for us. Amen!
Then why weren't Gentiles asked to keep the Sabbath in Acts 15:28-29, as @Friedrich Rubinstein has just explained?
Yes, it is. But it tells us that God is happy when we keep the Sabbath That won't change in the New Covenant because God does not change. What pleased Him in the past will please Him in the future as well.
In the Jewish culture, yes. Because their week starts on Sunday and ends on Saturday (so that Saturday is their 7th day of the week). In our culture the week starts on Monday and the 7th day is the Sunday.
You probably know why we are supposed to rest on the 7th day, right? God created the universe within 6 days and rested on the 7th day. That's why we rest on Sundays in our culture.
Edit: If I misunderstood your original question and you want to know whether the gentiles have to rest on Saturday according to the Bible - the answer will be a simple "No"
It was status quo .... teaching about the Lord was done on the Sabbath in the synagogue and that's where the gentiles went to learn about the Lord.
Acts 13:42
New King James Version
So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.
According to the context, isn't this just a matter of convenience given that the Jews were already gathering in the synagogues on sabbath ("5 And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister") rather than a commandment that Gentiles were ordained to keep? The context seems to indicate that Paul and other disciples took advantage of the fact that Jews were gathering in synagogues on sabbath to get their attention and preach the gospel. And consequently the Gentiles were drawn to hear. But nothing in the text indicates that Gentiles are ordained to keep the sabbath as commandment. They were just hearing the preaching that was conveniently taking place on sabbath.
God created the 7th day Sabbath .... can man or "culture" change that which God created? No ... of course not.
Daniels 7
25He will speak out against the Most High and oppress the saints of the Most High, intending to change the appointed times and laws; and the saints will be given into his hand for a time, and times, and half a time.
1 Peter 2:21 “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also SUFFERED for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.”
Simple ... follow the Lamb wherever he goes.
Keeping the Sabbath isn't a convenience ... it's in the heart of the 10 commandments.
Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
Jesus kept the 7th day Sabbath (even in His death).
1 Peter 2:21
21For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His footsteps:
Simple ...
Choose to follow the Lamb ..... or not.
God wants us to rest on the 7th day of the week. Because He created the heaven and the earth in 6 days and rested on the 7th day. In the Jewish culture the 7th day is called Sabbath, in our culture the 7th day is called Sunday. We keep God's command when we rest on Sundays.
Jesus was also circumcised. Should evangelized Gentiles be circumcised as well?
God created the 7th day Sabbath .... can man or "culture" change that which God created? No ... of course not.
Being circumcised isn't a commandment. Circumcision was first made with the covenant with Abraham .... and we learn in the NT if we are in Christ we are counted as the seed of Abraham.
Galatians 3:29
29And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.
Are you trying to say that the Sabbath is a commandment since the creation? I'm afraid some people disagree with this. Check out this site: Did Abraham Observe the Sabbath?. It raises interesting points against this view. For example:
1) Did Abraham observed the Sabbath?
2) Did Joseph keep the Sabbath?
3) Did Israel keep the Sabbath in Egypt?
Check out that site.
Did Abraham keep the Sabbath?