Christians and The sabbath

[Michael Vichiola]

Why dont Christians have to obey the sabbath laws?

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Why dont Christians have to obey the sabbath laws?

Because the sabbath law was made redundant in the New Covenant. Believers can choose to observe the Sabbath by personal choice, but they will not be justified before God for doing it, because by the Law no person is justified.

 

[Sabertooth]

Because the sabbath law was made redundant in the New Covenant.

Receiving Salvation satisfies the Sabbath requirement...!

"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 4:9-11 NIV

*"...those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience,..." Hebrews 4:6 NIV

 

[Norbert L]

Why dont Christians have to obey the sabbath laws?

Think about Naaman. There's a guy who had to go back to his country and wind up in a place of worship that would require him for all intents and purposes to look like he's going to pray to another god. 2 Kings 5:18-19

 

[GraceBro]

Why dont Christians have to obey the sabbath laws?

Because we are not under the Mosaic Law, for one. Two, if we are under one law, we are subject to all of them. Three, those under the law are under a curse. Fourth, the law increases sin in our lives. Finally, the sabbath is our resting from our works of trying to obtain or maintain blessings of the flesh from our perceived obedience. In fact, to try and obey the sabbath is an act of disobedience under the New Covenant.

 

[Justified Sinner]

It seems we do keep the sabbath in Christ. We've entered our rest in Him who kept the whole law perfectly.

 

[JIMINZ]

Gal. 2:19
For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.

 

[Greengardener]

My answer is a little longer. In all honestly, I'd have to say that Christians are no longer obligated to observe the Sabbath for the same reasons we no longer are obligated to love and honor God above all else, honor our parents, and avoid murdering, adultery, stealing, and coveting, which is because we are no longer "under" a law that could never make us perfect. However, the problem wasn't the law. The problem was with us.

I frankly would have a hard time with any Christian who said it was OK to commit theft, adultery or murder now because we are not under the law. Unfortunately we are seeing a good many Christians involved in appropriating what is not theirs; in hating (which is the precursor for murder) and even in agreeing with prenatal people murder; and in adulterous relationships these days; but we are for the most part, with misguided ignorance, sweeping those concerns under the rug.

But the Ten Commandments were given by God and so is the Holy Spirit. I'd have a hard time thinking we humans could justify a disagreement between the Commandments given by God and the leading of the Holy Spirit if indeed the Holy Spirit is going to teach us everything as Jesus did - and Jesus and His Father are one.

Historically, the Sabbath was kept on the original 6th day by everyone in the New Testament times. Depending on the source, the day of observance was changed (and I suspect this was outside of JWHW's approval) roughly around 100-300 AD. The Church kept that Sunday Sabbath until my lifetime at least in the American south, as the Sunday blue laws were only a few decades ago repealed. So if you asked your devout great grandparent this question, they'd have raised an eyebrow at your suggestion that the Sabbath didn't need to be observed. But in all honestly, even from my childhood people were declining in observance, so the stage was set for the current situation.

What God works in our life through His Holy Spirit from the heart is in actuality just what He told His people to do in from the beginning. He told us this because He doesn't change and because He knows it works for our lives. You can read it for yourself because it's there if you look for it. What the others have said about Jesus being our rest is accurate - no argument here.

I have no dog in the ongoing fight you'll find in many threads, so let me conclude here with this: What matters is a solid faith in Jesus and the only way to the living JWHW (no man comes to the Father but by Me), such faith coming out of a pure heart (how does a young man cleanse His way? by taking heed to Your words), evidenced by our behaviors (faith without works is dead being alone) and in all things that we are walking in Love in the same way that God walks because God is Love.

 

[Johnboy60]

It seams everyone around here works on the Sabbath and this in the south.

 

[Soyeong]

Because we are not under the Mosaic Law, for one. Two, if we are under one law, we are subject to all of them. Three, those under the law are under a curse. Fourth, the law increases sin in our lives. Finally, the sabbath is our resting from our works of trying to obtain or maintain blessings of the flesh from our perceived obedience. In fact, to try and obey the sabbath is an act of disobedience under the New Covenant.

The existence of sin requires there to be a standard of what is and is not sin and that standard is God's law. We are either under God's law and are obligated to refrain from sin or are not under God's law, have no obligations to refrain from sin, and have no need of Christ to have given himself to redeem us from all lawlessness (Titus 2:14). However, God is sovereign, so we are all under His law and obligated to obey it, even those who aren't in a covenant relationship with him, such as with those who were judged in the Flood because of their wickedness.

God is trustworthy, therefore His law is also trustworthy (Psalms 19:7, Nehemiah 9:13), and a law that isn't trustworthy can't come from a God who is trustworthy. So the fact that God can be trusted to give laws that are for our own good in order to bless us and guide us in how to walk in His ways means that being subject to all of His laws is a good thing (Deuteronomy 6:24, 10:12-13).

In Deuteronomy 30:11-20, it says that God's law is not too difficult to obey and that obedience brings life and a blessing while disobedience brings death and a curse, so it is not those who obey the law who are under a curse, but those who refuse to submit to it. If you think that God gave the law in order to curse His children, then that reflects rather negatively on your opinion of God for doing that. David said that those who obey the law will be blessed (Psalms 119:1) and said repeatedly throughout the Psalms that he loved God's law and delighted in obeying it, which certainly matched his opinion of the Lawgiver so if you consider the Psalms to be Scripture and to therefore express a correct view of God's law, then you will share it.

Please specifically explain what it is that is inherent to the laws to love God and our neighbor that increases sin. If God's law increased sin in our lives, then it would be sinful, however, Romans 7:7 says that God's law is not sinful, but that it was given to reveal what sin is, and when our sin is revealed, then that should lead us to repent and cause sin to decrease. In Romans 7:21-25, Paul said that he delighted in God's law and served it with his mind, but contrasted that with the law of sin, which held him captive, which caused him not to do the good that he wanted to do, and which he served with his flesh. It is the law of sin that that stirs up sinful passions to bear fruit unto to death, so it is the law of sin that is sinful and causes sin to increase, not God's law. So verses that refer to a law that is sinful or that causes sin to increase should be interpreted as referring to the law of sin, such as Romans 5:20, Romans 6:14, 1 Corinthians 15:56, and Galatians 5:16-18.

I have no idea how you jumped to saying that to try and obey the sabbath is an act of disobedience under the New Covenant. Jesus set an example of keeping the Sabbath holy and as his followers we are told to follow his example (1 Peter 2:21-22). The New Covenant does not involve refusing to follow Jesus, but rather it still involves following God's law (Jeremiah 31:33).

 

[Soyeong]

It seems we do keep the sabbath in Christ. We've entered our rest in Him who kept the whole law perfectly.

In Hebrews 4:11, it says that we should strive to enter that rest so that no one may fall away by the same sort of disobedience, so using entering into God's rest to justify the same sort of disobedience is exactly the opposite of what was being said. Jesus set a perfect example for us to follow of how to walk in obedience too God's law and in Matthew 11:28-30, he was inviting people to take this yoke upon them, not inviting people to reject his yoke. By saying that we would find rest for our souls, he was referencing Jeremiah 6:16-19, where God's law is described as the good way where we will find rest for our souls. This rest comes through having faith in God to guide us in how to rightly live through his law. In 1 John 2:6, it does not say that those who are in Christ don't need to walk in the same way he walked, but that those who are in Christ are obligated to walk in the same way he walked.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Why dont Christians have to obey the sabbath laws?

In / with/ various or some congregations/ assemblies, they joyously and willingly serve Yahweh fully and keep all of His commands, by grace and faith in Jesus, as His Word Instructs.

Other assemblies, not so much. (actually (from other posts, apparently ) few assemblies say it is important to obey the Father's commands, even the ones written in stone by His Finger, and the ones given by His Own Voice to Moses)

 

[JIMINZ]

It seams everyone around here works on the Sabbath and this in the south.

Rom. 14:5
One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

 

[JIMINZ]

It's a Type and Shadow.

The Type:
The actual observance of a day is the acknowledging of a specific day on the calendar.

The Shadow:
The acceptance of Christ is, the coming into the Sabbath Rest of God.

 

[Hazelelponi]

Why dont Christians have to obey the sabbath laws?

Jesus is the Sabbath rest. Hebrews 4:9-10 in particular state, "So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his."

Jesus declared Himself "lord of the Sabbath" Matthew 12:8 In addition, Jesus declared, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" Mark 2:27

In Hebrews 3 and 4 the author developed the concept of Jesus as our Sabbath rest, revealing how a relationship with Christ frees humans from the works of the law and allows a person to rest in the work of Christ to forgive sin. Ultimately, those who believe in Jesus will spend eternity in a "Sabbath rest" with Him Hebrews 4:9

Jesus serves as our Sabbath rest in the sense that He provides freedom from living under the works of the law. Instead, His sacrifice has paid the price for our salvation. We accept salvation as His free gift, entering into His rest both now as well as in eternity in His presence.

Hebrews 4 ends with words of comfort for those who enter God's Sabbath rest: "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" Hebrews 4:16

 

[Johnboy60]

Had a friend tell me pick a day to make it the Sabbath. He said it doesn't have to be Sunday. He was Catholic from CA.

 

[Soyeong]

Had a friend tell me pick a day to make it the Sabbath. He said it doesn't have to be Sunday. He was Catholic from CA.

God could have commanded to pick a day to rest, but he command to keep 7th day holy based on when He rested during creation week. The Israelites received a double portion of manna for the 7th day for 40 years in the wilderness, so they knew on which day God rested, they have been keeping it ever since, and so we can look to the day that they have been keeping to determine when we should be keeping the 7th day holy. So they kept it together, which fostered unity as a community, and there is no indication that everyone was permitted to pick their own day, which would foster disunity.