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The Sabbath & Legalism
What is legalism? Dictionary.com says:
strict adherence, or the principle of strict adherence, to law or prescription, especially to the letter rather than the spirit.
Many today declare the fourth commandment of God to be legalistic.
Exodus 20:8-11 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
And yet, I ask, how is it that spending an entire day with the Creator God, legalistic? We who value our relationships with friends, family members, and loved ones, know that our relationships grow, and are made closer when we spend time with them. And this is all our Creator is asking us to do, to spend time with Him upon the seventh day of every week. And yet, people want to declare this legalism? Why is it that the Sabbath Day, which the Creator God made for man, to bring man to his source of Eternal Happiness, that the day He sets apart for us weekly, is legalism? After all, it says in
Mark 2:27-28 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: 28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. He is the Lord that created all that is seen and unseen. He is claimed to be our dearest hope. And yet for some reason, we cannot seem to obey Him on this point, and opt rather to join in the pleasures of the world, rather than join in rest and peace with Him. Could it be that the Christian actually loves the world, more than they love Christ? Could it be, that we actually have no desire to spend an entire day with the Creator, and that's why it's called legalistic? It's not like Jesus is asking us here to lay on our beds and stare at the roof in a boring state of idleness. He's asking us to come and spend time with Him. He is our God, and we are in a covenant relationship with Him. If we don't adhere to it, we break this covenant, and He is no longer our God. We may call Him our God, but sadly, He is not truly our God, for it is written:
Isaiah 4:1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.
In this prophecy lies the prophetic utterance that describes the doom of the churches who reject Christ and the law. The symbols of this prophecy are such: Seven, being the number representing perfection, and completeness. Women: representing churches. One man, that is Christ. Bread, which is the Word of God. Apparel, which is the Christian walk. So this is exactly what this verse is saying
In that day, all the churches shall take their hold upon Christ and say, we will eat our own bread (read the Bible however they want to read it), and wear our own apparel (walk however we so please) just let us be called Christians, to take away our reproach.
This is the exact direction that all the churches, and soon all those who reject Christ are headed. If we continue to call Him Lord, but we can't even spend an entire day with Him without calling it legalism, what shall be the end of us, who do not even know the Lord? As a matter of fact, how do you get to know someone you don't even spend time with? And thus, this sad, and fearful, denunciation must be pronounced upon those who reject the Sabbath of the Lord.
Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Christ will plainly declare to those who will not worship the Lord of the Sabbath, that He never knew them. And rightly so, for they refused to spend the quality time with Him that He asked them to do. And despite the fact that they claimed to do many wonderful works in His name, they in actuality never even knew Him. And so he declared, "Depart from me, ye that work iniquity." What is iniquity?
From G459; illegality, that is, violation of law or (generally) wickedness: - iniquity, X transgress (-ion of) the law, unrighteousness.
Iniquity is wickedness, the transgression of God's law, lawlessness. Christ will declare to the lawless Sabbath breakers, who never spent time with Him to truly get to know Him, "I never knew you. Depart from me ye that work iniquity."
The Sabbath & Legalism
What is legalism? Dictionary.com says:
strict adherence, or the principle of strict adherence, to law or prescription, especially to the letter rather than the spirit.
Many today declare the fourth commandment of God to be legalistic.
Exodus 20:8-11 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
And yet, I ask, how is it that spending an entire day with the Creator God, legalistic? We who value our relationships with friends, family members, and loved ones, know that our relationships grow, and are made closer when we spend time with them. And this is all our Creator is asking us to do, to spend time with Him upon the seventh day of every week. And yet, people want to declare this legalism? Why is it that the Sabbath Day, which the Creator God made for man, to bring man to his source of Eternal Happiness, that the day He sets apart for us weekly, is legalism? After all, it says in
Mark 2:27-28 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: 28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. He is the Lord that created all that is seen and unseen. He is claimed to be our dearest hope. And yet for some reason, we cannot seem to obey Him on this point, and opt rather to join in the pleasures of the world, rather than join in rest and peace with Him. Could it be that the Christian actually loves the world, more than they love Christ? Could it be, that we actually have no desire to spend an entire day with the Creator, and that's why it's called legalistic? It's not like Jesus is asking us here to lay on our beds and stare at the roof in a boring state of idleness. He's asking us to come and spend time with Him. He is our God, and we are in a covenant relationship with Him. If we don't adhere to it, we break this covenant, and He is no longer our God. We may call Him our God, but sadly, He is not truly our God, for it is written:
Isaiah 4:1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.
In this prophecy lies the prophetic utterance that describes the doom of the churches who reject Christ and the law. The symbols of this prophecy are such: Seven, being the number representing perfection, and completeness. Women: representing churches. One man, that is Christ. Bread, which is the Word of God. Apparel, which is the Christian walk. So this is exactly what this verse is saying
In that day, all the churches shall take their hold upon Christ and say, we will eat our own bread (read the Bible however they want to read it), and wear our own apparel (walk however we so please) just let us be called Christians, to take away our reproach.
This is the exact direction that all the churches, and soon all those who reject Christ are headed. If we continue to call Him Lord, but we can't even spend an entire day with Him without calling it legalism, what shall be the end of us, who do not even know the Lord? As a matter of fact, how do you get to know someone you don't even spend time with? And thus, this sad, and fearful, denunciation must be pronounced upon those who reject the Sabbath of the Lord.
Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Christ will plainly declare to those who will not worship the Lord of the Sabbath, that He never knew them. And rightly so, for they refused to spend the quality time with Him that He asked them to do. And despite the fact that they claimed to do many wonderful works in His name, they in actuality never even knew Him. And so he declared, "Depart from me, ye that work iniquity." What is iniquity?
From G459; illegality, that is, violation of law or (generally) wickedness: - iniquity, X transgress (-ion of) the law, unrighteousness.
Iniquity is wickedness, the transgression of God's law, lawlessness. Christ will declare to the lawless Sabbath breakers, who never spent time with Him to truly get to know Him, "I never knew you. Depart from me ye that work iniquity."