The Denominations Speak: The Sabbath

[Sherha]

A sign of The Antichrist is "...he thinks to change times and laws." Dan 7:25. He, only, "thinks to change," because, no man/institution can overrule our Creator and change His law. The, only, time in His Covenant is the Sabbath.

Catholic: "Question.-Have you any other way of proving that the church has the power to institute festivals of precept?"

"Answer. - Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her, - she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority." - Rev. Stephen Keenan, A Doctrinal Catechism, p. 174.

Presbyterian: "The Christian Sabbath (Sunday) is not in the Scripture, and was not by the primitive church called the Sabbath." - Dwight's theology, vol.4, p. 401.

Congregational: "There is no command in the Bible requiring us to observe the first day of the week as the Christian Sabbath." -Fowler, Mode and Subjects of Baptism.

Lutheran: "The observance of the Lord's day (Sunday) is founded not on any command of God, but on the authority of the church." - "Augsburg Confession of Faith," quoted in Cox's Sabbath Manual, p. 287.

Episcopalian: "The festival of Sunday, like all other festivals, was always only a human ordinance, and it was far from the intentions of the apostles to establish a divine command in this respect, far from them and from the early apostolic church, to transfer the laws of the Sabbath to Sunday." - Neander, The History of the Christian Religion and Church, p. 186.

Methodist: "It is true there is no command for infant baptism...Nor is there any for keeping holy the first day of the week." - Rev. Amos Binney, Theological Compend, pp. 180, 182, 1902 ed.

Baptist: Dr. Edward T. Hiscox, author of The Baptist Manual before a New York Ministers' Conference, held, Nov 13, 1893 said, "There was and is a commandment to keep holy the Sabbath day, but that Sabbath day was not Sunday. It will be said, and with some show of triumph, that the Sabbath was transferred from the seventh to the first day of the week, with all it's duties, privileges and sanctions. Earnestly desiring information on this subject, which I have studied for many years, I ask, Where can the record of such a transaction be found? Not in the New Testament, absolutely not. There is no Scriptural evidence of the change of the Sabbath institution from the seventh to the first day of the week.

"Of course," he continues, "I quite well know that Sunday did come into use in early Christian history as a religious day, as we learn from the Christian fathers and other sources. But what a pity that it comes with the mark of Paganism, and christened with the name of the sun god, when adopted and sanctioned by the papal apostasy, and bequeathed as a sacred legacy to Protestantism!"

Our Creator instituted the Sabbath at Creation, as a part of the Creation Covenant with Adam, and so with all of mankind. Jesus referred to Himself as "The Lord of the Sabbath." Mt 12:8; Mk 2:28; Lu 6:5. Sunday was called, "The Lord's Day," in sun worship, common in The Roman Empire.

To say, that, the Sabbath is obsolete, is to reject the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, who prophesied, that, the Sabbath would be kept during The Great Tribulation: "But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day: for then shall be Great Tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, nor ever shall be." Mt 24:20,21. And we are not there, yet.

When Jesus gave us the "Two Greatest Commandments," He was quoting the law. Deut 6:5; Lev 19:18. These two are a summation of The Ten:

If you love the Lord, supremely, you will not worship or bow down to other gods, take His name in vain, or, profane His holy day.

If you love your neighbor as yourself, you will honor your parents, do no murder, commit adultery, steal, bear false witness or covet.

"By this we know that we love the children of God (Greatest Commandment #2), when we love God (#1) and keep His commandments. For this is love that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous." 1 John 5:2,3.

Not for those under The New Covenant, who have His Covenant engraved upon their hearts and minds. Jer 31:31-34; Heb 8:10; 10:12-17. Born again believers are called, "The seed of Abraham." Ga 3:16,29. "For he is not a Jew, who is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision in that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." Rom 2:28,29.

"As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions (of the law: 1 John 3:4) from us...To such as keep His Covenant and to those that remember His commandments to do them." Ps 103.

Covenants have conditions.

Jesus said, "If ye love Me, keep My commandments." John 14:15.

His church keeps His commandments: "And the Dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Rev 12:17.

His saints keep His commandments: "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Rev 14:12.

At the very end of the Book of all Books, the Apostle John wrote, "Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have RIGHT to the tree of life, AND MAY ENTER IN through the gates into the city." Rev 22:14.

There are Ten Commandments in His Covenant - not nine. They are commandments and not requests.

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." Ex 20:8.

 

[BigNorsk]

The Lutheran quote really is too short to understand.

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]55] It is proper that the churches should keep such ordinances for the sake of love and tranquillity, so far that one do not offend another, that all things be done in the churches in order, and without confusion, 1 Cor. 14, 40; comp. Phil. 2, 14; 56] but so that consciences be not burdened to think that they are necessary to salvation, or to judge that they sin when they break them without offense to others; as no one will say that a woman sins who goes out in public with her head uncovered provided only that no offense be given. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]57] Of this kind is the observance of the Lord's Day, Easter, Pentecost, and like holy-days and 58] rites. For those who judge that by the authority of the Church the observance of the Lord's Day instead of the Sabbath-day was ordained as a thing necessary, 59] do greatly err. Scripture has abrogated the Sabbath-day; for it teaches that, since the Gospel has been revealed, all the ceremonies of Moses can be omitted. And 60] yet, because it was necessary to appoint a certain day, that the people might know when they ought to come together, it appears that the Church designated the Lord's Day for this purpose; and this day seems to have been chosen all the more for this additional reason, that men might have an example of Christian liberty, and might know that the keeping neither of the Sabbath nor of any other day is necessary. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]61] There are monstrous disputations concerning the changing of the law, the ceremonies of the new law, the changing of the Sabbath-day, which all have sprung from the false belief that there must needs be in the Church a service like to the Levitical, and that Christ had given commission to the Apostles and bishops to devise new ceremonies as necessary to 62] salvation. These errors crept into the Church when the righteousness of faith was not taught clearly enough. 63] Some dispute that the keeping of the Lord's Day is not indeed of divine right, but in a manner so. They prescribe concerning holy-days, how far it is lawful to work. What else 64] are such disputations than snares of consciences? For although they endeavor to modify the traditions, yet the mitigation can never be perceived as long as the opinion remains that they are necessary, which must needs remain where the righteousness of faith and Christian liberty are not known. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]65] The Apostles commanded Acts 15, 20 to abstain from blood. Who does now observe it? And yet they that do it not sin not; for not even the Apostles themselves wanted to burden consciences with such bondage; but they forbade it for a time, to avoid offense. 66] For in this decree we must perpetually consider what the aim of the Gospel is. [/FONT]

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

To say, that, the Sabbath is obsolete, is to reject the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, who prophesied, that, the Sabbath would be kept during The Great Tribulation: "But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day: for then shall be Great Tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, nor ever shall be." Mt 24:20,21. And we are not there, yet.

You forgot to highlight "Sabbath" in that passage. That would concerning the Judeans and not the non-Judeans I would think. Every minute is my Rest in JESUS.

Matthew 11:29 Take! My yoke upon ye, and be learning from Me. That meek am-I and humble to the heart, and ye shall be finding Rest/ana-pausin <372> to thine souls;

Revelation 14:11 And the smoke of the tormenting of them is ascending into Ages to-Ages. And not they are having Rest/ana-pausin <372> day and night :o

 

[Sherha]

The, only, law that was fulfilled was the ceremonial law, which pointed to the sacrifice of Jesus. Circumcision is now of the heart, washings are baptism, Jesus, the clean, became unclean, so that we may be clean. The Sabbath Feast days have been fulfilled:

Passover: Our Passover Lamb
Unleavened Bread: He was without sin
Tabernacles: He "tabernacled among us"...

If the ceremonial law had not been fulfilled, we would, still, be sacrificing animals.

Ceremonial Law:

1. Is called, "the law contained in ordinances." Eph 2:15
2. Was spoken by Moses. Lev 1:1-3
3. Was written by Moses in a book. 11 Chron 35:12
4. Was placed in the side of The Ark (to show it's temporal nature)
5. Was nailed to the cross. Col 2:14
6. Was abolished by Christ. Eph 2:15.

The Ten Commandment Covenant:

1. Is called, the "royal law." Ja 2:8
2. Was spoken by God. Deut 4:12,13
3. Was written with the finger of God. Ex 31:18
4. Was placed inside The Ark. Ex 40:20; Heb 9:4
5. Is to "stand forever and ever." Ps 111:7,8.
6. Was not destroyed by Christ. Mt 5:17,18

The Ten Commandment Covenant deals with our character, and is used by the Holy Spirit in our on-going sanctification.

"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I give you an heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and CAUSE YOU to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments and do them." Ezek 36:26,27.

When He puts His Spirit within us, He enables us by His Holy Spirit of Grace (Heb 10:29) to walk with Him in holiness. The Holy Spirit will never lead us into sin, or, "the transgression of the law." 1 John 3:4.

In Psalm 119, the word, "Word," is used, interchangeably, with "statutes," "judgments," "precepts," "commandments," "law," "testimonies"...

His Word = His law.

"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." Rom 3:31.

Isaiah prophesied, that, God's children will keep the Sabbath in His Kingdom:

"For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before Me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith the Lord." Isa 66:22,23.

Even in heaven, the Lord makes quite a statement about His Covenant:

"And the temple of God was opened in heaven and there was seen in His temple, The Ark of His Testament: and there were LIGHTNINGS, and VOICES, and THUNDERINGS, and AN EARTHQUAKE, and GREAT HAIL."

He is, only, Lord to those who obey His Word.

 

[Chickapee]

Hi Sherha,
above good post ......

seems love is the greatest thing expressed through and IN the Spirit ,
thinking of the Royal law and fulfilling this love your neighbour / would be letting brotherly love continue
who is our neighbour Jesus taught us anyone we see in need

Luke 10: 29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

3 places I have found about brotherly love
God bless Peace C

romans 12 :9- Let love be without dissimulation.

Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

[Be] kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;


7For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. 8He therefore that despiseth,

despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

1 thes 4;9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you:

for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

hebrews 13 : 1 Let brotherly love continue.

2Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

3Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them;

and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.



there is a Body of death working as well as a Body of Life working still

and to me I believe the Sabbath Day IS JESUS CHRIST and keeping Him Holy and separate

, being made and sent to man by the Father God Himself we ''rest in Him '' and His works

and saving us doing good always even on the Sabbath Days /Holy days


All things are delivered unto me of my Father:

and no man knoweth the Son,

but the Father;

neither knoweth any man the Father,

save the Son, and [he] to whomsoever the Son will reveal [him].


Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me;

for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.


For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.

mark 2 :27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man,

and not man for the sabbath:

mark 2:28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

 

[Sherha]

"And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made." Gen 2:2,3.

Then He made it part of His law: "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy...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." Ex 20:8-11.

In Scripture, the Lord repeats for emphasis.

"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having The Everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred and tongue and people.

Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of water." Rev 14:6,7.

He is calling us back to honor Him as our Creator, by keeping His holy day sacred.

 

[Chickapee]

"And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made." Gen 2:2,3.

Then He made it part of His law: "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy...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." Ex 20:8-11.

In Scripture, the Lord repeats for emphasis.

"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having The Everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred and tongue and people.

Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of water." Rev 14:6,7.

He is calling us back to honor Him as our Creator, by keeping His holy day sacred.

Hi Sherha,

I have looked into this before and studies some of the greek words that tells me
that all the Word of God till Jesus appeared is the 6 days of God and His creation / forming and made

and this being foundation of the world , this being true also that the Lamb was slain from the foundation

of the world dont you think , or how can this be than ?

All before seem to say a day is a thousand years to the Lord and a thousand years is One Day ,

as Peter was showing something very
wonderful to grasp

i BELIEVE JESUS IS THE 7th Day Sabbath [ THE DAY OF THE LORD ]
and THE REST in HEBREWS 4 ;3 For we which have believed do enter into rest,

as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath,

if they shall enter into my rest:

although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

For he spake in a certain place of the seventh [day] on this wise,

And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.

I believe looking into John chapter 5 , now Jesus is no liar , so what can this mean ?
HE IS THE HOLY ONE /SABBATH SEVENTH DAY

And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus,

and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day


.john 5:17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.


Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him,

because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father,

making himself equal with God.

hitherto

he&#333;s greek 2193 marking a limit , and conjunction signifying with 737 greek arti

hitherto
1) till, until something continued up to a certain time 1) just now, this moment
2) now at this time, at this very time, this moment

strongs concordance &Thayer lexicon help

to me there DAY/REST had come and yet they/some of us were/ do harden hearts
and because of unbelief they/some of us miss / missed there/the time of visitation
they sought to kill Jesus and call Him a liar do we as well ?

God bless and Jesus peace C

 

[Sherha]

The Jews added hundreds of rules and regulations to the keeping of the Sabbath...Jesus did not defer to them. But, He kept His Father's law, perfectly. How did Jesus keep the Sabbath? By worshiping the Father and meeting human need.

Jesus said, "Not every one that saith, Lord, Lord shall enter (sounds like Rev 22:14) the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven.

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?"

And then will I profess unto them, I NEVER KNEW YOU: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity." (lawlessness) Mt 7:21-23.

"And hereby we do know that we know Him, IF we keep His commandments. He that saith, I KNOW HIM and keepeth not His commandments is a LIAR and the Truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His Word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby we do know that we are in him.

He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked." 1 John 2:3-6.

The children of Israel, Jesus, His disciples and the New Testament Christians kept the Sabbath holy.Why would you separate the fourth commandment from His Covenant?

The Lord calls the Catholic/Protestant religious system, the "Mother of harlots." She has traded the Word of God for her traditions.

"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE, that ye be not partakers of her sins (the "transgression of the law" 1 John 3:4) and that ye receive not of HER PLAGUES. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities." (lawlessness)

Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I KNOW THEM, and they follow Me." John 10:27.

Pope John Paul 11, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell have called for re-instituting the Sunday, or, "Blue laws." They are, still, on the books in 26 states. In Virginia, the third infraction meant death!

Jesus never used the state to further the Kingdom of God.

Just as in the Garden, it is a question of allegiance. Is your allegiance to the "Mother of harlots"? or, to our Creator and His Word?

He has commanded us to keep His seventh day Sabbath holy. He has not asked us to interpret His Word, but to obey His Word.

If He is your Lord, you will obey all of His commandments.

 

[Chickapee]

If He is your Lord, you will obey all of His commandments.

Thank you , your right , I will not strive over religion ,

God bless you Sherha

peace C James 1 ;25But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty,

and continueth [therein], he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work,

this man shall be blessed in his deed.
If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue,

but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion [is] vain.

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this,

To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction,

[and] to keep himself unspotted from the world.

 

[Sherha]

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Ga 2:20.

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin (the "transgression of the law") that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" Rom 6:1.

When Moses disobeyed the Lord and struck the rock, God charged him with unbelief. Num 20:12. When the children of Israel disobeyed the Lord, they were not able to enter the Promised Land (a type of heaven), because of unbelief. Heb 3:19. Unbelief comes out of an evil heart. Heb 3:12.

Unbelief/ disobedience
Faith/Obedience

Rom 16:26 refers to "the obedience of faith."
"By faith Abraham...obeyed" Heb 11:8.

"Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe and tremble.

But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Was not Abraham our father JUSTIFIED BY WORKS when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, AND BY WORKS WAS FAITH MADE PERFECT?

And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham BELIEVED GOD, and it was imputed to him for righteousness: and he was called the friend of God...For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." James 2

"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." Rom 3:31.

True faith is, always, obedient to His Word.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Of course the sabbath day is holy time, and we should consider it so. But many want to impose rituals and behaviors on it to demonstrate that it is being 'kept' properly, or really, lawfully. That would force man to conform to the sabbath, thus reimposing the OT thesis that man is made to keep the sabbath (or, man was made for the sabbath).

One can go to church activities any day of the week and still regard the sabbath as holy time. I was in a sabbath-keeping church for many years, but never got any rest or repose until I left it. The sabbath was the most tiring day of my week, as it was for the ministry. Recall that God rested from his work on the seventh day. Why would he impose a heavy work load on his ministry on that day? That work load was added to the sabbath along with the other 'burdens' of the Law.

In order to really understand the fourth commandment we need to fully understand the other nine. Once understood you will never view, or 'keep' them in the same literal way.

The Law is "holy, just, and good." Note the ascending spiritual importance. The letter of the law, which proscribes basic human behaviour, is 'good'. The application of penalty or reward is 'just'. But the end (final result) is 'holiness'. How you get from 'good' to 'holy' is how you 'keep' the law.

The parable of the 'talents' reveals that there is more to the law than keeping the letter. One who merely hid his talents (kept the letter) received no reward, but lost what he had been given. The one who used his talents (not a hearer, but a doer of the law) by investing them greatly increased them and received a tenfold reward. So he did something above and beyond what was required by the law. So much so that hiding his talents (merely keeping the letter of the law) was not even a consideration.

And as one who obeys the commandment "thou shalt not steal" by keeping his hands in his own pockets never learns what that commandment really means, so too the person who 'keeps the sabbath' according to the law never learns what the sabbath really means.

owg

 

[Sherha]

"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you...And I will put My Spirit within you, and CAUSE YOU to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments and do them." Ezek 36:26,27.

When His Spirit is within us, He empowers us to obey His Word - that is what "walking in The Spirit" is all about. The Holy Spirit will never lead us to sin, or, "transgress His law." 1 John 3:4.

The Jews added hundreds of rules and regulations to the keeping of the Sabbath. Jesus did not defer to them, but, He fulfilled God's law, perfectly. TRADITION! Tradition is man's attempt to control the Gospel.

How did Jesus keep the Sabbath?

By worshiping the Father and meeting human need.

Down through history, Christians have been martyred for keeping the Sabbath. Today, there are millions who keep His Sabbath holy...Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals, non-denominationals, SDA and more and more, as they study the Sabbath.

 

[fil3232003]

How do we reconcile the following with “Sabbath keeping?”

• Rom 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

With:

• Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

How then did the Apostles/Disciple keep the “Sabbath holy” as required in:

• Exo 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

 

[Sherha]

"A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you...And I will put My Spirit within you and CAUSE YOU to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments and do them." Ezek 36:26,27.

When His Spirit is within us, He empowers us to keep His Word - His law. That is what, "walking in the Spirit," is all about. The Holy Spirit will never lead us into sin, or, "the transgression of the law." 1 John 3:4.

He fulfills the law through us, when we walk in His Spirit.

Do you worship or bow down to other gods, take His name in vain, dishonor your parents, murder, commit adultery, steal, bear false witness or covet?

Then why would you break the fourth commandment?

James 2:10,11 tells us, that, if we break any of His commandments, we become transgressors of His law and are guilty of breaking all of them.

The fourth commandment is a commandment.