The Sabbath Day

[Feder]

I read this in the non-denominational department, and I was wondering what you're thoughts are on the topic of the Sabbath day.

I've run into a lot of people who don't feel it's wrong to work on the sabbath, or shop, or go out to eat. What are your thoughts?

Frankly, I have done things on the sabbath (on vacation a lot) that I wasn't supposed to, but I really feel that it is wrong and I always feel guilty about doing them. I believe that the sabbath is a day of rest, and that by going out to eat or shopping you're making other people work for you. The commandment says for not only you to rest, but for your neigbors and the aliens within your gates. So how can we keep that commandment by making them work, too? True, they may work anyway, but we should set an example of our beliefs by NOT going shopping and making them work.

Anyway, that's just my thoughts on it....

 

[ClementofRome]

Since the Sabbath is a Saturday (at least for the modern Jew), what is the problem? I reject replacement sabbatarianism. I do believe that we should take a sabbath rest, but the stigmas associated with doing things on Sunday are not biblical. If we wanted to be specifically biblical about things, we would take our sabbath rest on Sat from sun up to sun down and then gather on the first day of the week to break bread and praise and sing. Jesus is my official sabbath rest.

 

[Erinwilcox]

Since the Sabbath is a Saturday (at least for the modern Jew), what is the problem?.

Many people believe that since Christ rose on a Sunday that the day of worship was changed from Saturday to Sunday. The New Testament tells of the people of God meeting on the first day of the week for worship. While I do not feel that we must "limit the number of steps that we take, avoid cooking ,etc," I do feel that we are still required to OBEY THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. Is the fourth the only commandment that has been made void? No. A better way to phrase the new covenant keeping of the sabbath would be to call it the Lord's Day. In it, we are to do no work except acts of necessity (cooking, driving to church, etc.) or mercy (feeding the homeless, etc). See the Shorter Catechism for a more in depth answer.

 

[reformedfan]

yep

 

[reformedfan]

i read somewhere that if all Christians would stop eating out at restaurants after church, restaurants would be forced to close on Sunday. The Sunday lunch in the bidness is called "the church rush" for obvious reasons, pretty sad.

 

[mannysee]

gee, they must be pretty well off Christians to be eating out after church each week at a restaurant.
I have been reading in Colossians where Paul said to "let no one judge you in regard to a Sabbath day.....and so on"... "which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is Christ."

 

[reformedfan]

oh yeah, sorry; i forgot that Christ did away with the moral law as well as the ceremonial law, my bad. Since God meant for there to be 9 commandments, certain denoms that fudge around with the 2nd & the 9th must be exactly right, thanx for that correction.

hey, where is that verse, i'm too lazy to get out the Strongs. I'd like to see that verse in the context.

 

[edie19]

Many people believe that since Christ rose on a Sunday that the day of worship was changed from Saturday to Sunday. The New Testament tells of the people of God meeting on the first day of the week for worship. While I do not feel that we must "limit the number of steps that we take, avoid cooking ,etc," I do feel that we are still required to OBEY THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. Is the fourth the only commandment that has been made void? No. A better way to phrase the new covenant keeping of the sabbath would be to call it the Lord's Day. In it, we are to do no work except acts of necessity (cooking, driving to church, etc.) or mercy (feeding the homeless, etc). See the Shorter Catechism for a more in depth answer.

You're right about why we now consider Sunday to be the Sabbath (or the Lord's day - btw, my pastor regularly uses that terminology).

And yes - I do believe that we should recognize the Lord's day. It isn't a hardship, neither is it legalistic. It is an act of love, gratitude, obedience and respect for God, who has given us so much.

Some of the behaviors that I've changed as I become more obedient to the 4th Commandment - no shopping, no housework. It takes some advance planning sometimes - and I allow for exceptions. I also spend more time with my church family - we often enjoy casual lunches together which allows additional time for fellowship and prayer.

My daughter, when applying for jobs last year made it clear to all prospective employers that, as a Christian, she was unavailable to work on Sundays. No one had a problem with that.

 

[StAnselm]

I do feel that we are still required to OBEY THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT.

Absolutely! Some suggest that they only need to follow those commandments that are re-iterated in the New Testament. I don't agree with that my self, but even that were the case, Jesus still upholds Sabbath observance. In fact, he talks about the 4th commandment a fair bit.

 

[edie19]

Absolutely! Some suggest that they only need to follow those commandments that are re-iterated in the New Testament. I don't agree with that my self, but even that were the case, Jesus still upholds Sabbath observance. In fact, he talks about the 4th commandment a fair bit.

I would argue that the 4th commandment is reiterated in the New Testament. It goes hand in hand with the great and first commandment "you shall love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."

 

[reformedfan]

Yeah, that's true. ^^

i always say to those 'if it's not in the NT, feel free to disregard it...' types, 'how many times does God hafta say it for it to be obeyed & how come once isn't enough?'

 

[StAnselm]

I guess we're all preaching to the converted...

 

[lmnop9876]

I have been reading in Colossians where Paul said to "let no one judge you in regard to a Sabbath day.....and so on"... "which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is Christ

Colossians 2:16 "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ."
this is the verse referred to.