There is a forum for Sabbath and Law debate? I seriously think there is too many forums on this site.
The Christian is obligated to obey the moral law, summarized under the two great commandments, and the positive laws of the New Testament.
I find it interesting that both the Sabbath keeping Christians and the Sunday keeping Christian Bible scholars agree on a few basics. Such as that God's TEN Commandments are included in the LAW of God written on the heart under the NEW Covenant of Jer 31:31-33 and that they applied to all mankind in Eden.
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Westminster Confession of Faith
Westminster Confession of Faith
Chapter XIX
Of the Law of God
I. God
gave to Adam a law, as a covenant of works, by which he bound him and all his posterity, to personal, entire, exact, and perpetual obedience, promised life upon the fulfilling, and threatened death upon the breach of it, and endued him with power and ability to keep it.
[1]
II.
This law, after his fall, continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness; and, as such, was delivered by God upon Mount Sinai,
in Ten Commandments, and written in
two tables:
[2] the first four commandments containing our duty towards God; and
the other six, our duty to man.
[3]
III.
Besides this law, commonly called moral, God was pleased to give to the people of Israel, as a church under age,
ceremonial laws, containing several typical ordinances, partly of worship, prefiguring Christ, his graces, actions, sufferings, and benefits;
[4] and partly, holding forth divers instructions of moral duties.
[5] All which ceremonial laws are now abrogated, under the New Testament.
[6]
IV. To them also, as a body politic, he gave
sundry judicial laws, which
expired together with the State of that people; not obliging under any now, further than the general equity thereof may require.
[7]
V.
The moral law does forever bind all, as well
justified persons as others, to the obedience thereof;
[8] and that, not only in regard of the matter contained in it, but also in respect of the authority of God the Creator, who gave it.
[9] Neither does Christ, in the Gospel, any way dissolve, but much strengthen this obligation.
[10]
VI. Although true believers be
not under the law, as a covenant of works,
to be thereby justified, or condemned;
[11] yet is it of great use to them, as well as to others; in that,
as a rule of life informing them of
the will of God, and their duty, it directs and binds them to walk accordingly;
[12] discovering also the sinful pollutions of their nature, hearts and lives;
[13] so as, examining themselves thereby, they may come to further
conviction of, humiliation for, and hatred against sin,
[14] together with a clearer sight of the need they have of Christ, and the perfection of his obedience.
[15] It is likewise of use to the regenerate, to restrain their corruptions, in that
it forbids sin:
[16] and
the threatenings of it serve to show what even their sins deserve; and what afflictions, in this life, they may expect for them, although freed from the curse thereof threatened in the law.
[17] The promises of it, in like manner, show them God's approbation of obedience,and what blessings they may expect upon the performance thereof:
[18] although not as due to them by the law as
a covenant of works.
[19] So as, a man's doing good, and refraining from evil, because the law encourages to the one and deters from the other,
is no evidence of his being under the law: and not under grace.
[20]
VII.
Neither are the forementioned uses of the law contrary to the grace of the Gospel, but do sweetly comply with it;
[21] the Spirit of Christ subduing and enabling the will of man to do that freely, and cheerfully, which the will of God, revealed in the law, requires to be done.
[22]
==================================== all TEN
The Baptist Confession of Faith (1689)
Section 19
19. The Law of God
- God gave to Adam a law of universal obedience which was written in his heart, and He gave him very specific instruction about not eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. By this Adam and all his descendants were bound to personal, total, exact, and perpetual obedience, being promised life upon the fulfilling of the law, and threatened with death upon the breach of it. At the same time Adam was endued with power and ability to keep it.
- The same law that was first written in the heart of man continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness after the Fall, and was delivered by God upon Mount Sinai in the Ten Commandments, and written in two tables, the first four containing our duty towards God, and the other six, our duty to man.
- Besides this law, commonly called the moral law, God was pleased do give the people of Israel ceremonial laws containing several typical ordinances. These ordinances were partly about their worship, and in them Christ was prefigured along with His attributes and qualities, His actions, His sufferings and His benefits. These ordinances also gave instructions about different moral duties. All of these ceremonial laws were appointed only until the time of reformation, when Jesus Christ the true Messiah and the only lawgiver, Who was furnished with power from the Father for this end, cancelled them and took them away.
- To the people of Israel He also gave sundry judicial laws which expired when they ceased to be a nation. These are not binding on anyone now by virtue of their being part of the laws of that nation, but their general equity continue to be applicable in modern times.
- The moral law ever binds to obedience everyone, justified people as well as others, and not only out of regard for the matter contained in it, but also out of respect for the authority of God the Creator, Who gave the law. Nor does Christ in the Gospel dissolve this law in any way, but He considerably strengthens our obligation to obey it.
- Although true believers are not under the law as a covenant of works, to be justified or condemned by it, yet it is of great use to them as well as to others, because as a rule of life it informs them of the will of God and their duty and directs and binds them to walk accordingly. It also reveals and exposes the sinful pollutions of their natures, hearts and lives, and using it for self-examination they may come to greater conviction of sin, greater humility and greater hatred of their sin. They will also gain a clearer sight of their need of Christ and the perfection of His own obedience. It is of further use to regenerate people to restrain their corruptions, because of the way in which it forbids sin. The threatenings of the law serve to show what their sins actually deserve, and what troubles may be expected in this life because of these sins even by regenerate people who are freed from the curse and undiminished rigours of the law. The promises connected with the law also show believers God's approval of obedience, and what blessings they may expect when the law is kept and obeyed, though blessing will not come to them because they have satisfied the law as a covenant of works. If a man does good and refrains from evil simply because the law encourages to the good and deters him from the evil, that is no evidence that he is under the law rather than under grace.
- The aforementioned uses of the law are not contrary to the grace of the Gospel, but they sweetly comply with it, as the Spirit of Christ subdues and enables the will of man to do freely and cheerfully those things which the will of God, which is revealed in the law, requires to be done.
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Notice the "details" in the "Baptist Confession of Faith"
1. TEN Commandments included in the LAW of God given to mankind in Eden.
2. SAME law given at Sinai as the MORAL Law of God.
3. That law binds all mankind after the cross and before it.
4. It is perfectly consistent with grace and therefore the Gospel
5. Laws OTHER than the TEN commandments were given to Israel and those other laws included the ceremonial laws - which are no longer in place after the cross.
The Westminster Confession of Faith - section 19 makes the SAME 5 points.
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The Baptist Confession of Faith,
the Westminster Confession of Faith ,
D.L. Moody,
R.C Sproul,
Matthew Henry,
Thomas Watson
Eastern Orthodox Catechism
The Catholic Catechism.
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They all confess that ALL TEN of the TEN Commandments were applicable to all mankind in Eden.
D.L. Moody is very explicit on the Sabbath Commandment in Eden.
==================== D.L. Moody on the Sabbath Commandment
The
Fourth Commandment
Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 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: 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.
THERE HAS BEEN an awful letting-down in this country regarding the Sabbath during the last twenty-five years, and many a man has been shorn of spiritual power, like Samson, because he is not straight on this question.
Can you say that you observe the Sabbath properly? You may be a professed Christian: are you obeying this commandment? Or do you neglect the house of God on the Sabbath day, and spend your time drinking and carousing in places of vice and crime, showing contempt for God and His law? Are you ready to step into the scales? Where were you last Sabbath? How did you spend it?
I honestly believe that
this commandment is just as binding today as it ever was. I have talked with men who have said that it has been abrogated, but they have never been able to point to any place in the Bible where God repealed it. When
Christ was on earth, He did nothing to set it aside; He freed it from the traces under which the scribes and Pharisees had put it, and gave it its true place.
"The
Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." (
Mark 2:27)
It is just as practicable and as necessary for men today as it ever was- in fact, more than ever, because we live in such an intense age.
The
Sabbath was binding in Eden, and it has been in force ever since. The fourth commandment begins with the word remember, showing that the Sabbath already existed when God wrote this law on the tables of stone at Sinai. How can men claim that this one commandment has been done away with when they will admit that the other nine are still binding?
I believe that the Sabbath question today is a vital one for the whole country. It is the burning question of the present time.
If you give up the Sabbath the church goes; if you give up the church the home goes; and if the home goes the nation goes. That is the direction in which we are traveling.
The church of God is losing its power on account of so many people giving up the Sabbath, and using it to promote selfishness.
from:
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS text by D. L. Moody
