Which Day of the Week is the Sabbath?

[JesusPower]

I would like to direct your attention to Constatine I. When he became a christian he changed the sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. This can be found on the History channel, or in news week or in the Catholic records.

 

[oldsage]

Well of course it was Sabbath keeping, it was the synagogue for crying out loud! Where else was Paul going to find Jews and believing Gentiles gathered together in one place but the synagogue on the Sabbath! "And I became to the Jews as a Jew, in order that I might gain the Jews: to those under law, as under law, not being myself under law, in order that I might gain those under law:"(1 Cor 9:20) If we read on, however, we find that the Jews who had not accepted Christ had a complaint against Paul. In Acts 18:12-13 we find that they accused Paul of "persuading men to worship God contrary to the law".

John

But we know that Paul did not preach against the law, you can read in Acts 21 where they told Paul that people think you are against the law and Paul proceeded to perform the purification ritual. Paul didn't preach against the law, people just mis-understand what his emphasis is on when reading his letters or listening to him.

Chris

 

[oldsage]

Explain it again using scripture and not a calendar!

Play like all calendars were destroyed and there is no way to prove which day is Saturday.

This is simple, if there was no calendars, I would take the last sabbath I kept and count. just like they have been doing since Exodus 16

Chris

 

[oldsage]

OK, so now only scripture is a valid historical document and we are simply to toss all of history as we know it? We can confidantly accept through history that the day the Jews called the Sabbath is the day English speakers call Saturday. To claim otherwise is ludicrous.

John

just to note, I am sola scriptura, not to be confused with solo scriptura, which is what Norman is speaking about...I do believe in looking at history.

I believe the scripture is the final authority but not the only authority.

just so you know the difference between him and I and for the benefit of others in the thread to see the distinction between the two different points of view protestants have.

Chris

 

[CanisLupus]

I would like to direct your attention to Constatine I. When he became a christian he changed the sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. This can be found on the History channel, or in news week or in the Catholic records.

Man has NO power and NO authority to change God's laws!

Jesus even spoke against that:

Matthew 15:9 - But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Constatine I is not a God, but nowdays a dead human.

 

[oldsage]

I would like to direct your attention to Constatine I. When he became a christian he changed the sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. This can be found on the History channel, or in news week or in the Catholic records.

Actually the change happened before Constantine the church in Alexandria and in Rome were already keeping sunday holy by the time he took power. His Sunday law helped with the re-enforcementof the change. After this things really started going down hill.

Chris

 

[GodlySoul]

it is a silly argument. What do you thik Jesus would say? Just have a sabbath day!

 

[IWTALCT]

I only read the first few posts because it would take years to read all of the pages. But the sabbath always has been and always will be on Saturday.

 

[PaleHorse]

it is a silly argument. What do you thik Jesus would say? Just have a sabbath day!

Ya know, you actually have a very good point here. What would Jesus say/do? Well, I think He'd be asking why the majority of those that profess to be His followers don't keep the Sabbath as He did. After all, isn't Christ our example? Or is it Constantine or Tertilliun (sp?)?

 

[IWTALCT]

Ya know, you actually have a very good point here. What would Jesus say/do? Well, I think He'd be asking why the majority of those that profess to be His followers don't keep the Sabbath as He did. After all, isn't Christ our example? Or is it Constantine or Tertilliun (sp?)?

AMEN!!!

 

[PaleHorse]

There are in fact over 30 commandments in the 20th chapter of Exodus.

No one can keep a sabbath unless they first work 6 days.

But obviously we aren't talking about all of those because they don't apply.

We are talking about the decalogue, you know, the one written in stone by God's own finger? The ones that were so important God wrote them TWICE! Here, let me help:

Deuteronomy 4:13 - And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.

Deuteronomy 10:4 - And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the LORD spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the LORD gave them unto me.

And what is the problem with working 6 days? Don't you?

 

[PaleHorse]

please, I'd love to see these references to the Sabbath in the NT. not being sarcastic, I'd sincerely love to see them.

How many more do you need? The Bible tells us that the truth is established by two or three witnesses - at this point you've seen dozens that speak directly of the Sabbath in the NT.

I think basically it boils down to 3 issues.
1. Is the Sabbath a Creation ordinance and part of the moral law?

It was sancified at Creation (Gen 2:2,3) but it isn't an ordinance - there aren't any ordinances in God's moral law, the Ten Commandments. And yes, the Sabbath is contained in those moral laws, it is the 4th Commandment (Exo 20:8) of the decalogue.

2. If the Sabbath is moral law, did God specify in the moral law that the last day of the week was intrinsically part of the Sabbath commandment?

Yes, the commandment reads as follows:
Exodus 20:8 - Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: (6 days must come before we have a 7th day)10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God (not of the Jews, the Lord's sabbath) : 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.

You might be asking why I bolded "the" and "it" in the verses - the answer is simple; "the" denotes a genuine article, a specific whereas "a" is more general and non-specific.
I bolded "it" because again, it denotes a specific item especially given the context of the commandment.

3. If the Sabbath is moral law, did Christ change the day of the week from the Jewish observance of the last day of the week to the first day of the week?

No. Christ did not change it - man has attempted to change it based upon invented symbolic connections even though we find the history of Sunday observance points to other things. For those who wish to change God's law, be warned:
Daniel 7:25 - And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

True, this verse is in regards to antichrist and many think that this will happen in the future. Is this true though? No, even Paul saw it creeping into the church in his time:
1 John 4:3 - And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

 

[Montalban]

How do we know it wasn't given to Adam, see when reading books of the bible we must also understand the context of the book, Genesis isn't a book about commands but a book about origins, how things all began. There are several places in the book of Genesis that talk about breaking the law of God and called them sin. At the time of Exodus they were just codified.

Chris

Actually God gave Adam a commandment, that we know of, everything was for him, except to eat of the fruit of a particular tree.

God didn't say "Don't eat of the tree on the day of rest". That was the sole command and covenant God gave Adam. Everything was available to Adam, but the fruit. Adam broke it. There's no indication in the book because he ate on a Sabbath, but because he ate of the fruit, full stop.

God made a vow to Noah, and there's no Sabbath day with him.

God made a pact with Abraham, and there's no Sabbath day with him... that I'm aware of. OT scripture's not my strong point.

God had plenty of opportunities to warn man of breaking this 'holy day', and it's not until Moses that He makes it a day of rest. God in fact gives the Jews quite a number of laws on how to behave, etc, what to wear and so on.

So, given the fact that God gave Moses these commandments and not before, then these commandments aren't necessarily FOR ALL TIME.

In fact Jesus says so. The Jews got to wrapped up in the law; and this legalism is what most Christians should reject (except Seventh Day Adventists who make a big noise about one law, and ignore a lot of other OT sanctions regarding clothes, praying in the Temple, etc)

 

[Montalban]

But obviously we aren't talking about all of those because they don't apply.

Why not?

We are talking about the decalogue, you know, the one written in stone by God's own finger? The ones that were so important God wrote them TWICE!

These are known to us as the 10 Commandments, but they are not the only laws that God gave Moses, so you should be obeying all, including not eating pork, circumcision, slaves, more than one wife, etc... 'cause surely Jesus didn't over turn any of these too!

 

[spirit1st]

Heb 10:16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
Heb 10:17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Heb 10:18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
Heb 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

 

[CanisLupus]

These are known to us as the 10 Commandments, but they are not the only laws that God gave Moses, so you should be obeying all, including not eating pork, circumcision, slaves, more than one wife, etc... 'cause surely Jesus didn't over turn any of these too!

God gave the 10 Commandments and also Mosaic laws. The 10 Commandments were "...written with the finger of God." (Ex. 31:18). The Mosaic laws were written by Moses "Moses wrote all the words of the LORD..." (Ex. 24:4).

The Ordinances were the laws written by Moses and they were abolished. "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;" (Col. 2:14)

 

[Cliff2]

God gave the 10 Commandments and also Mosaic laws. The 10 Commandments were "...written with the finger of God." (Ex. 31:18). The Mosaic laws were written by Moses "Moses wrote all the words of the LORD..." (Ex. 24:4).

The Ordinances were the laws written by Moses and they were abolished. "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;" (Col. 2:14)

Amen

Just so we would not get all confused between what God wrote and what God told Moses to write is that the law that God wrote was put inside the ark.

The law that God told Mose to write was put on the outside of the ark.

There is a difference and God made that plain for all to see.

 

[Montalban]

Amen

Just so we would not get all confused between what God wrote and what God told Moses to write is that the law that God wrote was put inside the ark.

The law that God told Mose to write was put on the outside of the ark.

There is a difference and God made that plain for all to see.

See post 835

 

[Montalban]

God gave the 10 Commandments and also Mosaic laws. The 10 Commandments were "...written with the finger of God." (Ex. 31:18). The Mosaic laws were written by Moses "Moses wrote all the words of the LORD..." (Ex. 24:4).

The Ordinances were the laws written by Moses and they were abolished. "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;" (Col. 2:14)

Where does it say the laws of the 'handwritting of man' ?

 

[lmnop9876]

How many more do you need? The Bible tells us that the truth is established by two or three witnesses - at this point you've seen dozens that speak directly of the Sabbath in the NT.

I want the references that refer to the Christian Church keeping the Jewish Sabbath in the New Testament.

It was sancified at Creation (Gen 2:2,3) but it isn't an ordinance - there aren't any ordinances in God's moral law, the Ten Commandments. And yes, the Sabbath is contained in those moral laws, it is the 4th Commandment (Exo 20:8) of the decalogue.

i meant it's a Creation ordinance in the sense that it was instituted at Creation. I think we agree on this one