I notice that you chose to answer a different question than the one I asked. I asked:
Did every principle begin with creation? Did passover begin with creation? How about circumcision? Baptism?
Funny, I thought I answered it.
Answer
No.
All these principles began with God (as they are His). As God is everlasting, and has no beginning, His principles likewise have no beginning.
If you think that God began at creation, then the answer would be yes.
That has been my question for you all along and I'd be most interest in your response. It is my position that laws relating to animal sacrifices had no relevance during creation week. Is it your position that such principles had relevance during creation week?
The laws related to animal sacrifices (which by the way is not the correct way of describing the sacrifices IMO, but that is a subject for another thread) were not relevant during the creation week.
This does not mean that they did not exist, only that they were not relevant as there was no sin/separation from God, to necessitate sacrifices.
You seem to suggest that we are all recipients of the old covenant law. Please confirm and provide evidence.
We are receiptants of a new covenant. The law has not changed. Only the covenants have.
Mark 10
17As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 18"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is goodexcept God alone. 19
You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'"
20"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."
21Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
The audience of the command did not include me (also see Deuteronomy 5 and Exodus 31).
If you include yourself in the group that is interested in eternal life, then this for you. I assumed that you are, please advise if you aren't.
Excellent. Then Christ did exactly what He promised He would do in Matthew 5.
Yes. He fulfilled the Law. However, the rest is still a promise, and until we receive the rest, the promise is all we have.
If we are to believe Romans 7, we die to the law.
Could you provide the verse for that?
As have all shadows that pointed to Jesus Christ. This includes the seventh-day sabbath.
However the difference between the sacrifices and the rest is that we have already received the "real" sacrifice, to replace the "shadow" sacrifice, while we are still waiting for the "real" rest, to replace the shadow "rest".
If we are to serve in the new way of the Spirit, everything that we need to learn will come from the Spirit and not from shadows that were fulfilled by the reality, which is Jesus Christ (see Hebrews 10).
Hebrews 10:26
If we
deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left
Romans 7:7
7What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed
I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet.
Is God capable of making us sinless?
What has our failure got to do with God's power and mercy?
And if you were to get drunk, would this be your failure or God's?
Mine.
Then I would sober up, confess my sins and God would remove it and cleanse me.
Because there is no reference to a sabbath in Genesis 2.
Maybe your hang-up is because the word Sabbath is not used there.
It says that God rested on the 7th day of the creation week. That would be a Sabbath, by definition.
So you observe the day of atonement and the feast of unleavened bread? Do you also offer animal sacrifices? All were God-given commands.
I observe the Day of atonement. Jesus is the sacrifice that atones me, the animal that died outside the city for my sins, whose blood was sprinkled at the very altar of God. That Day, I was atoned. That is how I observe it.
The feast of unleavened bread, I observe by ensuring that the leaven of the Scribes and pharisees (Matthew 16) is not in the "bread" I eat.
Now as to animal sacrifices, I'm not sure why you are referring to these, as the sacrifices are called sin, trepass, freewill, grain and burnt sacrifices (or offerings).
I keep all of them. I sacrificed a "Lamb"
for the ones that required an animal. What did you sacrifice?
Even though you already acknowledged that the seventh-day sabbath (like all sabbaths) is a shadow that pointed to Jesus Christ? I am confused.
We have to keep the shadow, because the actual rest is not upon us.
Hebrews 4:1
Therefore, since
the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.
It's still a promise at this stage. All we have is the promise/shadow, not the real McCoy. Until we receive the rest, we have to keep the shadow, just like the sacrifice.
Hebrews 10
11Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.
The old covenant was abolished because men were unable to keep the law;
The covenant was abolished. The Law was not.
the new covenant is not like the old (see Hebrews 8).
It's the covenants that have changed, not the Law.
The letters engraved on stones are the ministry of death when compared with the ministry of the Spirit that brings life (see 2 Corinthians 3).
Signifying the change in the covenants.
We are to die to the law so that we may be joined with another (see Romans 7).
Romans 7 says we are to die to sin, and that the Law is "holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good." (Romans 7:12)
The law was given for a finite period of time; it was added 430 years after Abraham and only until the Seed had come (see Galatians 3).
Psalm 119:160
All your words are true;
all your righteous laws are eternal.
If (as you claim) the Law was only until the Seed(Jesus), why does God say the following?
Hebrews 8:10
This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
The same laws that are written on stone under the old covenant, are now written on our hearts under the new covenant. The material on which it is written has changed, what is written has not.
The slave woman, Hagar, represented the covenant that was from Sinai; it was God who gave the command to "get rid of the slave woman (see Galatians 4).
Again, relates to change of covenant, not a change in the Law.
Human righteousness is as filthy rags (see Isaiah 64). There is none who is righteous (Romans 3).
The whole world is a prisoner of sin (see Galatians 3).
Our salvation is in Jesus Christ alone (see Jonah 2:9 and Ephesians 2).
It is not my place to judge you regarding your observance of special days (see Colossians 2 and Romans 14). It is still my position that persons who receive a blessing from observing such days should continue to receive that blessing without any hindrance from me or anyone else. However, I do take issue with those who may take the view that all believers must set aside the seventh-day as a special day for rest.
BFA
Thank you.
As you pointed out, we are all free to observe whatever day we choose (or not to observe any at all). However, you asked me the questions regarding why I keep this, and I have been answering you. For our keeping of our God's commandments, we are all answerable to Him alone.
