S
I have a few questions for Sabbath/Festival/Torah Keepers to mull over while I'm on my Sabbatical from here 
Here are my questions:
1. Colossians 2:16-17 says that the Sabbaths and annual festivals are shadows. Hebrews 10:1-2 uses similar language with regards to animal sacrifices, calling them mere shadows whose reality is Christ. If Hebrews 10:1-2 clearly identifies animal sacrifices as mere shadows, implying relative insignificance to the Reality, which is Christ, why do you think that they apply to New Covenant Christians?
2. A typical claim is that the Sabbath was observed prior to Moses by faithful individuals. Can you demonstrate one case where any human being observed the Sabbath prior to Exodus 16?
3. Often, the claim is made that the Sabbath was a perpetual covenant. The implication is that because the word “perpetual” is used, the Sabbath is required today. However, the same Hebrew word, olam, translated “everlasting”, is used with regards to physical circumcision in Genesis 17:3. There are an abundance of Scriptures in the New Testament that state that physical circumcision is no longer required of New Covenant Christians. So, is it reasonable to use the argument that the Sabbath is still binding on New Covenant Christians due to the use of the word “perpetual” or “everlasting” , when we see that the same language is used in regards to physical circumcision (note the words “in the flesh” precludes any possibility of spiritualizing the meaning)?
4. The Old Covenant was made between God and Israel. Why do Sabbathkeepers and Torah observers insist that its terms, including the Sabbaths, festivals, clean and unclean meat laws, and triple tithing, apply to New Covenant Christians? New Covenant Christians were never part of this covenant to begin with. See Exodus 31:12-17 to confirm that the Old Covenant was made between God and Israelites.
5. God liberated ancient Israel from captivity to the Egyptians then marched them for over a month to the Wilderness of Sin. He then gave them the Sabbath command in the Wilderness of Sin. Assuming you claim keeping the Sabbath-breaking is a moral absolute and is inherently sinful, why do you think God would allow them to continue in sin during that period of time?
6. None of the sin lists in the epistles to the Gentiles mention Sabbath-breaking as a sin. If Sabbath-breaking is inherently a sin, why is Sabbath-breaking never mentioned as a sin in any of the sin lists to the Gentiles?
7. No instructions are recorded in the Gentile churches regarding how to keep the Sabbath. How do you account for this absence if the Sabbath applies to New Covenant believers? If the Sabbath was applicable, such instruction would have inevitably been a part of the apostolic teachings.
8. It is reasonable to assume that slaves with unbelieving Gentile masters were saved in the early Church. It is also reasonable to assume that some of their masters would not give them the freedom to take a day off from their normal labors. How do you reconcile this reasonable assumption with the idea that a believer must keep the Sabbath as a condition, requirement or necessary fruit of salvation?
9. Often the example of the Apostle Paul is used as a proof that Sabbathkeeping must be observed. The reasoning is this: Paul observed the Sabbath, so I must observe the Sabbath too. Since Paul’s primary mission was to preach the Gospel, wouldn’t it be natural for him to go to synagogues on Saturday, where people would be gathered together at one time in one public place? All of the of the references to the Sabbath after the birth of the Church in Acts are incidences where Paul was attending the synagogue on the Sabbath where people were gathered so he could reach them with the Gospel, except for one which was a prayer meeting of Jewish believers alongside the river.
10. Why is the word “custom” used in Acts 17:2 to refer to Paul’s visits to the Synagogue on the Sabbath if it was a requirement? The word “custom” doesn’t infer a mandatory observance; it infers an optional observance.
11. Why does John refer to the Passover as the Jews’ Feast of the Passover in John 6:4, and the Feast of Tabernacles as the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles in John 7:2, if they apply to everyone?
12. Colossians 2:16-17 states the following: [SUP]16 [/SUP]Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. [SUP]17 [/SUP]These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. The Seventh Day Adventist church claims that Sabbath in this verse doesn’t refer to the weekly Sabbath, but to annual Sabbaths. Annual Sabbaths are called festivals, and festivals are already mentioned. For Seventh Day Adventists, how do you account for this inconsistency?
13. Seventh Day Adventists admit that the word “Sabbath” applies to the weekly Sabbath, the Greek word sabbaton, the other 59 times that it is employed in the New Testament, but not in Colossians 2:16-17. Is this employment of consistent reasoning?
14. Are you aware that the Apostle Paul was a Jewish Christian and as such, it would be nothing unusual for him to keep the Sabbath and the Holy Days? Acts 21 clearly indicates that Jewish Christians continued to observe elements of the Old Covenant, including circumcision, even though they were not required. Gentile believers were not required to observe the Old Covenant, except for four elements, as per Acts 15. The same state of affairs was in effect when Acts 21 was written years later.
15. Are you aware that copies of the Scriptures were not readily available to the vast majority of people in the apostolic Church, except in the synagogues, and that is why both Jewish and Gentile believers went to the synagogue on Sabbath? Copies of the Scriptures were housed in the synagogues and were read on Sabbath. Therefore, it is nothing unusual to see New Covenant Christians, particularly Jewish ones, going to the synagogue on the Sabbath to hear the Scriptures read.
16. Are you aware that Jewish believers continued to keep elements of the Old Covenant, including circumcision, even though they were not required (Acts 21:20ff)? They did this to remain viable witnesses to their community, just like some Messianic Jews do today. Therefore, any mention of Jewish Christians observing elements of the Old Covenant is not surprising and does not support Sabbath or festival observance for everyone.
17. God gave Noah every moving thing that lives for food in Genesis 9:3. Last time I knew, pigs live and move. Assuming you think these prohibitions were not established the Old Covenant and have always been followed by God’s people, how do you rationalize this statement? By the way, I know that the clean/unclean designation for animals with regards to sacrificial purposes was mentioned in the post- Flood account, but there’s no indication that this affected diet at all.
18. Jesus clearly stated that there is nothing eaten which defiles a person, but that evil attitudes and thoughts are what defiles a person (Mark 7:14-23). He declared all foods clean implicitly through these remarks. Luke recognized this in verse 19 when he said Thus he declared all foods clean. If you claim the clean/unclean meat laws still apply, how do you rationalize Mark’s clear statement? By the way, Mark was writing retrospectively after the Cross so his parenthetical statement must be considered in that light. Jesus was making a declaration here, and it could not apply to something that was previously clean…that would be nonsense.
19. The Apostle Paul said he was convinced that nothing was unclean in itself in Romans 14:14-17 and that the kingdom of God wasn’t about food and drinking. If this is so, why do you claim that clean and unclean meat laws must be observed by New Covenant Christians? Do you have a better understanding of righteousness than the Apostle Paul?
20. A common claim with those who claim that Old Covenant laws still apply to New Covenant Christians is that God’s laws never change because God never changes. If it is true that God’s laws never change and that he always works the same way throughout time with mankind, why do most individuals acknowledge that physical circumcision and animal sacrifices no longer apply to New Covenant Christians?
Here are my questions:
1. Colossians 2:16-17 says that the Sabbaths and annual festivals are shadows. Hebrews 10:1-2 uses similar language with regards to animal sacrifices, calling them mere shadows whose reality is Christ. If Hebrews 10:1-2 clearly identifies animal sacrifices as mere shadows, implying relative insignificance to the Reality, which is Christ, why do you think that they apply to New Covenant Christians?
2. A typical claim is that the Sabbath was observed prior to Moses by faithful individuals. Can you demonstrate one case where any human being observed the Sabbath prior to Exodus 16?
3. Often, the claim is made that the Sabbath was a perpetual covenant. The implication is that because the word “perpetual” is used, the Sabbath is required today. However, the same Hebrew word, olam, translated “everlasting”, is used with regards to physical circumcision in Genesis 17:3. There are an abundance of Scriptures in the New Testament that state that physical circumcision is no longer required of New Covenant Christians. So, is it reasonable to use the argument that the Sabbath is still binding on New Covenant Christians due to the use of the word “perpetual” or “everlasting” , when we see that the same language is used in regards to physical circumcision (note the words “in the flesh” precludes any possibility of spiritualizing the meaning)?
4. The Old Covenant was made between God and Israel. Why do Sabbathkeepers and Torah observers insist that its terms, including the Sabbaths, festivals, clean and unclean meat laws, and triple tithing, apply to New Covenant Christians? New Covenant Christians were never part of this covenant to begin with. See Exodus 31:12-17 to confirm that the Old Covenant was made between God and Israelites.
5. God liberated ancient Israel from captivity to the Egyptians then marched them for over a month to the Wilderness of Sin. He then gave them the Sabbath command in the Wilderness of Sin. Assuming you claim keeping the Sabbath-breaking is a moral absolute and is inherently sinful, why do you think God would allow them to continue in sin during that period of time?
6. None of the sin lists in the epistles to the Gentiles mention Sabbath-breaking as a sin. If Sabbath-breaking is inherently a sin, why is Sabbath-breaking never mentioned as a sin in any of the sin lists to the Gentiles?
7. No instructions are recorded in the Gentile churches regarding how to keep the Sabbath. How do you account for this absence if the Sabbath applies to New Covenant believers? If the Sabbath was applicable, such instruction would have inevitably been a part of the apostolic teachings.
8. It is reasonable to assume that slaves with unbelieving Gentile masters were saved in the early Church. It is also reasonable to assume that some of their masters would not give them the freedom to take a day off from their normal labors. How do you reconcile this reasonable assumption with the idea that a believer must keep the Sabbath as a condition, requirement or necessary fruit of salvation?
9. Often the example of the Apostle Paul is used as a proof that Sabbathkeeping must be observed. The reasoning is this: Paul observed the Sabbath, so I must observe the Sabbath too. Since Paul’s primary mission was to preach the Gospel, wouldn’t it be natural for him to go to synagogues on Saturday, where people would be gathered together at one time in one public place? All of the of the references to the Sabbath after the birth of the Church in Acts are incidences where Paul was attending the synagogue on the Sabbath where people were gathered so he could reach them with the Gospel, except for one which was a prayer meeting of Jewish believers alongside the river.
10. Why is the word “custom” used in Acts 17:2 to refer to Paul’s visits to the Synagogue on the Sabbath if it was a requirement? The word “custom” doesn’t infer a mandatory observance; it infers an optional observance.
11. Why does John refer to the Passover as the Jews’ Feast of the Passover in John 6:4, and the Feast of Tabernacles as the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles in John 7:2, if they apply to everyone?
12. Colossians 2:16-17 states the following: [SUP]16 [/SUP]Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. [SUP]17 [/SUP]These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. The Seventh Day Adventist church claims that Sabbath in this verse doesn’t refer to the weekly Sabbath, but to annual Sabbaths. Annual Sabbaths are called festivals, and festivals are already mentioned. For Seventh Day Adventists, how do you account for this inconsistency?
13. Seventh Day Adventists admit that the word “Sabbath” applies to the weekly Sabbath, the Greek word sabbaton, the other 59 times that it is employed in the New Testament, but not in Colossians 2:16-17. Is this employment of consistent reasoning?
14. Are you aware that the Apostle Paul was a Jewish Christian and as such, it would be nothing unusual for him to keep the Sabbath and the Holy Days? Acts 21 clearly indicates that Jewish Christians continued to observe elements of the Old Covenant, including circumcision, even though they were not required. Gentile believers were not required to observe the Old Covenant, except for four elements, as per Acts 15. The same state of affairs was in effect when Acts 21 was written years later.
15. Are you aware that copies of the Scriptures were not readily available to the vast majority of people in the apostolic Church, except in the synagogues, and that is why both Jewish and Gentile believers went to the synagogue on Sabbath? Copies of the Scriptures were housed in the synagogues and were read on Sabbath. Therefore, it is nothing unusual to see New Covenant Christians, particularly Jewish ones, going to the synagogue on the Sabbath to hear the Scriptures read.
16. Are you aware that Jewish believers continued to keep elements of the Old Covenant, including circumcision, even though they were not required (Acts 21:20ff)? They did this to remain viable witnesses to their community, just like some Messianic Jews do today. Therefore, any mention of Jewish Christians observing elements of the Old Covenant is not surprising and does not support Sabbath or festival observance for everyone.
17. God gave Noah every moving thing that lives for food in Genesis 9:3. Last time I knew, pigs live and move. Assuming you think these prohibitions were not established the Old Covenant and have always been followed by God’s people, how do you rationalize this statement? By the way, I know that the clean/unclean designation for animals with regards to sacrificial purposes was mentioned in the post- Flood account, but there’s no indication that this affected diet at all.
18. Jesus clearly stated that there is nothing eaten which defiles a person, but that evil attitudes and thoughts are what defiles a person (Mark 7:14-23). He declared all foods clean implicitly through these remarks. Luke recognized this in verse 19 when he said Thus he declared all foods clean. If you claim the clean/unclean meat laws still apply, how do you rationalize Mark’s clear statement? By the way, Mark was writing retrospectively after the Cross so his parenthetical statement must be considered in that light. Jesus was making a declaration here, and it could not apply to something that was previously clean…that would be nonsense.
19. The Apostle Paul said he was convinced that nothing was unclean in itself in Romans 14:14-17 and that the kingdom of God wasn’t about food and drinking. If this is so, why do you claim that clean and unclean meat laws must be observed by New Covenant Christians? Do you have a better understanding of righteousness than the Apostle Paul?
20. A common claim with those who claim that Old Covenant laws still apply to New Covenant Christians is that God’s laws never change because God never changes. If it is true that God’s laws never change and that he always works the same way throughout time with mankind, why do most individuals acknowledge that physical circumcision and animal sacrifices no longer apply to New Covenant Christians?
