Shabbat (Intent-- not Timing)

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TMS

Senior Member
Mar 21, 2015
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#21
Sure. I don't align myself with Jews. If that's your idea of Christianity, fine. I can't find that in the New Testament myself, but whatever makes you happy.
Do you follow the whole Bible? Are you saying that the words in the old Testament do not count?
They are all from God. Old and New.

The shadows are the things set up after sin to point people to Jesus.

The shadows help us understand today but no longer need to be practised because Jesus fulfilled the types.

The Sabbath was made holy before sin entered.
How is that a shadow if there is no sin in the world?
 

Soyeong

Active member
Oct 11, 2023
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#22
Whatever. I'll live in the light, feel free to live in the shadow.
The Bible repeatedly connects living in obedience to God's commandments with light and sin in disobedience to God's commandment with darkness (Proverbs 6:23, Psalms 119:105, 1 John 1:5-7) and never describes living in disobedience to God's commandments as living in the light.
 

TMS

Senior Member
Mar 21, 2015
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#23
The Bible repeatedly connects living in obedience to God's commandments with light and sin in disobedience to God's commandment with darkness (Proverbs 6:23, Psalms 119:105, 1 John 1:5-7) and never describes living in disobedience to God's commandments as living in the light.
True

Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Jesus said this. And said blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments so he doesn't walk in shame.

Walking is an action and we have a choice to make.
To keep the garment is a choice.
 

SabbathBlessing

Well-known member
Dec 13, 2023
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#24
Mark 2:27 - And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

Mark 2:28 - Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

Colossians, Chapter 2: KJV

6Let 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:
17Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

(excerpt from Article)

  1. In Colossians 2:16-17, Paul explicitly refers to the Sabbath as a shadow of Christ, which is no longer binding since the substance (Christ) has come. It is quite clear in those verses that the weekly Sabbath is in view. The phrase "a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day" refers to the annual, monthly, and weekly holy days of the Jewish calendar (cf. 1 Chronicles 23:31; 2 Chronicles 2:4; 31:3; Ezekiel 45:17; Hosea 2:11). If Paul were referring to special ceremonial dates of rest in that passage, why would he have used the word "Sabbath?" He had already mentioned the ceremonial dates when he spoke of festivals and new moons.
  2. The Sabbath was the sign to Israel of the Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 31:16-17; Ezekiel 20:12; Nehemiah 9:14). Since we are now under the New Covenant (Hebrews 8), we are no longer required to observe the sign of the Mosaic Covenant.
  3. The New Testament never commands Christians to observe the Sabbath.
  4. In our only glimpse of an early church worship service in the New Testament, the church met on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7).
  5. Nowhere in the Old Testament are the Gentile nations commanded to observe the Sabbath or condemned for failing to do so. That is certainly strange if Sabbath observance were meant to be an eternal moral principle.
  6. There is no evidence in the Bible of anyone keeping the Sabbath before the time of Moses, nor are there any commands in the Bible to keep the Sabbath before the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai.
  7. When the Apostles met at the Jerusalem council (Acts 15), they did not impose Sabbath keeping on the Gentile believers.
  8. The apostle Paul warned the Gentiles about many different sins in his epistles, but breaking the Sabbath was never one of them.
  9. In Galatians 4:10-11, Paul rebukes the Galatians for thinking God expected them to observe special days (including the Sabbath).
  10. In Romans 14:5, Paul forbids those who observe the Sabbath (these were no doubt Jewish believers) to condemn those who do not (Gentile believers).
  11. The early church fathers, from Ignatius to Augustine, taught that the Old Testament Sabbath had been abolished and that the first day of the week (Sunday) was the day when Christians should meet for worship (contrary to the claim of many seventh-day sabbatarians who claim that Sunday worship was not instituted until the fourth century).
  12. Sunday has not replaced Saturday as the Sabbath. Rather the Lord's Day is a time when believers gather to commemorate His resurrection, which occurred on the first day of the week. Every day to the believer is one of Sabbath rest, since we have ceased from our spiritual labor and are resting in the salvation of the Lord (Hebrews 4:9-11).

(here)

Are the Sabbath laws binding on Christians today? - Grace to You

Pretty clear to me that celebration of the Sabbath(s) under the Law were for the Jews and NOT for Christians today.
I forgot to answer the most important question regarding why there is no direct command to keep the Sabbath in the NC. I do disagree with that if we truly understand Heb 4:4, 9-11 Heb 8:10 Mat 5:19-30 Mat 19:17-19 Mat 15:3-9 Mark 7:7-13 James 2:10-12 John 14:15 Rev 14:12 Rev 12:17 Rev 22:14 and so many others and the fact everyone who we are to follow in scripture kept the Sabbath - God Exo 20:11, Jesus Luke 4:16 the apotles Acts 13:42-44 Acts 18:4 but the most important reason if we have to have room for faith. Most Christians agree we should not break the other 9 commandments, but when it comes to the Sabbath commandment for some reason people will do anything but that. It’s the one commandment God started with “Remember” like God would have the foresight His people would forget. It’s the only commandment that use the words holy and blessed and the only commandment that reveals our Creator. So it’s strange to me why there is so much controversy over the Sabbath commandment. I wrote about it more here if interested https://christianchat.com/bible-discussion-forum/the-sabbath.213758/page-56#post-5244205
 

FollowerofShiloh

Well-known member
Jan 24, 2024
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#25
Sure. I don't align myself with Jews. If that's your idea of Christianity, fine. I can't find that in the New Testament myself, but whatever makes you happy.
Do you serve the God of Abraham?
You are more aligned now more than ever before because even though there is neither Jew nor Greek there's still only "one way" to the Father. The Jews might had called Gentiles following Yahweh wannabe Jews, but God never classified them as that. He only saw them as followers of Himself like He does today.
 

stilllearning

Well-known member
Oct 4, 2021
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#26
Factually speaking I believe that the Sabbath was a truly pivotal issue of our salvation as it's most dogmatic proponent's insured that the Lord of glory was nailed to the tree.
 

posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
37,711
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#27
Have you ever asked why YHWH would place such importance on the Sabbath?
it's written in two places, so that Israel would know that it is God Who sanctifies.

so the question is why it is so important to know that He sets apart those who are His, rather than man who sets himself apart to God.

and the answer is that glory belongs to God alone; no one can boast.
 

Gideon300

Well-known member
Mar 18, 2021
5,277
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#28
Do you serve the God of Abraham?
You are more aligned now more than ever before because even though there is neither Jew nor Greek there's still only "one way" to the Father. The Jews might had called Gentiles following Yahweh wannabe Jews, but God never classified them as that. He only saw them as followers of Himself like He does today.
Whatever.
 

Gideon300

Well-known member
Mar 18, 2021
5,277
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#29
Do you follow the whole Bible? Are you saying that the words in the old Testament do not count?
They are all from God. Old and New.

The shadows are the things set up after sin to point people to Jesus.

The shadows help us understand today but no longer need to be practised because Jesus fulfilled the types.

The Sabbath was made holy before sin entered.
How is that a shadow if there is no sin in the world?
Believe what you like. If you want to follow the sabbath law, you have a number of issues to address.
1. You will go to hell if you break the law
2. You will have to work out what constitutes work.
3. You will have to work out what it means to keep the sabbath holy
4. You will have to follow the rules scrupulously to ensure that you don't break them

The Law is set in stone. One Israelite was executed for collecting firewood on the sabbath. I was in the military when I was saved, on a warship during the Vietnam War. I knew nothing of a sabbath and the Navy was not about to observe it either. So I broke the law almost immediately. I'm still here so I avoided being stoned to death.

Do you believe that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob observed the sabbath? What passages of the Bible support that idea? And why is the sabbath hardly mentioned in the NT, even to the gentile believers in the epistles? "Let no man judge you" Paul said to the Colossians. I came to Christ a bit over 50 years ago. The law has done its job. I now live according to the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. He has not punished me for putting petrol in my car on a Sunday or for riding my bike for an hour or so. My relationship with Jesus is 24/7, not one day a week. I put time aside for my Lord every day.
 

Cameron143

Well-known member
Mar 1, 2022
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#30
Do you follow the whole Bible? Are you saying that the words in the old Testament do not count?
They are all from God. Old and New.

The shadows are the things set up after sin to point people to Jesus.

The shadows help us understand today but no longer need to be practised because Jesus fulfilled the types.

The Sabbath was made holy before sin entered.
How is that a shadow if there is no sin in the world?
Creation itself was before sin and from it we know the invisible things.
 

vassal

Well-known member
Jan 20, 2024
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#31
Though the commandments were given to Israel in order to equip them to be a light and a blessing to the Gentiles by turning the Gentiles from their wickedness and teaching them to obey it in accordance with the promise and with spreading the Gospel. In Isaiah 56, the Sabbath is clearly also for Gentiles who become followers of the God of Israel.
yes also for the gentiles but you forget to mention the wickedness of Israel, it is documented hundreds of times in the O.T. over and over they disobeyed GOD and worshipped false gods.

Peace
 

Seeker47

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2018
1,105
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#32
yes also for the gentiles but you forget to mention the wickedness of Israel, it is documented hundreds of times in the O.T. over and over they disobeyed GOD and worshipped false gods.

Peace
Just like many "Christians" today.
 

posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
37,711
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#33
Creation itself was before sin and from it we know the invisible things.
we also see the effects of sin on the creation, but it didn't begin to speak of Him only after it was corrupted with death.

the sun and moon, the heavens declare Him from. the beginning, but there still shadows
 

Cameron143

Well-known member
Mar 1, 2022
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#34
we also see the effects of sin on the creation, but it didn't begin to speak of Him only after it was corrupted with death.

the sun and moon, the heavens declare Him from. the beginning, but there still shadows
Creation praises God incessantly. God's people would do well to learn from it.
 

Soyeong

Active member
Oct 11, 2023
846
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#35
it's written in two places, so that Israel would know that it is God Who sanctifies.

so the question is why it is so important to know that He sets apart those who are His, rather than man who sets himself apart to God.

and the answer is that glory belongs to God alone; no one can boast.
Keeping the Sabbath holy testifies that God sanctifies us, so those who believe that to be true will live in a way that testifies about its truth by keeping the Sabbath holy.
 

Soyeong

Active member
Oct 11, 2023
846
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#36
yes also for the gentiles but you forget to mention the wickedness of Israel, it is documented hundreds of times in the O.T. over and over they disobeyed GOD and worshipped false gods.

Peace
The purpose for which God's law was given remains the same regardless of Israel going through redemption cycles of disobedience and repentance. Israel is a light and a blessing the nations either by being an example for us to follow or by being an example for us to avoid following, and in 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, we are to use Israel's disobedience to the Mosaic Law as an example of what we should avoid doing, not as an example for us to copy. Someone who doesn't obey the Mosaic Law does not have any room to call Israel out for not obeying it.
 

Soyeong

Active member
Oct 11, 2023
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#37
Believe what you like. If you want to follow the sabbath law, you have a number of issues to address.
1. You will go to hell if you break the law
2. You will have to work out what constitutes work.
3. You will have to work out what it means to keep the sabbath holy
4. You will have to follow the rules scrupulously to ensure that you don't break them
It is a sin for someone to commit murder regardless of whether or not they want to follow the law against committing murder, they should understand what it means to commit murder regardless of whether or not they want to follow that law, and the same goes for God's other laws.

The Law is set in stone. One Israelite was executed for collecting firewood on the sabbath. I was in the military when I was saved, on a warship during the Vietnam War. I knew nothing of a sabbath and the Navy was not about to observe it either. So I broke the law almost immediately. I'm still here so I avoided being stoned to death.
It would be unjust to enforce a penalty that Jesus has already paid. Still, the fact that God considers breaking the Sabbath to be worthy of the death penalty and the fact that Jesus gave himself to pay that penalty should make us want to go and sin no more.

Do you believe that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob observed the sabbath?
Yes.

What passages of the Bible support that idea?
In Matthew 4:15-23, Jesus began his ministry with the Gospel message to repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand, which was a light to the nations, and the Mosaic Law was how his audience knew what sin is (Romans 3:20), so repenting from our disobedience to it is a central part the Gospel of the Kingdom, which is in accordance with Jesus being sent in fulfillment of the promise to bless us by turning us from our wickedness, which is the Gospel that was made known in advance to Abraham in accordance with the promise (Galatians 3:8), which he spread to Gentiles in Haran in accordance with the promise (Genesis 12:1-5)

In Genesis 18:19, God knew Abraham that he would teach his children and those of his household to walk in God's way by doing righteousness and justice that the Lord may bring to him all that He has promised. In Genesis 26:4-5, God will multiply Abraham's children as the stars in the heaven, to his children He will given all of these lands, and through his children all of the nations of the earth will be blessed because he heard God's voice and kept His charge, His commandments, His statutes, and His laws. In Deuteronomy 30:16, if the children of Abraham will love God with all of their heart by obeying His commandments, statutes, and laws, then they will live and multiply and God will bless them in the land that they go to possess. So the promise was made to Abraham and brought about because he walked in God's way in obedience to His law, he taught his children and those of his household to do that in accordance with spreading the Gospel of the Kingdom that was made known in advance to him, and because his children did that in obedience to the Mosaic Law. In John 8:39, Jesus connected the works that they should be doing with the works that Abraham did, and the works that they should be doing were in obedience to the Mosaic Law. Moreover, there are many verses that describe the Mosaic Law as being God's way, so both Abraham and Moses walked in God's way in obedience to His law and taught others to do that.

And why is the sabbath hardly mentioned in the NT, even to the gentile believers in the epistles? "Let no man judge you" Paul said to the Colossians.
Not offering children to Molech isn't mentioned at all in the NT, but that doesn't mean that we are free to do that. The vast majority of people that Jesus interacted with were Jews who were keeping the Sabbath holy, so it is not like we should expect him to go around telling everyone that they need to be keeping it, so it brought up an number of times. In Colossians 2:16-23, the Colossians were keeping God's holy days in obedience to His commands, they were being judged by pagans who were promoting human precepts and teachings, self-made religion, asceticism, and severity to the body, and Paul was encouraging them not to let any man judge them for keeping God's holy days. So it is ironic when people try to use that verse to justify their refusal to keep God's holy days.

I came to Christ a bit over 50 years ago. The law has done its job. I now live according to the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus.
What reason do you have for thinking that the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus is something other than or contrary to what the Father commanded to Moses?

He has not punished me for putting petrol in my car on a Sunday or for riding my bike for an hour or so.
Do not mistake God's patience for permission.

My relationship with Jesus is 24/7, not one day a week. I put time aside for my Lord every day.
The way to have a relationship with Jesus is not by rejecting God's instructions for how to do that. The command to keep the Sabbath holy is not the command to have a relationship with God one day week.
 

Cameron143

Well-known member
Mar 1, 2022
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#38
It is a sin for someone to commit murder regardless of whether or not they want to follow the law against committing murder, they should understand what it means to commit murder regardless of whether or not they want to follow that law, and the same goes for God's other laws.


It would be unjust to enforce a penalty that Jesus has already paid. Still, the fact that God considers breaking the Sabbath to be worthy of the death penalty and the fact that Jesus gave himself to pay that penalty should make us want to go and sin no more.


Yes.


In Matthew 4:15-23, Jesus began his ministry with the Gospel message to repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand, which was a light to the nations, and the Mosaic Law was how his audience knew what sin is (Romans 3:20), so repenting from our disobedience to it is a central part the Gospel of the Kingdom, which is in accordance with Jesus being sent in fulfillment of the promise to bless us by turning us from our wickedness, which is the Gospel that was made known in advance to Abraham in accordance with the promise (Galatians 3:8), which he spread to Gentiles in Haran in accordance with the promise (Genesis 12:1-5)

In Genesis 18:19, God knew Abraham that he would teach his children and those of his household to walk in God's way by doing righteousness and justice that the Lord may bring to him all that He has promised. In Genesis 26:4-5, God will multiply Abraham's children as the stars in the heaven, to his children He will given all of these lands, and through his children all of the nations of the earth will be blessed because he heard God's voice and kept His charge, His commandments, His statutes, and His laws. In Deuteronomy 30:16, if the children of Abraham will love God with all of their heart by obeying His commandments, statutes, and laws, then they will live and multiply and God will bless them in the land that they go to possess. So the promise was made to Abraham and brought about because he walked in God's way in obedience to His law, he taught his children and those of his household to do that in accordance with spreading the Gospel of the Kingdom that was made known in advance to him, and because his children did that in obedience to the Mosaic Law. In John 8:39, Jesus connected the works that they should be doing with the works that Abraham did, and the works that they should be doing were in obedience to the Mosaic Law. Moreover, there are many verses that describe the Mosaic Law as being God's way, so both Abraham and Moses walked in God's way in obedience to His law and taught others to do that.


Not offering children to Molech isn't mentioned at all in the NT, but that doesn't mean that we are free to do that. The vast majority of people that Jesus interacted with were Jews who were keeping the Sabbath holy, so it is not like we should expect him to go around telling everyone that they need to be keeping it, so it brought up an number of times. In Colossians 2:16-23, the Colossians were keeping God's holy days in obedience to His commands, they were being judged by pagans who were promoting human precepts and teachings, self-made religion, asceticism, and severity to the body, and Paul was encouraging them not to let any man judge them for keeping God's holy days. So it is ironic when people try to use that verse to justify their refusal to keep God's holy days.


What reason do you have for thinking that the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus is something other than or contrary to what the Father commanded to Moses?


Do not mistake God's patience for permission.


The way to have a relationship with Jesus is not by rejecting God's instructions for how to do that. The command to keep the Sabbath holy is not the command to have a relationship with God one day week.
Romans 2:14 says Gentiles by nature keep the law. What is the nature by which they keep the law?
 

Soyeong

Active member
Oct 11, 2023
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#39
Romans 2:14 says Gentiles by nature keep the law. What is the nature by which they keep the law?
Believing Gentiles are doers of the Mosaic Law by partaking in the divine nature. The Bible often uses the same terms to describe the nature of God as it does to describe the nature of the Mosaic Law, such as with it being holy, righteous, and good (Romans 7:12), or with justice, mercy, and faithfulness being weightier matters of the Mosaic Law (Matthew 23:23), which is because it is God's instructions for how to act in accordance with those aspects of His nature. In Hebrews 1:3, the Son is the radiance of God's glory and exact image of His nature, which he expressed through setting a sinless example of how to walk in obedience to the Mosaic Law, so the way to partake in the divine nature is through following in his example and those who are partaking in the divine nature will by nature be doers of the what the Mosaic Law requires.
 

Cameron143

Well-known member
Mar 1, 2022
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#40
Believing Gentiles are doers of the Mosaic Law by partaking in the divine nature. The Bible often uses the same terms to describe the nature of God as it does to describe the nature of the Mosaic Law, such as with it being holy, righteous, and good (Romans 7:12), or with justice, mercy, and faithfulness being weightier matters of the Mosaic Law (Matthew 23:23), which is because it is God's instructions for how to act in accordance with those aspects of His nature. In Hebrews 1:3, the Son is the radiance of God's glory and exact image of His nature, which he expressed through setting a sinless example of how to walk in obedience to the Mosaic Law, so the way to partake in the divine nature is through following in his example and those who are partaking in the divine nature will by nature be doers of the what the Mosaic Law requires.
Right. The divine nature. And how did that work? Did they apply themselves to learning the law and keeping it, or did they walk in the Spirit?