Is there a sabbath day for Christians?

[ritelec]

From what I thought? From Christs crucifixion the weeks first day is now Monday and a sabbath is to be observed on Sunday.

Recent readings have shown me that the sabbath was never changed to Sunday. ( or it was by Constantine ) That the first day of the week is Sunday and the sabbath is still Saturday. But. That the NT states the ten commandments to be observed are now two which are to love god and to love others as yourself which would sum up 9 of the 10 but the observing the sabbath is omitted.

Is there no more sabbath day? Or at least one that christians should observe ?

Thank you.

 

[HeRoseFromTheDead]

The true sabbath is a person. Observe a day if you wish, but always rest in the lord.

 

[ritelec]

That's nice.

Thank you.

 

[crossnote]

Hebrews 3 and 4 will help explain that.

 

[ritelec]

Ok. Thank you.

 

[gotime]

From what I thought? From Christs crucifixion the weeks first day is now Monday and a sabbath is to be observed on Sunday.

Recent readings have shown me that the sabbath was never changed to Sunday. ( or it was by Constantine ) That the first day of the week is Sunday and the sabbath is still Saturday. But. That the NT states the ten commandments to be observed are now two which are to love god and to love others as yourself which would sum up 9 of the 10 but the observing the sabbath is omitted.

Is there no more sabbath day? Or at least one that christians should observe ?

Thank you.

First of all its not just the new testament that summed them up as such,

Luk 10:25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Luk 10:26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
Luk 10:27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
Luk 10:28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

Notice that this lawyer answered about what was written in the law. So this is not just New Testament but Old Testament teaching concerning the Old Covenant.

As is seen here:

Lev 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

Deu 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
Deu 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.


So if these were the summery of the law in the old testament which most certainly included the Sabbath, Then somehow the Sabbath fits into the message of Love.

The Sabbath was instituted in Genesis before sin came into the world by God Himself as it is written:

Gen 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
Gen 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
Gen 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

God made the 7th day holy and blessed it set it apart for holy use. But by who was it to be for holy use?

Mar 2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
Mar 2:28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.

Jesus said it was made for man thus it is clearly man who is to keep the Sabbath for Holy use.

As it is written of humanity:

Gen 5:1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
Gen 5:2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

Notice "their" name both Adam and Eve and the name Adam means here: mankind

So the Sabbath clearly was made not just for Jews but all mankind before sin entered into the world and thus is a good thing a gift from God.

It is the only Commandment of the 10 that links love for God with love for mankind.

Exo 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Exo 20:10 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:
Exo 20:11 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.

Notice the call to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Cause God made it holy at creation.

verse 11 clarifies this as the reason to remember it. But also notice two things,

It is "the Sabbath of the Lord thy God" Love for God as our creator. A weekly anniversary of our love for Him who created us.

but notice that even the stranger shall rest, love for our neighbors. we celebrate our love for God with them.

blessings.

 

[gotime]

The Sabbath was also a celebration and remembrance that God freed them from Egypt:

Deu 5:12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee.
Deu 5:13 Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work:
Deu 5:14 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, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.
Deu 5:15 And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.

The plague that freed them was the death of the firstborn where the Passover comes from which really is just a shadow of a reality in Christ. Which means that the true meaning for keeping the Sabbath is found not in the Passover in Egypt but the Death of Christ:

1Co_5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

Thus the Sabbath finds its truest application in Christ as our Passover lamb. Thus it is not degraded after the cross but established at the cross. The Sabbath is celebrated by those who acknowledge Jesus is creator and redeemer.

 

[fredoheaven]

The Sabbath was also a celebration and remembrance that God freed them from Egypt:

Deu 5:12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee.
Deu 5:13 Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work:
Deu 5:14 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, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.
Deu 5:15 And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.

The plague that freed them was the death of the firstborn where the Passover comes from which really is just a shadow of a reality in Christ. Which means that the true meaning for keeping the Sabbath is found not in the Passover in Egypt but the Death of Christ:

1Co_5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

Thus the Sabbath finds its truest application in Christ as our Passover lamb. Thus it is not degraded after the cross but established at the cross. The Sabbath is celebrated by those who acknowledge Jesus is creator and redeemer.

Hi,

I ask this based on the citation above in blue color:

Whom do you think are biggest Sabbath breakers? those who worship on Sunday or those who worship on Saturday?

Thanks

 

[FreeNChrist]

Yep, it was "today". Hebrews 3

 

[fredoheaven]

From what I thought? From Christs crucifixion the weeks first day is now Monday and a sabbath is to be observed on Sunday.

Recent readings have shown me that the sabbath was never changed to Sunday. ( or it was by Constantine ) That the first day of the week is Sunday and the sabbath is still Saturday. But. That the NT states the ten commandments to be observed are now two which are to love god and to love others as yourself which would sum up 9 of the 10 but the observing the sabbath is omitted.

Is there no more sabbath day? Or at least one that christians should observe ?

Thank you.

Hi,

There is no need to observe Sabbath. Sabbath is a sign to between God and Israel.

 

[fredoheaven]

yea, a Jewish Sabbath is not the same as American Sabbath observance...

 

[NarrowRoadDisciple]

The Law was a shadow of the substance that is in Christ. That is, the old covenant is a shadow and type of the new covenant we have in Christ. The Ritual and Ceremonial Law apply spiritually now, but the Moral Law is in effect today.

Thus, the spiritual application of the OT Sabbath is a Sabbath rest in Christ. We still keep the Sabbath as the ekklesia, but we keep it by resting in Christ.

 

[sassylady]

It is a rest from our works, but it is also good to have that one day a week that you rest yourself physically.

 

[Naturallycoily]

There is a Sabbath that should be observed. If you look at creation week (when God created the world), there are 7 days...the first being Sunday and the 7th being Saturday. However, the Sabbath was changed to Sunday by Constantine as a show of his acceptance of Christianity and also to allow pagans (who worshipped on Sunday) to be able to come into the church and feel free to worship as well. In a way this 'did away' with the true Sabbath, however the Sabbath was never changed and still is Saturday, the 7th day of the week. Calendars today are being changed as written in Daniel 7:25, putting Monday as the first day of the week instead of Sundayin order to confuse people and you'll notice this if you look at old calendars. In terms of the verses you mentioned in Matthew 22:36-40 (where Jesus mentions that the first commandment is to love God with all your heart and soul and the second is to love your neighbour as yourself), Jesus is not doing away with the ten commandments at all, remember in Matthew 5:17-18 he says "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.". Jesus wouldn't contradict himself by reducing the ten commandments to only two...if you look at the ten commandments, the first four regard how you should relate to God and the last six commandments regard how we should relate to our neighbour. Jesus was simply referring to the ten commandments in Matthew 22:36-40

 

[sparkman]

If anyone wants to dialogue with a former Sabbath/festival/clean and unclean meat law observer who changed from that view, feel free to contact me through email here on christianchat.com. I observed these things from about 1985 to 1995 as a member of Worldwide Church of God. In addition, I have made a lot of remarks regarding this topic in my profile if you care to read it.

I am no longer a Sabbath observer and attend an Evangelical Free Churches of America congregation. My doctrinal position is that of an ordinary, evangelical Christian.

My remarks below are not concerning Sabbathkeepers who observe Saturday as a matter of individual preference. The remarks are concerning those who claim that Sabbathkeeping is a requirement or condition or necessary fruit of salvation.

Most Sabbathkeepers (not all) believe that non-observers are sinning by non-observance, whether knowingly or unknowingly. They probably won’t tell you that up front, though. Their belief in this regard largely comes from their misunderstanding of I John 3:4.

Most Sabbathkeepers generally fail to understand the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. They will attempt to lead you down the path of a certain group of “proof texts” that lead you to think that keeping the Sabbath is a requirement for Christians, and that you are in sin for non-compliance. Their reasoning sounds pretty good on a surface level to those who are unacquainted with the context of their proof-texts, but when studied at a deeper level they aren’t credible.|

Quite often, their indoctrination includes a faulty view of church history which portrays Constantine or the Roman Catholic Church as the villains in a conspiracy theory to do away with “God’s law”, even though Sunday meetings within the church occurred much earlier and for different reasons than they claim.

It is plain what the focus of Christianity is; the focus is embedded in the name itself. It is about the unique God-man who came to die a substitutionary death on the behalf of the redeemed, so that those who repent and place their faith in Him can be forgiven and restored to a good relationship with God. In recognition of the monumental event of the crucifixion and the resurrection, which occurred on the first day of the week, it is appropriate for Christians to assemble on this day to celebrate and worship.

The Sabbath pointed to Jesus Christ and our life of faith in Him and his atonement as our spiritual rest (Matt 11:28-30, Hebrews 4:9-10, Colossians 2:16-17). The Sabbath was a type relating to this reality. It was a mere shadow. We have the Reality now, in our relationship with Jesus Christ. This relationship is a continuing rest; not just a certain day. We have peace now through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1).

It's a waste of time to argue with Sabbathkeepers concerning this issue, though. They are already indoctrinated into a worldview which is impossible to penetrate, except through the power of the Holy Spirit. They are convinced that they are the ones who know "the Truth" (their worldview) and that everyone else is deceived. I was exactly the same way, but I was the deceived one. I dialogue with such individuals occasionally, for the benefit of those who are reading the interaction, but there are some individuals I simply ignore because it’s hopeless. They are like a broken record which keeps repeating the teachings of their organization, even though I’ve addressed the same individual multiple times. I really only care about helping seekers who may be led astray by their attempts to evangelize.

If you are troubled by this issue, I suggest reading the book Sabbath in Christ by Dale Ratzlaff to study the issue of Sabbathkeeping and the Old and New Covenants before wasting years with their teachings…years that could be spent proclaiming Jesus Christ and him crucified. That’s the true gospel.

In addition to their lack of focus on Jesus Christ, the Sabbath/festival/clean unclean meat observance is usually only the tip of the iceberg as far as doctrinal problems. The Sabbath/festival clean unclean meat observances are non-essentials that a genuine Christian could observe, if done in the right spirit and not a condemning, accusatory one.

As an example of other doctrinal problems, the cultic group I was involved with, Armstrongism, denied the Trinity, claimed they were going to be fully God in the resurrection, and denied the salvation of all other believers outside of their organization. The Christian life, to them, was about proving one’s self obedient enough and to be worthy of being trusted with the full powers of Godhood. They considered Sabbath-breaking to be the Mark of the Beast. Other organizations deny the Trinity, the full deity of Jesus Christ, the writings of the apostle Paul, and follow extra-biblical writings such as their prophet or prophetess or the writings of Judaism such as the Talmud.

Many Sabbathkeepers are taught by people who are full of intellectual pride and vanity, and proclaim their superior knowledge to the world, just like the Armstrongites I belonged to. These teachers view everything within Christianity with evil suspicions, and seek to discredit it in any way they can to build themselves and their organizations up. As a result, they usually don’t hold just one aberrant theology but many.

They are contentious, argumentative people who criticize other organizations on small details, while teaching massive errors themselves. Control is sometimes part of their agenda, as well. For instance, many Messianic Jew and Hebrew Roots congregations have a “rabbi” which establishes himself between God and the believer to “properly interpret” the Scriptures. Sometimes these individuals appeal to their alleged or real Jewish ancestry to lay claim to this authority. Scripture has a lot to say about such individuals, and it is not good.

There are members of some of these organizations on this forum, including Armstrongites such as Restored Church of God, United Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God, and Living Church of God. In addition, some Hebrew Roots Movement adherents and Messianic Jew groups have doctrinal issues like I mentioned. Seventh Day Adventists claim to be the “remnant church” which in essence is a claim that they are the true church, and that Sunday observance will be the Mark of the Beast in the end times.

These comments do not universally apply to every Sabbathkeeper. I know some Sabbathkeepers who are just as frustrated by the wrong teachings of the individuals I am addressing. In fact, I would have no issue attending a church that observed Sabbath, the annual festivals and the clean/unclean meat laws, if there was one in my area that had sound theology and didn’t judge others or think themselves superior. These observances are not requirements, but I wouldn’t have a problem attending such a group..it doesn’t exist, though. I think it’s nearly IMPOSSIBLE to find such a group that isn’t judgmental and condemning toward others, except maybe Jews for Jesus. If you question this, watch some Youtube videos regarding Hebrew Roots and judge for yourself. The condescension of such individuals comes across plain and clear.

I have spoken to ethnic Jews who attend Jews for Jesus or other congregations who have warned me about such individuals. These ethnic Jews hold doctrinal positions very similar to my own but observe Saturday as a matter of their personal heritage and preference.

 

[Tintin]

Where do people get this nonsense about Constantine instigating the Sabbath as a Sunday? It's simply not true. You can't just revise history to suit your beliefs, like the secular humanists do. Early Christians met together on Sundays because Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, cheated death (rose from the dead) on that very day.

 

[sparkman]

Where do people get this nonsense about Constantine instigating the Sabbath as a Sunday? It's simply not true. You can't just revise history to suit your beliefs, like the secular humanists do. Early Christians met together on Sundays because Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, cheated death (rose from the dead) on that very day.

You know, another nonsense view of history that Armstrongites have is that Simon Magus of Acts 8 started the "mystery of iniquity" religion, which they relate to Roman Catholicism. Simon Magus was mentioned in Acts 8. They claim that Simon Magus was actually the first Pope. They say that the Roman Catholics confuse Simon Magus with Simon Peter, and that Simon Magus was the real first pope.

If you check that view out, it's a bunch of mythological garbage.

That's how these conspiracy theories develop. A bunch of random "facts" are linked to develop their view of history. Serious church historians laugh at such things.

By the way, a SDA historian, Samuele Bacchiocchi, agreed that virtually no Christians were observing the Sabbath by about AD 130. This is almost 200 years before Constantine and the Council at Nicea.

I've outlined the sequence of events that I see from the Bible and history on another thread.

Basically, some of the early church went to synagogue on Saturday to hear Scriptures read, and met on Sunday to take communion and to discuss the Scriptures from a Christian perspective on Sundays.

After the destruction of the Temple in AD70, Jews viewed Christians as traitors for leaving Jerusalem as Christ told them to in the Olivet Discourse. The Jews enacted the Eighteen Benedictions, one of which required them to make negative statements about Christ and Christianity, in about AD90. Further, a false Messiah called Simon Bar-Kokhba was being proclaimed by the Jews about AD130, and no true Christian would accept a false Messiah. So, apparently the Christians made a total transition by that time, except for some heretics named Ebionites.

There was an edict made by Constantine requiring Sunday rest in AD325, but it did not prohibit anyone from resting on Saturday. My understanding is that this was done to allow slaves and soldiers to rest.

In 363 AD, there was a ruling by the church anathematizing Judaizers who rested on the Sabbath, but my guess is that it was because there were troublemakers like the Galatians heretics trying to cause division in the Church.

Note that Rome was just a bishopric during this time, and did not become anything like what we know as the Catholic church until about 600 AD. So, any claim that the Roman Catholic Church changed the Sabbath to Sunday is nothing but a myth. They did not wield such power.

Some Catholic authorities have made such claims, but they also claim Peter was the first Pope..why give them credibility on such claims? As I said, they did not even exist as anything other than a bishopric until about 600 AD, although they were making boastful claims to pre-eminence in about 400 AD.

Yes, and like you mentioned, the first day is related to the resurrection. It is altogether fitting to celebrate the first day of the week. Christianity is all about Jesus Christ and the resurrection.

 

[fredoheaven]

I am no longer a Sabbath observer and attend an Evangelical Free Churches of America congregation. My doctrinal position is that of an ordinary, evangelical Christian.

Yea, I learned a lot from Chuck Swindoll during my teens from his "Insight for Living" radio program aired in one of local broadcasting network here in the Philippines.

 

[gotime]

Hi,

I ask this based on the citation above in blue color:

Whom do you think are biggest Sabbath breakers? those who worship on Sunday or those who worship on Saturday?

Thanks

Interesting Question, My first point would be that we should worship everyday.

Are you referring to Sabbath breaking or not keeping the Sabbath or working on the Sabbath, please clarify the question. thanx

 

[gotime]

Where do people get this nonsense about Constantine instigating the Sabbath as a Sunday? It's simply not true. You can't just revise history to suit your beliefs, like the secular humanists do. Early Christians met together on Sundays because Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, cheated death (rose from the dead) on that very day.

Hi Tintin, I am interested in why you think it is nonsense. History is very clear on Constantine role on the change for modern times.

Is it the "instigate" part? I know that there were Christians keeping Sunday from very early on, we can read this from the early church fathers. Just as History shows that there were Christians still keeping the 7th day in every century.