is the seventh-day sabbath still important if you believe in grace?

7/30/2019 Is the Seventh-day Sabbath Still Important If You Believe in Grace?

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Sabbath and grace (revised 12/3/1999) /1

Is the seventh-day Sabbathstill important

if you believe in grace?

By

J. David Newman, D. Min.

Senior pastor ofNew Hope Churcha contemporary Seventh-day Adventist congregation

in theChesapeake Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

Revised December 3, 1999


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Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Organization of this Article . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

A. WHY MOST CHRISTIANS DO NOT KEEP THE SABBATH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Psychology and Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Tragic Mistake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Agreement through Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

B. WHY THE SABBATH IS IMPORTANT TODAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Grace Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Sabbath Origin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Sabbath reminds us of creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Sabbath as Holy Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Sabbath and Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Progressive Truth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Legalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Sabbath Reminds us of Redemption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Sabbath Rest in Hebrews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13The Sabbath Given to Build Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Sabbath and Worship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

C. SABBATH KEEPERS WHO REJECT THE SABBATH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

D. HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN DECISION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Think for Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

For Further Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

APPENDIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Romans 14:5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Are holy days discussed in this passage?

By Dr. J. David Newman

Colossians 2:16-17Is the weekly Sabbath a part of this text? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22


How shall we keep the Sabbath?By Dr. John Brunt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28


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Introduction

I am writing this article for friends of

the gospelthose who love grace, havediscovered the precious truth of righteousnessby faith and never want to lose it, and may even

fear that if any other truth is emphasized, it will

eclipse the wonderful message of salvation.I have read several books recently

published on the Sabbath and other materialdiscussing whether it is still valid for newcovenant Christians. When you boil down

everything that is being said, cut through all theverbiage, you can sum up the current discussionin just a few words:

Those who believe the fourth command-

ment is still literally binding on Christians are

legalistic; while those who believe the fourth

commandment is no longer literally binding,but the other nine still are, are NOT legalistic.

How can gospel-loving people have

such different understandings? I hope thefollowing discussion will help clarify rather

than further muddy the issues swirling aroundthe Sabbath. This is not an exhaustive study ofthe subject, and at the end of this article, I have

listed other sources you may want to review.

Organization of this Article

I will cover four big questions thatpeople have recently been asking me:

A. Why do the majority of Christians

not keep the seventh day as the Sabbath? Ifthis day is so important, if it is clearly set forthin Scripture, clearly part of the Ten Command-

ments, why do so many Christians worship onor keep another day?

B. Is the Old Testament Sabbath still

relevant for New Testament Christians? Is theresomething unique or special about this day?Does it only point us back to creation, or does it

also symbolize grace, righteousness by faith,and resting in the finished work of Jesus?

C. Why would people who have keptthe seventh-day Sabbath stop keeping it and, insome cases, actually become antagonistic

toward it?D. How can I make a decision about

the importance of the Sabbath when scholarsand pastors cannot agree?

A. WHY MOST CHRISTIANS DO NOT

KEEP THE SABBATH

Why do the majority of Christians notkeep the Sabbath? Can people like BillyGraham and Bill Hybels be wrong? Since they

are godly men, why does God not reveal theSabbath truth to them if it is, in fact, stillrelevant? Isn't it just a little arrogant of us to

think we have more light on the Sabbath thanthe majority of Christians in the world today?

Godly people have disagreed over many

things down through the centuries, such asbaptism by immersion or sprinkling, whathappens to the soul at death, and the existence

of an ever-burning hell. Although there may befar more Christians who believe one way than

those who believe another on any given issue,truth is never determined by majority vote.

Fortunately for us, God does not grant

salvation based on the correctness of ourtheology, but whether or not we accept Jesus asour Lord and Savior. We are not saved by our

knowledge, but by Gods grace.This point is very important in the

present discussion. Sabbath keeping never has

been and never will be the basis of anyonessalvation. From the time of Adam to thepresent, people have always been saved in the

same wayonly by grace.

Psychology and Experience

So why do good people differ in theirthinking? Psychology, which is the study of themind and behaviorexperience, if you willis

the answer. Our life experiences, what we weretaught, how we were treated by others, all

influence our frame of referencethe lens bywhich we view ourselves, others, the world,and even Scripture. So to a large degree each


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persons experience in life determines how heor she interprets the Bible.

For instance, suppose two girls grow upin non-Christian homes, and in their late teensboth attend meetings where they learn about

God. Now suppose one comes from a stable,

loving home where both parents haveconsistently provided nurture and support, and

the other girl comes from an unstable homewhere she has been physically or sexuallyabused by her father much of her life. When

they hear God described as a Father, the girlfrom the nurturing home will have adramatically different picture than the girl from

the abusive home.In the same manner, someone who

grows up in a home where the Sabbath is

treasured and looked forward to each week willview it in a much different light than someonewho grows up in a home where the Sabbath is

kept without joy and seen as a requirementrather than a blessing. In each case, the persons

beliefs are greatly colored by their ownpersonal experiences.

I give these illustrations to help frame

the current discussion about the Sabbath. Welike to believe we are totally objective, ornearly so, when it comes to interpreting

Scripture. But if this were true, then most of uswould agree on the important topics in theBible; and we do not. Obviously, we each

interpret Scripture through our own lifeexperiences.

God speaks to each of us through our

individual experiences. He has no other way.If He talked to me in German, I would notunderstand. That is not my experience. If he

talked to me as an African American, I wouldnot understand. That is not my experience. Ifhe talked to me as a Hebrew scholar, I would

not understand. I am not well versed inHebrew.

So God speaks to me in my experience,and to you in yours. Does this mean there is noobjective truth? Certainly not. There are

absolutes. There are things that are clearlygood and things that are clearly evil. But all

truth is given within a context, and we neglectthat context at our own peril.

Tragic Mistake

Joshua, chapter 9, is a classicillustration of relying on experience alone. The

Gibeonites fear they will soon be swallowed upby the Israelites who are conquering Canaan, sothey pretend their country is far away, thus

removing any apparent threat and enabling theIsraelites to enter into an alliance with them.Their delegation comes with worn out sacks,

old wineskinscracked and mended, worn andpatched sandals, and moldy bread.

When the Israelites hear their story, they

accept it because experience teaches that peoplewho start a journey with new provisions whichbecome old and worn before reaching their

destination, have traveled a long time and comea long way.

So the Israelites sign a treaty with theGibeonites, only to discover a few days later, totheir chagrin, that the Gibeonites live just over

the next hill. A very telling verse says, "Themen of Israel sampled their provisions but did

not inquire of the Lord(verse 14). Without1

special revelation, the Israelites were deceived.Experience was not enough.

But experience is all we have. TheBible is a special revelation from God, but our

under-standing and interpretation of it comefrom our individual experiences. It cannot beany other way. One reason those who keep

Sunday are not convicted about the sanctity ofthe seventh day may be because the only

Sabbath keepers they have known majored inthe negative aspects of the Sabbath. TheSabbath is known more for what we are NOT

supposed to do than for the blessings we mayenjoy. Worse still, people are sometimes given

All references to Scripture are from theNew1

International Version.


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the impression that accepting the seventh day asthe Sabbath is a salvation issue; and if they

don't accept it, they will be lost.Similarly, non-believers may reject the

gospel because of their experience with

Christians who practice hate while preaching

love, who kill rather than redeem. RomanCatholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland

who fight each other can hardly convince othersthere is value in Jesus' command to "turn theother cheek" (Matthew 5:39) or love your

enemies" (v 44). I believe the same applies toour witness for the Sabbath.

Now at this stage some of my more

theologically-oriented friends may say, "Holdit! Newman is treading on dangerous ground.He is making experience the criteria for

interpreting Scripture. This is precariousbecause experience is subjective, not objective,whereas truth is objective and absolute. And

the Bible is truth, therefore, it is objectiveYes, I quite agree. But this is where the

tension lies. We arrive at objective truththrough our subjective individual experiences.There is no other way.

Agreement through Discussion

Does that mean we will never agree?

No, not at all. We reach agreement bycomparing our experience with the experiencesof others. If the girl from the abusive home

finds that many of her close girlfriends knowmen who are kind and loving, then, hopefully,she will begin to question her own experience

to realize that her experience, true as it mayhave been, was actually abnormal.

History is replete with Christians who

learned new truths while not learning all truths.Martin Luther discovered justification by faithbut not baptism by immersion. For centuries,

most Christians believed in an ever-burninghell and even considered Christians who did

not as cultic. But today, prominent evangelicalscholars like John Stott are expressing belief in

the annihilation of the wicked rather thaneverlasting torment.2

Seventh-day Adventists did not inventthe Sabbath. They learned of it from Seventh-day Baptists, who themselves carried on the

long tradition of seventh-day Sabbath

observance begun in Eden which has existedamong some Christians ever since the

beginning of the Christian church."Recent studies have shown that

Sabbatarians constituted a respectable group at

the time of the Reformation, especially in suchplaces as Moravia, Bohemia, Austria, andSilesia.3

B. WHY THE SABBATH IS IMPORTANT

TODAYAs I seek to discover the real meaning

of the Sabbath, I find it is an eternal trutha

blessing, in any time, in any culture, and in anyplace. The fourth commandment makes it

clear that the Sabbath blessing was intended forall humans. In his commentary on Genesis,Dr.Fretheim makes this comment:

Exodus 20:11 and 31:17 (which makesense only if the days are actual days) appeal toGenesis in order to claim that Sabbath

observance belongs to the creation as Godintended it to be; hence its importance for allpeoples, not just Israel.4

Grace Alone

Before turning to a discussion of why

the Sabbath is important for Christians today,

John Stott, John Stott on H ell in World2

Christian , May 1989, p. 52.

Samuelle Bacchiocchi,Devine Rest for3

Hu ma n Rest lessness (Berrien Springs, Mi.: Bacchiocchi

Pub. 1980), pp. 42-57.

Terrence E. Fretheim in The New4

Interpreters Bible (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994),

vol. 1, p. 347.


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let me reiterate the basis upon which oursalvation is assured. The Bible is clear that we

are saved by Christ alone. Here are just a fewtexts: Salvation is found in no one else, for

there is no other name under heavengiven to men by which we must be

saved (Acts 4:12 ). I am not ashamed of the gospel, because

it is the power of God for the salvation

of everyone who believes: first for theJew, then for the Gentile (Rom. 1:16).

For all have sinned and fall short of the

glory of God, and are justified freely byhis grace through the redemption thatcame by Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24-25).

However, to the man who does notwork but trusts God who justifies thewicked, his faith is credited as

righteousness (Romans 4:5). For it is by grace you have been saved,

through faith - and this not fromyourselves, it is the gift of God - not byworks, so that no one can boast. For we

are God's workmanship, created inChrist Jesus to do good works, whichGod prepared in advance for us to do

(Ephesians 2:8-10). For the message of the cross is

foolishness to those who are perishing,

but to us who are being saved it is thepower of God (1 Cor. 1:18 ).

For no one can lay any foundation other

than the one already laid, which is JesusChrist (1 Cor. 3:11).

God made him who had no sin to be sin

for us, so that in him we might becomethe righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21).

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision

nor uncircumcision has any value. Theonly thing that counts is faith expressing

itself through love (Gal. 5:6 ). May I never boast except in the cross of

our Lord Jesus Christ, through which

the world has been crucified to me, andI to the world (Gal 6:14).

And through him to reconcile to himselfall things, whether things on earth orthings in heaven, by making peace

through his blood, shed on the cross

(Col. 1:20). For you know that it was not with

perishable things such as silver or goldthat you were redeemed from the emptyway of life handed down to you from

your forefathers, but with the preciousblood of Christ, a lamb without blemishor defect (1 Peter 1:18,19 ).

And from Jesus Christ, who is thefaithful witness, the firstborn from thedead, and the ruler of the kings of the

earth. To him who loves us and hasfreed us from our sins by his blood(Rev. 1:5).

I answered, Sir, you know.' And hesaid, These are they who have come

out of the great tribulation; they havewashed their robes and made themwhite in the blood of the Lamb

(Rev. 7:14).

Not only are we saved totally by Jesus

death on the cross, but ever since mankind fell,we have been saved in this same way:

"All inhabitants of the earth will

worship the beastall whose names have notbeen written in the book of life belonging to theLamb that was slain from the creation of the

world" (Revelation 13:8).Whether living under the old covenant

(Old Testament) or the new covenant (New

Testament), people have always been saved inthe same way. There will not be two groups inheaven: one saved by their keeping the law and

the other saved by Christ keeping the law.5

Much has been written about the covenants5

in Scripture and some peo ple make it seem very

complicated. Actually it is very simple. Unless you


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While Jesus was not actually "slain"when the world was created, people were still

saved in anticipation of that "slaying." Adamand Eve deserved to die the moment they atethe forbidden fruit, but God gave them grace

and they lived because of Christ's willingness to

die for them in the future. They were saved bylooking forward. We are saved by looking

back. But all are saved by looking to the sameevent. No one can do enough good deeds tomerit eternal life, period.

The good news of the gospel is thatsomeone else has paid the price for us.Someone else lived the life we needed to live

and died the death that we justly deserved. Hewas good enough. That is why we experiencesuch joy when becoming a Christian. All the

guilt is gone, all the hard work is pointless.We are now perfect in Christ, "because

by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever

those who are being made holy" (Hebrews

10:14). He has made us holy in Him, not inourselves. Now we work to become what God

says we already are in Christ. Work is now thefruit, not the root. Its the result of oursalvation, not the basis for it. Work is now the

joy, not the fear.

As we clearly see from Scripture,Sabbath observance is not a salvation issue; it

never has been, it is not now, and it never willbe in the future. God will not take anyone toheaven because they have kept the Sabbath. He

will not keep anyone out of heaven becausethey did not keep the Sabbath. Since a personis saved by grace alonetrusting totally in

Jesus, he or she is only lost when that persondecides to stop trusting totally in Jesus.

This principle also applies to the other

nine commandments. No one is saved or lostbecause they kept or did not keep the othernine. Our salvation is always totally dependent

on the doing and dying of Jesus Christ. Havingfirmly laid this foundation, we can now

consider why the Sabbath is important for theChristian.

Sabbath Origin

"By the seventh day God had finishedthe work he had been doing; so on the seventh

day he rested from all his work. And Godblessed the seventh day and made it holy,because on it he rested from all the work of

creating that he had done" (Genesis 1:31-2:3).What did it mean for God to "finish"

His work and "rest" on the seventh day? God

was not tired; He did not rest because offatigue. The verb "rest," shabath (from whichwe get Sabbath), means literally "to cease"

from labor or activity (see Gen. 8:22; Job 32:1;etc.). Just as an artist completes a painting andstands back to admire it, so God stood back to

admire what he had done. God completed thecreation of the world by ceasing to produce

anything new, and then He "rested." Since Goddoes not require rest (see Isa. 40:28), His restwas not the result of exhaustion. Instead, it was

believe, as some do, that God ha d different ways of

saving people there is only one covenant that God made

with humans and that is the everlasting covenant (Gen.

17:13, Heb. 13:20) to provide a Savior from sin. This

covenant was given in different forms to Adam (G en.

3:15), Noah (Gen. 9:12, 15, 16), Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3;15:18; 17:1 -7), and the Israelites at Sinai (Exodus 19:5-8;

24:3-8) in a more formal way. The Israelites turned it

into a covenant of works which is why G od later said it

must be written in the heart to be effective (Jer. 31:31-

34). The book of Hebrews makes it clear that the failing

of the Old Covenant (before Christ) was peoples

reliance on rules for salvation. The failure was on the

peoples part not Gods. Once the reality came in Christ,

God could n ow proclaim his everlasting covenant in a

new way because salvation was no longer anticipatory,

looking forward, but reality, seen in the life and death of

the God-man Jesus (Hebrews 8:7-13). The covenant

became operative in Eden once humans sinned but wasnot ratified until the blood of Christ was shed on the

cross (Heb. 13:20). The old covenant, which is one

part of the everlasting covenant, was a temporary

arrangement designed to enable those bound by its

provisions to enter into the privileges and responsibilities

of the new or everlasting covenant and this part of it

was ratified at Sinai by the institution of the formal

sacrificial system (Exod. 24 :3-8).


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a cessation from previous occupation.Allen Ross in his commentary on

Genesis describes it this way:It [shabath] is not a word that refers to

remedying exhaustion after a tiring week of

work. Rather, it describes the enjoyment of

accomplishment, the celebration ofcompletion. This is a very important point6

when we consider the real meaning of theSabbath.

When I studied at Andrews SDA

Theological Seminary, I spent one year in thebachelors apartments (Phyllis was studying foran MA 140 miles away in East Lansing). Some

of my fellow roommates studied so hard duringthe week that they just crashed on Sabbath,sleeping until noon. When I mentioned this,

they replied that the Sabbath was a day of rest,and they were resting. But is this really whatthe Sabbath is about? Is it a day for crashing?

Sabbath does not mean to cease fromALL activity and do nothing. God did not

spend the first Sabbath doing nothing, nor didHe spend it in rest and sleep. Rather, he spentthe day enjoying the world He had just created.

While Sabbath may be just as busy as any otherday, God desires our busyness, or business, toconsists of totally different activities than those

we commonly do on the other six days.When Adam and Eve kept the first

Sabbath, they did not do so because they were

tired or had spent six days in toil. Their firstSabbath was also their first full day of life.And it was a day in which they enjoyed God to

the full. God had said their joyful task wouldbe to cultivate the earth and care for all thecreatures. While thus engaged, they would not

be concentrating fully on Him. But on theSabbath day, God said they were to cease fromtheir normal activities and spend one whole day

in fellowship with their Creator.

So, while the fourth commandment tellsus to rest on the Sabbath day, it is not talking

about idleness or inactivity. It is talking aboutresting from our normal activities so we mayspend time in other activities, activities which

our work during the week prevents us from

fully enjoying and appreciating.

Sabbath reminds us of creation

"Remember the Sabbath day by keepingit holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your

work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to theLORD your God. On it you shall not do anywork, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor

your manservant or maidservant, nor youranimals, nor the alien within your gates. Forin six days the LORD made the heavens and the

earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but Herested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORDblessed the Sabbath day and made it holy"

(Exodus 20:8-11).The Sabbath Commandment begins

with the word remember because the Sabbathpoints back to something; and the last part ofthe Commandment tells us whatcreation.

The Sabbath reminds us of who we are andwhere we came from, that there is a God whocreated the universe, and that this day is for

celebrating the creation of our world andgetting to know our Creator better.

So the first reason for keeping the

Sabbath is to remind us that there is a God. Ifthe Sabbath had been faithfully kept andpracticed, there would never have been an

agnostic or an atheist.Memorials are important reminders of

the past. Every time you drive through

Trafalgar Square, in London, and see LordNelson standing on top of a high column in themiddle of the square, you are reminded of his

victory at the battle of Trafalgar. Every timeyou visit the Vietnam Memorial, in

Washington, D.C., you are reminded of theVietnam war. And every time you visit theHolocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., you

Allen P. Ross, Creation and Blessing, a6

guide to the study and exposition of G enesis (Grand

Rapids,


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are reminded of the terrible suffering inflictedupon the Jews by Nazi Germany. Memorials

prevent us from forgetting our past. Andbecause they commemorate actual historicalevents, memorials never loose their

significance.

There is no instance in Scripture of amemorial being instituted thousands of years

after the event it commemorates. Jesus gave usthe Lord's Supper at the time of His death. Godgave the Passover at the time of the Israelites

exit from Egypt. And God blessed the seventhday in a special way at the end of the creationweek, giving the Sabbath as a reminder of

creation. True, the Sabbath came to alsocommemorate other events, such as theIsraelites leaving Egypt (Deut. 5:12), but this

neither exhausts its meaning nor limits it.Commenting on Exodus 20:8-11 in his

book The Forgotten Day, Dr. Desmond Ford

says this about the meaning of the Sabbath:As for manthe Sabbath tells us who

he is. He alone of all creatures can worship.He is surrounded by beautiful things, but by theSabbath he is reminded that while without

things man cannot live, he who lives for thingsalone is not a man. All man's primaryquestions are answered by the Sabbath

institution. Who am I? From whence did Icome? Where am I going? How do I getthere? find their answers in this Edenic

ordinance ... Man's work will always tendtoward perfection, like the creative work ofGod. But he is to learn to stop, and find

fellowship with his Maker long before hisultimate ideal is realized. Thus, God becomeshis God indeed, instead of some thing' secured

and accomplished. As the first face man sawwas that of God, and his first whole day theSabbath, so the vision of God is the end of life.

The Sabbath reminds the creature of his chiefcharacteristicdependence upon the Life-

giver7

Sabbath as Holy Time

Genesis tells us God "blessed" and"made holy" the Sabbath day. He gave it a

blessing that He has never given to any other

day. It was to be a special day of divine favor,a day that would bring blessing to His creation.

Since this blessing was given before sin enteredthe world, each of the previous six days hadalready been perfect in itself, so God could not

have made the seventh day any more perfectthan the first six. And yet the Bible says Heblessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

Obviously, the seventh day has a specialsignificance not found in any other day. Haveyou ever wondered about this? How can you

make one day more special than another?Gordon Wenham stresses that it is very

unusual for a day to be "hallowed." Places,

people, things, are declared holy, but not time.Then he says:

The seventh day is the very first thingto be hallowed in Scripture, to acquire thatspecial status that properly belongs to God

alone. In this way, Genesis emphasizes thesacredness of the Sabbath. Coupled with thethreefold reference to God resting from all his

work on that day, these verses give the clearestof hints of how man created in the divine imageshould conduct himself on the seventh day.8

In understanding the Sabbath, AbrahamHeschel makes this powerful observation:

The meaning of the Sabbath is to

celebrate time rather than space. Six days aweek we live under the tyranny of things ofspace; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned

to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are

Desmond Ford, The Forgotten Day7

(Newcastle, CA.: Desmond Ford Publications, 1981), p.

24 .

Gordon J. Wenham, Word Biblical8

Commentary (Waco: Word Books, 1987), vol. 1, p. 36.


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called upon to share in what is eternal in time,to turn from the results of creation to the

mystery of creation; from the world of creationto the creation of the world.9

What was the first thing in our world

God blessed or made holy? A place? A thing?

No! It was a specific portion of time. Not justany time, but a specific day, the seventh day

(Gen. 2:3). When did God first make a placeholy? Not until after sin entered the world.Because people had wandered so far from Him,

He finally consecrated a placethe tabernacle,later the templethat was holy, set apart, aplace where people could come especially into

His presence.Places and things belong to people.

They can be removed, transferred, changed,

bought, sold. But time is universal. It isavailable to everyone, everywhere. No one hasmore than anyone else. Time is the great

leveler. It cannot be bought or sold.God knew we would become absorbed

in things, preoccupied with things. So He gaveus something that cannot be quantified, placedin a bottle, stretched or compressed. God

sanctified, made holy, a specific portion oftime, thereby making it different from the othersix days. He had been busy the first six days

indulging all of His creative urges. But now Herestednot because He needed to, not becauseHe was tired, but to revel in His completed

work of creationto stand back and enjoy life,if you will.

God told Adam and Eve that their work

would be to rule over and subdue the perfectworld He had placed them in. Yet, even beforesin had entered the world, God said on the

seventh day, in a special way, I want you tocease from your rule, as I ceased from myactivities of creation, because I have set that

day aside to spend completely with you. Now,of course, I am with you all the time, but I want

a day when we can visit together withoutdistractions.

During the week, you are busy tendingthe garden, caring for the animals, attending toall your different needs. But on the seventh

day, the Sabbath day, I want you to take a break

from your necessary duties, perfect as they maybe, to contemplate who created you, who

formed you, who gave you life, who loves you.I want you to enjoy this day as a day of hope, aday of joy, a day of blessings, a day of love, a

day of relationships. This is why I havesanctified this day, not for myself, but for you.

God has given us holy time to spend

with Him and each other. The seventh day isholy because God said so. He never made anyof the other days holy. Time does not change.

The need to know God does not change. Theneed to rebuild our human relationships doesnot change. God blesses every sincere soul,

and everyone who accepts Him by faith isassured of salvation. There will be countless

Sunday keepers in heaven, just as there will becountless Sabbath keepers absent from heaven.But God has promised a special blessing to

those who truly honor the seventh day Sabbath.God did not bless an object or sanctify a

place. He did not set apart some physical

entity. Rather He blessed a specific unit oftime, something that is available to anyoneanywhere. Time is the most precious resource

we have, and God made sacred a special time inthe week when we can relax, turn from ourstresses, and come together to worship Him.

Moreover, when God set aside thatspecific unit of time, He picked that which hasno astronomical origins. The year, the month,

the day, can all be determined throughastronomy, but the week is totally arbitrary. Aweek could be made up of eight days, or ten, or

even six. The only basis for our seven-dayweek, and thus the Sabbath, is a "thus saith the

Lord."

Abraham Herschel, The Sabbath, (New9

York: The Noonday Press, 1951), p. 10.


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Sabbath and Tree of Knowledge of Good

and Evil

In the Garden of Eden, God forbidAdam and Eve to eat from a particular tree.Now there was nothing wrong with this tree, for

God had made all things good. But God

selected this tree as a test of their obedience toHim. Their faithfulness would be based not on

reason, logic, or science, but on faithon whatGod had said. And this is exactly why some tryto divorce the fourth commandment from the

rest of the commandments. Unlike the othernine, there is no logical, rational reason whyone day should be more holy or important than

another, except that God said so. Thus, insome ways, it is easy to miss the significance ofthis commandment.

As created by God, Adam and Eve wereperfect. Their world was perfect. Yet even inthat perfection, God saw their need for the

Sabbatha change of pace, a break in theirroutine, a time devoted to fellowship with

Him. Some believe there was no need for aSabbath prior to sin. If one sees the Sabbath innegative terms, it might tend to support this

belief. But according to Genesis, Godinstituted the Sabbath on the seventh day ofcreation week, while the world was in a perfect

state.Of course, sin made the Sabbath even

more important than it already was. If we

needed a break before sin, how much more dowe need one now? And the blessings impartedby Sabbath observance before the entrance of

sin still apply today.How kind and gracious God is to give

us a day when, without guilt, we can forget all

the thousand and one things that our regularwork week demands. We can relax and enjoyGod, our families, and each other. And all this

for 24 hours. Why would anyone give up thislife-healing practice?

Even from a practical standpoint, peoplewho try to work seven days a week becomeexhausted, suffer severe health problems, and

fall prey to all manner of stress-relatedillnesses. While most would agree that we

need a weekly break, many do not realize thatthe benefits we derive from such a break aredirectly proportional to its length of time. Just

going to church a few hours each week is not

enough for us to fully experience the spiritualand physical blessings God longs to bestow

upon us.

Progressive Truth

Some may say that the Sabbath rest, aliteral 24-hour period of time each week, is buta partial understanding of what it means to truly

rest in Jesus, that Christians today whounderstand they are saved only by grace havenow entered into a complete or full rest in

Jesusan ongoing walk with Him thatpervades and permeates each moment of theirlives. Surely we all long for such a relationship

with God, but does this mean that setting asidea specific 24-hour block of time to spend with

Him each week no longer imparts a blessing?Adam and Eve walked and talked with

God face to face in the garden, and yet, in His

wisdom, He gave them this weekly 24-hourperiod of time to more fully unite their heartswith His. Indeed, God tells us we will celebrate

with Him in Heaven from one Sabbath toanother. If the Sabbath was a blessing to Adamand Eve in their perfect state, if we will

celebrate it in Heaven while dwelling in Godsvery presence (Isaiah 66:23), then why would itnot impart a blessing to Christians today?10

Sabbath before SinaiThere are those who10

argue that God gave the Sab bath for himself, that Adam

and Eve never kept a Sabbath and it was not kept until

Sinai. There is no record between Genesis and Sinai ofSabbath keeping, it is said. That is not true. In Exodus

16, before the ten commandments were given, God gave

the Israelites manna with strict instructions not to gather

any on the Sabbath. It is evident that the Israelites were

aware of the Sabbath before Sinai.

In Exodus 5:5 we read: And Ph araoh said,

Behold, the people of the land now are many, and you

make them rest from their burdens. It is significant that


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This raises still another question. If theliteral 24-hour Sabbath of the fourth command-

ment is but a partial understanding of truth, anarea in which we would gain insight andknowledge (progressive truth, if you will), than

Gods gift to our first parents was uncomplete,

imperfect. And why would God give animperfect gift to perfect humans living in a

perfect world? However, it did not become thesymbol of salvation until Jesus died on thecross. Then it became an even greater event

because now it reminds people of recreation aswell as creation.

Whats more, to say that every day is

now holy makes meaningless the word "holy,"since it means "to set apart for a special use."Of course we are to worship God every day,

pray to Him every day, live for Him every day.But there is one day God says we are to treatdifferently. And since this day is so important,

God has not given us a list of rules for how tokeep it. Because each persons experience is

uniquely his own, each will keep the Sabbath alittle differently. But God asks us to make adistinction between the Sabbath and the other

six days, even though we are to grow in Christevery day of our lives.

LegalismSome reason that literal observance of

the fourth commandment is not relevant forChristians today since we are saved by grace,

not by keeping the law. While we are, indeed,saved by grace, carrying this reasoning to itslogical conclusion presents some obvious

dilemmas.

First, the Bible teaches that all humanseverywhere have always been saved by grace

and grace alone. Thus Sabbath never has beenrelevant to salvation. It was not so before thecross than after the cross; it has not been so

since the cross. The relevancy of the Sabbathhas never diminishedit is as relevant today aswhen God first gave it to Adam and Eve.

Now, does the realization that we arenot saved by Sabbath keeping release us fromobedience to the fourth commandment? If the

answer is yes, then what about the othernine? Are we now free to worship idols, kill,commit adultery, steal, lie or covet, since we

are saved not by keeping the law, but byChrists perfect life?

Paul says, Therefore, no one will bedeclared righteous in his sight by observing thelaw Romans 3:20. Yet in Romans 7:12, Paul

declares, So then, the law is holy, and thecommandment is holy, righteous and good.How then are we to regard the law? Christs

death for our sin releases us from thecondemnation of the law, but does this makenull Gods will for our lives?

In Matthew 22, the Pharisees ask Jesuswhich of the commandments is the greatest.He answers, Love the Lord your God with all

your heart and with all your soul and with allyour mind. This is the first and greatestcommand-ment. And the second is like it.

Love your neighbor as yourself. All the lawand the prophets hang on these twocommandments (verses 37-40).

Here Jesus underscores the relevancy ofthe Ten Commandmentsnot as a means of

salvation, but as a reflection of Gods will forour lives. The first four tell us how to relate toGod, our creator, and the last six tell us how to

the word Pharaoh used for rest is shabath. There are

five other Hebrew words for rest but they are not used

here. It is evident that Pharaoh was complaining that

Moses had instituted Sabbath reform and was

encouraging the people not to work on the seventh day.

As slaves they had no rights and were being work ed

seven days a week. So out of six different words for

resting, not working, Moses inserted the one that is usedfor ceasing to work on the seventh day.

Gods law while not written down before Sinai

was known by His people. Genesis 26:5 says Abraham

obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my

decrees and my laws." It was not until Israel was

organized as a nation that God formalized the verbal

instructions He had given to His people.


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relate to our fellow man. All ten are guidelinesfor living. As a revelation of Gods own

character, they are eternal, everlasting,unchanging. Do the commandments save us?Never! Are they relevant for the Christian?

Always!

Some say those who insist on keepingthe Sabbath should practice the penalty for

Sabbath breakingdeath. But these samepeople do not advocate death for breaking theseventh commandment (which forbids

adultery), even though it, too, carries the deathpenalty. God does not desire obedience fromHis children based on fear, but on love.

For the Christian, obedience to the TenCommandments is neither an attempt to gainsalvation nor legalistic behavior motivated by

fear of punishment. Flawed and scarred as ourobedience may be, it is our response to Hismarvelous love.

We live by love. Love rules theuniverse. Often sinful humans do not know

how to practice love without specific details.But love does not tell us WHAT to do; it tellsus HOW to do it. In the Ten Commandments,

God tells us how to practice love.In John 14:21, Jesus puts it like this:

Whoever has my commands and obeys them,

he is the one who loves me.Sabbath Reminds us of Redemption

After dying on the cross, Jesus rested inthe tomb on the Sabbath day. He could have

risen on that day. There was no need to remainin the grave until Sunday morning. But just asHe had rested after His work of creation, so He

now rested after His work of recreation,expanding the Sabbath to a magnificentremembrance of God's recreation in us, a

weekly reminder of His glorious and wonderfulgift of redemption.

As God rested in His finished work ofcreation on that first Sabbath, so the Christianrests in God's finished work of recreation in

him or her each Sabbath. God looked at theworld and saw that it was goodnothing more

needed to be added. In the same way, eachSabbath, Christians who look to Jesus arereminded that they are perfect in Himnothing

more needs to be added. Just as we had no part

in Gods original creation, so we have no partin God's recreation except to accept it.

The Sabbath is a time to worship God,our Creator, and rejoice in the good news ofsalvation through Him who is also our Re-

Creator. We need not work or strive forsalvation. God has provided our salvation, andHe calls us to rest in Him. Rightly understood,

the Sabbath rest points not only to creation, butalso redemption and even eternal life in Him inheaven.

Dr. Desmond Ford explains thesignificance of the Sabbath for salvation in themost eloquent language:

At the close of the record of theGospels, John was inspired to present Christ's

redemptive work as a new creation. He hadhinted at that by his introduction with hisreference to the coming of the Light in the

beginning.' But now in the account of theCross he repeatedly refers to a finishing' on thesixth day before Christ entered into the Sabbath

of redemption rest. He portrays the secondAdam naked like the first, and also like the firstAdam, in that He is tested by a tree of the

knowledge of good and evil located in a garden.See John 19:28, 30, 33, 41; Acts 5:30. AsAdam had his side opened on the sixth day so

that he might have a bride, so John tells of theside of the second Adam being opened that Hetoo might have His bridethe church. (See

19:4).It was not by chance that our Lord

finished His mighty work of Atonement on the

sixth day. It was not by chance that, unlike thethieves, He died on that day. (The legs of the

thieves were broken, for they were still alivewhen taken down from the Cross, but this wasnot necessary for the lifeless Christ.) It was not


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by chance that He was placed in Joseph's newtomb before the sun set on the sixth day. And

likewise it was no coincidence that led ourdivine Lord to remain in the sepulcher throughall the holy hoursthe only complete day He

spent in the grave. This was His original rest

day (for it was Christ who made the world andwho rested on the first seventh day) stamped

with a new glory and made the memorial of thesecond creation, as one day it will also be amemorial of the third (see Isaiah 66:22, 23).11

This is why Satan attacks the Sabbathso vehemently. He does not want us remindedof creation or our Creator. He does not want us

reminded of redemption or our Re-Creator.And he surely does not want us reminded of theSecond Coming, when our Creator and

Redeemer will take us home with Him for alleternity. Except for salvation, the Sabbath, thisspecial period of time which points to our

creation, our redemption and our ultimaterestoration, is God's greatest gift to us.

Sabbath Rest in Hebrews

Hebrews 4:9-10 states: "There remains,then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; foranyone who enters God's rest also rests from

his own work, just as God did from his"(Hebrews 4:9-10). After discussing the manyexhortations that the writer of Hebrews gives to

appreciate the better ministry of Jesus, Dr. Fordsays:

The full significance of these

exhortations is only found by comparing therecords of Hebrews three and four when we aretold of a Sabbath rest that we can all by faith

enter. The word enter' is found about a dozentimes here. The rest of Eden's Sabbath, the restof Canaan from the wilderness wanderings, the

future rest of heaven, are all used as symbols ofthe rest of conscience all can have who believe

in the efficiency of Christ's finished

atonement.Whoever enters God's rest ceases from

his own labors as God did from his (4:4).These words testify that all who see themeaning of the Cross no longer depend upon

their own works. They refuse to be either

encouraged or discouraged by their own deeds,and find rest from sin and guilt by faith's

entrance into Christ. Believers look to Hisperfect work instead of their own which istattered and stained. The physical rest of the

Sabbath then becomes an emblem of the rest ofconscience enjoyed all week long. Bybelieving the gospel we enter the most holy

place, the presence of God symbolized by thesacred rest-day from the beginning of time.12

On the Sabbath, we rest from our

regular work and we rest in the finished workof Jesus. The Sabbath reminds us of howspecial we are to God and how important our

world is to Him. He made us (for fullfellowship with Him), He died for us (to restore

the possibility of that fellowship after we hadlost it), and He is coming soon (to finally uniteus with Him in that fellowship forever). This

gives the Christian tremendous self assurance-wonderful peace, hope and joy. Thus, theSabbaththe sign of Gods creation,

redemption, and final restorationis truly ablessing, a gift of love from God to us, the highpoint of every week.

The Sabbath Given to Build Community

God gave us the Sabbath not only for

developing our vertical relationship with Him,but also for developing horizontal relationshipswith each other. Dr. Ford introduces the idea

that fellowship, or community, is a veryimportant part of the Sabbath. God says, Ihave set this day aside especially for

community building, depending upon others inthe community. This is a day to spend with me

and with each other without concern for the

Ford, p. 200.11 Ibid., pp. 202-202.12


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regular activities of the week.God gave six days in which to earn a

living and conduct our normal affairs of life.During that time, we are more task orientedthan relationship oriented. Work must be done.

But building healthy relationships takes time.

In order for relationships to grow, thoseinvolved must share together, learn about each

other, gain understanding of one another, anddevelop mutual trust. In the same way, it takestime to build a relationship with God. So God

gives us one day each week when we can layaside our normal pursuits to focus on becomingbetter acquainted with Him and each other.

Yes, we are to worship God every dayof the week. The Christian lives every day,every moment, under the atmosphere of God's

grace. Any moment, we can breathe a prayer toGod. But during the week, we are not primarilybuilding community with God or each other.

We are involved in tasks, earning a living, andcaring for our families or ourselves. God says I

am giving you a 24-hour block of timededicated completely to building communitywith me and with those around youvertical

and horizontal relationships.Obviously, many things must continue

seven days a week. Crime does not take a

vacation on the Sabbath, so police need to beon duty. Fires can occur any time, so firemanmust be ready. Sick people require care even

on the Sabbath, so doctors and nurses mustwork. Farm animals need care seven days aweek, so some farm chores are necessary.

Unfortunately, some must sacrifice inorder for necessary things to continue; and, inso doing, they may miss the blessing that comes

from worshiping God in community on theSabbath. Thankfully, most jobs do not requireus to work seven days a week. But those whose

jobs do require them to work on the Sabbath inservice for others have the assurance that what

they do for someone else, they do for God,Himself. And to these God imparts a specialblessing.

To keep the Sabbath in a positive way,we must live balanced lives during the week so

we will not be exhausted when the Sabbatharrives. Although this is easier said than done,the result will be increased blessings for the

entire family as we are rejuvenated, refreshed,

encouraged, and brought closer to God and oneanother. It is especially a time for building

community between parents and children. It isa time when families can pray together andstudy the Bible together. But it is also a time to

play together, do fun things together, havespecial meals together, and take trips together.It is a time for families to help and encourage

other families. In this way, Sabbath can be thehigh time of the week for children and parents,alike.

Sabbath and Worship

What is worship? The Hebrew wordshachah literally means "to bow down." In theNew Testament,proskuneo used is, meaning

"to prostrate oneself before." Our English wordfor worship actually means "giving God Hisworth." We give God our respect and our love

when we worship Him and desire to obey Hiswishes. The Bible says we are to worship Godalone, giving Him our absolute loyalty and

obedience (Exodus 20:1-4). As Christians, weseek to worship God every moment of everyday because of what He has done for us in

Jesus.The Bible also tells us it is important to

"not give up meeting together, as some are in

the habit of doing, but let us encourage oneanother-and all the more as you see the Dayapproaching" (Hebrews 10:25). People may

gather in homes, in small groups, to study theBible and worship God together on any day.But God has also set aside a specific day to

meet with His people each weeka day whenthey refrain from their normal work and focus

on their relationships with Him and each other.The fourth commandment does not

specifically tell us to congregate and worship


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God together on the seventh day becauseSabbath observance encompasses so much

more than simply corporate worship. But itdoes tell us to keep the seventh day holykeepit differently from the other six days of the

week. Scripture says little about how to

accomplish this because it is an area where Godwants us to each explore our relationship with

Him in a very personal way, without a defininglist of rules. Each person, each family, decideshow they will honor God on this special day;

and one persons way of honoring God may bequite different from anothers. But becauseSabbath is not a regular workday, it is the time

when, among other things, we gather togetherfor corporate worship.

Ezekiel develops this concept of

worship on Sabbath: "On the Sabbaths andNew Moons the people of the land are toworship in the presence of the LORD at the

entrance to that gateway" (Ezekiel 46:3). Theremainder of the chapter then details how we

are to worship on the seventh-day Sabbath.Some may be perplexed by the reference toNew Moons. Ezekiel mentions these because

the Israelites worshiped God in specialgatherings on other days in addition to theweekly Sabbath. But unlike the weekly

Sabbath given at creation, these special timesdid not exist before Sinai. There were sixannual Sabbaths which fell on days other than

the seventh (see Leviticus 23); and the Israelitesalso worshiped God on the first day of eachmonth, or the new moon (1 Sam 20:5). They

were a worshiping community.Perhaps there are some lessons here for

us, as well. God has placed within our hearts

the desire to worship our Creator, and this needcan only be met as we spend time with Him.Thus, if we had more corporate time to worship

God throughout the week, in addition toSabbath worship, it could only result in

increased blessings. Like His people, Israel,God wants us to be a community that gathersoften to worship Him.

Isaiah makes the clearest reference toSabbath worship in a passage that many

scholars believe applies to the earth God willmake anew. "From one New Moon to anotherand from one Sabbath to another, all mankind

will come and bow down before me," says the

LORD" (Isaiah 66:22). Apparently, in heaventhe New Moon will again have significance,

and maybe this is something to consider now.The discovery of additional truth (or

rediscovery of forgotten truth) concerning

worship does not contradict, but ratheramplifies, previous truth. Rather thandetracting from the Sabbath or equating it with

the other days of the week, expanding ourconcept of corporate worship only strengthensour relationship with God and the joy we

experience as we truly worship Him.And Jesus, combines worship with truth

like this: Yet a time is coming and has now

come when the true worshipers will worshipthe Father in spirit and truth, for they are the

kind of worshipers the Father seeks (John4:23). May we continue to grow in ourunderstanding of worship, accepting additional

truth in all areas as God reveals it to us.

C. SABBATH KEEPERS WHO REJECT

THE SABBATH

While it may be understandable thatthose who have always kept Sunday are not

convicted of the Sabbath truth, why wouldanyone who has kept the Sabbath give it up andcount all days the same or transfer his or her

allegiance to another day? The Sabbath wasgiven as a blessing, something to look forwardto each week. The prophet Isaiah says to call

the Sabbath a delight (Isaiah 58:13). I believesome give up the Sabbath because they have

never known its blessings, its joys, its delights,and its symbolism of salvation.

Could it be that most of us do not really


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understood the true meaning of the Sabbath? Ifwe see it as a duty, a sign at the end of time, a

day of restrictions, and/or a time to refrain fromdoing our own pleasure, then we cannot fullyexperience the Sabbath blessing. So why keep

it? We become susceptible to arguments

suggesting the Sabbath is no longer valid fornew covenant Christians who now live by

grace.But if the Sabbath was a blessing before

the cross, why would it cease to be a blessing

after the cross? It was Jesus who said, "theSabbath was made for man, not man for theSabbath" (Mark 2:27). The reason the Sabbath

was created in the first place was not affectedby His death on the cross. Speaking of the law,Jesus, Himself, said, Do not think that I have

come to abolish the Law or the prophets; I havenot come to abolish them but to fulfill them. Itell you the truth, until heaven and earth

disappear, not the smallest letter, not the leaststroke of a pen, will by any means disappear

from the Law until everything is accomplished(Matthew 5:17, 18).

In other words, Jesus saying His life and

His death will never change the law. Gods lawis eternal; it cannot be changed. This is thevery reason Jesus died in our placebecause

the law could not be changed and itsrequirements had to be met. If any part of thelaw could have been changed or abolished, then

His death, itself, would have been unnecessary.If I grow up with the subtle

misunderstanding that Sabbath keeping is

connected to my salvation, a prerequisite to myentering heaven, and then discover grace, that Iam saved ONLY by what Jesus did for me at

Calvary, I will suddenly have a very differentview of the Sabbath. I will want to discard it,and I should, as a means of salvation. But the

relief of discovering grace can be sooverwhelming that it is quite possible to throw

out blessings simply because we havepreviously seen them as "have tos" or "musts"or "shoulds."

Also, some may give up the Sabbathbecause of loyalty to a charismatic or

persuasive leader. They begin to allowsomeone whom they love and respect to dotheir thinking for them. When we learn the

gospel from someone, we naturally feel a great

indebtedness to that person. But this does notnecessarily mean he or she will be correct in all

areas. A person may be right on one issue andwrong on another. He or she may have greatlight in one area without having light in all

areas. It is dangerous to accept anyone elsesinterpretation of Scripture without first testingall things for ourselves.

D. HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWNDECISION

Think for Yourself

It is human nature to let someone else

do our thinking for us, especially if we respectthat person. Don't accept anothers view,including mine expressed herein, unless you

validate it for yourself through your ownpersonal study. When it comes to eternal life,we must each understand for ourselves, study

for ourselves, and step back and examine ourown experience to determine how much it iscoloring our view of the Bible. This is not easy,

and that is why group Bible study, as well asindividual Bible study, is important to allow usthe benefit of others' experiences. Remember,

psychology, as well as theology, affects ourunderstanding of the Bible.

Ellen White, who always made it clear

that the Bible was the only rule for our faith,13

13

The Bible, and the B ible alone, is to be therule of our faith. It is a leaf from the tree of life, and by

eating it, by receiving it into our minds, we shall grow

strong to do the will of G od. By our Christlike characters

we shall show that we believe the word, that we cleave to

the Bible as the only guide to he aven. So shall we be


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stressed the importance of us learning truth forourselves: We must study the truth for

ourselves. No man should be relied upon tothink for us. No matter who he is, or in whatposition he may be placed, we are not to look

upon any man as a criterion for us. We are to

counsel together, and to be subject one toanother; but at the same time we are to exercise

the ability God has given us, in order to learnwhat is truth.14

The fourth commandment is the only

one of the ten to occasion controversy.Regardless of where you come down on theSabbath question, may we each affirm our love

for Jesus, knowing we are saved by grace alone.Jesus asks us to keep his commandments out oflove (John 14:23), and because we do love

Him. May we each strive to do all he asks of usto the best of our understanding and ability, notto gain heaven, nor to avoid hell, but as a love

offering to our God.I commend to you Pauls counsel to

Timothy to study and use the Scriptures wiselyand personally: "Do your best to presentyourself to God as one approved, a workman

who does not need to be ashamed and whocorrectly handles the word of truth" (2 Timothy2:15). And with all our breath may we each

with Paul declare, "May I never boast except inthe cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, throughwhich the world has been crucified to me, and I

to the world" (Galatians 6:14).

For Further Study

Bacchiocchi, Samuele, The Sabbath UnderCrossfire (Berrien Springs, Mi.: Biblical

Perspective, 4990 Appian Way, Berrien

Springs, Mi., 49103, 1998, 15 post paid). Thisbook examines the Pope's latest letter on the

Sabbath and also reviews Dale Ratzlaff's book,Sabbath in Crisis.

Ford, Desmond, Clarifying the Covenants

(Auburn, Ca.: Good News Unlimited, 11710Education St., Auburn, Ca., 95602, $1). This

excellent booklet which Dr. Ford has justpublished examines the covenants as they relateto the Sabbath and includes a reply to the

charge that GNU, by its loyalty to the principlesof the Decalogue, has let the gospel slide.

Ford, Desmond, The Forgotten Day (Auburn,Ca.: Good News Unlimited, 11710 EducationSt., Auburn, Ca., 95602, 1981, out of print),

Available on loan from Good News Unlimited.This is one of the best theological studies of theimportance of the seventh day Sabbath.

Strand, Kenneth, ed. The Sabbath in Scriptureand History (Hagerstown: Review and HeraldPubl. Assn., 1982). This volume contains 16articles on Sabbath and Sunday in Bible times

and throughout Christianity, as well as atheology of the Sabbath.

living epistles, known and read of all men,

bearing a living testimony to the power of true religion.

Advent Review and S abbath Herald, May 4, 1897.

Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel14

Workers, pp. 109-110.


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APPENDIX

Romans 14:5Are holy days discussed in this passage?


Colossians 2:16-17

Is the weekly Sabbath a part of this text?By Dr. J. David Newman

How shall we keep the Sabbath?Jesus at the center will do more to preservethe sanctity of the Sabbath than any numberof rules ever could.

By Dr. John Brunt


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Are holy days discussed in Romans 14:5?

Dr. J. David Newman

There are some people who quoteRomans 14:5 as proof that the seventh-day is

no longer the Sabbath and that holy days,

including Sunday, no longer exist. Thesepeople like to use theNew InternationalVersion to buttress their claim:

One man considers one day moresacred than another; another man considers

every day alike. Each one should be fullyconvinced in his own mind (NIV).

TheMessage Bible also says something

similar: One person thinks that some daysshould be set aside as holy and another thinksthat each day is pretty much like any other.

There are good reasons either way. So, eachperson is free to follow the convictions ofconscience.

However, this is not what Paul wrote.We need to remember that Paul wrote in Greek

not in English. Here is how theNew American

StandardBible translates this verse: One manregards one day above another, another regards

every day alike. Let each man be fullyconvinced in his own mind

Notice two things about these

translations: 1. TheNASsays nothing aboutdays being sacred or holy; 2. The NASplacesalike in italics which means that this word

never appeared in the Greek.So what did Paul actually write? Here

is Youngs Literal Translation: One doth judge

one day above another, and another doth judgeevery day {alike}; let each in his own mind befully assured.

The Greek literally reads: One judgesor considers day from day, while another judgesor considers every day. There is a clear

hermeneutical principle (how to interpret)which says that difficult texts are explained by

easy texts and difficult texts should never beused as foundational texts for any argument.

When you read the literal translation the

first question that comes to mind is: What doesthis mean? Translators work from different

sets of assumptions. Some believe that theBible should be translated exactly as it iswritten; that is why you have very literal

translations like Youngs and The New American

Standard. But the English of these versionsdoes not flow in an easy reading style. And

when the reader has little knowledge of thehistory and culture of the times, it is difficult toalways understand the meaning in the passage.

A second set of translators believe thatsome interpreting needs to be done but they tryand keep it to a minimum. These translations

are called dynamic versions as they seek to beas faithful to the original as possible whilemaking it as understandable as possible. Then

there is a third set of translations calledparaphrases of the Bible like theMessage andtheLiving Bible which translate the Bible into

our everyday speech and try and remove asmany ambiguities as possible so that the reader

will be very clear as to the meaning ofScripture.

A good example of the latter is how theLiving Bible and other similar bibles translateGenesis 6:1-2, 4 Now a population explosiontook place upon the earth. It was at this time

that beings from the spirit world looked uponthe beautiful earth women and took any theydesired to be their wives. . . . In those days, and

even afterwards, when the evil beings from thespirit world were sexually involved with humanwomen, their children became giants of whom

so many legends are told.Check your Bible version and you will

find, most likely, something very different.

Some of the Hebrew words in this passage areuntranslatable and that is why some versionsjust transliterate the Hebrew into English letters

such asNephilim.How do translators decide how to

translate a particular passage which is not clearin the original? They use their theologicalframework, their presuppositions, some of


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which they may not even be conscious of.Others will use other parts of Scripture which

are clear to help illuminate a more difficultpassage. In this passage some use Colossians2:16, which talks about the Sabbath, as a

parallel passage, and that is where they get the

idea of inserting holy or sacred into thetext.

Others insist that the immediate contextmust be the primary guide and since there are23 verses in this chapter and 21 of them are

discussing food it would seem reasonable toconclude that the other two verses (5, 6) areconnected to food in some way as well. The

key question concerns what the people in Romeunderstood this passage to mean. They did nothave the book of Colossians to consult. Since

most scholars believe that the four gospels werewritten after Pauls letters they did not havethose either. The letter to Rome was the only

book they knew.Listen to what John Murray, professor

of systematic theology at WestminsterTheological Seminary, says in his commentaryon Romans (published by Eerdmans), The

Sabbath institution is a creation ordinance. Itdid not begin to have relevance at Sinai whenthe ten commandments were given to Moses on

two tables (cf. Gen. 2:2, 3; Exod. 16:21-23).It was, however, incorporated in the lawpromulgated at Sinai and this we would expect

in view of its significance and purpose asenunciated in Genesis 2:2, 3. It is so embeddedin this covenant law that to regard it as of

different character from its context in respect ofabiding relevance goes counter to the unity andbasic significance of what was inscribed on the

two tables. Our Lord himself tells us of itspurpose and claims it for his messianicLordship (Mark 2:28). The thesis we are now

considering would have to assume that thepattern provided by God himself (Gen. 2:, 3) in

the word of creation (cf. Exod. 20:11; 31:17)has no longer any relevance for the regulationof mans life on earth, that only nine of the ten

words of the decalogue have authority forChristians, that the beneficent design

contemplated in the original institution (Mark2:28) has no application under the gospel, andthat the lordship Christ exercised over the

Sabbath was for the purpose of abolishing it as

an institution to be observed (pp. 257-258).

Dr. Murray while standing firm on thevalue of the fourth commandment believes thatit has been transferred to Sunday simply by the

resurrection of Jesus on the first day of theweek. In other words he still wants a holy day.And he quotes the eight texts in the New

Testament that speak of the first day of theweek; none of these make any reference to thatday being sacred or holy. So how does he

explain the meaning of this text?He says: Romans 14:5 can properly be

regarded as referring to the ceremonial holy

days of the Levitical institution. The obligationto observe these is clearly abrogated in the New

Testament (p. 259). And I agree with thispart of his interpretation.

Since Paul is talking about eating and

drinking it makes sense to see these verses asdiscussing feast and fast days of which therewere many in the Jewish system.

A German scholar named Rauer givesthree reasons why he considers this to betalking about fast days.

1. Paul was writing to Christians inRome. All would have had a day of worship.It was highly improbable that some Christians

observed all days the same or no days at all. Ifthey worshiped together, they had to observedays.

2. The terminology is different fromGal. 4:10 and Col. 2:16 where the observanceof days does seem to have significance.

3. The phrase to judge every day is avery strange way to say keep no day holy if

that was Pauls intent. (quoted inRomans byJohn Brunt, p. 242).

Now the big question: How can I, who


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Sabbath and grace (revised 12/3/1999) /22 22

have not been trained in Hebrew and Greek,know whether the translator has followed a

theological bias in his translation? You needjust two study aids: 1. Make sure you haveseveral Bibles in your library with at least one

being a literal translation like theNew

American Standard Bible. I suggest at leastfour different translations to make up your

basic study library. For example you couldhave The Message for the fun of readingScripture; theNew American Standardas a

basic study bible; theNew International

Version for ease of reading and fairly faithfultranslation of the text; theNew RevisedStandard Version which is very literal but seeksto be gender inclusive.

2. Buy a copy ofStrongs concordance.

This means that you need a copy of the KingJames version since Strongss is keyed to thisversion. Strongs concordance lists EVERY

word in the KJV and by each word there is anumber. When you look up this number in the

back of the concordance it will tell you whatHebrew or Greek word has been translated bythat word. In this way you can tell exactly what

words have been added by the translator. Hereis an example taken from Romans 14:5.

[3303] One man [2919] esteemeth one

[2250] day [3844] above another: [3739]another [2919] esteemeth [3956] every [2250]day alike. Let [1538] every man be [4135] fully

[4135] persuaded in his [2398] own [3563]mind.

Since this passage does not use Sabbath

day, seventh day, holy or sacred day, worshipday, it cannot be used to prove that holy dayshave been abolished. Paul is simply saying that

if someone wishes to keep a feast or fast daythey may and no one is judge if they do or donot observe that kind of day. It is not an honest

use of Scripture if someone quotes a particularversion as a proof text when the original

language never said what that translator says itsays. That is why it is important that everyonebe a student of the Word. Do not let others do

your thinking for you. You, too, can be aserious Bible student.


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Colossians 2:16-17Dr. J. David Newman

Therefore do not let anyone judge youby what you eat or drink, or with regard to areligious festival, a New Moon celebration or a

Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the thingsthat were to come; the reality, however, isfound in Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17, NIV).

There are many people who considerthis text to prove that the seventh day Sabbathhas been abolished and is no longer valid for

Christians today. In order to understand thispassage we must first look at what it is NOTsaying before we can discover what it is saying.

Verse 16 lists four specific points. Letswork backwards to see what is being said.

Lets say, for the sake of argument, that thisverse means that these practices are no longerin force. This includes the seventh day

Sabbath, New Moons, religious holy days otherthan the Sabbath, and eating and drinking.When we get to the fourth item we have a

problem. Everyone immediately recognizesthat it cannot literally mean what it says. If wedid not eat or drink we would die. So we must

interpret these words. If we have to interpretthese words it is also quite likely that we haveto interpret the other words in the passage. If

we have to discover the deeper meaning ofNOT eating and drinking, we also need to findout the deeper meaning of religious festivals,

new moon celebrations, and Sabbath days.

Interpret consistently

It is a principle of interpreting Scripturethat we are consistent in our use of a passage.

When there is a list of items all linked together

we interpret them as a whole. We do not takesome literally and some spiritually, or just

ignore them. A good example of the misuse oflists is how some interpret Isaiah 3:16-26. Thisis the well-known passage of the women of

Zion and how they dress. Some Adventists intheir use of this passage stop at verse 21 and

ignore the rest of the items in the list. I canpoint to a page in a much circulated book where

the author spends several pages on the last itemin verse 21ringstrying to show how evilthey are and yet says nothing about the evils

of capes, cloaks, purses, mirrors, linen

garments, which are also part of this passage.The passage stands or falls as a unit. I

know of no biblical principle that allows me totake some items as moral and the others asamoral or immoral.

Ascetic teachers

To understand this passage we need to

look at the wider context. What is the book ofColossians about? What is its theme? Therewere leaders in the church at Colossae who

taught that though Christ provided a goodspiritual beginning there was a deeper fullnessavailable to those who searched for spiritual

things. This knowledge was called gnosis andcame from fresh revelations of following rites

and legalistic asceticism.In Colossians 1:9 Paul uses the word

knowledge (epiknosis, full knowledge). For

this reason, since the day we heard about you,we have not stopped praying for you and askingGod to fill you with the KNOWLEDGE of his

will through all spiritual wisdom andunderstanding.

In chapter 1:15-20 Paul recites in

dramatic detail the all sufficiency of Christ andthat Christ is supreme in everything andnothing more is needed than to know Christ.

Then he tells the church not to be deceived bythese people teaching a wrong gospel.

I want you to know how much I am

struggling for you and for those at Laodicea,and for all who have not met me personally. 2My purpose is that they may be encouraged in

heart and united in love, so that they may havethe full riches of complete understanding, in

order that they may know the mystery of God,namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all thetreasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you


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this so that no one may deceive you byfine-sounding arguments (2:1-4).

Paul says that in searching for truth it ispossible to be deceived by fine-soundingarguments. He wants people to know Jesus

Christ, to understand the gospel, to know what

is primary and what is secondary. In the nextthree verses he encourages the church to

continue to be rooted and built up in Jesus.Then he gives the second of his cautions:

See to it that no one takes you captive

through hollow and deceptive philosophy,which depends on human tradition and thebasic principles of this world rather than on

Christ (2:8) Here Paul is laying thegroundwork for what is to come. He lays outthe principle that human tradition and worldly

philosophy have no moral value or eternalconsequence for the Christian. Everything theChristian does is motivated by the desire to

serve and follow Jesus. Since salvation istotally of grace rules and regulations and

traditions have no place as the basis of eternallife. They do not enter into why God takes aperson to heaven.

However, God does want people togrow and mature in Christ and distinguishbetween eternal moral principles given by God

and the many rules and customs that humansdevelop. Paul constantly in this passage talksabout not conforming to worldly rules as the

main emphasis of the Christian. In verses 18and 19 he tells about people who are promotingascetic ideas which only results in separation

from Jesus rather than a closer walk with Him.The passage ends with a clear statement of theissues at hand:

20 Since you died with Christ to thebasic principles of this world, why, as thoughyou still belonged to it, do you submit to its

rules: 21 "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do nottouch!"? 22 These are all destined to perish

with use, because they are based on humancommands and teachings. 23 Such regulationsindeed have an appearance of wisdom, with

their self-imposed worship, their false humilityand their harsh treatment of the body, but they

lack any value in restraining sensualindulgence (2:20-23)

The whole context of this passage is

clearly about man made rules which have no

place in the life of the Christian. They do notpromote spiritual growth. There were many in

the early church that believed the way to comecloser to Christ was to fast, consider the bodyto be evil, separate completely from the world,

and live a life of apparent humility which wasreally pride in a different dress.

Here is a summary of what Paul is

saying in this letter:1. Brilliant revelation of the cosmicChrist (1:15-20).

2. They share in Christs fullness (2:9-10).3. They died in Christs circumcision

(2:11-15).4. They must not be subject to legalism

(2:16-17), mysticism (18-19), andasceticism (20-23).5. They must fix their hearts and minds

on the grand gnosis above (3:1-3).6. Then they will be able to rise abovetheir earthly nature (3:5-11).

7. They will put on the qualities of thenew nature (3:12-17).8. They will live as they oughtas

wives, husbands, children, slaves, andmasters (3:18-4:1).

This background and understanding ofthe key points in this letter are crucial to ourunderstanding of the issue surrounding the

Sabbath. Paul gives four examples of howChristians are to avoid letting the world set theagenda for the Christian life (2:16, 17).

Pauls negative and positive law statements

This seeming negative statement on theSabbath also mirrors Pauls seeming negativestatements about the law. Law in the New


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Testament usually meant the revealed will ofGod as given in the Old Testament. This law is

made up of civil, ceremonial, health, and moralelements. It is obvious that not everything thatis taught in the OT is abolished or of no value

to Christians. The difficulty is sorting out what

we are to keep and what we are to discard.If you read one set of texts you find

Paul totally opposed to the law. Read thefollowing texts: Romans 7:1-4; 10:4; Galatianschapter 2-5; 2 Corinthians 3; Ephesians 2:14

and on. Some use these texts to prove that thelaw is irrelevant to Christians.

However, there are some Christians

who ignore another whole body of texts whichshow a very positive view of the law. Just readthe following texts: Romans 3:31; 7:12, 14;

8:4, 7; 13:8-10; 1 Cor. 7:19; 9:21; 15:56; Eph.6:1, 2. Jesus also had some very positive thingsto say about the law: Matt. 5:17-19; 19:17-18;

22:36-40; Luke 10:25-28.The clue is found in 1 Timothy 1:8:

We know that the law is good if one uses itproperly. So there is a proper use of the lawand a wrong use of the law. God gave the

laws in the OT. The people kept ignoring theselaws and as a result kept being conquered bytheir enemies. Finally after centuries of failure

and repentance, failure and repentance, captureand deliverance they entered into the mostterrible of their captivities, the Babylonian

captivity. When they came back from that onethey decided to follow the Lord their God.They no longer worshiped idols. Instead they

went to the other extreme where they becameso rule conscious they lost sight of the reasonfor these rules and even more important they

came to believe that they were saved bykeeping these rules.

This understanding is summarized in

the exchange between Jesus and the Phariseeswho asked Jesus which is the greatest

commandment in the law (Matt. 22:36).Jesus, who had given the law, the tencommandments, pointed to something deeper,

something that undergirded all law. He toldthem that law without love to God and love for

ones neighbor (Matt. 22:37-40) has no valuewhatsoever. This did not mean that what Godgave to the Jews was invalid, but they needed

to understand the purpose behind those laws

and why God had given them.So Paul begins a vendetta against

keeping the law or any part of the law as ameans of salvation. In Romans 10:4 Paulmakes it clear that the law as a method of

getting acceptance with God is completelyrejected by Him. As a prime motivator ofobedience it is a failure (Romans 7:1-6). There

is a new dispensation, a new covenant, becauseGod has finally come and revealed Himself onthe cross. Jesus is greater than Moses

(Hebrews 3:1-6). The life and death of Jesus isfar superior to all the rituals and practices thatpointed to Jesus (Hebrews 8:1-13)

But at the same time not everything inthe Old Testament is discarded in the New.

Christians agree that the commands againstincest, idolatry, adultery, murder, and so on arestill valid for Christians today. Christians

believe that moral laws stand forever in thisworld. And many Christians believe that theTen Commandments, the only words of

Scripture directly written by God (Exodus31:18) and the only words kept in the Ark ofthe Covenant (Deut. 10:3-5) are moral

absolutes. In addition many Christians believethat God woul

is the seventh-day sabbath still important if you believe in grace?

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