The apostle Paul, Jewish but dedicated to the Gentiles, weighs in on the quest for truth about a Sabbath in a Christian's life. Here's something from Paul in Romans 14:5. There was a sizeable element of both Jews and Gentiles in this church, and Paul addressed that issue partly by this word:
Romans 14:5. "One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind."
Is Paul talking about the fact that in Christ, every day is to be holy to the Lord? Is he talking about feast days? How about pagan holidays since this is a largely Gentile bunch? Or is he speaking of first day vs. seventh day? Didn't Paul have a preference? Was he not convinced in his own mind? And if a man is convinced, must he not be convinced of God? And if by God, is there any room for another opinion on the matter? A fair group of questions, I think. I leave the answers for readers. Now ponder this: The following word from Paul seems to imply that the whole set of laws we have been discussing is simply nailed to the cross to be forgotten. The law as a requirement for salvation is gone. Read it for yourself:
Colossians 2:14, 16. "[God] wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross... therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths..."
That seems pretty clear. And that seems to be where Scripture ends its talk about the seventh day! But the law as a requirement for salvation is not the same as the law which we keep because the Spirit within says to. Murder and adultery are still forbidden from within. What about Sabbath-breaking, in that same list?
By using Scripture alone, not just Paul, but the entire Bible, what do we learn about the seventh Day (Sabbath)?
1. The Sabbath is the seventh day. It is never the first day in Scripture.
2. There is no Scriptural basis, so far, for keeping in a rigid sense, any other day but the seventh.
3. Sabbath is a picture of our rest in Christ.
4. The Sabbath is equal in every respect to all the other of the 10 commandments.
5. Sabbath started soon after creation and never officially ended.
6. Not only Old Testament characters but Jesus and the apostles all kept the Sabbath while correcting its abuses.
7. There will be a Sabbath in the Millennium, excitedly foretold by the prophets.
8. The Sabbath was given as a gift to man, to bless him.
9. The first Gentile meeting was on the Sabbath.
10. But, and very importantly, there is no clearly expressed command to Gentile believers to keep the seventh day (unless of course they are fellowshipping with Jews). And no attempt at keeping any law of God can ever save man, because of the weakness of human flesh.
Where does that leave us? With a decision to make, I think, based on the facts of the Word, and not based on human tradition. I offer no easy solution here, but search with my readers to please God in this matter.
http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. I have created over 200 blogs and the site features a live news feed , lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com
And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. I love to write Scriptural works. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.
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