From: "gordon brown" <gbrown@euclid.Colorado.EDU>
> There are a couple of other reasons for the Sabbath, both pertaining
> specifically to Israel. (See Exodus 31:13 and Deuteronomy 5:15).
According to Exodus 31:13 the Sabbath was to be a sign that God makes them
holy.
EX 31:12-13 Then the LORD said to Moses, 13 "Say to the Israelites, `You
must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the
generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy.
However, don't stop there.
EX 31:14-17 " `Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. ... 15
For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest,
holy to the LORD. ... 16 The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath,
celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. 17 It will
be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the LORD
made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he abstained from
work and rested.' "
In other words, the Sabbath is a sign that God makes them holy because God
is the Creator and the Sabbath is the celebration of the Creation week.
We need to back up to verse 12 to get the context of Deut. 5:15.
DT 5:12 "Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God
has commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but
the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do
any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or
maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien
within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you
do. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God
brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.
Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
God is not saying that they are to keep the Sabbath in memorial of being
brought out of Egypt. Rather He wants them to observe the Sabbath that
celebrates His Creatorship because the Creator is the very one who brought
them out of Egypt.
> The New
> Testament does not tell us when to worship, although there are clues that
> the early Christians worshipped on the first day of the week.
By the same token it does not tell us when not to worship. However, The
book of Acts list many times that Paul taught and attended the Synagogs on
the Sabbath:
Acts 13:14 "But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in
Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down."
Acts 13:42 "And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles
besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.
Acts 13:44 "And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to
hear the word of God."
Acts 16:13 "And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side,
where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women
which resorted thither."
Acts 17:2 "And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath
days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,"
Acts 18:4 "And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the
Jews and the Greeks."
Acts 19:8 "And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of
three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of
God.
I count at least 20 Sabbaths kept by Paul. And 17: 2 says that it was
Paul's manner/custom to worship on the Sabbath.
How many times did he meet on the First day?
> From Romans 14:5,6 we learn that there were some who regarded one day
> above another and others who regarded every day alike. Each was supposed
> to accept the other.
RO 14:5 "One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man
considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own
mind. 6 He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord."
It is worthy of notice that the choices given here are 1. One day special
and 2. All days alike -- i.e. all are special [holy]. What it does not
deal with is one person taking one day special and other person taking
another single day special. Therefore, we cannot draw from this text that
it is ok for one person to have one day as special and another person to
have another day as special. It's a single day verses all days.
> I am pleased that we don't have to be legalistic about this matter.
> Otherwise I would be concerned about whether or not the guys who drew the
> International Date Line got it right.
What is Legalism? Legalism is the attempt to try to EARN salvation by
trying to keep the law. Along with most every other Christian group, SDAs
believe in Salvation by faith alone in Jesus. But why then "keep" the
Sabbath if not to earn Salvation?
Jesus said, If you love me keep my commandments. Only those who already
have found salvation through faith are likely to be the ones who truly love
Jesus. Therefore, only those who have salvation by faith will want to keep
Jesus' commands. Out of love for Jesus I will love God with my entire being
and love my fellow man just as I love myself. This means that, out of love
for Jesus, I won't have any other god/s. Out of love for Jesus I won't used
his name in vain. Out of love for Jesus, I won't make images to worship.
Out of love for Jesus, I will honor my mom and dad. Out of love for Jesus I
won't murder, steal, lie, commit adultery nor covet against my fellow
mankind. It also means that out of love for Jesus, I will keep the 7th day
Sabbath in honor of the fact that Jesus is the Creator [John 1:1].
It's that simple.
Allen
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