I would definitely like your input and critique of these statements.I. The Sabbath is a creation ordinance. The Sabbath was not given first to Moses, but to Adam. God blessed the Sabbath and made it holy not only for the benefit of ancient Israel, but originally for the man in the Garden (Genesis 2:1-3, Mark 2:27). Adam was to follow the pattern of His creator, working six days and resting one. The Sabbath was a gift for Adam, and for all his descendents, including you and I.[1]
II. The 4th Commandment has both moral and ceremonial elements. The Ten Commandments functions in two different ways: first, as the centerpiece of the constitution for the theocracy of Israel; second, as a comprehensive statement of the moral law of God. The Sabbath’s inclusion in the Ten Commandments should not make us less inclined but rather more inclined to view it as a moral imperative for all people. Obeying this command reminds us that we need rest, for we are not God. We are the creature, not the Creator. Moreover, the commandment teaches us God’s sovereignty over our time. That said, there is little doubt in my mind that the kind of Sabbath observance put forward in the Law given at Sinai was a Jewish Sabbath. The rules concerning how the Israelites were to observe the Sabbath were unique to them and were shadows pointing to the Messiah who was to come.
III. Romans 14:5-6 and Colossians 2:16 do refer to the Jewish Sabbath. I am not at all certain that Galatians 4:10 has reference to the Old Covenant Sabbath, but it does seem evident to me that such a reference is in view on the most plain reading of Romans 14:5-6 and Colossians 2:16. It appears that some Jewish Christians still felt the need to gather with their fellow Jews at the synagogue on the Old Covenant Sabbath. Paul makes clear that this is okay, but certainly not required. The Jewish Sabbath along with the other elements of Old Covenant ceremony are now fulfilled in Christ. However, this does not change the fact that the Sabbath was made for man, and that we still need a day of rest. Paul is not saying that the Sabbath principle is abolished, only the form of Old Covenant observance.
IV. Hebrews 4 does not negate the Sabbath principle. Certainly the ceremonial nature of the Old Covenant Sabbath is fulfilled in Christ. Certainly our ultimate rest is found in Christ. Yet even as Hebrews 4 reminds us of our present rest in Christ, it also reminds us of the perfect, future rest that we have not yet attained. We continue to need a day of physical rest and spiritual refreshment as we seek to enter that eschatological rest.
V. The Lord’s Day is the New Covenant Sabbath. The Sabbath principal is universal and was given to all of Adam’s descendents. Yet its observance has taken on different forms throughout history. There are important differences between Old Covenant and New Covenant observance. One of these differences is the day which we set aside. Another is the way in which we keep the day holy. Certainly it should still be a day of rest, for that is why it was given to us. Yet we also see in the New Covenant that it is primarily to be a day of assembling for worship and edification. Questions of how to keep the day holy should be left to conscience.
VI. The early church continued to observe the Sabbath principle. However, they did so in a way that encouraged Christians not to observe the Old Covenant Sabbath but the Lord’s Day (the New Covenant Sabbath). In the first few generations after the Apostles the distinction was often made between the “Sabbath” and the Lord’s Day. But it is clear that the “Sabbath” that was being prohibited by these early church fathers was the Old Covenant Sabbath – not observance of the Sabbath principle. Within a few decades the Lord’s Day was being called the “Christian Sabbath” and was recognized as a continuation of the Sabbath principle established in Genesis 2.
II. The 4th Commandment has both moral and ceremonial elements. The Ten Commandments functions in two different ways: first, as the centerpiece of the constitution for the theocracy of Israel; second, as a comprehensive statement of the moral law of God. The Sabbath’s inclusion in the Ten Commandments should not make us less inclined but rather more inclined to view it as a moral imperative for all people. Obeying this command reminds us that we need rest, for we are not God. We are the creature, not the Creator. Moreover, the commandment teaches us God’s sovereignty over our time. That said, there is little doubt in my mind that the kind of Sabbath observance put forward in the Law given at Sinai was a Jewish Sabbath. The rules concerning how the Israelites were to observe the Sabbath were unique to them and were shadows pointing to the Messiah who was to come.
III. Romans 14:5-6 and Colossians 2:16 do refer to the Jewish Sabbath. I am not at all certain that Galatians 4:10 has reference to the Old Covenant Sabbath, but it does seem evident to me that such a reference is in view on the most plain reading of Romans 14:5-6 and Colossians 2:16. It appears that some Jewish Christians still felt the need to gather with their fellow Jews at the synagogue on the Old Covenant Sabbath. Paul makes clear that this is okay, but certainly not required. The Jewish Sabbath along with the other elements of Old Covenant ceremony are now fulfilled in Christ. However, this does not change the fact that the Sabbath was made for man, and that we still need a day of rest. Paul is not saying that the Sabbath principle is abolished, only the form of Old Covenant observance.
IV. Hebrews 4 does not negate the Sabbath principle. Certainly the ceremonial nature of the Old Covenant Sabbath is fulfilled in Christ. Certainly our ultimate rest is found in Christ. Yet even as Hebrews 4 reminds us of our present rest in Christ, it also reminds us of the perfect, future rest that we have not yet attained. We continue to need a day of physical rest and spiritual refreshment as we seek to enter that eschatological rest.
V. The Lord’s Day is the New Covenant Sabbath. The Sabbath principal is universal and was given to all of Adam’s descendents. Yet its observance has taken on different forms throughout history. There are important differences between Old Covenant and New Covenant observance. One of these differences is the day which we set aside. Another is the way in which we keep the day holy. Certainly it should still be a day of rest, for that is why it was given to us. Yet we also see in the New Covenant that it is primarily to be a day of assembling for worship and edification. Questions of how to keep the day holy should be left to conscience.
VI. The early church continued to observe the Sabbath principle. However, they did so in a way that encouraged Christians not to observe the Old Covenant Sabbath but the Lord’s Day (the New Covenant Sabbath). In the first few generations after the Apostles the distinction was often made between the “Sabbath” and the Lord’s Day. But it is clear that the “Sabbath” that was being prohibited by these early church fathers was the Old Covenant Sabbath – not observance of the Sabbath principle. Within a few decades the Lord’s Day was being called the “Christian Sabbath” and was recognized as a continuation of the Sabbath principle established in Genesis 2.
[1] Is it possible that Cain and Abel’s practice of bringing an offering to the Lord was in fact an observance of the Sabbath they had learned from their parents? Even if not, the fact that they knew to worship God through offerings shows that God certainly revealed some of His commandments long before the giving of the Law at Sinai. Moreover, Exodus 16 does seem to indicate that people knew what Sabbath observance was before it was included in the Ten Commandments. I take from all this that the Sabbath is a gift for all people, not just the Israelites.
4 comments:
Guys, I think that first comment was a virus. I deleted to try to help anyone from clicking on it.
Randy
I do think that Cain and Abel learned to keep the Sabbath holy from their parents. In Gen. 4:3 first states "In the course of time". This literally means "at the end of days" which gives proof that they were on a seven day system, and on the seventh they offered sacrifices to God.
tcl
Yeah, that's a good point.
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