I have heard it said there is no need to observe a Christian day of worship because “Christ is our Sabbath.” Ray Steadman in his commentary on Hebrews seems to say this. Ray does an excellent job of showing that when we take the yoke of Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30) we cease from our heavy labors and find rest in Jesus. I believe Ray is correct in this, and that, as he also says, we must be diligent to enter God’s rest (Hebrews 4:11).
Ray however seems to deny the validity of a “Sabbath” day for the Christian when he says concerning Sunday, “It is not a day of rest or restricted activity and it is not designed as such. It is the first day of the week; to Christians, the Lord’s day.” To say there is no longer a day that should be considered the Christian Sabbath is to set aside one of the Ten Commandments. This, we cannot do. In fact, the Fourth Commandment says that we should rest on a day because God rested. “In six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth and rested on the seventh.” God invented a seven day week rather than a six day week. The seventh day was given as a day for rest in which God the Creator is worshiped.
Indeed, Jesus fulfilled all the festivals and Sabbaths of Israel, all the sacrificial requirements and rituals. Jesus is our Passover, Jesus is our sacrificial Lamb, Jesus is the one who sanctifies those who cast their lives upon Him and trust Him for salvation. The Bible never suggests that the coming of Christ set aside any one of the Ten Commandments.
- Never is it suggested that Christ has fulfilled or set aside the First Commandment, to worship the LORD, Jehovah only.
- Never is it suggested that Christ has fulfilled or set aside the Second Commandment, to make no idols, to worship no image.
- Never is it suggested that Christ has fulfilled or set aside the Third Commandment, to not take the LORD’S name in vain.
- Never is it suggested that Christ has fulfilled or set aside the Fourth Commandment, to keep the Sabbath day holy, though some deny this.
- Never is it suggested that Christ has fulfilled or set aside the Fifth Commandment, to honor father and mother.
- Never is it suggested that Christ has fulfilled or set aside the Sixth Commandment, to not murder.
- Never is it suggested that Christ has fulfilled or set aside the Seventh Commandment, to not commit adultery.
- Never is it suggested that Christ has fulfilled or set aside the Eighth Commandment, to not steal.
- Never is it suggested that Christ has fulfilled or set aside the Ninth Commandment, to not bare false witness against one’s neighbor.
- Never is it suggested that Christ has fulfilled or set aside the Tenth Commandment, to not covet.
Indeed, those who call themselves Christian’s do not normally suggest that any commandment is laid aside except the Fourth Commandment. Why?
Those who advocate that the Fourth Commandment is no longer binding say that Christ fulfilled the commandment, and has Himself become our Sabbath. Ray Steadman did a good job showing that Jesus is our rest. Yet I am certain we can not lay aside one of the Ten Commandments without reaping the consequences Jesus speaks of in Matthew 5:19. If Jesus is the fulfillment of the Sabbath in the sense that the Fourth Commandment is no longer binding, perhaps He fulfilled another of the Commandments or all the Ten Commandments so that we do not need to obey any of therm. James says the commandments are a unity, and when someone breaks one he breaks them all (James 2:10-11). This being true, could any one of the commandments be thrown out? Impossible!
Then what does Paul mean in Colossians 2:16-17? “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” (NKJV) The context along with the similar passage in Ephesians 2:14-16 show that Paul is talking about the festival, ritual or ceremonial, and of sacrificial ordinances all of which were a picture, a “shadow” of things to come. All of these Christ fulfilled, for they were temporary, given only for a time to the Jews until Christ came as the substance of what those things only represented and foreshadowed. All of these have been taken away and no longer apply in any measure. But the Ten Commandments are not the same as these. The Ten Commandments are God’s moral law and are unchanging. The Ten Commandments are not “a shadow of things to come,” but are representative of the very nature of God’s righteousness, and of His righteous requirements for man.
The Sabbath has not been done away. However, the Sabbath has been changed to the first day of the week when Christ rose from the dead on that day. On the next Sunday Christ again appeared to His apostles, and we see the Church in Acts and in Corinthians meeting on Sunday. We also have early church history that tells of Christians, from earliest times, from the first century meeting on Sunday. Ray Steadman in the commentary mentioned above agrees that Christians met from early times on Sunday.
As for the idea that keeping the Sabbath is legalism, I would ask, is it legalism to refrain from having and worshiping other Gods and taking the Lord’s name in vain (commandments 1, 2, & 3)? Is it legalism to honor one’s father and mother? Is it legalism to refrain from murder (and heart murder, hatred)? Is it legalism to refrain from committing adultery, from stealing, from bearing false witness, from coveting? Are these legalism too? If not, then why is it supposed that keeping a Christian sabbath is legalism?
Eugene Clingman
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Tags: 4th commandment, christian day of worship, eugene clingman, fourth commandment, granola, Jesus is our sabbath, lord's day, ray steadman, remember the sabbath day, ten commandments
He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. mat 12:2-7
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 pet 2:9
For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness (for the law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. When he said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear. Heb 7:18-19 and 8:13
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I find it sad that our Creator came into the world and no one recognized him.
John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
2000 years ago the religious establishment of the day didn’t recognize him, the Jews, and today the religious establishment still doesn’t recognize him, Christians.
Jesus is the one that made the world.
John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Col. 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Heb. 1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
Is. 44:24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I [am] the LORD that maketh all [things]; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;
The Lord our redeemer. Just who is the Lord our redeemer? Jesus!
Moses asked the Lord what his name was when the Lord gave him the Ten Commandments, what did the Lord say?
Ex. 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
Jesus called himself I AM.
John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
So, apparently, if we’re going to believe the bible, it was Jesus that gave the Ten Commandments.
It was Jesus that made all things, including Adam in the garden.
Gen. 1:27 So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
If you don’t believe it then you don’t believe the bible.
Remember Col. 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
There’s one more thing that was made that man doesn’t want to keep.
Mark 2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
Jesus said the Sabbath was “made”. Now, who does the bible say made all things?
John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Jesus made the Sabbath for mankind.
Our creator, our maker, came into the world and we don’t even know him as such.
We don’t even keep the day he made for us. Why? Because we think that we are theologically so smart.
If our theology doesn’t fit the bible, is it the bible that we should question, or is it our theology?
Kevin McMillen
1/17/2012
I enjoyed your article ” Is Jesus our Sabbath Rest?” very much.
In fact, I just wrote a poem entitled “Sabbath Rest” which will be posted on my website (propheticrevelations.com) very soon. In it I reveal many of the same points that you did. The Sabbath was made by God at Creation for all mankind(Genesis 2:1-3).
Through Jesus Christ we enter into rest. The Word of God admonishes us to to keep holy the seventh day Sabbath. We will keep the Sabbath in heaven and the new earth according to Isaiah 66:23. Christ made all things including the Sabbath which is the true Lord’s Day. Michael