An unspectacular but clear social media post about the binding nature of the biblical Sabbath regularly triggers a wave of outrage. Hardly any biblical truth can enrage “Christians” as much as the emphasis on God’s Fourth Commandment.
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Sabbath – stumbling block
A video posted online by a pastor from the USA argues that one could search the Bible from beginning to end in vain to find any evidence that the Sabbath was ever changed from the 7th day of the week (“Saturday”) to the 1st day of the week (“Sunday”). There is no such entry. Nevertheless, many Christians claim that the Bible describes such a change. As usual, unlike most other topics, the comment section on the Sabbath quickly fills up. It’s as if using the keyword “Sabbath” to stir up a hornet’s nest.
The following is an excerpt from the arguments of those users in the comments section of the video who vehemently reject the mandatory observance of the Sabbath.
Sunday Meeting – Lord’s Day
Arguments:
“In Acts it is said that Christians began to meet on Sunday instead of Saturday“
“In the Old Testament and some New Testaments, they celebrated the Sabbath on Saturday. After Christ’s resurrection, they refer to the day on which they meet as the “Lord’s Day,” the day on which Christ was resurrected.“
“Acts 20 records that Jesus’ disciples met on the first day of the week. Early church history reports that they did this to commemorate his resurrection.“
“The early Christians were Jewish and, like devout Jews, met in synagogues on the seventh day. They also met on the first day for fellowship and the breaking of bread in remembrance of the resurrection. The non-Jewish believers met only on the first day, since they were not Jewish.”
Breaking bread – Meeting
What was “only” missing here was a reference to where in the Bible it is stated that the day of Jesus Christ’s resurrection must be celebrated. Certainly possible, but not obligatory. The apostles met, including on the first day of the week, just as they did on other days of the week. Another frequently used argument is that the phrase “breaking bread” explicitly refers to the Lord’s Supper or Communion. Acts 20 is regularly cited in this regard.
This is not the case at all. “Breaking bread” is the phrase used to introduce an ordinary communal meal. This is further clarified by a passage in Acts 2:46:
“And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,“
The apostles’ meeting on the first day of the week also served the purpose of collecting offerings, or tithes. After all, handling money was not to take place on the previous Sabbath, which, according to the Fourth Commandment, was to be observed on the seventh day of the week.
Lord’s Day
“The Lord’s Day” is Sunday. This is simply taken for granted. But why, with what justification? The Bible indeed contains numerous descriptions of the “Lord’s Day,” but not a single reference refers to Sunday, or rather, the first day of the week (Info). The designation of Sunday as the “Lord’s Day” is a legacy of Roman Catholic tradition, but cannot be biblically justified at all (Info).
One certainly has a bad hand in one’s hand if one wants to justify a tradition that deviates from God’s commandment with another tradition.
Daily Sabbath in Jesus
Arguments:
“Is it really important? We should worship Him every day.“
“Every day is the Sabbath because we rest in Jesus. Is the Sabbath a day or a person? Jesus must be respected and worshipped daily.”
Worship daily and also part of the Sabbath
Indeed. Pray every day, not just once, but twice or more often. Daniel prayed three times a day. Does this change anything about the Fourth Commandment, the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath? Absolutely nothing. After all, worship alone does not describe the Sabbath. It is a part of it. The Sabbath is like entering a holy place, yet not spatially, but temporally. The Sabbath was the first thing God sanctified. Not a specific place, not a person, not an entire nation, but a period of time.
Whoever is in Christ Jesus is also in His rest. This person walks by the Spirit and not according to the flesh (Galatians 5). Again, this is neither a synonym nor a substitute for the Fourth Commandment, written in stone by God himself.
Only 1 day is the Sabbath
There is no “must,” but certainly a “should.” Those who have truly recognized Jesus Christ will worship Him daily. Just as Jesus Himself said in John 14:15 that true love for Him leads to the desire to keep His commandments. This includes the Fourth Commandment, the Sabbath. It was established by God for the completion of His creation, the 7th day (Genesis 2:2-3). Exodus 20:8-11 also clearly states that one must work on 6 days and rest on the 7th. In other words, one day out of a total of seven. Therefore, not every day is a Sabbath.
Puzzle – Calendar Days
Argument:
“Paul clearly states that every day that is holier to you is great.“
A formulation that doesn’t exist in the Bible in this form. This requires at least a reference to a corresponding Bible passage.
Arguments:
“Who knows when the actual Sabbath should be if we have adopted the Gregorian calendar and switched to 12 months??“
“No one knows when the Sabbath is because we do not have the same calendar as those who wrote down the Sabbath.“
“So Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, lived a sinless life, endured torture and betrayal, was nailed to a cross, mocked, killed, and rose from the dead, all so our salvation would depend on keeping a specific day on the calendar? Got it!“
A thoroughly misleading suggestion. Calendars are just smoke and mirrors. A template superimposed over the seven-day rhythm of the week. It’s the 7th day, regardless of whether it’s called Saturday or not. It doesn’t matter at all.
Jesus Christ suffered this martyrdom to purchase the right to forgive our (previous) sins and thus spare us the just punishment of death. Sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4). One law, the Fourth Commandment, is the Sabbath. Not a single letter, not even a single stroke, has passed away from the law to this day (Matthew 5:18).
1 John 2:4:
“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
Anyone who does not keep the Sabbath but still claims to have (truly) known Jesus Christ is one such as John describes.
Sabbath only for Israel
Argument:
“As you read there, investigate which nation was commanded to keep the Sabbath, and then determine if you are a member of the nation of Israel. If not, the seventh Sabbath was not given to you.“
The 7th day, the Sabbath, was established by God for the completion of creation. It was blessed and sanctified. At that time, there was neither a nation of Israel nor the one tribe of Twelve, Judah. The law of God (10 Commandments), a reflection of His character, is eternal. Theft, murder, covetousness, adultery, only one God, no idols, etc., were not just valid since Mount Sinai, but from the very beginning of this world (Info).
The Sabbath was not given to a specific ethnic group, but to all of humanity. Israel’s task was to be the light in this world, to convert the Gentiles and also to explain God’s binding laws. But they failed to do so. Rather, they isolated themselves with the self-confidence of a privileged people and, moreover, allowed paganism to seep into their own ranks.
Commandments of God – Laws of Moses
Argument:
““Remember the Sabbath” is the only commandment missing from the New Testament. “Therefore let no one judge you in food or drink, or in respect of a certain festival or new moon or Sabbath. For these are only a shadow of things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” In other words, Jesus is our rest, not any particular day.“
The vexed issue of the confusion between God’s Ten Commandments and the Laws of Moses. If a distinction is not made here, any proper understanding is doomed to failure. Both sets of laws are of a different nature and based on different foundations. One is eternal, the other is abolished. Here is the information.
The usual paradox
Argument:
“I am a Christian and agree that the Sabbath is on Saturday. But for a Christian, that doesn’t matter. As Christians, the “law” doesn’t apply to us. The foundation of Christianity is that we are saved by grace. For the same reason, we don’t have to be circumcised; we can eat cheeseburgers and pork ribs. Jews are obligated to keep the Sabbath holy, Christians are not.“
Such statements make God an arbitrary ruler. Christians are “under grace” and Jews are obligated to keep the law. What is that supposed to mean? Justice looks different.
Moreover, what grace, for what reason? If the law (10 Commandments) were no longer binding for Christians, there would be nothing left to break. This would eliminate any threat of punishment and make grace completely superfluous. It is an oxymoron argument, a genuine paradox (Info).
No one can be justified by keeping the law. That’s true. This argument thus excludes any possibility of salvation for the Jewish people, because they are not under grace, but solely bound by the law, so the conclusion goes.
There remains the claim that the grace of Jesus hovers over Christians, so to speak, and brings about a permanent, fully automatic pardon for every current and future sin. However, sin is founded on the transgression of a law, but there is no longer any law. It’s truly utterly nonsensical. Furthermore, a “blanket, permanent grace” would have the consequence that everyone could do whatever they wanted, according to the motto, “Do what you will. That shall be the whole of the law.” This teaching is Satan’s doctrine!
The dietary laws are not ceremonial laws once given to the people of Israel because the law was transgressed. Noah already knew how to distinguish between clean and unclean animals (Info). Thus, like the Ten Commandments of God, they were also not new at the time of Mount Sinai.
Just 9 instead of 10
Arguments:
“There’s no mention of Saturday anywhere, and this Jewish law was in the Old Testament, and most of the laws have been abolished, with the exception of the Nine Commandments. Acts 20:7 is clear enough. The SDA is a man-made sect with man-made doctrines and beliefs. The real church is the CHURCH OF CHRIST. Matthew 16:18, Romans 16:16“
“I am also looking for the verse that says “Saturday.”“
There’s no day in the Bible called “Sunday,” nor any other name for a weekday. Therefore, the argument that one can’t possibly know whether the Sabbath is Saturday because of the Gregorian calendar is purely specious. Furthermore, if it’s uncertain whether the Sabbath is actually Saturday, then the same applies to Sunday as the first day.
Actually, the user has exposed himself with his argument that “most laws have been abolished, with the exception of the 9 Commandments.” God formulated 10 Commandments, not 8, nor 9, but 10. This simply deletes one, essentially plastering over the Sabbath commandment written in stone by God’s finger. “We do not want it, nor accept it; therefore it is not valid.” Acts 20:7, in turn, is this empty reformulation of the “Sunday meeting” into the “first church service held on a Sunday.”
The precedence of Matthew 16:18, the supposed “Rock Peter,” outs the commenting critic as a Catholic anyway.
A reflection of the sad reality
Argument:
“I have never heard a Christian say that, and I have been with them constantly for over 50 years.“
Well, that’s how this “Sabbath critic” describes the reality. He claims that in half a century, he has never seen Christians emphasize the Sabbath. This is indeed a disgrace, and indeed a testament to the catastrophic situation. It’s unknown in what circles the critic has moved over the past 50 years, but he has apparently never encountered a Seventh-day Adventist church, or even heard of one.
Sabbath – Allergic reactions
A minor contribution to highlighting the valid, biblical Sabbath, and the reactions resemble a disturbed anthill. No commandment of God harbors as much potential for resistance and resentment as the Fourth Commandment, the Sabbath on the 7th day of the week. It is becoming increasingly clear that the question of Sabbath observance, the obedience of God’s rule, or the observance of Sunday, a law of the Beast (Revelation 13), will become a decisive question of conscience (Info)
The Holy Scripture clearly states who the persecuted will be in the end and why:
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 12:17
Bible verses from King James Version (1611)
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