Sabbath

There seems to be great confusion over which commands of God to obey. Paul said, “Keeping God’s commands is what counts” (1 Corinthians 7:17). The thrust of the Old and New Testaments is to be obedient to God’s commands. The question is: What are the commands of God that the New Testament believer is to keep and obey? I first answered that question in the article “Which Law Does the Christian Obey?” found on the website www.bereanpublishers.co.nz under the heading “Important Issues.”

Nevertheless, the specific issue of whether to worship on the Sabbath (Saturday) or Sunday or some other day continues to arise so this article will attempt to fully explore this issue.

As part of this discussion we will look at the tradition of the early church. Unfortunately, many look at this quite differently, each drawing their own conclusion. Others point to the fact that it was first the Roman Emperor and then the Roman Catholic Church that dictated (commanded) that Sunday be the official day of worship and so claim it must be the wrong day because of the source of the command.

As in all our writings our source is neither tradition nor opinion. We simply seek to find what God said in his word – the Bible. This sometimes requires more than blindly following a given favorite translation. Sometimes it is necessary to revert to the Greek or Hebrew texts to plumb the depths of meaning. Or sometimes it is revealing to check several different translations and see how different Greek (or Hebrew) language experts chose to interpret the original texts. But, above all, it is the word of God that must explain which commands we are to follow.

Finally, as we examine the scriptural texts, let us keep in mind both the context and the persons to whom the passages were directed. Also, in this particular subject – the Sabbath – let us pay attention both to what is said and what is not said. If the Sabbath must be observed by Gentiles believers, then surely God will clearly specify that.

God’s Command to New Testament Believers

As Jesus was about to ascend into heaven, he gave his last and most complete instruction to his followers about what they were to do after he left them:

^{Matthew 28:18}“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

If we are to teach new believers to obey everything Jesus commanded, then we should first study his teachings and commands to see what Jesus had to say on the subject of the Sabbath.

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath

At Matthew 12:8, Jesus said he was Lord of the Sabbath (see also Luke 6:5). Many scriptures record the frequent confrontations Jesus had with the religious rulers over Sabbath-keeping. Mark 1:21-28 records Jesus casting a demon from a man on the Sabbath. Matthew 12 tells of the disciples eating the heads of grain as they went through a field (see also Mark 2:22-23, Luke 6:1-2). The Pharisees accused them of doing that which was unlawful on the Sabbath. John 5:1-15 records the healing of the invalid at the pool of Bethesda. The entire 9^th chapter of the Gospel of John is devoted to the story of a man born blind who was healed by Jesus on the Sabbath. Matthew 12 tells of Jesus healing a man with a shriveled hand (see also Mark 3:1-6, Luke 6:6-11). When the Pharisees objected, Jesus said:

^{Matthew
12:11}“If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? ¹²How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

^Mark
2:27“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Jesus Taught Healing (Helping) On the Sabbath

On a Sabbath Jesus healed a woman bent over who could not straighten up. The Pharisees were indignant and told the people not to come for healing on the Sabbath. But Jesus told them:

^Luke
13:15The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? ¹⁶Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”

When eating at the house of a Pharisee on a Sabbath, Jesus saw a man suffering from dropsy and asked the Pharisees what they thought of healing on the Sabbath. Jesus healed the man and said:

^Luke
14:5Then he asked them, “If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?” ⁶And they had nothing to say. (See also John 7:21-24).

Jesus Admitted Working on the Sabbath

At John 5:17 Jesus said a most significant thing about both God and Jesus working on the Sabbath:

^John
5:16So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. ¹⁷Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” ¹⁸For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

Jesus admitted he was working – which was breaking the Sabbath rules and regulations. But he also said his Father – God – was also working and is always working.

Jesus went to the synagogue and often taught in the synagogues on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:9, Mark 6:2, Luke 4:16, 31).

What have we learned? Jesus apparently respected the Sabbath and often went to the synagogue and taught there on the Sabbath. But he constantly did on the Sabbath that which the Jews considered unlawful. He declared that the Sabbath was made for man, not the other way around, and that he was Lord of the Sabbath. Finally, he said that both he and his Father were constantly working – not keeping the seventh day Sabbath.

What did Jesus not do? He did NOT command his followers to keep and observe the Sabbath as a day of rest and worship.

Is it significant that Jesus did not specifically command observance of the Sabbath for his followers? It would seem very significant, as we are commanded to teach new disciples to obey what Jesus taught and commanded.

Sabbatarian Arguments Defending Sabbath-Keeping

Sabbatarians Say Jesus is Author of Old Testament Law

Sabbatarians sometimes argue that Jesus’ command at Matthew 28:20, “teach them to obey all that I commanded you,” includes the commands of the Old Testament because Jesus is the “Word” (John 1:1) and therefore the author of the Old Testament. This argument is without merit for several reasons.

First, Jesus was speaking to disciples who had been taught by him for 3 ½ years. Never did Jesus refer to the Old Testament as something he had authored and they were therefore to obey. The only thing the disciples could relate to when Jesus said to teach new disciples “to obey all that he had commanded them” was what Jesus had taught and commanded them over the prior 3 ½ years. The Gospel of John, revealing Jesus as the incarnate Word, was not written until much later, perhaps 50-85 A.D. The apostles and early church had no knowledge (from John’s writing) during all those years of what Sabbatarians now claim.

Second, John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The human person of Jesus Christ – the only begotten Son of the Father – had not yet come into existence. Yes, Jesus is God – the Word – but he is also man, the son of Mary, born of a virgin, without sin. The God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the one who commanded his followers to make new disciples and to teach them “to obey all that he commanded them.”

Third, Scripture says it was the Holy Spirit who prompted the writers:

²⁰Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. ²¹For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Sabbatarians Say Jesus Said the Law Will Last

Sabbatarians say that Jesus told us at Matthew 5:18 that nothing whatsoever will disappear from the Law until heaven and earth disappear. Let’s see what the Scripture says:

^{Matthew 5:18}I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

Did Jesus say what the Sabbatarians claim? No, not really. He said the Law would last indefinitely until everything is accomplished! When would everything be accomplished? When the Law and the Prophets were fulfilled. What did Jesus say he came to do?

^{Matthew 5:17}“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Jesus said he came to fulfill them. Did he? I believe he did, but what does Scripture say?

At Matthew 26:56, Jesus said, ^“56But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” When Jesus said, “It is finished!” (John 19:30) on the cross, I believe he was stating that the fulfillment of the law and the prophets was finished. For corroboration, consider what Jesus said at Luke 18:31: Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them,

“We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.” (Luke 18:31).

This much misunderstood passage, claimed to say that the Old Testament Law will last until heaven and earth pass away, is indeed misstated and misunderstood. The law and prophets, according to Jesus, have been fulfilled and accomplished. IT IS FINISHED!

Sabbatarians Say Blessings and Curses Show Law In Effect

The Sabbatarians argue that Jesus, at Matthew 5:19, spoke about those who break the commandments (Old Testament Law) and the blessings for those who practice and teach them. But is this so? The problem with this passage may be partly punctuation (not in the Greek) and the way it is set forth in the text of the various translations. Let’s look at Matthew 5:19-20 in the NIV:

^{Matthew 5:19}Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

What was Jesus talking about in verses 19 and 20? Notice that in verses 17 and 18 (see verses in previous section) Jesus is talking generically about the law. There are no specific commandments mentioned. But in verse 19 he speaks of “these” commandments and “these commands.” Jesus was teaching and giving specific commands (Matthew 5:1-16) to the crowd of listeners and continued to do so throughout the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:19-7:27). All of a sudden (at Matt. 5:18), it is though he turned aside to say he has not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it and that nothing will disappear from the law until everything is accomplished. (Remember he said, “It is finished!” All accomplished!)

Interpretation of verse 19 is easier to understand if we realize that “these” commands referred to what Jesus was speaking to the crowd, not referring back to an earlier statement about the Law.

Consider the opposite interpretation – that Jesus was referring to the Old Testament Law. If that were so, what commands was Jesus saying we would be blessed if we practice and teach them? Washing your hands? Animal sacrifice? That doesn’t make sense, does it?

Even stronger proof is found in verse 20. The Pharisees kept the law to the jot and tittle (KJV) just as Paul said he did as a Pharisee – he said he was blameless. How could anyone have a righteousness that surpassed that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law?

Jesus’ commands are of the heart and heart attitude (God looks at the heart). The external legalism of the Pharisees was a magnitude below the righteous behavior (of the heart) that Jesus taught. By following Jesus’ teachings and commands a person will indeed have a righteousness (of the heart) that surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. Is it any wonder the Lord Jesus commanded that his commands be taught to all new disciples? (Matthew 28:20).

“The Law” vs. Christ’s Law

Please note that throughout this article “the law” refers to the Old Testament law, NOT the teachings and commands of Jesus. Paul continually faced opposition from those who tried to compel the Gentile Christians to observe (obey) the Old Testament law – the Judaizers.

Jesus’ teachings and commands – Christ’s law – are what all Christians are to obey (see Matthew 28:20). Paul made the distinction between “Christ’s law” and “the law” when writing the Corinthians:

^{1 Cor. 9:21}To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.

Paul’s statement could be restated, “To those Gentiles not under the Jewish law, I became as one not having the Jewish law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the Jew’s law.

In 1 Corinthians 9:21, Paul equates “God’s law” with “Christ’s law.” Note that Paul has recognized that God’s law for the Christian church is the same as Christ’s law – the teachings and commands of Jesus, exactly what Jesus said we are to teach all disciples to obey (Matthew 28:20). Paul instructed the Galatians: ^“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). Using “word of Christ,” Paul said, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God (Colossians 3:16). The continuous emphasis of the New Testament is on what Jesus commanded, on what Jesus said!

What Did New Testament Writers Say (and Not Say)?

Paul is the only New Testament writer to speak about the Sabbath. If Gentiles are required to follow the Sabbath practices of the Jews we should find strong admonitions to the Gentiles to keep and observe the Sabbath in the New Testament Scriptures.

Critical Question: Is the Old Testament Law Still In Effect?

This question is critical to our study and of utmost importance to Sabbatarians (Sabbath-Keepers). For Sabbatarians, the Old Testament Law must be still in force today because they know it is the ONLY authority they can point to for keeping the Sabbath. They have advanced many arguments over the ensuing years to show why Christians must keep the Sabbath including, for example, that the Sabbath is a creation ordinance and that Israel is now the church. We’ll examine each of their arguments to see whether they are founded in Scripture.

God Canceled the Written Code, Nailing It To The Cross

In the clearest statement about observing the Sabbath, Paul told the Colossians:

^{Colossians 2:13}When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

¹⁶Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. ¹⁷These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

What did God do with the written code and its regulations? He took it away! He nailed it to the cross! Doesn’t that seem transparently clear?

The problem is that Sabbatarians say the written code and its regulations which were abolished – taken away, nailed to the cross – do not apply to the ten commandments.

Let’s take a closer look at vs. 16. The first part of the verse deals with the regulations pertaining to what can be eaten or drunk. Next it applies to the religious festivals. Finally it speaks specifically about the Sabbath. Surely that must be the end of the matter. It could hardly be more clear.

But no, again the Sabbatarians say this does not mean the 7^th day Sabbath. They say it refers to the feasts that were special Sabbaths. Of course the text doesn’t say special Sabbaths and the rule of interpretation of Scripture should always be to accept the plain, literal, and clear meaning of Scripture unless the context forces another interpretation.

Another writer advanced still a different idea, causing a complete misunderstanding of Colossians 2:14. His misunderstanding, from the King James Version, had to do with the term “handwriting of ordinances that was against us.” The parallel in the NIV is “the written code, with its regulations.”

^{Colossians 2:14}Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross [KJV]

^{Colossians 2:14}having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. [NIV]

The writer stated the “handwriting of ordinances” literally means a list of judgments or offenses – a sentence of guilt rather than a statement of the prevailing law.

I’m a lawyer. When I read ordinance I read law. I’ve always thought that is what it means. But since I’m not new at being wrong, I immediately checked Webster’s dictionary to see what that learned document had to say. It defined ordinance as follows: 1(a): an authoritative decree or direction: Order; (b) regulation; 2: something ordained or decreed by fate or a deity; 3: a prescribed usage, practice, or ceremony.

Definitions 1 and 2 both fit all the laws and decrees of God, don’t they? The King James Version does bring up an interesting point. Why would it say “handwriting” of ordinances? Could that point directly to the Ten Commandments which were handwritten on stone by the finger of God? The NIV version is more likely the correct understanding – the written code vs. oral rules.

Christians are Released From the Law

In Romans 7, Paul used the example of being bound in marriage so long as the spouse is alive. But when the spouse dies, the person is released from the law of marriage. Using the example of a woman who marries again while the spouse is alive, he says such a woman is called an adulteress. However, if the husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress even if she marries another man.

Paul says that is the example that is to apply to us – those who have died to the law through the body of Christ. He says, “But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code” (Romans 7:6).

What Was the Purpose of the Law?

Paul, in particular, was the writer who discussed the question of the Jewish law and its applicability to the Christian. He was in a unique position to do so having been a Pharisee who had been taught by Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), an esteemed teacher of the law.

There seem to be many reasons for the law. At Romans 3:20, Paul said “through the law we become conscious of sin.” At Romans 5:20 he wrote the Romans, “The law was added so that the trespass might increase.” At Galatians 3:19 Paul asked, “What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come.” At Galatians 3:24 Paul summarized the purpose of the law: “So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.”

Could “The Law” Make Men Righteous Before God?

Over and over, Paul answers this question. It must have been a hot topic of conversation in the days of the early church as the Judaizers tried to convince the new Christians to follow the Jewish law as well as Jesus. Paul did not mince words. He stated:

^{Romans 3:20}Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

^{Galatians 2:15}“We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’ ¹⁶know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.

^{Galatians 3:11}Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.”

But some still seem to rely on observing the law to be regarded as righteous before God. This seems to be true of Sabbatarians. Paul crushed that notion when he told the Galatians:

^{Galatians 3:10}All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”

Unequivocally Paul has established that rather than being declared righteous in God’s eyes by observing the law (imperfectly), law-keepers are under a curse because they cannot keep the law perfectly and rely on their efforts to obtain favor with God.

How Are Christians Made Righteous Before God?

Paul made this answer equally clear. Over and over he established:

^{Galatians 3:13}Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” ¹⁴He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

^{Romans 3:23}for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. . . . ²⁸For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.

^{Romans 5:1}Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.

^{Romans 5:9}Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! ¹⁰For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! ¹¹Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

The capstone, of the argument between seeking righteousness through the law or being made righteous by God’s grace through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord, is:

^{Galatians 2;21}I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

The Law Was Temporary

Is the law still valid as the Sabbatarians claim? That is really the crux of the matter, the heart of the question. If it is, we must observe the Sabbath. If it is not, why not, and what is the biblical authority that says it is not still valid? Paul explained:

^{Galatians 3:19}What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come.

Galatians 3:19 asks the purpose of the law. Paul answers saying the purpose of the law was temporary – because of transgressions (moral failure which surely would be made known through the “moral law”). How long would there be purpose for the law? Paul said, “Until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come.”

Who is the Seed? Paul told us:

¹⁶The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.

Would Sabbatarians deny that the Ten Commandments were part of the law? They often call the Ten Commandments the moral law (even though the 4^th commandment has no moral context). Consider what the following scripture describes:

^{2 Corinthians 3:6}He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. ⁷Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone. . . .

We know the Ten Commands were given to Moses on tablets of stone. No other law was engraved by God on stone. The above scripture must refer to the Ten Commandments. Paul is speaking of it as the same Law that has passed away, but this time is referring to is as “the ministry that brought death.” It seems totally justified, then, to say that the Ten Commandments are part of the “Law” to which Paul repeatedly refers. But as we have seen, and will see repeatedly, for the follower of Christ the Law is gone – it was nailed to the cross.

^{Galatians 3:24}So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.

Again Paul makes the point. There was a purpose to the law. It was to lead us to Christ, but now that faith has come we are no longer under the supervision of the law.

Sabbatarians Claim No Real Change

Sabbatarians sometimes make the argument there is no real change between the Old Testament requirements and the New Testament. Of course they recognize that Christ came as a man, as recorded in the New Testament, but they claim him as the creator-God of Genesis and see his presence throughout the Old Testament. It is as part of that argument they claim that Jesus (as the Word of John 1:1) authored the Old Testament and thus the commands we are to keep (of Matthew 28:20) include the Old Testament commandments.

Is that what Scripture says? Let’s take a closer look.

The Apostle John, who identified Jesus as God the Word, a few verses later made clear the huge differences occasioned by the coming of Jesus:

¹⁷For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Contrary to the claim of the Sabbatarians, John was not saying that grace and truth were always present in the Old Testament through Jesus Christ who was then the Word. To come up with such an interpretation would require torturing the text into saying something it does not.

Not only did truth come through Jesus Christ, Jesus himself is the truth. Jesus not only claims to be the truth, but the ONLY way to the Father – the only way to be saved:

⁶Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Jesus said “no one” can be saved except through him. His coming marked a great change in God’s dealing with mankind.

Throughout the Old Testament, God had prophesied that he would send the Christ (the Messiah) and even gave the exact time at which he would come. Paul assured the Galatians:

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, ⁵to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons (Galatians 4:4).

Were those under law redeemed (or able to be redeemed) before the coming of Jesus as the Redeemer and Savior? No! Pre-Christ the world was held a prisoner of the law. Jesus came to set the prisoners free. (See Luke 4:18-19).

Paul taught the Romans:

²¹But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. ²²This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

Contrary to the claim of the Sabbatarians, the thrust of these passages is that this righteousness from God, apart from law, had not been known before. It was only “when the time had fully come” that God sent his Son. “Now,” Paul says, a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known. All this occurred with the coming of Jesus.

Paul compared the people’s situation under the law before Christ and the change after Jesus came:

^{Galatians 3:22}But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. ²³Before this faith came [pre-Christ Old Testament], we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed [through Jesus in the New Testament]. ²⁴So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.

Notice how vast the changes proclaimed by Paul. Pre-Christ the Jews were held prisoners by the law. Then faith was revealed. Now that faith has come, believers are no longer under the supervision of the law. Does that sound like the same law and salvation running through both the Old and New Testaments as claimed by the Sabbatarians? No. The Old Testament looked forward to the coming of Jesus Christ through hundreds of prophecies. The law was symbolic of what Jesus would fulfill as the lamb who was slain to bring redemption and atonement for the sins of mankind.

In his first scripture reading in the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus read:

^{Luke 4:18}“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, ¹⁹to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

When Jesus said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing,” (Luke 4:21) was he speaking of freedom for the Jews held prisoner by the law (Galatians 3:23) and the whole world held prisoner by sin? (Gal. 3:22). This is a very reasonable possibility. And true to that interpretation, now that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ has come, we are no longer under supervision of the law – no longer prisoners of the law.

The law and the prophets looked forward to Jesus. Then he was born and the angels proclaimed, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord!” (Luke 2:11).

Burdened by a Yoke of Slavery

The Sabbath, perhaps more than any other law of the Jews, was extremely burdensome with many rules and regulations pertaining to its observance. Consider Paul’s admonition at Galatians 5:1:

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Considering the context of all he is telling the Galatians, Paul says it is freedom from the requirements of the law that Christ has set the Galatians (and us) free. He calls it being burdened by a yoke of slavery. Which command was the most burdensome, the most like a yoke of slavery? It was Sabbath-keeping.

Paul’s description of being under law is more than burdensome:

^{Galatians 3:23}Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed.

How long were they held prisoners? Until faith should be revealed! There was a time limit on the usefulness of the law.

No One Is Justified Before God By the Law

Didn’t the Old Testament law also justify by faith? Not according to Scripture. Paul said “The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith” (Galatians 3:8). That was a future event, not something for the Israelites of the Old Testament era.

Repeatedly Paul tried to make sure the churches knew the great difference between the period before Christ and after Christ Jesus had come. He told the Galatians:

^{Galatians
3:11}Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.” ¹²The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, “The man who does these things will live by them.”

^{Galatians
2:15}“We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’ ¹⁶know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.

^Romans
3:20Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

The Greek verb for justified is also translated “declared righteous” with the same meaning. It is necessary for us to be declared righteous before God for us to be saved. But no one will be declared righteous by observing the law. We can only be justified – declared righteous – by faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If Led By the Spirit, You Are Not Under Law

Over and over Paul repeats the message to the Galatians that they must come out from under the law – that they are NOT under law. This time he refers to the Spirit to make his point:

^{Galatians 5:16}So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. ¹⁷For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. ¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

Living by the law is living by externals. The teaching of Jesus, corroborated by the New Testament writers, is that God looks at the heart. He wants a pure heart, one that seeks holiness and righteousness, not gratifying the desires of the sinful nature. It is those who live by the Spirit who will accomplish that. But those who live by the Spirit, who are led by the Spirit are NOT under law.

Is it possible to be a Christian and not live by the Spirit? Paul spoke to the Romans about that:

^{Romans 8:9}You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

Salvation belongs only to those who have received and follow Jesus Christ as their Lord. It is those who pledge to obey Jesus as Lord who receive the Holy Spirit (see John 14:15-16. See also Acts 5:32). But if anyone does not have the Spirit, he does NOT belong to Christ Jesus our Lord and does not have salvation.

What About Those Who Insist on Following the Law?

What about those who have chosen to follow the law over grace, the law over faith, the law over the Spirit? Paul said:

^{Galatians 5:4}You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

The Galatians were turning back to the law under the influence of the Judaizers. Paul was incredulous:

. ^{Galatians 5:9}But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? ¹⁰You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.

Paul was concerned that the Galatians may actually have left the faith by following the law, that all his work with them may have been in vain. Paul spoke about those who rely on observing the law:

^{Galatians 3:10}All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”

We know that only one person was able to do everything perfectly, to be without sin. That person was the Lord Jesus. Everyone else (those who rely on observing the law) – but who do not continue to do everything (perfectly) – are cursed.

If such persons preach that following the law – in addition to follow Jesus – is necessary for salvation, they come under Scripture’s strongest curse. Paul said of the Judaizers:

^{Galatians 1:8}But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! ⁹As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!

Paul’s Gospel was to receive a righteousness from God through faith in Jesus Christ. He repeatedly said that no one will be justified by following the law. Can the Sabbatarians deny that the Sabbath is part of “the law” – the most burdensome of all?

Sabbath Rest as a Type of Rest in Jesus

One argument the Sabbatarians make is that the items listed in Colossians 2:16 are qualified in vs. 17 as “a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” In a Seventh Day Adventist article titled “Which ‘Sabbath’ Did Paul Rule Out?,” speaking specifically about Colossians 2:16-17, the author claims that the Seventh Day Sabbath is not a shadow of the coming reality found in Christ. But there the author errs.

In looking at the fulfillment of the Sabbath in Christ, we must determine what the Sabbath represented and was to be. It represented a rest from labor and was to be a rest from labor.

Let’s look at what Jesus said about himself. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28).

How perfectly Jesus fulfilled the type of the Sabbath. All our lives we struggle and work until we come to the Lord Jesus. Then we enter into the Sabbath rest that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Let’s examine a corroboration for that interpretation. Beginning at Hebrews 3:7, the author speaks about rest. But is it a Sabbath rest in Christ that he speaks about? At 4:3, the author states, “Now we who have believed enter that rest.” Who is he referring to? It is surely those who believe in Jesus as Lord – true Christians. But, is it “the Sabbath rest” in Christ or some other kind of rest? The answer is found at Hebrews 4:9:

^{Hebrews 4:8}For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. ⁹There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God;¹⁰for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. ¹¹Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.

Putting Jesus’ teaching about himself as the source of rest together with the passage in Hebrews, we find that the Sabbath is indeed presented as a type of the rest which is found in Jesus for those who believe in him. Those who follow Jesus find rest for their souls. It is not the Sabbath that will give them rest. It is Jesus: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

To Whom Was the Sabbath Command Given?

Following is the Sabbath command, given to the Israelites shortly after God delivered them from Egypt. Note who God spoke to:

^{Exodus 20:8}“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹Six days you shall labor and do all your work,¹⁰but 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 animals, nor the alien within your gates. ¹¹For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Could “you” be referring to you and me, those of us who are New Testament Christians, mostly Gentiles? In Deuteronomy 5:12-14 the Sabbath command is repeated. But following, in vs. 15, Moses makes clear to whom the command is given and why:

¹⁵Remember 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 (Deuteronomy 5:15).

This verse makes clear that it cannot refer to New Testament Christians, at least not to those who are Gentiles. Neither we nor our ancestors were slaves in Egypt. Neither we nor our ancestors were brought out of Egypt by God’s mighty hand and his outstretched arm.

Moses recites that God delivered the Jews (Israelites) from Egypt. Then Moses continued with “Therefore” – because of that – God has commanded the Israelites to observe the Sabbath Day.

Notwithstanding the clarity of Deuteronomy 5:15, Sabbatarians argue that Egypt is a type for the world and that God’s deliverance from Egypt is a type of God’s deliverance from the world when we became Christians. Therefore, they say, we should also observe the Sabbath. But the Sabbatarians fail to complete the typology. If Egypt and God’s deliverance from Egypt is a type, then we must see the Sabbath as a type as well. The Sabbath Day is also a type – of the permanent, day-by-day rest found by those who come to the Lord Jesus as the source of rest and believe in him.

Is there further corroboration that this is to pertain only to the Jews, the descendants of the Israelites who were taken out of Egypt by the hand of God? Jeremiah 17:19-27 is an exhortation by God (through Jeremiah) to the Jews to keep his Sabbath holy. God concluded by saying this:

²⁷But if you do not obey me to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying any load as you come through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle an unquenchable fire in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses.’”

Could this apply to Gentile Christians? Almost certainly not unless we were living in Jerusalem. God specifically applies this to the Jews and to their capital city.

Finally God called Israel back to Sabbath observance through Ezekiel. Note once again the emphasis God places on who is to observe the Sabbath. It is the people of Israel (vs. 13), “them in the desert” (vs. 13, 15).

^{Ezekiel 20:13}”‘Yet the people of Israel rebelled against me in the desert. They did not follow my decrees but rejected my laws—although the man who obeys them will live by them—and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and destroy them in the desert. ¹⁴But for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. ¹⁵Also with uplifted hand I swore to them in the desert that I would not bring them into the land I had given them — a land flowing with milk and honey, most beautiful of all lands — ¹⁶because they rejected my laws and did not follow my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths. For their hearts were devoted to their idols. ¹⁷Yet I looked on them with pity and did not destroy them or put an end to them in the desert. ¹⁸I said to their children in the desert, “Do not follow the statutes of your fathers or keep their laws or defile yourselves with their idols. ¹⁹I am the LORD your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

A Sign Between God and Israel

Perhaps the most persuasive scriptures to me are those where God says to the Israelites that the Sabbath is a sign between Israel and himself [God]. Both Moses and Ezekiel repeated God’s reason for giving them the Sabbath – that Israel may know that God is the Lord, who makes Israel holy.

^{Exodus 31:12}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.

^{Ezekiel 20:12}Also I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the LORD made them holy.

^{Exekiel 20:20}Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.”

God is not suggesting nor commanding that the Sabbath be observed by all the world. The texts all specifically say who the command applies to: “Neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.” Aliens outside the gates are not affected. Gentiles are not commanded to obey. No, only Israel, its people, and those under its control and within its gates. The Sabbath is a specific sign for Israel!

Is the Sabbath a Creation Ordinance?

Sabbatarians also claim that the Sabbath Day is a creation ordinance. Naturally this is because of the language within the commandment: “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” This language refers back to Genesis 2:2-3.

Sabbatarians claim that this was an ordinance that was to be followed from the creation of the world and is to be observed forever – a creation ordinance.

Let’s look more closely. In all of Genesis and all the personalities described in Genesis, there was NO mention of the Sabbath (or a seventh day) as a day to keep specially for any reason. Nor was there even mention of a seventh day except as the seventh day of creation when God rested (at Genesis 2:2-3). Suddenly, at Exodus 16:23, when Moses gave God’s instructions for collecting manna, the term Sabbath is used for the first time:

^{Exodus 16:23}He said to them, “This is what the LORD commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD . . . ²⁶Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.”

Until explained in Exodus 16:26, there was not even an explanation that the Sabbath was the seventh day. Nor was it then connected to creation or God resting on the seventh day. It was only with the giving of the ten commandments, first recorded at Exodus 20:3-17, that the Sabbath connection was made to God as creator who rested on the seventh day. The first the Israelites (or anyone else as best we know) knew of a Sabbath was when Moses told them to gather twice the amount of manna because “tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD.”

Just as there was no mention of a seventh day in all of Genesis (except Gen. 2:2-3) nor in Exodus up to Exodus 16:26, nor the term Sabbath until Exodus 16:23, there was no mention of “week” until Genesis 29:27, 28, and then speaking only of a “bridal week” without definition of what that meant. Throughout Genesis the concept of months and days were used, but never “week” defined as a seven day period, only twice as a “bridal week.”

The notion that the Sabbath was a creation ordinance is pure conjecture with no evidence whatsoever from the Scripture.

God Stated Purpose of Sabbath

Instead of a creation ordinance, God repeatedly said he gave Israel the Sabbaths “as a sign between us, so they would know that I the LORD made them holy” (Exodus 31:12, Ezekiel 20:12, 20), and “then you will know that I am the LORD your God” (Ezekiel 20:19), and to 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” (Deuteronomy 5:15).

Instead of a creation ordinance that should be followed by all peoples at all times, it is very clear from Scripture that the Sabbath was given to Israel and only to Israel and to apply only to those under the control of Israel, their sons and daughters, manservants and maidservants, and the aliens within its gates. Nowhere is the Sabbath applied to anyone else. God sought to set apart Israel for himself, a unique people, holy and separated to God.

Paul Warns the Galatians

Judaizers had come to the Galatians and insisted that, in addition to following Jesus as Lord – the teaching that Paul had given them – the Galatians were also to follow the rules and regulations of the Jews. The Judaizers claimed the Gentiles were to have the flesh symbol of circumcision and observe rules and regulations of the Jews.

What was Paul’s response? He castigated them:

^{Galatians 4:9}But now that you know God — or rather are known by God — how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? ¹⁰You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.

“Special days and months and seasons and years!” sounds very much like the warning Paul gave the Colossian church. Though he did not specify Sabbaths by name to the Galatians, the parallel is similar to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day, all specified in the warning to the Colossians. Paul is making it very clear that the Galatian Christians are NOT to turn back and be enslaved by such rules and regulations.

Paul came into conflict with Peter at Galatia because Peter had pulled back from the Gentile Christians because of the Judaizers. Paul’s response told us the Gospel and the place of the Jews’ rules, regulations and commands for the Gentile Christian:

¹⁵“We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’¹⁶know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.

This is a strong response. And it is totally contrary to the Jewish thinking of his day. It is NOT by observing the law but through faith in Christ Jesus that we can be justified. Then even more strongly Paul states: “By observing the law no one will be justified.”

How is it, with language that strong and unambiguous, that Sabbatarians continue to claim that it is essential to observe the Jewish Sabbath?

Paul’s Teaching On Accepting One Another

In Paul’s day, as today, many have different opinions of what Scripture says or how they should honor God and obey his commands. In Romans 14, Paul is admonishing the Romans to be accepting of those whose faith is weak – those who eat only vegetables. First he speaks of food but then at verse 5 he speaks of days:

^{Romans 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. ⁶He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.

If the Sabbath were to be observed by the Gentile believers, certainly this was the time for Paul to say so. Instead he speaks of one man who considers one day more sacred than another; another man who considers every day alike. Paul is totally neutral in his speech, neither praising nor condemning either person. He says both are acceptable to God. His point is only that they should accept one another even though they think differently because:

⁴Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand (Romans 14:4).

Remain In the Situation You Were

Paul taught the Corinthians that they were to retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to them – that which they were in when God called them (see 1 Corinthians 7:17-20). Paul first uses the example of circumcision, that it is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. We’ve seen in the previous passages that circumcision and following the other rules and regulations of the law were almost always considered together. Likely that would be true here as well.

God was not taken by surprise by the move of Christianity to the Gentiles. It was God who engineered it. While a whole nation of Jews could easily follow the Sabbath command (if they chose to do so), it would be much harder or impossible for the Gentiles to do the same.

Someone might be a slave to another and be required to work all seven days of each week. Would God cause his salvation to be nullified because he could not fulfill Sabbath worship and rest? It would appear that in his great and perfect foreknowledge, God knew fully the circumstances the Gentile believers would encounter. As a result, he nailed to the cross all the rules and regulations of the law. God replaced the Old Testament Law with the teachings and commands of his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom he gave all authority in heaven and on earth.

Paul Regularly Went to the Synagogues

Some Sabbatarians claim that because Paul went regularly to the synagogue on the Sabbath that is proof of the practice of the early church to meet, worship, and observe the Sabbath. But is this so?

Why do you think Paul went to the synagogues? In virtually every case, wasn’t he there to present the Gospel first to the Jews, telling them about the Lord Jesus as their Messiah? Acts 17:2 records, “As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures” and Acts 18:4 states, “Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.” See also Acts 13;14, 42.

Paul Tried to Reach All Peoples By Being Like Them

^{1 Cor. 9:21}To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.

Is it likely that Paul tried to win the Gentiles (not under the Law) but then carefully observed the Sabbath? He says not! He says he became like one not having the law.

Instructions For the Churches

Seventeen years after his conversion, Paul made a trip to Jerusalem. He wanted to verify that the message he was teaching the Gentiles was the correct message. After a time of meeting with the leaders and fellowship with them, Paul describes the conclusion of his visit:

^{Galatians 2;9}James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews. ¹⁰All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

What did those leaders not do? They did not instruct Paul to teach the Gentiles to carefully observe the Sabbath. Surely, if Sabbath-keeping were important and applicable to the Gentiles that would have been the opportune time to remind Paul of that.

Later, because of the problems with the Judaizers who sought to compel the Gentile believers to accept the commands, rules, and regulations of the Old Testament, Paul and others sought guidance from the church in Jerusalem. After hearing from Paul and Barnabas how God was working among the Gentiles, the church elders wrote the following letter to the Gentiles:

The apostles and elders, your brothers, to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings.

²⁴We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. ²⁵So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul –²⁶men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁷Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. ²⁸It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: ²⁹You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell (Acts 15:23-29).

Again, if there were ever a time to command Sabbath worship of the Gentiles, if that is what God intended, it would be from this church council of the apostles and elders of the church, some of whom walked with Jesus and were personally taught by him. Yet the significant OMISSION of any reference whatsoever to Sabbath worship shouts at us. It can only be concluded that the apostles and elders recognized that the Old Testament requirement of Sabbath worship did not apply to Christian believers.

Even further, when the council said “it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements,” they were doubtless referring to the rules and regulations of the Mosaic Law that the Judaizers had tried to impose on the Gentile Christians. Thus they established the rule that the Gentile Christians were not required to observe any of the rules and regulations of the Jewish Law except those items listed in verse 29 (see above).

A Second Time

The Holy Spirit reinforced that instruction by stating it again. The setting was another visit by Paul to Jerusalem. Note what the Jerusalem Christians heard about Paul:

They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs (Acts 21:21).

Paul’s writings to the churches taught that the Christians were no longer bound by the Old Testament Law. In fact he had made extremely strong statements in his letter to the Galatians against the Judaizers who attempted to add Old Testament Law to a saving faith in the Lord Jesus.

The church leadership wanted Paul to be accepted in Jerusalem among the Jews there. So the leadership told Paul they had four men who had taken a vow. They instructed Paul:

²⁴“Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads, and that all may know that those things of which they were informed concerning you are nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly and keep the law” (Acts 21:24).

Significantly, the leadership again said, ““But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written and decided that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality” (Acts 21:25, NKJV).

What is the “no such thing” the Gentiles Christians should not have to observe? It could be the purification rites Paul and the four men were engaging in. But that would seem unlikely as those rites were for a specific purpose and would have no relevance to the Gentile Christians as a group. It likely was “the law”, the last two words of the preceding sentence. Note the similarity with “not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements” the council had written to the Gentile Christians earlier (see Acts 15:28). Again the Holy Spirit emphasized that the Gentile Christians were free from the rules and regulations of the Law, including, of course, the requirement of Sabbath worship.

Love is the Fulfillment the Law of Christ

Paul described how the Christian is to fulfill the law (of Christ):

^{Romans 13:8}Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. ⁹The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Notice the commands that Paul lists. They are all horizontal – man to man. The summary is that those who love their fellow man fulfill the law. Love is the fulfillment of the law. That certainly is not how the Jews viewed fulfillment of the Law of Moses.

Sabbath-Keeping As An Issue of Salvation

Tragically, Sabbatarians have often stated Sabbath-keeping as an issue of salvation. Often they do not do it directly (at first), but first gain acceptance of the fact that only those who are obedient will be saved. Then they proceed with the argument that keeping the Sabbath is the fourth commandment. How can we expect to be saved if we do not keep it?

In a Seventh Day Adventist paper I received recently, the author stated: “Just before the Second Advent when the issues are clear to all, such denial of God will be evident in denial of the Sabbath, and will constitute the Mark of the Beast.” Gradually the stakes are raised so that failure to keep the Sabbath will be cause for irrevocable damnation (see Rev. 14:9-11).

Continuing Activities/Sins That Will Deny Salvation

Let’s go back to basics. What are the continuing sins that Scripture says will prevent us from being saved? Several passages recite acts or ways of life that will prevent those who engage in those from having eternal life. At 1 Corinthians 6:9, Paul states:

⁹Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders ¹⁰nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

In that list there was no mention of Sabbath-breakers. Let’s look at another example as Paul warns the Galatians:

¹⁹The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions