Fourth Commandment: Sabbath
I have been studying the 10 Commandments and I had no problem with 9 of them except for one. Commandment #4.
I understand that God rested on the seventh day as a pattern of work six days and rest one day which is binding for everyone since God did not rest for Himself, but for us. Jesus Christ taught the fullness of the spirit of the Law compared to the letter of Law. The rest which the old Sabbath promised has come in Christ: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). The shift from the Jewish Saturday Sabbath to the Resurrection Sabbath of Jesus Christ is evident through various New Testament texts. It is my belief that sabbath (a day of rest) to the pattern of work six days and rest one day. There are people who work Saturdays and Sundays. And rest one day during the week. They even worship on a different day. Those who restricts God's Grace for christians observe the Sabbath with rules and regulations. The definition of legalism is a strict, literal or excessive conformity to the law or to a religious or moral code. In Hebrews 4 simply means that a believer can have a Sabbath rest at any day of the week.
Hebrews 4:11 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.
The Sabbath observance was a part of the ceremonial law of the Old Testament, along with such things as circumcision and eating restrictions. These ceremonial laws showed that the Israelites were set apart (sanctified) from all other nations (Exodus 31:12, 13).
The New Testament shows that all ceremonial law (restrictive eating - Timothy 4:4, 5), circumcision - I Corinthians 7:18, and Sabbath-keeping - Colossians 2:16, 17) was fulfilled in Christ, and our need to observe it for justification and sanctification abolished. We are even warned against Sabbath-keepers who want to judge others for not keeping it: "Let no man judge you...regarding...sabbaths" (Colossians 2:16).
Keeping the Sabbath day holy is a commandment that requires a lot of heart searching. Jesus condemned the Pharisees saying "The Sabbath is made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27). Sunday is the Christian Sabbath because it is the day Christ arose. The Sabbath also was a day for God's people to gather together and Sunday is the day we gather as witnesses to the resurrection. Sabbath is a heart searching situation. I labor 6 days and take a day to celebrate God. Jesus is our Sabbath rest.
After studying the Word... I am comfortable worshipping on Sunday. Simply because on the first day of the week that Christ arose and so the first day, Sunday, came to be designated as the Lord's Day. On that day the early Christians gathered to worship (Acts 20:7; Revelation 1:10) as do we, and in doing so we celebrate Christ's resurrection. Christ's sacrifice for sin--Himself--was a "once for all" sacrifice. It needs never to be repeated. It is eternally effective.
There is nothing wrong worshipping on Saturdays. I worship Sunday because Christ rose on the first day of the week. If anyone wants to attend Church on Saturday, it is God's grace and blessings. If anyone wants to attend Church on Sunday, it is God's grace and blessings.
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