Questions on the Sabbath day

by Nick Bibile

Then what does the scripture say on Romans 14:5-6 and Colossians 2:16 on the law of God?

Basically, there were two ethnic groups in the church.  The Christian Jews and the Gentiles. The Jewish believers tried to impose the Jewish ceremonial laws into the church.  Romans chapter 14, the context is the same.  As we saw in our previous lesson, how the Jewish believers did not eat meat with the Gentile believers, as they could have been unclean according to the Jewish law.  Animals that were consecrated to the idols were forbidden to eat. Animals that were died in disease or killed by other animals were prohibited to eat.  Then there were many various other restrictions.  In the same context when we come to verse five and six, we see the Jewish believers wanted to impose certain Jewish holy days.  The Passover, the Jews observed the feast of tabernacles, the Pentecost and the seventh day Sabbath.  Again, they failed to realize these ceremonial laws were abolished in Christ Jesus on the cross. The Jewish Christians still observed the Seventh Day Sabbath, while the Gentile Christians were observing the first day of the week in honor of Christs resurrection.

Let us also see the context in Colossians chapter two on this subject.  The Arminians would take verse 17, and say, look the Sabbath day worship does not count anymore, so let us go to church and do what ever we want to. There are major problems as the Arminians fails to distinguish between the Jewish Sabbath and the Christian Sabbath and they fail to observe the Christian Sabbath saying it no longer valid.  They throw the baby with the bathwater. Look at the new commentaries they are all Arminians and then compare the commentaries to Matthew Henry, John Gill, John Calvin and older commentators there is a vast difference.  We need to put the scripture in context.  The Arminians speak a lot on context but they are the ones violating the context.

Col 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;

 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

 16  Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:

 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

Verse 14, blotting out means in Greek cancelled, rub off, wipe off or erase. Now think carefully, what was cancelled? That which was contrary to us, against us. This law was against the Jews. And this is not the moral law but the ceremonial law.

Eph 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

Beloved, let me ask this question, how can the Jew and the Gentile, the two can become one? By abolishing the ceremonial law.  The enmity between the Jew and the Gentile was the middle wall of partition. That middle wall was broken by Christ on the cross, now the two are reconciled together and in Christ, there is peace.

Now in Colossians verse 16, Paul is making a plea fro freedom as the ceremonial laws are abolished let us not pass judgments in these matters. The seventh day Sabbath worship with all the outward ceremonial laws is no longer to be practiced.

These were just shadows, but the substance is of Christ, and the substance remains. The substance of the Sabbath, the Lord of the Sabbath is still alive, and the substance the worship of the Lord is changed to the Lords Day and the substance of worship was never abolished.

Let us see Galatians 4:9-10.

Ga 4:9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

 10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.

Now Paul is speaking to the Gentile Christians here. They came to know God through faith in Christ.  The Gentile Christians were drawn into the spider web of Judaizers saying that you need to observe the seventh day of Sabbath and all the other days of the Old Testament.  Then Paul objected the Gentiles as they took them as a means of salvation.

Romans 14:5-6 Paul is not opposing on the Christian Sabbath, and he is speaking on the Jewish holy days of worship, and as for the Gentiles every day is acceptable to the Lord.

Application.

There are six days given to us that we are engaged at work and different activities, we cannot fully worship the Lord and concentrate on him when worldly things surround our mind. God is holy, his word is holy and the service to God is holy and the worship is holy. God has separated the holy from the world and given us a day to feast upon him.  So, we will not be engaged in common things. It is a separation between the common and the holy.

The ceremonial part of the Sabbath is abolished; the Old Testament prophets spoke much about the moral aspect of the Sabbath, as the Jews defiled the Sabbath day according to the customs of the world.

Isa 58:13  If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:

 Has the Sabbath day become a worldly pleasure for you? Just spent two hours in the church, then spend the balance for pleasure.  Is it a day to go to the malls, to buy things on sale? Going to the movies, watching football games, and the basketball?  Is it a day to work on your car, your house?  Jonathan Edwards said, First day of the week should be distinguished in the Christian church from other days of the week, as a Sabbath, to be devoted to religious exercises.

Let me close with a quotation from Jonathan Edwards.

How little regard have you had to the Scriptures, to the Word preached, to sabbaths, and sacraments! How profanely have you talked, many of you, about those things that are holy! After what manner have many of you kept Gods holy day, not regarding the holiness of the time, nor caring what you thought of in it! Yea, you have not only spent the time in worldly, vain, and unprofitable thoughts, but immoral thoughts: pleasing yourself with the reflection on past acts of wickedness, and in contriving new acts. Have not you spent much holy time in gratifying your lusts in your imaginations, yea, not only holy time, but the very time of Gods public worship, when you have appeared in Gods more immediate presence? How have you not only not attended to the worship, but have in the mean time been feasting your lusts, and wallowing yourself in abominable uncleanness! How many sabbaths have you spent, one after another, in a most wretched manner! Some of you not only in worldly and wicked thoughts, but also a very wicked outward behavior! When you on sabbath-days have got along with your wicked companions, how has holy time been treated among you! What kind of conversation has there been! Yea, how have some of you, by a very indecent carriage, openly dishonored and cast contempt on the sacred services of Gods house, and holy day! And what you have done some of you alone, what wicked practices there have been in secret, even in holy time, God and your own consciences know.