Do you keep the Sabbath?

Ex 20:8
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Many Christians today seem to be rediscovering their Jewish roots. In most cases this is a good thing. It is important to understand the underlying meaning behind the feasts and holy days God ordained through the Jewish law.  All these events were types and shadows of the messiah and find their complete fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth.

There is a danger however and that comes when some groups insist that we must keep the law or a part of the law in order to please God. Keeping a particular day as the Sabbath is one area in which many today are being deceived and brought under bondage by well meaning people.

1Tim 1:9
Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless

Paul spoke to this issue in the book of Galatians. There was a group of Jews who were going around saying that gentile Christians must also be circumcised and keep the law of Moses (which of course includes keeping a Saturday Sabbath).

Gal 2:4
And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:

Gal 2:16
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

Paul refuted this notion in no uncertain terms. He showed that we are no longer under the law.

Gal 3:10-11
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith

Gal 3:24
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Paul speaks specifically to the issue of observing certain days here.

Gal 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? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.

Also he showed that if a person attempts to keep only a part of the law (such as circumcision or Sabbath) he must keep all of the law.

Gal 5:1-4
 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

As you can see is you attempt to keep the law or any part of it we are fallen from grace.  What do you think it mean to be fallen from grace? Doesn’t it mean that you have forsaken Gods ability (grace) in an attempt to earn Gods favor by your own works?

The same question came up in Acts 15

Acts 15:1
And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.  

Again, the question was about circumcision but could just as easily apply to any attempt at keeping the any portion of the law of Moses.

As a result of this teaching, Paul and Barnabas met with the council of elders in Jerusalem to decide how they should respond. After much discussion Peter arose and said

Acts 15:10-11
Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

Peter understood that in the flesh, the law was impossible to keep. He said, why should we expect the gentiles to keep the law when neither we nor our forbearers were able to keep it.

Here’s what they ultimately decided

Acts 15: 19-20
Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

That is all that was required of Gentile converts, abstain from idols, from fornication, from things strangled and from ingesting blood. That’s it. Do you see anything there about keeping a Sabbath?

Now the scriptures do teach that we do have a Sabbath to keep but it is not a certain day. Our Sabbath is to rest from our own works of righteousness.  Read Hebrews chapters 3 and 4.

Heb 4:3-6
For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
 
Heb 4:9-11
There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

So you see, we keep the Sabbath by resting from our own works and we do this by faith in the righteousness that Christ purchased for us with his death, burial and resurrection.

Many people are placing God’s people in bondage to the law because of the idea that they must keep a Saturday Sabbath. I would encourage you to come out from among any group that advocates keeping any part of the law. Because a little leaven leavens the whole lump (Gal 5:9)

I would encourage you to read Galatians and Hebrews and pray that God would give you understanding I believe that He will confirm these words that I have written to you.


Steve Lumbley
www.apostasywatch.com