a. The Sabbath, a tool to share the gospel; b. Sabbath in the book of Colossians; c. A Sabbath warning from Paul; d. Should we condemn those who keep the weekly Sabbath?; e. The Sabbath in the letter to the Hebrews; f. The council of Jerusalem.
We have already seen why it was custom for the apostle Paul to attend the
synagogue on Sabbath. He wanted to proclaim the gospel to the Jews first! What
better place to have their undivided attention in hearing the gospel message! He
confidently was able to say: Rom 1:16 "I am not ashamed of the
gospel, because
it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the
Jew, then for the Gentile."
One time Paul was in town (Philippi) that had no synagogue. What did he do? Acts
16:13 "On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we
expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women
who had gathered there." He went to the river flowing next to the city of
Philippi. Why? Because Jews had the custom to go near the river of their city
when there was no synagogue. It was an ideal place of prayer. It was the custom
since the Babylonian captivity( Ps 137:1 "By the rivers of Babylon we sat and
wept when we remembered Zion…" )
What did Paul do at the river? He began to preach the gospel to the women who
had come there to pray. While there, Lydia and the members of her household
accepted Jesus as their Saviour and were baptized in the river. Paul, guided by
God's Holy Spirit used those Sabbath gatherings to preach the gospel and bring
salvation to the Jew first.
Most Sabbath texts found between the books of Acts and Revelation refer to this
kind of outreach by the apostles, except the following texts:
(Please note: Every time a disciple attends a meeting on Sabbath, it is always
in a synagogue, the place of worship for Jews, and not in a church, the place of
worship for gentile and Jewish Christians. You cannot find one Bible text
affirming that the early Christians were meeting together on Sabbath at church.
Not one! If keeping the Sabbath is so important, why is the New Testament so
silent about this?)
As an Adventist, I always understood the following text to be concerning the
ceremonial law. And why should I look further? Why should I doubt my church?
Then it was shown to me via the Old Testament what was really meant with
"religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day", and I realized my
understanding had been limited. But here again, "truth will set you free".
Let us look at this text closely:
Col 2:11-11 "In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful
nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the
circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised
with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead."
Paul starts off with an illustration. He refers to uncircumcision as being our
sinful nature. Jesus Christ circumcised us (not literally, but symbolically!)
through baptism as we publicly accepted His offer of redemption and forgiveness.
In other words, baptism replaces circumcision. This is further confirmed in
verse 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,"
Now, starting in verse 14 to 17, we approach our crucial text:
"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. And having disarmed the
powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them
by the cross. Therefore 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.
These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is
found in Christ."
What is Paul talking here about? What Sabbath is he referring here to? Let the
Bible explain this by itself.
As we have seen already in Lev 23:1-24:1, the Sabbath is included as being
part of the ceremonial festivities:
"The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'These are my
appointed feasts, the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as
sacred assemblies. "'There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day
is a Sabbath of rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work;
wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD. "'These are the LORD's appointed
feasts, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times: The
LORD's Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month.
On the fifteenth day of that month the LORD's Feast of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. For seven days present an offering made to the LORD by fire. And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.'"
The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. He is to wave the sheaf before the LORD so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. 1On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the LORD a lamb a year old without defect, together with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil--an offering made to the LORD by fire, a pleasing aroma--and its drink offering of a quarter of a hin of wine.
You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain, until the very day you bring this offering to your God. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. "'From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. 1Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD. From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to the LORD. 1Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the LORD, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings--an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.
Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. 2The priest is to wave the two lambs before the LORD as a wave offering, together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to the LORD for the priest. On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. "'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.'"
The LORD said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites: 'On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present an offering made to the LORD by fire.'" The LORD said to Moses, "The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present an offering made to the LORD by fire. Do no work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God. Anyone who does not deny himself on that day must be cut off from his people. I will destroy from among his people anyone who does any work on that day. You shall do no work at all.
This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. It is a sabbath of rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath." The LORD said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites: 'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the LORD's Feast of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. For seven days present offerings made to the LORD by fire, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made to the LORD by fire. It is the closing assembly; do no regular work. ("'These are the LORD's appointed feasts, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing offerings made to the LORD by fire--the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings required for each day.
These offerings are in addition to those for the LORD's Sabbaths and in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings you give to the LORD.) "'So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the LORD for seven days; the first day is a day of rest, and the eighth day also is a day of rest. On the first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. Celebrate this as a festival to the LORD for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. Live in booths for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in booths so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.'" So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed feasts of the LORD."
The expression "to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath
day" is not an isolated expression only to be found in the letter to the
Colossians. It is used throughout the Old Testament. It is used in ascending or
descending order repeatedly and always refers to the seasonal, monthly and
yearly festivities (the weekly festivity being the weekly Sabbath!)
1 Chron 23:31 "and whenever burnt offerings were presented to the LORD
on
Sabbaths and at New Moon festivals and at appointed feasts. They were to serve
before the LORD regularly in the proper number and in the way prescribed for
them." (here weekly, monthly and yearly)
2 Chron 2:4 "Now I am about to build a temple for the Name of the LORD my God
and to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense before him, for setting
out the consecrated bread regularly, and for making burnt offerings every
morning and evening and on Sabbaths and New Moons and at the appointed feasts of
the LORD our God. This is a lasting ordinance for Israel." NIV (here also,
weekly, monthly and yearly)
Neh 10:33 "or the bread set out on the table; for the regular grain offerings
and burnt offerings; for the offerings on the Sabbaths, New Moon festivals and
appointed feasts; for the holy offerings; for sin offerings to make atonement
for Israel; and for all the duties of the house of our God."
(here also, weekly,
monthly and yearly)
Hos 2:11 "I will stop all her celebrations:
her yearly festivals, her New Moons,
her Sabbath days-all her appointed feasts." (here yearly, monthly and weekly)
Ezek 45:17 "It will be the duty of the prince to provide the burnt offerings,
grain offerings and drink offerings at the festivals, the New Moons and the
Sabbaths-at all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel. He will provide the
sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to make
atonement for the house of Israel." (here also yearly, monthly and weekly)
It is clear by reading these texts that the expression
"a religious festival, a
New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day" refers to the yearly festivals (those
celebrated yearly), the monthly festivals (those celebrated at each new moon)
and the weekly Sabbath.
Let us go back to the text of Col 2:16-18
"Therefore 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. These are
a shadow of the things that were to
come; the reality, however, is found in Christ." NIV
What is Paul saying here? That all festivities (yearly, monthly and the weekly
Sabbath) were but a shadow of the reality that is found in Christ. If you want
to stand in Christ's shadow, please go ahead my friend. I prefer to stand in the
reality of Christ.
This is why Jesus is able to say: Matt 11:28-29
"Come to me, all you who are
weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn
from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and
you will find rest for your
souls." NIV Jesus is the ultimate Sabbath!
You can choose to take a break from your workload and have some physical rest
once a week, but the reality is, you can find rest for your soul 24 hours a day!
How? By coming to Jesus and standing on His promise. He will give you rest
beyond understanding. It is your choice my friend!
In the following text Paul warns us about clinging more on Sabbaths and
festivities than on Jesus. Let us read this together: Gal 4:8-11
"Formerly, when
you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. 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? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!
I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you."
This was quite a shock to me. Paul is using the expression again of weekly,
monthly, seasonal and yearly festivities (he wants to make sure to include all
of them!) among which is the weekly Sabbath. He refers to them as being "weak
and miserable principles" and he feels he is wasting his efforts on those who
keep these principles.
We should never condemn people for doing things they believe is right. Paul
is clear on that: Rom 14:5-6 "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. He who regards one day as special, does so to the
Lord."
We all have different maturity levels and we all need to help one another and
pray for one another.
Chapters 3 and 4 of the letter to the Hebrews reveal some special aspects
about the Sabbath rest. Let's look at these:
Chapter 3 starts with an encouragement to all Christians to fix our thoughts on
Jesus. The letter is clearly addressed to Christians ("holy brothers, who share
in the heavenly calling") and not to people who are contemplating becoming
Christians. It also points out that Jesus has been found more worthy of greater
honor than Moses. Jesus is superior to Moses as He is faithful as the son over
God's house, while Moses was just a faithful servant in God's house.
Heb 3: 1-6 "Therefore,
holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix
your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. He was
faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's
house. Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the
builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. For every house is
built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. Moses was faithful as a
servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future. But
Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And
we are his house, if we hold
on to our courage and the hope of which we boast."
By the way what or who is God's house? See verse 6
"we are his house, if we hold
on to our courage and the hope of which we boast. " Christians are God's house
if we hold onto Jesus!
Now we are starting to go to the central message of Hebrews 3 and 4.
Heb. 7- 19: "So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice,
do not
harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in
the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what
I did. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, 'Their hearts
are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.' So I declared on oath
in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'" See to it, brothers, that
none
of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But
encourage one another daily, as long as it is called
Today, so that
none of you
may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ
if we
hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. As has just been said:
"Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as you did in the
rebellion." Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses
led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not
with
those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? And to
whom did God swear
that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see
that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief."
The word "today" is used 5 times in chapters 3 and 4. It is a key word to this
whole passage.
Let's take a closer look at this entire passage. First of all, what does the
writer mean that the Israelites "shall never enter my rest"? Some believe this
means they never entered into the Promised Land. This is partially true. None of
the Israelites who rebelled against God ever entered the Promised Land. They all
perished in the desert. Why? "Because of their unbelief". However, the context
also refers to a different kind of rest, which you will discover in chapter 4.
The goal of chapter 3 is to encourage Christians to respond to God's voice
"today" and to
"not harden your hearts". The attractions of this world are
glamorous. The devil wants it that way to lead everyone, especially Christians,
astray. If you don't "fix your thoughts on Jesus", your mind will soon be
overwhelmed by the deceitfulness of the devil, and you can be led astray. Don't
let that happen. Stand firm today! If God reproves you, respond to Him today!
Not responding immediately could lead you to the same kind of experience the
Israelites went through: It could lead to perishing in the desert!
Let us continue with Hebrews, chapter 4, and find more about what "rest" means
in this whole context:
Heb. 4:1,2: "Therefore, since
the promise of entering his rest still stands, let
us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also
have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but
the message they heard
was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith."
Wait a minute? How is it possible that "the promise of entering his rest still
stands"? We are not in the desert with the Israelites. They entered their
promised land long ago! Is it possible that the writer of this letter is
referring to Heaven? We shall see. However, the importance of the combination of
faith and of hearing the gospel message seems to be crucial to our understanding
of this passage. Without it hearing the gospel, and without having faith, none
of us will enter that "rest". We need to
"fix your thoughts on Jesus".
Heb. 4:3-5: "Now
we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, "So
I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'" And yet
his
work has been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has
spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested
from all his work." And again in the passage above he says, "They shall never
enter my rest."
Verse 3 clearly indicates that if we believe the gospel message, we
enter that
rest. It does not say that we will enter the rest, it says that we enter the
rest. This is the present tense. Therefore, it cannot refer to Heaven!
Here, we also see that the idea of God resting on the seventh day is correlated
to the referred-to "rest". The verses also point out that God's work has been
finished since the creation of the world. In other words, God's rest has
been
continuous since He created our world, confirming what we discovered in the
creation narrative of the book of Genesis.
Heb. 4:6-8: "It still remains that
some will enter that rest, and
those who
formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their
disobedience. Therefore
God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a
long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: "Today, if you hear
his voice, do not harden your hearts." For if Joshua had given them rest, God
would not have spoken later about another day."
Now, the future tense is used here as it is addressed to
"those who formerly had
the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience" These
people have never experienced that rest, because "of their disobedience". Their
opportunity is today! God has set a certain day, called today to bring these
people to His rest.
Heb. 4:9-11: "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."
It is interesting to note that the text does not say that there remains "the"
Sabbath-rest, which would have referred to the seventh-day Sabbath day, but it
says "a Sabbath-rest". Which day is it referring to? Could it be the day that is
continually referred to in Hebrews 3 and 4? "Today"?
And just how do we enter that "Sabbath-rest"? We do so by accepting the gospel
message and obeying God's voice. We do so by fixing our
"thoughts on Jesus".
In these texts, there is no mention whatsoever that Christians should keep the
seventh-day holy. If it had been deemed important to precise concerning the
seventh-day Sabbath, this would have been the ideal place to do so! But it
cannot be found here, or anywhere after the resurrection, for that matter! The
book of Hebrews is clearly not teaching us to keep "the" Sabbath-day holy.
Instead, it is encouraging us "today" to take the opportunity to respond to the
gospel message, obey God's voice, and enter that rest once and for all.
And what rest are these texts talking about? Let's look at Matt 11:28-29:
"Come
to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my
yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and
you
will find rest for your souls."
Jesus is that rest.
He is the only One who can
give that kind of rest! Jesus is the
ultimate Sabbath of Sabbaths!
We cannot find this kind of rest simply by keeping the Sabbath day holy. Only
Jesus can give this kind of rest. I want to encourage you to "fix your thoughts
on Jesus".
He will bring you into your "Sabbath-rest"!
A problem arose in Acts 15: What should the gentile Christians be required to
do? Some Judaic Christians, especially from the sect of the Pharisees, were
requiring the Gentiles to become circumcised. The apostle Paul disagreed with
them. A solution had to be found by going to Jerusalem and presenting this
dispute to the apostles and elders of the church. Led by God's Holy Spirit, a
solution would be found that would be binding to all Gentile Christians.
Acts 15:1-6: "Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the
brothers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses,
you cannot be saved." This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and
debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other
believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this
question. The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through
Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news
made all the brothers very glad. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed
by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God
had done through them. Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of
the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required
to obey the law of Moses." The apostles and elders met to consider this
question."
The entrance sign of becoming a Jew is circumcision. Gen 17:11-12:
"You are to
undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and
you. For the generations to come…" Once circumcised, the person was required to
keep all the laws. If that entrance sign was not to be required by the Gentile
Christians, the rest of the laws would not apply either, unless specified by the
council of Jerusalem.
Acts 15:7-11: "After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them:
"Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the
Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.
God, who
knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them,
just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he
purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting
on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been
able to bear? No! We believe
it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we
are saved, just as they are."
Peter filled with God's Holy Spirit proves that God has accepted the gentiles as
His children. How? "By giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us".
The indwelling of God's Holy Spirit in the Gentile Christians was proof that
they were accepted by God Himself. Notice that the proof was not in the keeping
of the Sabbath day!
Then Peter refers to a "yoke" that
"that neither we nor our fathers have been
able to bear". Is he referring here to circumcision? I don't believe so. The
Israelites never had a problem circumcising their children when they were 8 days
old. This wasn't a yoke to them. Is it referring to the ceremonial law?
Possibly. But when was God angry with the Israelites? What was it that the Jews
continually broke? What was the "yoke" to them?
Then Peter goes on to clearly preach salvation by grace:
"it is through the
grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved". We are not saved by keeping the law!
Quite the contrary. We are condemned by the law! We are only saved by God's
grace through faith. This goes hand in hand with what the apostle Paul wrote in
Eph 2:8-9: "For
it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not
from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast."
Acts 15:12-21: "The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas
and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the
Gentiles through them. When they finished, James spoke up: "Brothers, listen to
me. Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from
the Gentiles a people for himself. The words of the prophets are in agreement
with this, as it is written: "'After this I will return and rebuild David's
fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the remnant
of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord,
who does these things' that have been known for ages. "It is my judgment,
therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning
to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to
abstain from food
polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals
and from blood. For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest
times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath."
James finally stands up, and filled with God's Spirit, he recommends that the
Gentile Christians "abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality,
from the meat of strangled animals and from blood."
This suggestion is approved by all of the apostles and church elders. A letter
was written and send via Paul and Barnabas and a few other faithful believers,
addressed to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. The letter
contained the resolutions made under the inspiration of "the Holy Spirit".
Acts 15:22-31 "Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to
choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, two men who were leaders among
the brothers. With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders,
your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:
Greetings. We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization
and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. So we all agreed to
choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul-
men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore
we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing.
It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything
beyond the following requirements: You 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. The men were sent
off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and
delivered the letter. The people read it and were glad for its encouraging
message."
What are the laws that bind the Gentile Christians?
"You are to abstain from
food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and
from sexual immorality."
Interestingly, all these regulations have their origins in the Noaic covenant
(Genesis chapters 6-10), which included:
- Worship of the true God -- Gen 9:8-10
"Then God said to Noah and to his sons
with him: "I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after
you…"
- Avoid strangled things and blood -- Gen 9:4
"But you must not eat meat that
has its lifeblood still in it."
- Avoid sexual immorality -- Gen 6:5-7:
"The LORD saw how great man's wickedness
on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart
was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the
earth, and his heart was filled with pain."
Please note Gen 9:9
"I now establish my covenant with you and
with your
descendants after you". Who are Noah's descendants? Both the Jews and the
Gentiles. We are all his descendants. This covenant was binding to all
humankind!
Now, most Gentiles never kept the Sabbath day rest, unless they befriended the
Jewish faith. Wouldn't it be logical that if these Gentile Christians should
keep the Sabbath day holy, that this requirement should be added to the
requirements decided by the council of Jerusalem under the guidance of God's
Holy Spirit? But it is not there! Why add requirements that God did not ask us
to keep? Do we think that God may have forgotten to add this requirement? If we
do, that we are thinking that we are better that God! Acts 15:10:
"Now then, why
do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that
neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?"
Paul confirms this idea in Gal 5:1-6:
"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. Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that
if you let yourselves be
circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again
I declare to every
man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.
You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you
have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit
the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision
nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing
itself through love."
Click here to go to:
Chapter 8: Jesus New Commandments.