THE SABBATH
QUESTION
by Max Nunley
The subject with which this tract deals has been a
problem with no small number of religious observers
for years. Some, even, of God's own people, have been
bothered by the question of, the proper day for
worship.
To some sects evolves the question not only on which
day shall we worship, but also what has it to do with
salvation or perserverance.THE MEANING OF SABBATH "The root means to cease, desist. The idea is not that
of relaxation or refreshment, but cessation of activity"
(W.E. Vine, "Expository Dictionary of New Testament
Words", vol. 3, pg. 311). In Exodus 20:8-11, God
commanded Israel to cease from all activity, and to
keep the day holy.THE DAY OF REST IN GENESIS TWO The seventh day in Genesis two was certainly a day of
cessation from the activity of creation. "And on the
seventh day God ended his work which he had made;
and he rested on the seventh day from all his work
which he had made" (Genesis 2:2). As ceasing to create
is called resting, and being refreshed it was a Sabbath.
"For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the
sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day:
wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and
hallowed it" (Exodus 20:11). "It is a sign between me
and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the
LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day
he rested, and was refreshed" (Exodus 31:17).
Notice that it was God's sabbath, and not man's,
though it is stated that Adam enjoyed it. (See Mark
2:27,28 which we will explain in this tract).WHEN THE SABBATH WAS GIVEN One will search the Scriptures in vain for any mention
of the word sabbath as a religious principle, springing
from the command of God, and given to the ante-
diluvian world! Of all the saved before the world-wide
flood, not one of them ever had the command to keep
the sabbath. Search for it, it is just not in the word of
God!
After the flood there was not a direct prohibitive
command given to the world of men concerning the
sabbath. "For until the law sin was in the world: but sin
is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless
death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them
that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's
transgression, who is the figure of him that was to
come" (Romans 5:13,14). The similitude of Adam's
transgression is against a direct command of God.
Certainly neither the Egyptians nor their Israelite
slaves observed the sabbath during the four hundred
and thirty years of the slavery of Israel. "Christ hath
redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a
curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that
hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might
come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we
might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it
be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man
disannulleth, or addeth thereto. Now to Abraham and
his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to
seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which
is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was
confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was
four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul,
that it should make the promise of none effect. For if
the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise:
but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore
then serveth the law? It was added because of trans-
gressions, till the seed should come to whom the
promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the
hand of a mediator" (Galatians 3:13-19).
After Israel's exodus from Egyptian slavery, God
practically opened the way for the institution of the
sabbath as one of the Ten Commandments. "Six days
ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the
sabbath, in it there shall be none" (Exodus 16:26). As
Moses, by the hand of God, began to lead the children
of Israel out of Egypt, he gave instruction, by the use of
the manna, concerning the sabbath.
It was at Sinai that the sabbath was officially given to
men! and it was by the hand of Moses that it was made
known! "Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai,
and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them
right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and
commandments: And madest known unto them thy holy
sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes,
and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant:"
(Nehemiah 9:13,14).TO WHOM THE SABBATH WAS GIVEN The sabbath was never given to the Gentile world
(non Jewish); Neither was any part of the moral law, as
a covenant! "Speak thou also unto the children of Israel,
saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign
between me and you throughout your generations; that ye
may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.
It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for
ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth,
and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed"
(Exodus 31:13,17).JESUS AND THE SABBATH "And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for
man [literal translation, gk. το{υ} {α}νθρωπος], and not
man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord
also of the sabbath" (Mark 2:27,28).
As the article το[υ]; i.e., the, is present in the Greek
text (Textus Receptus), it has reference to a particular
man; i.e., ADAM. Before sin entered into the world
Adam enjoyed God's sabbath and was Lord over it.
"And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a
living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening
spirit" (I Cor. 15:45); "And God blessed them, and God
said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish
the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the
fish of the sea, and over the
fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth
upon the earth" (Genesis 1:28). Christ, as the Second
Adam was made a quickening (life giving) Spirit, and
he also is Lord over the Sabbath (Mark 2:28).
As Jesus Christ is the life giving spirit and Lord over
the sabbath, there remains a sabbath (to cease, desist)
to the people of God. "There remaineth therefore a rest
[gk. σαββατισµ{ο}ς a sabbath] to the people of God"
(Hebrews 4:9). It is in the future, though now God's
people have rest by faith. "For he that is entered into
his rest [gk. κατ{α}- παυσις,], 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" (Hebrews 4:10,11).THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH, AFTER THE
DEATH OF CHRIST, NEVER KEPT THE SABBATH!
Jesus arose on the first day of the week! "Now upon
the first day of the week, very early in the morning,
they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices
which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
And they found the stone rolled away from the
sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body
of the Lord Jesus" (Luke 24:1-3).
He met with His disciples on the first day of the week!
"Then the same day at evening, being the first day of
the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples
were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and
stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto
you. And after eight days again his disciples were
within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the
doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said,
Peace be unto you" (John 20:19,26).
The Holy Spirit's descent to the waiting church was
on the first day of the week! "And when the day of
Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord
in one place" (Acts 2:1). Pentecost means fiftieth and
refers to the feast of Pentecost being fifty days after the
feast of unleavened bread. As Jesus arose on the first
day of the week after the feast of unleavened bread,
fifty days later would make it another first day of the
week or Sunday!
The church at Troas met on the first day of the week!
"And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples
came together to break bread, Paul preached unto
them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his
speech until midnight" (Acts 20:7).
The churches in the provinces of Achaia and Galatia
met on the first day of the week! "Now concerning the
collection for the saints, as I have given order to the
churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of
the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God
hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I
come." (I Cor. 16:1,2).LET NO MAN JUDGE YOU CONCERNING THE SAB-
BATH
"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 is in italics which marks it as an
insertion) (Col. 2:16).
The Roman Catholic Church did not instigate the
change from the sabbath to the first day of the week, or
Sunday. The Lord and His apostles, by example and by
instruction, has shown the day of worship for this age to
be the first day of the week or Sunday.THE SABBATH DOES NOT CONCERN OUR SAL-
VATION
All believers are free from the law, all the law as a
covenant. "And they wrote letters by them after this
manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send
greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in
Antioch and Syria and Cilicia: Forasmuch as we have
heard, that certain which went out from us have
troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying,
Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we
gave no such commandment: It seemed good unto us,
being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men
unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, Men that
have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ. We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who
shall also tell you the same things by mouth. For it
seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon
you no greater burden than these necessary things;
That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from
blood, and from things strangled, and
from fornication: from which if ye keep
yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well" (Acts
15:23-29). "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are
become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye
should be married to another, even to him who is raised
from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto
God" (Romans 7:4).
We are not saved by keeping the Law, nor do we
remain saved by keeping the Law. As we are ordained
unto good works (Ephesians 2:10); growth comes by
reading and listening to the word of God. "As newborn
babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may
grow thereby" (I Peter 2:2); "According as his divine
power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto
life and godliness, through the knowledge [gk.
{ε}πιγιν{ω}σκω, - "to observe, fully perceive, lays stress on
participation in the truth" W.E. Vine "Expository
Dictionary of New Testament Words", vol.2, pg. 299]
of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby
are given unto us exceeding great and precious
promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the
divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in
the world through lust" (II Peter 1:3,4).
We are saved by the blood (Ephesians 1:7), and are
kept by the power of God through faith (I Peter 1:4,5).
"Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our
sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and
priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and
dominion for ever and ever. Amen." (Revelation 1:5b,6).
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