Sabbath-Day Observance (Invalid Argumentation)
Back on January 9th and 16th of this year (2022), Spiritual Perspectives published two articles titled, "What About the Sabbath Day?" in response to an anonymous letter of four pages. It was a thorough refutation of the error that Christians must observe the Sabbath day which God gave to Israel (Ex. 31:16-17) ot satubt the answer follows.
Back on January 9th and 16th of this year (2022), Spiritual Perspectives published two articles titled, "What About the Sabbath Day?" in response to an anonymous letter of four pages. It was a thorough refutation of the error that Christians must observe the Sabbath day which God gave to Israel (Ex. 31:16-17)—not Christians. The original writer was not at all satisfied, however, and thus wrote eleven more pages in an attempt to make a better case. That letter was dated January 25, and the review of Pure Grace, which ran for eight weeks was already under way. So, there has been a delay in this response, but that material will be answered now.
The first argument is based on Exodus 31:16-17. The writer observes that God made it a perpetual covenant with His people, which is true, but she fails to understand that this perpetual covenant came to an end. It lasted about 1,500 years before being nailed to the cross (more on Colossians 2:14 later) and being replaced by a new covenant (Heb. 8:6-7).
She asks: "Since God's "forever sign" of His covenant with Israel is the Sabbath, why would anyone assume or conclude that He would leave that out of His new covenant with Israel? (Heb. 8:10; 10:16-17)." Those verses do not mention the Sabbath day. No one assumes that God left it out of the new covenant; worshiping on that day is not there. God gave no specific commandment in the New Testament authorizing Christians to keep the Sabbath day. If there was even one verse that authorized observing the Sabbath day in the entire New Testament, this discussion would be over. All one would have to do is produce it.
Where, in all of Paul's writings, does he command, "And don't forget to keep the Sabbath day"? Where do Peter, James, John, or Jude condemn Christians who were profaning the Sabbath day by working on it—or buying or selling on that day? Where does Luke make it clear to his Gentile readers that, even though they are not Israelites, they must observe the Sabbath day? In Acts 15, the apostles and elders had to deal with people exactly like this letter writer. Their big issue was circumcision. Anyone becoming a Christian, according to these false teachers, had to be circumcised.
They pretty much made the same case for it. They could have pointed to Abraham, whose children the Israelites were. God spoke with the patriarch:
And God said to Abraham: "As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you; every male child among you shall be circumcised; and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from the people; he has broken My covenant" (Gen. 17:9-14).
Now how does this commandment differ from the one to keep the Sabbath day? An everlasting covenant is a forever covenant. Yet despite the language used in these verses, neither circumcision nor the Sabbath day were retained in the new covenant. And those who insisted on circumcision were guilty of teaching a false gospel (Gal. 1:6-9). So is anyone else who would attempt to bind items in the old covenant as part of the new.
Circumcision was part of the Law of Moses (Lev. 12:3). But it was wrong to force it into the new covenant. Not only did the Judaizing teachers insist on circumcising the Gentiles, they demanded that they "keep the Law of Moses" (Acts 15:5). The apostles and elders discussed the issue and wrote a letter to these people who were troubling the church. Watch closely: The apostles and elders had given no commandment to those men who insisted that circumcision be kept (Acts 15:24). In other words, that message had not been authorized by God. Out of all the things contained in the Law of Moses, they endorsed only four items that Gentiles must observe:
- Abstain from things offered to idols.
- Abstain from blood.
- Abstain from things strangled.
- Abstain from fornication (Acts 15:29).
All of these things were practices characteristic of Gentiles. As Christians, they were not to continue these practices. But notice that Gentile Christians were not told to 1) practice circumcision or 2) keep the Sabbath day. Gentiles did not practice either one of these, nor are they commanded to practice either one now that they have obeyed the gospel.
To return to the lady's question, "Why assume it was left out?", again the answer is that we have not assumed it. It is a fact that God did not put it in. In the absence of any commandment to either Jewish or Gentile Christians to keep the Sabbath, the assumption is that somehow it is there anyway, which it is not. Those who insist on Sabbath-keeping today have nothing but assumptions.
Another "Assumption"
The lady repeats her accusation regarding what we said about Gentiles: "You made an assumption when you said, 'God did not command any other nation to observe the Sabbath day.' How do you know this?" There are three answers to this question. First, the Scriptures do not record such a command to any other nation. Second, no one seems to have any historical evidence that shows that other nations did observe the Sabbath day. If there is, please be so kind as to cite it. Third (and most importantly), God said that the Sabbath was a sign between Himself and Israel (Ex. 31:17)—not between Himself and several nations. If the Lord's comment does not imply exclusivity, what is He saying?
The Sabbath Before the Law
The writer quotes Scriptures that talk about Abraham and Job keeping commandments, but none of them mention the Sabbath day. It would actually be an assumption that it was kept when nothing specifically is mentioned concerning it. Yes, God informed Noah concerning clean and unclean animals—since he was taking them on board the ark, but that fact does not relate to the Sabbath, either.
Exodus 5:5 and 16:23-28 are cited as keeping the Sabbath before the Law was given. The first of these was a mistake to cite, since it has nothing to do with the Sabbath. It does show, however, how desperate someone becomes to find support for a false doctrine. Verse 5 is part of Pharaoh's second response to what Moses and Aaron told Pharaoh, which was for the ruler to let Israel go and hold a feast to Him in the wilderness (Ex. 5:1). Moses did not petition Pharaoh to allow His people to observe the Sabbath.
Pharaoh replied by saying, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go?" (v. 2). Moses and Aaron then asked politely for—what? To keep the Sabbath? No—to travel three days into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord (v. 3). Pharaoh complained that such would take the people from their work (v. 4), charging that "you make them rest from their labor!" (v. 5). Then he quit providing straw for the bricks (v. 7). This passage has nothing whatsoever to do with the Sabbath day; the rest from their work would have involved being gone a minimum of 6 days.
The second passage cited (Ex. 16:23-28) is legitimate in that it is a day of rest on the Sabbath, but it is an introduction to what would later be a commandment. Notice verse 23; here is what Moses tells the people that God had told to him: "Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord." If Israel were already keeping the Sabbath, there need not have been such a pronouncement. God was beginning to provide manna for the people to eat on a daily basis, but He would not provide any food on the Sabbath; they needed to gather twice as much the day before. The violation of this practice shows it was new.
This is the first Israel knew about the Sabbath, and it came after they left Egypt. Neither God nor the people indicate they had ever kept it before. But they did keep it for about a year before they arrived at Mount Sinai. But what does that prove? Was it wrong to commit adultery before the Law was given? Joseph knew that it was (Gen. 39:9). All that this passage shows us is that God required His people to observe a Sabbath day of rest a year before the events that occurred at Mount Sinai. It does not prove that they had kept the Sabbath any time previously. Nothing is said of Noah, Abraham, or Job ever keeping that day. Only after they left Egypt do we find observing the Sabbath a requirement. In fact, Nehemiah writes:
"You came down also on Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven, and gave them just ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments. You made known to them Your Holy Sabbath, and commanded them precepts, statutes and laws by the hand of Moses Your servant. You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger…" (Neh. 9:13-15a).
Nehemiah says that God made known His Sabbath at Sinai. It would be an erroneous assumption to think they had been keeping it prior to this time. Nehemiah either lumps that entire year together with the events at Sinai, or else he means that God made known His Sabbath fully to them at this time. In either case, nothing indicates they were bound by it previously.
From Creation
The lady next argues: "We do know that God blessed and sanctified (made holy) the Sabbath day from the Creation (Gen. 2:1-3)." Amen! We also agree that in Isaiah 58:13, God calls the Sabbath, "My holy day." It was the day He rested from His work and served as the pattern for Israel to rest upon that same day. But He did not reveal it until Mount Sinai—and even then it was specifically connected to Israel (Ex. 31:16-17). God did not choose to make this day holy for Christians. He chose a different day for worship to be given to Him—the first day of the week. The same day He began the Creation is the same day He began the Re-Creation, the church. Jesus was raised from the dead on this day, and the gospel began to be preached on this day.
A Sabbatarian might argue, "But if that day was God's holy day, it must still be," then we ask about all of the times the Old Testament describes a certain physical location as God's holy mountain. If it was, is it still? No commandment says to preserve it as such; in fact, Jesus tells the woman at the well the place of worship will soon become irrelevant. If God wanted to make certain that Christians keep the Sabbath, He would have said so.
The arguments for Christians observing the Sabbath are all built on assumptions, which is not a valid form of argumentation. Somewhere there needs to be proof. Raising questions does not constitute evidence. A clearly-worded commandment is the only thing that will do.