So, another question to the table. It is about the sabbath and what the sabbath really is.
I was reading in Hebrews the other day about the Sabbath, about entering into Gods rest - Hebrews 4. It appears to be a lot about entering into Gods Grace and resting from our works - because Christ has done everything.
But what does the sabbath mean for us after the Cross? Some Christians won't spend money on a sabbath, won't go out or do anything that isn't church or "christian". It is good to rest and to have days off but is that what a sabbath means - to not spend money or go out or spend time with non christian friends? Or is this a Godly attitude to have for the sabbath?
This is a really open question, but one I have been thinking about a lot and wondered what you thought. Whats the biblical response to the Sabbath for those that are in Christ?
The Sabbath
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Cat, thanks for a new question! Coffee on, Bibles out everyone!
But while we wait for the percolator to finish bubbling away, I'd just like like to clarify the issue in question. We could be distracted in discussing rules and legalism, rather than the nature of Sabbath per se. So just to say, although some Christians may be legalistic about it, the reason why some Christians avoid spending money on a Sunday is to avoid making others work. Now this may be for different reasons, coming from different views of covenant law and gospel:
- It might be that you appreciate having one day off in 7 in God's created order, and loving others, wish to promote a society in which people were more free to do that, rather than incessantly seeking salvation (comfort, etc) by work. Therefore you don't yourself contribute to the 7-day commerce, etc., because it's not loving to your neighbour. (Love fulfils the law.)
- Or it may be that you believe it wrong, by creation and law, to work on the Sabbath, which has changed to Sunday by Christ's resurrection and appearances, and you set it aside for corporate and family worship, as a sign of trust in God and dedication of the rest of the week to Him.
So while there's a huge debate on the relationship of law to gospel between those 2 views, they may both result in our 'Sabbaths' looking similar if we want to make best use of time in love for God and neighbour, and mustn't be judged as legalistic merely by the appearance of having rules. You weren't suggesting that I know, but before we opened Bibles and delved into a Biblical theology of Sabbath, I thought that's an important clarification to make, so we don't get distracted by the examples given of common practice. Now, I do declare the coffee's ready :)
You should have a read of "Seeking Sabbath" by Dr David Shepherd. It's basically a diary of a man trying to reclaim the sabbath in his life and wrestling with what that means in the process. He realises at one stage that by doing what he originally thought it meant to rest on the sabbath, his wife ended up twice as busy! It's a great exploration of your question.
Some friends have been asking me about my observance of the Christian Sabbath, i finally wrote a post about my view http://eqdj.wordpress.com/2009/07/04/554/
Basically, i take The (Moral) Law as a delight rather than a duty, and view the Christian Sabbath as a manifestation of my trust in God, a memorial of His saving work for me, and a looking foward to His eternal rest (Heb 4)
On Sabbath I guess I think NT backwards rather than OT forwards. Forgive the brevity in some of the following: I just want to outline the bare bones of where I'm coming from.
Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath & He removes the clean/unclean obligations of the law: making all days 'the same'. (Mk 2:23-28)
Resting in acknowledging Him as LORD (as opposed to working for Him as LORD) is commended as the 'better part' (Lk10:38-42).
Jesus death, in ending the requirements of the Law has established the 'rest' of The Sabbath, which 'Creation Sabbath' and 'Levitical Sabbath Law' heralded. We have entered that rest (through the obedience of faith in Jesus) and so live in a Sabbatical state - now anticipating the Sabbath rest that is to come (Heb 3-4) as long as we do not harden our hearts to the Spirit's voice (in Jesus).
Sabbath resting though, is not an optional extra of Christian living: it is part of the law of Christ to be outworked through the obedience of faith. It is established within the 10 commandments none of which have lost their moral/holiness impact in the passing generations of faith-filled obedient response to God's grace.
So - we respond to Christ in obedience through faith. Part of that response is the observance of rest in anticipation of the Final Rest which Jesus has established.
Is it possible to observe Sabbath without faith in Jesus - of course! Is it possible to have faith in Jesus without observing Sabbath rest: I seriously doubt it.
But to agree with Rosemary - we must avoid legalism: because that would make a mockery of the freedom from The Law that Jesus has bought and brought.
So Sabbath rest for the Christian is about ceasing our work to acknowledge His Work as Lord, God, Saviour and to anticipate His return as Coming King and Judge.
Andy,
I really like what you said.
re: "Is it possible to observe Sabbath without faith in Jesus - of course!"
I think the same could be said for the second table commandments as well.
Andy - thanks for your response. I found it really helpful.
But what is Sabbath resting though? I am thinking about it practically. What does it mean to observe the sabbath?
They may seem like very simple questions. But I wonder - do we observe the sabbath differently as Christians and how differently?
I am writing on Shabbat, a creative activity, which one who is a strict observer of the Sabbath would probably not do.
I really feel Christians in general have a dichotomy that they do not understand. Andy's comment, "we must avoid legalism: because that would make a mockery of the freedom from The Law that Jesus has bought and brought." is central to the dichotomy I see.
Andy is caught up on freedom from The Law. However, a Jewish perspective is that the Law is perfect and GIVES freedom. James 1:25
I am a gentile believer, with a Jewish wife who grew up in the evangelical church. I met my wife in a Messianic Jewish congregation.
I really feel there are two camps, the Jews and the gentiles.
As a gentile, I do not feel God called me to obey the whole law. I feel I am a grafted in believer, and the early church addressed what I am called as a gentile to do, Acts 1:25.
We gentiles don't have to worry about legalism, because we were never called to obey the Mosaic law.
On the other hand, I feel the Jews still are called to obey the perfect Law which gives freedom. Matthew 5:17-20.
Now even though I as a gentile feel no obligation to observe the Law, I recognize my being grafted in to the commonwealth of Israel, Romans 11:17.
I am here to make the Jews jealous, Romans 10:19, 11:11, 11:14.
So, while I don't feel commanded (in a negative way) to observe the whole law (again, Acts 1:25), I feel called to provoke the Jewish people through jealousy.
If they see me holding the word of God in high regard and observe the Sabbath, I may move to jealousy some Jews and so save some of them., Romans 11:14.
So, we look forward to the Sabbath all week. We work hard six days, looking ahead to Shabbat rest (on day seven, Saturday for us). Then Sabbath day is supposed to restful and rejuvenating for all of us. That means different things for different people in our family, and so what is restful and rejuvenating for one may be dull and frustrating for another. We therefore try to make room for everyone. To avoid an overload of activity and a requirement for a Sabbath rest from our Sabbath rest, we limited what we were going to do today. We decided we would not try to go to the farmer's market, a morning Shabbat service and an evening worship service. We're simply doing the farmer's market this a.m. (a short walk from home), and then we are going to do a worship service this evening.
Before Shabbat started the previous evening, we knew it was coming and had the home in order well ahead of time (hurray - we got it right this time anyway). Food was on hand for Shabbat dinner, and we were ready to enter into a restful Shabbat. Dinner and a video at home, and a good nights sleep before today (farmer's market and worship service this evening - with plenty of time for lounging about this afternoon). Then we will be ready to start the work week rejuvenated.
This takes time to get right, and we don't always get it right.
Shabbat looks forward to Messiah's return when all of creation will finally rest as God did on day 7. We expect that all Israel will be saved, though salvation may come in the midst of her ungodliness, Romans 11:25-27.
We hope that by our lifestyle, we might somehow be ready for that day, and that our love might rub off onto friends, relatives, and other believers such as you.
Of course, Shabbat is also a good day to study scriptures, but we try to do that throughout the week too, without it seeming like a chore.
I feel like I benefit through observance of the Shabbat, though not commanded to do it, I try to do it through faith, not legalistically. It is the perfect Law that gives freedom, not something to be freed from. It is a blessing to be able to observe it as a grafted in gentile - a real blast!
Andrew Shead and Joshua Ng have helpful papers at BeginningWithMoses.org if that can help the conversation.
Keller preached a great sermon on the Sabbath from Luke - and it's on the free sermons bit of his church's website. It's one of the most helpful sermons I've heard on the Sabbath and others I know have also found it extremely helpful.
http://download.redeemer.com/rpcsermons/storesamplesermons/Work_and_Rest.mp3
I think that the website www.netzarim.co.il will be of interest to you and your readers. It contains research about Ribi Yehoshua (the Messiah) from Nazareth and what he taught.
So what did he teach about Shabat? He taught the same that is written in Torah. To be a valid Messiah, Ribi Yehoshua cannot contradict the Creator – and in the Bible (Malakhi 3:6) it is written that the Creator does not change.
Have a nice weekend!
Anders Branderud
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