Series Part One
The Lord's Day and Sabbath Issue. What does the Decalogue (The Ten Commandments) teach us in relation to this issue? I find it ironic in this issue that many complain about their removal from court house lawns and public places and then turn around to find multiple ways not to follow them anyway.
By way of review, the previous article began this discussion with the seventh day of the creation week (Genesis 2). Some Christians place the bedrock for the Sabbath as a creation ordinance. Other start here in the Ten commandments. So how would these two options relate to the prescriptive/descriptive discussion?
First, if the sabbath observance is attached to creation and not the Mosaic law, then it like other concepts rooted in creation still has weight today (think marriage, family, etc...). On the other hand, if the sabbath observance depends upon a prescriptive command rooted in the mosaic law, then their is a greater likelihood it could be laid aside as a "civil" or "ceremonial" portion of the law, in some fashion removed through Christ's sacrificial death on the cross for our sins.
What is the command under discussion?
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, they manservant, nor they maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within they gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is them is, and rested the seventh day wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." (Ex 20:8-11).
Deut. 5: 15 applies the fourth commandment to the nation's actual exodus from bondage and not to the creation itself, "And remember that thout wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day."
Let's consider the background. This is fourth of the ten commandments given to the nation of Israel following the nations exodus from bondage in Egypt. But what people want to know is how much if any applies to me today? When Jesus died how much of the law did he fulfill? Is there NT precedent to answer or at least help to think about this issue? Even if we can't agree as to any NT applications, perhaps at a minimum if sola scriptura means anything, we can find at least in principle, applications to help with the sabbath day/Lord's day issue.
With that stated I would at this time like to consider two NT examples before later discussing other related texts and issues.
First, what was the Messiah's view of the Decalogue? Let's consider Mat 19:16-22. An individual comes to Christ asking about "eternal life" (v. 16). We are concerned with Jesus' response. He actually quotes five of the ten commandments (vv. 18-19). Although he did not quote the one in question here, it is interesting that Christ still believed the law was applicable to his time in the first century. But perhaps your thinking that was before the cross.
Second, consider another example (after the cross and directly given in imperative form to a local church). Consider Eph 6:1-2 (Col 3 repeats the command but makes no connection to the decalogue). In this context Paul directly applies the fifth commandment to children in the local church. In verse one children are given an imperative, "Obey your parents in the Lord." He directly follows this by quoting the fifth commandment,"Honour thy father and mother," as though it still applies and is a motivating factor for believers in the church.
What are some take away's from this idea:
First, if sola scriptura means anything (not just a phrase to make us sound "Cool, Trendy, and Reformed"), we need to be able to find commands and/or principles to govern every issue in life. If not then stop using the phrase sola scriptura because you really mean "mostly scriptura."
Second, both Jesus and Paul believed the ten commands can and should be quoted and/or applied to NT situations. What is at questions is must the fourth command be repeated in the NT (as a command) not just an observance throughout the gospels and Acts to be applicable today? This question is actually a huge deal. Check out the literature on this one. This is a huge hurdle for this particular command to the NT church.
Third, name calling (think ad hominem) will not help in this issue. It certainly is not an exegetical or theological argument (sabbatarian, legalist, antinomian, liberty, license, etc...).
At the end of the day, does the Lord's day mean anything to us in 2016 at all (assuming any kind of parallel can be shown in days ahead)? In closing I would like to quote from one of my professors concerning this day, "Tragically, it is all too common that the only difference in practice between Christians and the ungodly on Sunday is the couple of hours spent in church." (p. 104, The Beauty of Holiness by Michal P. V. Barett). Does this describe us?
If your respond is "but I have liberties," then you've already decided.
Just some thoughts to consider.
Thoughts and comments encouraged.
More to come concerning this issue of the Sabbath and the Lord's Day.
First, if the sabbath observance is attached to creation and not the Mosaic law, then it like other concepts rooted in creation still has weight today (think marriage, family, etc...). On the other hand, if the sabbath observance depends upon a prescriptive command rooted in the mosaic law, then their is a greater likelihood it could be laid aside as a "civil" or "ceremonial" portion of the law, in some fashion removed through Christ's sacrificial death on the cross for our sins.
What is the command under discussion?
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, they manservant, nor they maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within they gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is them is, and rested the seventh day wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." (Ex 20:8-11).
Deut. 5: 15 applies the fourth commandment to the nation's actual exodus from bondage and not to the creation itself, "And remember that thout wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day."
Let's consider the background. This is fourth of the ten commandments given to the nation of Israel following the nations exodus from bondage in Egypt. But what people want to know is how much if any applies to me today? When Jesus died how much of the law did he fulfill? Is there NT precedent to answer or at least help to think about this issue? Even if we can't agree as to any NT applications, perhaps at a minimum if sola scriptura means anything, we can find at least in principle, applications to help with the sabbath day/Lord's day issue.
With that stated I would at this time like to consider two NT examples before later discussing other related texts and issues.
First, what was the Messiah's view of the Decalogue? Let's consider Mat 19:16-22. An individual comes to Christ asking about "eternal life" (v. 16). We are concerned with Jesus' response. He actually quotes five of the ten commandments (vv. 18-19). Although he did not quote the one in question here, it is interesting that Christ still believed the law was applicable to his time in the first century. But perhaps your thinking that was before the cross.
Second, consider another example (after the cross and directly given in imperative form to a local church). Consider Eph 6:1-2 (Col 3 repeats the command but makes no connection to the decalogue). In this context Paul directly applies the fifth commandment to children in the local church. In verse one children are given an imperative, "Obey your parents in the Lord." He directly follows this by quoting the fifth commandment,"Honour thy father and mother," as though it still applies and is a motivating factor for believers in the church.
What are some take away's from this idea:
First, if sola scriptura means anything (not just a phrase to make us sound "Cool, Trendy, and Reformed"), we need to be able to find commands and/or principles to govern every issue in life. If not then stop using the phrase sola scriptura because you really mean "mostly scriptura."
Second, both Jesus and Paul believed the ten commands can and should be quoted and/or applied to NT situations. What is at questions is must the fourth command be repeated in the NT (as a command) not just an observance throughout the gospels and Acts to be applicable today? This question is actually a huge deal. Check out the literature on this one. This is a huge hurdle for this particular command to the NT church.
Third, name calling (think ad hominem) will not help in this issue. It certainly is not an exegetical or theological argument (sabbatarian, legalist, antinomian, liberty, license, etc...).
At the end of the day, does the Lord's day mean anything to us in 2016 at all (assuming any kind of parallel can be shown in days ahead)? In closing I would like to quote from one of my professors concerning this day, "Tragically, it is all too common that the only difference in practice between Christians and the ungodly on Sunday is the couple of hours spent in church." (p. 104, The Beauty of Holiness by Michal P. V. Barett). Does this describe us?
If your respond is "but I have liberties," then you've already decided.
Just some thoughts to consider.
Thoughts and comments encouraged.
More to come concerning this issue of the Sabbath and the Lord's Day.
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