The Sabbath

[Guest]

In Jesus' time, I suppose he could have looked at Jewish society under Roman dominance and seen a picture equally as disgusting as society today. But, he exhorted the Apostles by telling them he would make them fishers of men. As we go forth to work daily will we have enough faith to keep casting our nets into the cesspool knowing that out there somewhere is some person seeking the same Lord that we and King David seeked?

Glad you stayed Michael PK.

[_Paidion]

It is instructive to consider Justin Martyr's explanation, in the second century, to Trypho and a group of Jews who were with him, how Christians keep perpetual Sabbath.

With regard to Steve's three ways in which Christians regard the Sabbath Day, Justin's position was most like Steve's third position, and yet differs in one important respect. Justin didn't regard the Sabbath rest of Hebrews 3 as being a rest from self-effort, but rather a rest from sin and wrongdoing.

Here are some excerpts from Justin's "Dialogue With Trypho". The titles of each section are mine.

Righteous Men of Old Kept No Sabbaths

... all those righteous men already mentioned [Abel, Enoch, Noah,] ,
though they kept no Sabbaths, were pleasing to God; and after them
Abraham with all his descendants until Moses... Chapter 19

..For if there was no need of circumcision before
Abraham, or of the observance of Sabbaths, of feasts and sacrifices, before Moses; no more need is there of them now,... Chapter 23

Nature Does Not Observe Sabbath Days

Do you see that the elements are not idle, and keep no Sabbaths? Chapter 23


God Himself Does Not Observe the Sabbath Day

Think it not strange that we drink hot water on the Sabbaths, since God directs the government of the universe on this day equally as on all others... Chapter 29

The True Israelites Are Those Who Come to God Through Christ

For the true spiritual Israel, and descendants of Judah, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham (who in uncircumcision was approved of and blessed by God on account of his faith, and called the father of many nations), are we who have been led to God through this crucified Christ, as shall be demonstrated while we proceed. Chapter 11 (near the end)

We Are Now Required To Keep Sabbath Daily
By Resting From Sin and Working Righteousness

The new law requires you to keep perpetual sabbath, and you, because you are idle for one day, suppose you are pious, not discerning why this has been commanded you: and if you eat unleavened bread, you say the will of God has been fulfilled. The Lord our God does not take pleasure in such observances: if there is any perjured person or a thief among you, let him cease to be so; if any adulterer, let him repent; then he has kept the sweet and true sabbaths of God. If any one has impure hands, let him wash and be pure. Chapter 12 (at the end)

[Guest]

Good stuff, Paidion. Do you have references for any of those quotes? I'd like to have them available.

[_Paidion]

Steve, I have edited the post adding chapter references.

I'm sorry I cannot be more specific than this.

[Guest]

In the Book of Hebrews we have important information relative to this Sabbath rest in the dispensation of the New Covenant.

Heb. 3:7-15 -- 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 40 years saw what I did.
This is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, "their hearts are always gone 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 sins deceitfulness.



According to the words here by the Holy Spirit these unbelieving Israelites, during their wandering in the wilderness, would never enter God's rest because of their rebellion and unbelief. This can't be speaking of the weekly Sabbath rest as demanded of the shadow as they entered into that faithfully every Sabbath day. This is the Holy Spirit speaking to us who are living in the dispensation of the New Covenant. This couldn't be speaking to those of previous ages because only at the cross of Christ did the law with all its regulations including the Sabbath reach its fulfillment.

Here we are encouraged into God's rest, which is as was the rest that Adam and Eve entered following creation; a spiritual rest every day. It is "that rest" which gives us peace with God in the knowledge that our redemption through Christ was completed at the cross. We are to encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sins deceitfulness.

Heb. 4:1-11 -- 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 [speaking of the Jews hearing the gospel from Jesus]; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. [They refused to accept Christ as the Messiah.]
Now we who have believed enter into that rest, just as God has said, "So I declared in my anger 'They shall never enter my rest.' "

Just as the Israelites who had been redeemed from slavery in Egypt, and their descendants, were entitled to the physical rest of the weekly Sabbath, so that spiritual rest (God's rest) is limited to all who believe on Christ and have had their sins cleansed by the blood of Christ on the cross. They have been redeemed from the world and set apart and enter into God's rest. This rest is peace with God in the assurance of eternal life through Christ.

Heb. 4 (Cont'd) -- 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."
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 unbelief.



This has to be those unbelieving Jews at the time of Christ because the gospel was first presented by Jesus at that time. They were keeping "the rest" of the Shadow on every Sabbath day, but they did not enter into God's rest as presented in the new covenant due to their unbelief. He is just as surely speaking of those at the present time who, blending good works, obedience to the law, Sabbath keeping, etc. to assist in assuring their salvation, fall into this same classification and cannot enter into this rest.

Heb. 4 (Cont'd) -- 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."

Therefore God again set a certain day. What day had he previously set? It could only be the Sabbath. Which day was the day referred to as "God again set a certain day"? This according to the text above, can only be Today. This was the perfect opportunity for God to specify if another day had been solemnized to become a different Sabbath day. This He didn't do because the original Sabbath was a shadow of Christ and when He replaced the Sabbath at the cross, that day had served its purpose and now all our attention is to be returned to Christ instead of to any particular day.

The day we choose to come together to worship Him on a regular basis is left to the church to decide, but their decision, even though agreeable to the Lord, does not make it into a holy day. All the holiness of that day was transferred to Christ and none of it to be shared by another day. The day He chose was Today and everyday as long as it is called today.

[_Paidion]

This rest is peace with God in the assurance of eternal life through Christ.

There appears to be a variety of understandings, Allyn, as to what the rest actually is.

My understanding, as that of Justin Martyr, is that the rest is a ceasing from sin. Of course, this ceasing is a process, and is made possible only through the enabling grace of Christ, which came to us by means of His magnificent sacrifice on our behalf. And we appropriate that enablement through faith.

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:15,16

[Guest]

This rest is peace with God in the assurance of eternal life through Christ.

There appears to be a variety of understandings, Allyn, as to what the rest actually is.

My understanding, as that of Justin Martyr, is that the rest is a ceasing from sin. Of course, this ceasing is a process, and is made possible only through the enabling grace of Christ, which came to us by means of His magnificent sacrifice on our behalf. And we appropriate that enablement through faith.

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:15,16

Very possible, as in:

Heb 4:11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.