# Sabbath in the New Testament



## LeeJUk (Dec 27, 2009)

Hi Guys,

I haven't actually until now really thought about the sabbath. I know that may seem strange but in all honesty it's not something that I heard a lot spoken of in the new testament.

I know there's a school of believers who say there is no sabbath under NT (incl. Tim Conway of GCC) and that the majority of reformed people on this board believe that there is still a sabbath that must be upheld.

So some of my questions are:

1) What case can be made from the new testament that the sabbath is still to be observed (please give scriptural references)?

2) What do you personally do to honor the sabbath apart from going to church and perhaps spending an increased time alone with God in private?

I know that there are those who say we shouldn't buy and sell, and shouldn't take part in organised events like sport.



I'm really not looking for any arguments, just justification and application of the sabbath. I'm also not looking for someone to quote the WCF and say I should just obey what it says.

Thanks,

Regards 

Lee


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## MMasztal (Dec 27, 2009)




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## Scott1 (Dec 27, 2009)

> Westminster Confession of Faith
> 
> Chapter XXI
> Of Religious Worship, and the Sabbath Day
> ...



You've come to the right place, Lee.

The Westminster Standards summary of the doctrine of Scripture is excellent.

It is well worth studying and meditating upon the Scripture proofs that support each statement or proposition:



> [38] EXO 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. EXO 16:23 And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. 25 And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the Lord: to day ye shall not find it in the field. 26 Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. 29 See, for that the Lord hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. 30 So the people rested on the seventh day. 31:15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. 17 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. ISA 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words. NEH 13:15 In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. 16 There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. 17 Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? 18 Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath. 19 And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day. 21 Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath. 22 And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.
> 
> [39] ISA 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words.





> *LeeJUk*
> So some of my questions are:
> 
> 1) What case can be made from the new testament that the sabbath is still to be observed (please give scriptural references)?





> VII. As it is the law of nature, that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God; so, in His Word, by a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment binding all men in all ages, He has particularly appointed one day in seven, for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto him:[34] which, from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week: and, from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week,[35] which, in Scripture, is called the Lord's Day,[36] and is to be continued to the end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath.[37]



(For sake of space here I'm leaving off the Scripture proofs, they are quite long)


Basically, the ten commandments summarily comprehend the moral law of God, which are binding on all men in all generations. This includes commandment four.

The sabbath even pre-dates the giving of the Law to Moses, because He established it at Creation, so we would even say it is a "creation ordinance."



> 2) What do you personally do to honor the sabbath apart from going to church and perhaps spending an increased time alone with God in private?



Well, what we personally do must be informed by Scripture.

Basically commandment four requires that we set aside work (which we are commanded to pursue the other six days in the first part of commandment four), and the ordinary things of the rest of the week in order to "make the day holy" (set apart) for focused, prioritized worship of God.

As the Westminster Summary says, this necessarily involves several aspects:

Ordinarily,

1) prepare in advance
2) abstain from work
3) abstain from recreation (entertainment, amusement)

"Exceptions" are allowed, indeed are established for works of "mercy" and "necessity."

So, what might a sabbath day look like, in its fullness?

FIRST, UNDERSTAND THE SABBATH IS A BLESSING.

IT IS A DELIGHT!

A possible pattern (this is not fixed by ritual, not at all, but only an attempt to answer your practical question):

Night before,
get all your routine errands done (e.g. grocery, gas, ATM, errands, etc.)
prepare food night before as much as possible

get up early morning for personal time to read, meditate on Scripture and pray
Sunday School
corporate worship
meal at home, invite a needy person to share meal
quiet time
family Bible reading
sing psalms, hymns, spiritual songs
evening corporate worship or small group or individual quiet time
prayer before bed


Remember, the commandment is thought, word and deed. So, somehow by God's grace your thoughts, words and actions ought be focused on God.

It's not a day, ordinarily, to spend watching television, talking on the phone, playing on the computer, listening to your favorite secular music, seeking amusement for yourself, etc.

(Understand, the word "ordinarily" because there are exceptional circumstances, born of necessity or mercy that our Lord explicitly allows, but these are exceptions, not the rule.)

The fact that our minds wander, our wills resent God calling us apart to focus on Him one day reveals our sin as few things do in the Christian life.

It also can reveal, through obedience, blessing and the true delight the sabbath is!


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## Peairtach (Dec 27, 2009)

The Sabbath isn't an Old Testament or Old Covenant ordinance. It was established long before then when it was given to Adam before the Fall.

E.g. Jesus said that "the Sabbath was made for Man", He didn't say that the Sabbath was made for the Jews. If you are a man you should observe it.

Are you man enough to seek by God's grace to observe, imperfectly, all the 10C, which are summarised in the Two Great Commandments?


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## JM (Dec 27, 2009)

A friend recently bought this one : Amazon.com: From Sabbath to Lord's Day: A Biblical, Historical and Theological Investigation (9781579103071): D. A. Carson: Books

D.A. Carson edits the volume and it takes an opposing view.


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## toddpedlar (Dec 27, 2009)

JM said:


> A friend recently bought this one : Amazon.com: From Sabbath to Lord's Day: A Biblical, Historical and Theological Investigation (9781579103071): D. A. Carson: Books
> 
> D.A. Carson edits the volume and it takes an opposing view.



And everyone should understand that the view proposed by that book is not going to be consistent with any of the Board's Confessional standards. Carson, while writing many laudable things, being strongly Calvinistic soteriologically, is a New Covenant Theology devotee, and decidedly NOT confessional.


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## MMasztal (Dec 27, 2009)

Richard Tallach said:


> The Sabbath isn't an Old Testament or Old Covenant ordinance. It was established long before then when it was given to Adam before the Fall.
> 
> E.g. Jesus said that "the Sabbath was made for Man", He didn't say that the Sabbath was made for the Jews. If you are a man you should observe it.
> 
> Are you man enough to seek by God's grace to observe, imperfectly, all the 10C, which are summarised in the Two Great Commandments?



Given the Sabbath was established before OT/NT covenants, I guess the next question then would be which day would the Sabbath fall on?

I also don't subscribe to the rationale behind switching the Sabbath to Sunday. Although I observe Sabbath on Sunday, might not any day be designated a Sabbath as long as one keeps to that day and observes it as a Sabbat?


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## ChristianTrader (Dec 27, 2009)

The Lord's Day - Turretin


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## Herald (Dec 27, 2009)

MMasztal said:


> Richard Tallach said:
> 
> 
> > The Sabbath isn't an Old Testament or Old Covenant ordinance. It was established long before then when it was given to Adam before the Fall.
> ...



Michael,

The Sabbath is not a personal day. It is meant to be a day set aside for worship, prayer, acts of mercy, and fellowship. What day of the week has the church historically gathered to practice these things? The Sunday Sabbath has both scriptural, historical, and practical support.


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## JM (Dec 27, 2009)

JM said:


> A friend recently bought this one : Amazon.com: From Sabbath to Lord's Day: A Biblical, Historical and Theological Investigation (9781579103071): D. A. Carson: Books
> 
> D.A. Carson edits the volume and *it takes an opposing view.*



See section in bold.


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## toddpedlar (Dec 27, 2009)

JM said:


> JM said:
> 
> 
> > A friend recently bought this one : Amazon.com: From Sabbath to Lord's Day: A Biblical, Historical and Theological Investigation (9781579103071): D. A. Carson: Books
> ...



Yes, JM, I did the section in bold before I posted my response. I wasn't sure what your motivation was in putting up the link, but it's possible you might have been posting that link in order to argue by proxy for that opposing view. Not saying that's what you were doing, though it's been done in this board before - but in erring on the side of caution, in my post I was simply making it very clear what the book containing "an opposing view" contains. That is, that the view promoted in the book is an unconfessional view that is not acceptable according to the standards of this board. 

I'm sure that if we wanted to, we could find book links by various and sundry authors that, for every thread, contain "an opposing view", so I'm not sure of the utility of the posted link. 

Again, I just wanted to be very clear about the nature of the book and that it won't be deemed acceptable to defend or promote Carson's view.


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## Smith (Dec 28, 2009)

Hello Lee,
Your question normally requires a lengthy response, because nowadays it is typically necessary to explain general principles about keeping God's law (esp. OT law) and practical applications about how exactly one keeps the Sabbath. Instead of trying to answer fully, therefore, I will mention a few short points, which I hope won't be too cryptic without greater context. Note: I do not know what other views are held here, but this is what I think and practice. I do not mean to start a debate, but just to offer you a sort of testimony of what I hold and have practiced successfully and to my own benefit. (I believe my view is consistent with the WCF and LBC.)

1. The Sabbath law is still running, i.e., applicable. It existed before the Ten Commandments. It was commended to Gentiles in the OT (e.g., Isa 56, 58). It was taught by Christ as "made for man", i.e., we need it (Mk 2). (Note: made for man, not Jews--Gentiles need it too.) It has moral aspects to it. The Ten Commandments have not been set aside as a rule of life for the believer (cf. Mt 5:17ff, etc.). Christ (our example) keep the Sabbath in its proper way.

2. The basic idea about how to keep it is this: avoid work (rest), and dedicate the day to the Lord (worship, Bible study, etc.). Avoiding work means not doing "labor", like pouring cement, digging a trench, heaving heavy burdens, etc.--what common-sense would tell you is tiring work (you know it when you want to take a vacation). It also means avoiding transacting business (buying/selling) and doing your money-making occupation. These ideas are found in the OT, e.g., Neh, Isa 56, 58, Exodus, etc. It requires a fuller study to go through this in detail, with the proper balance and consideration of details.

3. The Sabbath fits into a larger context of the hierarchy of priorities in God's law. It is not the greatest commandment, so do not let it override greater commands, such as deeds of mercy and necessity. In Mt 12 we see an example of this sort of reasoning.

4. The Sabbath law involves the principle of one day of rest out of seven. This means you cannot take a few hours a day here and there and call that your "Sabbath". But it does not mean that the Sabbath must be Saturday; the essence is one day of the week. It seems that under the leadership of the apostles, the day that Christians observe changed to Sunday, the Lord's Day (cf. Rev 1; 1 Cor 16). Pastors often take Monday as their Sabbath rest, because they do a lot of work on Sunday.

There are various books on the subject (pro-Sabbath). They are somewhat helpful:

Joseph A. Pipa, The Lord's Day. Christian Focus, 1997. ISBN 1-85792-201-8.

Bruce A. Ray, Celebrating the Sabbath: Finding Rest in a Restless World. Presbyterian & Reformed, 2000. ISBN 0-87552-394-3.

Daniel Wilson, The Lord's Day. The Lord's Day Society (now Day One), 1988.

Iain D. Campbell, On the First Day of the Week: God, the Christian and the Sabbath. Day One, 2005. ISBN 1-903087-95-3.

Hope this helps.


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## nicnap (Dec 28, 2009)

I don't have a link, but find Edwards' _The Change and Perpetuity of the Sabbath._ It should be of assistance, and is free somewhere online.


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## LawrenceU (Dec 28, 2009)

nicnap said:


> I don't have a link, but find Edwards' _The Change and Perpetuity of the Sabbath._ It should be of assistance, and is free somewhere online.



Here it is right next door 

The Perpetuity And Change Of The Sabbath


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## Scott1 (Dec 28, 2009)

For those seeking to understand the day of the week in this, Christian Trader's posted link to Mr. Turretin may be helpful. One relevant part says...


http://www.apuritansmind.com/FrancisTurretin/francisturretinLordsDay.htm


> The Lord's Day
> by Dr. Francis Turretin
> 
> ....
> ...



-----Added 12/28/2009 at 06:45:16 EST-----

Also, keeping the fourth helps us keep all the others. Exhaustion leads to anger and rage which leads to sin. Unbroken pursuit of money leads to all sorts of sin. Not learning the holiness of time leads to sin. Not spending time focused on God leads to all kinds of sin. Not seeking God out in corporate worship and covenant community as a life pattern is sin.

Few things in the Christian life will confront you with your sinful resentment of God's imposition of Himself on your life as will commandment four.

Few things will present you with the intimate blessing of fellowship and peace that comes from obedience to it.



> Westminster Larger Catechism
> [emphasis added]
> 
> Q. 121. Why is the word Remember set in the beginning of the fourth commandment?
> ...





> ....
> 
> [639] Psalm 92 (title: A psalm or song for the sabbath-day)7 compared with vv. 13-14: Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing. Ezekiel 20:12, 19-20. Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.... I am the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God.
> 
> ....


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## jwithnell (Dec 28, 2009)

Another side to this that I don't think has been mentioned: when you see Christ discussing the law, it is almost always in the context of "you say .... but I say ...." Almost always, He is correcting some man-made extension to the law. In mentions of the sabbath, He takes away the legalism that had been huge among the Pharisees. If you take X number of steps, you're OK, if you take Y number, you're in sin. His emphasis seems to be to care for his lambs (yes you can pluck grains to eat) rather than some ritualistic formulation to keep you within the law. These corrections, I think, have led to a misinterpretation that the Sabbath has somehow gone away.

As far as our observance, we look for opportunities for private and public worship, rest and fellowship, and when needed, acts of mercy. I am grieved if I have to miss any of this! 

We do not go to businesses on Sunday -- the commandment specifically mentions the "stranger within they gate," so I don't see how we can ask someone to work on Sunday any more than we could ask someone to go out and steal for us. 

We don't engage in any organized recreation, both because it usually involves someone's labor (say, the lifeguards at a pool) and because it doesn't seem in keeping with the WCF instruction to devote the whole day to God.


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## Contra_Mundum (Dec 28, 2009)

Hebrews 4:9 (indeed the whole chapter) has been subjected to much exegetical wrestling, however John Owen's Commentary treatment (and see also his pre-commentary essay on the NT Sabbath) is still relevant.

9 So there remains a *Sabbath rest *for the people of God.

Is this a wholly-eschatological reference? No, it isn't. Indeed, the word of itself (and see also the LXX) along with the word "remains" indicates Sabbathrest-_keeping_. It isn't "remaining" in the future, it REMAINS, as in: Right Now.

V11: "Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest." If Christians, then if this is entirely eschatological, the recipients are already "entered" the eschatological rest, or it all pertains to the future. Those who propose that this is merely another warning to continue and not fall away have to account for the present tenses, etc.

For our part, we understand that the present "entering in" on Sunday, is correlative to the rest that Christ and the church are already in (in heaven), and to which we are soon to attend. We (according to ch12) go to heaven on Sunday to be with Jesus in the Spirit. Ergo, there is no contradiction between the affirmation of the present reality Christ enjoys uniterrupted, and that foretaste we take.

Thus, the encouragement to "enter in" to his rest is an encouragement parallel to the later one "not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together." If one is already aware of the change Christ has made to _which_ day of the week, this also gives additional nuance to the language "another day" (v8).


And I also recommend searching the archives for other threads on the Sabbath for Scripiture arguments for the change of day.


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## Peairtach (Dec 28, 2009)

MMasztal said:


> Richard Tallach said:
> 
> 
> > The Sabbath isn't an Old Testament or Old Covenant ordinance. It was established long before then when it was given to Adam before the Fall.
> ...



I'll answer this quickly, although I haven't had a chance to read it all, and I'm sure a lot of good points have been made. I apologise if I'm repeating stuff that's been said.

Not really. "Order is Heaven's first law" - Calvin.

Any old day will not do. I'm sure it's better than no day, but not what Scripture teaches.

Do you think the Apostles changed the day to the First Day of the week, off their own todd, i.e. without a word from Christ or a special revelation from the Spirit?

It is most appropriate that the day be changed from the Seventh to the First because from Adam to Moses the Day was the Seventh Day of the Week which was the first day of the Old Creation and from Moses to Christ it was also the first day of the Old Redemption from Egypt.

In the New Covenant however, the First  Day of the Week is the first day of the New Creation and also the first day of our completed Redemption. Both these works of God are greater than the types.


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## D. Paul (Dec 28, 2009)

Just this week I've been listening to Dr Matt's series:
Dominicum Servasti - Have you kept the Lord's Day?

He makes a compelling case.


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## PuritanCovenanter (Dec 29, 2009)

I also just made a blog of some old posts of mine concerning the Colossians 2:16 triad passage and Hebrews 4:9 passage which are a few passages used in the anti-sabbatarian argument here. 

http://www.puritanboard.com/blogs/puritancovenanter/444-some-reformed-baptists-sabbath-concerning-colossians-hebrews.html


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## greenbaggins (Dec 29, 2009)

I don't want to seem to toot my own horn, but I just wrote an article on the change of Sabbath Day from Saturday to Sunday, as well as an exegetical case for understanding Isaiah 58:13-14 in the most recent Confessional Presbyterian Journal.


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## toddpedlar (Dec 29, 2009)

greenbaggins said:


> I don't want to seem to toot my own horn, but I just wrote an article on the change of Sabbath Day from Saturday to Sunday, as well as an exegetical case for understanding Isaiah 58:13-14 in the most recent Confessional Presbyterian Journal.



Sorry, Lane, that's my fault. I had intended to toot your horn this morning, but forgot  So consider the toot mine, folks.


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## lynnie (Dec 29, 2009)

I am with the posters above who mention that the sabbath predates the mosaic law as part of the very foundation of creational order. 

Having said that, you need to be aware that unless you want to join the Amish or go live off the grid somewhere, if you use electricity, natural gas, or tap water on the Sabbath, somebody somewhere is watching a valve and monitoring a meter. If you drive to church, the cops are out patrolling the roads. We all are making people work unless we drop out of civilization. Its been that way for 80-100 years in most of the westernized world. I thank God for His grace in spite of our culture.


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## greenbaggins (Dec 29, 2009)

lynnie said:


> I am with the posters above who mention that the sabbath predates the mosaic law as part of the very foundation of creational order.
> 
> Having said that, you need to be aware that unless you want to join the Amish or go live off the grid somewhere, if you use electricity, natural gas, or tap water on the Sabbath, somebody somewhere is watching a valve and monitoring a meter. If you drive to church, the cops are out patrolling the roads. We all are making people work unless we drop out of civilization. Its been that way for 80-100 years in most of the westernized world. I thank God for His grace in spite of our culture.



This is a very common _complete_ misconception of the Puritan Sabbath. The Puritans always made exceptions for works of necessity. One can think of doctors (people have emergencies on the Sabbath, even if regular scheduled surgery can often be put off, and these emergencies would also fall into the category of works of mercy), electricity (people's lives can be in danger in the frozen north up here, or in the Saharan south with the heat if the electricity is interrupted), and even on occasion travel. 

So, Lynnie, the Puritan Sabbath allows for all of these things. It has ZERO effect on the Puritan idea of the Sabbath.


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## Scott1 (Dec 29, 2009)

Puritan "blue laws" persisted into the 1970's, perhaps later in parts of New England.

How did the people survive?

Part of the answer is that with the advance preparation part of the sabbath, many non essential things, were ordered so as not to distract from the sabbath.

(Look how diligent people are to order things for their "day off" when it occurs on another day of the week.)

And you are correct, God graciously established works of necessity and mercy, from the beginning as part of this. Not as an excuse to avoid keeping the sabbath, but rather to more fully establish it.


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## Damon Rambo (Dec 29, 2009)

Let me be the odd man out.

As priests of God (every believer) the Sabbath is not binding upon us. The weekly fellowship of the Saints, or "Lord's day", is not a simple moving of the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday: the Gathering of the Saints is something completely different.


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## greenbaggins (Dec 29, 2009)

Damon Rambo said:


> Let me be the odd man out.
> 
> As priests of God (every believer) the Sabbath is not binding upon us. The weekly fellowship of the Saints, or "Lord's day", is not a simple moving of the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday: the Gathering of the Saints is something completely different.



Unconfessional views on the Sabbath are not tolerated on this board, Damon. There is not a single Reformed confession with which your view agrees.


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## Damon Rambo (Dec 29, 2009)

greenbaggins said:


> Damon Rambo said:
> 
> 
> > Let me be the odd man out.
> ...



Whatever. Why bring up an issue that is not allowed to be discussed?


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## greenbaggins (Dec 29, 2009)

Damon Rambo said:


> Let me be the odd man out.
> 
> As priests of God (every believer) the Sabbath is not binding upon us. The weekly fellowship of the Saints, or "Lord's day", is not a simple moving of the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday: the Gathering of the Saints is something completely different.





Damon Rambo said:


> greenbaggins said:
> 
> 
> > Damon Rambo said:
> ...



I wasn't bringing up the topic, I was shutting down what you brought up. Complaining of moderation is not allowed on this board, either. I would recommend that you not dig yourself in any further.


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## au5t1n (Dec 29, 2009)

Damon Rambo said:


> greenbaggins said:
> 
> 
> > Damon Rambo said:
> ...



It's okay to ask questions, like the OP did. I used to believe the same as you; now I'm in limbo, considering the confessional view. The folks here are perfectly willing to answer questions on the Puritan view if asked with a teachable spirit. I started a thread asking about the Sabbath once and I got some really good responses that are worth considering, if you want to look through my threads that I've started for it. It's not a long list, so it will be easy to find if you're interested.

-----Added 12/29/2009 at 04:45:22 EST-----

Here it is: http://www.puritanboard.com/f54/what-convinced-you-sabbath-53691/ There's some really good food for thought here.

-----Added 12/29/2009 at 04:48:37 EST-----

I also want to add to this thread that setting aside the Lord's Day, as I have tried to do while I'm studying the issue, has proven a great blessing to me, and if experiential reasoning were valid, I would appeal to this as proof of the Puritan position.


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## Damon Rambo (Dec 29, 2009)

Joshua said:


> Damon,
> 
> Respectfully, you might want to change the portion of your profile that says "I am in full agreement with the LBC," since it's clear that you don't. As for your comment, issues are welcome to be discussed, but error (i.e. contra-Confessional subjects) is not welcome to be advocated. This has been stated many times. You may consider this thread that was referenced in the rules to which you agreed when signing up (worship being the example given, but is equally applicable to any unconfessional doctrines held by individuals):
> 
> http://www.puritanboard.com/f67/what-reformed-board-24779/



I am in complete agreement with the LBCF (Specifically Chapter 22, Articles 7 & 8). I am not going to discuss this further however, as I fear I might get into trouble.


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## Damon Rambo (Dec 29, 2009)

Joshua said:


> Damon Rambo said:
> 
> 
> > I am in complete agreement with the LBCF (Specifically Chapter 22, Articles 7 & 8). I am not going to discuss this further however, as I fear I might get into trouble.
> ...



This:



> _Let_ me be the odd man out.


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## Semper Fidelis (Dec 29, 2009)

Damon Rambo said:


> Let me be the odd man out.
> 
> As priests of God (every believer) the Sabbath is not binding upon us. The weekly fellowship of the Saints, or "Lord's day", is not a simple moving of the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday: the Gathering of the Saints is something completely different.





Damon Rambo said:


> I am in complete agreement with the LBCF (Specifically Chapter 22, Articles 7 & 8).



The LBCF calls the Sabbath: "...a positive moral, and perpetual commandment, binding all men, in all ages...."

Where the LBCF says it is binding upon all men in all ages you say it is not binding.


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## Peairtach (Dec 29, 2009)

Damon Rambo said:


> Let me be the odd man out.
> 
> As priests of God (every believer) the Sabbath is not binding upon us. The weekly fellowship of the Saints, or "Lord's day", is not a simple moving of the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday: the Gathering of the Saints is something completely different.



Every believer is a priest, yes. But if we are the antitype of the Levitical priests, as Melchisedeckian proests under our Great High Priest, Christ, remember that the priests and Levites in the Old Covenant weren't allowed to do just anything on the Day of the Lord (Sabbath Day).

If what you subsequently say is correct, the Fourth Comandment shouldn't have been written on stone with the other commandments.

Re typolological arguments re the fulfiling of the Sabbath in our resting in Christ, remember that although we rest by faith in Christ, we don't fully enter into His rest until we go to Heaven. Jewish types have been fulfilled, but the Week and the Sabbath was first given to the first man as a type of his eschatalogical goal which he would attain to after serving probation and fulfilling the Creation Mandate. He would enter God's Creation rest fully when his task was complete - an incorruptible world, more glorious than Eden. 

Therefore the Seven Day Week and Sabbath, both given by special revelation first to Adam, remain as types of glory until the end of the world, because the Seven Day Week and the Sabbath as types given to Man of the final order, have not yet been fulfilled.


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## amishrockstar (Dec 29, 2009)

The Sabbath was a creation ordinance?
Where is that found? 

Was there a "command" that was given by God?
Is there an example of man resting (pre-Moses)?

Nehemiah "seemed" to think that God made
His Sabbath known to Moses. Check out the
Hebrew in Neh. 9:14; it seems to suggest 
that God _*caused*_ them to learn the Sabbath. 
How could God cause them to learn something 
that had already been explicitly established?

What makes something a creation ordinance?


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## au5t1n (Dec 29, 2009)

amishrockstar said:


> The Sabbath was a creation ordinance?
> Where is that found?
> 
> Was there a "command" that was given by God?
> ...



I have always been curious why the Sabbath isn't mentioned between creation and Moses if Abraham et al. observed it. I would benefit from an answer to this as well.


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## Herald (Dec 29, 2009)

amishrockstar said:


> The Sabbath was a creation ordinance?
> Where is that found?
> 
> Was there a "command" that was given by God?
> ...



Matthew,

I don't mean to be self-serving. There are other pastors on this board who are better equipped to defend the Sabbath than me. But For what it's worth, I am l linking to three blog entries I made on our church blog. Part I deals with the aspect of the Sabbath being a creation ordinance. I pray these links add a positive benefit to the discussion:

What is the Sabbath and should we observe it? Part I

What is the Sabbath and should we observe it? Part II

What is the Sabbath and should we observe it? Part III

I never got to Part IV. I'm now motivated to complete the series.


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## toddpedlar (Dec 29, 2009)

amishrockstar said:


> The Sabbath was a creation ordinance?
> Where is that found?
> 
> Was there a "command" that was given by God?
> ...



If it was established at creation. 

e.g. the Sabbath day, which God sanctified during creation week.
e.g. marriage, which God created Adam and Eve into, and the headship of Adam over Eve - i.e. the husband over the wife - in that relationship

It's pretty simple to see these two, which are the usual things that are discussed when their abiding significance is questioned. They were set apart as abiding ordinances when God created the heavens and the earth.


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## Semper Fidelis (Dec 29, 2009)

amishrockstar said:


> The Sabbath was a creation ordinance?
> Where is that found?



Exodus 20:8-11

8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 *For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.*


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## greenbaggins (Dec 29, 2009)

As Josh has pointed out, there is an example of the Sabbath being kept before Sinai in Exodus 16. It is also true, however, that there is not much in the way of examples of the patriarchs observing the Sabbath. One reason this might be the case is that Moses was writing for the Israelites who had just come out of Egypt in bondage to slavery for 400 years. The examples of the patriarchs in this regard would not be as important as the connection between creation/redemption (Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5) and Sinai with regard to the Sabbath. Hence, the more important aspects of the Sabbath rationale are given full force in Moses, while the examples are not as necessary, though still present. 

I think also that the full force of the word "remember" in the fourth commandment needs to be kept in mind as well. It was not something that Moses was revealing to them for the first time. They already knew about it.

I might also add here that if the Sabbath is no longer binding, then neither is the entire moral law, for James tells us clearly that the law is one unbreakable whole. The moral law hangs together. To his credit, Jay Adams completely rejects the continuity of the Ten Commandments for us today in his rejection of the Sabbath. His arguments are terrible, but at least he is consistent. What is inconsistent is what happens when people think that we now have 9 commandments binding on us today.


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## PuritanCovenanter (Dec 29, 2009)

> 1677 LBCF
> Chapter 22
> 7. As it is the law of nature, that in general a proportion of time, by God's appointment, be set apart for the worship of God, so by his Word, in a positive moral, and perpetual commandment, binding all men, in all ages, he hath particularly appointed one day in seven for a sabbath to be kept holy unto him, which from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ was the last day of the week, and from the resurrection of Christ was changed into the first day of the week, which is called the Lord's day: and is to be continued to the end of the world as the Christian Sabbath, the observation of the last day of the week being abolished.
> ( Exodus 20:8; 1 Corinthians 16:1, 2; Acts 20:7; Revelation 1:10 )
> ...



Here is something I keep posting and reposting since the subject keeps coming up. 


Here is part of a study of the *triad* (holydays, new moon, and sabbaths) that a friend Richard Barcellos pointed out in one of his books which benefitted me a lot. I quote a portion of it below and part of an article on Hebrews 4:9 by Robert Martin out of the Reformed Baptist Theological Review. 

Here is a portion of an article taken from the Reformed Baptist Theological Review. 

RBTR III:2 - Reformed Baptist Academic Press

I am posting it here for an examination of Colossians 2:16 and the triad phrase that is used in this passage along next to the Old Testament passage in Hosea 2:11.



> (Col 2:16) 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*:





> (Hos 2:11) I will also cause all her mirth to cease, *her feast days*, her *new moons*, and her *sabbaths*, and all her solemn feasts.



A lot of Baptist and non sabbattarians like to quote Colossians 2:16 as a passage that declares we need not keep a weekly Sabbath day to the Lord. 


Richard Barcellos is the author. Please forgive my inept mistakes in copying it from a pdf to here. 



> *1. The Old Testament prophesies the abrogation and cessation of the Sabbath under the New Covenant.
> *
> 
> The OT clearly prophesies the abrogation and cessation of ancient Israel‘s Sabbaths. It does so in Hos. 2:11, which says, ―I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her New Moons, her Sabbaths--all her appointed feasts." We will make several observations that bear this out. First, Hosea‘s prophecy is dealing with the days of the New Covenant. The phrase ―in that day" (vv. 16, 18, 21) is used prophetically of New Covenant days in Is. 22:20. Revelation 3:7 quotes Is. 22:22 and applies it to Christ. The prophecy in Is. 22:20 mentions the Lord‘s servant, who is Christ. Isaiah 22:20-22 says:
> ...





Also concerning the Hebrews 4:9 passage concerning a Sabbath rest...

Those guys who quote the Colossians and Hebrew verses need to know that there are legitimate discussions and commentaries that support a sabbatarian view. I read an article by Robert P. Martin in the Reformed Baptist Theological review were he spoke on these verses. I am going to leave a quote from this article here concerning the Hebrews passage and the terms used.

Reformed Baptist Theological Review
vl. 1.2 A Sabbath Remains.. The Place of Hebrews 4:9 in the New Testament's Witness to the Lord's Day by Robert P. Martin
(Heb 4:9) There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

In it he notes the Word used here is σαββατισμός and not κατάπαυσις

(rest).
G4520
σαββατισμός
sabbatismos

This is an obscure term evidently that is used in just a few other places outside of the scriptures but used only once in the New Testament. Robert Martin says,


> "I think that it is of interest that "in each of these places the term [σαββατισμός] denotes the observance or celebration of the Sabbath," i.e., not "a Sabbath rest" as a state that is entered into but "a Sabbath-keeping" as a practice that is observed. This, of course, corresponds to the word's morphology, for the suffix -μός indicates an action and not just a state. see A. T. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in Light of Historical Research (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1934), 151.
> Reformed Baptist Theological Review Vl. 1;2 p.5



In other words there is still a 1 in 7 day where we are still required to observe a sabbath. 

Obviously the article consists of the surrounding verses but it is a good read and quotes John Owen who is one of my faves.


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## amishrockstar (Dec 30, 2009)

Joshua,
I scanned Genesis 2 and found one commandment:
"the LORD God _commanded_ the man, saying, 'You may
surely eat of every tree...'" (vs. 16)

I'm not sure that I follow the logic of 'if God does 'x,' then
it's a command' --can you clarify this?
I don't think that you're arguing that _anything_ God does 
ends up becoming a command for us, right?
(I think the "rest," in God's case, is His ceasing from creating)

The "Sabbath was made for man" context seems to place 
the Sabbath under the heading of ceremonial law. 
What I mean is that Jesus begins by talking about an 
aspect of ceremonial law: eating the bread of the Presence,
which was only lawful (ceremonially) for the High Priest. 
Ceremonial laws are laws that are "made for man." As the 
law regarding the shewbread was made for man, so also, 
in context, Jesus seems to indicate the the Sabbath was 
"made for man" --part of the ceremonial law. 

That Jesus said "for man" rather than "for Israel" doesn't
necessarily mean "all mankind" --most Calvinists I know
seem to fight an uphill battle when it comes to the 
atonement being for particular "men" rather than "all men
everywhere." The same word that's used in Mark 2 is used
in 1 Tim. 2:1 --most Calvinists that I know wouldn't take 
that to be saying that "men" there is referring to every 
person head-for-head, rather it's 'kinds' or 'types' of men; 
if that is the case, then it most certainly _can_ refer to a 
particular group of men. 

I'm still curious how a Christian can identify an "ordinance" 
in scripture (creation or otherwise) --according to the 
brothers who believe that the Sabbath was a creation 
ordinance. 

Thanks


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## toddpedlar (Dec 30, 2009)

amishrockstar said:


> Joshua,
> I scanned Genesis 2 and found one commandment:
> "the LORD God _commanded_ the man, saying, 'You may
> surely eat of every tree...'" (vs. 16)



I'd suggest with all due respect that you try again, and look harder. There are more places wherein commands to Adam are made. At any rate, inference also works, and there is more to be read from Genesis 1-3 (AND elsewhere - why is the demand being forced on Scripture that all the commands to Adam must be voiced directly in the narrative of creation?)



> I'm not sure that I follow the logic of 'if God does 'x,' then
> it's a command' --can you clarify this?
> 
> I don't think that you're arguing that _anything_ God does
> ...



That's NOT how the logic works, but you've already been told how the logic works. It is NOT a mere aping of what God did - clearly we are not to create the universe, though God did that also. Rather, Moses records the Sabbath as having been in force before the giving of the law (events in Ex 16 - did you read that when it was pointed out to you?) and in Ex. 20 he connects directly the Sabbath commandment to God's keeping. 

On a side note - do you think that Moses' tying the honoring of father and mother to "living long in the land" means that we are also not bound by the 5th commandment??? If you follow your logic, then because in Exodus 20 all that is said about honoring father and mother depends on the land being given to the Israelites. Obviously, then, the commandment is only for Israel and is part of the ceremonial law, too! 



> The "Sabbath was made for man" context seems to place
> the Sabbath under the heading of ceremonial law.
> 
> What I mean is that Jesus begins by talking about an
> ...



So I guess that you're arguing we have only nine commandments that are binding on us?

That Jesus said "for man" rather than "for Israel" doesn't
necessarily mean "all mankind" 

This is a rather specious argument. By your argument it must be the case, then, that when Christ says "not man for the Sabbath" also mean "not the nation of Israel". 



> --most Calvinists I know
> seem to fight an uphill battle when it comes to the
> atonement being for particular "men" rather than "all men
> everywhere."



? The grammar requires this, so the only uphill battle arises because people refuse to believe the truth.



> The same word that's used in Mark 2 is used
> in 1 Tim. 2:1 --most Calvinists that I know wouldn't take
> that to be saying that "men" there is referring to every
> person head-for-head, rather it's 'kinds' or 'types' of men;



Right - and this is obviously the case in 1 Tim 2:1. However,
in Mark 2 the definite article is used, so you're not really comparing
apples to apples. But the problem is worse than that:



> if that is the case, then it most certainly _can_ refer to a
> particular group of men.



This is poor logic indeed. You're arguing that Jesus did not
specify the particular group when he intended specifically to
teach something about a particular group, and not about men
in general! Not only are you saying something rather absurd
about our Lord, your logic doesn't even follow. While I can 
refer to a maple tree outside my house by the term "tree", it 
would be disingenuous of me to intend to specify something 
about maples by saying "Trees have seeds that drop off of
the branches and spin around like helicopter blades as they
come down." 



> I'm still curious how a Christian can identify an "ordinance"
> in scripture (creation or otherwise) --according to the
> brothers who believe that the Sabbath was a creation
> ordinance.



You've been told various ways how the assignment of "ordinance" arises for the Sabbath, but you don't agree with it. I'm not sure you're going to get an answer you "like", so probably it's best to stop asking for another answer since you seem predisposed against it.


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## Herald (Dec 30, 2009)

*This was originally a blog post, that is why it mentions Baptists in the first sentence.*

Most Baptists consider themselves to be under grace, and not the Law. They are not obligated to follow the Law of Moses, because it has been fulfilled in Christ. There is some truth to this statement. The ceremonial part of the Law has, indeed, been fulfilled in Christ. The need for animal sacrifice and elaborate temple rituals have been made obsolete. More than that, they are now considered pagan worship.* But there is another aspect of the Law that continues to this day – the moral law. The moral law of God is found in the Decalogue; commonly referred to as the Ten Commandments. Exodus 20 lists these commandments.



> Exodus 20:1-17 And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. 8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. 13 “You shall not murder. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 15 “You shall not steal. 16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”


The fourth commandment refers to the Sabbath. The Sabbath was set apart as a day of rest that was to be treated as holy by the entire nation of Israel. It was observed on Saturday, the seventh day of the week. On the Sabbath, the people of Israel were not to work as they did the other six days of the week. But, was the Sabbath first introduced in Exodus 20? Was the nation of Israel the first intended audience for this commandment? Consider this passage:



> Genesis 2:1-3 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.


Genesis 2 completes the creation narrative, the biblical account of God creating the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1). God chose six days in which to create, and in Genesis 2:2 we read that He rested on the seventh day. This rest is not similar to our rest. When we are tired we sleep. Our mind and our body is disengaged from the world as our body recuperates. God cannot rest in a similar fashion, for He keeps the universe, indeed all of creation, from oblivion by His powerful hand. God’s rest was His ceasing from the work of creation. His work of creation is a marvelous and holy thing. He commanded the seventh day as holy, because on it He completed His creation. The account of Genesis 2 takes place long before Moses was given the Ten Commandments by God; long before the Sabbath became part of the Mosaic Law.

There is another passage that deserves our attention.



> Exodus 16:23-30 23 he said to them, “This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.’”* 24 So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it. 25 Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field. 26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none.” 27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. 28 And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? 29 See! The LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.


The account of Exodus 16 also takes place before the LORD gave Moses the Ten Commandments. The LORD gave Israel manna in the morning and quail in the evening. It was an act of His grace. They did not need to toil or work for it. The manna was collected from the ground and quail just walked up in the camp. On the seventh day, the LORD provided rest for Israel from all her labors. The Sabbath was not mean to punish Israel, or do prevent them from enjoyment. Instead it was a day for them to rest in the LORD. They were to reflect upon the goodness of God, and rejoice in Him. All of this was commanded before the Law was given in Exodus 20. That is interesting to note because it will bear on our further study as to the disposition of the Sabbath after Christ’s death and resurrection.


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## greenbaggins (Dec 30, 2009)

Joshua said:


> Wow! I didn't know this. Isn't Dr. Adams ARP?



I believe so. His book is entitled "Is the Sabbath for Today?" or something like that. He wants to believe that the substance of the moral law is reinstituted by Jesus, but currently that entails a rejection of the moral law in the Ten Commandments.


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## greenbaggins (Dec 30, 2009)

Joshua said:


> Hmm... well, that stinks.


 
Yes, I was rather disappointed, not to say flabbergasted, when I first read a review of this book in the Puritan Reformed Journal. So I bought the book for myself (since I was working on the Sabbath paper). And the review was accurate in its assessment of the gigantic flaws in the work.


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## Peairtach (Dec 30, 2009)

amishrockstar said:


> The Sabbath was a creation ordinance?
> Where is that found?
> 
> Was there a "command" that was given by God?
> ...



Are you saying that the Seven Day Week and the Weekly Sabbath, revealed to Adam, are the same as the other Jewish Holy Days and Feasts? There are numerous indications in Scripture that they are not.


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## Marrow Man (Dec 30, 2009)

Joshua said:


> Wow! I didn't know this. Isn't Dr. Adams ARP?


 
He is (albeit retired). 

I have a signed copy of the book. Not only did he write it, but he has been teaching the book in Sunday school class in an ARP church as well. And early on in the book, he throws out the "I'm just taking Calvin's position" canard. Not to mention that he "blames" the Puritans for the three-fold division of the law (he is incorrect, since the division predates the Puritans in Reformational writings, and can be found earlier than that, e.g., in the writings of Thomas Aquinas), which shows a particularly bad knowledge of historical theology.


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## Marrow Man (Dec 30, 2009)

greenbaggins said:


> Yes, I was rather disappointed, not to say flabbergasted, when I first read a review of this book in the Puritan Reformed Journal. So I bought the book for myself (since I was working on the Sabbath paper). And the review was accurate in its assessment of the gigantic flaws in the work.


 
Lane, is there a link for a copy of the review in Puritan Reformed Journal?


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## Rev. Todd Ruddell (Dec 30, 2009)

The Sabbath was mentioned between Moses and Adam. Cain and Abel brought their sacrifices at "the end of days" (literally what the Hebrews says). Noah inquired of the Lord by sending out the birds on the cycle of sevens, and although the word "Sabbath" is not used there, most agree what he was doing was on the Sabbath day. The question really though is not "why isn't the Sabbath mentioned" but why do folks wonder about it not being mentioned as if that somehow weakens the Scriptural arguments for it. The Lord established the Sabbath at creation--that is indisputable. If it fell into disuse by men after the Lord established it, such speaks of the depravity of mankind, not of God's winking at His own ordinance.


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## Scott1 (Dec 30, 2009)

You may also find this paper written by GI Williamson, which is extensive, helpful in understanding the Fourth commandment, Sabbath, Lord's Day:

http://www.nethtc.net/~giwopc/LecturesontheSabbath.pdf


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## Peairtach (Dec 31, 2009)

We could maybe do with a thread devoted to the typology of the Seven Day Week and the Sabbath, if such does not exist already, because so many seem to think that this admittedly multi-layered typology has all been fulfilled in Christ, thus making the weekly Christian Sabbath ( Lord's Day) somehow redundant or non-existent.

The reality is that - even in this New Covenant phase of the Abrahamic Covenant, in which the burden of provisional Old Covenant law has fallen away, and we are full Sons of God rather than children under a pedagogue - we have not yet entered the full rest of the Heavenly Kingdom which Christ and the Church Triumphant enjoy, and will not until death. Although constantly and continuously resting in Christ and His Work by faith, we still need the weekly Sabbath rest in order to properly enjoy and enter into Christ's heavenly rest each week, to have communion with Him in that rest, and to look forward to our completed Redemption and New Creation.


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## greenbaggins (Jan 1, 2010)

Marrow Man said:


> greenbaggins said:
> 
> 
> > Yes, I was rather disappointed, not to say flabbergasted, when I first read a review of this book in the Puritan Reformed Journal. So I bought the book for myself (since I was working on the Sabbath paper). And the review was accurate in its assessment of the gigantic flaws in the work.
> ...


 
The PRJ is not online, I'm afraid, but you can order it from PRTS.


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