Adam & the sabbath

Status
Not open for further replies.

Scott Bushey

Puritanboard Commissioner
I am reading T. Sheppards Thesis Sabbaticae. The question came to mind:
Prior to the fall, did Adam keep the sabbath?
If so, how often?

[Edited on 5-2-2004 by Scott Bushey]

[Edited on 5-2-2004 by Scott Bushey]
 
[quote:882a81b286][i:882a81b286]Originally posted by Scott Bushey[/i:882a81b286]
I am reading T. Sheppards Thesis Sabbaticae. The question came to mind:
Did Adam keep the sabbath?
If so, how often?

[Edited on 5-2-2004 by Scott Bushey] [/quote:882a81b286]

Yes. Every seven days.
 
[quote:c170b933bb][i:c170b933bb]Originally posted by fredtgreco[/i:c170b933bb]
[quote:c170b933bb][i:c170b933bb]Originally posted by Scott Bushey[/i:c170b933bb]
I am reading T. Sheppards Thesis Sabbaticae. The question came to mind:
Did Adam keep the sabbath?
If so, how often?

[Edited on 5-2-2004 by Scott Bushey] [/quote:c170b933bb]

Yes. Every seven days. [/quote:c170b933bb]

Fred, where does the Bible say this?
 
Chris,
I believe I was not clear in what I was asking. Fred is responding to the creationary ordinance. "And on the seventh day, God rested."
 
[quote:eb25ab83a2][i:eb25ab83a2]Originally posted by Scott Bushey[/i:eb25ab83a2]
Fred,
Maybe I wasn't clear enough. Prior to the fall, did Adam keep the sabbath? [/quote:eb25ab83a2]
Well, he may have kept one. I don't think he lasted that long in Paradise. He probably fell the next day after his creation, which would have been on the Sabbath. But this is all speculation, even though many Puritans did hold to this.

But since we know the Sabbath was part of the moral law, Adam would have obeyed it because he was made morally upright with the law written on his heart and the positive inclination to obey it. So, if he lived long enough in the pre-Fall state, then yes he would have kept the Sabbath.
 
[quote:1cc592e0dd][i:1cc592e0dd]Originally posted by Christopher[/i:1cc592e0dd]
[quote:1cc592e0dd][i:1cc592e0dd]Originally posted by fredtgreco[/i:1cc592e0dd]
[quote:1cc592e0dd][i:1cc592e0dd]Originally posted by Scott Bushey[/i:1cc592e0dd]
I am reading T. Sheppards Thesis Sabbaticae. The question came to mind:
Did Adam keep the sabbath?
If so, how often?

[Edited on 5-2-2004 by Scott Bushey] [/quote:1cc592e0dd]

Yes. Every seven days. [/quote:1cc592e0dd]

Fred, where does the Bible say this? [/quote:1cc592e0dd]

Christopher,

The moral law (as summarized in the 10 Commandments) is eternal, as it expresses the eternal character of God. Adam was bound to obey the whole of the law before the Fall - so if the Sabbath occurred before the Fall, then Adam must have kept it. The Sabbath is clearly rooted in the hallowing of the 7th day by God and not merely in the covenant at Sinai (Ex. 20:11; cf. Ex 16:25-26).

Furthermore, the fact of the corporate worship of God implies the commandment for the [i:1cc592e0dd]when[/i:1cc592e0dd] of the corporate worship of God. The first four commandments go together.
 
[quote:116491a388][i:116491a388]Originally posted by Scott Bushey[/i:116491a388]
Fred,
Maybe I wasn't clear enough. Prior to the fall, did Adam keep the sabbath? [/quote:116491a388]

Patrick's answer is correct. We do not know for certain [i:116491a388]if[/i:116491a388] Adam kept the Sabbath before the Fall, but we do know that he was bound to do so. The question revolves around when the Fall occurred.
 
Again, what book, chapter and verse might I turn to that will say "and Adam did (or was suppose to have) keep the Sabbath"? It just is not there. To say he did is pure speculation.
 
I don't think Adam would have thought of it as [i:51e0fff3f3]keeping[/i:51e0fff3f3] the sabbath. I mean, considering he lived in paradise, its not like he had any work to do by the last day of the week.

I bet Adam knew how to 'chill.' Even if he fell on the next day, he probably would have had enough time to write his own theology book; by the sabbath (if it ever came), he was probably sitting on the lazy-boy reading.

:book: Rembrandt
 
[quote:de55a46be8][i:de55a46be8]Originally posted by Christopher[/i:de55a46be8]
Again, what book, chapter and verse might I turn to that will say "and Adam did (or was suppose to have) keep the Sabbath"? It just is not there. To say he did is pure speculation. [/quote:de55a46be8]

Christopher,

Where is the chapter and verse that women take the Lord's Supper? Or for the Trinity? Or for the impeccability of Christ? I could cite dozens more examples. This is an old canard. Systematics is an important part of Biblical study. The Bible presents truth to us in many different ways, and one of the ways that we are to understand it is by systematizing it.

Can you explain to me how the moral law can change? Or how the Sabbath is not a creation ordinance, even though it clearly appears pre-Sinai (both in Ex 16 and in the fact that Ex. 20 says "remember" ) ?

Other than a desire to rid oneself of the 4th commandment, why is it that the NT law becomes exactly that of the Decalogue, [u:de55a46be8]minus[/u:de55a46be8] the 4th commandment?

Why did Christ never take the opportunity when contending with the Pharisees over the 4th commandment (which he did more than over any other) to simply say, "it's no longer applicable" ? Why does He take pains at ever turn to uphold its (proper) validity?

If the moral law is not an expression of the character of God, what is it? If it is, then how could any man - even Adam - not be bound to keep it?

[b:de55a46be8]Where is the chapter and verse that Adam had to keep the 6th commandment? Or was he free to murder? How about the 9th? Or was he free to lie? Where in Genesis 1-3 is the 1st commandment explicitly found? Could Adam have worshiped himself? Is all this pure speculation?[/b:de55a46be8]

Respectfully, your argument drives itself to absurdity.
 
What argument? I have not posted my argument yet. I will have to wait until Monday to engage in this discussion in full. I look firward to it.
 
[quote:bfbce62078][i:bfbce62078]Originally posted by Christopher[/i:bfbce62078]
What argument? I have not posted my argument yet. I will have to wait until Monday to engage in this discussion in full. I look firward to it. [/quote:bfbce62078]

I did not mean in full form. Sorry if I implied that. But it seemed a clear implication from your statement:

[i:bfbce62078]"To say he did is pure speculation"[/i:bfbce62078]
 
[quote:e368c94c40]
Patrick's answer is correct. We do not know for certain if Adam kept the Sabbath before the Fall, but we do know that he was bound to do so. The question revolves around when the Fall occurred.
[/quote:e368c94c40]

If Adam did not keep the Sabbath, and was not an imitator of God (Eph. 5:1) in this moral respect simply based on the pattern set before him by God, then he fell before being tempted in the garden, which is an impossibility based on the record we have of the fall in Genesis 3, and subsequent passages in the NT that describe when Adam fell.

The Sabbath was a creation sacrament.

In the Covenant of Works there were sacraments. They are visible proclamations of the covenant. Daily Adam beholds the sacrament with his eyes, and remembers the promises given to him, and the threats. They are there to strengthen our faith in God's promises, and to confirm our faith (Heb. 6:17-18). They are also a foretaste of eternal blessings. Those eternal blessings will be without outward signs and simply grasp the thing itself signified in these lesser objects at that time, but now we must use them to strengthen faith for they remind us of our duty to God. They help us remember how one is bound to his covenant-God, and they bridle and restrain him in a certain degree from sin. The sacraments of the covenant of works are Paradise, the tree of life, the tree of knowledge of good and evil and the Sabbath.

The sacrament of Paradise was the Garden of Paradise. It was a garden planted by God, given to man as steward to take care of it. Paradise signified heaven. (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 12:4; Gen 3:10, Rev. 22:1; Gen 2:12; Rev. 21:27). Paradise reminded Adam to be active. It was the pledge of heaven, and Adam was to cultivate that place continually. He was to keep the sanctuary of God pure and holy, so that God could come and "metaphorically - eat of its fruits" with Adam in fellowship (Song 4:16).

The sacrament of the tree of life signified the Son of God who is the source of life in all covenants. It was the sign of the covenant promise of eternal life. Adam was cut off from the sign when cast out of the garden. Being cut off from the tree demonstrated the need of a Mediator to bring them back to the tree. It was a holy example - for "the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life (Proverbs 11:30)."

The sacrament of the tree of knowledge of good and evil signified the promise of the covenant and the curse of the covenant. It stood as a memorial of our duty towards God. Adam should desire the chief good - who is God. Man should not go after that which is simply pleasing to the body. God's rule is the supreme authority before man, which Adam should have followed as signified by the tree. Had Adam obeyed, he would upon his trial have come to the knowledge and sense of his good to which he was called, and had a natural desire after, even "eternal life and consummate happiness."

The last sacrament of the Covenant of Works is the Sabbath that began at Creation (Genesis 2:2-3). The first day was the day blessed - the first day after six days of work. As a creation sacrament, it is binding upon all men for all time. It is binding simply on the basis of imitating God. Adam entered into the Sabbath rest upon completion of his creation. The first day Adam enjoyed was the Sabbath rest.

God rejoiced over His work. He ceased from creating anything new and contemplated his creation. He rejoiced over what was worthy of His labor - which is consistent with the character of His goodness. This set a pattern which man is to copy. Adam was engaged on the first day of his creation to contemplate the Creator - resting and contemplating to abstain from every sin. On this day of rest God blessed man.

The Sabbath is set as a sacrament. God's resting signified His far more glorious rest for men in heaven (Heb. 4:10) Men enter this rest through the work of Christ which points to the mystical signification of the Sabbath and heaven. God's resting signified man's eternal rest in God after his probation.

I say this in all humility, if we mess up understanding the CoW, then the rest of our theology will go straight down the drain. All subsequent ideas rest on the reality of this Law Covenant, and its appendages. Without dealing with this in a resposible manner, the rest of what we understand will be severely twisted and deformed. And ALL covenatnal misconceptions and mistakes rest in a twisted view of the Law Covenant and the Fall from that Covenant of Works - that goes for all forms of Dispensationalism, including New Covenant Theology.

[Edited on 5-2-2004 by webmaster]
 
My goal was comparing Adams 'everyday' Sabbath with the everyday Sabbath the body of Christ will enjoy in eternity. My answer, Adam kept the sabbath and that he kept it everyday. The fall brought the curse of work. The command was, 6 days you will work.......
 
[quote:09d84d6a2a][i:09d84d6a2a]Originally posted by Scott Bushey[/i:09d84d6a2a]
My goal was comparing Adams 'everyday' Sabbath with the everyday Sabbath the body of Christ will enjoy in eternity. My answer, Adam kept the sabbath and that he kept it everyday. The fall brought the curse of work. The command was, 6 days you will work....... [/quote:09d84d6a2a]

Scott,

The command to work was pre-Fall.
 
It was? I recall God assigning Adam the garden, to "tend". But if there was nothing to tend, i.e. no weeds etc. what did he really do? Watch over it?

The curse brought labor.

Gen 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Prior to the fall, labor was not needed. The garden watered itself. There were no weeds.
 
I would agree with you for the most part Scott. Adam was in a Sabbatical state, if you would, and fell from that when he sinned. The only way to enter into that rest since then is faith in Christ, the substance of our Sabbath.
 
Scott,

Adam was certainly given tasks before the fall. We see a general rule given to rule and act as a steward over creation. Work is not a result of the fall, work is a God given ordinance. You are confusing drudgery, which we now face, with work. Adam's work became drudgery due to the curse, pre-fall work was not as it now is. Even without thorns and weeds, Adam worked, concordantly Eve was intended to bear children but the curse made it a painful ordeal. Adam's duties are affected in the same way.

In creation God works six days and rests the seventh. This is a perfect model for the believer one that Adam certainly followed as a morally upright creature.
 
[quote:bc4751bfc6][i:bc4751bfc6]Originally posted by Ianterrell[/i:bc4751bfc6]
Scott,

Adam was certainly given tasks before the fall. We see a general rule given to rule and act as a steward over creation. Work is not a result of the fall, work is a God given ordinance. You are confusing drudgery, which we now face, with work. Adam's work became drudgery due to the curse, pre-fall work was not as it now is. Even without thorns and weeds, Adam worked, concordantly Eve was intended to bear children but the curse made it a painful ordeal. Adam's duties are affected in the same way.

In creation God works six days and rests the seventh. This is a perfect model for the believer one that Adam certainly followed as a morally upright creature. [/quote:bc4751bfc6]

Thanks for your answer. You are correct. As Matt had mentioned, " The Cultural mandate".

Just to clearify, the reason I asked the question was to compare Adams sabbath rest to that which we believers will enjoy in Heaven.

[Edited on 5-2-2004 by Scott Bushey]
 
Well I don't know about heaven, but in the new earth I tend to lean towards the idea of believers having some sort of tasks. But we'll see...:pray2:

[Edited on 5-2-2004 by Ianterrell]
 
[quote:85582a8c9a][i:85582a8c9a]Originally posted by Scott Bushey[/i:85582a8c9a]
[quote:85582a8c9a][i:85582a8c9a]Originally posted by Ianterrell[/i:85582a8c9a]
Scott,

Adam was certainly given tasks before the fall. We see a general rule given to rule and act as a steward over creation. Work is not a result of the fall, work is a God given ordinance. You are confusing drudgery, which we now face, with work. Adam's work became drudgery due to the curse, pre-fall work was not as it now is. Even without thorns and weeds, Adam worked, concordantly Eve was intended to bear children but the curse made it a painful ordeal. Adam's duties are affected in the same way.

In creation God works six days and rests the seventh. This is a perfect model for the believer one that Adam certainly followed as a morally upright creature. [/quote:85582a8c9a]

Thanks for your answer. You are correct. As Matt had mentioned, " The Cultural mandate".

Just to clearify, the reason I asked the question was to compare Adams sabbath rest to that which we believers will enjoy in Heaven.

[Edited on 5-2-2004 by Scott Bushey] [/quote:85582a8c9a]

Agreed.

But I do not think he kept one in seven.
 
[quote:75b3ef7f6b]
But I do not think he kept one in seven.
[/quote:75b3ef7f6b]


Then he fell earlier than the temptation because he disregarded not only a sacrament of paradise, but also the moral law.
 
Christopher,

The moral Law existed before the Israelite nation. Everything bound up in the commandments is found in "Do this and live." Otherwise, you would [i:9735d7a0db]have to say[/i:9735d7a0db] across the board, that morality did not exist until the coming of the law. We cannot "pick and choose" what fits or does not fit our theology. If the Sabbath is not known for Adam (six and one) and was instituted at Sinai, then you will have to say that marriage, the cultural mandate, and other pre-fall ordinance and sacraments were also "founded" at a later time, making them morally binding at a later time. In terms of marriage alone, this will immediately overthrow Paul's arguments in the Pastoral Epistles, as well as all reference to work and how the cultural mandate play out in the NT. In other words, choosing just the sabbath to "found" int he law, is irresponsible and dubious exegetically, and then to not take all of the pre-fall ordinances and sacraments to do the same thing and found them at a later time is theologically impossible and quite inconsistent.

In terms of the Sabbath, it existed long before the law, and the law reflects this in "[b:9735d7a0db]remember[/b:9735d7a0db] the Sabbath day" - which points backward, and is not simply reiterated as the other commands.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top