Christ's breaking of the Sabbath and WCF 21:8

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shackleton

Puritan Board Junior
I was reading in G.I. Williamson's WCF with study Guide page 171. It says something very interesting that I had never heard before,

God's Sabbath began when creation was completed. But man's sin required that the Sabbath be broken if man were to be redeemed. This came about when Christ did the work of redemption. The very reason for the new Sabbath was that Christ did his work of necessity and mercy on the former Sabbath of God. If this were not so then would he not afterward have spoken of another day (heb 4:8). But the work of Jesus did not do away with Sabbath, rather it secured it. But his work was an example for us to follow, we can violate the Sabbath for works of mercy, piety or necessity.

This is a very interesting concept. God instituted the Sabbath for man so he would remember where everything he had came from, God. Man in his sinfulness does not like to give allegiance to anyone except himself and therefore does not take the mandatory day off. God had to violate his own rule to save man, a "work of mercy," in order to pull man out of the ditch, so to speak.

Anyone ever heard of this? or can anyone expound on this?
 
I was under the impression that the work of redemption was finished before the Sabbath...

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. (Joh 19:30-31, ESV)
 
God had to violate his own rule to save man, a "work of mercy," in order to pull man out of the ditch, so to speak.

Erick, the thing I find curious about this is that the concept of deeds of mercy lawfully done on the sabbath and indeed the very verse this guy quoted, are all in the Old Testament. So how was God breaking His own law?

It gets even more curious when you read this

But man's sin required that the Sabbath be broken if man were to be redeemed.

which seems to be saying that God was unable to fulfil His purpose of redemption lawfully. As if man's sin is somehow so powerful that Christ couldn't atone for it without just by living a perfect life. He had to sin as well, otherwise He wouldn't have been able to complete His Father's work.

It just seems awkward and not well thought out.
 
As long as we understand that certain acts aren't a true "breaking" of the commandment.

Deeds of worship are not true breaking. Jesus, to refute the Pharisees, pointed to the Levites and their "profaning" the Sabbath by their "work". It's obvious they were not guilty of real violations. Worship is of the essence of the day.

Likewise, we acknowledge that acts of mercy are duties of the day, not potential or actual violations of it. Finally, we do not view true deeds of real necessity as being violations of the day. Of course, this is the most "indefinite" category of activity, and so should be the most carefully guarded.

The best way to do that is to focus on spending all our time in the duties of the day (worship & mercy) and then occupy the remainder with such necessary acts as make primary duties possible, along with the rest that makes those duties both possible and enjoyable. The rest also helps with a proper orientation toward the remainder of our week of serving God in our individual callings, and so has a residual and a prospective quality.

"Necessary" work will include social-work (e.g. hospitals, firemen, etc.) or other "ox-in-the-ditch" situations that require the doing, so that life rolls on without increasing misery for mankind. The Sabbath was made for man, and so it shouldn't become a true burden. Hence, the "ox-in-the-ditch" scenario that Jesus recognizes as legitimate.

These are the true Sabbath-principles. This is part of our Reformed heritage, enshrined for centuries in our confessions.
 
I was reading in G.I. Williamson's WCF with study Guide page 171. It says something very interesting that I had never heard before,

God's Sabbath began when creation was completed. But man's sin required that the Sabbath be broken if man were to be redeemed. This came about when Christ did the work of redemption. The very reason for the new Sabbath was that Christ did his work of necessity and mercy on the former Sabbath of God. If this were not so then would he not afterward have spoken of another day (heb 4:8). But the work of Jesus did not do away with Sabbath, rather it secured it. But his work was an example for us to follow, we can violate the Sabbath for works of mercy, piety or necessity.

This is a very interesting concept. God instituted the Sabbath for man so he would remember where everything he had came from, God. Man in his sinfulness does not like to give allegiance to anyone except himself and therefore does not take the mandatory day off. God had to violate his own rule to save man, a "work of mercy," in order to pull man out of the ditch, so to speak.

Anyone ever heard of this? or can anyone expound on this?

I am currently reading this book. I haven't gotten to the sabbath yet, but thanks for the heads up. So far I have found this book to be very edifying.
 
I was reading in G.I. Williamson's WCF with study Guide page 171. It says something very interesting that I had never heard before, God's Sabbath began when creation was completed. But man's sin required that the Sabbath be broken if man were to be redeemed. This came about when Christ did the work of redemption.

Superb study guide to the Westminster Confession. Widely used and respected and can be understood by the layman.

The sabbath reminds us of the twin works of creation (esp Exodus) and redemption (esp Deuteronomy). This is an integral and important part of all God's Law-

Westminster Larger Catechism

Q. 121. Why is the word Remember set in the beginning of the fourth commandment?
A. The word Remember is set in the beginning of the fourth commandment,[637] partly, because of the great benefit of remembering it, we being thereby helped in our preparation to keep it,[638] and, in keeping it, better to keep all the rest of the commandments,[639] and to continue a thankful remembrance of the two great benefits of creation and redemption, which contain a short abridgment of religion;[640] and partly, because we are very ready to forget it,[641] for that there is less light of nature for it,[642] and yet it restraineth our natural liberty in things at other times lawful;[643] that it cometh but once in seven days, and many worldly businesses come between, and too often take off our minds from thinking of it, either to prepare for it, or to sanctify it;[644] and that Satan with his instruments labours much to blot out the glory, and even the memory of it, to bring in all irreligion and impiety.[645]
Scripture Proofs

[637] Exodus 20:8. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
[638] Exodus 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. Luke 23:54, 56. And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.... And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. Mark 15:42. And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath. Nehemiah 13:19. 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.
[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.
[640] Genesis 2:2-3. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. Psalm 118:22, 24. The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.... This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Acts 4:10-11. Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Revelation 1:10. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet.
[641] Ezekiel 22:26. Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they showed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.
[642] Nehemiah 9:14. And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant.
[643] Exodus 34:21. Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.
[644] Deuteronomy 5:14-15. 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, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. And remember that thou 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. Amos 8:5. Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?
[645] Lamentations 1:7. Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her: the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her sabbaths. Jeremiah 17:21-23. Thus saith the LORD; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers. But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction. Nehemiah 13:15-22. 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. 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. 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? 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. 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. So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware lodged without Jerusalem once or twice. 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. 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.

No wonder there is such an effort to remove the fourth from the ten commandments!
 
But man's sin required that the Sabbath be broken if man were to be redeemed.

Poppycock. Christ never violated any of the law, he kept it personally. With all due respect to the author of this book, I don't find these particular writings very well-thought-out.

If you'll excuse me, I have to go and dance on the head of a pin with some angels...
 
G.I. Williamson, The Westminster Confession of Faith For Study Classes, p. 171:

The most plausible argument against the binding authority of the Fourth Commandment is that which seeks to show that Christ disregarded it. It is true that Christ disregarded certain false restrictions that the Pharisees regarded as binding. But when the Pharisees charged Jesus and his disciples with infraction of the Fourth Commandment, his answer was not that the Fourth Commandment was abrogated, but that the Pharisees were mistaken in their interpretation of it. And he proceeded to prove from the Old Testament Scriptures that they were wrong indeed (Matt. 12:1-13, cf. Lev. 14:4-9, I Sam. 21:6). Christ proved that the priest gave David the shew-bread in order to preserve his life, even though this was a technical violation of the law. Similarly, Christ proved from Scripture that certain specific types of work were legitimate on the Sabbath. These works are works of piety (that is, work that must be done in order that God be worshiped, such as the work of a pastor in preaching the gospel on the Lord's Day), works of necessity (that is, work that cannot be delayed without harm to life or property, such as rescuing an ox that falls in the ditch, or helping to put out a fire), and works of mercy (such as an act of kindness to a person who is sick or in distress). Jesus said, "If ye had known what this meaneth -- 'I will have mercy and not sacrifice' -- ye would not have condemned the guiltless: for the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day" (Matt. 12:7, 8). The Pharisees put duty to the Sabbath in place of duty to the Lord, and in doing so perverted the Sabbath. Christ did not eliminate the Sabbath, but placed it where it belonged, that is, subordinate to his own Lordship. The disciples kept the sabbath in a different way than the Pharisees because they served Christ. Had there been no sin and misery in the world, there would have been no works of necessity and mercy to be done on the Sabbath. God's Sabbath began when Creation was finished. But man's sin and misery required that this Sabbath be "broken" as it were, if man were to be redeemed. This came about when Christ did the "work" of redemption. "For he that is entered into his rest, he also ceased from his own works, as God did from his" (Heb. 4:10). The very reason for a "new" Sabbath was that Christ did this work of necessity and mercy on the former Sabbath of God. If this were not so, "then would he not afterward have spoken of another day" (Heb. 4:8). But the work of Jesus Christ did not do away with the Sabbath. Rather, it secured the Sabbath. "There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God" (Heb. 4:9). But the example of Christ showed us that the Sabbath allows for, or rather requires, works of piety, necessity, and mercy. And it is to be carefully observed that Christ never failed to justify his actions from Scripture (John 7:22, 23).
 
But the example of Christ showed us that the Sabbath allows for, or rather requires, works of piety, necessity, and mercy.

It is much to be preferred when authors speak of works of necessity and mercy as requirements of, rather than exceptions to, the Sabbath.
 
But the example of Christ showed us that the Sabbath allows for, or rather requires, works of piety, necessity, and mercy.

It is much to be preferred when authors speak of works of necessity and mercy as requirements of, rather than exceptions to, the Sabbath.

:amen:

[bible]Luke 13:10-17[/bible]

One of the arguments for the Christian Sabbath that I've read (in Durham and others I think) is that Christ did indeed work on the Sabbath because He was yet in the grave but this was not a breaking of the Sabbath but a work of necessity for our justification.
 
But the work of Jesus Christ did not do away with the Sabbath. Rather, it secured the Sabbath. "There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God" (Heb. 4:9). But the example of Christ showed us that the Sabbath allows for, or rather requires, works of piety, necessity, and mercy.

In context, I think this is the heart of what Mr Williamson is saying. Jesus did not "break" the commandment in any disobedient (sinful) way, but established works of piety, mercy and necessity as part of it and thereby actually strengthened the Fourth Commandment.

Being Lord of the Sabbath, His death, burial and resurrection was part and parcel of the Fourth Commandment.

As we all accept (including Mr Williamson) Jesus was perfectly obedient and never sinned in thought, word or deed.
 
In context, I think this is the heart of what Mr Williamson is saying. Jesus did not "break" the commandment in any sinful way, but established works of piety, mercy and necessity as part of it and thereby actually strengthened the Fourth Commandment.

Those were already established! He told those who assumed more power than they were entrusted with to take a long walk off a short pier, and we ought to remember that when dealing with authorities who also think that they are way too big to be challenged by mere laymen.
 
By the way, talk about Providence. I just read Luke 11-17 this morning and there were two occasions in the reading where Christ was rebuked for healing on the Sabbath. It struck me how little understanding of the Law the Scribes and Pharisees really had. Christ's example is perfect: you'll free your ox from a pit but here's a daughter of Israel!

Do you ever just stop and dwell on some of those healings in the light of the Mosaic code and try to get inside the story? I was stopped in my tracks this morning by the above account of that woman's healing. She's bent over for years. The synagogue ruler had to have seen her for years. He probably even patted her back out of false sympathy for her. Suddenly, Christ delivers this daughter of Israel. Can you imagine your first reaction being indignant?! Well, it certainly wasn't the reaction of the woman. Praise God!

Of course today we wouldn't be surprised to find a minister in some mainline denomination worrying more about oxes and donkeys than human beings but Christ certainly drove home the point and stopped the mouth of that foolish ruler.
 
In context, I think this is the heart of what Mr Williamson is saying. Jesus did not "break" the commandment in any sinful way, but established works of piety, mercy and necessity as part of it and thereby actually strengthened the Fourth Commandment.

Those were already established! He told those who assumed more power than they were entrusted with to take a long walk off a short pier, and we ought to remember that when dealing with authorities who also think that they are way too big to be challenged by mere laymen.

Yes, the whole of the Fourth Commandment (including works of necessity and mercy) were in the Old Testament, really even from Creation.

Christ, by His death, burial and resurrection was able to "fulfill" the commandment (and really all the others). By this I do not mean set it aside, but fulfill in the creation/redemption sense Mr Williamson is talking about. It is, in its fullest application, clarified by Jesus in the New Testament, applicable to us today!

All this shows how the Ten Commandments do indeed, point us to Christ (prospectively in the Old Testament, retrospectively in the New Testament).
 
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