Non-Sabbath Keepers - Why?
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There shouldn't be any AntiSabbatarians on the PB.
SolaScriptura
Puritanboard Brimstone
Correct, there should not be any ANTI sabbatarians… but are there any (mere) nonsabbatarians?
I don't see the difference; anti or non, if you reject Sabbatarianism you don't get to join. Been that way quite a while. Now, it may be there are some that are grandfathered as long time members before the tighter rules; but they probably shouldn't pipe in on this thread.
dsanch1120
Puritan Board Sophomore
If I may, as someone who somewhat recently became sabbatarian (2+ years ago), it was a combination of 3 things. The first was a general anti-nomianism and misunderstanding of the third use of the law. The second was a sinful desire to do what I wanted with my Sundays and a dislike of having a rule such as that placed on me. Third, my mindset made it very easy for me to uncritically accept the NCT arguments that the sabbath isn’t commanded in the New Testament and the obvious implication of their very low view of the law - that the sabbath is a burden and curse.
This changed for me for a few reasons. First, the sabbath is a blessing, not a burden. Second, the sabbath is creationally commanded and as part of the moral law, still for today. Third, observing the Lord’s Day was a blessing to my family for a variety of reasons. I’m sure there’s other reasons that changed my mind, but it is changed!
If this post is considered rule-breaking, I am happy to delete.
This changed for me for a few reasons. First, the sabbath is a blessing, not a burden. Second, the sabbath is creationally commanded and as part of the moral law, still for today. Third, observing the Lord’s Day was a blessing to my family for a variety of reasons. I’m sure there’s other reasons that changed my mind, but it is changed!
If this post is considered rule-breaking, I am happy to delete.
You're not breaking any rules; if folks want to share before and after that's fine. The rules are against advocacy.
This is good to know. I did not know this (relatively new to joining the forum, longtime reader).
I recently began keeping the Lord's Day in the past six months, and my reasons why I did not before are somewhat similar. I was raised a Seventh Day Adventist and left that denomination nearly 15 years ago. When I left, I think I "swung" too hard and believed the sabbath was fulfilled by Christ. I did not consider it part of the eternal moral law, but after reconsidering it through Scripture alone and my past aside, I realize it is certainly part of what God has established for all people for all times.
I struggle with seeing others not observing the Lord's Day, but specifically those that completely and thoughtless reject it. I was in error before regarding the sabbath, and that should help me hold others in a more charitable light. However, not that I was on a higher plane, but I was sincerely thoughtful in my approach to the sabbath. Many in my church seem to be in complete disregard when I bring up the sabbath/Lord's Day. It has been hard for me to see and try to handle.
I am reformed and confessional. My church is calvinist, but I would not be able to say reformed and do not hold to a confession. I won't mention the denomination to keep it as vague as possible. I'm trying to better understand and come alongside my brothers and sisters about this.
TheInquirer
Puritan Board Junior
MacArthur brand Dispensationalism was the cause for me for many years.
Theoretical
Puritan Board Professor
For the first 20-21 years of life (and first 6-7 of my distinctly personal Christian profession), outright ignorance. For the next year or so once I was in the Reformed world, a lot of study before coming to my convictions.
Then years and challenges galore, especially with family, working out how to live as a joyful Sabbatarian, flawed as my practice still very much is.
Then years and challenges galore, especially with family, working out how to live as a joyful Sabbatarian, flawed as my practice still very much is.
For me it was similar, though rather than 7th day Adventism it was a version of Messianic Judaism that only requires obedience to the law, including Sabbath, for Jews. Between the time I left that doctrine and the time I was convinced by Reformed sabbatarianism, I was anti-sabbatarian, and saw sabbatarianism as being part of the Judaizing I left behind.
This was also why the Sabbath was one of the last pieces to fall in place for me. At some point, I came to the conclusion that perhaps there is something to the Sabbath being moral, and perhaps lumping the Sabbath into the ceremonial law was mistaken. And I came to the conclusion, by the NT practice, that the first day was the preferred day to do it. At first I kept it on Saturdays for convenience and consistency with my congregation (my situation is quite different from anything I can imagine happening in Europe or North America). Until on one of those Saturdays, I thought to myself something along the lines of, "what are you doing. Man can't determine when the Sabbath is. That is God's prerogative. And if the scriptures suggest that the correct day in the New testament is the first day, that's not a preference but something necessary".
The following day of was my first actual attempt at keeping the Lord's Day. This was around January 2023, I know because that is the same time period as my joining the Puritanboard (a previous attempt was rightly denied for obvious reasons).
Corey Powell
Puritan Board Freshman
This was 100% the case for me as well. I only began to keep the sabbath a matter of months ago, as I've been on a bit of a reformation journey. I grew up Dispensational and then for the last several years have been deep in NCT.
Essentially, I believed that there was no need for a physical day of rest and worship because Jesus is our sabbath rest, "according to Hebrews," and we arent to judge about days but count all days the same, "according to Paul." The 10 Commandments are seen as a summary of the Law of Moses and not the eternally binding moral law, and thus have been fulfilled by Christ in the New Covenant; they are not abolished but fulfilled and "amplified," so Christ being our daily sabbath rest is considered to be better than an actual day of rest.
This last point I always struggled with, because of course we are supposed to rest in Christ and put on his easy yoke, but it ignores the fact thet we are also physical beings who still need rest from our work. doesn't seem "amplified" to me to take that away.
Could you explain this?
TheInquirer
Puritan Board Junior
If an OT commandment is not restated in the NT, it is not applicable.
TheBoringBaptist
Puritan Board Freshman
I became a sabbatarian only a couple months ago as well. For context, I was saved in 2020 (during the pandemic) and joined my current church in 2022. Me not adhering to the Sabbath at that time was for a mixture of reasons stated in these quotes. However, I will admit, it was mostly because I wanted to do whatever I pleased on Sundays and because I was very lazy in properly researching this issue to see if what most evangelicals said were true (that we didn't have to keep the Sabbath). Funny enough, it was mostly understanding properly the three fold use of the law and a JC Ryle's sermon on the keeping of the Sabbath that convinced me. My newfound conviction was also grounded in the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith as well.
Admittedly, I do this imperfectly, but I do truly believe the Christian Sabbath is a huge blessing. I pray that other believers around me will also come to look at the Christian Sabbath the same way.
I agree with all of the sentiments above. Keeping the sabbath has only been a blessing in my life. There are times when it is not subjectively a joy, but in those moments it drives me to repent of what is hindering it from my end of things, which is typically from selfish ambitions.
J.L. Allen
Puritan Board Junior
It's funny how similar many of our stories are. As many have said, if there was an explanation given why not to keep the Sabbath in previous church contexts, it was the same argument that it wasn't restated in the NT. Honestly, I don't know that I thought much about it until becoming Reformed. I scoffed at "blue laws" out of ignorance (being some of the few exposures to Sabbath principles). Now they're largely gone. Sabbath observance was one of the last dominos to fall for me, unlike the Second Commandment. That one fell into place long before I became Reformed, though it wasn't as thoughtful as the arguments from Scripture. I was simply uncomfortable with it.
It is just culturally strange and is not always clearly taught from the pulpit even in confessional churches. Frankly, I'd almost expect that it would take time for a young believer to see and understand the scriptures on this point if he's not being adequately taught and discipled. Strangely, as a child I remember my United Presbyterian church being quite vocal on the subject in the community even though it had long since abandoned the gospel.
Knight
Puritan Board Sophomore
Kline's position in God, Heaven, and Har Magedon caused me to bbevery confused in my early 20s. It's taken 9 years of membership and good conversations in my local church, Gaffin's book on Calvin and the Sabbath, and McGraw's book The Day of Worship to clarify the issue.
J.L. Allen
Puritan Board Junior
Can you expand on Kline's position in that book? I read portions of the work, but don't recall it very well.
Polanus1561
Puritan Board Senior
Work and rest are duties of man. The command to work for 6 days is never abrogated
Polanus1561
Puritan Board Senior
surely his expository thoughts on the gospel..
Kinghezy
Puritan Board Sophomore
He does discuss the Sabbath in his Expository Thoughts as it comes up in the passage, though I think most would be relatively brief comments. He does have a book Knots Untied that has a chapter on the Sabbath: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Knots_Untied/fkVDAAAAYAAJ & https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/knots-untied/
Logan
Puritan Board Graduate
I transcribed and published Ryle on this topic for Kindle. Reformed Covenanter (from this board) wrote the introduction:
sgemmen9
Puritan Board Freshman
I'm answering assuming you mean, "Why other people around us violate the Sabbath intentionally or unknowingly?" It seems like there's a tendency to go with the flow. People do what they want and find no remorse in violating portions of Scripture when the vast majority of professing Christians around them are doing the same. There's also a vast history of incorrect interpretations concerning Sabbath keeping that has created, in my opinion, a culture of complacency towards sabbath keeping and its interpretations.
Knight
Puritan Board Sophomore
For interested readers: an exceptionally incisive critique of Kline's R2K and its implications (including Sabbath considerations) can be previewed here (pgs. 173ff.). This is the written form of a lecture which can be purchased here. I usually only link to free resources, but the full lecture is so good that I must recommend it.
24 years ago I was reading Jonathan Edwards and came across his essay on the perpetuity of the Sabbath. I was convicted.
Edwards Perpetuity of the Sabbath
Edwards Perpetuity of the Sabbath
How does one go about transcribing a book? By brute force?
Logan
Puritan Board Graduate
How does one go about transcribing a book? By brute force?
In this case, by having the original open in a PDF in one window and typing in another window. That was a number of years ago and there are better tools available now, but sometimes the old-fashioned way still makes me more comfortable. But one should never skip the proofing stage and making sure all the words actually made it into the new copy!
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