Marlin Halverson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
"There is no Sabbath day commandment in the Church age. The Sabbath is not Saturday, nor is it Sunday. There is no where in the Church age where we are commanded to keep a Sabbath day. The Sabbath is a relationship of total surrender and trust in Jesus. When a man ceases from his own works and walks in the Spirit."Dear Michael,Too many people read "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy...." and the first thing they want to do is "Forget the sabbath day" and tear it out of the ten comandments. But you are different! :-) I am trying to understand your statement.First, there is no Sabbath day commandment, but no,,,,, there is a sabbath. ?Sabbath="total surrender and trust in Jesus."Sabbath="When a man ceases from his own works and walks in the Spirit."It must be fantastic to keep the Sabbath 7 days a week. I would love to do that. But, if I were to do that, my wife and children would starve and I would be worse than an infidel. Besides, the Lord gave me the 6 days to use for a purpose. Would it be right to not receive that gift with thanksgiving?Could you please tell me how you spiritually keep the first part of the 4th commandment which says "Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work...."Michael D: Sorry for the delay in responding to the questions asked to clarify my statements. I'll try to address them as quickly as possible.The Bible gives us two major covenants with God re salvation. One is for physical Israel, the other for spiritual Israel. As you know, spiritual Israel's covenant is interpreted for us in the New Testament. What I have been saying is that the New Covenant that we are given by God gives no requirement for a Sabbath Day observation. The only sabbath that we are enjoined to keep under the New Covenant is one of a spiritual relationship with God through faith in Jesus.This is very clearly summed up in Hebrews 4. It says that the rest (sabbath) of God is for a man to cease from his own works as God ceased from His. Therefore it states that there remains a keeping of the sabbath to God's people, but it is fulfilled in those who believe God and accepts his promises:Vs. 4. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all His works.9. There remaineth therefore a rest (margin: keeping of sabbath) to the people of God.10. For he that hath entered into his rest he also hath ceased from his own works, as God ceased from His.11. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest (cease from all our works: italics mine) lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.You see, here it is comparing works with unbelief, and faith with rest. Can you and Izzy agree with that?The rest of God is walking by faith. Hence my reference to Galatians 5:6. ...In Christ Jesus, neither circumcision availeth anything nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love.I encourage you all to read Hebrews 4 carefully. It relates God's resting on the seventh day (which some use as authority for claims of a seventh day sabbath before the law was given) to the rest of faith, not to Saturday.This tells us that the seventh day sabbath was only a type which was fulfilled in Jesus, and which we appropriate by faith. It's is spiritual, for spiritual Israel.This is the only injuction to keep the sabbath in the Church age that I know about. Do you all have any other references (which I requested previously). Other than that, Paul says whatever day you esteem, is up to you, but it gains no special merit with God - apart from a clear conscience.When do you keep the 6 days? Every moment I stay in faith and walk in the Spirit before God. When I step out of that I have broken God's sabbath. If we walk in the spirit I am not under the law.
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