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| The Sabbath part 3 |
An attempt to distance G-d’s people from the word and a biblical lifestyle has
come upon believers throughout history. In the second century, the Romans
persecuted all Jews. The Roman emperor Hadrian crushed Bar Kokhba and the
second Jewish revolt. Jerusalem became a Roman colony where Jews and Jewish
Christians were banned. Jerusalem was renamed Aelia Capitolina. The practice
of Judaism and Sabbath worship was especially condemned.
Following the Roman lead, gentile Christians began to develop a Christian
theology of separation from and contempt for the Jews. All Jews who practiced a
biblical faith were persecuted. Because of fear, the gentile church began to
separate and rid themselves of all Jewish identity and roots. Persecution
throughout history causes many to fall away and a few of the believing remnant to
draw closer and become stronger.
In Daniel 7:25 a fourth beast would attempt to change the “feasts, the times and
laws.” The falling away of the truth began as early as 140 A.D. and accelerated
when the Roman Emperor Constantine proclaimed his acceptance of Christianity
as the official Roman religion. In order to unite the people and strengthen his rule
over them, he attempted to unite the people in religion. Pompeii’s soldiers had
conquered the Persians and adopted Mithraism. Pagan holy days that worshiped
Astarte, Ashera and Ishtar during the spring equinox, using eggs and rabbits to
worship the fertility goddess became known as Easter. It was introduced to the
gentile Christians by Constantine to express sorrow for Messiah’s death and
contempt for those whom Christians considered its perpetrators: the Jews. It was
a subtle way to lead the church away from the celebration of Passover (Pesach)
and adopting Easter worship. The first Christmas was celebrated in 311 CE on
Dec. 25th. This was the birthday of Mithross and was introduced to the church as
a mass for Christ. It was a way to mix Mithraism with Christianity. Constantine is
also the founder of the civil observance of Sunday as the day of worship. In his
own words dated A.D. 321, “On the esteemed day of the sun let the magistrates
and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country,
however, persons engaging in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their
pursuits.” In decreeing the observance of the pagan day of the sun, Constantine
not only managed to change the church’s day of worship, but also the manner of
observance. Exodus 34:21 clearly states, “On the seventh day you shall rest; in
plowing time and in harvest, you shall rest.” Constantine made the first civil law
for the observance of Sunday and accordingly laid the foundation for laws making
it a part of the worship of the Holy Roman Catholic Church, which was in its
developmental stages. All the gentile bishops of the church went along with these
new laws. Thomas Aquinas stated, “the observance of the L-rd’s day took the
place of the observance of the Sabbath not by virtue of the biblical precept but by
the institution of the church. Constantine carried replacement theology to a new
dimension.
Early believers worshiped on the seventh day for at least the first 200 years of the
church. The change was made by the “state church” of Rome, in Rome. The
early believers did not abandon their Jewish roots except after great persecution
from this state church.
The most popular weapons used to attack the Sabbath are Colossians 2:14-17,
Galatians 4:8-18 and Romans 10:4-5. It has been said that Paul regarded the
Sabbath as apart of the Old Covenant and that he taught his converts they had
no obligation to observe the seventh day Sabbath. We will now look at Paul’s
view and whether he preached a condemnation of the Sabbath. Paul’s reference
in Col. 2:16 is only part of a Colossian heresy refuted by Paul. This false teaching
had both a theological and practical aspect. Theologically Christians were urged
by men to do homage to cosmic principalities (Col. 2:10, 15), to the elements of
the universe (Col. 2:8, 20), and to angelic powers (Col. 2:15, 18) following strict
ritualistic practices (Col. 2:11-14, 16, 17, 21-22). This was to assure the Christian
of access to and participation in the divine fullness (pleroma). What this did was
place interior mediators in place of Yeshua. The practical side of this heresy
instituted rules for withdrawal from the world and careful observance of sacred
days and seasons. Christians were led to believe that by surrendering their faith
they were receiving added protection and full access to the divine fullness. Paul
counters this by telling them Christians attain the fullness of life not by worshiping
the elements of the universe, but through messiah, who is the head of all rule and
authority. Paul is not comparing or contrasting the Old and New Covenants, but
affirming the benefits of Messiah’s death and resurrection through the imageries
of circumcision and baptism. The fullness of G-d’s forgiveness was accomplished
by Messiah on the cross and extended through baptism to the Christian. What is
the written document (cheirographon) nailed to the cross? Traditionally it has
been interpreted to be the Mosaic law and its ordinances including the Sabbath.
The assumption is made that the Old Covenant was against us. If that were true,
G-d would be guilty of establishing a covenant that was against His people. What
was against the people was not the covenant of G-d’s commitment to save, but
their sins that were exposed by the law. Wiping out the moral and/or ceremonial
law would hardly provide Christians with the divine assurance of forgiveness.
Guilt is not removed by destroying law codes. It only leaves mankind without
moral principles. Through Messiah, G-d has cancelled, set aside and nailed to
the cross the written record of our sins which because of the regulations was
against us. By destroying the evidence of our sins, G-d disarmed the
principalities and powers of accusing us. This passage continues with Paul
warning the Colossians against anyone passing judgement on how to eat, drink or
observe sacred times. It was the Colossians false teachers who imposed
regulations on how to observe these practices in order to achieve rigor of
devotion. The false teachers wanted the Colossians to do less feasting and more
fasting. Paul is not challenging the validity of the festivals but the authority of the
false teachers to legislate the manner of their observance. The command and to
keep festivals, new moon, and the Sabbath is not being based on the Torah which
Israel received, including the Sabbath which is a sign of election from among the
nations. Rather these sacred days must be kept for a sake of the elements of the
universe. In the ancient world there was wide spread belief that ascetism and
fasting enabled a person to come closer to a deity. In the case of the Colossians
philosophy, the dietary taboos, observance of sacred times were regarded as an
expression of subjection to and worship of the cosmic elements of the universe.
Paul is not condemning the teachings of Moses but their perverted use by
Colossian false teachers.
In Romans 14:5 Paul makes a statement, “One man esteems one day as better
than another, while another man esteems all days alike. Let every one be fully
convinced in his own mind.” The conflict between the “weak” and the “strong”
over diet and days cannot be traced back to the Mosaic law. The weak man who
eats only vegetables, drinks no wine and esteems one day as better for fasting
than another can claim no support from the Old Covenant. No where does the
Mosaic Law prescribe strict vegetarianism, total abstinence from fermented and
unfermented wine, and a preference for fasting days. The whole discussion is not
about freedom to observe the law verse freedom from its observance, but
concerns “unessential” concerns dictated not by divine precepts but by human
conventions and superstitions. Paul teaches that one can honor the L-rd both by
eating and by abstaining, but with regard to days, he does not concede that the
person who regards all the days alike does so to the L-rd. If it is presumed, it was
the “weak” believer who observed the Sabbath, Paul would classify himself with
the weak since he observed the Sabbath and Jewish feasts. It is difficult to see
how Paul could reduce the observance of holy days such as the Sabbath,
Passover and Pentecost to a matter of personal conviction without ever explaining
the reason for it. The preference over days in Romans had to do with fast days
rather than feast days. Christians were encouraged to fast on Wednesdays and
Fridays instead of Monday and Thursday like the Jews. Paul refuses to deliberate
on fasting because he recognizes that spiritual exercises can be performed in
different ways by different people. Since this didn’t undermine the essence of the
gospel, Paul advises mutual tolerance and respect.
In Galatians 4 we see the superstitious observance of sacred times described as
slavery to the elements. They were teaching different gospel. False teachers
were teaching that the observance of days and seasons was necessary for
justification and salvation, thus perverting the very heart of the gospel. Paul
reminds them in their pre-Christian days they were slaves to the elemental spirits
of the universe. Paul rebukes them for turning back to the pagan days by
reverting to their pagan calendar. Gal. 4:1- stipulates that when the Galatians
accepted Paul’s gospel with its aversion to idolatry, they discarded their pagan
method of reckoning time in favor of the Jewish liturgical calendar. In 1 Cor. 16:2
Paul recommends laying aside money on the first day from the Sabbath. He
refers to the first day of the week by the Jewish designation not the day of the
sun. This shows he taught his gentile converts to regulate their lives by the
Jewish calendar. The Galatians observance of pagan sacred times was motivated
by superstitious beliefs in astral influences. In Galatians it is not the principle of
Sabbath keeping that Paul opposes, but the perverted use of cultic observations
which were designed to promote salvation as a human achievement rather than
as a divine gift of grace. Paul’s attitude toward the Sabbath must be determined
not on the basis of his denunciation of heretical and superstitious observances
which may have influenced keeping the Sabbath, but rather on the basis of his
overall attitude toward the law. Paul rejects the law as a method for obtaining
salvation, but he upholds it as a moral standard of Christian conduct. Paul did not
preach a change of the Sabbath to Sunday when he carried the gospel to the
world. Working for the first six days and resting on the Saturday Sabbath was not
only Paul’s lifestyle, but remains the lifestyle of the Jewish people and those of the
believing remnant today.
During His life and ministry on earth, Yeshua observed the seventh day Sabbath.
He didn’t keep Sabbath as a restrictive law, but remembered that it was a sign for
a true believer and honored it as a time to teach, experience life, relieve suffering,
preach the gospel to the poor, heal the broken hearted, preach deliverance to the
captives and recovery of sight to the blind, and set free those who were
oppressed. He used this day to speak words of life and freedom in the
synagogues. It isn’t the setting apart of Saturday or Sunday, but our faith in
Yeshua, that saves us. On the Sabbath we are reminded that Yeshua created us
and redeemed us. Ezekiel 20:12 & 20 “More over I also gave them My Sabbaths,
to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I AM THE L-RD who
sanctifies them… hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and
you, that you may know that I AM THE L-RD your G-d.”
come upon believers throughout history. In the second century, the Romans
persecuted all Jews. The Roman emperor Hadrian crushed Bar Kokhba and the
second Jewish revolt. Jerusalem became a Roman colony where Jews and Jewish
Christians were banned. Jerusalem was renamed Aelia Capitolina. The practice
of Judaism and Sabbath worship was especially condemned.
Following the Roman lead, gentile Christians began to develop a Christian
theology of separation from and contempt for the Jews. All Jews who practiced a
biblical faith were persecuted. Because of fear, the gentile church began to
separate and rid themselves of all Jewish identity and roots. Persecution
throughout history causes many to fall away and a few of the believing remnant to
draw closer and become stronger.
In Daniel 7:25 a fourth beast would attempt to change the “feasts, the times and
laws.” The falling away of the truth began as early as 140 A.D. and accelerated
when the Roman Emperor Constantine proclaimed his acceptance of Christianity
as the official Roman religion. In order to unite the people and strengthen his rule
over them, he attempted to unite the people in religion. Pompeii’s soldiers had
conquered the Persians and adopted Mithraism. Pagan holy days that worshiped
Astarte, Ashera and Ishtar during the spring equinox, using eggs and rabbits to
worship the fertility goddess became known as Easter. It was introduced to the
gentile Christians by Constantine to express sorrow for Messiah’s death and
contempt for those whom Christians considered its perpetrators: the Jews. It was
a subtle way to lead the church away from the celebration of Passover (Pesach)
and adopting Easter worship. The first Christmas was celebrated in 311 CE on
Dec. 25th. This was the birthday of Mithross and was introduced to the church as
a mass for Christ. It was a way to mix Mithraism with Christianity. Constantine is
also the founder of the civil observance of Sunday as the day of worship. In his
own words dated A.D. 321, “On the esteemed day of the sun let the magistrates
and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country,
however, persons engaging in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their
pursuits.” In decreeing the observance of the pagan day of the sun, Constantine
not only managed to change the church’s day of worship, but also the manner of
observance. Exodus 34:21 clearly states, “On the seventh day you shall rest; in
plowing time and in harvest, you shall rest.” Constantine made the first civil law
for the observance of Sunday and accordingly laid the foundation for laws making
it a part of the worship of the Holy Roman Catholic Church, which was in its
developmental stages. All the gentile bishops of the church went along with these
new laws. Thomas Aquinas stated, “the observance of the L-rd’s day took the
place of the observance of the Sabbath not by virtue of the biblical precept but by
the institution of the church. Constantine carried replacement theology to a new
dimension.
Early believers worshiped on the seventh day for at least the first 200 years of the
church. The change was made by the “state church” of Rome, in Rome. The
early believers did not abandon their Jewish roots except after great persecution
from this state church.
The most popular weapons used to attack the Sabbath are Colossians 2:14-17,
Galatians 4:8-18 and Romans 10:4-5. It has been said that Paul regarded the
Sabbath as apart of the Old Covenant and that he taught his converts they had
no obligation to observe the seventh day Sabbath. We will now look at Paul’s
view and whether he preached a condemnation of the Sabbath. Paul’s reference
in Col. 2:16 is only part of a Colossian heresy refuted by Paul. This false teaching
had both a theological and practical aspect. Theologically Christians were urged
by men to do homage to cosmic principalities (Col. 2:10, 15), to the elements of
the universe (Col. 2:8, 20), and to angelic powers (Col. 2:15, 18) following strict
ritualistic practices (Col. 2:11-14, 16, 17, 21-22). This was to assure the Christian
of access to and participation in the divine fullness (pleroma). What this did was
place interior mediators in place of Yeshua. The practical side of this heresy
instituted rules for withdrawal from the world and careful observance of sacred
days and seasons. Christians were led to believe that by surrendering their faith
they were receiving added protection and full access to the divine fullness. Paul
counters this by telling them Christians attain the fullness of life not by worshiping
the elements of the universe, but through messiah, who is the head of all rule and
authority. Paul is not comparing or contrasting the Old and New Covenants, but
affirming the benefits of Messiah’s death and resurrection through the imageries
of circumcision and baptism. The fullness of G-d’s forgiveness was accomplished
by Messiah on the cross and extended through baptism to the Christian. What is
the written document (cheirographon) nailed to the cross? Traditionally it has
been interpreted to be the Mosaic law and its ordinances including the Sabbath.
The assumption is made that the Old Covenant was against us. If that were true,
G-d would be guilty of establishing a covenant that was against His people. What
was against the people was not the covenant of G-d’s commitment to save, but
their sins that were exposed by the law. Wiping out the moral and/or ceremonial
law would hardly provide Christians with the divine assurance of forgiveness.
Guilt is not removed by destroying law codes. It only leaves mankind without
moral principles. Through Messiah, G-d has cancelled, set aside and nailed to
the cross the written record of our sins which because of the regulations was
against us. By destroying the evidence of our sins, G-d disarmed the
principalities and powers of accusing us. This passage continues with Paul
warning the Colossians against anyone passing judgement on how to eat, drink or
observe sacred times. It was the Colossians false teachers who imposed
regulations on how to observe these practices in order to achieve rigor of
devotion. The false teachers wanted the Colossians to do less feasting and more
fasting. Paul is not challenging the validity of the festivals but the authority of the
false teachers to legislate the manner of their observance. The command and to
keep festivals, new moon, and the Sabbath is not being based on the Torah which
Israel received, including the Sabbath which is a sign of election from among the
nations. Rather these sacred days must be kept for a sake of the elements of the
universe. In the ancient world there was wide spread belief that ascetism and
fasting enabled a person to come closer to a deity. In the case of the Colossians
philosophy, the dietary taboos, observance of sacred times were regarded as an
expression of subjection to and worship of the cosmic elements of the universe.
Paul is not condemning the teachings of Moses but their perverted use by
Colossian false teachers.
In Romans 14:5 Paul makes a statement, “One man esteems one day as better
than another, while another man esteems all days alike. Let every one be fully
convinced in his own mind.” The conflict between the “weak” and the “strong”
over diet and days cannot be traced back to the Mosaic law. The weak man who
eats only vegetables, drinks no wine and esteems one day as better for fasting
than another can claim no support from the Old Covenant. No where does the
Mosaic Law prescribe strict vegetarianism, total abstinence from fermented and
unfermented wine, and a preference for fasting days. The whole discussion is not
about freedom to observe the law verse freedom from its observance, but
concerns “unessential” concerns dictated not by divine precepts but by human
conventions and superstitions. Paul teaches that one can honor the L-rd both by
eating and by abstaining, but with regard to days, he does not concede that the
person who regards all the days alike does so to the L-rd. If it is presumed, it was
the “weak” believer who observed the Sabbath, Paul would classify himself with
the weak since he observed the Sabbath and Jewish feasts. It is difficult to see
how Paul could reduce the observance of holy days such as the Sabbath,
Passover and Pentecost to a matter of personal conviction without ever explaining
the reason for it. The preference over days in Romans had to do with fast days
rather than feast days. Christians were encouraged to fast on Wednesdays and
Fridays instead of Monday and Thursday like the Jews. Paul refuses to deliberate
on fasting because he recognizes that spiritual exercises can be performed in
different ways by different people. Since this didn’t undermine the essence of the
gospel, Paul advises mutual tolerance and respect.
In Galatians 4 we see the superstitious observance of sacred times described as
slavery to the elements. They were teaching different gospel. False teachers
were teaching that the observance of days and seasons was necessary for
justification and salvation, thus perverting the very heart of the gospel. Paul
reminds them in their pre-Christian days they were slaves to the elemental spirits
of the universe. Paul rebukes them for turning back to the pagan days by
reverting to their pagan calendar. Gal. 4:1- stipulates that when the Galatians
accepted Paul’s gospel with its aversion to idolatry, they discarded their pagan
method of reckoning time in favor of the Jewish liturgical calendar. In 1 Cor. 16:2
Paul recommends laying aside money on the first day from the Sabbath. He
refers to the first day of the week by the Jewish designation not the day of the
sun. This shows he taught his gentile converts to regulate their lives by the
Jewish calendar. The Galatians observance of pagan sacred times was motivated
by superstitious beliefs in astral influences. In Galatians it is not the principle of
Sabbath keeping that Paul opposes, but the perverted use of cultic observations
which were designed to promote salvation as a human achievement rather than
as a divine gift of grace. Paul’s attitude toward the Sabbath must be determined
not on the basis of his denunciation of heretical and superstitious observances
which may have influenced keeping the Sabbath, but rather on the basis of his
overall attitude toward the law. Paul rejects the law as a method for obtaining
salvation, but he upholds it as a moral standard of Christian conduct. Paul did not
preach a change of the Sabbath to Sunday when he carried the gospel to the
world. Working for the first six days and resting on the Saturday Sabbath was not
only Paul’s lifestyle, but remains the lifestyle of the Jewish people and those of the
believing remnant today.
During His life and ministry on earth, Yeshua observed the seventh day Sabbath.
He didn’t keep Sabbath as a restrictive law, but remembered that it was a sign for
a true believer and honored it as a time to teach, experience life, relieve suffering,
preach the gospel to the poor, heal the broken hearted, preach deliverance to the
captives and recovery of sight to the blind, and set free those who were
oppressed. He used this day to speak words of life and freedom in the
synagogues. It isn’t the setting apart of Saturday or Sunday, but our faith in
Yeshua, that saves us. On the Sabbath we are reminded that Yeshua created us
and redeemed us. Ezekiel 20:12 & 20 “More over I also gave them My Sabbaths,
to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I AM THE L-RD who
sanctifies them… hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and
you, that you may know that I AM THE L-RD your G-d.”
Ministry of Gates of Praise Ministries, Inc. Copyright Gates of Praise Ministries 2007