REMEMBERING THE SABBATH

A lot of Christians these days get the law of the Old Testament and the grace of the New Testament confused and muddled together in their minds.  They think that they have to earn God's favor to get to heaven by having enough good works, or mitzvah as the Jews would call them, to outweigh the bad to merit entry to heaven.  This is despite what the New Testament actually says in such places as Romans 3:20 which clearly states: "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." (KJV). This knowledge should lead us to repentance and accepting Christ's payment for our sins on the cross. "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." Galatians 3:24-25.

Others think that after Christ saves us, we need good works to keep it.  Galatians 3:3 says: "Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" This would clearly indicate that we can't earn it, and we can't keep it by our own deeds/works.  "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9; like some will try to do before Him: "Many will say to me  in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Matthew 7:22-23.

With this in mind, we turn toward the 10 Commandments as given in Exodus 20.  Some groups, like the Seventh Day Adventists, believe that you need to keep the commandments to be saved.  This includes the fourth as given in Exodus 20:8: "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy." (Deuteronomy 5:12, "Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee.")  They believe that this is the day upon which all believers should worship, and only tradition has made Sunday the "Christian Sabbath," and not Saturday; but is this actually the case?  

In Exodus, we have Moses, a Jew, receiving the law from God, and giving it to the children of Israel.  It was not given to Gentiles (non Jews).  Exodus 31:16 & 17 makes this plain regarding the keeping of the Sabbath: "Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.  It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever...."  In Ezekiel 20:12 we read: "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."

Is there any verse in the New Testament to indicate that the disciples met on the first day of the week, what we now call Sunday?  Yes. John 20:19 says,"The the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews...."  Acts 20:7 says,"And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them...." Here we see that between the time described in the book of John, and that described later in the book of Acts, this had become the regular day that they met. And lest we forget who these disciples were, Acts 11:26 says "... And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch."