As a former Adventist I am very aware of the "traditional" arguments that are employed in order to substantiate the teaching that Christians are required to observe the seventh-day Sabbath. My "journey" explains, to an extent, how I was able to "disarm" those various arguments for myself.
If you are a former Adventist like me, then I assume that you do not view Sabbath-keeping as a requirement like you once did. How did you arrive at this conclusion for yourself?
Thank you for your comments and interest!
Dicken's Savior
1 year ago
4 comments:
Originally posted on Catholic Answers Forums:
I don't feel compelled to explain my reasons to you, but would like to, as we have discussed things before. And you provided me such a perfect opening with Hebrews chapter 4. For the beautiful full context of what Paul is talking about read Hebrews chapter 3 and 4.
Although, while I understand how you come to the conclusion that this is talking about the seventh-day sabbath, I disagree that it is a "clear New Testament reference of the call to continue to keep the seventh-day Sabbath". It does not say to keep the seventh day sabbath holy, but speaks of the "special rest" still waiting for God's people to enter. But it is not the seventh day...it is TODAY!!! And I'll stay with the NLT version:
Hebrews 4:1 God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it. 2 For this good news—that God has prepared this rest—has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God. 3 For only we who believe can enter his rest. As for the others, God said,
“In my anger I took an oath:
‘They will never enter my place of rest,’”
even though this rest has been ready since he made the world. 4 We know it is ready because of the place in the Scriptures where it mentions the seventh day: “On the seventh day God rested from all his work.” 5 But in the other passage God said, “They will never enter my place of rest.”
6 So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God. 7 So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted:
“Today when you hear his voice,
don’t harden your hearts.”
8 Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come. 9 So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. 10 For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. 11 So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall.
It is God's rest into which we are called to enter, the same rest that God entered after creating the world. So what is God's Rest on the 7th day of creation? Is it saturday? Is is sunday?
In the beginning God created everything out of nothing in the 6 days of the creation week. When He was finished, at the end of the 6th day, He saw that all of His creation was very good, and so on the 7th day He rested, Gen.2:3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.
According to Sacred Scripture, only God rested on the 7th day in the creation week. According to Sacred Scripture there is no command from God to Adam and Eve to rest on the 7th day of creation week, or even to get together with Him on every 7th day thereafter and worship God and spend time with Him. Why? Could it have something to do with God's plan for His human creatures? Yes! And what was that plan? What was God’s rest after He had created all things?
It was for Adam and Eve to live with Him in paradise, to tend the Garden, to increase their family, and to do all this with God Himself as their Father always present and available to them. Mankind in the perfectly created world before the fall lived in the presence of God and enjoyed eternal communion with Him and each other, in God’s love. And then sin entered the world and that perfect eternal rest, God’s rest in which mankind participated came to an abrupt end. Now mankind had to toil in the thistles and in sweat, and have pain in giving birth to children. And from Genesis chapter three to the end of Revelation the story of God’s plan of redemption is documented. And what is the purpose of God redeeming mankind? Is it not to bring mankind back to the original relationship designed for them when God created all things?
And redemption not only involves teaching mankind about God’s original plan, but also ways to lead mankind back to trusting and following God as He originally intended. These are the purposes of all the covenants God made with His people for all mankind to learn and be saved.
Instruction and transformation was provided in the covenant between God and His people when He gave the Law, the 10 commandments to Moses. And what was the purpose of Sabbath commandment? Was it only to recognize God as the True Creator and commemorate His initial act of creating all things in the beginning? What was the purpose of resting on the Sabbath? Was it not to give mankind, burdened under the toil that resulted from sin, a taste of that initial relationship between God and His creatures in the Garden of Eden…that initial participation in God’s eternal rest and the special relationship with God the Creator which that entails? One day of rest out of the week to remember and participate as best as possible in full communion with God, unencumbered by the curse of sin present every other day of the week in this fallen sinful world.
And this was the means of instruction that God used to teach His people about His original plan for mankind, and His plan of redemption for fallen mankind… thus all the other laws to teach mankind how to interact with each other and with God in a sinful, Post-Fall world. Yet through all of this period of history before the coming of The Messiah, there was the promise of The Messiah who would come and restore all. And at “the right time” God became a man, Jesus Christ, fully man and fully God. And He was able to teach mankind directly face to face, with the full authority of God because He is God. Now God, instead of communicating to mankind through the prophets, became man and dwelt among us and taught by His own words and His own actions. And ultimately offered Himself as the only sacrifice that could restore fallen mankind to its original intended relationship with God before the fall.
And Jesus, The Creator of mankind, offered Himself for, and redeemed, mankind. And I ask you, what means more to a fallen sinful human; the fact that God created a perfect world which became marred and disordered due to the sin of mankind, or, the fact that The Creator God gave up His glory and became a man to save and restore fallen, sinful, marred, and disordered mankind back to that original and perfect relationship in His perfect creation?
As God’s people awaited the Redeemer, The Messiah, God used the Sabbath to teach His people, and show the world that He is the True God because He is The Creator God. And once the Messiah, The Redeemer, The Creator, became a man and redeemed this world, He most assuredly restored and made possible His original plan for His relationship with mankind. He made certain that God’s Rest in a perfect creation would be restored…that special eternal relationship between God and His creatures. And now those redeemed from sin enter God’s Rest, made possible by Jesus Christ. God’s Rest that Paul talks about in Hebrews chapters 3 and 4.
And what is that day of rest called? It is called Today…which is everyday. And all who accept Jesus Christ, The Word of God made flesh by whom all things were created, and are in Him by His grace and through His Spirit, enter God’s Rest…the redemption and restoration of a pure and holy relationship with God. And in Jesus we find our true Sabbath rest each and every day.
Matthew 11: 27 “My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” 28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Hebrews 4: 6 So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God. 7 So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted:
“Today when you hear his voice,
don’t harden your hearts.”
8 Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come. 9 So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. 10 For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. 11 So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall.
It is no sin to rest and commemorate the Creator on the Sabbath. It is no sin to rest and commemorate the Creator and the Redeemer and the event of Redemption on Sunday. It is God’s will that we enter His Rest Today…which is everyday that we draw breath.
God bless all!!!
Hi Mike,
Thank you for that synopsis of your faith. It was a genuine joy to read!
It always amazes me how mistaken Adventists can be in their interpretation of Heb. 4. Even though the passage clearly identifies "Today(!)" (verse 7) as the Sabbath-rest promised by God, they still attempt to maintain that it is the 7th-day Sabbath that is being presented. I have to admit that I myself held onto this very interpretation during my tenure as an Adventist. I allowed Samuele Bacchiocchi's interpretation of Heb. 4 to cloud my judgment. It was fairly easy to do too. He spoke so authoritatively on the subject, especially when he would refer to the Greek. I remember that his argument would utilize the Greek word σαββατισμος "sabbtismos" which he would say means literally translated "a Sabbath-keeping". Then he would explain that "sabbatismos" can only refer to the 7th-day Sabbath observance. Thus he would conclude that Heb. 4 upholds 7th-day Sabbath observance for the Christian.
Looking back on all of this I now realize he was muddying the issue at stake. No one argues, at least no one with a sane mind :), that Heb. 4 is not teaching that there is a Sabbath-rest for the people of God. The real issue at stake is the "nature" of the Sabbath-rest that God offers us.
For the Adventist interpreter, only the 7th-day Sabbath is being referenced in the chapter. Thus the Sabbath-rest that they have available to them experientially is only once a week in time. However, my view, as well as yours and that of the early Church, see the Sabbath-rest that God offers those that believe in Him is an eternal rest, because the rest is God Himself (i.e. Matt. 11:28). This "rest" is referred to in the passage of Heb. 4 as "Today(!)" to represent an ever present reality just as God Himself is an ever present reality for us. "Today(!)" is the day that we can enter into His rest, if only we would believe! The Adventist interpretation falls short of recognizing this wondrous truth.
If we do not allow the passage of Heb. 4 to explain to us the actual identity of the Sabbath-rest that God is offering those who believe, then we will distort the true meaning of the passage; and miss out on the greatest blessing ever given to mankind, the "rest" of God Himself!
God's blessings and rest be with you always!
Happy Birthday man!
Eric
To Eric,
Thanks man!
I don't feel older...
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