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Adventist Sabbath Argument #2:
Abraham observed the Sabbath because it is written of him, “Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws.” (Gen. 26:5). Therefore the Sabbath was instituted before the time of Moses, and was kept prior to the giving of the Law on mt. Sinai.
My Response:
Please refer to Part 1 of this series to fully address the assertion that the Sabbath was known and observed prior to the time of Moses.
Additionally it is worthy to notice that the passage in Gen. 26 only speaks of Abraham and no one else. So even if Abraham did observe the Sabbath, it cannot be said that others before him did the same.
Furthermore, the “requirements, commands, decrees, and laws” that Abraham is said to have kept could simply have been all the times God commanded Abraham to do certain things such as,
“Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.” (Gen. 12:1);
“Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west…Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.” (Gen. 13:14-17);
“Do not be afraid, Abram.” (Gen. 15:1);
“This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.” (Gen. 15:4);
“Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” (Gen. 15:9);
“walk before me and be blameless.” (Gen. 17:1);
“As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” (Gen. 17:9-14);
“Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” (Gen. 22:2);
“Do not lay a hand on the boy… Do not do anything to him” (Gen. 22:12).
Thus you have all of these "commands" that God gave to Abraham during his entire life, and Abraham faithfully kept everyone of them. Now where was it that God commanded Abraham, His servant, to observe the Sabbath?
Also, the early Christian testimony should be reviewed concerning this:
"Why, then, did the Lord not form the covenant for the fathers? Because "the law was not established for righteous men." But the righteous fathers had the meaning of the Decalogue written in their hearts and souls, that is, they loved the God who made them, and did no injury to their neighbour. There was therefore no occasion that they should be cautioned by prohibitory mandates, because they had the righteousness of the law in themselves. But when this righteousness and love to God had passed into oblivion, and became extinct in Egypt, God did necessarily, because of His great goodwill to men, reveal Himself by a voice, and led the people with power out of Egypt, in order that man might again become the disciple and follower of God; and He afflicted those who were disobedient, that they should not contemn their Creator; and He fed them with manna, that they might receive food for their souls; as also Moses says in Deuteronomy: "And fed thee with manna, which thy fathers did not know, that thou mightest know that man cloth not live by bread alone; but by every word of God proceeding out of His mouth doth man live." And it enjoined love to God, and taught just dealing towards our neighhour, that we should neither be unjust nor unworthy of God, who prepares man for His friendship through the medium of the Decalogue, and likewise for agreement with his neigbbour,--matters which did certainly profit man himself; God, however, standing in no need of anything from man." St. Irenaeus Against Heresies Book 4 chap. 16.
This early Christian understanding agrees with St. Paul's teaching in Romans chap. 2:
"for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel." verses 14-16.
Conclusion
Abraham did observe and practice all of the commandments God gave Him, but apparently the Sabbath was not among them.
The Adventist makes the claim that Abraham and the Patriarchs of Genesis kept the Sabbath commandment. Thus, it is incumbent upon the Adventist to show definitively, in no uncertain terms, that this indeed was the case. Suppositions drawn from passages of Scripture do not serve as valid evidence. Therefore, the burden of proof is upon the Adventist to produce this evidence. Otherwise, they must concede their position.
15 comments:
There is an interesting article called "Rome's Challenge" (see biblelight.net/chalng.htm), which came out in the Catholic Mirror of Baltimore in 1893, officially sanctioned by Cardinal James Gibbons.
In it, the argument is put forth that the Catholic Church itself recognizes that the Sabbath was never abolished -- that it is "Scripturally false" to say otherwise. It is further stated that the Catholic Church changed the Sabbath day from Saturday to Sunday solely based on its authority.
Thus, continues the argument, all Protestants -- with the exception of Adventists -- are living a "direct contradiction": on the one hand they say they follow the Bible, but on the other hand it is impossible to prove from Scripture itself that the Sabbath was abolished. The article cites many verses to prove this, such as the following:
Luke 24:33-40
John 20:19
John 20:26-29
Acts 2:1
Acts 20:6-7
Acts 2:46
1 Cor. 16:1-2
Acts 18:4
These Protestants should, the article concludes, accept the fact that they are following Catholic tradition and not the Bible itself.
Hi Anon.,
Yeah, I've seen that article too when I was an Adventist. It was sold at the local ABC (Adventist Book Center) in Collegedale.
What I didn't know back then, and what I have since discovered, is that the Roman Catholic Church claim that she "changed" the Sabbath to Sunday or "transferred" its solemnity to Sunday is not attested to in the early Church writings.
Furthermore, Orthodoxy, which actually predates Roman Catholicism, has never viewed Sunday as a "substitution" for the Bible Sabbath. Also they have never viewed Sunday as a "Christian Sabbath" like Roman Catholics and some Protestant groups have.
I have had many discussions with Adventists since coming out of the denomination, and when I share with them these facts they unfortunately end up ignoring them as unimportant.
Rome is simply incorrect regarding Church history.
Blessings to you!
I am not sure this is the best place for Roman Catholic / Orthodox dialogue, but I would like to highlight one or two points about the article quoted above.
Firstly, the article does not constitute official Catholic teaching, (even though it is sanctioned by a Cardinal) it does not fall under the Magisterium (teaching authority) of the church.
Secondly, I would agree with David that the concept of moving the Sabbath to Sunday is not what happened in the early church and would add that it is not taught in those terms in the Catholic church today. Sunday is the first day of the week, The Lord's Day, the day of the resurrection, and should be understood in these terms, not as a transfer of the old sabbath practices. I am aware that this distinction throughout history has at times been muddied, however, I think this is the position of the Catholic church now as portrayed by Pope Jean Paul II in his apostolic letter Dies Domini available here:
www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_05071998_dies-domini_en.html
Further, when the Catholic church claims to have changed the day of worship, here she is talking about her apostolic roots, the apostles themselves, which she sees as Catholic.
Finally, you don't have to agree with what you read in Catholic literature, but it is important that one understands what the Catholic person writing it meant by different terms. It is also important to know whether what is being read is official Catholic teaching, or an individual Catholic's view, which may be in agreement, or sadly in opposition to the official position and teaching of the church.
Hope this is clear! ;)
- Clement
Hi Clement,
Your comments are appreciated and I think they should be taken into account with regard to the article. Perhaps I should not have said, "Rome is simply incorrect regarding Church history". Instead I should say that some in Roman Catholicism have an erroneous view of Church history. I'm am sorry for any misunderstanding regarding this.
Blessings to you!
David,
Nowhere do we read that God commanded Abraham not to covet or not to steal. Does it mean that Abraham was allowed to covet and steal?
You mentioned the text by Irenaeus:
"But the righteous fathers had the meaning of the Decalogue written in their hearts and souls, that is, they loved the God who made them, and did no injury to their neighbour."First of all, the Decalogue forms a unit You cannot violate one principle of it without violating the all (read James 2:10,11 for that matter).
Second, even today christians call the Ten Commandments the Decalogue. Practically everybody agrees that the commandments beside the Sabbath day are still valid. But no one called it the Nonalogue. Because everybody recognizes the fact that God has a day. For most Christians, it is Sunday and so, when they mention the fourth commandment they think of the first day of the week. So for christians, the Decalogue implies a day of worship, either Sabbath or Sunday. So Irenaeus was right when he said that "righteous the fathers" had the Decalogue (including the fourth commandment about the day reserved to God) in their hearts.
Now, according to you, which day was the day reserved for God for these "righteous fathers"?
Hi David,
Quickly stopping by.
Apart from the observations Clement made, realize that Catholics do not truly consider Sunday a "Christian Sabbath." In fact, Pope John Paul II repudiated such a connection: "The distinction of Sunday from the Jewish Sabbath grew ever stronger in the mind of the Church, even though there have been times in history when, because the obligation of Sunday rest was so emphasized, the Lord's Day tended to become more like the Sabbath." (Dies Domini, 23)
Sunday as "Christian Sabbath" is, in fact, a feature of Reformed Christianity. Reformed Christians needed a strictly scriptural precedent for the observation of Sunday in all its details. Identifying Sunday as the very "Sabbath" provided them that precedent.
Hi Hugo,
Thank you for that clarification, and info. I will certainly keep it in mind for the future.
Blessings to you my friend!
Hi Still,
You said, "Nowhere do we read that God commanded Abraham not to covet or not to steal. Does it mean that Abraham was allowed to covet and steal?"
Of course not. St. Paul said, "for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel." (Rom.2:14-16). Now those people who do not have the law or know the law will not and cannot observe a Sabbath day.
You said, "You mentioned the text by Irenaeus:
"But the righteous fathers had the meaning of the Decalogue written in their hearts and souls, that is, they loved the God who made them, and did no injury to their neighbour."First of all, the Decalogue forms a unit You cannot violate one principle of it without violating the all (read James 2:10,11 for that matter)."
You must realize that St. Irenaeus is merely echoing St. Paul in Romans 2:14-16. It is part of natural law that we love God and our neighbor. But it is not part of natural law that we cease from work for a 24hour period of time on a particular day of the week. Genesis gives no indication of this. We are simply adding to the text to say that Abraham and the Genesis patriarchs observe the Sabbath.
You said, "Second, even today christians call the Ten Commandments the Decalogue. Practically everybody agrees that the commandments beside the Sabbath day are still valid. But no one called it the Nonalogue. Because everybody recognizes the fact that God has a day. For most Christians, it is Sunday and so, when they mention the fourth commandment they think of the first day of the week. So for christians, the Decalogue implies a day of worship, either Sabbath or Sunday."
Actually, this is what Adventists think it is all about. Most Christians do not make it an issue.
You said, "Irenaeus was right when he said that "righteous the fathers" had the Decalogue (including the fourth commandment about the day reserved to God) in their hearts."
That's your supposition. I would disagree.
You said, "Now, according to you, which day was the day reserved for God for these "righteous fathers"?"
This was not an issue.
David,
The day reserved for God IS an issue (of course, not the only one). For thousands of years, it has been an issue for God when dealing with the Jews (for example, one of the main complaints against the Jews is them violating the Sabbath in one form or another). It has been an issue for the Christian churches for thousands of years to this day. For example, in the past, you could be fined, jailed and even put to death if you didn't come to church to worship on Sunday, even in America (for an example, see here and here (page 5)). It was important for Pope John Paul II who wrote that "It is the duty of Christians therefore to remember that, although the practices of the Jewish Sabbath are gone, surpassed as they are by the 'fulfillment' which Sunday brings, the underlying reasons for keeping 'the Lord's Day' holy-inscribed solemnly in the Ten Commandments-remain valid, though they need to be reinterpreted in the light of the theology and spirituality of Sunday" (John Paul II in Dies Domini).
I could mentioned many historical facts of Christians persecuting Sabbath keepers (Jews or Christians) because they didn't worship on Sunday.
So, you see, the day reserved for Go has always been important for both men and God.
You wrote that "actually, this is what Adventists think it is all about. Most Christians do not make it an issue." Really? I have heard so many christians speaking about Sunday and about how it is terrible that people "violate" the sacredness of the "Lord's day" (even by Pope john Paul II). But what I have noticed is that most most Sunday-keeping Christians say it is not a big deal when they realize that the arguments for Sunday are very weak but when these Christians are between themselves then they that it is a shame that the Sunday sacredness is not more recognized (some of them are even willing to have legislation to ensure that Sunday is not "desecrated").
So you see, it is not just for SDAs that the day is an issue.
Hi Still,
You said, "The day reserved for God IS an issue (of course, not the only one)."
In Genesis, it apparently is not. And that is where we are currently looking at.
You said, "It has been an issue for the Christian churches for thousands of years to this day. For example, in the past, you could be fined, jailed and even put to death if you didn't come to church to worship on Sunday, even in America (for an example, see here and here (page 5))."
Thousands of years? The primary source documents do not agree with this assertion. It appears that it has only become a serious issue with the advent of the Protestant Reformation. Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy have not made it an issue like the Protestants have. Notice Hugo's comment on this subject,
"Apart from the observations Clement made, realize that Catholics do not truly consider Sunday a "Christian Sabbath." In fact, Pope John Paul II repudiated such a connection: "The distinction of Sunday from the Jewish Sabbath grew ever stronger in the mind of the Church, even though there have been times in history when, because the obligation of Sunday rest was so emphasized, the Lord's Day tended to become more like the Sabbath." (Dies Domini, 23)
Sunday as "Christian Sabbath" is, in fact, a feature of Reformed Christianity. Reformed Christians needed a strictly scriptural precedent for the observation of Sunday in all its details. Identifying Sunday as the very "Sabbath" provided them that precedent."
You said, "It was important for Pope John Paul II who wrote that "It is the duty of Christians therefore to remember that, although the practices of the Jewish Sabbath are gone, surpassed as they are by the 'fulfillment' which Sunday brings, the underlying reasons for keeping 'the Lord's Day' holy-inscribed solemnly in the Ten Commandments-remain valid, though they need to be reinterpreted in the light of the theology and spirituality of Sunday" (John Paul II in Dies Domini)."
I believe that Pope St. John Paul II's meaning here is different from what you think he is saying. Refer to Hugo's comment that I quoted in order to get a Roman Catholic understanding of Dies Domini.
You said, "I could mentioned many historical facts of Christians persecuting Sabbath keepers (Jews or Christians) because they didn't worship on Sunday."
I would be greatly interested if you would quote some for me.
You said, "So, you see, the day reserved for Go has always been important for both men and God."
Again, I just don't see this significance of a day of worship in the book of Genesis. And since that is where we are at in our discussion, then that is where we ought to remain and consider these things.
You said, "You wrote that "actually, this is what Adventists think it is all about. Most Christians do not make it an issue." Really? I have heard so many christians speaking about Sunday and about how it is terrible that people "violate" the sacredness of the "Lord's day" (even by Pope john Paul II). But what I have noticed is that most most Sunday-keeping Christians say it is not a big deal when they realize that the arguments for Sunday are very weak but when these Christians are between themselves then they that it is a shame that the Sunday sacredness is not more recognized (some of them are even willing to have legislation to ensure that Sunday is not "desecrated").
So you see, it is not just for SDAs that the day is an issue."
This is a mindset typically found in the west. The east does not share this point of view generally. I would also like to point out, according to Hugo's comment above, that the official position of the Roman Catholic Church in this regard is that they do not share this point of view with Protestants; that is that Sunday is to be regarded as a "Christian Sabbath". What Adventists are battling against is a Protestant innovation that does not have any historical roots in the Church.
God's blessings to you always, my friend!
David,
You cannot say that it is a Protestant innovation when we find the expression "Christian Sabbath" used by Catholic authors, even by high dignitaries of the Church.
Also, it has to be said that there is another expression which means the same thing: "Sunday rest" (which is the same thing as saying "Sunday Sabbath" since "Sabbath" means "rest". And the Sunday Sabbath is a de facto Christian Sabbath). And this expression is widely used in catholic writings (see here, here or again here as examples).
And what is interesting is that we can find the expression "Sunday rest" even in the early writings of Christian writers.
So it is very clear, in spite of what Hugo or others can say, that Sunday is considered as a day of rest thus making it a Sunday Sabbath (making it a Christian Sabbath since the Jews are not keeping this sabbath).
I don't know too much about the Orthodox tradition but it seems that Sunday is also considered a day of rest (see here) but I found a site saying that some Orthodox worship on both days, Saturday and Sunday (see here).
Hi Still,
I'll respond to your post, but for now I'll let you consider the words of a Roman Pope on this matter:
"Gregory, servant of the servants of God, to his most beloved sons the Roman citizens.
It has come to my ears that certain men of perverse spirit have sown among you some things that are wrong and opposed to the holy faith, so as to forbid any work being done on the Sabbath day. What else can I call these but preachers of Antichrist, who, when he comes, will cause the Sabbath day as well as the Lord's day to be kept free from all work...We therefore accept spiritually, and hold spiritually, this which is written about the Sabbath. For the Sabbath means rest. But we have the true Sabbath in our Redeemer Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ." Pope St. Gregory the Great (590-604 AD).
Hi Still,
I believe that a distinction should be made here as regarding Sunday as a day of rest for the Christian, and Sunday as a day of obligatory rest for the Christian.
Sunday, in the Christian Tradition, has been viewed from the earliest of times as special and important. It represented light coming from darkness as in the first day of creation, and this parallels 1 Pet. 2:9 for the Christian. It also represented the victory Christ won over death, the archenemy of mankind. Therefore, Sunday has held great significance in the Church's life.
Throughout the ages of the Church there has been some with inclinations to regard Sunday in the same way as the Jewish Sabbath. This was not how Sunday was originally viewed among the earliest of Christians. In fact, the Catholic Encyclopedia says in this regard, "The express teaching of Christ and St. Paul prevented the early Christians from falling into the excesses of Jewish Sabbatarianism in the observance of the Sunday...". This is why when one examines the Ante-Nicene Father's writings (i.e. the first 300+ years of the Church), one will not find the idea of a "Christian Sabbath" in the form of Sunday observance. The prevailing understanding of the Sabbath commandment was one of a spiritual indication recognizing an eternal reality, not a particular day of rest.
However, a day of rest is beneficial to human beings, just as Adventists have long pointed out. This is why the inclination of some in the Church has been to regard Sunday as the day of rest for Christians, simply because Sunday holds the greatest significance for the Church. Therefore, the principle of the Sabbath (i.e. rest) has been carried over to Sunday for this reason.
However, it must be kept in mind that the "command" part of the Sabbath has not been carried over. What I mean by this is, despite what some in the Church has taught, it is not the teaching of the Church that if someone works on Sunday they are committing a sin. Sunday is a day of obligation for the faithful to attend Church and partake of the communion and sacraments, but it is not a day of obligation to abstain from all work. It is simply encouraged that people abstain from work in order to profit themselves and others spiritually. This is the difference between Sunday worship and Sunday sabbatarianism. The latter has been more common for the Protestants, while the former has been the focus of the Church.
cont...
Thus we come to the main difference between sabbatarianism and worship. For the Church, ever since the beginning of it's life, worship has been the primary focal point with the celebration of the Eucharist being the center of it. For sabbatarians, unfortunately, the focal point has been about observing a day of rest from all labor. Worship is usually looked upon as something you do on the day of rest, but the emphasis is on the day of rest itself. This mentality can be seen when the Adventist says they look forward to Sabbath each week. They are looking forward to the day of rest each week. While this is nice, it misses the main significance for the Christian, communion with Christ. The Church has always looked forward to the celebration of the Eucharist whenever it is celebrated during the week, especially on Sunday; because it is the Eucharist, the communion of Christ Himself, that re-energizes, re-freshens, and sustains the life of the Church. For the Church, true spiritual rest is found when one partakes of Christ's life-giving spirit. The sabbatarian thinks that communion with Christ is through the observance of a day of rest, but it is really by partaking of the bread and the wine in the Eucharist that a Christian communes with Christ (cf. John 6:25-58; Matt. 11:28; 26:26-28). This is why the Eucharist occupies the central position in the Church's life.
So to conclude, Sunday is the primary day of worship for Christians because of the significance it holds for them. The Church encourages people to rest from work on Sunday in order to attain the maximum spiritual benefit of the Church's worship. However, it is not to be considered a sin if someone does work on Sunday, because the focus is on the Church's worship and not on a day of obligatory rest. This is the main difference between the focus of the Church and the focus of the sabbatarians, whether the day of rest be viewed as Saturday or Sunday.
I hope that helped clarify things!
God's blessings be always upon you, Still!
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