A Little History
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy Exodus 20:8 NASB
Sabbath day – Donna Dozier wrote her doctoral dissertation on the transition from Judaism to Christianity in the early centuries. In it she discusses the shift from Sabbath to Sunday. As part of the historical record, she provides the following citation:
“There is a 1934 letter from Pope Pius XI, available on the web, answering a letter that asked: ‘Is the accusation true that Protestants accuse you of? They say you changed the seventh day Sabbath to the so-called Christian Sunday: identical with the first day of the week. If so, when did you make the change, and by what authority?’ The Pope replied:
(1) That Protestants, who accept the Bible as the only rule of faith and religion, should by all means go back to the observance of the Sabbath…
(2) We Catholics do not accept the Bible as the only rule of faith. Besides the Bible we have the living Church, the authority of the Church, as a rule to guide us. We say this Church, instituted by Christ, to teach and guide man through life, has the right to change the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament and hence, we accept her change of the Sabbath to the Sunday. We frankly say, ‘Yes, the Church made this change…’
(3) We also say that of all Protestants, the Seventh-day Adventists are the only group that reason correctly and are consistent with their teachings. It is always somewhat laughable to see the Protestant Churches, in pulpit and legislature, demand the observance of Sunday, of which there is nothing in the Bible. (Tramer)”
Do you find this comical and tragic? Protestants of all biblically-based believers ought to recognize that Sunday worship is a direct result of Roman Catholic Church tradition based on nothing more than the authority of the Church. Even the Pope recognized this. But for some reason, Protestants in general continue to worship on a day that was established by the Roman Catholics. Ah, tradition is more powerful than the text, isn’t it?
This makes me wonder if Protestants who claim sola Scriptura really have any idea about their own history or accommodation to non-biblical traditions. They go merrily on their way, accepting the worship practices invented by the Church as if they were following God’s commandments. They are ignorantly idolatrous. One can only ask how many other religious practices are based not on Scripture but on the decisions of religious men. I imagine that you and I suspect there are quite a few. But since so few of us even care to look at why we believe as we do, most will simply shrug this off as unimportant. After all, it’s what’s in your heart that really counts, right?
Dozier also points out that “The cross as a Christian symbol cannot be found prior to Constantine’s dream of conquest under the sign of the cross, and the crucifix with the Savior attached appeared in the fifth century.”[1]
“The ‘sinner’s prayer’ (D.L. Moody) and ‘personal savior’ (Charles Fuller) were late additions, and are now believed to be ‘Biblical’ by most Christians, along with late-coming ideas like ‘the rapture’ (1830’s) and the ‘left behind’ doctrines.”[2]
“Christianity cannot remain as some new religion unrecognizable as Jewish, with the Torah optional for Gentiles. If they remain lawless, without Torah, how does Yeshua take Jew and Gentile, and “make the two into one new man” (Eph. 2:14), while they follow two sets of rules? If Christians are grafted into the commonwealth of Israel, with Israel as the root of the grafted branches, how can Gentiles live differently from the natural branches of the kingdom in their own olive tree? When Yeshua said to teach them all the mitzvot (Matt. 28:20), did he really mean only some?”[3]
Just some thoughts along the way.
Topical Index: Sabbath, tradition, Dozier, Exodus 20:8
19 Go, and make talmidim of all nations, immersing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Ruach HaKodesh,
20 teaching them to observe all things which I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Hi Skip,
My Bible says “all commands I gave you,” which begs the question of how many
And why the three images? “Father and of the Son and of the Ruach HaKodesh”
Oh BTW at the AA meeting tonight in our book I came across a reference to Paul
“Not of this world” on one page and Karl Marx
“Labor/capital/classes” on the other
I believe I wrote something about the inclusion of a Christian Trinitarian formula in this verse in Matthew. It’s on the web site somewhere. Raising some questions, doesn’t it?
Father and of the Son and of the Ruach HaKodesh
Hmmm
I could try to put a positive spin on it and argue that Matt was in a dialectical mode of thought
And simply speaking of God and his son (the Messiah) with the spirit of YHWH
The “the divine aspect of prophecy and wisdom”
The Hebrew language phrase ruach ha-kodesh (Hebrew: רוח הקודש, “holy spirit” also transliterated ruah ha-qodesh) is a term used in the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) and Jewish writings to refer to the Spirit of YHWH. (The expression in Hebrew is: רוח יהוה) The Hebrew term ruakh kodeshka (רוּחַ קָדְשְׁךָ, “thy holy spirit”), without the definite article, also occurs. The “Holy Spirit” in Judaism generally refers to the divine aspect of prophecy and wisdom. It also refers to the divine force, quality, and influence of the Most High God, over the universe or over his creatures, in given contexts.[1]
The term ruach hakodesh occurs once in Psalm 51:11 and also twice in the Book of Isaiah. (Isaiah 63:10,11) Those are the only three times that the precise phrase “ruach hakodesh” is used in the Hebrew Scriptures, although the noun ruach (רוח, literally “breath” or “wind”) in various combinations is used often, and the adjective kodesh (“holy”) is also used often. The noun ruach, much like the English word breath, can mean either wind or some invisible moving force.
The following are some examples of the word ruach (in reference to God’s “spirit”) in the Hebrew Scriptures:
Genesis 1:2 (Schocken Bible – The Five Books of Moses)
“Rushing-spirit of God hovering over the face of the waters.”
1 Samuel 16:13 (ASV)
“And the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon David from that day forward.”
Psalm 143:10 (KJV)
“Thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.”
Isaiah 44:3 (KJV)
“I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring.”
Joel 2:28 (RV)
“I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.”
The first Hebrew Scripture use for the phrase ruach hakodesh (or “holy spirit”) in Psalm 51 contains a triple parallelism:
10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit (רוּחַ נָכֹון) within me.”
11 “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit (רוּחַ קָדְשְׁךָ) from me.”
12 “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with a (רוּחַ נְדִיבָה) free spirit.”[2]
The other two times that ruach hakodesh occurs, in Isaiah 63 (R.V.), read:
10 “But they rebelled, and grieved his holy spirit (רוּחַ קָדְשְׁךָ); therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them.”
11 “Then he remembered the days of old, of Moses and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? where is he who put his holy spirit (רוּחַ קָדְשְׁךָ) in the midst of them?”
[edit]Talmud
The term is discussed in the Babylonian Talmud, Makkot 23b and elsewhere. Rabbinical use is discussed by Joseph Jacobs and Ludwig Blau in the article “Holy Spirit” in the Jewish Encyclopedia of 1911.[3]
In Judaism, God is One, the idea of God as a duality or trinity among may be considered shituf (or “not purely monotheistic”). The term Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) is found frequently in Talmudic and Midrashic literature. In some cases it signifies prophetic inspiration, while in others it is used as a hypostatization or a metonym for God.[1] The rabbinical understanding of the “Holy Spirit” has a certain degree of personification, but it remains, “a quality belonging to God, one of his attributes”.[4]
Hi Michael,
Thanks for the delineations. I don’t know if you’ve read Daniel Boyarin’s book “The Jewish Gospels” or not, but he offers an interesting view regarding early O.T. references from a Jewish standpoint of the dual-ness of God spoken of in Daniel as “the ancient of days” and “one like the Son of Man”. If I understand him correctly he asserts the Jewish mindset had no problem with a ‘dual-ness’ of God so long as there is one that is supremely authoritative. Thus, he proposes, that the basis of the Trinitarian doctrine of the later Christians has a legitimate basis in the minds of the Jews of that time such it really wasn’t a “new” teaching of the later Church. He contends there were groups of Jews that looked for various flavors of the messiah that was to come. This would support the idea of those smaller groups of Jews received Yeshua having no major obstacle to overcome viewing Him as He professed and showed to be-human but also somehow divine combined.
Very interesting read. I’m about half way through right now. The author, by the way, is a conservative rabbi. The writer of the Forward to the book alludes to the author as “a troubling brilliance because he (he) blurs and complicates a pair of reciprocally settled identities.” (pg. ix) That being the monotheistic person of YHVH and Yeshua, two figures that act as a roadblock to the community of Jews and Christians.
Just thought you might find the book interesting. I’m a book hog mired in collecting them. My downfall, me thinks.
Skip,
Without getting into a debate about what is or is not religious tradition, I think anything coming from Dozier needs to be viewed with a critical eye. I was quite curious about the Pope letter and did a simple Google search with some of the text. I quickly found an image of the actual letter. Unfortunately, it was not from the Pope. It was a response from the Editor of Catholic Extension Magazine, published in Illinois “under the blessing of Pope Pius XI”.
http://www.blowthetrumpet.org/TheCatholicLetter1934.htm
I don’t know whether Dozier got her PhD for this dissertation, but either her research or her use of the facts on this point appears sufficiently suspect to suggest great care before quoting her work.
Thanks Paul. Let’s see if Donna replies. I am sure she will.
Skip,
Wasn’t Donna Dozier one of your Doctoral students that you worked with/mentored through Master’s International Theological Seminary?
Yes, the very same
Hi Paul,
I think the whole of Skip’s offerings on a daily basis exude a consistent cry to us all toward utilizing a critical eye upon everything we read and ingest. Your admonishment to Skip struck me as a bit humorous.
I could compare it, I think fairly accurate, to one of the talmidim warning his master as they both waded across a stream during their walking journey that the master might get his feet wet.
Thanks for the chuckle.
First, it is correct that the question and answer appeared in the “Catholic Extension Magazine (The largest Catholic Magazine published in the USA) 180 Wabash Avenue, Chicago, Illinois (Under the blessing of Pope Pius XI).” You will find at: http://www.bible-sabbath.com/Sabbath-Sunday/Asking%20the%20Pope.pdf that “This letter was written by Mr. Day personally, upon his own initiative, to Pope Pius XI, who was then the ruling Pope of the Catholic Church. He said he waited thirty days for a reply and then received this letter from the editor of THE CATHOLIC EXTENSION, which is printed under Mr. Day’s letter. The Pope had sent Mr. Day’s letter to Mr. Tramer, who was editor of the Question Box of this magazine, for reply. The answer was sent under the blessing of the pope.” You may also note in “Pius XI.” Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 14 Mar. 2013 that ”Within the Church, Pius gave his sanction to the building of Catholic Action groups in order to provide the hierarchies with an indirect say in political matters. … Toward non-Catholic Christianity, Pius had a negative attitude and issued his Mortalium animos (1928), in which he imposed a stern attitude toward non-Catholics and the nascent ecumenical movement among Protestants.”
Due to the limitation on the size of my dissertation, I used this condensed example of the attitudes and rulings regarding the Sabbath and the authority of “The Church” to declare observance on Sunday. The letter cited in my dissertation was written in 1934, but it can be easily seen that these statements were not new to the Catholic Church. For example, you can check the four lengthy articles on http://biblelight.net/chalng.htm published in 1893 by the Catholic Mirror which was “the official organ of Cardinal Gibbons and the Papacy in the United States”.
”These articles, therefore, although not written by the Cardinal’s own hand, appeared under his official sanction, and as the expression of the Papacy to Protestantism, and the demand of the Papacy that Protestants shall render to the Papacy an account of why they keep Sunday and also of how they keep it.” The connection to the Seventh-day Adventists is also mentioned here.
“FEBRUARY 24, 1893, the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists adopted certain resolutions appealing to the government and people of the United States from the decision of the Supreme Court declaring this to be a Christian nation, and from the action of Congress in legislating upon the subject of religion*, and remonstrating against the principle and all the consequences of the same. In March 1893, the International Religious Liberty Association printed these resolutions in a tract entitled Appeal and Remonstrance. On receipt of one of these, the editor of the Catholic Mirror of Baltimore, Maryland, published a series of four editorials, which appeared in that paper September, 2, 9, 16, and 23, 1893. The Catholic Mirror was the official organ of Cardinal Gibbons and the Papacy in the United States.
This refers to James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore Maryland (1877-1921). Pius was Pope from 1922 to 1939, so it is likely that the Catholic Mirror articles were still a recent memory.
This Catholic Mirror articles respond to a Supreme Court Ruling on HR 9710 signed by President Harrison, declaring “this is a Christian nation.”
“* The Supreme Court said in a decision, “this is a Christian nation” (Holy Trinity Church v. U.S.), on February 29th, 1892. The Congressional legislation was bill H.R. 9710 (an emendation of H.R. 7520, the Sundry Civil Bill / Durborow World’s Fair Bill), which was passed by the 52nd U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Harrison on August 5, 1892. It appropriated the sum of $2,500,000 to the Chicago World’s Fair (Columbian Exposition), on the condition that the fair be closed to the public on Sundays. The wording read:
“Sec. 4. That it is hereby declared that all appropriations herein made or pertaining to the World’s Columbian Exposition are made upon the condition that the said exposition shall not be opened to the public on the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday; …”
This law was the first national Sunday legislation.”
Political correctness advocates may be a little surprised or even a bit amused by the ‘emotional language’ near the end of the articles:
“Should any of the Rev. Parsons, who are habituated to howl so vociferously over every real or assumed desecration of that pious fraud, the Bible Sabbath, think well of entering a protest against our logical and scriptural dissection of their mongrel pet, we can promise them that any reasonable attempt on their part to gather up the “disjecta membra” of the hybrid, and to restore to it a galvanized existence, will be met with genuine cordiality and respectful consideration on our part. But we can assure our readers that we know these reverend howlers too well to expect a solitary bark from them in this instance.
And they know us too well to subject themselves to the mortification which a further dissection of this anti-scriptural question would necessarily entail. Their policy now is to “lay low,” and they are sure to adopt it.”
In any case, there is far more evidence than I have stated here. Samuele Bacchiocchi’s book, From Sabbath to Sunday: A Historical Investigation of the Rise of Sunday Observance in Early Christianity, provides a very thorough discussion of the subject along with many of its absurd or illogical bases.
Thank you Donna.
Hi Skip and Donna
I don’t know if either of you are familiar with Oskar Skarsaune’s book:” In the Shadow of the Temple, Jewish influence on early Christianity”?
In it the author also argues that the early church did regular Sunday worship – of course not keeping in mind that “the day of the Lord” started on Saturday evening. But he has a lot of other references too ( from p378) including Didache and Ignatius and for extensive argumentation refers us to:” From Sabbath to the Lords day, A Biblical, Historical and Theological Investigation” etc.
I have no problem with the 7th day Sabbath, but my question is: how do we discern between all the “facts”? What is true and what’s not? I would have loved to recommend this book to others because it’s a nice all -in-one; covers history from the Maccabees, the gentile church, the early church and it is an easy read, but now I don’t know if I can believe anything else the writer says in it.
Donna, may be you can re-write this book for us? ( Skip, I believe you are already busy with 4 other books?)
“In it the author also argues that the early church did regular Sunday worship”
“I have no problem with the 7th day Sabbath”
Hi Luzette,
I don’t think there is anything wrong with attending church on Sunday
But Yeshua belonged to a religion in which Saturday was the Sabbath
The only thing wrong with Sunday church is to believe that it is what Yeshua did or that there is a biblical basis for it. Of course, if I do attend church on Sunday, and ignore the Sabbath, then I am violating one of the prime commandments. And that is another problem. But if I honor the Sabbath AND attend on Sunday, knowing the real history of Sunday service, attending because God calls me to be among those who are unaware anyway, that’s different. But if I attend Sunday as a substitute for Shabbat, I guess I can claim to be Christian (and perhaps Catholic), but I can’t claim to be biblical.
The only thing wrong with Sunday church is to believe that it is what Yeshua did or that there is a biblical basis for it.
Hi Skip,
I understand and agree but the Master might have said
Forgive them Father for they know not what they do 🙂
Yes, and then “Go and sin no more”
Matt 12:8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.
Hmmm
My hardcopy of the Bible is The Jerusalem Bible
My edition was originally written in French and affiliated with the Dominican Biblical School
My assumption is that it has a Catholic perspective, but I don’t really notice it
In my Bible, it is absolutely clear that Jesus is talking about the Sabbath on Saturday
In Matt 12:8 we see
1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them.
2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”
3 He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?
4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread–which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests.
5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent?
6 I tell you that one greater than the temple is here.
7 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.
Makes me think of Al Pacino in the movie Heat
Thanks, Donna. I will check out Bacchiocchi’s book.
I have attended and will again meet with local Christian congregations regularly on Sundays whenever I am relieved of my 24/7 caregiver status of my bed-bound 88 year old father. About a year ago I began learning about Shabbat and have been incorporating observance relative to my understanding of it.
I can tell you my Friday sundown to Saturday sundown times with my focus and attention on the Lord of the Shabbat has been amazing, encouraging, challenging, restful, stress relieving and a whole bunch of other positive adjectives. I don’t go anywhere. I stay at home mostly. I enter time with Him. It has become hard to describe in some ways. I study, I pray, I nap, I think, I eat, I have fun, I rest and relax and a myriad of other things. The longer I’ve participated in this Holy time the more fullness I experience. I truly look forward to it each week.
On the other hand, I have and will again attend church services on Sunday mornings. Frankly, I am challenged to sit through the sermons or preaching times having to stand, sit, stand, sit, etc. over and over again. So many times I want to raise my hand and ask a question or say, hey, can we pause for a moment and discuss this or that. Guess I’ve gotten weird. The times I’ve enjoyed the most at church services is the small ‘sunday school’ classes where we can discuss, ask questions, hash out tough stuff and challenge each other in an encouraging and loving way. Even in tough love situations.
In my neck of the woods, Columbus, GA, the vast majority of my fellow believers are traditional Baptists. We tend to mostly have all our ducks lined up in a neat little box and pretty much dare anyone, in a respectable Southern Baptist way, to try to knock any of our ducks out of the water. Most are satisfied in the Baptist traditions and don’t much care for anything outside the lines laid out by the pastor or the Baptist Faith and Message. Well, unless it ruffles their personal feathers. We, in the south, are well skilled at skinning people with a smile and a ‘ya’ll come back now, ya hear!’ Unfortunate.
One home Bible study extension group I attended for a while directly sponsored by the church only allowed certain books to be read as they had to go through the scrutiny of vetting to make sure the books didn’t have any contrary-to-Baptist doctrines in them to warp, bend, and destroy our minds. Absolutely no critical thinking allowed! We’ll do the thinking, approved by our seminarians. You just sit, listen, and follow the group.
I know that sounds negative, but it has grown from a positive critical desire to fill in all the holes and questions no one ever adequately answered. This observation isn’t negative but positively critical in search of the truth and everything related. I have learned loads of good things from my Sunday-go-to-meeting Christian church years. I simply want the rest of the story. Whoa! Wait, yes, I am convinced they have much and most correct and right. But just not all and everything fully figured out. I’ve been emitted with finding answers that make full sense rather than just accept the translated, traditional interpretation as if it is the final answer, period, no room for questions, dissension or outside pondering.
Some things ring true and some things don’t. I’ve stopped blindly accepting things that don’t soundly ring true. I’ve started questioning things. Shabbat rings true. Soundly. Theologically. Experientially. Personally. Historically. Now, in my mind, soul and body it dominates and permeates life for me. To me, now after many month of investigating and many more months taking up Shabbat the best to my growing knowledge I realize it is a gift from the highest of heights. Brought down, laid out in an offering to us. It comes with a note attached. It says, “Come. Here I am. Draw near and let Me share My breath, my very life with YOU. Draw close to Me and let’s have a full relationship apart from everything else. I invite you to a private meeting with the One who made every cell in you. I will invigorate each one. Then, refreshed, full of My life, go! Go back in to the days of life and show and tell anyone you meet about our time together. Invite them to draw near to Me also. Go at it for the next six days. You’ll be tired and weary by then. Then come and draw near to me again on the Shabbat I will offer you. We’ll do it all again. And again. And again.”
Shabbat Shalom
“committed to” rather than “emitted with.” Sorry.
Your story is typical of most of our journeys, and amazingly, God got us here through all those restrictions, twists and turns. So I suppose theological roadblocks are not a problem to God.
Thank you for your sweet reply. Just a thought. Bacchiocchi’s book will give you the reasoning on Shabbat and defense you may need at times against “theological roadblocks” that Skip mentioned. But the most inspiring book for me, that really elevated my anticipation and zeal for Shabbat was Abraham Heschel’s book. It made me literally “fall in love” with every detail — the anticipation, the preparation, the joy, the sounds and smells from the kitchen, the fellowship and eager study, and even the naps and walks with friends.
Blessings, Donna
Thanks, Donna.
I do have that book and I read parts of it and several other of Heschel’s books a small portion at a time. Yes, I understand what you are saying regarding Heschel’s love affair with Shabbat. That is basically what has lead me to what I described earlier.
I am slow to digest stuff. PARTICULARLY Heschel’s stuff. It is so dense of meaty good stuff that I can only swallow so much at a time. I have to take a few bites and walk off to let it soak in and digest. I covet the skill of saying much more with far less. Heschel packs a ton of stuff in a few connected words in my estimation. Skip does a good job of that as well. I have great appreciation for that valuable adeptness.
Amazon just emailed me that Bacchiocchi’s book will be mailed out in about 10 days. I look forward to reading it along with your work quoted above. I am petitioning Yeshua for your works distribution.
Orthodox Archbishop, Peter L’Huillier, in his book, The Church of the Ancient Councils, makes reference to one particular issue, the Great Feast, Pascha (Passover). Apparently for about two centuries, the Christian churches practiced this on 14 Nisan. But somewhere after the Bar Kochba fiasco, the Jewish calendar calculation was changed so that is became possible every three years to hold the Passover before the vernal equinox. According to L’Huillier, with the breakup of the geographic center of Judaism, “a variety of calculations began to be used producing different results.” L’Huillier continues,
“Then again, in the new Jewish system, following a calculation based only on the equinox, there could be a double anomaly: Passover could be celebrated twice in the one twelve-month period, that is, from one vernal equinox to the next, or it could not be celebrated at all from one to the other. On the whole, Christians gave great weight to the relation between Pascha and the vernal equinox because the time of the passion itself was linked to the six days of creation” (p. 20).
The Christian community objected to this idea they should celebrate on the basis of a calendar that was not in use in the time of Yeshua. As a result, they attempted a recalibration of the year to avoid the anomalies.
I’m not suggesting the Christian church currently has the correct calendar. But it appears there may be more to the story of the Churches “adjustment” of the calendar than what is popularly understood. And a part of the discussion is the establishment of the Sabbath day itself (and let’s not exclude calculation of the Sabbath year) – whether it is a fixed day of the week, or is determined by fixed dates of the month and calculated accordingly.
Shall we then, remain “divided by a day?” or again, “divided by diet?”
Listen again (all ye people) to what the scriptures say- (for “whom” was the Bible written?- and (why not?) is the Bible the word of God? Ahh.. once again the old (old) “battle for the Bible” surfaces..
Was the Bible written for the Jew? Does the Torah teachings (thou shalt not- etc..) apply to the Jew only? Are the Jews wanting the Gentiles to be circumcised in order to become a Jew? Is there according to “Biblical instruction” a “circumcision made without hands?” According to God’s Book- ~ For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God ~ (Romans 2.28,29)
And what about these words? (found, of course- in God’s Book- “our” Bible- Are we listening? ~ for all have sinned.. ~ The (new) pope? ~ for all have sinned…~ Billy Graham? ~ for all have sinned ~ St. Francis of Assisi? ~ for all have sinned… Moses? ~ for all have sinned…Abraham? ~ for all have sinned…Carl Roberts? ~ for all have sinned… Joe the plumber? ~ for all have sinned…What about the guy in the white house? ~ for all have sinned… What about my own children? ~ for all have sinned…
Houston, (and Dallas and Galveston) we (us humans) “all” have a problem.. Is it (he inquired) the Jews who have sinned? (here we go again..) or the Gentiles only- “they” are the problem… for “they” are the sinners.. “those guys” – yes- them over there.. Break out the “pointing finger” y’all… It’s those sinners. Ahh.. my inner Pharisee is so satisfied to whip out the finger of accusation and to say with the prophet Isaiah – “Woe be unto you.- sinner man”- and while w’ere here- you and you and you- too.
But even mighty Isaiah, (no doubt a man of God) came to this same sane conclusion- “I have sinned and am no longer worthy to be called Your son.” ~ For “I” saw the LORD.. Huh? “I?” Personal salvation? Isaiah, after all..- was a “man,”- just like you and me.
Friends, “sinners are us.” It is not the “day” that divides.. neither the “diet..” – the problem (let’s keep it simple..)- the problem is for the Jew only.. (no). the problem is for the Gentile only.. (no). The problem is for us humans- the ones who now inhabit this green planet, is (even on a Thursday) is sin.
Sin (and sin only) separates. ~ but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear ~ (Isaiah 59.2) And in true Hebrew tautology, again “it is written” – the wages (consequences) of sin is death (separation), Romans 6.23.
Is this (he inquired) my (dreaded) opinion? Or are these words, “God’s words,” written for “whosoever will?” And (he inquired again- what a pesky fellow!), does “whosoever will” include the Jew? and of course “those” sinful Sunday-worshipers, the Gentiles? And furthermore- (such cheek!) may God be worshiped “today?” Or do I have to wait for the weekend? What about Monday? Is it “okay” to worship the LORD our God on Mondays?
I’m starting to believe (I hope I’m wrong) but have we lost our everloving minds? Worship our Creator only on the Sabbath? Or is worship only on Sunday? Pick or choose only one day out of seven? What about “this” is the day which the LORD has made? May I worship “today?” or do I have to wait for a “day” and in a special “place?” (the temple..)
Whether a “day” or a special “kosher” diet- shall we remain divided? The controversial Christ.. What about these (His) words? ~ In other words, God was using Christ to restore His relationship with humanity. (Gentile humanity or Jewish humanity?) He didn’t hold people’s faults against them, and He has given us this message of restored relationships to tell others ~ (2 Corinthians 5.19)
~This message of restored relationships ~ Is this (he inquired) “good news?” Restored relationships.
Tell me again sir or m’am- the wages of sin? Sin separates. Sin divides. Sin separates God (who is thrice-holy) from man (all men- everywhere) who is sinful.
Are Jews “sinners?” And what about those “Gentiles?” Has the “fact” of sin been established?
Is there now a solution for sin? If (more like “since”) ALL have sinned- do “we” (yes, he said “we”) Do we have a Savior? ONE Who has died for “all.” ONE who hung naked upon the tslav for “all men- everywhere.” ~ For God was in Christ-in the Messiah-in the Anointed ONE- reconciling the world- the world-the world- unto Himself ~ God SO loved the Jew only.. (no). For God SO loved the Gentile only.. (no). Friends (of all stripes and shapes and colors), Because God SO loved the world- He gave unto us- unto us a Child is born- unto us a Son is given.. We “all”- We “sinners” have been given a Savior. Savior of the nations- the Savior of the world.
We will only be united, we will only be one, we will only agree and find “shalom” when we kneel together beneath the cross of the Chosen ONE. It is the cross of Christ that reconciles. It is the cross of (the) Christ that redeems. It is the cross of Christ that renews. May we ever return (again and again and again) to the cross for cleansing. Repentance is not a one-time event. Neither is repentance for the Jew only, nor the Gentile.
~ God overlooked the times when people didn’t know any better. But now He commands everyone everywhere to turn to Him and change the way they think and act ~ (Acts 17.30)
Ignorance (on our part) is no longer an excuse. For those of us who desire to obey the commands of YHWH here it is written: ~ He commands “all men everywhere to repent- to turn (back) to Him and change the way they think and act ~ (Acts 17.30) Repentance is not optional- it is mandatory.
The only time in all of the scriptures (according to my limited range of knowlege) God is pictured to “be in a hurry” is here: ~So he returned home to his Father. And while he was still a long way off, his ABBA saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him ~ (Luke 15.20) Here we see the compassion of the Father. (Exodus 34.6)
~ His son said to him, ‘ABBA-Father, I have sinned against both Heaven and You, and I am no longer worthy of being called Your son.’ ~ (Luke 15.21) Here we see the confession of the son. He confessed with his mouth and believed in his heart – “I have sinned against both Heaven and You.”
Was this also the confession of King David? ~ Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight; so You are right in Your verdict and justified when You judge ~ (Psalm 51:4)
Just the facts. Has the fact of sin been firmly established? Are “we” indeed,- “all” sinners in need of a Savior?
Has God provided for “the world” a Savior? Has the Son of man come to seek and to save that which was lost? Did (the) Christ, the Anointed die for sinners? Does the blood of Jesus (who is the) Christ cleanse us from all sin?
What do the scriptures say? ~ when I see the blood- I will pass over you ~ “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool ~ (Isaiah 1.18)
~ Therefore if any man (Jew or Gentile) be in Christ, he (or she) is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new ~ (2 Corinthians 5.17) ~ And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation ~
~Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God ~ (2 Corinthians 5.20)
And how (he inquired) is man who is a sinner, – reconciled to God who is holy? ~ For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity–the man Christ Jesus ~ (1 Timothy 2.5)
Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred Head
For such a worm as I?
At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the Light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!
Thy body slain, sweet Jesus, Thine—
And bathed in its own blood—
While the firm mark of wrath divine,
His Soul in anguish stood.
Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity!- grace unknown!
And Love beyond degree!
Well might the sun in darkness hide
And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker died,
For man the creature’s sin.
Thus might I hide my blushing face
While His dear cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt my eyes to tears.
But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give my self away
’Tis all that I can do.
At the cross, at the cross – where I first saw the Light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!
(Isaac Watts 1707)
Kneel at the cross,
Leave every care;
Kneel at the cross
Jesus will meet you there.
~ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God ~ (1 Corinthians 1.18)
Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:
Romans 3:29
I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.
I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walks in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;
A people that provokes me to anger continually to my face; that sacrifices in gardens, and burns incense upon altars of brick;
Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine’s flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
Which say, Stand by yourself, come not near to me; for I am holier than you. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burns all the day.
Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom,
Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, says the LORD, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.
Isaiah 66
And your point is?
I was no making any new point. For all the verses Carl used vis a vis Jew or Gentile, I just added one more to his list with Romans 3:29
As to the quote from Isaiah, after it was posted, I realized I should have used only verse 5 only, (Which say, Stand by yourself, come not near to me; for I am holier than you. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burns all the day) to emphasize God does not appreciate those who think they are better than others, Jew or Gentile
Hi Carl!
Your assignment, should you choose to accept, is to study name changes. How many names did Yah or Yeshua change? Who changed S’haul’s name? Have you noticed how Paul would write “you” gentiles, and when he wouldn’t? Have you ever wondered what the “thorn” in his side was?
I have an inquiring mind, and inquiring minds want to know. I try to get to the original as much as possible. Thank you Holy Spirit!
Been listenting to Parliament’s Mothership Connection. Remember that? Bet you do, LOL…..
The Purple Carrot
Some time ago I ran into a beautiful, bunch of purple carrots at our local food store. This was my first encounter with purple carrots and of course I could not wait to use it in a meal. My conscience kept telling me how much these carrots were genetically manipulated to get their color. So the next day(after eating it) I started to google purple carrots and found : Purple carrots are nothing new! Originally, 5000 years ago, carrots from the East were purple and the orange carrot that we are used to, were bred after that in the West. Very much like religion?
http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/history.html
Luzette,
I LOVE IT! We arrogant, stiff-necked people assume that WE HAVE IT RIGHT… and all along, our “carrots” have been manipulated. Just say “Constantine.”
Sunday is not the ‘Christian Sabbath” it is the first day of the week or the ‘Lord’s Day’ and there is plenty of biblical (acts 20:7 for one) and extra biblical evidence that that is when the early church gathered. Jewish Christians may have celebrated the Sabbath also while Gentile Christians may not have. If they had learned of and been baptized into Christ somewhere without a Jewish presence they may not have even heard of it or have only associated it with the Judaizers who followed the Gospel around trying to append some of ‘the works of the law’ against the declaration of the Apostles and Elders in Jeruselem (the whole 15th chapter of Acts).
At any rate, while I certainly could support anyone’s heartfelt effort to honor the Sabbath and keep it holy (not by complying with the complex and contradictory set of rules that the Pharasees had developed) I would not be part of making it a day of worship to take the place of Sunday.
That’s how I see it!
A more careful exegesis of the texts you suggest, and a deeper look at the history will show that there was no non-Sabbath, first day sabbath in Scripture. There is plenty of evidence for this and I have cited a lot of it in the past and included many of the sources in my recommended reading list. The idea that Gentile
Christians” (a designation that did not exist in the first century) followed a different worship practice than their Jewish compatriots is also not true. If Acts 15 is read in it own context, without the theological overlay of Christianity, you will see that all the Messianic believers are following Torah and conforming to its worship practices. Plenty of good material on this as well.
Finally, lumping all the Pharisees into one category is much like saying that all Christian are Southern Baptists. Does work now. Didn’t work then.
This is merely a plea of historical accuracy, evidence (which we are still investigating) and Scriptural integrity. Read without the bias and see what emerges.
And just one small point. If the Scripture measures time according to the Jewish calendar, when is the “first day of the week”? Not Sunday after midnight, that’s for sure.
Skip,
If Adam was created on day 6, and God rested (took a Sabbath) on the 7th day, then was Adam’s first complete day a Sabbath? 🙂
Sure look like it to me. And the lesson? Rest comes BEFORE work, not after, in order to remind me that I am not in charge. God is.
Rest BEFORE work for us, not for YHVH. He rested after he worked. But if God’s rest is at the end of the week, and Adam’s rest is his first day of his first week – prior to his work – does that not qualify for a “First-Day Sabbath”? 🙂
But if rest occurs on the seventh day for Adam, and it does since he was formed on the sixth day, how can this be a “first day” Sabbath. Is Adam the one who counts, or is God?
According to 1John 3:2-9 clearly reveals that sin is the transgression of Torah. John calls believers to purify ourselves in verse 3. Verse 4 tells us ” whoever commits sin also commits law lessness, and sin is lawlessness”. Verses 5-8 warn us and encourage us to practice righteousness, and to not be deceived. Verse 9 clearly defines what it is to be born of God. One who is born of God cannot sin, ie: transgress the law! The commandment regarding the Sabbath is non negotiable, period. Any individual, entity, or institution that purposes to change the commandments of YHVH trangresses against the Almighty, and will be judged by Him! Y’shua died in order to pay the penalty for our sin. Once the penalty is met, one can return and draw near to God. That’s what the Temple services taught us. The Kingdom is near us, we are no longer far away from Him thanks to Y’shua, the Lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice Who has taken away the sin of the world. If He died to remove sin which is the transgression of the Torah, we have the choice to agree to His covenant terms and to repent. So, let’s just get free from sin. This is the perfect season as we approach Pesach. We can be delivered from the traditions of men, the governmental institutions, and the religious defilements that still represent the kingdoms that keep us in bondage. We as belivers can come out of her (Egypt, the Roman church, protestanism, etc.) only by the blood of the Lamb. Freedom is our choice, righteousness is our calling, obedience is our priviledge. The Sabbath is a covenant sign between YHVH and His people according to YHVH Himself. Trangression of the Torah is sin! We are either His or not. Do not be deceived! Do not follow the ideology of “the church”.
Good points here. Just a note to say that as we explore this topic again and again, we must keep in mind that the ancient Hebrew idea of “law” isn’t the same as our idea of uniform principles of ethical behavior. I will write about this later in Today’s Word. To join His Kingdom is to follow His ways, demarcated by the traditions that accompany His instructions. Changing them to fit our circumstances doesn’t work out so well, whether we are Jewish or Christian.
Skip,
Thanks for raising the topic of Shabbat – one of the great prickly points of Christian theology.
You are absolutely right – there is not one jot or tittle of evidence anwhere in Scripture of a change in the Law moving Shabbat to Sunday.
I have no problem with people meeting to worship on Sundays ( or anyday for that matter!) But claiming that some records of brethren meeting on the first day of the week is theological justification to move Shabbat is preposterous in the extreme. It would require a massive double or triple witness in the Scriptures to justify such a change. We all know such a witness is not there! This silence screams at Protestants sort of like YHVH did at ancient Israel at Sinai. Protestantism stands indicted on this major point. It is a major point of division for those of us who seek “pure religion” and those who want to worship God “in spirit and truth”, as Yahshua commanded us to do! is is any wonder that YHVH called Shabbat the test Commandment – the sign between Him and His people. This “argument from silence” is my favourite argument in justifying Shabbat as being the only Day that God sanctified at Creation to be kept holy unto Him
And that leads to my second favourite argument: HOLINESS. I think that we all must agree that only God can make people, places, things, and time holy. As one of my favourite Messianic teachers, Brad Scott, says: “God is far too smart to allow otherwise!” Just look at the mess we have in our world. We have “holy” cities and holy places all over the Hindu and Muslim world. Holy Cow! – they have thousands of those too in India. Yes, the Shabbat stands unmovable in all it’s spiritual beauty till “heaven and earth pass away”, so said Yahshua Himself in Matthew chapter 5. Well, the heavens and the earth are still here.
Shabbat is one of God’s greatest spiritual tools for growing spiritually, growing in our intimate relationship with Him. It is the first of His commanded MOADIM – His appointed times of meeting intimately with His people. God knows what He is doing! Every seven days He yanks us away from the busy, hectic lives we lead to go on a 24 hour “date” with Our Father and Creator, in prayer and personal study of the Word and in fellowshipping and worshipping celebrating with those of like mind.
Now, look at the Sunday keeping world (though I do not judge anyone on this. It’s none of my spiritual business!) There, I see people give a measly hour or two to go to church and they are done. Then it’s off to the game. or the Mall to shop, or whatever. This precious sense of the holiness of time is not there. The world has stolen God’s time away from Him, to their loss! Is it any wonder that the world is in the mess that it is in! Go read God’s promises of blessings on Israel for keeping His Shabbats. They thought that they knew better than God! They rejected His Shabbats and so He rejected them and cast them into captivity as punishment.
The Good News is, of course, God will forgive as He always does and He will restore ALL israel as Paul tells us in Romans, chapters 9,10, and 11. And that brings me to my third favourite argument pro Shabbat – everyone will keep Shabbat during the glorious 1000 year reign of Messiah. There are a myriad of Scriptures that support this. I will quote just one here (I need to get back to work!):
“For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before me says YHVH; so shall your descendants and your name remain.
From new moon to new moon, and from shabbat to shabbat, ALL flesh shall worship before me, says YHVH.” (Isaiah 66:22-23)
Why would YHVH hammer ancient Israel for polluting His Shabbats, then turn off the Shabbat switch during the NT era and switch it on again during the Millennium? Surely, that does not make sense to anyone. Our God is the same “Yesterday, today, and forever”. He is consistent is all He does! That gives me confidence in Him and His Word.
Wow! John and Skip, such good teaching. So many people study what others have written ABOUT scripture instead of reading scripture. By keeping Sabbath, we are set apart, made holy. consecrated to God. It was a challenge for me at first; sixty years of keeping Sunday and only the last 10 years setting Sabbath apart to be with God. He told me, You have 6 other days to see your grandkids sport games and that did it for me. Never looked back. Thank you for your clear teaching.
Am I to start worship and observe saturday as the sabbath to stay out of hell? Concret boxes of bones ( ossuaries)
Were found from 100 ad. With the sign of the cross. I believe it says in new testament to not judge those observing certain holy days for all days are holy!
Sign of the cross? that would be interesting. Are you sure the symbolism isn’t being read into the image. And as for your exegesis of this text from Paul, read the context. Paul is not arguing FOR any day but rather arguing AGAINST the contemporary culture that espouses any day.
About hell. No, I don’t think worshipping on a day whose origins are pagan will send you to hell, at least not while you are ignorant of the origins or the implications. After all, the Israelites had to first KNOW that the other cultures were worshipping on another day before they could be held accountable for mimicking them. But once you know, the story changes, doesn’t it? Once you are convinced that you have made a mistake, can you continue to hold on to the mistake because it is convenient?
just FYI – I think this is what Roy may be referring to? From: In the Shadow of the Temple by Oskar Skarsaune p182
The Ambiguity of Archaeological Evidence: The Sign of the Cross
On several “ossuaries” (some found in the grounds of Dominus Flevit on the Mount of
Olives, others in Talpiot and other locations) one discerns crosses.” (An ossuary is a small
stone coffin or box for reburial of bones. They were used by Jews in the period ca. 400 B.C.-
A.D. 135.)Are these crosses Christian symbols? The Franciscan fathers think yes. The wellknown archaeologist Jack Finegan supports this position with the following argument:” the
early Christian cross symbol is rooted in the Hebrew tav (+) symbolism. He demonstrates
that the + (cross) mark is used in the margin of some Qumran scrolls to indicate passages
about the Messiah or the messianic age. He points to the fact that although the + was a Jewish
symbol, it was never previously used as a burial symbol in the Jewish tradition. Thus he
supports the Franciscan view that the ossuary crosses are messianic symbols of Jewish
Christian origin.
Others argue that the letter tav could be a Jewish symbol, recalling Ezekiel 9:3-11.
Still others are not convinced that the crosses are symbols at all. They may be “artisan
signs intended to indicate matching places, between lid and receptacle, and conveying the
simple meaning ‘this is the Spot.”‘( 8 )Others, again, take these “crosses” as examples of the
rosettes that occur on almost all Jewish ossuaries.” (9)
Thus, until archaeologists develop greater certainty about assigning archaeological
remains to Jewish believers rather than Jews in general, we have to view archaeological evidence of this kind with caution”
8 Meyers/Strange, Archaeology p104
9 Sanders, Schsmatics pp30-37
Roy,
Nowhere do the Scriptures say that all days are holy, though groups like Jehovah Witnesses teach it! Many commentators butcher the meaning of scriptures such as Colossians 2: 16-17 to justify their notions of shabbats and festivals.
I am not saying that non sabbath keepers will not be in the kingdom of God or that they will “go to Hell”. It is not for me to say that at all. After foolishly arguing with many people about shabbat for many years, I now know better and understand that the call to observe Shabbat is from the Holy Spirit. God holds us responsible only for what has been revealed to us. He is a moral and just God. Shabbat is not the be all and end all of theology. Yahshua said “Shabbat was made for man.” It’s a wonderful spiritual tool that prevents us from forgetting our God as Father and Creator of the Universe. I ponder that the reason the THEORY of evolution took over our educational system is because so few honor their Creator by keeping holy the Day He sanctified FOREVER.
Ultimately, judging is God’s business though Colossians indicates that the Church has the responsibility to judge those called into the body of Messiah on issues brought before them. Read Paul.
It should also be known that by 100AD, much of the original apostolic church was already theologically compromised. This was prophesied to happen! We look to the Word only, not boxes of bones or writings of later church writers.
Finally, Roy, fear not, God is love and as I see it HE is going to save everyone, but as Paul put it – each in his own time (!Cor 15)
Is this going to be a long and painful process? To those who have fallen deeply in love with their Jewish King and long to follow Him wherever He goes, should they, if found in the midst of a “christian congregation”, and finding no jewish type synagog to worship, become a rogue rebel?
How would you like this to merge? You have obviously given Th. subject much thought and maybe you have a mental idea as to what this process should look like according to scripture? You are doing your part by the faithful TW and we are with you in our hearts (at least I am) When I was in Israel, it seemed like the whole nation observed the friday evening and saturday sabbath. I might be wrong about this but every Friday the daily greeting was “Sabbath Shalom” I loved it, and all the markets closed early Friday. I don’t know what the Muslims do in Israel. Till the fullness of Gentiles has come, we are going to be a mess. The nations of the world were to look to Israel (the Hebrews) and know their God, but since things have changed and we have to find Him for ourselves, it will be difficult for all who want things in order to watch with their King and be patiently waiting and watching the Bride prepare for the trumpet sound and be ready with oil in her lamp to burn in the midnight hour. Is there a Rabbi Bride that could teach us His ways? Is there a Eunuch in the house of the Lord?
Even so, come Lord Jesus!
I would love a comment on this post.
If Jesus is King of the Jews, aren’t those who accept him as their King Jews? Are those who reject Christ as King real Jews? If we are going to get to the fundamentals, I say Christianity is a Sect of Judaism, equally as much as Orthodox, Reform, Hasidic or any other Sect of Judaism. Salvation is of the Jews in that Jesus is a Jew.
The woman said to him, Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.
Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and you say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
Jesus said to her, Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when you shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
You worship you know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him.
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in Truth.
John 4
Sharon, the Spirit of this letter tells me Synagogues, Churches or Mosques are secondary in worshiping the Spirit of God. That the worshiper can do anywhere, anytime, in any building, scene or situation.
Suppose I decided to move to Lesotho, give up my citizenship as an American and become a citizen of the that kingdom, a separate empire within the boarders of South Africa. Lesotho has a king, so I would become his subject. But would that give me a tribal heritage like most of the citizens. No. I would still be Norwegian. Just my citizenship would change. In like manner, when I become a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven, I do not become Jewish. That is an ethnic designation and is determined by bloodline, not citizenship. I am still a Gentile adopted into the tribe. I may be treated as if I were a full member of the tribe, but joining does not change my genealogy.
As I have pointed out, there were many sects of Judaism in the first century. There are many today. The same is true of Christianity. So the word “Jewish” has to be carefully designated in order to distinguish between its ethnic, religious and spiritual applications. I am a child of Abraham but not a descendent of Abraham. I serve Abraham’s God but not the god of many sects of both Judaism or Christianity and certainly not the gods of other religions. I have joined myself (and been adopted) to the paradigms of the biblical GOd YHWH, but that does not mean I can practice worship or behavior in whatever way I wish. If I join the tribe, I follow the tribal customs. In this particular case, the tribal custom of worship is Shabbat. If I practice worship in some other way, then I show myself as one who has NOT joined because I cannot be a citizen in thought only. Citizenship requires observable behavior. Try thinking your way into being a citizen of Italy and put that on your tax return.
Thanks, Skip. Your 1st paragraph is an excellent metaphor.
[13] Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1
According to John, being ethnically Jewish in tribal heritage does not automatically put one at the head of the line with God in the New Testament?
John the Baptist suggests the same idea by this; And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
Matthew 3:9
I think there is confusion between our christian concept of worship on a certain day and obedience to Yah’s Way. A true believer lives a life of worship in every moment, and every movement. A true belivers submits his all to his Master. And in doing so a true believer submits to the instruction to remember the Sabbath and to keep it holy. Let’s remember the fullness of His instruction regarding the Sabbath. It is the seventh day, not sunday! Let’s keep it holy, which means set apart, from the common pursuits of going our own way. His timing is Divine. The Sabbath is His. It’s not a question of worship, but rather a question of love and relationship. As long as folks who think they are believers follow the traditions of men and their religion, they will miss the wonder of His love. His love that He reveals in His teaching and instruction. Y’shua kept the Sabbath, the apostles kept the Sabbath, and Paul kept the Sabbath holy. So, what’s the problem that causes so many who think they are true believers to refuse to live as instructed by the One they say that they believe? Could it be the confusion in protestant doctrine and believing lies that the roman church teaches. Could it be personal ego? Could it be seeking justification and comfort? This should not be so difficult! Skip, you have been teaching, and the Holy Spirit is calling true believers. Others, like Mr. Wash have been explaining these things with an elegant compassion. But, the day of judgement is coming and it IS time to repent and make straight the Way of YHVH. Many will be deceived in the day of YHVH, and Y’shua warned that He will not know any doers of lawlessness and they will be ordered to depart from Him. Lawlessness is the opposition of YHVH’s instruction. Lawlessness is sin! Obedience to remember and to keep the Sabbath holy is fundamentally a sign of who is or is not in covenant with the Almighty One. It is tragic that this is debated! Israel were equally stiff necked in their journey in the wilderness even though the blood of the Lamb had delivered them from bondage. I say these things only with compassion to set the captives free, and to honor the Lamb of YHVH.
Thanks Renee for some nice observations on Shabbat etc.., I will post some additional comments over the weekend on this, in particular, to try to help answer some of the questions and issues that Sharon raised in her post
Firstly to Renee: what a wonderful play on the name of the Almighty…Yah way. I trust that He is not offended by this strong encouragement to follow His way…
Secondly to Donna: thanks so much for the extra material. I did not find the original quote reference to the Catholic Register from the 1930’s and Mr. Day’s alleged letter very convincing. A Google search provided no other links to anything other than Adventist sites. However…
I found the link to the Catholic Mirror articles from 1893 VERY powerful and convincing. You can even download the original scanned articles that appeared over a few months time frame. The articles indicate that there is NO biblical support for a shift from Saturday Sabbath to Sunday worship. It was a decision made solely by the Catholic Church based on their own counsel. Sad that the Reformation did not see this and ended up with one foot on the dock (Bible) and one foot in the canoe (RC church). A big splash followed. So very unfortunate that at the Council of Trent there was a serious split in RC arguments. Many were in favor of a return to Biblical foundations and the deciding speech by the Archbishop of Reggio swayed opinion strongly against the Protestants given the fact that they themselves did not follow Scripture on the very issue of Sabbath observance. This is amazing to me…first that the articles demolish so successfully any pretense that Sunday worship was divinely ordained…but then to cling to Tradition partly on the basis that Protestants were absolutely split-tongued on the issue. May Almighty God forgive us all for our manifest iniquities!!!
@Michael
“But Yeshua belonged to a religion in which Saturday was the Sabbath”
Exactly – and weren’t the Jewish believers in the Messiah doing their regular day jobs on the Sunday?
Special occasions like Act 20:7 happened after dark, Saturday evening( Jewish 1st day starts) after a long Sabbath day and before everyone had to return home and back to working the next day.
It was only the Romans that did not work on Sundays(daylight time) and was busy doing their Sungod-worship. ( Justin)
It seems to me, that gathering on a Sunday(day time) was a dead give away of who you were actually worshipping – because most Messianic believers would have been be doing their daily tasks. – I am only speculating.
As far as I can tell, I believe you said it correctly, Luzette.
Gathering on the first day would begin on Saturday after sundown for whatever brief time before sleep. Upon arising at daybreak, regular activities would commence. Anyone engaging in regular work activities would have a noticeable ‘look at me, I’m different’ target sticker on their backs.
And the historical record bears this out, with Roman edicts complaining that the Jews are “lazy and slothful” because they do not work on Saturday.
I just came across this, and realize it is an old post. Don’t you see some problems with the, “one new man?” Historically, it demographically overwhelmed the Jews, cannabalized them, and then turned on them with murderous hatred. It seems this experiment with gentiles seeking to keep torah, while not learning from Jews (Zech. 8:23) is that they have created another replacement theology, especially with two-house. They have brought their evangelical and neo-pentecostal baggage with them in their approach to torah and prefer teachers that relate to them culturally and don’t even know Hebrew. With growing Hebrew Roots antisemitism, people who decry it don’t seem to understand its roots.