CGI’s Jeff Reed Makes the Case for Christian Sabbath Observance?
Lonnie Hendrix
In response to my posting “Do the ACOGs really obey God’s Law?” on “Fellowship – Social Media for the Church of God,” Jeff Reed posted some remarks which will be excerpted below.
“Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
Notice that Christ said “anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands” or as the ESV renders it: “whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments.” Hence, Mr. Reed makes my argument about the validity of the changes/modifications which Armstrong introduced, and his followers have imitated! Moreover, he conveniently ignores that Matthew records in this same passage that Christ said that he came here to FULFILL the Law and the prophets (5:17). And, he went on to say that “not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” (Verse 18) Did you get that “NOT AN IOTA, NOT A DOT.” Of course, we all know that Christ did accomplish all – that he did FULFILL the Law and the prophets!
Yes, Jesus observed the Sabbath. He and his first disciples were Jewish! Also, this statement ignores the elephant in the room – Jesus had to fulfill the Torah, and the Sabbath is an INTEGRAL component of Torah! And, yes, Christ expected his followers to follow HIS instructions, example, and commandments. Notice again, however, that Christ fulfilled the requirements of Torah for us and summarized it into two great universal principles for his disciples to follow as an expression of the new life which his work had given to them, and he gave them the Holy Spirit to help them accomplish that. Hence, although the foreskin of Christ’s penis was circumcised in accordance with Torah, his male followers would NOT be expected to follow his example in this regard. Paul told the Romans that Christian circumcision was of the heart – an internal, spiritual manifestation of the physical type.In an article in the CGI Atlanta newsletter, I wrote:
As a Sabbath keeper, I am usually perceived by non-Sabbath-keeping Christians as a legalist, outdated, or not fully understanding grace. They believe that the Fourth Commandment has either been done away, changed, or is kept by Jesus living in us. In this article, I don’t want to look at why those arguments are flawed. Instead, I believe it would be more constructive to focus on seven New Testament reasons Christians should keep the Sabbath.
1. Jesus kept the Sabbath. We read many accounts that Jesus was always teaching on the Sabbath. Sometimes He would explain a spiritual truth through healing. On one occasion, He explains a misunderstanding that arose concerning His disciples picking grain. He was teaching through example and focusing on a proper understanding of the Fourth Commandment. Luke 4:16 clearly states that “as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.” A custom is an established observance that brings meaning into our life. Jesus’ custom started at creation and continued in His human life. “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6). I’m pretty sure that includes His customs.
2. Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. The observances we keep reflect the God we serve. Many different religions have different practices and ceremonies honoring their gods. What Christians observe should honor our God. One of Jesus’ Sabbath lessons ended with him concluding, “Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28). By keeping this day, we are declaring that Jesus is our Lord. It is a way we honor and worship Him.
Yes, Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath – meaning it is his to do with as he sees fit. Christ said: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-20) Likewise, in the epistle to the Hebrews, we read: “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.” (4:10) For Christians, Christ is our Sabbath! We accept what he has done for us, and we rest from our own works.
3. The Sabbath was made for us. Also, as part of this same lesson to the Pharisees, He explains that “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). We are physical creatures, and we often find ourselves tired or weary from the challenges of life. The Sabbath was created to give us rest. It gives us the opportunity to recharge so that we can function correctly the other six days of the week. It is how the Creator made us. It is a wonderful gift from God that we should rejoice at the wisdom He had in its creation. Importantly, you can only understand how great this gift is by keeping it.
Yes, the Sabbath was made for us. God sent Christ into the world to give us rest – to be our Sabbath. HE is the one who will ultimately give us all rest from the weariness and challenges of this human life. This is infinitely superior to a physical rest every seven days.
4. The Apostle Paul kept the Sabbath. “Then Paul, as his custom was, went into them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures” (Acts 17:2). On several occasions, we see Paul keeping the Sabbath. This is the same man who wrote 28 percent of the New Testament. In his letters, he continually emphasized the importance of keeping the law for Christians, not for the purpose of salvation but in response to our salvation through Christ. “Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good” (Romans 7:12). He was a Sabbath keeper and understood its importance in our relationship with Jesus.
Yes, the Apostle Paul (along with the other apostles) observed the Sabbath. Like Jesus, they were observant Jews! In other words, we would expect to find them observing the Sabbath, and we do! Frankly, the suggestion that this fact proves that their Gentile followers were expected to do the same is quite a leap in logic. Indeed, the fifteenth chapter of Acts makes it very plain that Gentile Christians would NOT be required to adopt the Jewish covenant to be accepted as disciples of Jesus Christ. And, since I just invoked the Jerusalem Council, and I am very familiar with my former culture’s arguments in this regard, a preemptive word is in order. In short, it is fiction, pure and simple, to suggest that that council was just dealing with the question of Gentile circumcision. Indeed, we read in that account that: “But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, ‘It is necessary to circumcise them AND TO ORDER THEM TO KEEP THE LAW OF MOSES.” (15:5)
5. Luke directly refers to the Sabbath commandment. In the book of Luke, we learn that the women who were at the crucifixion of Jesus afterward prepared spices and fragrant oils to anoint His body. Then “they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment” (Luke 23:56). Luke wrote this account at least thirty years later. Notice that he does not refer to it as “the former Sabbath” or “the Jewish Sabbath” but as a commandment in the present tense. And this was after Jesus’ crucifixion, a point in time when some believed the commandment was changed.
Once again, of course, the women “rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment” – they were Jews, and Christ hadn’t yet been resurrected! By the way, the New Testament makes plain that Jewish Christians continued to observe the Sabbath and Holy Days – culturally, they were still Jews! Even so, there is no indication in the New Testament that Gentiles EVER adopted this custom/tradition.
6. Jesus’ instruction shows that the Sabbath will be important in the future. In referring to the future event that will precede great tribulation, Jesus advises to “pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath” (Matthew 24:20). If there was no longer going to be a Sabbath command after His resurrection, why would He make this statement? The answer is simple. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
Christ’s remarks in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew constitute his response to a number of questions from his followers. Having just told them that the Temple complex would be destroyed, they asked: “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Verses 1-3) Hence, whether Christ was referring to the destruction of the Temple or the events preceding his return, he makes clear that those widely separated events would happen in the context of the Promised Land. In other words, the immediate impact would fall on Jewish folks who observed the Sabbath. Even so, the Sabbath is mentioned in connection with Winter – Hence, in this respect, we can see that Christ intended these references as being indicative of times that would produce hardships for folks who would find themselves in the middle of those events. In other words, it is a stretch to suggest that this reference indicates that Gentile Christians in other parts of the world would still be observing the Sabbath. And, yes, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The Sabbath pointed to him – a symbol of what was to follow. Thus, Jesus Christ was the reality when God gave this command to the Israelites, and he remained the reality after he had fulfilled it and paid the penalty for our sins. In fact, it would be highly inappropriate and irresponsible to characterize Hebrews 13:8 as a limitation on Christ’s role as Lord of the Sabbath.
7. Sabbath keeping remains for the people of God. “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9). This verse can be easily overlooked as supporting the Sabbath because the Greek word sabbatismos is translated as rest. Some Bible translations translate it more correctly as “sabbath rest.” When this word is used in other ancient Greek literature, it usually means a “keeping of the Sabbath.” So Hebrews 4:9 essentially says that “there remains a keeping of the Sabbath for the people of God.” This emphasizes the theme found in Hebrews 4, connecting the seventh-day rest with the rest that comes as we are diligently obedient to Christ.
Once again, the rest which remains for the people of God is found in Jesus Christ. We keep that Sabbath by accepting what Christ has done on our behalf and resting from our own works – period!
According to Jeff,
These are seven New Testament reasons for Christians to keep the Sabbath.
Now, although I have just demonstrated that none of these seven reasons justify requiring Christ’s disciples to keep/observe the literal weekly Sabbath, we should note that there is absolutely nothing wrong with a Christian continuing to observe that day. That is, as long as they: acknowledge that: 1) it is not a requirement for Christians, and 2) doing so will not earn them salvation or a place in God’s Kingdom. Christians are NOT under the Law – they are not obligated to obey the dos and don’ts of Torah (the commandments and rituals outlined as part of God’s covenant with Israel – what we refer to as the OLD Covenant). Instead, as disciples of Jesus Christ, we are expected to obey Christ’s condensation of the Law into two great principles. In conclusion, it is extremely misleading to characterize Christ’s work as having abolished the Law. Nevertheless, he did transform/change it, and we must never forget that he is the embodiment of it.
