At first, I must admit that questions about when and how to observe Saturday have not attracted much attention from Lutherans over the years. To this day, Lutherans are largely guided by the way Martin Luther, the Protestant reformer of the sixteenth century, interpreted the commandment of the Sabbath in his Brief and Magnificent Catechisms.
In the Short Catechism, Luther translates the biblical text as follows: “Are you going to sanctify the day of rest?(For the texts of Luther’s catechisms, see the Book of Concord: Confessions of the Lutheran Evangelical Church [NT: published in Portuguese by Editora Sinodal with Editora Concerdia and Editora da Ulbra]). As you can see, this seems a little different from how we might be used to reading. To better understand the Lutheran vision of the Sabbath, we must consider both its history and its current understanding.
The Gospel and the Sabbath
Each tradition is determined by the formative age in which it emerged, which also applies to Lutheranism. When Luther rediscovered the gospel, he broke, one by one, the embedded layers of legalist regulations that forced Christians to obtain justice on their own merits. From the 16th century onwards, the central and main concern of Lutherans was, so to speak, The Gospel of Jesus Christ. This gospel proclaims that God considers us righteous, by grace, by virtue of Jesus Christ, only by faith. This gospel gives all glory to Christ and brings full comfort to afflicted sinners. gospel history as a gospel story, Lutherans were, and continue to be, vigilant in opposing anything that might point to legalism and meritorial justice, because these things undermine the gospel.
Thus Luther translated the commandment of the Sabbath to reject the legalistic interpretations that were so common in his day. At first he had to face legalism, which is found in the medieval church, regarding several regulations that the church had established on what the day should be like. Later, he also considered it necessary to reject attempts to restore the Sabbath of the seventh day as obligatory for Christians in the New Testament era.
The parallels between the legalism that Jesus found among the religious leaders of his time and the one Luther knew in his time are clear. On several occasions, the Gospels recount how Jesus resisted the Sabbath demands of his adversaries. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. “So the Son of Man is also the master of the Sabbath?(Mark 2. 23-28). Elsewhere, Jesus added that he and his father have continued to work to this day (John 5:10- Paul develops this point by arguing that Jesus is the fulfillment of the law of the old covenant and, therefore, the end of that law (Romans 10. 4).
Another central passage of Lutheran understanding of the continued applicability of Old Testament requirements is Colossus 2:16-23:
Therefore, let no one judge you by food and drink, or a day of celebration, or a new moon, or on Saturdays, for all this has been the shadow of what will come; but the body is christ’s. [?] If you died with Christ in the rudiments of the world, why, as if you lived in the world, do you submit to ordinances?Do not manipulate this, do not try this, do not touch this, according to the precepts and doctrines of men, because all these things, with use, are destroyed. Such things, in fact, have the appearance of wisdom, as a cult of oneself, and false humility and ascical rigor; however, they have no value against sensuality.
This means that none of the laws of the old covenant clearly given to Israel bind Christians. Lutherans believe that the laws of the old covenant remain valid for Christians as long as they agree with natural law, that is, they are woven into the fabric. of creation and writing in our hearts (for a good introduction to this, see J. Budziszewski, Written on the heart: the case for natural law [Downers Grove, Illinois, USA: IVP Academic, 1997] [NT: Written on the heart : in defense of natural law, without Portuguese translation]) All others may be appropriate to the extent that they are useful and serve a good purpose , but they can’t be taken for granted.
Luther’s version
In this context, we can consider Luther’s explanations of the commandment of the Sabbath as found in Exodus 20:9-11. The full text reads:
Six days, you will work and you will do all your work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord, your God; you will not do any work, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your servant, nor your animal, nor the stranger of your doors inside; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that they contain, and rested on the seventh day; That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath and made it holy.
Luther found his clue to the performance in verse 11, in doing so, did he focus on him?Rest, and in the divine word of “blessing. “
First, Luther translates the word Saturday as “day of rest”. God rested and took breath on the seventh day (Exodus 31. 17). The medieval church had often interpreted Saturday as “days of celebration” or “holy days”. ‘. These were the days designated by the church as holy days or separated for special observance. This obviously included Sundays, but not exclusively. Then a series of regulations were imposed that made observance of the mandate more than a blessing. In a sermon preached in December 1528, Luther noted that men and animals needed time to rest and breathe. A person cannot work 24 hours a day. , 7 days a week, 365 days a year, non-stop. Rest is more important than rest. Then, if it can’t be Sunday, rest another day.
Second, how to sanctify (make holy) the day of rest?Here, Luther repeats the theme of Exodus 20. 11, which reads: “The Lord blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it. “In other words, God’s word of blessing made the day Once again, this contrasts with the tendency of the medieval church to consider the space of a church sacred because, under the altar, the remains of a saint were buried. In this context, Luther stated that only the Word of God does all holy things The Word does as it says. When God says, “There is light,” there is light. When God says, “I forgive you,” you are forgiven. So how can the day of rest be sanctified?Responding to the Word of Dieu. La Word sanctified the day, just as It sanctified us. There is nothing better than taking time and dealing with the Word of Jesus Christ.
Is it today?
Each tradition is shaped by the time it gave rise to its history and values. This is certainly true in my own Lutheran tradition. The rediscovery of Luther’s gospel and his brazen rejection of the bonds of legalism continue to shape my tradition’s approach to human laws and laws. regulations Is there more to say? Certainly, in particular, I believe that the seventh-day account of creation in Genesis provides useful guidelines on how we think about ourselves, our place in the narrative of creation, and the final renewal of creation in Jesus Christ.
In many ways, the seventh day marks the end and climax of creation; everything leads to it. God loved what He had done and rejoiced in creation (see Norman Wirzbs’ useful book, Living the Sabbath [Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2006][NT: Living the Sabbath, no Portuguese translation]). He invites us, which we have done in his image, to do the same. Obviously, in Adam, we’re ruining things. God promised to restore His people and their creation. Jesus came to do things right. He came to claim and restore his creation; when he died, he endured the curse; in the resurrection, the new creation sprang up in the midst of the first creation.
Is it surprising that the early church considered Sunday, the day of Jesus’ Resurrection, as the eighth day of creation, the resurrection of Christ does not leave behind the first creation and, with it, the seventh Sabbath day. The first creation and its Sabbath are now fulfilled in christ’s Resurrection and are fulfilled in the new creation. Just as God has called us to share his joy of original creation, He now calls us to share his joy at the new creation that will be revealed. complete and definitively, when Christ returns to glory. On that day we will enter into the eternal rest of the Sabbath (see Hebrews 4:4-11), in which we will rejoice in all that God has done.
In the meantime, we must rediscover the importance and value of sabbatical rest. Have we set aside time to rest our bodies and minds?All too often, in our work-filled society, it goes through life blind to the many wonders of divine creation. We don’t observe everything God has done. Redemption brings us back to God, to others, and to creation. Saturday invites us to rejoice in all that God has done (creation and renewal) and therefore to gain encouragement.
note:
[1] N. E. : Sabá is the Portuguese transliteration of the Hebrew term. Some texts use Saturday or Saturday (transliteration into English). We chose Saba because it is a term in Portuguese and different from the day of the week. However, it should not be confused with Queen Sheba of 1 Kings 10: 4.
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This article is part of the series “Sabbat: The Tireless Debate”, in which articles will be published defending different positions so that our reader has a more complete understanding of the topic. Therefore, publishing a specific position does not indicate the position of that department View the list of articles on the subject:
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By: Charles P. Arand. © 2014 Minsiterio Ligonier
This article is part of Tabletalk magazine.
Translation: Vin-cius Silva Pimentel Review: Vin-cius Musselman Pimentel © 2014 Faithful Ministério. All rights reserved. Website: MinisterioFiel. com. br Original: The Lutheran Sabbath.