From the time of the Reformation to the mid-20th century, the vast majority of Protestant Christians held a very strict view of Sunday observance. With the intrusion of liberalism, the rise of dispensationalism, and the ubiquitous presence of television, this practice has declined so much that today only a small minority of Western Christians hold this position.
Most Christians argue that Sunday is a day of worship, but since the commandment of Saturday [1] served as a sign of the covenant only for Israel (Exodus 31. 13ss. ), the Christian is not obliged to observe it.
- Saturday’s role.
- However.
- Was not unique to Israel’s experience; was instituted by God before the fall.
- In Genesis 2:1-3.
- Along with work (Genesis 1.
- 28; 2.
- 15) and marriage (Genesis 2.
- 18-25).
- God instituted the Sabbath to rule the lives of all mankind.
- Just as labor and marriage ordinances are permanent (and incorporated into the Ten Commandments).
- So is the Ordinance of the Sabbath.
- In fact.
- Notice that God based the commandment of the Sabbath on the ordinance of the Sabbath creation (Exodus 20:11).
God instituted the celebration of the Sabbath, both for his example and for his words as an institution. First, he established the beginning of Sabbath observance resting on the seventh day: “And when God finished his work on the seventh day, which he had done, did he rest that day with all his work which he had done?(Genesis 2. 2). Is the term Saturday derived from the word?He rested in verse 2. Al rest on the seventh day, God Himself established the principle and practice of Sabbath observance. To understand the ordinance of the Sabbath, we must first ask ourselves why God rested.
First, in repose, God declared that his work as creator was finished: So, were the heavens and the earth and all their army finished? (Genesis 2. 1) The words heaven, earth and army include all the results of God’s creative work between the first and the sixth day.
God’s rest, however, was not an cessation of all work (John 5:17), because he continued to work while governing the processes of life and all aspects of his created order; He has also worked to carry out redemption and continues to work to call His people to themselves and to sanctify them. Once you continue working, why do you focus on rest?When God rested from the work of creation, He declared that He had perfectly completed the work of creation and commanded mankind to worship Him as the Creator of heaven and earth.
Second, God’s rest expressed his joy in creation. Moses expanded this concept in Exodus 31. 17: “Between me and the children of Israel [the Sabbath] is a sign forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and breathed?(Note the relationship between Israel’s observance of the Sabbath and the ordinance of creation. )What does it mean that God “took his breath”? God certainly didn’t need to rest. God’s breath on the seventh Day was an expression of his joy as he contemplated the beauty and perfection of all creation that ended on the sixth day (Genesis 1:31). Just as someone takes a step back to contemplate with pleasure something built or accomplished, God?His work. ” While resting on the Sabbath, God reflected on the beauty and glory of his complete work, rejoicing in it.
Third, as he rested on the seventh day, God illustrated the promised rest (eternal life) he would provide to his people; Offered life (eternal rest) to Adam and his descendants; if Adam had not fallen into sin, this rest would have entered without going through death. God did not kindly cancel the offer of rest after the fall; instead, he renewed the promise of life, not by Adam’s obedience, but by a Redeemer. According to God’s eternal plan, the day of rest has become a weekly promise and a reminder to sinners that it would provide redemption and rest.
Resting, then, God declared that He had completed his creative activity, thus demonstrating that he is the Almighty Creator who has the authority and power to govern his creation; looked joyfully at the finished work of creation; He calls people to seek rest in him as they contemplate his kindness in the beauty of creation and his mercy in the gracious offer of redemption; He grants a foretaste of eternal rest that belongs to his people and promises reality to enter into his eternal rest. that God’s works of creation and redemption are over. They contemplate the complex beauty of their works, are encouraged in communion with God, and anticipate eternal life with Him.
Having demonstrated these truths for his own rest, God explicitly devoted the seventh day for man to keep the Sabbath: “And God blesses the seventh day and sanctifies it; Why did you trust all the work you had done as Creator?(Genesis 2. 3 In this double act of blessing and sanctification of the day, God instituted the standard of six days of work and a seventh day of rest.
Some suggest that God blessed his eternal rest, not the seventh day. However, in the commandment of the Sabbath, God specifically blessed the seventh day of the weekly cycle, establishing the responsibility of believers to keep the seventh day holy in their Sabbath blessing: “Wherefore, did the Lord bless and sanctify the Sabbath day?(Exodus 20. 11).
In blessing the day, God has assigned him his special purpose. When God blessed something in the account of creation, He established his purpose and endowed the created thing with the ability to accomplish that purpose. : 22, it was proposed that they multiply and fill the earth and endow them with inclination and the ability to reproduce, so that they could at achieve that purpose, the same is evident in God’s blessing on man (Genesis 1:28). Similarly, when God blessed the seventh day, He gave him a purpose and the ability to accomplish that purpose.
He also promised those who would follow his example of rest every seventh day that he would bless them. Therefore, in blessing the day, he made the day a blessing to man. Christ certainly had this blessing in mind when he said :?He added: Was the Sabbath established because of man, not man because of the Sabbath?(Mark 2. 27). For a list of blessings related to the Sabbath, see Isaiah 58:13-14.
Is God’s purpose in blessing the day clearer when you understand its meaning?Sanctify? The day. When God sanctifies something, He separates it from its ordinary use for a special religious use related to his worship and service; for example, he stated that the priest’s clothes, the altar, the sanctuary, and all the furniture and utensils used first in the tabernacle and then in the temple were sacred or holy. Because of this sanctification, these things should only be used for the sacred purposes of worship (Exodus 30:37-38).
So how should Christians apply this seventh-day sanctification? Does the Bible require Christians to observe one day in seven or are they all the same? Should Sunday be observed according to the commandment or are Christians free to spend the day as they please, as they please? They can reasonably assume that just as God set aside certain things for their special use and service, He reserved the seventh day for special purposes of worship and adoration. This is not to deny that the other six days are holy. and it must be used for the glory of God; Christians are to glorify God in everything in life; however, he established the seventh day as a holy day, reserved for special purposes.
As He blessed and kept the holy day, God communicated to Adam and Eve, and through the scriptures to all mankind, the principle of Sabbath observance. Christians should treat as a saint what God declares holy, concluding that observance of one day in seven is a moral obligation perpetually in force, because of this ordinance of creation. The New Testament shows that God changed on the day of the seventh to the first day of the week (Colossses 2. 16-17; Acts 20. 6-7; 1 Corinthians 16. 1-2 Revelation 1. 10) Although God changed the day, obligation, and privilege remain.
Therefore, the commandment of the Sabbath is only the extension and application of the ordinance of creation. Just as the moral responsibilities of marriage and work remain, so does the moral responsibility to keep one in seven saints.
note:
[1] N. E. : Sabá is the Portuguese transliteration of the Hebrew term. Some texts use Saturday or Saturday (transliteration into English). We chose Sabbat 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 “Sabbath: The Tireless Debate”, in which articles will be published defending different positions so that our reader has a more complete understanding of the topic, so the publication of a specific position does not indicate the official position of that department See the list of articles on the subject:
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By: Joseph A. Pipa Jr. . © 2014 Minsitério 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 Puritan Sabbath.