The New Covenant (New Testament) is "a better covenant" (Hebrews 8:6 KJV). The New Covenant is better for at least two reasons: The Old Covenant applied only to the Jews and no one could keep it because they did not have the power to do so, and if any of the Jews broke the Law at just one point they were guilty of breaking the whole Law (James 2:10 NIV). The New Covenant includes not only Jews if they repent of their sins and receive Jesus Christ (are born again), but Gentiles also.
Anyone who is born again (unlike unsaved Jews) has the grace (God-given desire and power) to obey all the commandments of the New Covenant (approximately 180). "The Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).
God said in His Word, speaking of the Israelites after they left Egypt, "I gave them My sabbaths to be a sign between Me and them [the Israelites], that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness" (Ezekiel 20:12-13). God gave the sabbaths to Israel (the Jews), not Israel and the other nations.
Now, having said all the above, and knowing that it is the New Covenant by which we establish our practices and doctrines, where in the New Testament does it say that Christians should keep the Sabbath? Also, for those who want to keep the Sabbath, where does it say how to keep it? The only place in which the Bible contains instruction on how to observe the Sabbath is in the Law of the Old Covenant that was given to the Israelites only (Exodus 19:6; 35:1, 4).
It is not recorded anywhere in God's Word that He imposed Sabbath-keeping on any holy men of God (or anyone else), nor how to keep the Sabbath before the Law of Moses was given about 1425 B.C., more than 2,500 years after Creation! Again, God never commanded anyone, including holy men of God, to keep nor did He give instructions concerning how to keep the Sabbath prior to the giving of the Mosaic Law, including Adam (who walked with God and enjoyed an intimate relationship with Him until The Fall), Noah, Enoch (who walked with God for 300 years before he was raptured), Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (Israel), Joseph (who became Prime Minister of the Egyptians who did not observe the Sabbath) and others. In fact, there is no mention whatsoever of the Sabbath day in all the history of the Book of Genesis covering the first 2,500 years after Creation, and the Jews heard nothing about the Sabbath until after the Exodus, as recorded in Exodus 16:23. These truths alone should be enough for us to understand about the Sabbath.
Some of the commands concerning keeping the Sabbath are:
"Everyone is to stay where he is on the seventh day; no one is to go out" (Exodus 16:29). How many Sabbatarians break the Sabbath every week by traveling, even to go "worship" God on the Sabbath?
"Do not light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day" (Exodus 35:3). How many Sabbaterians break the Sabbath by lighting a fire in their houses on the Sabbath?
"Whoever does any work on it [the Sabbath] must be put to death" (Exodus 35:2). A man was found gathering wood on a Sabbath day. "The Lord said to Moses, 'The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.' So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses" (Numbers 15:32-36). How many Sabbaterians obey God by the whole assembly taking a man out and stoning him to death for even gathering wood for a fire on the Sabbath?
First, we need to know how long was the Old Testament law in effect? That question is answered in Luke 16:16a: "The law and the prophets were until John [the Baptizer]." Of course, the Jews are still living under the Law because they are refusing to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul said in the epistle to the Romans that, "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth" (10:4).
Second, it was God's design for the Old Covenant to be replaced by the New. The writer to the Hebrews tells us, "For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second" (8:7). Just prior to this we are told that Jesus, who is our High Priest, "is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises" (8:6).
Third, we need to answer the question, What was the function of the Law? Paul tells us in the epistle to the Galatians: "Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed [Jesus Christ] should come to who the promise was made....Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster" (3:19-25).
Fourth, we are living by grace under the New Covenant. Grace is the desire and power to do God's will. In the Gospel of John, God tells us that "the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (1:17).
Fifth, because we are not under the Law, does this mean that we can do what we want to? The inspired apostle Paul said, "Sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the [Old Covenant] law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid" (Rom. 6:14-15).
Sixth and last, what did Jesus mean when He said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15)? While we are not under the Old Covenant Law there are 180 New Testament commandments. We are commanded to obey God in these things that are clearly written in the New Testament. If we do not obey these commandments it is irrefutable proof that we do not love Jesus Christ.
1. The apostle Paul, a Jew said, "I MYSELF AM NOT UNDER THE LAW" (1 Cor. 9:20).
2. "ALL WHO RELY ON OBSERVING THE LAW ARE UNDER A CURSE" (Gal. 3:10).
3. "CHRIST REDEEMED US FROM THE CURSE OF THE LAW" (Gal. 3:13).
4. "NOW THAT FAITH HAS COME, WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE LAW" (Gal. 3:25).
5. "YOU HAVE BEEN SEVERED FROM CHRIST, YOU WHO ARE SEEKING TO BE JUSTIFIED BY LAW; YOU HAVE FALLEN FROM GRACE" (Gal. 5:4).
6. "IF YOU ARE LED BY THE SPIRIT YOU ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW" (Gal. 5:18).
7. "THOSE WHO ARE CIRCUMCISED [JEWS] DO NOT EVEN KEEP THE LAW THEMSELVES" (Gal. 6:11).
8. "IF RIGHTEOUSNESS COULD BE GAINED THROUGH [KEEPING] THE LAW, CHRIST DIED FOR NOTHING!" (Gal. 2:21).
9. "GENTLES...DO NOT HAVE THE LAW...THEY DO NOT HAVE THE LAW" (Rom. 2:14) (Gentiles never have had the Law.)
10. "NO ONE WILL BE DECLARED RIGHTEOUS IN HIS [GOD'S] SIGHT BY OBSERVING THE LAW" (Rom. 3:20).
11. "SIN SHALL NOT BE YOUR MASTER, BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT UNDER LAW, BUT UNDER GRACE" (Rom. 6:14).
12. "WE HAVE BEEN RELEASED FROM THE LAW SO THAT WE SERVE IN THE NEW WAY OF THE SPIRIT, AND NOT IN THE OLD WAY OF THE WRITTEN CODE" (Rom. 7:6).
13. "CHRIST IS THE END OF THE LAW ... FOR EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES" (Rom. 10:4).
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