Is Keeping the Sabbath Necessary for Salvation?

[hymnsinger]

"Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed." (Ex 31:15-17) (emphasis - mine)

I think the big misunderstanding of what the Sabbath is for starters. Some use 2 words to back up scripture.

Hebrew H7637, shebiy'iy, sheb-ee-ee'; or  shebi'iy, sheb-ee-ee'; ordinal from H7657; seventh and
Hebrew H7673. shabath, shaw-bath'; a prim. root; to repose, i.e. desist from exertion; used in many impl. relations (caus., fig. or spec.)

One word means the seventh and the other means to rest. Now there are whole doctrines built on the misinterpretation of the words.

The original Sabbath day of rest was the seventh day, which in our present calendar would be Saturday. God worked six and rested on the seventh.
God always told the children of Israel to remember the Sabbath day. But we are not the children of Israel and it was for them and the old testament.

I will agree that it is on Saturday, NOT Sunday which is the first day of the week. The day that most Christians will agree is the Lord's day (little d). But here is where the misunderstanding comes in. When Jesus died, the Testator of His will, the new covenant, the new testament came into effect.

"Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: "So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest,' " although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: "And God rested on the seventh day from all His works"; and again in this place: "They shall not enter My rest." Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again He designates a certain day, saying in David, "Today," after such a long time, as it has been said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts." For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His." (Heb 4:1-10)

The author of Hebrews argues that God's promise to His people was not fulfilled by their entrance into Canaan. Therefore, still promised is a rest which has not yet been enjoyed (vv. 1-10), and Christians must strive for that rest, motivated by their own responsibility in the matter (vv. 11-13).
Some think that the "rest" here is equivalent to heaven, while others see it more as spiritual progress and growth in maturity, occurring as believers are obedient to God's word on their spiritual journey toward heaven. These ideas should be considered to refute the idea that the gentiles are under the old testament covenant clearly meant for God's chosen of Israel. But, I believe that this now means that the Sabbath is the seventh one thousand year day, the millennium."Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Mat 11:28) the true Sabbath.

I have watched "cult" preachers on TV claim that not observing the Sabbath will send you to hell. Maybe, but not the old testament Sabbath.

I have much more on the subject but await any responses.


I know that I probably disappointed a lot of 7th Day Adventists, but they need to know the Truth.

In His service
>< ))/*>

[smiley4jc]

I think a better question might be, "What did God mean by "keep the Sabbath day"?" We know that the Pharisees had this all worked out concerning what you could and couldn't do on The Sabbath.  I'm not interested in what they thought God meant.  We can look all through the Gospels and see that they tried to trap Jesus over and over with this question.  You could carry something in your pocket as long as you didn't go outside because if you carried something in your pocket outside it was considered work.  Please!  That ain't nothin' but some old man bored to distraction, with nothing else to do but meddle in people's lives!

Exo 20:8  Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

H2142
za^kar
zaw-kar&'
A primitive root; properly to mark (so as to be recognized), that is, to remember; by implication to mention; also (as denominative from H2145) to be male: -  X burn [incense], X earnestly, be male, (make) mention (of), be mindful, recount, record (-er), remember, make to be remembered, bring (call, come, keep, put) to (in) remembrance, X still, think on, X well.

H7676
shabba^th
shab-bawth'Intensive from H7673; intermission, that is, (specifically) the Sabbath: -  (+ every) sabbath.

H3117
yo^m
yome
From an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm hours), whether literally (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figuratively (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverbially): - age, + always, + chronicles, continually (-ance), daily, ([birth-], each, to) day, (now a, two) days (agone), + elder, X end, + evening, + (for) ever (-lasting, -more), X full, life, as (so) long as (. . . live), (even) now, + old, + outlived, + perpetually, presently, + remaineth, X required, season, X since, space, then, (process of) time, + as at other times, + in trouble, weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), X whole (+ age), (full) year (-ly), + younger.

H6942
qa^dash
kaw-dash'A primitive root; to be (causatively make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally): - appoint, bid, consecrate, dedicate, defile, hallow, (be, keep) holy (-er, place), keep, prepare, proclaim, purify, sanctify (-ied one, self), X wholly.

I've never looked this far into this but what I'm thinking now is this:

Exo 23:16  And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.

Rom 11:16  For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.

In the New Testament Jesus tells us that he didn't come to destroy The Law but to fulfill it.  (Matt. 5:17-48) Then he told us that unless our righteousness goes above that of the Pharisees, we won't make heaven.  That tells me to look to The Word (Jesus), instead of The Law (men, especially those who expound on the law).  In the Old Testament people brought the firstfruits of their labors: their harvests, their flocks, their businesses, etc.  In the New Testament, the principle is the same:  the firstfruits are holy.  But, just as circumcision of the flesh was commanded in The O.T.  Paul stated the heart should be circumcised in the N.T., so, I believe, when speaking of the Sabbath, we should look inward to the heart instead of outward, physical actions today.

Do I think a person should work on Sunday?  That depends on what you're working at, not to sound like a Pharisee.  I do not think you should engage in whatever it is you do for a living.  You have 6 more days for that.  Do I think God frowns on me working in my garden?  No.  When I have a hoe in my hand, alone in the garden, (gee...that sounds good...someone should make a song of that...)  my body is working but most often my mind is on God.  It's a time for communion and fellowship...for me.  For someone else, their special time with God might be fishing, spending time with their family or building something.  Or it might be just sitting quietly reading The Word or praying.  I think different people have different ways of honoring God.  Look at the children of Israel:  there were various craftsmen who constructed the tabernacle.  Each did their work to honor God.  And it was beautiful to Him.

I do think we should set aside the first day of the week, which under this calender system (and who gives a hoot if we are under a Roman Calender!) happens to be Sunday.  I do think we should attend church on that day because Scripture tells us that day is holy (see H6942 above).  After church, what we do is our own personal expression of honoring God.  I'm a wife and mother.  I honor God by taking care of the husband and children He gave me.  I honor God by enjoying the horses He gave me and riding through His creation which He also gave me.  I don't think there has ever been a time when I have been in the woods that I haven't thought at least once how magnificent and wonderful God's world is.  I might work in the garden, or visit with friends.  All of which, I believe honors God...if I approach it the correct way.

Back to the original question now:  "Is Keeping the Sabbath Necessary for Salvation?"  No.  We have already determined in other discussions that there is only one thing necessary for Salvation:  Jesus and belief that he is The Son of God who died for the forgiveness of our sins, was raised from the dead and now sits at the right hand of The Father waiting to return and take all who believe in him home.  But...ask the question a different way:  "Is Salvation Necessary for Keeping the Sabbath?"  Yep.  The very first way we honor God is to believe He is who He says He is and believe what He says.  He said we are sinners.  He said we needed a Savior.  He said He sent His Son as a perfect Sacrifice for those sins.  He said we are forgiven and made righteous through that sacrifice of His Son.  If we believe all this and the rest of His Word, then we are honoring God...not only on the Sabbath but every day of our lives.  And since he said we should honor Him by giving Him the firstfruits of everything, then we should give Him the first day of our week.  Look again....

Rom 11:16  For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.

Do you want the rest of your week to go smoothly?  Honor the first day.  If the first day is holy then the rest of the week will be, too.  In our finances, all God asks is that we give Him His 10%.  We get to keep the other 90%.  Of our weekly time (one day to be holy and for Him), all God asks is 14.285714285714285714285714285714 %.  I also think we should give him the first part of the time of our day:  1 hour would be 04.1666666666666666666666666666667%.  10% of our day would be 2.4 hours.  What's the big deal?  I mean, you woke up this morning.  God has brought you through the night.  He has given you the very breath your are breathing and the air you breathe.  He has given you His Son!  All this seems a small price to pay for all God has given us.  But...tha's a Father for ya'.  Always giving and asking for so little in return.

smiley

[hymnsinger]

I think your post intimates that you still think the Sabbath is Sunday. That God rested on the first day and worked the rest of the week. The 2 words I gave would indicate that the Sabbath is on Saturday by our present calendar.

Originally the church (the Christian community), got a 2 day weekend to honor both the Sabbath, the seventh day and the day of worship, Sunday, the first day.

 "Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight." [Acts 20:7 NKJV] This scripture does not say that meeting on the first day was the Sabbath or common practice. But, I would suspect that the Jewish Disciples attended temple and rested on the Sabbath [Acts 13:14; 16:13] and spoke to the unsaved and brethren starting on the first day of the week, Sunday.

"On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come." [1 Cor 16:2 NKJV] Again, I see nothing here to indicate that this was the Sabbath, a day of rest for the Jewish disciples. The first day was the day that they started their ministry again. Which was evangelizing.

I agree that all days should be kept holy, but this has always been a bone of contention with me. SOME, saying that Sunday the first day of the week is the Sabbath, the seventh day. It is not taught in the Bible.

"One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it." [Rom 14:5, 6a NKJV]

In His service
>< ))/*>

[hymnsinger]

I watched a Seventh Day Adventist program on "Sunday" and the preacher started off great about true and false worship but very quickly began preaching about worshiping a "DAY." [Romans 14:5; Col. 2:16]

He doesn't seem to grasp the differences between Israel and the Gentiles. All through the Old Testament the LAW was given to Israel not the gentiles. [Ephesians 2:11,12]

Jesus gave us (Christians) two (2) laws, not ten (10). The Israelites were given 10 commandments and 613 laws which could never save them. It defined sin and what was expected of them. If the Adventists would read the O.T. for what it is and remember that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life and His commandments encompass all the laws.

First, God doesn't recognize any sin worse than another except the blaspheming of His Holy Spirit. Sin to Him is missing the mark of His righteousness. Jesus gave us 2 positive commandments to LOVE. Love God, love the image of God.

The Israelites were given 8 Negative commandments to honor God and respect their neighbor.

When the preacher quoted Genesis 2:2,3 "And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made." Does this mean that God is just laying around heaven all day, or working 6 and resting on the seventh?

What does "For a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it is past, And like a watch in the night." [Psalm 90:4] and "But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." [2 Peter 3:8] mean? Could it mean that after the 7 day week of creation, God now has thousand year days? He is doing His work every thousand year day and will rest on the seventh thousand year day?

Literally it means what everyone can read. Spirit filled or not.

Figuratively it means that Israel should remember the Seventh Day and keep it Holy and rest. Science has proven that man will "burn out" if he doesn't take a day or 2 off every week.

Spiritually, for the followers of Christ, it means the seventh one thousand year day. The millennium. The Lord's DAY. The Day Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, promised us Christian believers as the true rest. [Heb 4:1-11], [Matt 11:28]

To take this and other passages literally and figuratively is to read the human authors and ignore the message of the Co-Author, the Holy Spirit. An example is to believe that we will all be children in heaven because of Mark 10:14,15.

I think if we are Spirit filled we should recognize the spiritual message of the Bible. It is more than a "Good Book" written by man. It is a spiritual mirror, where one can look into and see what his heart looks like.

A physical mirror can reflect your physical, worldly, carnal image. But God's word, the Bible reflects your heart, your soul. [1 Cor 13:12; James 1:22-25] What do you see when comparing yourself to "What Would Jesus Do" in the Bible? Or more appropriately "What Did Jesus Do" or "What Would Jesus Expect?"

In His service
>< ))/*>