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Loading ...It is true that the Jewish sabbath is on Sat. The common consensus is that Sun, the Lord’s day, is the day Jesus rose from the grave (Rev 1.10). That’s the reason we have church on Sun.
Early Christians (many of whom were non-Jews) had debates on how Jewish the church had to be. They debated circumcision among other issues, like eating meat sacrificed to idols, Sabbath day, going to the temple, etc. ( 1 Cor 7.19-20, Gal 5.5-7, Gal 6.14-16) . It’s clear that the early church decided that non-Jews did not have to be circumcised nor did they had to celebrate Jewish holy days (Col 2.15-17). It’s also clear that Christians aren’t under the law: if we were we couldn’t drive to church, eat catfish, or wear polyester. If fact, that was Jesus’ indictment against the law. The scribes and elders placed too heavy burden on the people. On the Sabbath, you couldn’t walk more than x feet, couldn’t lift more than y weights, couldn’t cook any other food than z. If you remember, Jesus himself “broke” the Sabbath when he and his disciples picked grain ( Mark 2.23-28) and even healed on the Sabbath ( Luke 13.10-17)
Instead, many scholars believe that the Sermon on the Mount is designed to outline how Jesus expected his disciples to live, and it’s the Sermon on the Mount and rest of Matthew 5-7 that describe what should be Christian behavior (loving enemy, meekness, etc), not the 10 commandments . So the 10 commandments make sense only through our understanding of Jesus.
I agree with scholars who believe that Christians aren’t governed by moral imperatives but instead, by virtue. That is, Jesus didn’t leave us a list of rights and wrongs, but virtues/characteristics that we live our lives by.
For example, the highest virtue is love–self-giving. Faithfulness is another virtue which means we not only remain true to God but also to our spouse (Command 7). We are people who are radically truthfully (Command 9). There’s no virtue about which day we worship, but living in relationship is a virtue. So we meet with each other and we God on a regular basis.
In short, yes, the Sabbath is technically sundown Fri to sundown Sat. Evidence from the New Testament shows that early Christians did not keep the Sabbath. Based on these conclusions, we aren’t obligated to observed Sat as a day of rest or worship. (It really can’t be more definitive than Col 2.15-17.)
There are a couple of books dealing with these and other ethical issues that might be of interest:
The Moral Vision of the New Testament by Richard Hays
Kingdom Ethics by Stassen and Gushee
Christian Ethics by Norman Geisler
and for good measure The Politics of Jesus by John Yoder
I hope this helps. If I can clarify further, please let me know.
biblegateway book id consensus Evotational jesus rose jewish sabbath sun Filed under Evotational | Comment (0)Let’s Celebrate Advent
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...of course christmas is on every one’s mind: shipping, decoration, partying. unless you
come from a mainline denomination, you may not be familiar with advent, though. where christmas celebrates Christ’s birth, advent celebrates his coming. now christimas is included in advent, but not visa versa. advent is a season, a holy longing, waiting for Christ the savior, who was manifest as a baby human.
one of my favorite Advent celebrations is the wreath and candles. every year we use the advent wreath and candles in the amplify service. unlike most of our service, which is dynamic, loud, etc…this time, when we light the candles, read advent scripture, and pray advent prayers is solemn, consecrated, and mysterious. it’s really easy, deeply spiritual, and profoundly significant. if you have kids at home, i think they’d really like this tradition.
above and below are links with more information on what advent means, how to celebrate advent, how to make an advent wreath, etc.
- how to make and use an advent wreath
- the making and meaning of an advent wreath
- prayer and customs of advent and christmas
- advent resources
commit here how your advent project goes.
advent prayers advent resources advent wreath Annoucement candles celebrations christmas advent course christmas customs Evotational favoriate longing mainline denomination manifest partying prayer profound savior scripture visa versa Filed under Annoucement | Comments (2)I’ve got a question. You got an answer?
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...i received an email containing this question this week, which i promptly answered. i’ll post the question today and my answer tomorrow. more important than my answer is: how would you reply if you received a similar email? what would your response be?
comment your replies to the question below…let the experiment begin!
answer tomorrow christian principles christian sources consensus contradict displaced email Evotational internet projects i can remember i desire new testament old testament predicament promptly reply sabbath taint ten commandments testament laws Filed under Evotational | Comment (1)The question I possess is a notably important one as it directly affects my understanding of the Ten Commandments.
Numerous “Christian” sources on the internet (which I understand are not always credible and often taint Christian principles) contend that Sabbath falls on Saturday, not Sunday. If this proves true, then I have been in sharp violation of God’s law for as far back as I can remember. Though this has not been a “willing” choice, it is also not a choice I desire to make further if it is, in fact, an unbiblical one. In addition, I understand Jesus displaced all of the Old Testament Laws with two, and for this reason, many sources assert that upholding Sabbath is not necessitated by the New Testament. Regardless, the common consensus on the internet projects a Saturday (not Sunday) Sabbath. I do not want to contradict God’s Law, so could you give me some direction with this?
Pearls of Principles
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...There are some books that have been written for us to read for our enjoyment and /or entertainment. And then there are other books which have been written to impart profitable knowledge to us. Many years ago I taught a basic marketing course at SMU. On the first day of class I told the students that they could read enough of the text so that they could pass the tests and then they would probably forget what they had read. However, it was suggested that as they read the text they should search deeper for marketing principles that would help them to grasp the real meaning of the subject matter. By doing so, the information would remain with them longer and they would better appreciate the course. To assist them, they were given Webster’s definition of principle which is a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine or assumption.
We can take the same approach in reading our Bibles. We can read them superficially like we would read a novel or we can dig for pearls of Christian principles which will abide with us as we apply their teaching. The best study Bible is probably one without any notes. By reading a Bible without notes, Holy Spirit can reveal what He desires for us to learn at that specific point of time in our life. A good example of a Christian principle can be found in James 1:2-4. “(2) My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, (3) knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. (4) But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (NKJ) The pearl is found in verse three; “…the testing of your faith produces patience.” We need not only to mentally know the Biblical principles but to also appropriate them in our spirit so that they may be of the fullest benefit to us. The challenge to each of us is “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15, NKJ).
Evotational Filed under Evotational | Comment (0)Thanksgiving
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day - the one day each year that was originally set aside for the people in the United States to spend time with family and loved ones and to give ‘thanks’ for their blessings. However, we should be careful to give God thanks many times every day for the blessings that he has bestowed upon each of us. There are many blessings that we have received from Him which we may not ever recognize.
Psalm 66 is a thanksgiving psalm. The writer of this psalm is calling for all people to praise and honor God. We are told to praise God as individuals and as nations for all of the wonderful creation and deeds that He has done. In verse five of the New King James version we are told to “Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men”. We should come in a spirit of expectancy knowing that God will meet our need in His own super natural way. He should be our only source for all areas of our life.
Verses eight through twelve instructs the nations, especially Israel, to give thanks to God for what He has done for their country. The author points out that a nation is being proved when they are experiencing hardships but that God is with them and brings them out of the “… fire and through the water” to rich abundance. The last eight verses of this psalm is a testimony from the writer that he will personally praise and honor God as he has admonished us as individuals and nations to do.
Would it not be a good idea, if we do not already do so, to become more sensitive to the touch of God’s hand upon our daily life? We should count our blessings and begin praising and honoring God for the concern and interest He takes in our personal walk. May each day be a day of thanksgiving for us!!
admonished author points Evotational give god thanks give thanks hardships have received from honor god king james version many blessings new king james version praise god psalm 66 rich abundance thanksgiving day thanks to god time with family wonderful creation works of god Filed under Evotational | Comment (0)
