Thoughts on the Sabbath Part 1

The first time I can remember intentionally going out with the purpose of sharing my faith with someone was when I was in high school in a Wal-Mart parking lot. I had just learned “The Way of the Master” method of evangelism (law to the proud/grace to the humble), and I was excited that I understood how I could show people their need for the gospel. Furthermore, my mentor/youth pastor, Bobby, and my older brother, Jonathan, were there with me doing the same thing.

When the time came, I seized opportunity and approached someone I didn’t know to talk to him about Christ. He was a lot older than me; probably late 30’s. I asked him some questions so that I could gauge his beliefs. He believed that he was going to heaven; that he was a good person. So I tried to take him through the 10 commandments to show him that he is a sinner. As I moved through them he quickly asked me, “what church do you go to?” I told him. “Oh, so you don’t honor the Sabbath?” he replied. Thinking on my feet, I retorted, “well, we believe that the Sabbath is on Sunday.” “I’m Seventh Day Adventist” he replied, “maybe I should be asking you about the commandments.”

That conversation has stuck in my mind for a while now. Sure, I’ve had my share of theological discussions that left me feeling stupid, but I was supposed to get to be explaining the gospel to this guy. I took comfort in the hope that this man was already saved and moved on. What’s interesting is that I don’t usually think about it when I think of evangelism; it’s actually when I think about the Sabbath.

The Sabbath has a strange place in the heart of many Christians (including myself). It isn’t considered one of the many hot issues of contentious debate like Calvinism, end-times, or spiritual gifts. It seems to me that most people don’t think about the Sabbath at all. Personally, my nature is to say that the scholars and theologians of the world can deal with the issue themselves, but that would leave a hole in the 10 commandments; which are supposed to be a means of showing people their sin in order to bring them to repentance and faith in the gospel.

This 3 part series is intended to help you come to a better understanding of the New Testament teaching on the Sabbath. It’s not meant to be heavy or exhaustive. I will simply talk about some ways that I have observed people thinking about the Sabbath, the different ways that we can biblically deal with the Sabbath, and then my view on what the Sabbath is and how we keep it today.

How do we think about the Sabbath?
Done-Away-Withers

Explanation- Sure the Old Testament teaches the Sabbath. But I eat bacon, wear polyester, and occasionally shave my beard. We don’t live like that do we?

Problems- This sounds fine until you consider the context of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is the 4th commandment in what most Christians consider God’s moral Law. Should we stop being monotheists, start making idols, take the Lord’s name in vain, tell our parents to stop telling us what to do, murder, commit adultery, steal, lie, or covet? Then what makes us think that God decided to get rid of just ONE of the ten?

Movers

Explanation- The Sabbath stays the same, but the church has moved it to Sunday (The Lord’s Day).

Problems- Going to church isn’t necessarily the same as honoring the Sabbath. Most people who believe this still do things that would be considered “work” on Sundays (at least occasionally).

Stays-the-Samers

Explanation- What gives me the right to stop obeying the 10 commandments?

Problem- I will talk about the biblical problems with this view in the next post, but on a practical level these people are saying that the majority of Christians throughout church history have totally missed this.

Stay tuned for part 2.

Grace and Peace,
Stephen