In my 3-part series entitled, “Pope Francis, Two Beasts, and the Devil’s Deadly Mark,” I built my case from a careful study of Revelation 13, history, and current events, that Sunday, as a day of worship, will someday be legislated worldwide as a misguided solution to a global crisis. This Q & A article will look more closely at this controversial issue. First, here are some recent headlines showing that Sunday legislation is now being discussed in the news:
“Using Sunday as a day of rest and renewal would be good for our personal health as well as the health of the planet” (The Guardian, Sept. 17, 2009).
“Let’s Make Sunday a day of rest, for God’s sake” (FoxNews.com, April 22, 2012).
“Keeping stores open on Sunday is not beneficial for society: Pope Francis” (NY Daily News, July 6, 2014).
“Arizona State Senator: Make Sunday Church Attendance Mandatory” ( CNN, Mar. 27, 2015).
“You need & deserve a secular sabbath” (New York Daily News, May 23, 2015)
What’s wrong with Sunday laws? Two things: 1) The fourth commandment states that “the seventh day (Saturday) is the Sabbath of the Lord” (Ex. 20:10), not Sunday; and 2) God never compels people to worship Him. Did Jesus ever force anyone to follow Him? No. “Whoever wills [chooses],” says the Lord, “let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17, KJV). “Whoever wills” and “freely” reveal freedom of choice, not compulsion. Here are some common arguments against the Sabbath, and counter-arguments, based on Scripture:
Argument 1: Sabbath-keeping is legalism.
Response: It’s true that the Sabbath (or Sunday, for that matter), may be kept legalistically out of a misguided effort to earn salvation, yet God’s desire is that our motivation for keeping His Law be based on love, not legalism. “If you love Me,” Jesus said, “keep My commandments” (John 14:15). The other nine commandments (such as “You shall not murder,” “You shall not commit adultery,” etc.) should be kept out of love, too. When Christians avoid committing adultery, are they being legalistic? Hardly. The same principle applies to those who avoid idolatry, killing, lying, or Sabbath-breaking.
Argument 2: We aren’t justified by “the deeds of the law” (see Romans 3:28), but by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Therefore, Sabbath-keeping is not required.
Response: It’s true that salvation doesn’t come by human works, but this doesn’t negate commandment-keeping for born again believers. In the very same letter in which Paul wrote that Christians are saved by grace, not works (see Eph. 2:8,9), he also urged Christian children to obey the fifth commandment, which states, “Honor your father and mother” (see Eph. 6:2). Thus saved-by-grace Christians should still keep God’s law by His power.
Argument 3: The Sabbath was only for Jews.
Response: The Sabbath originated at creation (see Gen. 2:1-3) before Jews existed. Isaiah wrote that Gentiles should keep the Sabbath too (see Isa. 56:6,7). Gentiles did keep it in the book of Acts (see Acts 13:42-44). God’s law is for everyone, not just Jews (see Romans 3:19). The words, “Jew,” and “Israel,” are not found anywhere in the Ten Commandments.
Argument 4: Paul said, “Let no one judge you in … sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come” (see Colossians 2:14-17).
Response: Note the context. Paul wrote, “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us … nailing it to his cross” (verse 14, KJV). The “handwriting of ordinances” was not the Ten Commandments, which were not written by man’s hand, but with “the finger of God” (see Ex. 31:18). Israel’s ceremonial law was written by the hand of Moses (see Deut. 31:24), and was nailed to the cross.
“Therefore,” penned Paul, “Let no man judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day … or of the sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come” (verses 16,17, KJV). The “meat,” “drink,” and “sabbaths” here referred to were the annual Jewish feasts (Passover, Day of Atonement, etc.) with their “meat” and “drink offerings” (see Lev. 23:37,38). These feasts were also called “sabbaths” (see Lev. 23:24,32,37,38), and were “shadows” because their sacrifices pointed forward to Christ’s sacrifice. Hebrews 10:1 clarifies that it was the ceremonial law, with its annual feasts and bloody sacrifices, that was a “shadow,” not the Ten Commandments.
Argument 5: What about “one person esteems one day above another, another esteems every day alike” (Romans 14:5)?
Response: The context is “disputes over doubtful things” (verse 1, NKJV), not the Ten Commandments. The early Church was composed of Jewish believers and Gentile converts. Although Paul didn’t specify what “days” he was referring to, he was probably talking about Jewish fast days (see Luke 18:12), and certain pagan feast days when Gentiles were “eating of things offered to idols” (1 Cor. 8:4). Romans 14 has nothing to do with the seventh-day Sabbath.
Argument 6: “But Jesus Christ rose on Sunday!”
Response: Praise the Lord! But let’s not use Christ’s resurrection as an excuse for breaking one of the Ten Commandments. Jesus died on the cross because we broke God’s law (compare 1 Cor. 15:3 with 1 John 3:4). Keeping Sunday as a holy day in honor of Christ’s resurrection has no Scriptural support.
Argument 7: But we are “not under the law, but under grace” (Rom. 6:14)!
Response: So true. But the next verse continues, “What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid” (Rom. 6:15, KJV). “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). To interpret “under grace” as a license to violate the Ten Commandments misinterprets Paul’s words. Jesus came to save His people from their sins (Mat. 1:21), not in them.
Conclusion: The New Testament reveals that sinners are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone from their sins of breaking God’s holy law (see Mat. 1:21; Eph. 2:8,9; 1 John 3:4). Forgiven Christians should show their love and loyalty to King Jesus by keeping the Ten Commandments by the power of the Holy Spirit (see Romans 7:7; 8:4; Rev. 12:17; 14:12). During earth’s final crisis, true Christians will stand up for God’s law, as He wrote it on stone (see Ex. 31:18; Rev. 14:9-12), no matter what the cost.
The word “Sabbath” means “rest.” The seventh-day Sabbath is a wonderful day during which God teaches us how to “rest” in Jesus Christ our Creator, who loves us, sacrificed His precious life for us, and who can give us victory over our sins when we continually trust in Him (see Gen. 2:1-3; Ez. 20:12; Mat. 11:28; John 1:10; Heb. 4:4,9,10; 1 Cor. 15:56,57).
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