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The 7th day Sabbath was commanded for the ethnic Israelites/Jews. We Christians are spiritual Israel, which includes both ethnic Jewish Christians and non-Jewish Christians with no distinctions between them under the New Covenant.I was asked this question and thought it would be more appropriate to answer here. . .
No, I do not work on the Sabbath. I personally don't look at the Sabbath as to what we can't do (although I used to in times past). I look at it as holy time (communion) with our Savior on His holy day. Exodus 20:10, Isaiah 58:13 This is what God wants, we work six days Exodus 20:9 and rest in His Word on the seventh day. For me personally I do this through going to Church (holy convocation Leviticus 23:3 and the example Jesus left Luke 4:16-22). I spend time in bible study, prayer, in nature and making the day about God. God's promises blessings when we keep this commandment- I find it to be really true! Isaiah 58:13-14
My friend @Freth posted this a while back which has some really good information
Scriptures tells us what the purpose of the Sabbath is.
Exodus 20:8-11
Exodus 31:16-17
- The Sabbath is called a day of rest.
- We are told to remember the Sabbath.
- We are told to keep the Sabbath holy.
- Why? (verse 11) "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." (A reference to creation.)
Isaiah 58:13-14
- The Sabbath is to be kept.
- The Sabbath is to be observed throughout our generations.
- The Sabbath is called a sign between us and God.
- The Sabbath is a perpetual covenant.
- The Sabbath is a day of rest and refreshment.
- Why? (verse 17) "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed." (A reference to creation.)
Revelation 14:6-7
- The Sabbath is called a holy day.
- We are given a promise of rich blessings:
- If we turn our foot away from doing our own pleasure, or our own ways.
- If we do not speak our own words.
- If we keep it holy.
- If we call the Sabbath a delight.
- If we call the Sabbath the holy of the Lord, honorable, and honor Him.
- If we delight ourselves in the Lord.
- Why? (Verse 14) "For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." (A reference to creation.)
- The first angel's message is a call to worship:
- The gospel goes to the world.
- Fear God.
- Give him Glory.
- Worship Him.
- Why? (verse 7) "For the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." (A reference to creation.)
Conclusions:
If the Sabbath is...
...then the Sabbath is a day of worship. Case in point: Exodus 23:3 calls the Sabbath a holy convocation.
- A holy day.
- A day of rest.
- A day to remember.
- A perpetual covenant.
- To be observed throughout our generations.
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Regarding the argument that the Sabbath is specifically for Israel:
If...
...then we are Israel.
- There is neither Jew nor Greek, for all are one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11)
- Gentiles are grafted in to Israel. (Romans 11:11-24)
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If God consistently points back to creation in association with the Sabbath, then the Sabbath is a memorial of creation itself. God instituted the Sabbath at creation so that...
God doesn't ask for seven days of worship, He asks for one.
- We would not forget that we are created beings.
- We would have a day set aside to commune with God.
- We would have a day of rest, to recharge, and to re-center ourselves with God after a long work week.
- We would have a schedule where we could look forward to it and call it a delight.
- We would have a clear set day of worship.
There is a lot more that could be written on the subject, but I think this gives a clear understanding of what the purpose of the Sabbath is.
Regarding Romans 11:11-24, both Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians are branches of the same olive tree. The root of the olive tree is God/Jesus. The branches of the olive tree represent the people of God which includes both ethnic Jews and non-Jews. Gentiles do not ever become ethnic Jews. It was the ethnic Israelites/Jews who were commanded by God to keep the 7th day Sabbath. Exodus 31:13
The Christian Gentiles were never commanded to keep the 7th day Sabbath. They were commanded by Jesus to keep the Lord's Day which commemorates Jesus' victory over death. Luke 6:4-5, Revelation 1:10
Acts 20:7 On the first day of the week, when we met to break bread, Paul was holding a discussion with them; since he intended to leave the next day, he continued speaking until midnight. Luke 22:19-20
1 Corinthians 16:2
On the first day of every week, each of you is to put aside and save whatever extra you earn, so that collections need not be taken when I come.
The Old Covenant is but a shadow of the New Covenant. The New Covenant has new laws.
Paul warns the Colossian non-Jewish Christians to pay no attention to the Judaizer Christians who keep insisting that the non-Jew converts to Christianity be circumcised and that they keep the sabbaths and feasts of the Jews. Paul was plagued by the Judaizers who were continually attempting to undermine his preaching. Galatians 5:1-15
Colossians 2:11-17
In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. 16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.
Ephesians 2:11-16
Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby bringing the hostility to an end.
I will continue to worship and rest on the Lord's Day, the first day of the week just as Jesus commanded.
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