Question from Badon Likoy:
“Jesus did not violate the Sabbath because He is the Lord of the Sabbath Himself (Matthew 12:8 & Luke 6:5). The law of the Sabbath, given to Moses, has God as its sole author. Therefore, when Jesus declared Himself as the LORD of the Sabbath, it implies His divinity. If Jesus were not God, such a claim would be considered blasphemy against God and a violation of God's commandments.”
Response:
JESUS WAS BORN UNDER THE LAW
Jesus did not break any of the laws of Moses, including the Sabbath, while they were still applicable and in force. This principle extends to the annual Jewish festivals, like the Passover, and others. Jesus observed the Sabbath during His earthly ministry because, being born of Mary under the law, He was obligated to comply with the Sabbath law.
Galatians 4:4 (NLT) 4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.
Hence, it comes as no surprise that during His 33 years on earth as a Jew, Jesus regularly attended worship in the synagogues of the Jews. Luke 4:16 is often cited by SDAs as their favored verse, emphasizing that it supports the idea that Christians should also observe the Sabbath.
Luke 4:16 (NLT) 16 When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures.
Perhaps, if the Seventh-day Adventists were truly adhering to the example set by Jesus, including observing Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and Sukkoth, they should consider worshiping in the Synagogue of the Jews every Saturday instead of their church.
TEMPORARY NATURE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT LAW
The SDA's excessive focus on the Sabbath made them forget the temporary nature of the Sabbath. There are many instances in the whole Scripture that prove the temporary nature of the weekly Sabbath in particular and of the law in general.
Here are some testimonies from the teachings of Christ and the apostles in the NT:
Matthew 5:17-18 (NLT) 17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.
As we said earlier, Jesus could not violate any of the laws of Moses, including the Sabbath, while they were still valid and in effect. This is the meaning of why Jesus said in Matthew 5:17 that "I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets." He proved this when he was alive as a human Jew on earth. He fulfilled the whole law without fail, not only the 10 commandments but the entire 613 laws of Moses in the Old Testament.
What the Seventh-day Adventists may have overlooked is the keyword in the paragraph that provides an indication that Christ's fulfillment of the entire 613 commandments has a limit. This word is "until" in the phrase "until its purpose is achieved." It simply means that Christ's fulfillment is the goal or purpose, and it will end or "disappear" once He fulfills that purpose. For instance, the sacrificial system found its ultimate purpose in Christ's atonement. Since Christ has already accomplished and fulfilled the ritual animal offerings and sacrifices of the Old Testament, we no longer engage in animal sacrifices today.
Similarly, the impact on the moral aspect of Moses' 613 laws, including the Ten Commandments, will be the same. Christ must flawlessly fulfill these commandments until His death. Once He accomplishes this, He fulfills the purpose of the Ten Commandments perfectly, being the only one who adheres to them without fault, consistently until death—a feat that no Seventh-day Adventist, no matter how sincere, can achieve.
That's why Jesus did not come here to serve as an example of fulfilling the Ten Commandments, as the Seventh-day Adventists claim. Such belief is incorrect because no sinful human being has ever reached the lofty standard set by God; only Christ has achieved it.
God gave the Ten Commandments to Israel not to make them righteous in His sight, but rather to emphasize that they are sinful. The Ten Commandments highlight that they are sinful and deserving of God's judgment, making the sinfulness of humanity more evident.
Romans 5:20 (TLB) The Ten Commandments were given so that all could see the extent of their failure to obey God’s laws. But the more we see our sinfulness, the more we see God’s abounding grace forgiving us.
The Lord knew that humans could not attain the exceedingly high standard of holiness set by God. Therefore, God the Father sent His unique Son into the world to take on human form and live as a Jew under the Mosaic law. This was done to rescue us from our weaknesses because no one could flawlessly fulfill the law.
Galatians 4:4-5 (NLT) But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.
It is explicitly stated in the passage, "God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law," meaning that Christ came to liberate us from the law that enslaves humanity. Why were they referred to as "slaves to the law"? Instead of being made holy by obeying the law, they became even more sinful because they couldn't perfect their obedience to it. They incurred a significant debt to God, and the only payment for their transgressions was death.
Romans 6:23 (NLT) 23 For the wages of sin is death.”
We saw the temporary nature of the law in this way. It is temporary because Christ needed to free us from the curse it brought since humans are incapable of fulfilling it continuously.
Galatians 3:10-11 (ERV) 10 But people who depend on following the law to make them right are under a curse. As the Scriptures say, “They must do everything that is written in the law. If they do not always obey, they are under a curse.” 11 So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by the law.
Because only Christ, in His human nature, perfected the fulfillment of the Ten Commandments, He proved to be the righteous Messiah deserving of the faith of the Jews under the law. This is so that, through faith in Jesus, they might be regarded as righteous by God. Jesus accomplished the flawless obedience to the Ten Commandments on behalf of those who could not perfect it themselves.
Romans 5:19 (ERV) 19 One man disobeyed God and many became sinners. But in the same way, one man obeyed God and many will be made right.
How many Seventh-day Adventists will obey God's law to become righteous before Him, according to this verse? Is it mentioned here? No. Instead, according to the passage, "one man obeyed God and many will be made right." Therefore, it's not the SDA who will fulfill the law, but only "one man," none other than Christ! The translation in The Living Bible of Romans 5:19 makes it even clearer:
Romans 5:19 (TLB) 19 Adam caused many to be sinners because he disobeyed God, and Christ caused many to be made acceptable to God because he obeyed.
Contrary to the teaching of the Seventh-day Adventists, the Bible instructs that the "cause" of our righteousness before God is not because we obey the Ten Commandments, but rather because "Christ caused many to be made acceptable to God because HE (Jesus) obeyed." We are not the ones who obey. Paul also clarified this in Romans 8:1-4:
Romans 8:3-4 (NASB) 3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
It is very clear from the passage that the "requirement of the Law might be fulfilled IN us," not "fulfilled BY us." Christ fulfilled the "requirement of the law" for us; it is no longer us because what guides us as Christians is none other than the Holy Spirit
TEMPORARY NATURE OF THE SABBATH
Now that we understand the temporary nature of the Old Testament laws and their purpose, it becomes easier for us to comprehend why we assert that Christ violated the Sabbath. First, it is evident in the Scriptures that Christ indeed violated the Sabbath.
John 5:18 (NLT) 18 So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill him. For he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his Father, thereby making himself equal with God.
Two mentioned truths here explain why the Jewish leaders were determined to kill Jesus.
1.) Jesus broke the Sabbath.
2.) Jesus called God his Father, making himself equal with God.
The frequent argument of Seventh-day Adventists regarding that verse is that the Jewish leaders were merely falsely accusing Jesus of violating the Sabbath, and their allegations were not true. If that's the case, are the SDA also accusing Jesus falsely when he claims equality with God the Father? If the SDA believes that Jesus did not really break the Sabbath, they should also teach that Jesus is not truly equal to God the Father, contradicting their doctrine, as they claim to be Trinitarian, believing that God the Son is equal to God the Father in divinity.
What is the reason why Jesus violated the Sabbath? It is because the weekly Sabbath is just one part of the ceremonial law under the Mosaic law. Let's read Matthew 12 to fully understand what I mean.
Matthew 12:1-8 (ERV) 1 About that same time, Jesus was walking through the fields of grain on a Sabbath day. His followers were with him, and they were hungry. So they began to pick the grain and eat it. 2 The Pharisees saw this. They said to Jesus, “Look! Your followers are doing something that is against the law to do on the Sabbath day.”3 Jesus said to them, “You have read what David did when he and those with him were hungry. 4 David went into God’s house. He and those with him ate the bread that was offered to God. It was against the law for David or those with him to eat that bread. Only the priests were allowed to eat it. 5 And you have read in the Law of Moses that on every Sabbath day the priests at the Temple break the law about the Sabbath day. But they are not wrong for doing that. 6 I tell you that there is something here that is greater than the Temple. 7 The Scriptures say, ‘I don’t want animal sacrifices; I want you to show kindness to people.’ You don’t really know what that means. If you understood it, you would not judge those who have done nothing wrong. 8 “The Son of Man is Lord over the Sabbath day.”
There are a few important points to consider in order to see the truth that the Sabbath is just a ceremonial law and not a moral law. Christ used ceremonial laws as examples to defend His violation of the Sabbath.
a.) David and his companions ate the "bread that was offered to God" placed in the Holy Place compartment of the Holy Temple. According to Moses' law, only priests were allowed to eat it. David and his companions eating it did not constitute a sin.
b.) The priests violate the Sabbath in the Temple every time they serve due to the quantity and weight of their duties. However, "But they are not wrong for doing that."
If the Sabbath is a "moral law," as claimed by the Seventh-day Adventists, the Jews should have corrected Jesus when he stated that it was wrong for his disciples to be accused of violating the Sabbath, considering that the Sabbath is a moral law included in the Ten Commandments. However, that's not what happened. Jesus rightly used examples from ceremonial laws to justify his violation of the law, emphasizing that these actions were not sinful and pertained to ceremonial laws. This reinforces the truth that the Sabbath is indeed a ceremonial law and is temporary in nature.
The temporary nature of the Sabbath, being a ceremonial law, is also implied in Colossians 2:14-17:
Colossians 2:16-17 (TLB) 16 So don’t let anyone criticize you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating Jewish holidays and feasts or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. 17 For these were only temporary rules that ended when Christ came. They were only shadows of the real thing—of Christ himself.
No Seventh-day Adventist can argue that it's just a ceremonial Sabbath and distinct from the moral weekly Sabbath written in the Ten Commandments. We know it's an obvious excuse because it's common sense that the mentioned shadows and temporary elements include all yearly, monthly, and weekly feasts, including the seventh-day Sabbath. Especially when we've established that the weekly seventh-day Sabbath is just one part of the ceremonial law, the only ceremonial law included in the list of the Ten Commandments. This is because the weekly Sabbath serves as a sign or symbol of the Old Covenant law between God and Israel.
If only Seventh-day Adventists would understand the interpretation of the apostles regarding the weekly Sabbath in the New Testament, their eyes might be opened to the truth that there is no command or reminder from them in the 27 books of the New Testament instructing or urging the observance of the weekly Sabbath in the churches they wrote to. None at all. Instead, we read the opposite. For instance, in Romans 14:5, Paul does not require the Christians in Rome to observe the weekly Sabbath; rather, he says:
Romans 14:5 (TLB) 5 Some think that Christians should observe the Jewish holidays as special days to worship God, but others say it is wrong and foolish to go to all that trouble, for every day alike belongs to God. On questions of this kind, everyone must decide for himself.
Is there an indication here that Paul requires the Christians in Rome to continue observing the weekly Sabbath, as some might think, similar to those who believe that "Christians should observe the Jewish holidays as special days to worship God"? Paul's answer is clear this is no longer required for Christians. He said, "On questions of this kind, everyone must decide for himself." It becomes a personal choice and voluntary, especially for Jewish Christians who are members of the church in Rome. This is unlike the constant judgment of Seventh-day Adventists who claim that we, Sunday worshippers, will be marked with the mark of the Beast if we do not observe the Sabbath!
The final passage indicating that the observance of the weekly Sabbath is no longer required for Christians is found in Galatians 4:9-10:
Galatians 4:9-11 (TLB) 9 And now that you have found God (or I should say, now that God has found you), how can it be that you want to go back again and become slaves once more to another poor, weak, useless religion of trying to get to heaven by obeying God’s laws? 10 You are trying to find favor with God by what you do or don’t do on certain days or months or seasons or years. 11 I fear for you. I am afraid that all my hard work for you was worth nothing.
Instead of drawing closer to the Lord through observing the Sabbath day, you might distance yourself from God because you will fall into legalism.
Galatians 5:4 (NLT) 4 For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.
CONCLUSION:
Let's revisit the question posed in our introduction and address it point by point based on our thorough analysis earlier.
“Jesus did not violate the Sabbath because He is the Lord of the Sabbath Himself (Matthew 12:8 & Luke 6:5). The law of the Sabbath, given to Moses, has God as its sole author. Therefore, when Jesus declared Himself as the LORD of the Sabbath, it implies His divinity. If Jesus were not God, such a claim would be considered blasphemy against God and a violation of God's commandments.”
Now we understand that just because Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath doesn't mean He won't violate it. We studied the scenario in Matthew 12:1-8 earlier and discovered the truth that, for Jesus, it is a ceremonial law with a temporary nature. He also used the example of how the Sabbath itself is violated by the priests in the Temple, yet they are not sinning. How much more, then, for Jesus, who is greater than the Temple and the priests, and the Lord of the Sabbath? Therefore, Jesus being the Lord of the Sabbath strongly supports the idea that He can violate the Sabbath without sinning because He is, indeed, the Authority above the Sabbath.
No comments:
Post a Comment