Are You Sure You Want To Wake The Sleeping Lion?

Is the seventh day of the created week holy?

We already sought out to establish that the command is holy, but that never meant that the ‘created’ day was holy, for it was Israel’s burden to keep it holy (Dt.5:12-15).

Again, we tried to establish that it was a sign of their relationship to Yahweh. And the heart and foundation of the commandment was rest (Dt.5:13-15). But why wasn’t Israel able to keep this day holy? What they did in the temple appeared to have defiled the day and the covenant (Jer.7:4-8, 13-16, 21-27), for the acts of the priests were to sanctify the day (Matt.23:16-22, 28, 32). But they failed (Ex.31:13). So what has become of Israel who is a sign to the nations of the earth (Matt.24:1-3)? What is Israel without a temple? What is Israel without a sacrifice? Nothing but a byword (Ezk.14:1-15:8)! And if a byword, how can the ‘created seventh day’ still be holy (Mk.11:12-30)? Therefore what Sabbath has our Sabbath Keeper been keeping?

Hebrews 4:1–5 (NKJV)

1 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. 3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest,’ ” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from [all] His works”; 5 and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.”

Dear Mr. Chantry, you have said, ‘Our heavenly Father has pledged blessing within Sabbath observance,’ speaking of the created day, and applying it to the Lord’s Day, saying, ‘How unspiritual to call it a burden which is hard to bear,’ and again, ‘He has said the commandment is holy. It is an essential ingredient of righteousness,’ but why are you forgetting the curse that comes with its non-observance that was associated with it as a sign of the first covenant (Mk.13:28-31; Heb.8:7-13)? My weakened brother, why can’t you see its unique application to Israel’s purpose as a light to the Gentiles? As you have said from the imagination of your heart that God said, speaking of the created seventh day, “‘I made the day holy,’ who will plead exemption from sabbath practice? It is the Lord who declared the day holy. Who will deny it?” But Mr. Chantry, it is clear that the Lord has denied it because they reject him as the Lord over it (2Tim.2:12). And by the way, where do the Scriptures ever say that the Lord made the ‘created’ day holy? I quoted above the Hebrews passage to signify that the Sabbath that Christ rested in and ‘sanctified’ is the eternal and uncreated day of God’s rest.

Notice that the Hebrew writer says the gospel was preached ‘to us as well as to them,’ meaning the Jews. But they did not mix the sign of their covenant with faith and therefore did not obey God’s voice that told them not to enter into the promise of ‘My rest’ by that covenant, for that covenant was for their rest from Egypt (Dt.5:13-15). But you say rightly that the Sabbath spoken of here speaks of the creation ordinance (Gen.2:1-3). But what is the sign of that rest (Jn.5:17-18; 19:30; Lk.23:43)? In that certain place, God said he ‘rested from all His works.’

The Hebrew writer adds, ‘although the works were finished from the foundation of the world,’ speaking of Christ’s fulfillment of the cross, which sanctifies the glory of God’s rest to the elect in the same way the temple and the altar sanctified the created sabbath day. So which day did God bless, Walter (Gen.2:3)? And which day has God cursed, Mr. Chantry (Gal.3:13)? Which day did the Lord make holy? Whose righteousness then do we imitate, Walter? The Pharisees or the Christ’s? And how do we obtain this righteousness? Is it through Sabbath observance or by identifying with his death through water baptism so that we have assurance when we enter our own death (Phil.2:8; 1Pet.3:21)? I know you know the answer to that question (Matt.21:23-27).

Therefore what is our holiness and the signification of that holiness?

2 Corinthians 5:17–21 (NKJV)

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

The doctrine of reconciliation will offer the most spiritual sense to how what was made unclean through the law is now made holy to God’s people through Christ’s death and resurrection. The old things are principles of this world that the law used to distinguish the nation of Israel from the unclean Gentiles when they lived in obedience to ceremonial and dietary laws in their proper applications (Lev.5:2-3; 7:19-21; 11:4-47; 12:2-5; 15:2-33; 16:16-19; 17:15; 20:21-25; 22:3-6; 27:11, 27; Num.5:19; 6:7; 19:13-22; Dt.12:15, 22; 14:7-19; 23:14; 24:1), for this is how the Lord made distinctions between the sanctified soul and the unclean spirit (Job.14:4; Lev.10:8-11). Those things are the signs of Israel’s covenant that made them holy to God, but these things pass away with Christ. That includes the temple with all the ceremonial and dietary laws along with the weekly sabbath of the seventh day (as a sign) of Israel’s holiness. The new things are all things pertaining to this world that have been purified through the Word and prayer for the one who is in Jesus Christ of Nazareth (1Tim.4:4-5; Mk.7:18-23). The whole man is reconciled to God through Christ in the midst of a perverse culture (Phil.2:14-16; Rom.14:14; 1Cor.7:14; 2Cor.6:17; 12:21). And therefore, what God has declared holy a man must not call common (Acts 11:1-9; Heb.10:29).

Romans 14:1–4 (NKJV)

1 Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 2 For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

Ephesians 5:15–21 (NKJV)

15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.

Weaker Christians, because of cultural traditions, are not to be rejected over doubtful things. But because the days (are) evil, we need to especially understand what the will of the Lord is, and that is not to have an unhealthy controversy concerning the law striving to no end (Tit.3:9-11). Transferring the sabbath from Saturday to Sunday (as the signified) day of rest is one of those unhealthy controversies while adding works of service on top of the principle. That is my rebuke, not the sabbath principle of rest, but of the one uniform day in seven as the ‘measure’ of the Lord’s blessing, for Walter goes on to write, ‘Three special blessings will undoubtedly attend keeping the Sabbath Day holy, . . . those who understand and practice keeping the Sabbath holy will experience joy in the Lord!’ My dear friend, your boasting is not good, for your ‘so-called’ opponent with that, as you say, ‘hang-dog’ look on them’ are beaten down by your vain boasting thinking victory is in keeping the law (Rom.12:3)! You can ‘ride upon the heights in triumph,’ as you say, all the livelong day, but pride always goes before destruction when you make your boast in the law (Pr.18:17; Jer.9:24; 1Cor.1:26-31). I am out of time for the night, so I am going to close here, but don’t be the fool who makes it his boast in profaning the true Christian’s rest by adding works to it.