What Are A Thousand Sabbaths That Lead To Nowhere?

What is the Christian’s holiness and the signification of that peace and rest?

In this post, I want to complete the answer to the question of our holiness. I believe I have already answered that it is not by keeping the Law or, for that matter, any law; for the law of faith is a gift of God’s grace as evidence of a change of heart and mind and a result of the power of the seed of the gospel being made alive in the soul, by the Holy Spirit taking root and remaining in fellowship to conform it to the image of Christ (1Jn.3:9; Rom.8:29-30). In quick review, the Law was the covenant God made with Israel, signified by the sabbath, as ‘the standard’ by which God would demonstrate that he was at peace and in fellowship with Israel. The Law was also a fulfillment of a promise to Abraham that he would create a nation from him to be a remnant of the spiritual seed that would save him from his sins (Matt.1:21). But because Egypt had taken Abraham’s seed (Matt.13:19), God’s ‘chosen’ seed captive to do the will of the Pharaohs, the Law also was given through mighty acts and wonders to signify the distinction of the holy nation of God and the unclean nations (Ex.12:12-14; 13:3, 8-9; Dt.5:1-6).

In this (that is, the pattern of the Exodus), the whole nation of Israel became a sign to the entire world as a light of understanding of how the creation is to relate to God (Isa.42:6; 49:6; Isa.60:3; Lk.2:30-33; Acts 13:46-47; 26:23; Rom.2:17-24). But while these principles contained in the dietary, ceremony, and even civil laws apply to them, they are not obligatory to the other nations as a sign of their relationship to God, for that law was established for Israel (Ezk.20:12; Ex.31:13). We know this because as Christ is the fulfillment of the Law (Matt.5:17-18), these things were not made obligatory to the Gentiles as a sign of their repentance (Acts.15:14-29). Simon Peter’s vision, as we saw in our last post, addressed the purification of all foods to the (holy) life of the Gentiles. Therefore foods were no longer to be the dividing wall between the holy and unclean. The Spirit of Christ is now the sign of distinction (Acts 2:38; 10:47-48); and those distinctions are signified, not through a national covenant of laws (to restrain men), and thus to restrain sin, but a higher and unchangeable covenant that liberates men from sin altogether (Heb.7:20-25; 8:6-13). Therefore it is called the law of Christ (Rom.8:2; Gal.6:2; 1Cor.9:19-23).

The signs of Christ were his life, his death, and his resurrection; but these continue by means of water baptism and the Lord’s Table, which are given to commune to us (the gospel of peace and rest). Through this new covenant, the hostility that the Law arouses is made to be at peace with God in the mind of Christ (Rom.8:6-8; 10:15; Eph.6:15). It is through these things that the mind of Christ (1Cor.2:16), which was always at peace with God while in the likeness of sinful flesh (Rom.8:3), is imparted to our mind when the Spirit chooses to work life in the soul through them (Jn.3:7-8). Indeed, these things were traditionally demonstrated in celebration of the triumph on the Lord’s Day (Matt.28:1; Mk.16:2, 9; Lk.24:1; Jn.20:1, 19), which intersected with the same day as the Greco-Roman pagan Sunday (Acts 20:7; 1Cor.16:2), and that is the tradition the apostles desire us to keep (1Cor.11:2; 2Thess.2:15; 3:6). But never is it suggested by the apostles that it is a day of rest and peace with the principles of this world (2Cor.10:1-7; Col.2:8, 20).

The Christian’s peace and rest has ascended to glory and sovereignly reigns over the evil and the good of his creation (Zech.14:9; Rom.10:12). And so through the elemental signs of common life, (that is, the bread, wine, and water), God chose to impart supernatural peace and rest to us through his works that come down as wisdom from above (1Cor.1:18-31; Phil.4:4-7). Now, on a positive note, you said, ‘Your frame of heart is all important to Sabbath-keeping. The outlook of your inner man is the essence of keeping the day holy.’ In this truth, I share your joy! Why? Because the inner man that abides with me is the joy we are to carry into every day that the Lord has created while we walk with him in the flesh because we loved his appearing (2Tim.4:8). However, because the days are evil, the expression of this joy is not always written upon the flesh of our faces. But when this joy is not written upon our faces, does that mean we have defiled the day? I tell you; yes, even Christ tells you: No! Because our joy isn’t in a created day (Rom.14:17), or in the happiness of the flesh, but in the one who lived and died that his joy should abide in us (Jn.15:11).

In your book, however, you go on to say, ‘In the days of Eastern monarchs, even an earthly king would not allow subjects to enter his presence with any appearance of sadness. Such a bearing would be an insult to the king. Unhappiness would suggest that being with the ruler was an unpleasant experience.’ You continue with your argument, saying, ‘There must be in our hearts a positive attitude of pleasant excitement in coming to a day with the Lord. Parents must be careful of the impressions given to their children concerning the Lord’s Day. Mothers and fathers must work at making the Sabbath a delight to their children.’ Well, first, I find it odd that you lead with mothers; and therefore that may be why the working fathers seek rest somewhere else; but nevertheless, why lay an even greater burden upon parents who are already loaded down with sins (2Tim.3:6)? God never required this, not even under the Old Covenant, for Yahweh was never a monarch that delighted in false worship. You are basically telling them to fake it until they make it. But God says:

Isaiah 66:1–13 (NKJV)

1 Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? 2 For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist,” Says the Lord. “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word. 3 “He who kills a bull is as if he slays a man; He who sacrifices a lamb, as if he breaks a dog’s neck; He who offers a grain offering, as if he offers swine’s blood; He who burns incense, as if he blesses an idol. Just as they have chosen their own ways, And their soul delights in their abominations, 4 So will I choose their delusions, And bring their fears on them; Because, when I called, no one answered, When I spoke they did not hear; But they did evil before My eyes, And chose that in which I do not delight.” 5 Hear the word of the Lord, You who tremble at His word: “Your brethren who hated you, Who cast you out for My name’s sake, said, ‘Let the Lord be glorified, That we may see your joy.’ But they shall be ashamed.” 6 The sound of noise from the city! A voice from the temple! The voice of the Lord, Who fully repays His enemies! 7 “Before she was in labor, she gave birth; Before her pain came, She delivered a male child. 8 Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, She gave birth to her children. 9 Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?” says the Lord. “Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?” says your God. 10 “Rejoice with Jerusalem, And be glad with her, all you who love her; Rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn for her; 11 That you may feed and be satisfied With the consolation of her bosom, That you may drink deeply and be delighted With the abundance of her glory.” 12 For thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, And the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream. Then you shall feed; On her sides shall you be carried, And be dandled on her knees. 13 As one whom his mother comforts, So I will comfort you; And you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”

But rather, you are to let them be broken down. Let them feel the burdens of their sin, but as long as they are coming to you for that spiritual food and drink, break forth that stream that flows from the Rock of our God in Jesus Christ (Num.21:16-18; 1Cor.10:1-4). Sprinkle them with the comforts and promises of that holy blood in that chosen Seed until Christ baptizes them into the water of our holy faith (Heb.10:22; Matt.3:11; Heb.12:24; 1Pet.1:2). Don’t turn them off and away by masking their sorrows with external obedience to (a civil) command. Haven’t we learned anything from the Anglican error? Carry them forth until their shame turns to joy springing up from the well of Christ’s redemption (Lk.6:38; Jn.16:20; James 4:9; Jer.31:13); for their peace and rest is not in their performance (Phil.3:12, 16; 2Tim.1:12), but is held secure by the one who holds the keys to their ascension from the grave (Rev.1:18). Again, I share the joy that you have in Lord, Walter. For you go on to say, ‘How can the day be a pleasure unless we rejoice in the Lord?’ But these days are (our days) because (they are evil), but (the day) that Abraham rejoiced in was our Lord’s Day (Jn.8:56). But how did Abraham see it? He didn’t see it in his evil days! Oh, to be present with the Lord! (2Cor.5:6-8) Therefore only in him can we be glad, for he arose from (the death of our days) to bring his holy day down to us (Col.3:1-4), and that day with the Lord has no end (Lk.1:33)! That day is eternally in him (2Pet.3:8)! It is a (singular day), not many sabbaths with the Lord, but one holy day. The Lord does not change, not for us, not for evil days (Mal.3:6). But the Lord does condescend and bring his day to us (1Cor.1:8; 2Cor.1:14; 1Thess.4:17; Matt.24:30), not to make his day holy (Heb.8:10-13), for it is always holy (Rev.21:27), but to make us holy for his day of rest (Heb.4:1-8). Therefore Christ is the Sabbath Keeper in making us holy for that eternal day.

Hebrews 4:9-10

There remains, therefore, a Sabbath rest for the people of God, because the Sabbath-keeper has entered into that rest with Him, having also himself ceased from his works as God did from creation. (mast)

Brother Chantry, you carry on to state, ‘If our spiritual attitude regarding Sabbath-keeping must include cheerfulness, it must also be made up of an awareness that that day is special. Our text suggests that the Lord’s Days must be considered extraordinary both because they are different from other days and because they are higher (more noble) than other days.’ Now the text referred to is Isaiah 58:13-14. But in what way are (days) being referred to here? As far as I can see, it refers only to the singular (unifying) day of his holiness, which doesn’t change for men. Never is the Lord’s Day presented (as days) in the plural (Rev.1:10). Notice that the voice of the trumpet was behind John (1Thess.4:16), speaking of the judgment trumpeted to bring the evil days to an end (1Cor.15:51-53). So for John to be (in the Spirit) on the Lord’s Day is to be intersected with Christ in his eternal Day. So the weekly sabbath created for man is not even of mention here in Isaiah’s text, but the evil days of men are clearly mentioned. The holiness of the Lord’s glory would not condescend to the leaders of those days (and intersect and identify with them) because they were speaking their own words having forsaken the Word of Yahweh. Did that make them (more noble) being created from the same lump of clay than the sabbaths that they were robbing from the table of their slaves (Isa.59:1-5; Matt.7:7-11; Lk.11:11-13)? My friend, the day is special because it’s the Lord’s, and he is (Lord of all) the days, the evil and the good (Matt.22:7-14; Rev.20:6; Isa.2:1-4; Joel 3:9-11; Mic.4:1-4).

Therefore this should give us light into the meaning behind Paul’s questioning of both the Jews’ and Gentiles’ observances of ‘special days’ according to the principles of the world.

Galatians 4:8–11 (NKJV)

8 But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. 9 But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years. 11 I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.

Romans 14:1–9 (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. 5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Colossians 2:11–23 (NKJV)

11 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. 18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. 20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations—21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” 22 which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

So, Walter, does God’s (holy) will somehow change for what you now call common days of the week, making a holy day out of them? Does God have a common will distinct from a holy will? Are there commands for the common days and commands for the holy days? How can that be if God has only one holy will? If the commandments of God are holy, how can we do anything holy on common days? For you go on to make your complaint, ‘An emphasis is placed on the difference between the sabbath and other days, by not going your own way and not doing as you please or by speaking idle words, but on the other six days we may arise in the morning and think: ‘What shall I plan to do today? What would I like to accomplish? What things would I like to discuss with my family and fellow workers today?’ And again, saying, ‘It is when that outlook dominates your spirit on the sabbath that you will know the joy of the Lord, triumphant living and feasting on the best things. When such an attitude seems to anyone unreasonable and restrictive, it reveals a deep selfishness in that individual. If I were to give you seven delicious candy treats, I might tell you to keep six but that I would like you to return one to me. Only the self-centered would clutch all seven and put on a long face in response to my request.’

My dear friend, that is the lowest esteem you could place on God’s holiness. Now you have turned God into an Indian giver, that when he gives us something, he requires it back. That’s just poor theology. Not even in the Garden of God did he give the forbidden tree and ask for it back (Gen.3:4-6). It was always reserved for his honor (Gen.3:22)! Therefore we are not to give what is holy to the dogs! How shall my family, friends, and co-workers hear the holy will of God without a preacher of the good news if I am not permitted to plan and think of these things as holy to all of my life? Why are these things only holy one day of the week? Why should I try to be common six days of the week but holy for one? What would that serve my community that is created from the same lump of clay (Rom.9:21-24)? Either my fruits are good, and my name is clean every day of the week, or they are evil and my name unclean every day alike (Matt.12:33). Therefore, the commandment is spiritual but distinctly applied to the works the Lord has prepared for me and not to my earthly life (Gal.2:20; Eph.2:1-10). Therefore walking in that commandment (as a sign) of our holiness is not spiritual; otherwise, God would not have annulled it (Heb.7:18; Isa.28:18). However, the purpose of the commandment is spiritual in that with David we can say, ‘Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere’ (Ps.84:10). But have you forgotten that the courts were for the Gentiles who were not permitted to enter the holy place? So indeed, better is one day with the Lord than a thousand of your sabbaths without him. The tabernacles of wickedness cannot intersect with the day of Christ’s holiness, for he is the door that leads to God’s rest. And may we enter that rest by the grace gifted to us by Jesus Christ, who is the sign of the better covenant.