Happy Sabbath Day! This Lord’s Day is not about us…
Happy Sabbath Day! This Lord’s Day is not about us, our families, our sports, our pleasures, our work, our recreation, our entertainment, or the false deity of me, myself, and I. But it is everything about our LORD.
The Lord’s Fourth Commandment says,
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 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.”
Exodus 20:8-11
Chapter 22 of the 1689 Confession of Faith says,
1. The light of nature shews that there is a God, who hath lordship and sovereignty over all; is just, good and doth good unto all; and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served, with all the heart and all the soul, a and with all the might. But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God, is b instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshipped according to the imagination and devices of men, nor the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representations, or c any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures.
(a Jer 10:7; Mar 12:33; b Deu 12:32; c Exo 20:4-6)
2. Religious worship is to be given to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and to him d alone; not to angels, saints, or any other e creatures; and since the fall, not without a f mediator, nor in the mediation of any other but g Christ alone.
(d Mat 4:9-10; Joh 4:23; Mat 28:19; e Rom 1:25; Col 2:18; Rev 19:10; f Joh 14:6; g 1Ti 2:5)
3. Prayer, with thanksgiving, being one part of natural worship, is by God required of h all men. But that it may be accepted, it is to be made in the i name of the Son, by the help k of the Spirit, according to l his will; with understanding, reverence, humility, fervency, faith, love, and perseverance; and when with others, in a m known tongue.
(h Psa 95:1-7; 65:2; i Joh 14:13-14; k Rom 8:26; l 1Jo 5:14; m 1Co 14:16-17)
4. Prayer is to be made for things lawful, and for all sorts of men living, n or that shall live hereafter; but not o for the dead, nor for those of whom it may be known that they have sinned p the sin unto death.
(n 1Ti 2:1-2; 2Sa 7:29; o 2Sa 12:21-23; p 1Jo 5:16)
5. The q reading of the Scriptures, preaching, and r hearing the Word of God, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to s the Lord; as also the administration t of baptism, and u the Lord’s supper, are all parts of religious worship of God, to be performed in obedience to him, with understanding, faith, reverence, and godly fear; moreover, solemn humiliation, x with fastings, and thanksgivings, upon y special occasions, ought to be used in an holy and religious manner.
(q 1Ti 4:13; r 2Ti 4:2; Luk 8:18; s Col 3:16; Eph 5:19; t Mat 28:19-20; u 1Co 11:26; x Est 4:16; Joel 2:12; y Exo 15:1-19, Psa 107)
6. Neither prayer nor any other part of religious worship, is now, under the gospel, tied unto, or made more acceptable by any place in which it is z performed, or towards which it is directed; but God is to be worshipped everywhere in spirit and in truth; as in a private families b daily, and c in secret each one by himself; so more solemnly in the public assemblies, which are not carelessly nor wilfully to be d neglected or forsaken, when God by his Word or providence calleth thereunto.
(z Joh 4:21; Mal 1:11; 1Ti 2:8; a Act 10:2; b Mat 6:11; Psa 55:17; c Mat 6:6; d Heb 10:25; Act 2:42)
7. As it is the law of nature, that in general a proportion of time, by God’s appointment, be set apart for the worship of God, so by his Word, in a positive moral, and perpetual commandment, binding all men, in all ages, he hath particularly appointed one day in seven for a e sabbath to be kept holy unto him, which from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ was the last day of the week, and from the resurrection of Christ was changed into the first day of the week, f which is called the Lord’s Day: and is to be continued to the end of the world as the Christian Sabbath, the observation of the last day of the week being abolished.
(e Exo 20:8; f 1Co 16:1-2; Act 20:7; Rev 1:10)
8. The sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering their common affairs aforehand, do not only observe an holy g rest all day, from their own works, words and thoughts, about their worldly employment and recreations, but are also taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties h of necessity and mercy.
(g Isa 58:13; Neh 13:15-22; h Mat 12:1-13)
The Orthodox Catechism by Hercules Collins says,
Question 115: What is the fourth Commandment?
Answer: Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath Day: six Days should thou labor, and do all that thou hast to do, but the seventh Day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, in it thou should do no manner of Work, Thou, nor thy Son, nor thy Daughter, thy Man-Servant, nor thy Maid-Servant, nor they Cattle, nor the Stranger that is within thy Gates: for in six Days the Lord made Heaven, and Earth, the Sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day, and hallowed it.
Question 116: What is God’s will for you in the fourth commandment?
Answer: First, that the gospel ministry and education for it be maintained, (a) and that, especially on the festive day of rest, I regularly attend the assembly of God’s people (b) to learn what God’s Word teaches, (c) to participate in the sacraments,(d) to pray to God publicly,(e) and to bring Christian offerings for the poor.(f) Second, that every day of my life I rest from my evil ways, let the Lord work in me through his Spirit, and so begin already in this life the eternal Sabbath.(g) (a) Deut. 6:4-9, 20-25; 1 Cor. 9:13-14; 2 Tim. 2:2; 3:13-17; Tit. 1:5
(b) Deut. 12:5-12; Ps. 40:9-10; 68:26; Acts 2:42-47; Heb. 10:23-25
(c) Rom. 10:14-17; 1 Cor. 14:31-32; 1 Tim. 4:13
(d) 1 Cor. 11:23-25
(e) Col. 3:16; 1 Tim. 2:1
(f) Ps. 50:14; 1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 8 & 9
(g) Isa. 66:23; Heb. 4:9-11
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The importance of the doctrine of the Sabbath Day cannot be understated. Consistent disregard for the Fourth Commandment deserves discipline and correction. A church that fails to discipline its members is neither Biblical nor healthy. However, a church that only disciplines its members for minor issues, but not for major ones such as the Ten Commandments, does not meet the standard. Such a church can be considered quasi-antinomian or practicing Marcionism. It is particularly alarming when a church ignores repeat offenders of the Decalogue.
Therefore, if anything or anyone consistently prevents us from obeying the Fourth Commandment, it is our god and idol that the First and Second Commandments warn us of and forbid. Let’s repent and not repeat, and work towards making the Sabbath Day great again.
Note: For my post on ‘what is a sanctuary, click here.
Disclaimer: This is to clarify that our former church followed the Regulative Principle of Worship, which means that the Christmas tree and United States Flag sometimes seen next to the pulpit during our gatherings, belong to the church from which we lease space.
Hebrews 4:1-10 – the Sabbath Day as a Commandment, by Bill Rhetts – The Expositor
Video on ‘How Christians should respond to suffering & persecution (whether it be Saeed Abedini, ourselves, or others)’
A prolific 3-minute video on ‘Modern Warrior, Ancient Skills – 5.11 Tactical Duty Kilt,’ by 5.11 Tactical
Dr. R.C. Sproul on being “divisive” (If a professing Christian believes that Christians should never be divisive, then they don’t know the Bible, or the God of the Bible,
About The Author
Bill Rhetts
An ordinary sinner saved by an Extraordinary Savior. Radically saved, and radically changed, by a Radical God. For more details, see the above 'About me' tab.
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Although the term “Marcionism” may not be familiar to most Christians nowadays, this heretical belief is widespread across America. Essentially, Marcionism teaches that the Old Testament is either not considered canonical or no longer applicable in today’s world. This false belief is especially prevalent among dispensationalists. Below is another definition to help you understand it better.
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Marcionism. In some regards, Marcionism initiated the question of the inclusion or exclusion of certain books. The heretical leader Marcion (AD 160), who considered the Hebrew God to be barbaric, acknowledged as canonical only a variant of the Gospel of Luke and 10 of Paul’s letters. This drastic move in some ways forced the Church to become fully conscious of its inheritance of apostolic teachings and writings, and to clarify its view on the Jewish Scriptures. At this point, the Church essentially agreed to keep the Old Testament as part of Christian sacred readings. For further details on Marcion and why the early church deemed him heretical, see these articles: Marcion; Gospel of Marcion.
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Sylvie T. Raquel, “Canon, New Testament,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).
The Means of Grace, better known among Reformers as Media Gratiae, is the essential function of the Lord’s Church. It is the preaching and teaching of His Holy Word. As well as via prayer, and the practice of the ordinances and/or sacraments of His church. #MeansOfGrace #MediaGratiae #ReformedTheology #TheologyMatters #EcclesiologyMatters
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Below are some more technical definitions.
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“They are the official means of the Church of Jesus Christ. The preaching of the Word (or, the Word preached) and the administration of the sacraments (or, the sacraments administered) are the means officially instituted in the Church, by which the Holy Spirit works and confirms faith in the hearts of men. Some Reformed theologians limit the idea of the means of grace still more by saying that they are administered only within the visible Church, and that they presuppose the existence of the principle of the new life in the soul.”
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[L. Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans publishing co., 1938), 605–606.]
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Media gratiae: means of grace; i.e., Word and sacraments as the means by which the grace of God is operative in the church. The term is used by both Lutheran and Reformed orthodox, although the Lutherans often substitute a stronger term, organa gratiae et salutis (q.v.), instruments of grace and salvation… Word and sacraments are thus instrumental both in the inception of salvation and in the continuance of the work of grace in the Christian life. In addition, Word and sacraments are the sole officially ordained or instituted instruments or means of grace. God has promised the presence of his grace to faithful hearers of the Word and faithful participants in the sacraments. Thus the right preaching of the Word and right administration of the sacraments are the marks or identifying features of the true church (notae ecclesiae, q.v.).”
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[Richard A. Muller, Dictionary of Latin and Greek Theological Terms : Drawn Principally from Protestant Scholastic Theology (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1985), 187–188.]
Sadly, many professing Christians believe the heresy called Marcionism, as they continually disregard Old Testament Scriptures i.e. imprecatory prayers, obeying the Fourth Commandment, and so-on.
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This heretical belief is widespread across America, especially the “Bible Belt.” Essentially, Marcionism teaches that the Old Testament is either not considered canonical or no longer applicable in today’s world. This false belief is especially prevalent among Arminians and Dispensationalists. Below is another definition to help you understand it better.
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“Marcionism. In some regards, Marcionism initiated the question of the inclusion or exclusion of certain books. The heretical leader Marcion (AD 160), who considered the Hebrew God to be barbaric, acknowledged as canonical only a variant of the Gospel of Luke and 10 of Paul’s letters. This drastic move in some ways forced the Church to become fully conscious of its inheritance of apostolic teachings and writings, and to clarify its view on the Jewish Scriptures. At this point, the Church essentially agreed to keep the Old Testament as part of Christian sacred readings. For further details on Marcion and why the early church deemed him heretical, see these articles: Marcion; Gospel of Marcion.”
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[Sylvie T. Raquel, “Canon, New Testament,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).]
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#Sabbath #SabbathDay #LordsDay #Marcionism #Dispensationalism #CovenantTheology #Covenantalism
“We must not for a moment suppose that the Sabbath is no longer binding on Christians, and that they have nothing to do with the Fourth Commandment. This is a great mistake, and the root of great evil. Not one of the Ten Commandments has ever been repealed or put aside.” “Let us… settle it in our minds as an established principle, that our Lord Jesus Christ does not do away with the observance of a weekly Sabbath day…We often find His opinion expressed about the Jewish errors on the subject of the Sabbath. But we do not find a word to teach us that His disciples were not to keep a Sabbath at all. It is of much importance to observe this. The mistakes that have arisen from a superficial consideration of our Lord’s sayings on the Sabbath question, are neither few nor small. Thousands have rushed to the hasty conclusion, that Christians have nothing to do with the fourth commandment…. There is nothing in the New Testament to justify any such conclusion. The plain truth is, that our Lord did not abolish the law of the weekly Sabbath. He only freed it from incorrect interpretations, and purified it from man-made additions. He did not tear out of the decalogue the fourth commandment. He only stripped off the miserable traditions with which the Pharisees had incrusted the day, and by which they had made it, not a blessing, but a burden. He left the fourth commandment where he found it, a part of the eternal law of God, of which no jot or tittle was ever to pass away.“ – J.C. Ryle:
“The New Testament may be read diligently from cover to cover, but it will be searched in vain to find one single categorical declaration that the Sabbath Law has been abrogated. As, then, the Fourth Commandment has not been repealed, and as the New Testament teaches explicitly, again and again, that the moral Law is binding on Christians, then it follows of invincible necessity that there is a ‘Christian Sabbath,’ and that Christians are under bonds to keep it holy…it memorializes God’s work of creation. It recognizes Him as earth’s Proprietor and owns Him as man’s Sovereign… nowhere did Christ so much as hint at the repeal of the Sabbath, instead, He expressly declared, ‘Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill’ (Matt. 5:17). Thus, did He ‘magnify the Law and make it honorable’ (Isa. 42:21)… He says that He is ‘Lord,’ not the ‘Destroyer’ of the Sabbath but ‘Lord of the Sabbath.’ He is not the Repealer or the Abolisher of the Sabbath, but its Sovereign. He is its ‘Lord’ because He instituted it – John 1:1-3 proves this: He was the Creator. As the Creator, then, He instituted the Sabbath ‘for man,’ that is, for his benefit, to be a blessing to him… it only remains for us to state in a few words its importance, design, and value. The Sabbath is a memorial of Divine creation. It denotes that God is the sovereign Lord of our time, which is to be used and improved by us as He has specified in the Fourth Commandment. It is a commemoration of Christ’s resurrection and a foreshadowing of our Eternal Rest from sin. It is designed to preserve us from becoming wholly absorbed with the things of time and sense. It is a signal means of grace for the promotion of the spiritual life. In proportion as it is kept holy, godliness prospers. A due observance thereof lies at the foundation of a nation’s happiness and prosperity. ‘Blessed is the man that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it’ (Isa. 66:2).” – Arthur Pink