|~~~~~._O_.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~._O_.~~~~~|
| [_____]_______________________________________________[_____] |
| | | | | |
| | | 1. I Had a Hole in My Heart (Gospel) | | |
| | | 2. By What Authority? | | |
| | | 3. All Baptist churches are not alike. | | |
| | | 4. What do Seventh Day Baptists Believe? | | |
| | | 5. 7th Day Baptists 7th-day Adventists Compared | | |
| | | 6. The Bible 7th Day is the Calendar 7th Day | | |
| | | 7. Pro & Con (Two views regarding the Sabbath) | | |
| !___!_________________________________________________!___! |
| [_____] [_____] |
|______'O'___________________________________________________'O'______|
><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>
><> ><>
><> .od0000o. .o0000bo. ><>
><> .d0000000000v0000000000b. ><>
><> d0000000000000000000000000b ><>
><> d000000000000000000000000000b ><>
><> 00000000000000000[ ]00000000 ><>
><> `000000000000000000000000000' ><>
><> `0000000000000000000000000' ><
><> `000000000000000000000' ><>
><> `00000000000000000' ><>
><> `0000000000000' ><>
><> I HAD A HOLE `000000000' IN MY HEART ><>
><> `00000' ><>
><> `V' ><>
><> ><>
><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>
I had a hole in my heart. My doctor said it was "congenital"
which he said meant I was born with it that way. He told me that
was why I became tired so easily and couldn't do the things other
children could do.
_________________
| | But he also said he knew a doctor who could
| .e0e. .e0e. | fix it up by sewing the hole closed. Now my
| 00000vXXX00 | heart is fixed as good as new thanks to that
| `00000XXX0' | special heart doctor.
| `00000' |
| `V' | But later on in life I discovered I had a
|_______________| another hole in my heart -a different kind of
hole. Not a physical one that the doctors
could sew shut. It was a spiritual hole and it gave me an empty
feeling like something was missing from my life.
I tried to fill it with friends. But when they didn't always
do what I wanted to do, the empty ache was still there. Sometimes
I tried to fill it by getting even when my friends made me sad,
but that only made the feeling worse.
Then I read somewhere that everyone has _________________
this hole in the heart and that God made our | |
hearts that way. The writer explained that | .e0e. .e0e. |
the hole isn't round. It is shaped like God's | 00000v()000 |
Son, Jesus, and Jesus is the only person who | `00000[]o0' |
can fill it. | `000/\' |
| `V' |
What I needed was to ask Jesus to come |_______________|
into my heart and fill that empty hole with
Himself and to forgive me for trying to fill it without Him. I
also needed to ask forgiveness for trying to fill the hole with
bad things.
So I asked Jesus to come into my heart -and He did. I also
asked Him to make every day of my life full and complete and He
is doing exactly that. He will fill the hole in your heart, too,
if you ask Him. I hope you do.
><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>
><> ><>
><> JESUS WILL FILL THE EMPTINESS IN YOUR HEART ><>
><> ><>
><> .od0000o. .o0000bo. ><>
><> .d00JOHN0000v00003:1600b. I pray that out of his glorious ><>
><> dFOR0GOD0SOH HLOVED0THE0b riches he may strengthen you ><>
><> dWORLD0THAT0H H00HE0GAVE00b with power through his Spirit ><>
><> 000HIS0H H0ONLY00 in your inner being, so that ><>
><> `00BEGOTTEN0H H0SON0THAT00' Christ may dwell in your hearts ><>
><> `0WHOSOEVERH HBELIEVETH0' through faith.-Ephesians 3:16,17 ><>
><> `00IN0HIMH HSHOULD00' ><>
><> `00NOT0H HPERISH' The time is coming, says the Lord: ><>
><> `0BUTH HAVE0' when I will make a new covenant. ><>
><> `0ETERNAL0' -Jeremiah 31:31 ><>
><> `0LIFE' ><>
><> `V' This is the covenant I will make ...says ><>
><> the Lord: I will put My laws into their minds and write them on ><>
><> their hearts. I will be their God: and they shall be My people. ><>
><> -Jeremiah 31:33 and Hebrews 8:10 ><>
><> ><>
><> Christ has obtained a ministry which is as much more excellent ><>
><> than the old as the covenant He mediates is better. ><>
><> It is enacted on better promises. -Hebrews 8:6 ><>
><> ><>
><> Therefore He is the mediator of a new covenant. -Hebrews 9:15 ><>
><> ><>
><> And in the same way Jesus took the cup after they had eaten, ><>
><> saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new ><>
><> covenant in My blood." -Luke 22:20 ><>
><> ><>
><> For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, ><>
><> that whoever believes in Him should not perish ><>
><> but have eternal life. -John 3:16 ><>
><> ><>
><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>
.................................................................
By What Authority?
When Jesus drove out the merchants and money
changers from the temple, he was soon confronted by the
chief priest and elders. They asked him by what
authority he did those things (John 2:13-18).
When asked in the right spirit, that's a
legitimate question. We should always be able to give
a good reason for whatever we do, and know that we are
backed by the highest authority.
The Sabbath
One thing that makes Seventh Day Baptists
different from most of Christendom is the Sabbath, and
it is the only thing that makes us different from other
Baptists. If we insist on standing out from them on
this point, we should be able to state our authority.
By what authority do we keep the seventh day as
Sabbath?
The Sabbath is part of creation. When God created
heaven and earth, he blessed the seventh day and
sanctified it (Genesis 2:2,3). So, our authority is
the divine Creator.
That authority was emphasized in the wilderness,
when the God-given manna was not to be found on the
Sabbath (Exodus 16:26).
The Sabbath was made one of the Ten Commandments
of the moral law which God gave to Moses: that the
Sabbath of Creation should be remembered (Exodus 20:8-
11).
The prophets were mouthpieces of God, urging the
people from age to age to keep the Sabbath holy (Exodus
31:13, Ezekiel 20:20).
Christians rely on Jesus' interpretation and
practice of God's will among mankind. He stated that
people still needed the Sabbath: "The Sabbath was made
for man..." (Mark 2:27). Jesus, himself, observed the
Sabbath (Luke 4:16). He assumed that the Sabbath would
continue, for he told his disciples to pray that
certain future calamities should not come on the
Sabbath (Matthew 24:20).
Christian apostles who broke away from Jewish
tradition still kept the Sabbath, as Jesus expected
them to do, preaching to Jews and Gentiles, Sabbath
after Sabbath (Acts 13:42-44; 18:4,11).
The divine authority for the seventh-day Sabbath
is recognized in the Bible as predating Moses,
continuing through Judaism, and passing on into the
early Christian Church. What better authority do we
need today?
Sunday
Most of Christendom has substituted the first day
of the week for the seventh day as Sabbath. Such a
radical change certainly calls for a statement of
authority.
By what authority do you do these things?
Different reasons for the change have been given, but
never has the authority for the change been set forth.
A thorough study of that question might surprise many
devout Christians.
Sunday is called the Lord's Day, but Jesus said
"...the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath" (Mark
2:28). Did Jesus, anywhere in the Bible, ask for a
"Lord's Day" to be substituted for the Sabbath? Where,
then, is the authority for the change?
Sunday is observed to commemorate Jesus'
resurrection, we are told. Did Jesus ask his disciples
to commemorate his resurrection on Sunday--or any day--
or that it be substituted for the Sabbath? Where then
is the authority?
Unfounded objection is raised toward the seventh-
day Sabbath on the grounds that it is the Jewish
Sabbath. Were there Jews or Gentiles at creation?
There was just man and woman. The Sabbath was made for
all mankind.
Just where is the authority for the change? That
is a question that should be honestly studied and
answered by every Christian.
By what authority
do you do these things?
American Sabbath Tract and Communication Council
Seventh Day Baptist Center
3120 Kennedy Road
P.O. Box 1678
Janesville, WI 53547-1678
Transcribed and uploaded with permission by:
Kyle Pratt 76570.2133@compuserve.com
..........................................................
All Baptist churches are not alike.
Like other Baptists, Seventh Day Baptists believe
in:
- the saving love of Jesus Christ.
- the Bible as the inspired word of God and a
record of God's will for man. The Bible is our
authority both for our faith and our daily
conduct.
- freedom of thought under the guidance of thE
Holy Spirit.
- the congregation form of church government.
Every member of the church has the right to
participate in the decisio making process of the
church.
So why are Seventh Day Baptist different?
Seventh Day Baptists observe the Biblical seventh
day Sabbath, the day established and blessed by
God at earth's creation. The Sabbath was given to
mankind long before any distinctions between Jew
and Gentile.
God commanded that the seventh day (Saturday) be
kept holy. Jesus agreed by keeping it a day of worship.
We observe the seventh day of the week (Saturday) as
God's Holy Day as an act of loving obedience--not as a
means of salvation. Salvation is the free gift of God
through Jesus Christ.
The Sabbath provides believers with a specific
time to honor and worship the Creator. It is the joy
of the Sabbath that makes Seventh Day Baptists just a
little bit different.
Seventh Day Baptist beginnings
Seventh Day Baptists emerged as a part of the
English Reformation, organizing their first church in
London in the 1650s. That church, the Mill Yard
Seventh Day Baptist Church,
has continued for over 300 years.
The first Seventh Day Baptist church in America
was established in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1671. Led
by an English SDB emigrant, Stephen Mumford, seven
members of Newport's First Baptist Church withdrew to
form a new Sabbath-keeping group.
Soon, the center of Seventh Day Baptist growth in
New England shifted to the "Westerly" part of Rhode
Island. Other early churches were established in New
Jersey and Pennsylvania, it was from these three
centers that the denomination grew. A desire to expand
the fellowship and to organize for missionary efforts
led to the founding of the Seventh Day Baptist
General Conference in 1802. Denominational work
blossomed in the mid-1800s with the initiation of the
first foreign mission, the beginning of publication
efforts, and an especially strong interest in education.
The establishment of community academies evolved into
Alfred University (New York), Milton College (Wisconsin),
and Salem College (West Virginia).
Stirred by the zealous A.H. Lewis, and benefitting
from a national evangelistic fervor, Seventh Day
Baptists enjoyed rapid growth in the latter part of the
19th century. In the first half of the 20th century,
focus was on ecumenical and social concerns,
and more recently on church growth and extension into
urban settings.
The Seventh Day Baptist World Federation was
established in 1965 to provide for communication,
fellowship, and international cooperation among Seventh
Day Baptist conferences and groups around the world.
Delegates from 16 member conferences celebrated the
Federation's 20th anniversary in 1986, representing
some 50,000 SDBs in 20 nations.
............................................................
What do Seventh Day Baptists Believe?
2 Corinthians 3:17-18; 2 Timothy 2:15; Romans
12:2; Ephesians 4:3-6, 15; Romans 10:17; 2 Timothy
3:16-17.
Seventh Day Baptist consider liberty of thought
under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to be essential
to Christian belief and practice. Therefore we
encourage the unhindered study and open discussion of
Scripture. We uphold the individual's freedom of
conscience in seeking to determine and obey the will of
God.
The following statement is not intended to be
exhaustive, but is an expression of our common belief,
which is derived from our understanding of Scripture.
God
1 Timothy 1:17; Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Kings 8:27; 1
John 1:5; Genesis 1:1-2; Acts 17:24-25, 28; Psalm
90:1-2; Matthew 28:19;
John 3:16; Isaiah 57:15; 2 Peter 3:9.
We believe in one God, infinite and perfect, the
Creator and Sustainer of the universe who exists
eternally in three persons--Father, Son and Holy
Spirit--and desires to share His love in a
personal relationship with everyone.
--The Father
1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:6; Ezekiel 33:11; 2
Thessalonians 1:6-8; John 5:24; John 3:16-18.
We believe in God the Father, who is sovereign
over all, and is loving and just as He forgives the
repentant and condemns the unrepentant.
--The Son
John 1:34; Hebrews 1:3; John 1:14-18; Romans
1:3-4; 1 John 3:16; 1 Peter 2:24; Hebrews 10:10-14; 1
Corinthians 15:20-21; 1 Timothy 2:5; John 14:6; 1 John
2:1-2.
We believe in God the Son, who became incarnate in
Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. He gave Himself on
the cross as the complete and final sacrifice for sin.
As our Risen Lord, He is the mediator between God the
Father and mankind.
--The Holy Spirit
John 14:16; 3:5-8; 14:17; Romans 5:5; 1
Corinthians 12:4-7; 2 Peter 1:20-21; John 16:7-11.
We believe in God the Holy Spirit, the Comforter,
who gives spiritual birth to believers, lives within
them, and empowers them for witnessing and service. We
believe the Holy Spirit inspired the Scriptures,
convicts of sin and instructs in righteousness.
The Bible
2 Peter 1:20-21; Romans 3:2; 2 Peter 3:1-2, 15-16;
2 Timothy 3:14-17; Matthew 5:17-19; Psalm 119:105; John
20:30-31 Hebrews 1:1-2.
We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of
God and is our final authority in matters of faith and
practice. We believe that Jesus Christ, in His life
and teachings as recorded in the Bible, is the supreme
interpreter of God's will for mankind.
Mankind
Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 8:3-9; Micah 6:8; Matthew
5:44-48; 1 John 1:3; John 1:12.
We believe that mankind was created in the image
of God and is therefore the noblest work of creation.
We believe that human beings have moral responsibility
and are created to enjoy both divine and human
fellowship as children of God.
Sin and Salvation
1 John 3:4-5; Romans 3:23-25; Isaiah 59:2; 1 John
1:8-10; Romans 5:6-8; 6:23; Hebrews 10:10-14; 1 Peter
1:3; John 3:16-18, 36; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 14:6;
Matthew 25:41-46; Romans 5:10.
We believe that sin is disobedience to God and
failure to live according to His will. Because of sin
all people have separated themselves from God. We
believe that because we are sinners, we are in need of
a Savior.
We believe that salvation from sin and death is
the gift of God by redeeming love accomplished by
Christ's death an resurrection, and is received only by
repentance and faith in Him. We believe that all who
repent of their sin and receive Christ as Savior will
not be punished at the final judgment but enjoy eternal
life.
Eternal Life
1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 20-23; John 14:1-3; Matthew
24:30; Titus 2:13; John 17:3; 1 John 5:11-13; 1
Corinthians 15:42-44; John 10:27-28; John 6:40.
We believe that Jesus rose from the dead and lives
eternally with the Father, and that He will come again
with power and great glory. We believe that eternal
life begins in knowing God through a commitment to
Jesus Christ. We believe that because He died and
lives again, resurrection with spiritual and
imperishable bodies is the gift of God to believers.
The Church
Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 12:13, 14, 27; Romans
12:4-5; Colossians 1:18; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 2:19-22;
Romans 15:5-7; Ephesians 4:11-16; 2 Peter 3:18; 1 Peter
2:4-10; Matthew 18:20; Hebrews 10:24-25.
We believe that the church of God is all believers
gathered by the Holy Spirit and joined into one body,
of which Christ is the Head. We believe that the local
church is a community of believers organizied in
covenant relationship for worship, fellowship and
service, practicing and proclaiming common
convictions, while growing in grace and in the
knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
We believe in the priesthood of all believers and
practice the autonomy of the local congregation, as we
seek to work in association with others for more
effective witness.
Baptism
Romans 6:3-4; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41;
Colossians 2:12; Romans 6:11; Galatians 3:26-27.
We believe that baptism of believers in obedience
to Christ's command is a witness to the acceptance of
Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. We believe in baptism
by immersion as a symbol of death to sin, a pledge to a
new life in Him.
The Lord's Supper
Mark 14:22-25; Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians
10:16-17, 11:23-30.
We believe that the Lord's Supper commemorates the
suffering and death of our Redeemer until He comes, and
is a symbol of union in Christ and a pledge of renewed
allegiance to our risen Lord.
Sabbath
Genesis 2:2-3; Exodus 16:23-30; Exodus 20:8-11;
Matthew 5:17-19; Mark 2:27-28; Luke 4:16; Acts 13:14;
42-44; 16:11-13; 17:2-3; 18:4-11 Ezekiel 20:19-20;
Hebrews 4:9-10; John 14:15; Isaiah 58:13-14; Luke
23:56.
We believe that the Sabbath of the Bible, the
seventh day of the week, is sacred time, a gift of God
to all people, instituted at creation, affirmed in the
Ten Commandments and reaffirmed in the teaching and
example of Jesus and the apostles.
We believe that the gift of Sabbath rest is an
experience of God's eternal presence with His people.
We believe that in obedience to God and in loving
response to His grace in Christ, the Sabbath should be
faithfully observed as a day of rest, worship, and
celebration.
Evangelism
Matthew 24:14; Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:18-20; 2
Corinthians 4:1-2, 5-6; 1 Peter 3:15; 2 Corinthians
5:17-20; Ephesians 6:14-20.
We believe that Jesus Christ commissions us to
proclaim the Gospel, to make disciples, to baptize and
to teach observance of all that He has commanded. We
are called to be witnesses for Christ throughout the
world and in all human relationships.
The Seventh Day Baptists
3120 Kennedy Road
P.O. Box 1678
Janesville, WI 53547-1678
Transcribed and uploaded with permission by:
Kyle Pratt 76570.2133@compuserve.com
..........................................................
Seventh Day Baptists and Seventh-day Adventists
Compared
Seventh Day Baptists and Seventh-day Adventists
are frequently mistaken for each other.
Historically, Seventh Day Baptists are a much
older group, dating back to the 1650s in England and to
1671 in America. The Seventh-day Adventist
denomination resulted from the Millerite Movement of
the 1840s with the addition of the Sabbath truth
through contact with Seventh Day Baptists.
The two denominations are alike in the following
ways:
1. Both are Christian bodies.
2. Both practice baptism of believers by immersion.
3. Both practice open communion.
4. Both observe the only Biblical Sabbath-the seventh
day of the week-Saturday.
5. Both express a free form of worship.
6. Both believe in the separation of church and state.
Important points of difference are:
1. Seventh Day Baptists hold to the historic Protestant
principle that the Bible-and only the Bible-is the
authoritative source of our faith. Seventh-day
Adventists hold that Mrs. Ellen G. White was an
inspired prophetess, and that her writings are to be
received as authoritative in the church.
Adventists call this unique doctrine "The Spirit
of Prophecy." Seventh Day Baptists believe that Jesus
gave the Holy Spirit to guide his followers into all
truth.
2. Seventh Day Baptists are a covenant people, bound
together by loving relationships with God and with each
other. They covenant together, agreeing to strengthen
these relationships. Doctrinal differences are
tolerated within the church family because it is
love that holds Seventh Day Baptists together, and not
doctrinal uniformity. Seventh Day Adventist are a
creedal people, bound together by their doctrinal
uniformity. Doctrinal differences cannot be tolerated
because uniformity hold them together.
3. Seventh Day Baptists believe in individual
interpretation of the Scriptures under the guidance of
the Holy Spirit. For this reason they allow for
differences of belief and understanding of the
Scriptures. Seventh Day Adventists have a
denominational set of beliefs, which serves as a creed.
Their regimentation in doctrinal belief and their test
of doctrinal position by Mrs. White's writings
discourage personal search for God's continuing
revelation and inhibit personal religious liberty.
4. Seventh-day Adventists lay great stress on "The
Third Angel's Message" (Rev. 14:9-12); consider that
Christ entered the Holy of Holies in 1844 to cleanse
the Heavenly sanctuary; that "The Investigative Judgment"
of human lives is now going on in heaven. Seventh Day
Baptists reject this interpretation. They agree with
other Protestants that Christ's atoning work on the cross
accomplished our salvation. This present gift of
eternal life assures us of a future free from
condemnation.
5. Seventh Day Baptists do not believe they are the only
true church nor the only door to salvation. Seventh-day
Adventists believe they compose God's remnant church and
are the only true church. They teach that they are to call
others from "Babylon" (other denominations) into the true
church. They believe that when they have completed their
task throughout the world, the second coming of Christ will
occur.
6. Seventh Day Baptists churches are autonomous. They are
congregational in organization. Boards, the General
Conference and its committees exercise only delegated or
advisory powers to effect the will of church membership.
Seventh-day Adventists are much more authoritarian in
church organization; local churches and individual members
are to a large degree directed by and responsible to the
national and regional organizations.
The Seventh Day Baptists
3120 Kennedy Road
P.O. Box 1678
Janesville, WI 53547-1678
email - sdb.gen@inwave.com
Transcribed and uploaded with permission by:
Kyle Pratt 76570.2133@compuserve.com
.............................................................
The 7th Day of the Bible
is the 7th Day on the Calendar
In trying to find reasons for Sunday worship
observance, some people look to calendar changes.
Since it was changed in the English world in 1752, they
argue that we cannot know which day is the seventh.
"So to uphold the seventh day Sabbath on Saturday is
unreasonable." But is it?
The seventh day on our calendar is in the same
seven-day cycle as on the calendar of the orthodox Jew.
The cycle has been used for over 5,700 years. For
example, the year 1990 is 5750 on the Jewish calendar.
Today's Sabbath is in the same cycle that was used
when Jesus lived on the earth. The Sabbath always
falls on the seventh day of the week on our calendar.
What about calendar changes since Christ?
The Julian Calendar
The Julian calendar was introduced by Julius
Caesar in 46 B.C. This calendar had 365 days, with
every fourth year having 366 days, assuming that the
year was 365 1/4 days long.
The Gregorian Calendar
In 1582, under Gregory XIII, it was found that the
year is actually 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 50
seconds long--11 minutes and 10 seconds less than the
Julian calculations. By 1582, this error had caused a
gain of ten days on the calendar.
After much study, it was decided to drop those ten
days. But this change did not affect the order of the
days of the week, only the dates of the days of the
month. The new Gregorian calendar was adopted in
October, 1582. It showed Thursday, October 4, followed
by Friday, October 15:
October 1582
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sab
- 1 2 3 4 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 - - - - - -
Have there been other changes?
The English Calendar
In England, the change was not made until 1752.
By that time, eleven days had been gained.
When the Gregorian calendar was adopted, eleven
days were dropped; and Wednesday, September 2, was
followed by Thursday, September 14. Here again, the
dates of the month were changed, but not the order of
the days of the week.
September 1752
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sab
- - 1 2 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
- - - - - - -
W.J. Eckert of the Naval Observatory, director of
the Nautical Almanac, said, "The change from the Julian
to the Gregorian calendar in no way affected the weekly
cycle. This cycle has not been altered for as long as
records have been available."
What should our commitment be?
The Sabbath that Jesus honored was the Sabbath
that his fellow countrymen used. They had honored it
for centuries. It is the same Sabbath today! It is
the seventh day of each week on the calendars we now
use.
How far are we willing to follow Christ's example
in Sabbath observance?
The 7th Day of the Bible
IS
the 7th Day on the Calendar!
American Sabbath Tract and Communication Council
Seventh Day Baptist Center
3120 Kennedy Road
P.O. Box 1678
Janesville, WI 53547-1678
Transcribed and uploaded with permission by:
Kyle Pratt 76570.2133@compuserve.com
.............................................................
Pro & Con
A brief study on the Sabbath question
"The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the
Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the
Sabbath." (Mark 2:27-28)
"You are my friend if you do what I command."
(John 15:14)
God made the Sabbath at creation for all people,
and not for Jews only.--Gen. 2:2-3; Ex. 20:11;
Mark 2:27
It was observed before the Law was given on Mt.
Sinai.--Ex. 16:23-30
The command to observe it is associated with nine
moral precepts, placed in the heart of the
unchangeable Law.--Ex. 20:8-11
It is a sign between God and His people.--
Ex. 31:17; Ezek. 20:20
Wrath came upon ancient Israel for breaking the
Sabbath.--Neh. 13:15-18
If the Sabbath had been kept, Jerusalem might not
have been destroyed.--Jer. 17:24-25
Christ observed the Sabbath.--Mark 1:21
He called Himself its Lord.--Mark 2:28
It was His custom to worship in the synagogue on
that day.--Luke 4:16
The disciples rested on the Sabbath while Christ
was lying in the grave.--Luke 23:56
Matthew, Mark, and Luke, who wrote after the
crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, spoke from
first-hand experience when describing the Sabbath
as an existing institution.--Matt. 24:20; 28:1;
Mark 16:1; Luke 23:56
It was Paul's manner to make the Sabbath a
preaching day.--Acts 17:2
The Gentile believers also observed the Sabbath.--
Acts 13:42-44
Paul preached by a riverside, where there was no
synagogue, on the Sabbath.--Acts 16:13
He reasoned in the synagogue at Corinth "every
Sabbath."--Acts 18:4
He continued there a year and six months,
"teaching them the word of God."--Acts 18:11
If Rev. 1:10 refers to any day of the week, it
must be that day of which the Savior spoke in Mark
2:28
Facts About the First Day
of the Week, or Sunday
As the beginning of that day approached, the women
came to the tomb.--Matt. 28:1
On it, our Lord's resurrection was discovered--
Mark 16:2,9; John 20:1. But the Bible does not say
that it was therefore the Sabbath, nor that He
rose on that day.
The women brought spices to the empty grave on that day
(Luke 24:1), something they would not have
done on the Sabbath. (See Luke 23:56.)
Christ appeared to His disciples while the doors
were shut for fear of the Jews--John 20:19. They
were not assembled to celebrate Christ's
resurrection, for some did not believe it had
occurred. He came to prove it to them.
Paul preached once on the evening of the first
day, our "Saturday night"--Acts 20:7. But the
next morning, he continued his journey toward
Jerusalem.
The Corinthians were commanded to set aside gifts
for needy believers on the first day--1 Cor. 16:2.
This was not a public collection, but a private
business transaction at each home.
--------------------
These are all the texts which speak of "the first
day of the week"--just eight of them. What do
they prove? Nothing at all, in favor of Sunday.
Carefully examined, they support the reverse.
The Bible declares that, "Everyone who sins breaks
the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness"--1 John 3:4.
But what law do we break when we work on Sunday?
If someone can find a text which says, "You shall
not do any work on the first day of the week," or
"Remember Sunday by keeping it holy," then Sunday
observance, in place of God's Sabbath, will stand
the test of righteous and loving obedience;
otherwise, it will not.
"Blessed are those who wash their robes (do his
commandments), that they may have the right to the
tree of life and may go through the gates into the
city"-- Rev. 22:14. But where is any commandment
that speaks about Sunday?
Man's Excuses and God's Answers
"It's not convenient to keep the seventh
day."
Matt. 16:24
"I have a family to support; it will interfere
with my business."
Matt. 16:25-26, also 6:26; 1 Tim. 4:8; Ps. 37:3;
Isa. 58:13-14
"It causes trouble and division."
John 15:19; 17:14; Matt. 10:34-39; 1 Kings
18:17-18
"Everybody keeps the first day."
Matt. 7:13-14; Ex. 23:2; John 21:22
"Great men teach that it's right."
Hosea 10:13; 1 Cor. 1:25-27; Prov. 19:27
"Civil law demands it."
Acts 4:19; Dan. 3:16-18; 6:10
"The Sabbath cannot be restored."
Jer. 32:17,27; Matt. 5:17-19
"I will be persecuted."
Matt. 5:11-12; Luke 6:22-23,26; 1 John 4:4
"It makes no difference what day I keep, if I keep it
right."
Ex. 20:9-10; Matt. 15:3,9. To keep any day right is to
keep it as God's law directs; otherwise, His law is not
right.
"I don't think those old laws are binding."
Jer. 6:16--"This is what the Lord says: 'Stand at the
crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths...'"
Compare Jer. 2:11; 18:15.
Matt. 5:17-18--"'Do not think that I have come to
abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to
abolish them but to fulfill them...'"
"I'm afraid of new doctrines."
Gen. 2:2-3, Ex. 20:11
"The apostle teaches that old things are passed away."
2 Cor. 5:17--"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is
a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
The man becomes new--not the law. (See Rom. 3:31.)
Authorities Contrasted
God commands us to keep the Sabbath.
Popular custom commands us to trample on it.
God sanctified the Sabbath, and Christ the Savior of
men kept it.
Traditions of men have pushed God's sanctified day
aside and exalted a human holiday in its place.
--------------------
That's a brief look at some questions concerning
the Sabbath and Sunday. We hope everyone will search
the Bible to see whether these things are so (See Acts
17:11.)
--------------------
American Sabbath Tract and Communication
Council
Seventh Day Baptist Center
3120 Kennedy Road
P.O. Box 1678
Janesville, WI 53547-1678
Transcribed and uploaded with permission by:
Kyle Pratt
AOL: KDPRATT@aol.com
CIS: 76570.2133@Compuserve.com
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