In part III of this series, we asked the question “Are you a good person?” and used biblical commands found inside and outside the decalogue (ten commandments) to conclude that nobody is “good.” By reviewing these few commands, we are forced to deal with our tremendous shortcomings that are exposed by God’s law. Having realized this, we have a choice: try harder to “be good” or give ourselves up to the mercy of God’s grace, acknowledging our sin and our need for a Savior.
“Hold on a minute,” someone may say. “I have been raised in a Christian home, I have attended Adventist schools for much of my life, I haven’t eaten unclean meats, I don’t wear jewelry and I have done something that 99% of all Christians have not done – I’ve kept the Sabbath!”
But have you really kept the Sabbath? Have you kept it in the way God commanded the Israelites to keep it? If we take a closer look at the Sabbath in the Bible, we see a clearer picture of the level of obedience this commandment required.
- No work for anyone who lives in our around your house, including any guests, servants and animals (Ex. 20:10, Ex. 31:14-15, Deut. 5:14)
- No harvest activities (Ex. 34:21)
- No kindling of fire (Ex. 35:3)
- No gathering of materials for a fire (Num. 15:32)
- Offerings and sacrifices are required (1 Chron. 9:32, 1 Chron. 23:31, 2 Chron. 2:4, 2 Chron. 8:13, 2 Chron. 31:3, Eze. 45:17)
- No buying of food or supplies (Neh. 10:31, Neh. 13:15-22, Amos 8:5)
- Do not do your own pleasure (Isa. 58:13)
- Do not carry a load or bear burdens (Jer. 17:21-2, 27)
- Do not engage in sexual relations (Neh. 13:22, Lev. 15:16)
- Do not cook food (Ex. 16:23)
- Do not speak idle words (Isa. 58:13)
- Do not leave your home (Ex. 16:29, Lev. 23:3)
Like the other commandments given through Moses, violation of the Sabbath carried heavy consequences. Under Mosaic law, anyone breaking the Sabbath was put to death! (Ex. 31:14-15, Ex. 35:2, Num. 15:32-36) Surely the Sabbath is not kept anywhere in the world today as God commanded it to be kept when he gave it to the Israelites. Even orthodox Jews do not put a person to death for breaking the Sabbath. We therefore cannot claim that by attending church on Saturday and avoiding work on this day that we are “keeping” the fourth commandment. If we are honest with ourselves, we will admit that in addition to violating the rest of God’s law, we also break the Sabbath, even in our attempts to “keep” it.
In the final analysis, even if you’ve spent your entire life in an Adventist home, practicing a healthful lifestyle, eating a meat-free diet, shunning personal adornments and faithfully attending church on Saturday, you are just as condmened by God’s law as someone who has never set foot in a church. Arguably, you are in a tougher spot than a person who has committed more “serious” sins such as adultery, theft, or murder, because such a person is more likely to suffer under the weight of their conscience.
Many Sabbath-keepers believe that they keep a commandment most Christians have overlooked, giving them special “remnant” status in the eyes of God. It is difficult to acknowledge our sin when we believe we are pleasing God with behaviors we perform on a regular basis. It is easy to see the differences between ourselves and other Christians when they are clearly worshipping on the wrong day, week in and week out insulting God’s holy law. How tempting it is to develop a sense of spiritual superiority over these unfortunate souls, but how lethal this belief! The minute we think that our ability to keep a commandment sets us apart from other men is the minute we have failed to see ourselves through the lens of the law, as sinners in need of a Savior.
How tragic is the performance of a weekly worship ceremony without ever seeing the Person to whom the ceremony points – Jesus Christ. “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” (Col. 2:16-17 ESV)
Read more in part V.