Recently in the neighborhood where I live, some kind soul has been distributing tracts door-to-door that appear to be intended to show that Christians who worship on Sunday instead of Saturday are in danger of bearing ‘the mark of the beast’ and will not be found acceptable to God. I refer to this person as a kind soul because I do believe that this persons’ motives are pure and intended to ’save’ people from a ‘heresy’ foisted upon us by the Catholic church (as indicated in the tract). The tract also begins with a true gospel message that we must accept Jesus Christ as Lord and saviour and that our salvation is a free gift, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God” Ephesians 2:8. However, right after giving this gospel message, the tract goes on to outline how we are still under the law of Moses, the ten commandments are forever binding and we must keep the Saturday Sabbath in order to be saved. This tract seems to offer a mixed message and one that not only contradicts itself but could, I think, effectively confuse some Christians and offer a warped gospel message to the unchurched.

This tract offers no church, organization or denominational affiliation so although I could guess where this tract was coming from it would not be fair to offer credit where it is not due. So all I can say is that who ever wrote it holds to a Sabbatarian viewpoint and takes credit for it with only the email address ’simplytruth-@—-.com’. I have replied to this tract and had an ongoing email discussion with this person. I won’t reproduce our conversation here as it was a private discussion but I will reproduce my first two initial responses to this tract in the hopes that it will serve to help any other readers who may have concerns or misunderstandings regarding the Sabbath.

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From: David Upton
Date: Mon, 05 Feb 2007 19:01:44 -0500
To: Simply Truth
Subject: Thank you for your tract at my door.

Greetings Simply Truth,

I was glad to find on my doorstep this past weekend a tract that you (or a friend of yours) had left there which intends to show readers that they should be honoring the Saturday Sabbath rather than worshipping on Sunday. I was glad to find it because it shows me that you are concerned about the eternal destiny of your neighbors as all Christians should be. Too few Christians today are willing to step out in faith and share the gospel with others for fear of offending someone. You have demonstrated great courage and conviction by your willingness to distribute these tracts.

I am especially appreciative that this tract starts out with the clear plain gospel message telling readers “For by grace ye are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8,9. I am so glad that you pointed that out. It is THE most important message that the whole world needs to hear.

Many people today think they can earn their salvation or even just God’s favor by keeping laws and commandments which are works of the flesh. There was this same controversy in the early church when some Christians taught that the Gentile believers must also be circumcised according to the law. The Apostle Paul corrected this in Romans 3:20 “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” This is why God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. The laws were intended to show us our need for a redeemer. Without the laws we would never know our absolute inability to keep them and our need for God to save us.

I don’t know if you belong to the Seventh-day Adventist Church or not but much of your tract seems to be in agreement with that church. There seems to be a strong emphasis on keeping the Sabbath in this tract to the point that would imply that if a Christian chose to worship on Sunday rather than Saturday, they would forfeit their salvation. This is a strong emphasis in the Seventh-day Adventist church as well.

Seventh-Day Adventists judge Christians very harshly for not keeping “Sundown Friday to Sundown Saturday.” Christians, on the other hand, don’t condemn others for worshiping on Saturday if that is their preference. Christians recognize that we are under grace, and not under the Law.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians, “Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or A SABBATH DAY–things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.” (Col. 2:16,17).

No one calling himself a Christian should judge another respecting the Sabbath, and yet the SDA church would have Christians receive the “mark of the beast” for not keeping the Saturday Sabbath. They have therefore made salvation dependent on which day of the week one keeps!

Hebrews, chapter four, shows that the fulfillment of the Jewish Sabbath was not the keeping of the same day by Christians, but the entering of Christians into God’s rest. The early Christians preached on the Jewish Sabbath because the Jews were gathered in the synagogue on that day (See Acts 17:2-4). Their fellowship together was always the “first day” of the week, Sunday, the day of Christ’s resurrection (See Acts 20:7).

Seventh-Day Adventists make the Saturday Sabbath of extreme importance in their plan of salvation. Yet it is not binding on Christians, because Deuteronomy 5:15 applies it only to the Jews “And you shall remember that YOU WERE A SLAVE IN THE LAND OF EGYPT and the LORD your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; THEREFORE the LORD your God commanded you to OBSERVE THE SABBATH DAY.”

Notice that the Sabbath was a special covenant for those people delivered from bondage in Egypt (see also Ezekiel 20:10-12; Exodus 31:12-18; Exodus 16:29; Nehemiah 9:13, 14.).

There is NO scripture commanding Christians to keep the Saturday Sabbath. Surely there would be a command if it was of such importance as to affect our salvation! Christians have always met for fellowship and the breaking of bread on the first day of the week, Sunday, and continue to do so until this day. They do not claim Sunday is the “Sabbath” but rather , the “Lord’s Day.” Sunday worship was not introduced by the Roman Catholic Church, although they like to take credit for it. Catholics merely carried on where the Apostles left off. The claim by SDA’s that Christians are worshiping the sun by meeting on Sunday, is just as ridiculous as us accusing the SDA’s of worshiping Saturn, because they meet on Saturday!

So my friend, thank you for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with your neighbors, please continue to do so but also please do not confuse the gospel of grace with the gospel of works.

Cult groups and Christians alike often wonder how much “work” is needed to be counted as righteous before God. They often ask us this question.

Groups like the Jehovah’s Witnesses with their endless meetings, door to door ministry, placing their magazines and counting meticulously all the time they spend in these pursuits and efforts, believe that somehow God will approve of their efforts and reward them. They can never be certain that they have “done enough” and always feel driven to do more.

Mormons, (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) likewise have their “works”–temple ceremonies, wearing special garments, avoiding certain foods or drinks, tithing, temple worthiness pursuits, researching and being baptized in proxy for their ancestors and others, and missionary stints for their young people. They believe these efforts will bring God’s approval and a higher state of salvation. Their works are ongoing as well right up to death.

Seventh-day Adventists with their meatless diets, worshiping on the “Sabbath” avoiding all work on certain days, wearing certain clothes, avoiding jewelry etc. are also on a works based system and trying to impress God.

In many Christian churches we still find many rules and requirements for one to be a “good” Christian. Those that don’t fit the mold set by the denomination are looked down upon.

Many people partially quote the scripture Philippians 2: 11-13 and threaten you to “….work out you own salvation with fear and trembling.” and advise you to “get to work” They fail to finish the quote that assures us that “God is at work in us”.

So, does our salvation depend on our good works and good deeds?

If so, how many, how much, and how do I know the quota I have to reach?
What if I don’t quite make it? Am I then lost? Do I have no hope of salvation?

The following is just a very brief overview of this subject but will give you an introduction into the topic people raise about “grace and works”.

First off, regarding Salvation we can be assured through Scripture that we are saved due entirely to Christ’s grace as you have originally pointed out in your tract. The Greek word for “grace” means “unmerited favor”, that is, a “gift” given freely with no restrictions. We cannot “earn” grace.

“For by grace you have been saved (past tense) through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works that no one should boast.” (Eph. 2: 8,9 ).

There are many other scriptures saying the same thing, so the point is made, we are saved by grace alone and there is no way we can work for it.

However, being human in a “works”-oriented world, we think we must work endlessly to try and earn our way with God. Even Jesus’ disciples wondered and asked Him,

“They said therefore to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent”. (John 6:28,29).

Wow, what an answer–the work of God is to believe in Jesus Christ, who will then extend salvation to us as a free gift if we but receive Him as our Savior, repent, and invite Him into our lives (John 1:12,13).

So what about all the scriptures about works? They are all related to the subject of faith, not salvation.

There will be good works in our lives IF we have the indwelling Christ.

When Christ is in your life, you just can’t stop talking about what He has done for you, and because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, it will be no chore to read and study the Bible, help others, and share the message of salvation.

Works cause our FAITH to grow, not our salvation! “Faith without works is dead”–a scripture always misapplied by the Watchtower to get you to “work out your own salvation”, when salvation is not the topic, FAITH is!

We will get rewards from God based on our godly works–these will be a wonderful bonus to our salvation. We’ll only know the extent of the “crowns” or “rewards” when we finally get to be with Christ . These are in addition to our free gift of salvation. How wonderful it will be to hear Him say “Well done, thy good and faithful servant”!

The goal is to have a real relationship with God in this life and for eternity after death!

The gospel message is simple: Believe and receive, doubt and go without! God has freely given His salvation by grace to all who would repent and believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior. Jesus Christ is Almighty God manifest in the flesh, (John 1:1-14) and Jesus Himself said, “Unless you believe that I AM you will die in your sins” (John 8:24).

The cults have not only presented a counterfeit “salvation”, but also a counterfeit “Jesus”. Find your way to the real Jesus and you will enjoy real salvation, and incidentally, because you are saved, real satisfying “works” that will build your faith. You will then be in the company of all believers through the ages who can confidentially declare that they “know they have eternal life”(1 John 5:11-15).

I think if you examine the Scriptures in their original context you will find that we are in agreement as far as salvation is concerned. As I said before, I don’t know if you are a Seventh-day Adventist or not but either way, much of what your tract discusses is addressed and examined at exadventist.com.

Please check it out and also feel free to write me anytime with comments and/or questions.

Blessings to you,

David Upton

“Should I not be concerned?” - Jonah 4:11
Visit my web site
http://www.TheApologeticResponse.org
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And this one …
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From: David Upton
Date: Fri, 09 Feb 2007 10:08:05 -0500
To: Simply Truth
Subject: The Sabbath Issue

Hello again Simply Truth,

My Pastor wrote the following. Could you comment on it for me? Thanks.

David

The Sabbath Issue

WARNING: This is a very controversial issue among Christians. Please read the following verses before proceeding.

Rom 14:5 One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. 10 You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.

Col 2:16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.

Whatever position is taken on the Sabbath issue, Scripture warns us not to judge someone for disagreeing with your point of view, and to not accept judgment from someone else for your point of view.

Three Basic Historic Positions

Sabbatarianism: This position holds very literally to the 4th commandment. They refrain from work and try very hard to maintain the Sabbath law the way it was written. Seventh-Day Baptists and Adventists fall under this category and worship on Saturday.

Most will point to Creation as the beginning of this ordinance. Because God rested on the 7th Day, so should we. Note that no command is given in Genesis 2. In addition, Adam was at constant rest before the fall. There was no need of a special day of rest for him!

Reformed Sabbatarianism: People who hold this position are inconsistent Sabbath-keepers.

They feel justified calling the Sunday their Sabbath because of the resurrection and the example of the early church, which met on the first day of the week. On the basis of the 4th commandment, work is discouraged, and the belief is upheld that God is being honoured by the minimal activity commanded in the Decalogue.

Many of those who hold to a Covenant Theology would be Reformed Sabbatarians. The Puritan movement held to this view for the most part.

Non-Sabbatarianism: This view was held by both Calvin and Luther as well as nearly all of the early Reformation churches. This views holds the following:

(1) The Sabbath as a holy day was totally done away in Christ. There are no longer any “holy” days. The Sabbath was a type of Christ, and He Himself is our Sabbath-rest. If the Sabbath was a type of Christ, then grace teaches us that instead of one day in which to worship, all of our activity and life becomes a source of worship (Rom 12:1-2) and every day belongs to him in its totality.

(2) Since it is essential that the church have specific, consistent times set apart for worship and teaching, we follow the lead of the early church and treat Sundays as special for the purpose of worship, fellowship and instruction, to fulfill the exhortation to assemble on a regular basis.

(3) The Lord’s day (Sunday) is in no way connected to the fourth commandment and cannot be either established or defended as “moral law” with Scripture.

In Defense of the Non-Sabbatarian Position

The Sabbath as an Old Covenant Sign: Exo 31:16-17 clearly identifies the Sabbath as a sign of the Mosaic covenant that was struck between God and the Israelites. The Sabbath was for the Israelites.

16 The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant.

17 It will be a sign between me and the Israelites for ever, for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he abstained from work and rested.’”

Believers in Jesus Christ are not in relationship to God through the terms of the Mosaic covenant. We are in relationship to God through the terms of the New Covenant that was inaugurated by the shed blood of Christ. As the Old Covenant was done away with in Christ, the sign of the Old Covenant was also done away with along with all of the temple ritual and ceremonial law. The symbolic value of the tearing of the curtain that covered Holy of Holies speaks volumes to this. One no longer approaches God on the old terms.

Jewish/Christian confusion over custom: People tend to forget that the early church started as a very Jewish movement. As such, they continued to meet and worship on the Sabbath (Saturday). As the church became more Gentile in its makeup, clashes were inevitable between the Jewish and Gentile believers. This mixing of cultures and traditions gave rise to the first church council. If the Sabbath was to have been preserved in any way, shape or form, the Jerusalem church council would surely have informed the Gentile churches of this. Instead, they laid a minimal amount of restrictions upon them: “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.” Acts 15:28-29

The church council did not solve all of the problems. The church at Rome experienced sharp disagreement over Jewish/Gentile differences, and to them Paul said, “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” Rom 14:5

The church at Colosse experienced the same kind of strife. “16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” Col 2:16-17

The shadow of the things that were to come was the religious festivals, New Moon celebrations and the holding of Sabbath days. Paul refers clearly to the Sabbath day as a shadow of what was to come, namely Christ. The Sabbath was a type that pointed to our redemption in Christ.

So what about the law?

The Christian believer is “not without Law to God, but in-law to Christ” (1 Cor.9:21). Jesus Christ is the Lord of that person and he or she is to be governed by “the law of the Spirit” (Rom.8:2). Being in Christ he is to “fulfill the law of Christ” (Ga1.6:2).

This is a lifestyle very different from that of a Jew under the Law of Moses, and on a much higher plane. The Christian is not regulated by codes and checklists. Rather, the Christian life is characterized by a liberty in which he is free to follow the leadings of the Spirit. It goes without saying that the leadings of the Spirit will never take the Christian against any the moral commands of God, which are universally and eternally true. Christianity is liberty - not to sin as much as I want, but freedom not to sin. The law produces sin. The Spirit produces life and righteousness. The law of love is sufficient to produce in us the works of righteousness which the law cannot produce.

Quotes from other voices.

Justin Martyr: (2nd century)

(1) True Sabbath observance under the new covenant is the keeping of a perpetual Sabbath which consists of turning from sin.

(2) The righteous men of old, Adam, Abel, Enoch, Noah, and the like, pleased God without keeping Sabbath.

(3) God imposed the Sabbath upon the Israelites because of unrighteousness and hardness of heart

John Calvin: (16th cent.) “…since the Sabbath is abrogate, I do not so rest upon the number seven, that I would bind the churches to the bondage thereof; neither will I condemn those churches that have other solemn days for their meetings.”

Pastor John MacArthur: (20th cent.)“…the clear, inescapable conclusion is, that there is no Sabbath Law in the New Covenant. We are not under that Law. It is not a Moral Law, and it is one that was temporary—it is set aside.”

So what about Sunday?

By description, (not commandment,) we learn from the New Covenant that the early church eventually met on the first day of the week. We are instructed to carry out the ordinances (baptism and the breaking of bread) as well as to meet regularly for mutual encouragement, instruction and worship (Heb. 10:25). We do well to follow the example of the New Testament church.

1.The above quotes are included to demonstrate at the very least that the opinions reflected in this paper are not considered unorthodox in the least and is represented in mainstream Christianity throughout history. WP