The Sun News Media is the “premier news source for Southwest Florida,” with print and online editions covering Venice, North Port, Englewood, Port Charlotte, and Punta Gorda, Florida. [1] Pastor Robb Long, Ministerial Director and Evangelism Coordinator for the Indiana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists [2] [3], wrote an article in the Sun News Media on November 5, 2022, defending the seventh-day Sabbath after the news site stated that the Sabbath was obsolete and that Christians should not observe it.
The article written by Pastor Robb Long was titled: “Here’s why you should keep the Sabbath.” The article said, in part:
I read with interest the Oct. 15 religion page column entitled, “Observe Sabbath Saturday on Sunday, your choice.” While upholding our freedom to choose, the article’s tone seemed to suggest that keeping the Sabbath would be an unwise choice for Christians as it attempted to show the Biblical 7th day Sabbath is now obsolete.
In the interest of faithfulness to Scripture, I’d like to offer some Biblical reasons in favor of Christians keeping the Sabbath, so readers may make an informed choice concerning this important issue of a day of rest and worship for Christians.
The Sabbath was instituted at the end of creation week, and given as a gift to humanity before sin entered the world — making the Sabbath a part of God’s original design for all mankind.
Jesus clearly said, “the Sabbath was made for man,” not merely for the Jews. (Mark 2:27.) Then, as a weekly reminder of our origins, God included the Sabbath in the Ten Commandments, His universal moral law for all human beings.
The Sabbath command, like the other nine, was engraved in stone to show its permanence. And I would guess most all Christians still believe in the Ten Commandments, not just nine.
To keep us from forgetting God’s gift of holy time, the Sabbath commandment begins with the word “remember.” (Exodus 20:8.)
It wouldn’t seem wise to forget the only day God blessed and told us to remember. The Sabbath reminds us of the paradise we lost, but also gives us a glimpse of paradise restored.
Describing the new earth He will make, God says in Isaiah 66:23, “from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me.”
Here the Sabbath is distinguished as a day of corporate worship, not merely of rest, throughout eternity. In the gospels, we find Jesus rescuing true Sabbath-keeping from the rabbinical traditions that had made it a burden.
Christ worked many miracles on the Sabbath, encouraging the people to expect extra blessings on that day. True, Jesus was in frequent conflict with religious leaders over the Sabbath, but the conflict was never about whether the Sabbath should be kept, only how it should be observed.
Christ Himself showed us how to keep the Sabbath holy and Christians are told to walk as He walked. (1 John 2:6)
The Sabbath is mentioned 56 times in the gospels and another 9 times in the book of Acts, which records how the apostles acted in the New Testament era.
Only 8 verses in the New Testament mention the 1st day of the week — Sunday. All of them, when read in context, describe people treating the 1st day as a day of common work and activity, rather than a day of rest and worship.
Paul, who was in frequent conflict with the Jews over circumcision, was never accused of denigrating the Sabbath because he continued to observe it as a Christian as described in the references from Acts.
Hebrews 4:9-10 in the New Testament says “… there remains a sabbath rest for the people of God; for whoever enters God’s rest also ceases from his labors as God did from his.”
If ever we needed a weekly day of rest and spiritual focus on Christ, it’s now. The Sabbath – try it, you’ll like it! [4]
This is exactly what we should be doing. This is the example that leaders should set for the people. God clearly warned us that the world would misrepresent the truth that we believe and that we should respond to such misrepresentations. We are even told to respond publicly and in the “secular press” so that the final warning message can reach others:
“Men will misrepresent the doctrines we believe and teach as Bible truth, and it is necessary that wise plans should be laid to secure the privilege of inserting articles into the secular papers; for this will be a means of awakening souls to see the truth. God will raise up men who will be qualified to sow beside all waters. God has given great light upon important truths, and it must come to the world” (Evangelism, p. 129).
May God raise up men and women with the courage to act, to defend the faith, to never keep quiet, and to uphold His standard of truth in a time when His seventh-day Sabbath is being rendered obsolete and void.
Sources
[1] https://www.linkedin.com/company/sun-news-media
[2] https://indysda.org/ministerial-department
[3] https://indysda.org/evangelism
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Amen
Bravely presented, and well said.
A friendly way of telling truth. A kind reminder to those who forget to keep it holy.
ABSOLUTELY WELL SAID WERE ALL GONNA BE JUDGED BY THE ROYAL LAW OF LIBERTY PERIOD!!!!