There was a busy group of Jewish Christians that taught that after you were saved, Jew and Gentile, all
Jewish laws and festivals had to be kept in order to be saved. These were referred to as Judaizers. They
often followed Paul to churches he had established and, after he left, proclaimed their beliefs. It caused
quite a stir and a lot of confusion.
I have begun seeing some teachings of that nature among Christians today. The first argument is the
designation of the Sabbath. Is it still Saturday? Did the Christians do it wrong by choosing Sunday as
their Sabbath? My personal belief is that God didn’t designate a particular, named, day of the week as
the official Sabbath.
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the
seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work…” (Exodus 20:8-10a) He
didn’t say to work Sunday through Friday and have Saturday as the Sabbath. Many countries in Europe
and Oceania count Sunday as the seventh day of their week. Can they be Biblically correct and have
Sunday as the Sabbath? What God said was for His people to work 6 days and rest on the seventh one,
making it a day to honor Him. I do that. I choose which six days to work and which day to rest. That in
no way dishonors the purpose of God. And…this is important…if we have to keep part of the Law we
have to keep all of the Law. It’s all or nothing.
Listen to what Jesus said about the Law, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I
did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot
or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” Some people point to the second part
where Jesus says that not even the tiniest part of the Law will change. But did you catch the truth in
what He said? It will not pass away until it is all fulfilled but…He will fulfill it. The Law has been fulfilled
in the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ. Here is what Romans says: “For Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” (Romans 10:4)
Here is one of the problems with a Law keeping mindset: we must define what it takes, exactly, to keep
many of the Laws. That resulted in over 600 ways the Jewish Rabbis determined would meet the criteria
of the Law. Let’s go back to the Sabbath. What can a person do, or not do, to “rest” on the Sabbath.
Rabbis determined that about 2/3 of a mile was all a person could walk on the Sabbath. Was that 2/3
mile at one time or 2/3 of a mile cumulative for the day? Who knows?
Then we have to worry about the other 600 laws. Can we not touch a dead person? Do we have to
wash our hands a certain way? Does a woman have to remove herself from the public at certain times
and then be cleansed and verified by a priest? The list goes on.
I choose to live in the freedom of the Lord Jesus Christ. “This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:38-39 NIV). I do not need any
laws explaining to me how to do that. I do not do, say, or think anything that dishonors the character
and purpose of God as revealed in His word
Say good things about your Savior and His church on the Bluff.
Jewish laws and festivals had to be kept in order to be saved. These were referred to as Judaizers. They
often followed Paul to churches he had established and, after he left, proclaimed their beliefs. It caused
quite a stir and a lot of confusion.
I have begun seeing some teachings of that nature among Christians today. The first argument is the
designation of the Sabbath. Is it still Saturday? Did the Christians do it wrong by choosing Sunday as
their Sabbath? My personal belief is that God didn’t designate a particular, named, day of the week as
the official Sabbath.
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the
seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work…” (Exodus 20:8-10a) He
didn’t say to work Sunday through Friday and have Saturday as the Sabbath. Many countries in Europe
and Oceania count Sunday as the seventh day of their week. Can they be Biblically correct and have
Sunday as the Sabbath? What God said was for His people to work 6 days and rest on the seventh one,
making it a day to honor Him. I do that. I choose which six days to work and which day to rest. That in
no way dishonors the purpose of God. And…this is important…if we have to keep part of the Law we
have to keep all of the Law. It’s all or nothing.
Listen to what Jesus said about the Law, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I
did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot
or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” Some people point to the second part
where Jesus says that not even the tiniest part of the Law will change. But did you catch the truth in
what He said? It will not pass away until it is all fulfilled but…He will fulfill it. The Law has been fulfilled
in the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ. Here is what Romans says: “For Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” (Romans 10:4)
Here is one of the problems with a Law keeping mindset: we must define what it takes, exactly, to keep
many of the Laws. That resulted in over 600 ways the Jewish Rabbis determined would meet the criteria
of the Law. Let’s go back to the Sabbath. What can a person do, or not do, to “rest” on the Sabbath.
Rabbis determined that about 2/3 of a mile was all a person could walk on the Sabbath. Was that 2/3
mile at one time or 2/3 of a mile cumulative for the day? Who knows?
Then we have to worry about the other 600 laws. Can we not touch a dead person? Do we have to
wash our hands a certain way? Does a woman have to remove herself from the public at certain times
and then be cleansed and verified by a priest? The list goes on.
I choose to live in the freedom of the Lord Jesus Christ. “This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:38-39 NIV). I do not need any
laws explaining to me how to do that. I do not do, say, or think anything that dishonors the character
and purpose of God as revealed in His word
Say good things about your Savior and His church on the Bluff.
Bro. Tony