Does Christ’s keeping the Sabbath bind Christians to it?
Claim examined: Faith, grace, and obedience
Scriptural Answer
John, One more thing about what Jesus meant by "He said, "Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Did you notice not one jot or tittle would pass from the law till it was fulfilled. Earlier in that chapter Jesus said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." The word destroy in this passage simply means to destroy utterly, to overthrow completely. Jesus did not come to do that to the law or the prophets. Some of the critical Pharisees might have thought so, but He did not do that. He came to "fulfill," which means to complete, accomplish or finish. Now, not one jot or one tittle (jot is the smallest Hebrew letter and tittle is little horn that's used on some Hebrew words to distinguish word from another) would pass from the law till all be fulfilled, --then the law would pass. And Jesus did that. He fulfilled it all. The idea is fully expressed in Acts 13:19. Paul is preaching in Antioch and by the Holy Spirit he says, "Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God. to you is the word of this salvation sent. For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath day, they have fulfilled (completed, accomplished or finished) in condemning him. And when they had fulfilled (completed, accomplished, finished) all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre." Now, don't you see that Jesus did not come to completely overthrow the law or the prophets, He came to fulfill, complete, accomplish and finish it. Do you see the difference? Perhaps it's more easily understood if we use the term "abolish" as Ephesians 2:14-15 does: "For He (that is Christ) is our peace, who hath made both (Jew and Gentile) one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us (Jew and Gentile); having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain (Jew and Gentile) one new man, so making peace." So then He did "abolish" the law of commandments, didn't He. The verse just said He did. But that word abolish doesn't mean to overthrow, or utterly destroy. It means to reduce to inactivity. He reduced the law contained in ordinances to inactivity by fulfilling or accomplishing or finishing it. Paul asks the Galatians, "Wherefore then serveth the law?" Then he answers, "It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made..." (Galatians 3:19). The seed was Christ. So you see, my friend, the law was not intended to be permanent. It had a purpose and when that purpose was accomplished, it ceased to be effective. And please, don't let anybody confuse you. That law from which Christ has set us free is the one that contained the commandment "Thou shalt not covet." See Romans 7:1-7. So then, when Christ said He had not come to destroy the law or the prophets, He laid to rest the idea that some people had (and still have) that He was a religious rebel, come to completely overthrow the teachings of Moses and the prophets. That isn't what He did. He fulfilled, completed, finished them and laid them to rest. The law and the prophets had served their purpose. So now we preach Christ, and His better covenant which is enacted on better promises (Hebrews 8:6). Another letter pointed out that during Christ's earthly ministry, He kept the Sabbath day holy. Christ came to "fulfill" the law and did so, but He had not fulfilled or taken it out of the way until His earthly ministry was completed. Therefore, Paul affirms in Colossians 2:14 that "He took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross." That means then that, being of the seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:16), Jesus was subject to the law of Moses and He obeyed it. Of course He kept the law. It was not fulfilled, completed, finished or taken out of the way while He lived on earth. But, we are not under the law, therefore, we're not bound keep it. We are under the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2), which is a new and better covenant enacted on better promises (Hebrews 8:6). We don't offer the animal sacrifices He offered either, or burn the incense, or keep the feasts He kept. It does not follow that because we're not under that law, that we're entirely without a law. We're under a better law. We're subject to the law of Christ. His law is written, not on tables of stone, but in human hearts (Hebrews 8:10). The religion of Jesus Christ is the only world religion (including even Judaism) that seeks to control the person from the inside, outwardly, rather than from the outside, inwardly. Jesus shocked the people when He said, "A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things" (Matthew 12:35). So Jesus doesn't say, "Thou shalt not kill." He prevents murder by saying, "I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). He prevents adultery, not by saying, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," but by saying, "That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart" (Matthew 5:28). Get it out of the heart and you prevent the deed. Moreover, the New Testament is chuck full of inspired teachings against immorality and lust and greed. Surely, you wouldn't "fall" for such an absurdity as if we preach freedom from the law of Moses, we're altogether without a law against sin. That would be an admission of ignorance of the New Testament Scriptures. Now to the thief. Why did God give us the Old testament if it is not an example for us on how we are to be saved today? God says in Heb 7:12, "For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law." The thief lived under the OLD TESTAMENT and is NOT an example for us today of how someone is to be saved. The NEW TESTAMENT was NOT in force until Peter and the apostles gathered together on Pentecost and preached the first gospel sermon. What did Peter say in Acts 2:38? Peter most certainly did not say when the Jews asked "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" "Why there is nothing you can do, you already believe in Jesus so you are saved." Now did he? What he said was, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Now, that most certainly does not fit your FAITH ONLY doctrine now does it? No one can be saved today the way the thief was saved because no one is in the same situation the thief was in. He was in the physical presence of Jesus. He was able to speak with the Lord face to face. The Lord as the testator of His will had the right to do what He wished with His salvation while He lived, but once He died, the conditions of His will have to be met in order for one to be saved (Hebrew 9:16,17). Since Jesus has now died, the conditions of salvation given in His New Testament are required of all today who want to be saved.The thief on the cross was under the OLD COVENANT when Jesus forgave his sins, telling him that he would be with Jesus that day in paradise, Baptism INTO Christ's death, was NOT a part of the old covenant, this Baptism IS to receive the gift of God's Holy Spirit, and is a distinct component within God's NEW COVENANT between Himself and man. What did Peter say in 1 Peter 3:21? I guess you call Peter a liar when he said that baptism saves us. Who can believe it? God has laid down the requirements for salvation. He has COMMANDED us to: 1. Hear the gospel (Rom. 10:17, Jas. 1:21) 2. Believe the gospel (John 8:24, Heb. 11:6, John 3:16, John 6:45) 3. Repent of our sins (Acts 17:30, Acts 26:2, Luke 13:3) 4. Confess Jesus as Lord (Phil. 2:11, John 12:42, Rom. 10:9, Matt. 10:32, Acts 8:37) 5. Be Baptized for the forgiveness of our sins (Matt. 28:19, John 3:5, Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38) 6. Remain faithful until we die. (Rev. 2:10) Only those who OBEY God will receive salvation. You will be shocked to find on judgment day that you have been lied to, and while you are still on earth, it is not too late for you to obey the gospel and be saved. Jesus said in Luke 6:46, "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?" Unless you obey the gospel, you will be lost. (2 Thes. 1:7). Now is a good time for you to study the Book of Acts where the Holy Spirit has recorded several accounts of conversion and salvation. When you do what they did you will be as they were. This is what one must do to be saved. Please consult Acts 2:14-47; 6:7; 8:4-13, 26-40; 9:6, 17-19; 22:16; 10:34-48; 11:14; 15:7-11; 16:14, 15; 18:7, 8; 19:1-5. For Christ and those who love the truth in Him,
KJV Scriptures Used
Read each passage in its chapter and compare the Scriptures together.