Dd-31. ARE YOU TWISTING THE SCRIPTURES? Part 4. DOWNLOAD to SAVE as a PDF Doc to read OFFLINE. Dd-31. ARE YOU TWISTING THE SCRIPTURES? Part 4.
To all my readers, but especially to my seventh DAY of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians, I implore you to understand that we are under a NEW COVENANT with NEW WORDS of instructions in this NEW Covenant. Under the NEW Covenant, Almighty God Himself commands us to HEAR and obey the WORDS of His SON Jesus. Are Sabbath-keeping Christians twisting the Scriptures to their own destruction? Here are just some of the WORDS of Jesus which teaches us HOW that our righteousness will EXCEED the righteousness of the Pharisees.
Please read Matthew 5:38-48.
“You HAVE HEARD (Speaking of past tense under the OLD covenant) that it has been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39. But I say unto you, That you resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40. And if any man will sue you at the law, and take away your coat, let him have your cloak also. 41. And whosoever shall compel you to go a mile, go with him twain (Or two miles). 42. Give to him that asks you, and from him that would borrow from you, turn them not away from you. 43. You have heard that it has been said, You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy. 44. But 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; 45. That you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46. For if you love them which love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the publicans do the same? (Peter says it this way, if you suffer for things you deserve what reward is that, but if you suffer for doing good, then you have your reward) 47. And if you salute your brethren only, What do you MORE than others? Do not even the publicans also do this? 48. Be you, therefore, perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
Please notice that these are all MORAL righteousness and NONE are ceremonial or ritual carnal worldly services to God. Let us now go back to Colossians 2:16,17 and read these verses from a few different translations.
Colossians 2:16,17 from the New International Version.
“THEREFORE (Or for this very REASON of all the handwriting of ORDINANCES being BLOTTED OUT and taken OUT of the WAY being nailed to the cross) do NOT let anyone judge you by (#1) what you eat or drink, or (#2) with regard to a religious festival, (#3) a New Moon celebration or (#4) a Sabbath day. 17. These are a SHADOW of the things that were to come; the REALITY, (Or the TRUE) however, is found in CHRIST.”
Colossians 2:16,17 from the New Century Version.
“So do not let anyone make rules (Or impose rules) for you about (#1) eating and drinking or about (#2) a religious feast, (#3) a New Moon Festival, or (#4) a Sabbath day. 17. These things were like a SHADOW of what was to come. But what is TRUE and REAL has come and is found in Christ.”
Colossians 2:16,17 from the New Living Translation.
“So don’t let anyone condemn you for (#1) what you eat or drink, or (#2) for NOT celebrating certain holy days or (#3) new moon ceremonies or (#4) Sabbaths. 17. For these rules are only SHADOWS of the REALITY yet to come. And Christ HIMSELF is that REALITY.”
In other words, Jesus Christ HIMSELF is OUR SABBATH REST the SAME as Jesus is OUR CIRCUMCISION and OUR Passover LAMB sacrificed ONCE and for all time. Now in the New International translation, we read the word “THEREFORE” and as I have taught you before any time you see the word “THEREFORE”, then find out why it is there for. The word “therefore” means for this VERY REASON. So then, ask yourself WHAT very REASON? #1. Look for the REASON of WHY we are not to let other Christians JUDGE us for NOT keeping the dietary laws written in the Old Testament under the OLD covenant. #2. Look for the REASON of WHY we are NOT to let other Christians JUDGE us for NOT keeping the YEARLY feast days written in the Old Testament under the OLD covenant. #3. Look for the REASON of WHY we are NOT the let other Christians JUDGE us for NOT keeping the MONTHLY new moon days of observance written in the Old Testament under the OLD covenant. #4. Look for the REASON of WHY we are NOT to let other Christians JUDGE us for NOT keeping the WEEKLY Sabbath days of resting in the manner of the Jews written in the Old Testament under the OLD covenant.
It makes NO SENSE whatsoever to say that we are not to let others judge us FOR KEEPING the weekly Sabbath because it was the JEWS who were doing the judging. And IF SO BE the first-century ALL Jewish Christian church was keeping the weekly Sabbath there would have been NO JUDGING the Gentile Christians for NOT keeping any of the Law of Moses contained in ORDINANCES. But let us ASSUME that the New Testament does teach that Gentile Christians must keep all of the Law of Moses to be saved. Now if this was the case, then the Gentile Christians would have been taught from day one to keep the weekly Sabbath. And thus, there would have been NO JUDGING from either the Jewish Christians or the Gentile Christians for doing what they were taught to do. However, all of the sound Biblical evidence proves that there WAS JUDGING concerning the dietary laws, the yearly feast days, the monthly new moon festivals, and the weekly Sabbath days. And the Bible makes it blatantly clear that all of the judging came from the unsaved and some of Jews who became Christians. And those natural born Jews felt that they still needed to keep the Law of Moses in order to be saved. They were WEAK in their faith in the NEW Covenant. And they COMPELLED Gentiles Christians to be circumcised in the flesh and to keep all of the Law of Moses to be saved. So the first church council was held in Jerusalem to SETTLE this matter of controversy once and for all. And the WHOLE church was in agreement to give no SUCH COMMANDMENT for any Christians to keep the Law of Moses to be saved, according to Acts 15:10-24. Let us continue reading Colossians 2;16 from other translations.
Here again Colossians 2:16 from God’s Word translation.
“THEREFORE, let no one judge you because of what you eat or drink or about the observance of ANNUAL holy days, New Moon Festivals, (The MONTHLY days of observance) or WEEKLY worship days.”
No matter what translation you read this verse from there are FOUR things listed, which we are NOT to allow any person to JUDGE us for NOT doing. It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever for Paul to teach AGAINST JUDGING others if all Christians were being TAUGHT to KEEP all of the Law of Moses. Again, the word “THEREFORE” means for this very REASON let no man JUDGE you. What is the very reason to not allow others to judge you concerning the things written in the Law of Moses? The very reason to not allow others to judge you concerning things in the Law of Moses is that the handwriting of ORDINANCES was blotted out and taken out of the way. Then Paul immediately explains WHAT things were blotted out and taken out of the way.
And these FOUR things are as follows.
#1. DIET, what we eat, or for NOT keeping the DIETARY laws under the OLD COVENANT.
#2. Feast days, speaking of NOT keeping the YEARLY SABBATHS feast days.
#3. The new moons or for NOT observing the MONTHLY festivals.
#4. SABBATH days, which are the WEEKLY Sabbaths that we are not to let any man condemn us for NOT keeping by resting from all work on the SEVENTH day of the week as the manner of the children of Israel were instructed in the Old Testament under the OLD covenant for them to keep throughout THEIR generations as a SIGN. Please read the study Dd-15. THE WEEKLY SABBATH REST is a SIGN! WHY do I say that number 4 is speaking of the WEEKLY Sabbaths and not some OTHER Sabbath days? I say that #4 is speaking of the WEEKLY Sabbath Day because the YEARLY Sabbaths and the MONTHLY festivals of obligation are already mentioned in #2 and #3 of the FOUR DIFFERENT things listed. So it makes no logical sense to list FOUR things and then INTERPRET the fourth thing to be the same thing as the second thing. In other words, it makes no logical sense to list four different things where one is concerning food and the other three things are concerning the keeping of DAYS or the esteeming of one day above another day, where we all KNOW beyond any shadow of a doubt that Israel was given YEARLY feast days, MONTHLY new moon days, AND WEEKLY Sabbath days, which are three DIFFERENT things. But the seventh DAY of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians dogmatically demand that the YEARLY feast days and the Sabbath days are ONE and the same days. However, by their incorrect “interpretation” of the Scriptures THEY make only TWO obligations of days, the YEARLY Sabbaths, and the MONTHLY new moon festivals. So WHERE did the WEEKLY Sabbath days go using THEIR INTERPRETATION of Colossians 2:16,17? You see dear children of God, when these three Sabbaths or holy days are listed in the Old Testament, then no one ever tries to explain away the Sabbath days, which clearly means the WEEKLY Sabbath days, as NOT meaning the WEEKLY Sabbath days. In other words, no one dogmatically demands that the Sabbath days are ONLY the yearly and monthly Sabbaths and that other Sabbath days do NOT mean the WEEKLY Sabbath. But rather, all Christians, even Saturday seventh day of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians AGREE that the Sabbath days mean the WEEKLY Sabbath days. To say this another way, we all agree that when the Sabbath days are listed WITH the feast days, and the new moons in the OLD Testament, then the Sabbath days are clearly understood to mean, without fail, the WEEKLY Sabbath days. Please read the following Old Testament verses.
1 Chronicles 23:31.
“And to offer all burnt sacrifices unto the LORD in the Sabbaths, (WEEKLY Sabbaths) in the new moons, (MONTHLY festival days) and on the set feasts, (The YEARLY feast day Sabbaths) by number, according to the order commanded unto them, continually before the LORD:”
2 Chronicles 2:4.
“Behold, I build an house to the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual showbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, (The WEEKLY Sabbath days) and on the new moons, (The MONTHLY festival days) and on the solemn feasts, (The YEARLY feast days) of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance forever to ISRAEL.”
The Hebrew word “translated” as “forever” also means for an AGE or for a long time. The Hebrew word “olam” also means to CONCEAL. In other words, the hidden prophecies written in the ordinances of the Sabbath days were VEILED to ISRAEL. Again, the main point is that the Law of Moses was given ONLY to the children of Israel. And it, the keeping of a DAY Holy, was only added as a SIGN UNTIL Christ came to establish the PERTETUAL Covenant.
2 Chronicles 8:13.
“Even after a certain rate every day, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the Sabbaths, (The WEEKLY Sabbath days) and on the new moons, (The MONTHLY festival days) and on the solemn feasts, (The YEARLY feast days) three times in the YEAR, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles.”
2 Chronicles 31:3.
“He appointed also the king's portion of his substance for the burnt offerings, to wit, for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths, (The WEEKLY Sabbath days) and for the new moons, (The MONTHLY festival days) and for the set feasts, (The YEARLY feast days) as it is written in the law of the LORD.”
Nehemiah 10:33.
“For the showbread, and for the continual meat offering, and for the continual burnt offering, of the Sabbaths, (The WEEKLY Sabbath days) of the new moons, (The MONTHLY festival days) for the set feasts, (The YEARLY feast days) and for the holy things, and for the sin offerings to make an atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God.”
Ezekiel 45:17.
“And it shall be the prince's part to give burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and drink offerings, in the feasts, (The three YEARLY feast days) and in the new moons, (The MONTHLY festival days) and in the Sabbaths, (The WEEKLY Sabbath days) in all solemnities of the house of Israel: he shall prepare the sin offering, and the meat offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make reconciliation for the house of Israel.”
Hosea 2:11. “I will also cause all her mirth (Or ELATION) to CEASE, her feast days, (The YEARLY feast days) her new moons, (The MONTHLY festivals) and her Sabbaths, (The WEEKLY Sabbath days) and ALL her solemn feasts.”
Clearly Hosea 2:11 is a prophecy where Yahweh says that he will cause ALL the feast, Sabbaths, and new moon festivals to CEASE. And clearly, the children of Israel were given THREE groups of DAYS that they are to keep throughout their generations. Israel is given to WEEKLY Sabbath DAYS, Israel is given the MONTHLY new moon DAYS, and Israel is given the YEARLY feast DAYS. And ALL THREE groups of DAYS were given ONLY to the children of Israel to keep throughout their generations as SHADOWS and SIGNS that point to Jesus and the NEW COVENANT. So then, why do Sabbath keeping Christians INTERPRET these THREE DIFFERENT groups of Holy DAYS listed together in Colossians 2:16,17 as just TWO groups of days of obligation, the YEARLY feast day Sabbaths, and the MONTHLY new moons? In other words, why do only Sabbath DAY keeping Christians combine the WEEKLY Sabbaths with the YEARLY Sabbaths by DENYING they are the WEEKLY Sabbath days? Can you not see that there are THREE DIFFERENT groups of holy days given to the children of Israel to keep? So then, by claiming their are only TWO groups of days they are twisting the Scriptures to FIT their own personal interpretation that the WEEKLY Sabbaths are the YEARLY Sabbaths. But in truth, the YEARLY feast days were ALREADY listed which proves that the Sabbath days are indeed the WEEKLY Sabbath days! And thus, the WEEKLY Sabbath days are also a SHADOW pointing to Jesus! In other words, the REASON for WHY that Sabbath keeping Christians MUST deny that the Sabbaths listed in Colossians 2:16 are the WEEKLY Sabbath days is BECAUSE if they AGREE that the Sabbath days listed in all these verses are indeed speaking of the WEEKLY Sabbath days, then their whole dogmatic doctrine of keeping the SEVENTH DAY WEEKLY Sabbath is exposed as a FALSE teaching. And thus, by admitting that the Sabbaths in Colossians 2:16 are the WEEKLY Sabbath days, then they expose all seventh DAY of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians to be MAKING a LIE. if they continue to teach their followers to REST on the seventh DAY of the week as an obligation to please God. As I have been saying all through this series of studies, if Christians KEEP the ORDINANCES that Jesus ABOLISHED and nailed to the cross then they would be DISPLEASING God rather than pleasing God. So REPENT and come out from among those who are MAKING a LIE by wrongly teaching their followers to keep the weekly Sabbath day to be more pleasing to God! Now the New Testament church was plagued by Judaizing Christians COMPELLING the Gentile Christians to keep ALL the LAW of Moses, the DIETARY laws, the law of circumcision and the KEEPING of these THREE groups of holy DAYS. So then, again, WHAT days were the children of Israel commanded to keep through all THEIR generations? We ALL agree that the three YEARLY feast days were commanded to be kept by the children OF ISRAEL throughout THEIR generations. We ALL agree that the MONTHLY new moon festivals were kept by the children OF ISRAEL throughout THEIR generations. We ALL agree that the WEEKLY Sabbath days were commanded to be kept by the children OF ISRAEL throughout THEIR generations. So then, in the Old Testament under the OLD covenant, there were THREE DIFFERENT groups of DAYS that the children of Israel were commanded to keep throughout THEIR generations. There were no DAILY Holy days of obligation to be kept EVERY day of the week. So then, ALL THREE DIFFERENT groups of Holy days of obligation are listed in Colossians 2:16 by the Apostle Paul just as they are listed as THREE DIFFERENT groups of Holy days to be kept in the OLD Testament. Again, every Christian AGREES that the Sabbath days group of Holy days in the Old Testament always referred to the WEEKLY Sabbath days and NOT the yearly Sabbath days. But when we get into the NEW Testament under the NEW COVENANT, where we are CLEARLY and PLAINLY taught in SIMPLICITY for us as Christians to NOT let any man condemn us for NOT KEEPING the YEARLY feast days, the MONTHLY new moon festivals, AND for NOT RESTING on the WEEKLY Sabbath DAYS, then ONLY the Saturday seventh DAY of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians dogmatically demand that the Sabbath days in Colossians 2:16 do NOT speak of the WEEKLY Sabbath DAYS. WHY? Why do they CLAIM that the Sabbath days must refer to the YEARLY Sabbaths, which again are ALREADY listed? The answer is simple. They HAVE to force any verse of Scripture that contradicts what they teach to make those verses APPEAR to agree with their own church doctrine. Otherwise, their whole church doctrine of keeping DAYS Holy would fall completely apart and all their followers would leave their church denomination. So then, be honest with yourself and with God, WHO are the ones TWISTING the Scriptures here making them say what they NEED them to say in order to try and support their own church doctrine? Now if I am the one twisting the Scriptures, then WHY did Paul even bother to teach us NOT to fuss or argue over keeping or esteeming one day above another day along with teaching us NOT to fuss or argue over EATING and NOT eating in Romans 14? And why was Paul so concerned that he preached the gospel in VAIN to those desiring to be brought under the BONDAGE of keeping DAYS, months, and years in Galatians chapter 4? Keep in mind that in Colossians 2:16 FOUR things are listed specifically and within these FOUR different things listed there are TWO things, which are EATING and DAYS. This is exactly what we see in Romans chapter 14 as well. We see EATING and DAYS being taught to us as what WE as Christians must do and not do.
Please read Romans 14:1-23.
“Him that is weak in the faith, receive you, but NOT to doubtful disputations. (This means those strong in faith, who do NOT esteem any day above any other day of the week, month, or year should RECEIVE those who are weak in faith, who do esteem a day above another day. BUT do NOT receive them arguing over the matter. In other words, accept them as true Christians understanding that they are weak in their faith under the New Covenant. For you see, a little leaven can sometimes cause even strong Christians to fall from grace. And thus, their turning from the truth can cause you to become weak to be brought under the yoke of bondage of keeping a day as an obligation. There are many forms of obligation such as keeping the Law of Moses in order to be saved, or keeping the weekly Sabbath DAY in order to receive eternal life in the world to come, or keeping the weekly Sabbath DAY to simply please God) 2. For (Or because) one believes that he may eat ALL things: another, who is WEAK, eats herbs. (Now please understand that these are NOT MY words calling the Christians who EAT a vegetarian diet to please God WEAK in FAITH. These are Paul's words, so do not get offended at ME for simply showing you what the Bible ITSELF teaches) 3. Let NOT him that eats (ALL things meant for food) despise him that eats NOT; (Or do NOT despise Christians who believe that it is a sin to eat pork and other food that the children of Israel were forbidden to eat under the Old Covenant. This means to NOT treat them with HAUGHTY or prideful contempt as them being unworthy of your superiority of LIBERTY from the yoke of bondage) and let NOT him which eats NOT, JUDGE him that EATS: (In other words, the Christians who are WEAK in their faith by fearing that they must keep all the dietary laws of the OLD Covenant to please God, let them NOT JUDGE any Christian who does NOT KEEP the dietary laws written in the Old Testament under the OLD Covenant) FOR (Or because) God has received him. (This AGREES perfectly with what Paul TRULY teaches in Colossians 2:16. So then, in TRUTH, Paul is teaching AGAINST the KEEPING of the dietary laws, AGAINST the KEEPING of the yearly feast day, AGAINST the KEEPING of the monthly new moon festivals, and AGAINST the KEEPING of the WEEKLY Sabbath days in Colossians 2:8-17) 4. Who are YOU that judge another man's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Yea, he shall be held up: for God is able to make him stand. (In other words, God will make the strong in faith stand or receive the end of our salvation, eternal life in the world to come. Again, this is the food part or #1 of the FOUR different things listed in Colossians 2:16. Now Paul speaks on the remaining three parts of the groups of DAYS that Israel was commanded to keep throughout their generations by calling them a DAY that is esteemed above another DAY. Paul is showing that SOME Christians were, and are still today, esteeming a certain DAY above other days. In other words, one may esteem a certain day or days of the YEAR above all other days of the YEAR. One may esteem a certain day of the MONTH above all other days of the MONTH. And one may esteem a certain day of the WEEK above all other days of the week. And we are NOT to allow those who esteem a day above other days to JUDGE us for NOT esteeming ANY day above any other day. That is what Paul is teaching! So Paul is teaching AGAINST the keeping of ANY DAY as being an obligation to please God) 5. One man esteems one day ABOVE another: (And each YEARLY feast DAY is esteemed ABOVE other days of the year by the Jews. Each MONTHLY new moon festival DAY is esteemed ABOVE other days of the month by the Jews. AND each SEVENTH day of the week is esteemed by the Jews and by SOME Christians who are WEAK in their faith to be ABOVE every other day of the week. There were some Judaizing Christians in the New Testament doing this and there are still some weak Christians today esteeming the weekly seventh DAY above other days of the week) and others esteem every day alike. (Meaning that many or most Christians esteem every day of the year, month, and week all the same where not any day is esteemed above any other day) Let every man be fully persuaded in his OWN mind. (In other words, God is saying to all His dear children, OBEY these words of the New Covenant written in the NEW Testament for I, Yahweh, put the in the MOUTH of my Son Jesus. And do NOT try and force or compel YOUR PERSUASION of KEEPING DAYS above other day on other Christians. The weak in faith who KEEP the weekly Sabbath as the Jews should not JUDGE the strong in faith, who do NOT esteem any day above another as a MUST be kept day as being Holier than other days of the week. And the strong in faith should receive the weak in faith and allow God to teach them at their own pace. So be patient knowing that God is ABLE to make them stand as well as to make you stand. Plant the seeds of God’s word of truth, water it, and trust God to give the increase) 6. He that regards the day, regards it unto the Lord; and he that regards not the day, to the Lord he does not regard it. (In other words, the strong in faith who do NOT keep the weekly Sabbath DAY are actually OBEYING the TRUTH of the gospel. So to the Lord we are NOT regarding it as being REQUIRED by God under the New Covenant) He that eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he that eats not, to the Lord he eats not, and gives God thanks. (In other words, you eat what YOU are fully persuaded in your OWN mind to eat. And while God is increasing your faith, give grace to others to eat what they KNOW that they are FREE to eat. Paul calls the FORBIDDING to eat what God has cleansed doctrines of devils, according to 1 Timothy 4:1-6) 7. For none of us lives to himself, and no man dies to himself. 8. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. (In other words, FOOD profits nothing in the matter of receiving eternal life in the world to come or in PLEASING God. And the keeping of DAYS profits nothing in the matter of receiving eternal life in the world to come or in PLEASING God. But again, keeping what Jesus ABOLISHED on the cross, to me, is actually DISPLEASING to God and His Son, Jesus) 9. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. 10. But why do you JUDGE your brother? Or why do you set at naught your brother? (The phrase “set at naught” means to consider your brothers or sisters in the Lord as NOTHING. In other words, they are wrongly saying that their brothers and sisters in the Lord are not even truly saved. And their reason for accusing them of not being saved is because they do not believe the exact same way that you do in the matter of what they EAT or do NOT EAT and on the matter of KEEPING DAYS or NOT keeping days above other days. Set at naught also means to cause to fall away or sin. So, if you COMPEL someone to do something that they themselves have DOUBTS about doing, then YOU cause them to SIN. For you see, anything NOT of FAITH is sin. So do NOT JUDGE one another) For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11. For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. 13. Let us NOT therefore JUDGE one another ANY MORE: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. (Then in the very next verse of Scripture, Paul defines one of those occasions that can cause a brother or sister in the Lord to FALL) 14. I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is NOTHING unclean of itself: (Now again, by the CONTEXT we must assume that nothing here means no kind of food or meat is unclean of itself. Unclean here means forbidden by God to eat under the Old Covenant. And if one eats what is forbidden then he or she is sinning. Unclean does NOT mean a dirty filthy animal. Do NOT call unclean what God has CLEANSED. Please read the studies Dd-43. MUST Christians KEEP the DIETARY LAWS?, and Dd-44. ACTS 10 Peter's Vision of CLEANSED Meat? Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians 6:7-13 that we are free to even eat meat sacrificed to idols) but to him that ESTEEMS anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. (SOME Sabbath-keeping Christians esteem worshiping God on SUNDAY to be a SIN and even the taking of the MARK of the beast. So then, to THEM, Sunday is an UNCLEAN day to worship God upon. And to THEM attending church on a Sunday would be a sin, because THEY are weak in their faith. And what is NOT in faith is a sin. THEREFORE, we who are strong in faith should not force or compel the weak in faith to do what THEY are fully persuaded in their OWN minds is sin or unclean. So to all my Sunday NON Sabbath DAY keeping Christians, I say to you to give them grace and allow God to teach them by your STRONG FIRM faith, God's word that you have sown in their lives and by God’s Holy Spirit who will lead and guide them into all truth. And the same is true with their DIET. We who are strong in our faith know that we are free to eat ANY kind of meat and even meat offered to idols. But we must not use our liberty in Jesus Christ to cause those who are fully persuaded in their OWN minds to follow all the dietary laws written in the Old Testament for Israel to follow under the OLD COVENANT) 15. But if your brother be grieved with your meat, now walk you not charitably. Destroy not him with your meat, for whom Christ died. (Again, we are NOT to try and FORCE our freedom to eat all kinds of meat upon the weak in faith. But rather, we are to allow God to teach them at their own pace while we are being patient to allow the seed of God's word to grow. We are to TRUST God that He will give them an increase in their faith. So then, when you are invited to their house to eat, then eat what they serve you. And when you invite them to your house to eat and you KNOW that they do NOT eat pork, then you FAST from eating pork for that meal. This is NOT being a hypocrite for they KNOW that you do indeed eat pork. But rather, it is being RESPECTFUL to their belief while you are TRUSTING in God to deliver them from that yoke of bondage to keep the dietary laws written in ordinances in the Law of Moses. You who are strong in faith are not sinning by your eating all manners of meat. And neither are you sinning if you do not eat out of love and respect for those who are weak in their faith to not eat pork. But again, to the one who is fully persuaded in their OWN mind to NOT eat pork and they eat pork to show respect for you, then they are sinning. For you see, they are fully persuaded in their OWN minds that it is a SIN to eat pork. So until the weak in faith are FULLY PERSUADED in their OWN minds that they are FREE to eat ALL manners of meat, then they should not eat pork or anything that WAS in the PAST called unclean in the Old Testament under the OLD Covenant) 16. Let not then your good be evil spoken of: (Now, is it GOOD to be WEAK in faith? No. Paul is talking about the strong in faith who KNOW that God has cleansed all manners of meat. Paul is saying that our LIBERTY, which is GOOD, to not allow it to be spoken against as being evil) 17. For the kingdom of God is NOT meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. 18. For he that in these things serves Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. (In other words, our focus should be on living Godly righteous lives, having peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, which are things acceptable to God. To say this another way, it is NOT acceptable to God to fuss and argue over what we should eat or not eat to cause DIVISIONS in the church. And it is NOT acceptable to God to JUDGE a brother or sister in the Lord for NOT esteeming ANY day above another day or for NOT keeping the WEEKLY Sabbath DAY or any other feast day or day of obligation under the OLD Covenant. And at the same time, the STRONG in faith are instructed to NOT ALLOW this JUDGING of others to bring condemnation upon you. You cannot STOP anyone from JUDGING you, but you can stop the condemnation that they are trying to force on you by RESTING in Jesus as our TRUE Sabbath REST. And this is WHY I write these studies in God's word to help those, who are STRUGGLING in their faith. I do NOT go around trying to straighten everyone out to believe exactly as I believe. But rather, I simply share with my reader, who God leads to AMatterOfTruth.com what God has shown to me. And what God has taught to me has brought me PEACE and REST in Jesus. God has given me full ASSURANCE that I am living a life that is PLEASING to Him and His Son Jesus. My heart and mind is free from all condemnation brought about by the false teachings of man) 19. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for PEACE, and things wherewith one may EDIFY another. (One of the meanings of following things that make for peace can mean to follow what brings YOU peace in your OWN mind. But also it can mean to NOT fuss and argue over these things to cause DIVISIONS in the church. One of the meanings of edify is to charge up like a battery, to energize, and build up their faith. Telling someone that they are not good enough is NOT edifying that person. And many Sabbath-keeping Christians look down on anyone who does not keep the weekly Sabbath DAY as them. They also look down on Christians who do not follow all the dietary laws under the Old Covenant as them. So keep peace and edify one another without disputing, arguing, and fighting) 20. For (Or because) meat destroys NOT the work of God. All things indeed are PURE; but it is evil for that man who eats with offense. (In other words, those who are strong in faith should NOT take pork and purposely walk up to Sabbath-keeping Christians, who do NOT eat pork and boast of your liberty eating pork that God has CLEANSED and made PURE right in front of their face) 21. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything whereby your brother stumbles, or is offended, or is made weak. (Again, show some respect to your fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord even when they consider you to be an unsaved heathen just because you eat pork knowing that God has cleansed all manners of meat. Also, those of you who do NOT keep the Sabbath DAY of rest or any of the feast days because you KNOW that Jesus abolished those ORDINANCES on the cross, have patience to trust in God to give the increase to the word that you have sown in the lives of Sabbath-keeping Christians. Do not try a force them to have your faith in the LIBERTY that God has given to all who BELIEVE) 22. Have you FAITH? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he that condemns NOT himself in that thing which he allows. (The having our faith to ourselves before God again means that we are not to BOAST in our liberty to those who are weak in faith. But at the same time, we should NOT HIDE our faith keeping it a SECRET. We should let our light SHINE and NOT be ashamed to follow what God Himself has shown us to follow) 23. And he that DOUBTS is damned if he EAT, because he eats NOT of FAITH: for whatsoever is NOT of faith is sin.”
This means that Sabbath-keeping Christians are to WAIT until they are FULLY PERSUADED by God's WORD and His Holy Spirit in their OWN minds that God has cleansed all manners of meat before they eat pork. And before they stop keeping the weekly Sabbath DAY they must be fully persuaded that they ARE keeping the TRUE Sabbath REST by their faith in Jesus. This is why I always point all my readers to the WORD of God so that they can see the truth for THEMSELVES directly from God's word. Meditate on God's word day and night or over and over in your mind. Prayerfully consider what I teach, but ALWAYS search the word of God on your OWN allowing the Holy Spirit himself to teach you His truth to become FULLY PERSUADED in your OWN mind so you will not be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. Now I had a dear brother in the Lord with whom I shared this passage of Scripture and his comment to me was that these verses do NOT have the word “Sabbath” anywhere in them so they could mean ANYTHING. I thought to myself, “What?” “How could Romans chapter 14 mean ANYTHING?” “What are these Saturday seventh DAY of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians thinking by arguing that the word Sabbath is not in Romans chapter 14, and therefore, Paul is NOT talking about the weekly Sabbath DAY?” Well, I will tell you what they are thinking. They are thinking that unless they can EXPLAIN AWAY these verses, then they will be exposed as MAKING a LIE! For you see, these verses CLEARLY speak of CHRISTIANS. SOME Christians are WEAK in the faith by esteeming a DAY of the week above all other days of a week. And other Christians are STRONG in their faith by NOT esteeming ANY DAY above other days of the week, but rather, the strong Christians esteem every day the SAME. So then, what DAY of the week would Paul be speaking of here? Their birthday? The 4th of July? Come on dear children of God, how can you not see that the DAY here that some Christians are esteeming ABOVE other days is the WEEKLY Sabbath DAY. ALL of the Sabbath days, the Yearly, monthly, and WEEKLY Sabbath days were ALL esteemed above other days by the Jews under the Old Covenant. So we KNOW without a doubt that these words of Paul are speaking of ALL of the Sabbath days INCLUDING the WEEKLY Sabbath days. For you see, there are two groups of Christians. The strong Christians were NOT esteeming ANY DAY above any other day. And then Paul says right before he starts teaching about the DAYS, who are YOU to JUDGE a servant of God. Then right after Paul teaches about DAYS he says, why do you JUDGE your brother? And let us NOT JUDGE one another anymore! All these words AGREE with what Paul says in Colossians chapter 2, verses 1 through 17. So to DENY that Romans chapter 14 has nothing whatsoever to do with the WEEKLY Sabbath DAY is simply trying to explain away the TRUTH of the gospel that Paul teaches. No one can deny that SOME Christians were indeed observing the WEEKLY Sabbath DAY in the days of the Apostle Paul while OTHER Christians were NOT keeping the SEVENTH DAY of the week above any other day of the week. So to try and argue that Paul is NOT talking about any DAY commanded in the Law of Moses to be kept is ALSO to DENY even any remote evidence that ANY Christians KEPT the WEEKLY Sabbath DAY as the Jews in the New Testament church. The clear, plain, and simple truth is that SOME Christians were keeping the Sabbath day as the Jews under the OLD Covenant while OTHER Christians were NOT keeping ANY day of the week by esteeming it above any other day of the week. And the Christians who were keeping the weekly Sabbath DAY were called WEAK in their faith. WHY were they called weak in their faith? They gave into their being SUBVERTED and COMPELLED to keep the Law of Moses. And the clear FACT is that Paul taught AGAINST the keeping of ANY days whether they are yearly, monthly, or WEEKLY, because ALL the keeping of ANY and ALL DAYS was NAILED to the CROSS. So then, the SHADOWS of the Old Testament where the ORDINANCES of ALL of the ceremonial laws that were nailed to the cross and God's word of TRUTH in the NEW Testament under the NEW covenant teaches us NOT to allow any man to JUDGE us for NOT keeping any Sabbath day whether they are the YEARLY feast days, the MONTHLY new moon days, or the WEEKLY Sabbath days. This concludes part 4 of this series of studies on “ARE SABBATH KEEPERS ARE RIGHT?” to read part 5 please click on Dd-32, Did God CHANGE His LAWS? Part 5. Thanks for reading and may God bless you richly as you continue to read ALL the studies that I gave links to throughout this study concerning this subject on Sabbath TRUTH. My heartfelt prayer is that all Christians RETURN to the TRUE FOUNDATION of the church that is taught by the very Apostles of Jesus in the first century. So let us all come into the UNITY of the faith and return to what Jesus and his Apostles taught us in SIMPLICITY in the New Testament.
To learn more TRUTH, then please return to
If you have any questions, please feel free to write to me. My contact email is MarkatAMatterOfTruth@Gmail .com. Some Sabbath-keeping Christians CLAIM that the early church kept the Sabbath as the Jews, but I assure you that the early first-century church was accustomed to gathering together BEFORE the light of daybreak on the FIRST day of the week that THEY called the Lord's day. Please read all the studies linked within this study and all the studies linked below. This study was just the TIP of the iceberg of exposing the ERRORS of interpretation made by the Saturday seventh day of the week Sabbath-keeping churches, and the Sunday first day of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians. All of the studies listed under the subject heading >>>Dd-0. What is the TRUE Sabbath?<<< And also read Dd-20. Did The Early Church KEEP the Sabbath day to learn the truth of what the early church believed. Thanks again for reading and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the truth of the whole word of Almighty God.
Your Brother in our Lord Jesus Christ, Brother Mark.
RETURN to HOMEPAGE at
The end. Please pause or turn off the reading aloud feature on Microsoft Edge browser. Click here to learn HOW to use the Microsoft Edge reading aloud feature.
Always be faithful to share, to preach, and to teach the whole gospel of Jesus Christ! |
|
|