New Testament Teaching

Introduction

This is the first of four posts that will take a look at exactly what the Bible has to say about the Sabbath and has been written as a response to an article that I recently read on a blog written by a Seventh Day Adventist.

This post will examine the key New Testament scriptures related to Sabbath doctrine. This will be followed by a post discussing Jesus' attitude and statements concerning the Sabbath. The final two posts will address various objections to my interpretation.

Please note, all quotes are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless stated otherwise.

My primary passages outlining New Testament Sabbath doctrine are found in Colossians and Hebrews. However, before looking at them, it is important to examine the origin of the word "Sabbath."

The English word "Sabbath" is a translation of the Hebrew word, shabbath, which, in turn, is derived from the word, shabath, which means "to cease, to rest, to desist (from labour)." Thus, "Sabbath" is resting from labour.

Key New Testament Sabbath Scriptures

Having established that, let's look at our key scriptures.

Col 2:16-17

Therefore let no one sit in judgment on you in matters of food and drink, or with regard to a feast day or a New Moon or a Sabbath. Such [things] are only the shadow of things that are to come, and they have only a symbolic value. But the reality (the substance, the solid fact of what is foreshadowed, the body of it) belongs to Christ. (Amplified Bible)

As this verse clearly states, the Sabbath day (indeed the entire Jewish calender!) is merely a "shadow" or "type" of things to come and what was foreshadowed is found in Christ.

In the book of Hebrews, we find a detailed description of this foreshadowing, in Heb 4:1-10:

1 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. 3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said:

although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; 5 and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.”

6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, 7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said:

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

One key point of note here is that the word rest as used in verse 9 is the Greek word sabbatismos, which literally means "a Sabbath-keeping" (Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words). Indeed Vine's explanation of this term is an excellent overview of this passage in Hebrews:

"a Sabbath-keeping," is used in Hbr 4:9, RV, "a sabbath rest," AV marg., "a keeping of a sabbath" (akin to sabbatizo, "to keep the Sabbath," used, e.g., in Exd 16:30, not in the NT); here the sabbath-keeping is the perpetual sabbath "rest" to be enjoyed uninterruptedly by believers in their fellowship with the Father and the Son, in contrast to the weekly Sabbath under the Law. Because this sabbath "rest" is the "rest" of God Himself, Hbr 4:10, its full fruition is yet future, though believers now enter into it. In whatever way they enter into Divine "rest," that which they enjoy is involved in an indissoluble relation with God. (My emphasis.)

I don't think there is much I can add to Vine's excellent explanation of this passage. However, there are a couple of points of note.

First is the usage of the word "today" in this passage, particularly in verses 6-7, which clearly indicates that "today" we can enter God's rest. Furthermore, just as "tomorrow never comes," "today" is always right now!

The second thing worth noting is found in verses 3-4:

"although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”;"

This passage also really needs to be read alongside its parallel passage in Gen 2:2-3:

And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

What is interesting is that, unlike the other six days of creation, the Bible in Genesis does not state "And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the seventh day."

Thus, there is an implication in both of these passages that the seventh day, the day of rest, is in some sense "eternal." God rested from the seventh day onwards in His work of creation. He didn't initiate a weekly rest for Himself every seventh day, rather "on the seventh day God ended His work."

The absolutely key thing to realize with regard to this passage from Genesis is that the word translated as "rested" is the Hebrew word shabath, the root of the English word Sabbath. Thus, it would be accurate to read this passage as "and He Sabbath-rested on the seventh day" in just the same way as the Hebrews passage indicates "There remains therefore a Sabbath-rest for the people of God."

However, what we haven't examined, and which Vine overlooked, is how we can actually enter that rest. The answer to that question is found in Heb 3:18-19; 4:1-3; 4:6-7

18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Ch 4
1 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. 3 For we who have believed do enter that rest . . .

6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it [God's rest], and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, 7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said:

Those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience and unbelief. Interestingly, the word translated "unbelief" in Heb 3:19 (apistia) and the word translated "disobedience" in Heb 4:6 (apeitheia) in the NKJV, both mean disobedience AND unbelief/lack of faith or trust! In addition, the word apeitheia "denotes a willful unbelief and obstinate opposition to God's will ... apeitheia is not ignorance but obstinance." (http://www.preceptaustin.org/hebrews_46-7.htm). Thayer defines it as "obstinacy, obstinate opposition to the divine will" and Strong's Lexicon as "disbelief (obstinate and rebellious):-disobedience, unbelief." As Vine points out, it literally means "the condition of being unpersuadable."

Therefore, "obedience-and-trust" in God is the key to entering God's rest. In addition, we obey God by hearing His voice and not "hardening our hearts." Therefore, if we are tended-hearted to God's word, obey and trust Him, we shall enter His rest.

Summary

Thus, to summarize, the Sabbath is a shadow of the eternal rest that can be found in Christ and we can enter that rest by living a life of obedience and tender-hearted trust in God.

A Warning Against Hypocrisy

This post isn't really so much about studying the Word as a warning against hypocrisy.

This all started when a Christian friend of mine posted a status update on Facebook warning people against attending a Joyce Meyer (the well-known Christian preacher and author) conference on the basis that her teaching is flawed. In support of this belief he referred to an article on the Christian Research Institute's (CRI) web site.

The CRI is headed by one Hank Hanegraaf who calls himelf "The Bible Answer Man". Interestingly, a quick Googling of his name produced an array of controversies regarding this man, from financial irregularities (including being paid a $250,000 annual salary at CRI) to supporting a cult in a lawsuit against a Christian organisation. This from the same man that criticizes Joyce Meyer simply because she is wealthy and owns a private jet!

This type of hypocrisy seems to be rampant in the church today. Perhaps, instead of setting ourselves up as judges of others we should make sure we are examining our own lives instead then perhaps the church would be more united and the world would see God's love among His children.

Another person, in response to the Joyce Meyer warning, commented how he prefers to stick to Chuck Swindoll, in an apparent belief that you can't go wrong with Chuck. He may well be right. However, on Googling "Chuck Swindoll controversy" I came across an interesting set of articles on the American Presbyterian Church's (APC) web site criticizing Chuck and other so-called "new evangelicals". Their criticisms even included such eminent Christian preachers as Billy Graham!

I suspect that if one was to search hard enough, one could easily find doctrinal problems within the APC too and I doubt Joyce Meyer, Chuck Swindoll or Hank Hanegraaf would say the APC is entirely without error.

So who is the guardian of Christian truth? It certainly is not any particular Christian person or group and anyone who sets themselves up in that position is in serious danger of being shot down. The only guardian of the Truth today is the Holy Spirit, "who when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13).

So, instead of aligning yourself with a human guardian of the truth, align yourself with the Holy Spirit. Examine every preacher's teaching against the Word for yourself and if your "gut" tells you something's wrong, it probably is and don't assume that just because Preacher X said it that it is correct . . . or that it is incorrect.

There is a great division among Christians today as to whether or not Jesus bore our sicknesses and diseases on the cross as well as our sin. However, the Bible is extremely clear on this point, as we shall see below.

The key scripture to read here is Isaiah 53:4 (KJV)

Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows

Most Christians agree that Is 53 is a prophecy concerning Jesus, so this verse also applies to Him.

What is of note here is that the word translated “griefs” in the KJV is the Hebrew word “choliy” which actually means “sickness, disease and grief.” For example, the same word is used in Deut 7:15, 28:59; 28:61; 1 Kings 17:17 etc. etc. Indeed, there are many such references in the Old Testament (and I suggest looking them all up in a good concordance) and in each case it is unequivocally talking about physical sickness and/or disease.

What’s more, the Hebrew word translated “sorrows” in the KJV is the Hebrew word “makob” which means “pain (physical and mental), sorrow.” This is the same word used in Job 33:19:

He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones with strong [pain].

Indeed, the margin notes in my NKJV Bible even states “Lit. Sicknesses” and “Lit. Pains” in reference to this verse.

What’s more, if you read Matthew 8:16-17, where the Isaiah prophecy is quoted, there is even more support for this. These verses state that:

... He (Jesus) cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.

There are two interesting points of note, the NT version of this prophecy refers to “infirmities” and “sicknesses.” And, this prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus healed all who were sick.

Thus, to conclude, the Old Testament clearly prophesies that the Messiah will bear our sickness, disease, grief, physical and mental pain. This is also in total agreement with the New Testament, which states that this prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus healed all who were sick.