THE SEVENTH DAY OR A SEVENTH DAY
By John Nevins Andrews
THIS writer next says that the Jews by their traditions made the Sabbath a yoke of bondage. There is some truth in this, but he does not mention the fact that Christ spent much time during his entire ministry in separating these traditions from the Sabbath, and in restoring the Sabbath to its true place as a merciful institution. He quotes Acts 15:10, which speaks of the ceremonial law as a yoke too heavy to be borne and he applies this to the moral law! But he says the Christians have not suppressed the primitive institution of a day of rest in seven. Here he makes use of the great error with which he commenced. The Sabbath is not the seventh day, but one day in seven which may as well be the first day of the week as the last! And this is what he is now to assert. He says, however, that the law is not abolished notwithstanding he has just called it a yoke too heavy to be borne! But if the law of God has not been abolished, then the fourth commandment is still in force, and the seventh day is still the memorial of the creation. Ex. 20:8-11. But he says the Christians set apart the first day of the week to commemorate the resurrection of Christ. If this were true it would not follow that the seventh day should not be kept as the memorial of the creation according to the fourth commandment. It would add a memorial but would not destroy the one already existing in the law of God. But it is not true that the apostles set apart the first day to commemorate the resurrection. They could not set apart the day without saying so; they could not consecrate it to the memory of the resurrection without stating the fact. But they are totally silent respecting this consecration. They never speak of the day by any sacred name. In the first chapter of Revelation John speaks of the Lord's day, but he does not apply the term to the first day. It is not till about 200 years after Christ that this term is so applied. But the Father and the Son have each claimed the seventh day. Isa. 58:13; Mark 2:28. The resurrection of Christ was on the day after the Sabbath, but it has no other distinction. Matt. 28:1; Mark 16; Luke 23:56; 24:1. But did not the apostles meet to commemorate the resurrection the first evening after that event? John 20:19. No, they were simply eating their evening meal and Christ when he came reproved them for not believing his resurrection. Mark 16:14. It was at the close of the first day that this took place, and if the meeting at which Thomas was present was just one week from that time it was in the evening at the close of the next first day. For the day begins and ends with evening (See Gen. 1) and evening commences at sunset. Josh. 9:26, 27; Mark 1:32. But this writer says that it is no matter whether the Sabbath was changed by the apostles or by the pope, for it is not a matter of salvation! He cares nothing for the will of God expressed in his law because he can be saved in transgressing it! But if men with such a disposition were taken to Heaven, they would pollute its holy atmosphere. They would disobey God whenever they dared to do it! This is the way this writer would live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God! Because the Pharisees trusted in outward obedience and neglected heartwork Christ condemned them, and therefore this writer supposes that Christ dispensed with outward obedience! Not so; God requires both. Because Christ says that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath, he supposes that men have a right to use the Sabbath as they please! But this is just the way that Paul speaks of the husband and wife. 1 Cor. 11:9. And so the husband may treat his wife as he will. How false and wicked is such reasoning. The Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath, not to destroy it but to defend it, and he will call to account the violators of the fourth commandment. Should not the resurrection of Christ be commemorated? Yes, the New Testament tells us how to do this. It is by being buried with Christ in baptism. Rom. 6:3-5; Col. 2:12. This writer thinks that if men are born again they need not keep the commandments of God; but the truth is, no man can keep them till he is born again; and this was just as true in the time of Moses as it is now. Conversion was as necessary before the time of Christ as it is in this age. The works of the flesh must be changed for those of the spirit and all things thus become new. This writer brings forward Col. 2 and Rom. 14 to prove that the fourth commandment is abolished, But the Bible distinguishes between the moral law given in the ten commandments and the ceremonial law consisting of types and shadows, of meats and drinks, of annual sabbaths and of new moons and feast days. The connection shows that Paul speaks of the abolition of the ceremonial law with its many annual sabbaths and festivals, and that he does not speak of the moral law which contains the weekly Sabbath of the Lord. But to this he adds the declaration of Paul that he was afraid of those who observe days and months and times and years as though spoken of those who keep the fourth commandment! Yet he knows that we do not observe years, nor times, nor months, nor even days, but simply the one day hallowed by God. He observes just as many days each week as we do; the difference is that we keep the day God has commanded and he keeps a day ordained by man. But if he will read Gal. 4:9, 10 with care he will see that the Galatians had returned to things observed by them before their conversion, that is, to heathen festivals and not to the days of the ceremonial law. This was why Paul was so much alarmed. The writer complains that we judge others. This is not true; we point out men's duty from the Bible, but leave them to the judgment of God. He says that we desire to be doctors of the law though we do not understand what we teach. What crime have we committed that he should speak of us thus? It is that we say with James (chap. 2:8-12) that those who break one of the commandments of God break his whole law. He says that we lay heavy burdens upon men, and he would not share in our responsibility. But we keep the commandments and teach men so, and Christ has pronounced his blessing upon this course, while this writer breaks the commandments and teaches men so and this course Christ has condemned. Matt. 5:17-19. This writer says: "There are two kinds of Christianity: that which God has given, and that which men have made; there are two churches: that which the apostles have founded, and that which the world has established." We agree with these remarks. The Christianity which comes from God says, "It is the love of God that we keep his commandments." 1 John 5:3. The Christianity which comes from man makes void the commandments of God to keep the traditions of the elders. Matt. 15. The church which the world has created studies its own convenience; the church established by the apostles will keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Rev. 14:12.
J. N. A.