GOD’S MEMORIAL AND SIGN.
By G.
“God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.” Gen. 2:3. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Ex. 20:8–11. “And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm; therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day.” Deut. 5:15. Moses was a type of Christ, and the deliverance from Egypt was a type of redemption by Christ. Redemption is a new creation; therefore the Sabbath day is an appropriate memorial of redemption. “For we are His [Christ’s] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Eph. 2:10. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Cor. 5:17. “The children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever.” Now who can constitute Israel perpetually? Not the natural seed; for “they are not all Israel which are of Israel.” “They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.” Rom. 9:6, 8. The Seed contemplated in the promise is Christ (Gal. 3:16), “and if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Verse 29. The children of the promise are “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.” Only those who are made new creatures in Christ, only such as are created in Christ Jesus, could possibly be participants in a perpetual covenant; for only “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.” John 3:36. Therefore “we are the circumcision, which worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” Phil. 3:3. So that a sign between God and the children of Israel forever must be between Him and the spiritual Israel, who “have no confidence in the flesh,” or natural seed. And the Sabbath which is a sign between God and Israel forever is the seventh day; because when He says, “It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever,” He adds, “for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested.” But in order to be “created in Christ Jesus,” and thereby become “a new creature,” one must have on the righteousness of Christ; in other words, he must be made just. Justification comes by faith, which is counted for righteousness. Rom. 3:28–31; 4:3–5; 5:1; Eph. 2:8. Then Redemption, which is a new creation in Christ, which is salvation, includes justification by faith. Therefore the Sabbath day, the seventh day, which was blessed and sanctified by Christ at creation, is the sign forever of justification by faith. It is the sign that God has given. Thus “the Sabbath was made for man,” and the evidence of our acceptance of the Lord’s perpetual covenant is shown in remembering the Sabbath day to keep it holy. And when the angels of God go forth at the end of probation to seal the people of God throughout the earth, this will be the sign by which they will be known. Nor will any mere formal observance deceive those discerning eyes. They will know the wheat from the tares. The one who keeps the Sabbath day holy will be keeping all the commandments of God. The faith that keeps one commandment will keep all; so the spiritual laxity that would ignore one commandment does not keep any. James 2:10. Such will not be wearing the “sign” which God has given to mark His people. G.