THE SABBATH, A SIGN OF SANCTIFICATION.
By F. M. W.
It has been truly said that if the Sabbath of the Lord had always been observed by the human family in accordance with divine instructions, there never would have existed an infidel or a heathen in this world. This we believe is the truth. The institution of the Sabbath in the beginning, and the commandment as given at Sinai, call direct attention to the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and to His creative power as manifested in forming this earth, as a reason why the institution should be observed. Hence, had the day always been regarded, the minds of men would have been turned to and held to the worship of the one true God. God evidently designed the Sabbath as His great distinguishing mark or characteristic in all ages and among all people. By its observance man would recognize the Lord not alone as Creator, but also as Redeemer. The Sabbath was to be observed forever, not alone as a memorial of the creation of man, but also as a sign of the sanctifying process wrought in man’s heart by the regenerating grace of the Spirit of God. In being a memorial of creation, it became in the very nature of the case a sign of sanctification; for sanctification is nothing more or less than re-creation. The psalmist prays, “Create within me a clean heart, O God.” In the thirty-first chapter of Exodus, the particular purpose the Sabbath of the Lord was to serve is thus set forth: “Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily My Sabbaths ye shall keep; for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you. . . . Wherefore 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; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed.” The question naturally arises whether in making the Sabbath a sign of sanctification, the Lord designed it alone for the Jewish nation. This can be determined only by an understanding of who are comprehended in the term Israel. If it be found that the term Israel applies only to the literal descendants of Jacob, then this distinguishing feature connected with the Sabbath is not applicable to other nations. But if it be found that the term Israel is more general in its application, and includes not the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob after the flesh, but their children according to faith, then it must be admitted that the Sabbath as a sign of sanctification is as closely connected with the children of faith among the Gentiles as with the children of faith from among the literal descendants of Abraham. The apostle Paul offers a solution to this problem. In his Epistle to the Romans he says, “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter.” Rom. 2:28, 29. Again he says of Abraham, “It is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,” a father “of all them that believe, tho they be not circumcised.” Rom. 4:17, 11. And in his letter to the church in Galatia, the apostle further says, “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.” Gal. 3:7. The promises made to Abraham, the promises confirmed with an oath, were to the father of the faithful and to his seed. The seed of Abraham to whom the promise was made was Christ, as is proven by the words of Paul in this same epistle, when he says: “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds [plural], as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed [singular], which is Christ.” And to sum up his argument, he says, “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Gal. 3:16, 29. Scripture might be multiplied in further proof of this proposition. Enough has already been noted to satisfy every inquiring mind as to those who are included in the term Israel. This feature, however, might be suggested further, that in the city of God, the heavenly Jerusalem, every one who enters the pearly portals must enter through one of the gates of the twelve tribes. Thus God counts as a true Israelite that man who has accepted of Christ Jesus as his Saviour, and in whose heart the regenerating, re-creating grace of His dear Son has done its work. And this is true whether that man be white or black, Jew or Gentile, of lineal descent from Abraham or of foreign and distinct blood and ancestry. Another question naturally suggests itself in this connection, What is sanctification?—“To sanctify” is to set apart to a holy or sacred use. The man who is sanctified to the service of God is God’s man. He has accepted of Christ as his Saviour and Redeemer. In his heart the Holy Ghost is operating, and he is walking in the light and liberty of the Lord. Numerous scriptures might be cited in verification of this. Read John 17:17; Rom. 15:16; Eph. 5:26; 2 Tim. 2:21. It will thus be seen that no man, either in the old dispensation or the new, could be sanctified outside of the grace of God through the Lord Jesus Christ and the operation of His Spirit. Hence the sanctified of God are those in every age which are in Christ Jesus, in other words, Christians. We are now prepared from the foregoing considerations to draw the following conclusion, which all must admit to be warranted by the argument:— 1. That the Sabbath of the Lord, the Sabbath having its origin at creation, the one observed by the Creator, the one sanctified or set apart for the use of the human family, was made by Christ Jesus, the great sign of the sanctification of Israel. 2. That Israel embraces the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ in all ages of this world’s history. Christians to-day belong quite as much to the stock of Israel as Christians in the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 3. Therefore God designed that His one universal Sabbath should be the distinguishing mark of the Christian church in all ages, and to-day it stands as the sign of His people as fully as in the ages of the past. This admission forever sets at rest the argument so often advanced in the religious world3to-day, that the Christian is above the law and is not required to observe the Sabbath of the Lord. None but the Christian can observe the Sabbath. It is not a sign to the worldling, but a sign to the Christian. Rather, is it a sign to the world of the sanctification of the man who bears the name of Christ. Outward Sabbath observance will not bring sanctification, but the Christian will be able to say with the Psalmist, “How love I Thy law!” And the outward form of observance will be but the indication of the love that exists within. F. M. W.