Creation, Redemption, and the Sabbath
Query.—Which ought to have the most honor, he that created the world, or he that redeemed it? If he that redeemed it, why not keep the first day of the week as a memorial of his resurrection?
J. Averill. Answer.—Touching the degrees of honor which are due to the creation and redemption of the world, the Bible gives us no instruction. All we know on this point is, that we are required to love the Lord our God with all our might, mind and strength. But even if this point were plainly decided, it has nothing to do with the Sabbath question. The Sabbath does not rest upon any such basis. For man to take upon himself to decide which is the greater, the work of creation or redemption; and having concluded that the latter is greater than the former, to presume to decide further that it ought to be commemorated by a day of rest, and then to determine that, for this reason, the memorial of creation should be discarded, the Sabbath put away, and another day appointed for this new service, without any divine direction for so-doing, is all wrong, all presumption, all folly! That the great facts connected with our redemption should be commemorated, is well. But we do not keep the resurrection day to do this, for two reasons. 1. We are not said to have redemption through Christ's resurrection, but through his blood; which would fix the commemorative day to the day of the week on which he was crucified, and not to that on which he rose. 2. The Bible has already furnished us with appropriate and forcible memorials of these events in the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's supper. These are sufficient. Let us not add to them, lest the searching inquiry, "Who hath required this at your hand," should seal our lips at last with shame and confusion.