Quote:
Originally Posted by houseparent  Rich-as I continue to ponder this, so I can get back to Josh I must ask you this- Quote:
Thus, it's not about earning God's favor but whether or not we are really grateful for our redemption. If we are grateful and we believe we are united to Christ by faith and slaves to righteousness then why do we keep asking how low the bar has to be?
I would remind all that the Sabbath is one of a very few positive commands in Scripture but isn't it interesting how it's being interpreted here as if God, in telling us to rest in Him and consider Him is really giving us a list of things we're forbidden from doing. It's almost as if we're all pre-conditioned to thinking in those terms rather than delighting in the opportunity to worship, to rest, to consecrate, and to sanctify.
| If God has not provided a "list" are we not forced to make one? Who is qualified to say what is and what is not permitted when the subject is not clearly spoken of in scripture? Look at the example of the disciples picking wheat on the sabbath, I can honestly see "some" here (if we didn't have this example in scripture) thinking doing that was sin in violation of the sabbath. You couldn't see that? |
I really do have to run somewhere. The point is that there have been a list of do's and dont's but given to guide us to maturity so that we don't decieve ourselves to think that we're fulfilling the law of love by doing something that God doesn't love. If God delights in us consecrating one day in seven to Him in worship and resting from our activities then we can either view that as a list of do's and don'ts or we can view that as something that is the reasonable thing to do for the One you love and were redeemed by.
I inherently understand
why much of the view is interpreted as a set of rules and I also think that part of the problem is that, just because you grow up a Sabbatarian doesn't mean that you're always doing so because you delight in the Lord. Even the Sabbath can be celebrated hypocritically as something that you're a better person for unlike those other wicked people. I think we ought to strike the concern out of our mind how the concept is packaged at times and reflect more on what our
goal is. I'm not saying this as a person who thinks he sanctifies the Day as perfectly as he ought but my happiest days have been the days where sunup to sundown I was in the presence of the people of God either in worship or fellowship talking about the things of the Lord. I can assure you that it did not feel like toil.