Why Did Paul Choose Abraham?

By Robert W. Clanton
robert4211@tx.rr.com

It is commonly held among scholars that the Epistle to the church of Rome, from the Apostle Paul titled "Romans" , is sent to believers in Christ from both Jewish and Gentile backgrounds. The sure evidence of this is contained within the context of the Epistle. The damage done by the Judaizers in Galatia may of prompted portions of the letter in order to head off at the pass the Judaizers who had started in Galatia. As in nearly all of Paul's epistles, the Judaizing problem presents itself because Moses has them which preach Moses in every city (Acts 15:21) and were condemned of the apostles.

The first two chapters of Romans present a condemnation of both Gentiles and Jews. The Gentiles are first to be shown their sins of rebellion in Chapter one. But, the Jews who have the law are then shown to be no better off than the Gentiles, conclusively in Rom.3:9 ⁹What then? are we (Jews) better than they (Gentiles)? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin. Again the Paul confirms "all of have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom.3:23). Repeatedly, throughout Romans chapter 2 and 3 we see the contrast between the Gentiles, who did not have the circumcision and the law and the Jews, who did possess the covenants of both circumcision of the flesh and the Law of Moses (Mal.4:4).

In this light we can begin to see that by "the law" , refers to the law of Moses at Mt. Sinai that God had given to the children of Israel, Mal.4: ⁴Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. This point is key for understanding why Paul would choose Abraham as the example of righteousness of faith which saves. The term "the law" occurs 69 times and circumcision 15 times in the epistle of Romans. The words "Jew" occurs 8 times, "Jews" 3 times and "Israel", 12 times. The contrast between the Jews who have the law of Moses and circumcision and the Gentiles races who do not and did not have any such covenant becomes magnified throughout the Epistle. It is perfectly correct to see that the term "the law" the Epistle of Romans, means all the covenant law of Moses. Once this is established it becomes abundantly clear why Paul choose Abraham in Romans 4 as the Model of Christian faith.

After Paul convincingly demonstrates that both Jews, who had circumcision and the law of Moses and the Gentiles, who did not, "in no wise" better the Gentiles (Rom.3:9,23). The Jews which had taught "Moses in every city" often had spoken of the covenant of law of Moses and circumcision of the flesh as a means of obtaining further Grace from God and a way of increasing the righteous standing before God over the Gentile. Paul is busily refuting that teaching, throughout Romans 2-3. These verses have become most popular among the evangelist, "²⁰Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Romans 3:20 Salvation by law keeping would require perfect obedience. If we offend in a single point, we become guilty of the whole (lev.18:5, James 2:10). Therefore, by the law-keeping alone, one cannot be justified. The many laws under the covenant with Moses arouses the knowledge of sin (7:7-11).

²¹But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; ²²Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

Paul must from here on out, illustrate for the Jews, that righteousness which God has ordained is "apart from the law" of Moses manifested in the books of the law for both Jew and Gentile, "there is NO difference" having previously proved, "²³For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; "

²⁴Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: ²⁵Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; ²⁶To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. ²⁷Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. ²⁸Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. ²⁹Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: ³⁰Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.

Rom.3:³¹Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." The covenant of the Law of Moses had established the law as a means of showing that "none could be justified by his works of the law". It was not empty, void, or without purpose. It prepared the Jew and the Gentile, the whole world for the coming of Christ so that they might accept Him. That "… that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. ", Jew and Gentile alike. The Judaizer's often lift verse 31 out the context to imply that the Law of Moses is binding upon Jew and Gentile. So far from Paul's mind is that. The context demonstrates that law of Moses was the means used by God to condemn both Jew and the Gentile, "that every mouth may be stopped and that the whole world may become guilty before God" (3:19). So, that they might seek the salvation by the righteousness of faith, "apart from the law" by faith in Christ Jesus.

Becoming righteous by obedience without faith, keeping God's laws, natural or Mosaic, as a legal instrument fails. Becoming righteous is possible through faith that works, apart from the law (vs 21). Faith has always been accessible,. But only now, in Christ is it revealed fully, through faith in Christ (vs 22) which we receive as the gift Eph.2:18. Now we are prepared to understand Abraham as the model of Christian faith.

Abraham as Model of the Faith.

Abraham lived 500 years before the covenant laws of the Jewish Sabbaths, Holy Days and meat distinctions for food were given to "the Children of Israel" in the covenant of Mount Sinai. There were no Jews or Israelites on the earth during Abraham's time. Abraham is one of the nations, he is a Gentile from which the Jewish race and the Israelites will come. He may therefore be said to be a Gentile and yet father of the Jewish and Israelite race. As descendant from Noah, to live righteously before God, he is required to keep the laws of the covenant with Noah. Gen.9:3 " ⁹And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you. ". That is all the nations, races and all people everywhere on earth after the flood of Noah, (See my article on Acts 15 and the Gospel to the Jews and Gentiles). Abraham knew nothing of weekly Sabbath, the Jewish Passover and other Jewish Feasts that were yet to be revealed in the covenant with the children of Israel, so many centuries after him. Abram never heard of the Ten Commandments written in stone. Yet, because Abraham is a man of faith and righteousness as was Noah, God chose this Gentile to become father of the Jews or Israelites. For this reason, Abraham becomes the model of faith, not only for the Gentiles, because he was a Gentile, but also for the Jew, because he is the father of the Jews or Israelites. Both, Jew and Gentile are able to learn from the example of Abraham's faith.

Rom.4: ^{1 "}What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? ²For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. "

First, Paul declares that Abraham was not able to glory before God, either by works or by he the deeds none in the flesh. He places Abraham on the footing of the Gentile and the Jew in the same condition being unable to boast. Paul, then proceeds to write: ³For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. " This often debated scripture between Protestant and Catholic, Jew and Christian becomes the pivotal focus of first century gospel of the Church. We shall see that Abram's faith and walk with God is incomplete until he believes in the promised seed, Christ. We must first look at the life of Abraham.

Abram's Personal Relationship With God.

Beginning at Gen.12:1, we find the Lord speaking to Abram (later changed to Abraham) commanding him to leave his country, his kindred and his father's house. Abraham keeps the commandments and charge of the Lord along with the covenant laws of Noah (Gen.26:5) and leaves taking Sarah, his wife and Lot his nephew and all their belongings based upon the promise from God, that God would make him a great nation from which all nations of the world would be blessed. He is at age 75 years old. Chronologically in scripture, we follow Abraham, who has victory over Lot's enemies and redeems Lot and his family. Abraham then pays a tithe of the spoils of war to the High Priest of God, " Melchizedek ". Abraham is exercising faith in God as when he first did when he left his own country. Without stating when, but long before Gen.15, we are already introduced to Abrams "personal relationship to God".

In Genesis 15:1, Again after so many years Abram having left his country, kindred and family, the Lord appears to him. The Lord reassures him, that He will defend and shield him and the Lord will be his exceedingly great reward. From all that has gone before, we see Abraham as acting and living in faith. Long before it is said to him, "his faith is accounted as righteousness" in Genesis 15:6.

We come to that pivotal scripture, the foundation to the faith of Christianity. Abram has not doubted God but complains that he is yet barren. " ²And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless," thou he has a personal relationship with God for so many years, he is yet barren and childless. Then the Lord makes this promise; " ⁵And he (the Lord) brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. "

Abraham is shown the stars, unable to number them, so shall he bring forth as many as be because of "thy seed" . When Abram believes fully in his heart in the promised "seed" that shall come and produce as many as the stars in the heavens, it is then "accounted to him for righteousness". ⁶And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. Though, Abram had a personal relationship with the Lord for the many years, it is not until he is thoroughly convinced in his heart that the promise of "His Seed" is the means of the furnishing of so many innumerable children. We see that Abram's faith and walk with God is incomplete until he believes in the promised seed, Christ. So will those who refuse to believe be incomplete in the walk with God, until they believe in the promised, "seed" . The promise of the seed, was not through the covenant of the law of Moses, but through the action of faith in the promise, 500 years before Moses and the law. Romans 4: ¹³For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. ¹⁴For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: ". The coming of the covenant law of Moses, the ten commandments and the feasts of the Jews is another 500 years later and would not contribute to the promise of the fruit of faith in Christ because the promise was 500 years before the covenant. The law would only show both Jew and Gentile the need for Christ.

From the epistle of Galatians we read:3: " ¹⁶Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. " Paul interprets, "thy seed" to mean Christ. And the inheritors obtain not a piece of land in the middle east but "the world" (Rom.4:13). Again, Paul continues to show that the Mosaic covenant with its laws for Israel or the Jews, 430 years later, has no part one way or the other in the fulfillment of the promise of salvation to the Christian whether, Jew or Gentile. Gal.4:¹⁷And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. ¹⁸For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. " .

The belief in the promised seed, is the means by which all men are justified and accounted righteous, whether Jew or Gentile, under the law or without the law. Even though, Abram had a personal relationship with God for so many years before, Genesis 15, it was not until he fully believed in his heart in the promised seed, Christ that his faith was "accounted for righteousness" .

Returning to Romans 4, Paul begins to show that those who are laboring under the law to attain righteousness, shall not receive it until they receive it by the grace promised through Christ. Rom. 4:⁴Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. ⁵But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Because, the law has shown that all men have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, it was not through the covenant of law, that men would be saved, but through the promised seed, Christ. That through belief in him, Grace and mercy would abound. Rom.4: ⁶Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, ⁷Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. ⁸Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin."

Paul uses the King David, who reigned over Israel, indeed a man after God's own heart, yet one whom had sinned and fallen short as going outside the covenant of Moses to seek the promise of the forgiveness of sin, by which all men would be justified in Christ Jesus. After seeking forgiveness for sin in the promised seed himself, King David expresses the righteousness which is found in Christ as "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin" .

This faith not only predated the Mosaic Law (Rom4:1-5) it was active during the time of the law. King David made the same discovery that Abraham had, that being forgiven of sins comes from God by repentance and faith (Ps.32:5, 10), and the resulting righteousness (v.6) is as real as the forgiveness of sin. And so it is that everyone, Jewish or Gentile must come to believe in everlasting life and forgiveness of sin in Christ, the promised seed of Abram, before his faith can be accounted as righteousness. ¹⁶Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

Returning to Romans. 4: ⁹Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. ¹⁰How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. ¹¹And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: ¹²And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised."

Rom.4:11, 12 Abraham was living by faith when he was 75 but not circumcised until he was 99 (Gen.12:4, 17:24). Abraham was the father of the Gentiles who without circumcision and the law of Moses, and the ten commandments cast in stone, lived by faith before he became the father of the Jews. Circumcision was the sign and seal for Israel and the Jewish Sabbaths the sign of the covenant with Israel through Moses (Exodus 31:12-19). But Abraham was saved by faith without circumcision of the flesh and without keeping the Jewish Sabbaths. Yes, 500 years before a Jewish Sabbath had been ever introduced to the Jewish people.

Romans 4:13-18, Righteousness is not through physical descent. For if one has to be come Jew or Jewish to inherit the world (God's Kingdom v.13) Abraham's salvation, based on his faith and God's promise is made void (v.14). The covenant of law which requires physical descent or circumcision of the flesh and the vow to keep all the commandments brings wrath (v.15); only grace has the power to satisfy the law, so there is "no transgression". The righteous, then are those of faith, not those of the law (v.14) that is those given the law under Moses, physical descendants of Abraham. Abraham's true offspring are spiritual, he is the father of ALL who believe, Jew and Gentile like, with or without the law of Moses.

Thus, Paul chose Abraham to be the model of faith both for the Jew and for the Gentile. Abraham was a Gentile, one the righteous among the nations, that became father of the Jews, who first believed in Christ the promised seed, 500 years before the laws of the covenant of Moses, the ten commandments and the Jewish Sabbaths, New Moons, and meat distinctions were ever given. Before, I leave this subject, I think it right to also to say, that Paul as with Abraham, by no means thinks that a Christian then has a right to live lawlessly under grace. The natural laws given orally by God to Noah (Gen.9:10) and passed down to Abraham to keep were there to prevent any idea of man being able to walk according to the lusts of the flesh and claim the promise of inheritance through Christ. Repeatedly, throughout the Epistle of Romans and Galatians, the Apostle Paul warns men not to live according to the lusts of the flesh. Rom.6: ¹¹Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. ¹²Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. To the Apostle Paul, sin consists of "obeying the lusts of the flesh".

Paul writes further, "¹³Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. ¹⁴For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. ¹⁵What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. ¹⁶Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? ¹⁷But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. ¹⁸Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. ¹⁹I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. ²⁰For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. ²¹What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. ²²But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. ²³For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. "

The yielding of the members unto uncleanness and unto iniquity, isn't speaking of breaking of Jewish Sabbaths or meat restrictions, but it is speaking of the immoral uses of the lusts of the flesh and the actual members of our body. Sin is not to reign in "our mortal body". That is where sin actually resides and may reign if we so let it. It comes out of the heart of man, Mk. 7:19 " That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. ²¹For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, ²²Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: ²³All these evil things come from within, and defile the man." With the promise of the salvation through Christ was also the promise of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is to be used to overcome the fleshly heart of man and its wickedness that truly defiles him which leads to death. Gal.5:²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, ²³Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. ²⁴And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. ²⁵If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. " Abraham who had no Ten Commandments cast in stone, nor Jewish Feasts days, walked by righteousness of faith trusting in the promised seed, Christ. He lived a righteous life, through the Spirit and faith, apart from the law of Moses which was yet five hundred years a far off. Thus, he became the model of both Jew and Gentile, circumcised and uncircumcised that looked for the blessed hope in the promised seed, Christ and walked by faith and not by sight. Abraham did indeed, become the father of the true spiritual Israel, the nation called, the church consisting of both Jews and Gentiles all one in the promised seed of Christ.

The Gospel Preached Unto Abraham

By Robert Clanton
robert4211@tx.rr.com

There is a very specific reason why Paul quoted the scripture concerning Abraham in Romans 3 and 4. Not taking scripture out of its context to proof-text in this article I will show why Paul choose Genesis 15 to use as the gospel being preached unto Abraham. Not only Paul uses that way but so do the other Apostles.

In my article "Abraham Model of Faith" or otherwise titled, "Why Did Paul Choose Abraham" , I illustrated how that Paul manifested both Jew and Gentile under sin, leading up to the quotation of Gen.15. I was following the context of Paul’s writings. Paul like most Catholic Scholars and others knew well that Abraham already had faith and was living by faith. The same can be said for so many of the Jews of Christ day. The practice of keeping the law of Moses was an act of faith in keeping with their covenant. Still, because of them falling short of the glory of God and because all had been found guilty of sin by the law, they were in need of a righteousness that was from God through faith, not from the law. Likewise, the Gentiles were all found sinners. And the same was true for them so that both Jew and Gentile were under the same condemnation.

All of this strictly follows the context of Romans 3. What is true for them is also true for Abraham. Though he walked by faith in a personal relationship with God, he had still sinned and found himself in need of a justification that he could not deliver himself. But God could deliver this justification from sin, through His Son Christ Jesus. In Gen.15:1-5 there is a shadowy preaching of the Gospel of Christ’s first advent, death and resurrection to Abraham, in the promise of coming of his “seed” which shall bring forth as many children as there are stars in the heavens. When Abraham then states that he “believed in the Lord” Gen.15:6 it is the exactly the same act as when the Jews repented in believed in Christ as the seed, that they might be saved.

The accounting of Abraham's faith as righteousness in the context of the epistle of Romans is the moment when Abraham believes and trusts on the promised seed, Christ. I would have others note the immediate relationship between Abraham's belief in the promised seed as being accounted as righteousness and the next verses that speak of David's forgiveness of sin. "³For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. ⁴Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. ⁵But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. ⁶Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, ⁷Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. ⁸Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. In both cases, Abraham and David, it speaks of the justification of the ungodly through the forgiveness of sin. When Abraham believed in the Lord, as it written in Gen.15:6, Paul interprets the scripture to mean, Abraham believed in the coming of Christ as savior. So is the case with King David after he sinned, in looked to the time when his sins would be forgiven and covered by Christ, and justify his ungodliness through Christ's sacrifice.

None of this takes away from the fact that both had walked by the righteousness of faith, it only underscores that both sinned and only Christ could restore their relationship to God after their sin and bring them to righteousness again.

When Paul preaches the righteousness of faith that is attained by belief in Christ, he is preaching the gospel. The right standing before God was and is only capable through the sacrifice of Christ. This is the gospel. This is the essence of the Catholic Mass. Rom.4: ⁴Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. ⁵But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

The Epistle of Galatians says the same thing, Gal.3: ⁶Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. ⁷Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. ⁸And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. " Note that Paul says Abraham had the preaching of the gospel of Christ to him, when it is said, "In you all the shall all nations be blessed" . Paul interprets this scripture as the gospel of how the Gentiles would be justified through belief in Christ or through faith in Christ, the seed of Abraham. Paul's point in both cases is that our right standing before God is entirely based on the grace that is given us through faith in Christ. Paul emphases that whether Jew or Gentile no matter, our right standing before God is purely attainable only through faith in Christ. When Abraham believed on the Lord, in Gen.15:6 he found grace through Christ's sacrifice and forgiveness of sin, likewise David and all who are saved. Paul's whole emphasis is to show the Jew that no matter how righteous Abraham was he still only able to be found in the grace, through the gospel of Christ. And David also, who loved God's law under the old covenant, a man after God's own heart, still spoke of the blessedness that would come through the forgiveness of sin, through Christ the promised seed. The points are so salient to the Jewish Christian among the churches. If Abraham and David found grace only through Christ so should all the others.

The tendency to over react to a once saved, always saved causes some to deny what is plainly there in scripture. There is or can be a moment when one believes in the gospel and is saved or brought to a state of Grace in Christ. And it is the beginning of salvation. His obedience to the other facets of the gospel are then made incumbent, to be baptized and follow the church. But, let's not deny what is clearly there in scripture. Gal.5: ¹Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: ²By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

This right standing, the forgiveness of sin comes when one believes the gospel even as Abraham. It is that which changes the heart and from the heart creates a desire for righteousness and right standing before God. The scripture is replete with countless stories and examples of the first conversions of the hearts of men at the belief in Christ's sufferings, death and resurrection.

We all know of the story of the thief on the cross, who believed in his heart and spoke it with his mouth and then went with the Lord into paradise. On the day of Pentecost, Peter did nothing other than to preach the gospel of Christ, him crucified and resurrected to the Jews and to the baptize those that received Christ and trusted in him, wherein 3,000 souls were added to the church, Acts 2:5-41. The scripture culminates Peter's gospel message, "³⁷Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? ³⁸Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."

Out from among whom are these converts to Christ? Luke records, in the same chapter " ⁵And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven." These devout Jews are men, women and families of faith living devoutly according to the laws of Moses under the Old Covenant. Their faith was yet incomplete though they be as devout as Abraham or David. They must believe in Christ as the promised seed that would bring them salvation and repent and be baptized everyone of them in the name of Jesus Christ "for the remission of sins" and receive the Holy Spirit.

Again in chapter three of Acts, Peter preaches repentance both accepting and learning to trust in Christ for their salvation of these Jews, saying, " ²⁵Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. ²⁶Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. This particular story ending in Chapter 4 says, " ⁴Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand. "

Or consider Acts 8, to whom Phillip preaches. " ³⁵Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. ³⁶And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? ³⁷And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Time would fail me to mention all those examples of the devout Jews and Gentiles whose salvation began as all of ours in the act of believing the gospel. Whether it be the devout Jews in Jerusalem or Cornelius and his family, the devout Gentiles, whose faith was incomplete until he converted to Christianity at the preaching of Christ from Peter and received the Holy Spirit while Peter was preaching Christ before he was baptized.. We cannot and must not deny the beginnings of those whose hearts and minds are changed when they hear and believe in the salvation through Christ.

Further, in Romans we are told exactly what we see occurring in the book of Acts. Rom.10: ⁴For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. ⁵For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. ⁶But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) ⁷Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) ⁸But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; ⁹That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. ¹⁰For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ¹¹For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

¹²For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. ¹³For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." We cannot discount the truths of the changes in hearts of men at the hearing and believing of the gospel. Though, it is not all the gospel, it is the beginning of the conversion process. Though, it is not all that there is to salvation, it is the beginning of salvation.

Further, what Paul adds next is the church's responsibility to preach. ¹⁴How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? ¹⁵And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Indeed, often are the conversions of sinners both among the Protestants and the Catholics at this message. While, that is not all the truth of faith and some faiths may be not be full, yet we should not deny the beginnings of salvation upon their hearts and their conversions when they, like the devout Jews and the others believed on Christ at the hearing of the message of salvation through Christ Jesus.

In closing I would have look at the very foundational scripture from which stands all of your confidence in the church in Mt. 16. It is at the very moment when Peter confesses with his mouth what he believed in his heart that Christ is the Messiah the Son of the Living God, that Christ pronounced how blessed he was of the Father and made him, the rock upon whom the Church was built, giving him the keys of the kingdom of heaven and the promise of the gates hell that would never prevail over the church.

¹³When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? ¹⁴And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. ¹⁵He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? ¹⁶And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. ¹⁷And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. ¹⁸And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

The foundation of the gospel and that of Christ, him crucified and raised for our salvation. I do not think that Salvation begins and ends at one moment, though I don't leave out the possibility that it can, as it did with the thief on the cross, who believed and confessed. But, it is a fact that it begins in the expression of faith in Christ and that is where it is God's will to end. Both Jews and Gentiles devout and sinner are promised to stand in the grace that is promised through the promised seed and believing on him.

The Influence of the Noahide Laws in the Gospels

The Influence of the Noahide Laws in the Gospels
The Gospel to Both the Jew and the Gentile

By Robert W. Clanton
robert4211@tx.rr.com

Throughout the Old Testament and into the New, there is a consistent teaching of righteousness. Before Moses, that righteousness is the exercise of faith in God in covenant with the associated laws. True faith exhibits itself in true righteousness, not only in outward form but inward righteousness by his relationship with his Creator. The practice of the Jews to accept the righteous Gentile incorporated in the worship of God is the fulfilling of the purpose of God. For the Jew or Israelite, faith consisted of the keeping of the laws of Moses in the covenant with Israel but only those laws which are common to both the covenant with Noah and the covenant with Israel. Whether Jew or Gentile God desires and commands us to live a life of righteousness. This is taught throughout the Old Testament and is the gateway into the New Testament.

Beginning with John the Baptist “preparing the way” for Christ, the scriptures lead us to him in the wilderness outside of Jerusalem. Preaching first to the Jew and then to the Gentile. In a very dire warning, John the Baptist scolds the Jews who had only an outward show of righteousness and in the same practice had come to be baptized because that made them appear repentant, while their hearts were far from it. He condemns them for their unrighteousness. Mt. 3: ⁷But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:”

Luke 3 gives the most insightful account “¹⁰And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? ¹¹He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. ¹²Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? ¹³And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. ¹⁴And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.” The people asked what should they do to be accepted with God. John the baptist answers, be charitable and give to the poor, do not take what is not yours. Gentile soldiers is standing there with them and asks what they are to do. John gives them one of the Noahide commandments, not to do any violence to their neighbor and in the same spirit of the law, not to falsely accuse them, the extension of the commandment. And lastly, not to be greedy but to be content with their wages. Here we find the inward righteousness of what God expected of both Jew and Gentile, exhibited in outward manifestations of love toward their fellow man.

It is generally accepted that the gospel of Matthew was written to the Jews or specifically for the Jewish audience. At the beginning of Christ’s ministry from His sermon on the Mount, Christ begins with the beatitudes. Each one of them which can only flow from a truly converted and righteous person inwardly. We learn to be truly poor in spirit, humbling ourselves to make peace and bring peace, to turn the other cheek and to be “pure in heart” . All which flow out of a person. Christ’s emphasis is nothing less than that of the intent of the law and the prophets. That is, to bring men to true inward righteousness by faith. Immediately following the beatitudes Christ has these words regarding the law and the prophets: Mt. 5:¹⁷Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. ¹⁸For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Christ had not come to destroy the law and make the law of no purpose but to bring about all that the law and the prophets had taught. Christ had come to fill to the fullest the intent of the law by his perfect example of love for his fellow man and God.

¹⁹Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Now at the Sermon on the Mount, Christ is preaching the law of inward righteousness. Moses gave commandments from the Mount of Sinai and wrote them on tablets of stone, Christ was now giving us His own commandments of inward righteousness entire unattainable by outward show. They are the words of righteousness that are to be written on the “tables of our hearts (2Cor.3). If some one teaches these commandments and also keeps them, they will be called “great” in the kingdom of Heaven. The next verse is rarely ever quoted but clinches the whole context of the gospel for both Jew and the Gentile: “ ²⁰For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” The mere observance of outward circumcision of the flesh and keeping Jewish Sabbaths, meats and other ceremonial laws is not what God had or intended for either Jew or Gentile to become.

Christ commands and true righteousness from the heart, not the mere outward practice of holy days and meat restrictions or the cutting of the flesh. The prophet Isaiah in Chapter 1 “⁹Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah. ¹⁰Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. ¹¹To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. ¹²When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? ¹³Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. ¹⁴Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. ¹⁵And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. ¹⁶Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; ¹⁷Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.” Israel often forgot fundamental purpose of the law, which was to bring about a change of heart that was devoted to God in every purpose and thought.

The Gospel to the Jews, Matthew records how Christ viewed the purpose for the Law and the Prophets, Mt. 7“¹²Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Also in Mt. 22: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. ³⁸This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. ⁴⁰On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Throughout the gospels, we find very little emphasis upon the keeping of the outward ceremonial parts of the law because Christ and the Apostles are preparing the way for the teachings of the church, whose purpose it is to shine the bright light of truths taught by Christ and the Holy Spirit. By the time the four gospels are written, the Apostles are fully aware of the great number of uncircumcised Gentiles who have converted to Christianity. The gospel of the justification by Grace through faith in Christ was placed the religious Jew in the same condition as the state of the Gentiles, [Acts 13: ³⁸Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: ³⁹And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses” and Rom.3: ⁹What then? are we (Jews) better than they(Gentiles)? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;”] All mankind Jew and Gentile alike are dire need of the forgiveness of sin and justification in Christ. Both Jew and Gentile were forced to look outside of the law of Moses for this justification and righteousness to find it in the promise seed of Abraham hundreds of years before the covenant at Mount Sinai.

This left the Apostles and Elders of the Church with the responsibility to then explain the purpose for the covenant of law with Israel. The gospels are written in light of that responsibility, to show forth the heart of the meaning of the law and the prophets two fold purpose. One, to show the intent of the law to prepare everyone of Israel to the Messiah, Jesus by showing them their own sinfulness. And two, to bring about through the exercise of religious acts, a heart that would fulfill the two great commandments and the summation of the moral purity taught in the law abounding in love for God and one another. The Sermon on the Mount from Christ details the inward righteousness of the heart that God desired for the Jew who possessed the law and oracles of God to be.

For the Apostles sin as it relates to the Gentiles would not consist in breaking the commandments of the Jewish Sabbath, Annual Holy Days, Circumcision of flesh or the neglect of tithes to the Levites commanded in the Law of Moses. Sin consists of the surrendering of the flesh to its inordinate affections. Throughout all of the Epistles of Paul who labored most among the Gentiles, sin is an “infirmity of the flesh” and the “motions of sin working in the members of the flesh” Rom.7:7. ⁵For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. ⁶But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.” Because a Christian is not under the Law of Moses, he is not free to live according to the lusts of the flesh. He is to serve God, not by the letter of the law as prescribed in Moses but by the spirit and intent of the law, that is to overcome the temptation to do evil which the flesh tempts us. And by doing so to fulfill the laws intent by walking in the newness of the Spirit which they had received by faith.

Sin consists of “yielding the members (of the body) unto unrighteousness” Rom.6: ¹²Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. ¹³Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. ¹⁴For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. ¹⁵What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. ¹⁶Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? Paul’s accentuation is sin as it refers to the body and the lusts of the flesh and its members.

This overcoming of the flesh is done by living and drawing in and from the Holy Spirit. Rom.8: ^{10 “}And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. ¹²Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. ¹³For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” By living in such a manner of overcoming the flesh through faith and the Holy Spirit, the Gentile fulfills the intent of the righteousness of the law of Moses. Rom.2: ²⁶Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? ²⁷And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? ²⁸For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: ²⁹But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”

When the conversion of the Gentiles to Christ was brought to light through the Holy Spirit, by the working of the Apostles Peter, these uncircumcised Gentiles received the Holy Spirit and salvation even as the Jews who had come to Christ (Acts 10:44-48, 15:6-10). Peter’s words in Acts 10:34, declare the mind of God, “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: ³⁵But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.”

When “certain of the Sect of Pharisees which believed” attempted to limit the salvation of Gentiles to only those who would come under the Law of Moses by circumcision (Acts 15:1,5), they were defeated by the Apostles own decree which declared the Gentiles free from law of Moses save only those things which were common to the covenant of Noah. By doing these outward things, they would be “doing well” in the sight of God and the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:28-29). The rest, was a matter not of outward observances of the law of Moses, in Sabbaths, Holy Days, and meat restrictions but the inward working of the Holy Spirit which would assist them in through Grace in the overcoming the flesh and fulfilling two great commandments with all the moral purity intended in the covenant of both Noah and Israel.

Throughout the rest of the Epistles and within the gospels we find the extensive and detailed emphasis of moral purity, while addressing some of the important questions of the time such as “meats offered to idols” in 1Corinthians 10 repeated warnings against idolatry and fornication.

In 1Thessalonians 4:2-5 Paul warns against fornication or pronea the sin of using the members of our bodies for immoral use. Paul reminds them of the commandments which were given the Gentiles to keep through them as from the Lord Jesus. “:²For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. ³For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: ⁴That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; ⁵Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:” For the Gentile the proof of their knowing of God is their abstaining from idolatry, fornication and the possessing of their vessel in purity.

In all the epistles left for us as a record of the teaching of the Apostles handed down to the Church, the commandments of God for the Gentiles to keep are always founded upon the teachings of Christ’s commandments to the Church regarding moral purity, Christian conduct and the unity of love and bond of charity towards the both the Jew and Gentile. The Gentile Christian was not to be “troubled” (the often used word) or judged by the Jewish Christian regarding circumcision of the flesh, the Sabbaths, New Moon or Holy Days or in regard to foods (Col.2:16-17) However, immediately following these words are Paul’s strong words in Chapter 3: “⁵Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: ⁶For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: ⁷In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. ⁸But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. ⁹Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; ¹⁰And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: ¹¹Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.”

In the very epistle of Paul where, he condemns the Judaizers because they had corrupted the gospel by adding trying to add circumcision of the flesh and the rest of law of Moses to the Gentile believers, Paul sternly warns the Gentiles that because they are not under the law of Moses, they are not free to live after the flesh. Gal.5: ¹⁶This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. ¹⁷For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. ¹⁸But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. ¹⁹Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, ²⁰Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, ²¹Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. ²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, ²³Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. ²⁴And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. ²⁵If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

By living “according to the Spirit” and “walking by the Spirit” the Gentile would be fulfilling the law not in the keeping of the letter but in the spirit of its intent. That is to bring all men to Christ and glorify God by faith, squelching and overcoming the lusts of the flesh and being the example of fullness of God’s love toward man and God and the intent of the spirit of the teachings of the law of Moses. Both circumcised Jew, who by tradition may keep the Law of Moses and uncircumcised Gentile keeping the covenant laws of Noah would come together in one united body that would demonstrate God’s love for the Jew and God’s love for the other nations of the world. In the one visible body of the church Jew and Gentile from every nation would not only be an expression of God’s love for men and men for each other but the fullness of the expression of God’s love for Christ, “the that world may know” God, the Father “loved him and sent him” as spoken in John 17:20-23. Both Jew and Gentile (the sheep not of the Jewish fold, John 10:16) were all to keep the commandments to love one another because to love one another is the fulfilling of the law. To harm one another is to transgress the intent of the law. John 13:35 “by this sign” says Christ, “all men will know you are my disciples” .

The body of believers would then be “witnesses” to the sending of Christ from the Father, the Father’s love for Christ and the power of Christ’s own death and resurrection. As witnesses, the Holy Spirit would unite Jew and Gentile in holiness, moral purity and brotherly love to become a living visible holy body on earth for all men to see as a visible demonstration of resurrected Christ living and holy body united on earth in the church in love throughout all nations (Mt.28:19, Rom.1:5, 16:26). The whole volume of scripture and law and the prophets are a fulfilled coming of the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven, uniting in love both Jew and Gentile in the body of Christ to the glory of God.

Answering Questions of the Law and the Christian from Scripture

Answering the Questions of the Law
and the Christian from Scripture

By Robert Clanton

robert4211@tx.rr.com

Why? Because Sabbath keeping of Gentile nations or Christians is not taught in Scripture.

The Sabbath before Moses

Genesis 2:1 displays God as having rested on the seventh day. The Adventist and Armstrong splinter groups, usually named "_?_Church of God" use this scripture to say that the commandment to keep the Sabbath was given on the day God rested and that God also kept the Sabbath. Gen.2:1 does say that God rested. From reading the gospels, we learn from Christ, that God never quit working (John 5:17) Jesus Christ specifically says concerning the Sabbath day, " ¹⁷But Jesus answered them, My Father WORKS hitherto, and I WORK. But he only ceases to create. Which is to say that was the last day of creation of earthly thing.

What Gen.2:1 does not say is also important. God had created Adam and Eve on the sixth day. Yet, the scripture excludes them from being included in any Seventh day rest. The word Sabbath, the Hebrew word "Shabbat" is not used until Exodus 16. How do we explain that the fact that God rested and Adam and Eve are not included in the rest? Moses wrote the book of Genesis. It is also Moses, to whom the Sabbath is first shown. Moses, to whom the Sabbath was first revealed, writes the creation account and uses a literary prolepsis in Genesis to describe the blessing and sanctifying of the seventh day. In other words, because it was revealed to him for the Jews (Exodus 31:12-19, Ezek 20, Neh.9:13-14). Moses writes it into the creation story because it was entirely unknown before then.

It is interesting that in the very same chapter of Genesis as the blessing of the seventh day is recorded by Moses, that he would use another literary prolepsis. In Gen.2:12, Moses writes of the land of Cush (Ethopia, KJV) while Cush is not born until 1600 years later. As in Gen.2, there is not any land named after Ham's son "Cush" until sixteen hundred years or more later, so in Gen.2, there is the seventh day but not commanded until Exodus 16. However, there is a very significant reason the Seventh day rest, Sabbath sign and commandment is connected to the covenant with Israel. The rest at the end of the first creation will be only a shadow of the finished work of Christ in the new creation at first advent. That will be explained further in the apologetic for the Lord’s Day.

It should be noted that Gen.2:1 contains neither a command for anyone to keep the Sabbath nor an example of anyone keeping the Sabbath. Even God, only ceased to create but continued to work. (John5:17). Jesus Christ specifically says concerning the Sabbath day, " ¹⁷But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." God only ceased from his creative work on earth, He didn't cease from all work.

From Genesis two, we pass through time. The righteous among the earth are recorded, Abel, Noah, Enoch, Abraham, Melchezedec, the High Priest, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and their families but none of them are ever demonstrated to keep the Sabbath. While Moses is careful to record, the animal sacrifices, and other seeming insignificant events, He completely avoids any reference to Sabbath keeping before Moses in Exodus 16..

The Commandments of God to Noah and All Mankind

Let’s visit with Noah and his family for a moment, because something very significant occurs with Noah, which involves the rest of humanity from that time forward. Noah, scripturally speaking is the only family on earth to survive the flood. From him, all the families of the earth are descendants. The Noachian Flood only left one family on earth. God and Noah make a covenant after the flood. God gives Noah laws to keep in return a promise to never destroy the earth again by flood. These laws are significant because the are the foundation of all righteous societies of all nations from that time forward.

The covenant with Noah is lacuna in the understanding of the bible for the Sabbatarians. It is treated as if it doesn’t exist and has no part of Gentile life and conduct.

Gen.9:1-10. The covenant of God with Noah is with him and his descendants (seed) after him (verse 9). Since, all mankind is in one fashion or another a descendant of the seed of Noah, all of mankind is obligated to keep the laws of Noah. When one makes a covenant relationship with the one true God, it automatically excludes any other relationship with any other idol or God. God does not enter a covenant relationship with someone who has other gods. He only covenants with those that worship him. The covenant requires Noah not to worship any of the other falsely named gods by definition of the word, covenant with God. The first commandment is to worship God, the Father and Creator of all humanity.

By nature of covenant with God and Father of humanity, Noah understood the commandment to honor earthly fathers as parents, which was passed down from Adam and Eve.

The other laws listed are to be fruitful and multiply 9:1. Contained within the commandment are the laws governing marriage and restriction against immorality. The apostles refer to this law in Acts 15:20 as the Greek word “pornea” for fornication, but actually means all sexual conduct, adultery, fornication or other sexual sins. The second commandment is to avoid sexual misconduct. Inherent in this commandment is also the forbidding of coveting your neighbor’s wife.

The third commandment contains a positive and a negative. Verses three and four, allow the all the nations including Noah’s to eat “every moving thing” for food but they are not allowed to partake of the blood of the animal. Since, most of the Armstrong and Adventist followers keep the Jewish meat restrictions, this commandment clearly spells out that the children of Noah are not to be commanded to keep from unclean meats, that is enjoined to the Israelites in a later covenant.

The Gentiles are free to eat all animals. 1Tim.4:4 Paul repeats that every creature is good for food and nothing is to be refused because it is sanctified by the word of God (Gen.9:3 sanctifies all meats as good for food) and prayer. However, man is not to eat the blood of the animal. This commandment is again repeated in Acts 15:29 from blood and strangled. Meaning improperly drained meats containing blood (Gen.9:4). ¹

1 The Armstrong and Adventist claim that the fact Noah was commanded to put clean and unclean animals into the ark proves that meat restrictions were already in place. However, as we will see in the future references, the unclean animals were only forbidden as sacrifices and not as food. When the Gentilesworshiped in the Temple, they were only allowed to offer clean animals as a sacrifice to God but were always free to eat unclean animals as a way of life. Ref: Path of the Righteous Gentile, Chaim Clorfeneand Yakov Rogalsky, page 123, Targum Press, Inc. Southfield, Mich 48034. See Dissertation 1 "Disproving Meat Restrictions for Gentiles"

The fourth commandment is the commandment not to murder. Gen.9: ^{5 “}And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man.” This is also repeated in the commandments of God given in Acts 15:19, for the Gentiles to keep, as “to abstain from blood”.

The fifth commandment is the command to set up righteous courts that will execute the judgment of God on the wicked. Verse ^{6 “}Whosoever sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.” God has never intended for man to take the laws into his own hands and punish the wicked. God had commanded Noah that a court of righteousness would be set up to punish the wicked.

The commandments against the taking of life and sexual sin contain and implicit law against taking what is not yours. Thus the commandment of thou shalt not steal and covet is contained within the commandments of Noah.

From the time of Noah to Abraham, God was known as the God of Noah. These laws were preserved and handed down without written code from Noah. They are the laws of Noah, not only for Noah but all his “seed after him”. (9:8). Moses records this covenant because it is a major event in the history of man. The sign of the covenant is also left for the witness which is the rainbow (9:13-17), which calls to mind that all men are required to live after these laws. In 2Peter 2:5 Noah is called a preacher of Righteousness.

These same laws are found in the Law of Moses because, Jews are descendants of Noah as much as Gentiles are. They are universal laws for everyone. But, while these are found in the law of Moses, all the laws of Moses are not in this covenant, only a few are contained here. Israel is given far more laws, than the Gentiles to keep. While all Jews are Noahites, the vast majority of Noahites are not Jews.

Conspicuously missing is the covenant laws of Noah is Sabbath commandment. Nearly all of the Ten Commandments are incorporated into the covenant with Noah. Moses, who received the law from God, does not include the Sabbath commandment because it had not been given until Exodus 16. Before that time, the Sabbath was unknown to man. It was to be a special commandment and sign between God and the children of Israel. (Exodus 31:12-19).

Abraham keeps the charge, statutes and laws – Gen.26: 5

From Noah to Abraham, the laws of Noah are commanded and are to be kept for the righteous on earth. Abraham is a descendant from righteous Noah and must keep the laws of the covenant of Noah if he is to be a true worshiper of God. The scripture always underscores the manner of worship of God. From the pages of Genesis we learn that righteous Abel freely offered sacrifices to God. It is not limited to a certain day. Noah freely offered sacrifices as well as Genesis 8:20 illustrates. What is important is to show that had the Sabbath been kept as a commandment, Moses would have duly noted it because of its importance. Armstrongite's use Gen.26: 5 to says that Abraham didn’t keep the laws of Noah but the laws of Moses. It’s a true twist of scripture. The Passover, Pentecost, and other Levitical feasts are yet 500 years away from even being given and Sabbatarians are claiming Abraham is kept these commanded Feast of Israel (lev.23: 1ff). No such thing is even implied in Genesis 26:5. The laws of the Sabbaths and Feasts of Israel are centuries away from being introduced to mankind. What the Sabbatarians are trying to claim is that Abraham is under the laws of Moses! Moses wasn’t even born for centuries later. The Adventist and Armstrong followers are claiming that Abraham is under the covenant at Mount Sinai for Israel. Moses who is writing these things gives not one example of Abraham keeping any of the Feasts of Israel or the Sabbath day.

Abraham kept the laws of Noah because he was under the laws of Noah not under the Law of Moses. Abraham followed the charges and commandments given to him by God, both to leave his country, to offer his son, to keep the covenant of circumcision of the flesh, which is added later and to all the things commanded, of him from God. But, the laws of Moses and the covenant at Mount Sinai are centuries away.

From Adam to Moses there is not a single example of anyone keeping the Jewish Sabbath. Of all the righteous, none are shown to observe the Sabbath. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the father of the children of Israel are not ever commanded to observe the Sabbath. Joseph becomes a ruler in Egypt over all the kingdom of Egypt as noted in Gen.41: 43. The families of Israel are free to worship and righteous Joseph is ruler of over Egypt. He does not command either Israel or Egypt to keep the Sabbath.

Did God Hold back knowledge of the Sabbath?

God retained the Sabbath commandment for the Israelites and for their covenant at Mount Siani, so that they would be a special people. The answer is yes, He held back any revelation of the blessing of the seventh day until Moses. Sabbatarians find that difficult to believe, it shouldn't be so. God held back the revelation of Jesus Christ for nearly thousand more years than He did any Sabbath commandment.

Exodus and “Remember the Sabbath day”

The Adventist and Armstrong disciples claim that the commandment to “Remember the Sabbath day” in Exodus 20 means that Israel had forgotten the Sabbath. “They lost the Sabbath day” is the claim. As I’ve shown above Joseph was ruler over Egypt and as such no example of Israel nor any others keeping the Sabbath exists. During the hundreds of years Israel was in slavery, they never “lost” the Sabbath day. The claim has no substance to support it. It is to claim that not a single Israelite could count to seven and pass it down to his children. We all know Jews are a lot sharper than they are being given credit.

How then are we to explain “Remember the Sabbath day” from Exodus 20? Exodus 16 gives the first revelation of the Sabbath. It is very clear the Israelites have no idea when the Sabbath is, so God gives them twice the manna on the sixth day because they are to rest the seventh. We find that some of the Israelites went out to labor and to pick up manna on the seventh day forgetting to rest from labor or ignoring the Sabbath commandment given to them. Weeks later at Mount Sinai, God reminds Israel not to rebel and forget the Sabbath to keep it holy.

From Moses to Christ, "the Prophets"

From Moses, the prophet until Christ and beyond the Sabbaths are not commanded to any other nations. Israel goes into captivity for their disobedience regarding the Sabbaths but none of the other nations are ever commanded to observe the Sabbath. Only, those Gentiles who were joined to Israel by circumcision of the flesh and a vow to keep the whole law were required to keep the Sabbath.

Exodus 20:10 says the stranger within thy gates is to keep the Sabbath. Yes, but it clear that from the covenant of circumcision with Abraham, that every stranger who lived with Abraham and his family had to be circumcised of the flesh Gen.17:9-13. Abraham doesn’t only circumcise his own family but all of those who labored for Abraham.

When the Sabbatarians confronted with the fact that no other nation was ever commanded to keep the Sabbath or condemned for not keeping the Sabbath they run to the few scripture which speak of individual Gentiles invited, not commanded to keep the Sabbath covenant. Had the Gentiles been commanded it, they would have been rebuked for not keeping and commanded to observe it as they had been commanded. But instead they are only individually invited, but they must be circumcised first and then keeps the whole law, not just the Sabbath.

Isa.56: The “strangers and eunuchs” were not excluded from the Old Covenant. They were included by the act of physical circumcision and by that act they became part of the “Children of Israel” (Exodus 12:47-49) and “took hold of the “covenant” Isa.56: 4. That is the old covenant. Isaiah 56 contains and invitation, not a commandment for the Gentiles living among the Israelites to become circumcised of the flesh and to "take hold" of the old covenant, of which the Sabbath day was the sign (Exodus 31:12-19). The very first thing any Gentile must do to "take hold of the covenant" is to be circumcised of the flesh. Then vow to keep the whole law.

After going to great lengths to make Isaiah 56:6 speak of the New Testament, they failed to read the very next verse which shows that the I Isaiah is plainly speaking of the old covenant. “⁷Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

Lev.24: 6-8 ties Aaron and his sons and the “burnt offerings and sacrifices” which are made every Sabbath to the everlasting covenant". Any person remotely familiar with the Epistle of Hebrews knows that that is entirely of the Old Covenant.

Sabbartarians teach that uncircumcised Gentiles are commanded to keep the Sabbath in this chapter. Are they? No.

There is no command in Isa.56 for the whole world to keep the Sabbath, as there isn't in the entire bible. Isa.56 is speaking to those gentiles who have already been circumcised in the flesh and commanded the whole law not just the weekly Sabbath. Notice verse 3:3Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath (all ready) joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. 4For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my Sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant.

Every slave in Israel was required to be circumcised as a part of the covenant with Abraham in Gen.17. Abraham circumcises all of his slaves as required by the covenant of circumcision. Gen.17: 13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant. Isa.56 has nothing to do with the uncircumcised gentiles being commanded to keep the Sabbath.

Isa.58: is also used to claim that the Sabbath is binding on Gentiles. I’m not sure for what reason, because the chapter is addressed to showing the sins of the “house of Jacob” (verse 1) their sins. The chapter begins with the House of Jacob and ends with the house of Jacob.

Isa.66:²²For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. ²³And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. The reason for keeping the Sabbath goes something like this: You see, in the new heavens and the new earth all flesh are going to come and keep the Sabbath, that proves the Sabbath is not “done away” and should be kept today. Typical of them to apply only one half the scripture they conveniently leave out that what is says for the Sabbath it also says for the new moon, and not only that it places the new moon ahead of the Sabbath day. Look at it closely again. ²³And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. Isaiah knows you cannot separate the Sabbath from the Law of Moses and exclude the new moon.. If the Sabbath Keepers are going to observe the Sabbath because it is in the “New heavens and New Earth, then according to their reasoning they should be keeping the New Moon also.

2Chronicles 23:30 shows that the New Moons, sacrifices and Sabbaths are inseparable. ³⁰And to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD, and likewise at even; ³¹and to offer all burnt sacrifices unto the lord in the Sabbaths, in the new moons, and on the set feasts, by number, according to the order commanded unto them, continually before the LORD." All of these commanded to Israel and not Gentiles.

The usage of the term “from one new moon to another and from one Sabbath to another is a Hebrew expression for the continual worship, not only on the Sabbath or the New Moon but all the days in between. And this is what Isaiah meant. A similar expression is used regarding the Gentiles worship in Mal.1:11 “¹¹For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts.” It doesn’t mean only at the rising and setting of the sun but a continual worship from morning till night, every day.

There are hosts of scripture, which show that God did not require worship on the Sabbath by the Gentiles. Jonah preached to Nineveh and does not command them the Sabbath, the reason is obvious. They are not Israel and have no covenant with God concerning the Sabbath.

When the King of Babylon converts to the God of Israel, in Dan.3: they do not preach Sabbaths to the gentiles. Dan.3: ²⁸Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. ²⁹Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort. ³⁰Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.

The Prophet Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar to repent, and gives him this advice in Dan.4:27 "Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity." Or as the NRSV has it, "²⁷ Therefore, O king, may my counsel be acceptable to you: atone for your sins with righteousness, and your iniquities with mercy to the oppressed, so that your prosperity may be prolonged.” Daniel doesn't command him or his nation to be circumcised and keep the whole Law of Moses

In Dan.6: ²⁵then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; peace be multiplied unto you. ²⁶I make a decree, that in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the god of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. ²⁷he delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. ²⁸so this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian. Darius makes no commands of Sabbaths on the empire! Daniel is said to “prosper” and he makes no Sabbaths binding upon this gentile kingdom.

The facts are that, neither not a single one of the prophets from Moses to Christ command the gentiles to keep the Sabbath nor do they condemn them for not observing the Sabbath. The other nations beyond Israel are condemned for not observing the laws of Noah, idolatry, pornea.etc but not breaking the Sabbath.

The Jews, who received the law have always understood that the righteous uncircumcised Gentiles among the nations were never required to observe the Sabbath nor could they be commanded to keep the Sabbath until they were circumcised of the flesh.

In the book, “Everyman’s Talumud, The Major Teachings of the Rabbinic Sages” by Rabbi Abraham Cohen, page 65 we read this concerning the Gentile whom is about to receive circumcision. “He is told, “you must know that before taking this step (circumcision) you partook of forbidden fat and profaned the Sabbath without incurring punishment; but henceforward if you do these things dire penalties will befall you.”. [Schoken Books, New York, 1949]

The Rabbi clearly demonstrates that only the circumcised of flesh were commanded to observe the meat restrictions and Sabbath days. Before circumcision, these righteous Gentiles were free to break the Sabbath and eat anything within the laws of Noah, but after circumcision they were commanded to keep all the Sabbaths and laws of Moses.

“To the Gentiles who were not prepared to enter the fold of the Judaism, a moral code, known as the seven commandments of the Sons of Noah, was offered. It consisted of the precepts: “The practice of equity, prohibitions against blaspheming the Name, idolatry, immorality, bloodshed, robbery and devouring a limb torn from a live animal” (Sanh.56a). By righteous conduct, based upon these fundamental laws they would earn the divine approval.” Ibid

The claim is made that these are not founded upon biblical teaching but Jewish tradition. However, that is false because I have shown that all of these commandments are part of the laws of Noah. And they are repeated in Acts 15:18-20, and Acts 21:21 as the only things “necessary” for the gentiles to keep when the Apostles condemned the teaching of the Sect of Pharisees for desiring to force circumcision and the commandment to observe the law of Moses upon the Gentiles (Acts 15:5). James repeats the laws of the covenant with Noah, as he has learned them from Rabbinical teaching in unison with the scripture from the Rabbinical school of Hillel and taught every Sabbath in the Synagogues.

The Feast of Tabernacles

Zechariah 14:17-21 has been used by the Armstrong followers as proof, God requires all mankind to observe the Jewish Holy Days because in their mind, Zechariah 14, shows that God is going to force the entire world to come to Jerusalem and spend eight days worshiping in the temple and offering animal sacrifices. The Jews have always understood these scriptures to have been fulfilled in the second building of the temple by Joshua and Zerubbabel. The Gentiles from around the known world came and worshiped during the Feast of Tabernacles, on the last day of the feast, at the Temple in Jerusalem. It wasn't because they were under the Law of Moses but because they had heard that God was with the Jews. “During the periods when the Jewish people lived in the Holy Land, their responsibility for teaching the Gentiles the Seven Commandments was generally fulfilled. During the 410 years of the First Temple stood and the 420 yeas of the Second Temple, the Gentiles who wanted to dwell in the land of Israel had to agree to fulfill the Noahide Laws and had the right to enter the Holy Temple to offer sacrifices to God (Zech.14:17-18)” [The Path of the Righteous Gentile, page 16, Chaim Clorfene and Yakov Rogalsky, Targum Press, Inc., Southfield, MI] This is also confirmed by the book of The Works of Josephus in Wars Book II, Chapter 17, paragraphs 3 and 4 who describes the racist "impiety" those Jews who attempted to stop these Ben Noachians from offering sacrifices at the temple which the Levites always offered as acceptable offerings to God..

Beyond that, these verses from 17-21 of Zechariah describes worship only in Jerusalem animal sacrifices. In these days following the coming of the Messiah, the true worshippers shall worship God in spirit and in truth, and neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem, Jn. 4:21. One place is as acceptable to God as another (I will that men pray every where); and one vessel shall be as acceptable as another and no animal sacrifices are necessary because the Lord has taken them away. The Epistle to the Hebrews chapter 10 says,“⁷Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. ⁸Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; ⁹Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second” . The Gentiles no longer must go to Jerusalem to worship God at the Temple or to offer animal sacrifice at the Temple because we now worship Christ not in the temple or at Jerusalem but in truth and in spirit and any place on earth is equal to Jerusalem.

The Amrstrongites go off to Florida, and Oklahoma or all over God's earth thinking that God is in Florida but not in Texas or Dustin and not in Jacksonville or Tampa. They are all busy driving across the country, trying to find where some self-proclaimed prophet or man of God declares God has shown him where God has placed His name. All of these self-proclaimed prophets and Amstrongites Churches can't sit in the same church together but they all claim to know where God has placed "His name" in conflict with others.

The true worshippers worship God in spirit and in truth, and neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem, Jn. 4:21.

The true worshipers of Christ do not need to drive across the country hoping to find God's presence when they get there. Neither will they ever go the earthly Jerusalem, For the Holy Spirit says speaking of Christ, the fulfillment of Zech.14: "22 But YOU ARE COME unto mount Sion, and unto the CITY OF THE LIVING GOD, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24And to Jesus the mediator of the New covenant, "

The scripture is fulfilled which is written in Mal.1:11 “¹¹For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the nations; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts”,

Meanwhile, some cults have their members busy DRIVING across the U.S. to Dustin, Florida, Waggoner, Oklahoma or wherever their imaginations think that God has "placed his name". If God doesn't desire or need to be worshiped in Jerusalem for the feast of tabernacles, He sure doesn't need you to go to Dustin, Florida.

From Christ and the Apostles

It is well established in the book of Josephus, as noted above and from Jewish history that thousands of uncircumcised Gentiles known as “God Fearers” (Acts 10:22, 13:26) worshiped in Jerusalem, lived among the Jews and were accepted by God as well as their offerings without keeping the Jewish Sabbaths or Holydays. Because those things were only commanded to be kept by the Gentile when he by circumcision of the flesh vowed to keep the “whole law” or Torah, not parts or pieces of his choice. Paul says in Gal.5:3 “ . ³For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.” Josephus writes speaking of the laws given to the Gentiles in the law of Noah, “I require you to abstain from shedding the blood of men, and to keep yourselves pure from murder, to punish those that commit any such thing. I permit you to make use of all the other living creatures at your pleasure, and as your appetites, lead you: for I have made you lords of them all, both of those that walk n the land, and those that swim in the waters, and of those that fly in the regions of the air on high – excepting their blood, for therein is the life.” Antiquities of the Jews 1.3.8

As from Genesis to Malachi so from Matthew through Revelation, not a single uncircumcised Gentile is commanded to observe the Jewish Sabbath. The Sabbath command is not repeated in the New Testament.

Since, most are very familiar with the New Testament, I only want to cover the scriptures used by the Armstrong’s and Adventist to trouble the faith of so many Christians. The major scripture, which is used is only a half a verse and repeated so often they have no idea what the other half of the verse says or what it means. This is Mark 2:27. They way the read is “the Sabbath is made for man”. By this, they conclude that Christ meant that every human (mankind) being on earth must keep the Jewish Sabbath or else, he is doing the same thing as murder or adultery. However, the whole verse reads, “²⁷And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath:” .

The context of this verse is 2:23-28. Christ and His disciples are picking and thrashing grain in their hands because they are hungry. When the Jews see them they exclaim they are doing what is “not lawful” on the Sabbath day. Christ, then justifies his doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath by showing that the David and his friends were hungry did what was not lawful when he and his followers were hungry and ate the bread of Presence, when they were hungry. Christ defending His disciples does not deny He and they are doing what is unlawful, He simply justifies it from scripture. Then proclaims Himself to be Lord even of the Sabbath day. In another twist, the Sabbatarians use this to say that Christ is Lord of the Sabbath day and imply that He is not Lord of the Lord’s Day (Sunday). The context is very certain, Christ is saying He is Lord over the Sabbath day, not the Sabbath day over him. When Christ said, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath:, He was teaching that man's needs are greater than the Sabbath, not the Sabbath greater than man. Or in similar way, The Sabbath is made for the benefit of man, not man for the benefit of the Sabbath. Therefore, Christ and his disciples were perfectly fit to break the Sabbath to accommodate the satisfaction of hunger. The discussion of the Sabbath in Mk.2:23-28, has nothing to do with whether uncircumcised Gentiles, Christian or not have to keep the Sabbath day. Of course, Jesus is Lord over all things, every day of the week, month, and year.

Mt.5:17-20. Christ "not one jot or tittle shall pass away from the law and the prophets till all is fulfilled" .

Now notice the words, "¹⁷Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. ¹⁸For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."

First and primarily, it should be noted, that none of the law and the prophets do not command any other nation besides the circumcised Jews to worship on the Sabbaths, Holy Days. At times, the Old Testament invites Gentiles to become circumcised and keep the whole law, but never commands them, like it does the Jews. The law and the prophets condemn Israel for their lack of Sabbath observance but not once any Gentile nations. Only the Gentiles living among the Israelites are required to keep the Sabbath. However, never does the scripture show that when Israelites or Jews lived among the Gentiles that the Gentiles were required to keep the Sabbath. They certainly were not.

Notice the words, "one jot or one tittle shall in now wise pass from the law, till ALL be fulfilled" . Here we find huge contradictions in Adventist and CoG's (Armstrong followers nearly always name themselves Church of God) theology. Because they will all tell you that "sacrifices are done away" , which are a lot more than a "jot or tittle" they are whole paragraphs! Ask them about the unclean washings and unclean laws regarding touching unclean things and they will tell you "they are done away" When they are hugely more than "jot or titles" but whole chapters of the law and prophets! You can go on and ask them about , the Levitical priesthood, the Sabbatical years laws, and others and they will all say they are "done away in Christ" when the scripture they love to quote says, "not one jot or tittle" would pass from the law until all is fulfilled". It is clear it all has been fulfilled, because even to them major portions of the law are done away.

Luke 16: 16 "The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it." The law and the prophets for Israel were not remain the focus of preaching any longer, than John. Beyond that time the gospel of the kingdom of God was to preached. The law and the prophets witness to Christ and the kingdom of God as the fulfillment of all that was taught in by the law and the prophets.

Mt.4: " 16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand"

They will gladly admit that the Priesthood of the Old Covenant, the temple, the altar, the holy of Holies, laws of uncleanness, the sacrifices, the Sabbatical years law, and a host of others are "done away" in Christ when the very verse they quotes says not one jot or tittle will pass until all passes away. When the jot or tittle passes so does the rest of it.

In truth, the law and the prophets all pointed to Christ and Christ fulfilled the all the law of unclean meats and Sabbaths and Holy Days as Paul said in Col.2:16-17, they were "shadows" of the reality of Christ. The very fact that Paul calls them “Shadows” of the reality of Christ is a plain demonstration that they have been fulfilled. Exactly, in the same manner as the sacrifices were “shadows” Heb.10:1 “¹For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.” Indeed, Luke records the words of Christ, Luke 16:“¹⁶The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached..”

The customs of Jesus and Moses

The Sabbatarians will often use the fact that Jesus, a Jew, walked in the customs of Moses, and therefore, everyone else must do so. That to them is “following Christ” . That is not a problem until the call of Cornelius, the first uncircumcised Gentile in Acts 10. As stated before, the uncircumcised Gentiles had no obligation to keep the Sabbaths or Holydays or other Laws of Moses except the common seven laws of Noah and Moses.

Cornelius is a Gentile Centurian Soldier, which no man could be and keep the Sabbath. He was however, a righteous man, keeping the laws of Noah and giving much alms to the people of Israel. Acts 10:2-4. “If a Noahite who follows the Seven Universal Laws gives charity, the Israelites accept it form him and give it to the poor of Israel, since through the merit of giving charity to the poor among the Jewish people one is given life by God and saved from death” [The Path of the Righteous Gentile, pg. 44, paragraph 19.]. Such was the teachings of the day. (Daniel 4:27 )

Cornelius and his whole household are saved. From that time to Acts 15, no one had commanded these uncircumcised Gentiles to be circumcised or to keep the law of Moses because they were known to keep the commandments and laws of Noah. In Acts 15:5 A Sect of Pharisees which professed Christ wanted to command the Gentiles to keep the law of Moses (verse 5), but first it was necessary to circumcised them according to the covenant. These Pharisees wanted the Gentiles "to walk after the customs of Moses” (Acts 20:21-26, ) that is to do the same things as the Sabbatarian preach, that they do. The Sect of Pharisees wanted to change the gospel, from Christ and Grace, to Christ and the law of Moses. No doubt they used the same arguments as the Sabbatarians: “Christ kept the law of Moses and the customs of Moses, so must we” . Christ was a Jew, not a Gentile. Christ didn’t require men to live as the Jews according to the customs of Moses. Nevertheless, these Pharisees are determined to preach Moses. As your read the story, Peter is absolutely opposed verse 6-11. Paul and Barnabas are opposed verse 12 and James and all the elders are opposed. James from his tradition and being the brother of Christ, only commands the “necessary things” which had always been taught by the Jews, the laws of the covenant of Noah.

In the book, “Jewish Literacy, The Most Important Thinks to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People, and Its History” by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, Chapter 278, “rightous non-jews/hasidei ummot ha-olam” the Rabbi begins the first line of the chapter in this manner: “Judaism has never taught that one has to be Jewish in order to be saved." The third paragraph on the same page we read, “ Whereas Jews are considered bound by the 613 Laws of the Torah, Judaism demands from non-Jews fulfillment only of the Seven Noahide Laws, modeled on the quintessentially ethical non-Jew Noah (see Noah and the Seven Noahide Laws)”. Later in the chapter on the same page 537 he remarks, “To this day, it is not uncommon to hear traditional Jews refer to a non-Jewish friend of the Jews as “one of the hasidei ummot ha-olam – literally “one of the righteous among the nations of the world”. [Jewish Literacy" by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, William Morrow and Company, Inc. New York] Cornelius was practicing the faith of the covenant with God through Noah and God's laws as the righteous among nations

The whole context of Acts 15 is very opposed to the Gentiles being forced to keep the Jewish Sabbaths, Holydays and other Jewish laws. So, by word and written decree (Acts 15:22-30 they are freed the Gentiles from any such thing and are commanded only to keep the laws of Noah. Verse 24 gives the reason why they are writing the decree, because in every city there are those who are preaching Moses in the Synagogue. Note who it is that they are preaching. It is Moses, not Christ. The Sect of Pharisees of professed believers started preaching Moses and that the Gentiles should walk in the customs of Moses, but the Apostles will have no such thing commanded. The laws of Noah were good enough for thousands upon thousands of Gentiles in every generation from Adam til Christ, it would be good enough for the Christian Gentiles also.

Attempts are made by the Sabbatarians to totally break the context of Acts 15:24 and to make it say that these Gentiles would later learn the law from the Synagogue where Moses is preached. In a twist, they turn the entire discussion in Acts 15 in favor of keeping and preaching the law instead its obvious statements in opposition to it from Peter, Paul, James, the decree itself and Judas and Silas who were prophets which confirmed the “same things by mouth” 15:27 .

To demonstrate that nothing whatsoever had changed, more than a decade later in Acts 21: Paul had come to Jerusalem and they had heard from other Jews, that Paul was not only teaching the Gentiles not to circumcise their children or to walk after the customs of Moses, but also the Jews. James asks Paul to clear himself of the charges by performing the ceremonial rites of uncleanness and once again confirms that nothing had changed in the ten years or more, saying to confirm that “thou thyself (Paul) also walkest orderly, and keepest the law. ²⁵As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.” Acts 21:25.

There are several passages in Acts used against the Churches by saying that in Acts 13:14, 42, 16:13, 17:2, 18:4, that Paul and the church, were keeping the Sabbath. That is not true, because these scriptures are not Paul worshiping with Christians, they are Jews and Gentiles who are not Christians at all. Paul is preaching so they might become Christians. One observation needs to be made about the differences between Paul and the Sabbatarians who use these scriptures to teach Sabbath keeping. In all my fifty three years of life, I have never heard of any Adventist or Armstrong follower, doing as Paul. It's never been heard that any Adventist or Armstrongite went into a "Synagogue of the Jews" on the Sabbath day and preached Christ. It is true that Acts 21:20 shows that there numerous Christian Jews but they are Jews who are "zealous of the law" and they all agree that the Gentiles are not to "walk in the customs of Moses" verse 21-25.

Mt.24:20 "²⁰But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:"

This scripture for the Sabbatarian because truly convincing. Surely, this means that all the nations in the world are to keep the Sabbath according to them. Again, the context utterly refutes their theology. Christ is warning of the coming destruction of Jerusalem when the "abomination of desolation" in verses 15-20. Christ says to those living in Judaea, to flee into the mountains. Jerusalem is going to be destroyed as prophesied and the surrounding Judaea, will suffer also because that is where the Jews lived. Christ said, "Woe unto them that give suck or have children in those days" and to pray that you are not fleeing in winter or on the Sabbath.

The Sabbatarians think this scripture proves that all nations are to keep the Sabbath. Now look at the context. Is Christ against fleeing in the winter? Is there a law forbidding fleeing in the winter. Does this mean, that Christians in all nations are all keeping a religious practice of not running during winter? How silly. Christ said, "wow unto them that give suck or have children in that day" Does this mean we are to interpret this as God has a law forbidding breast feeding or having children? Of course not! Why did he say these things? Because in Judaea, the destruction is coming in 70 A.D. and those that must flee, if its winter it is going to make it more difficult to flee. If they have children, it's going to make it more difficult and they may not escape in time. (Ref: Luke 23:28-30). If it is the Sabbath, it is going to make it more difficult on them because, the strict Jewish Sabbath keepers are going to attack those that break the Sabbath in Judah for running on the Sabbath! Christ is not commanding anyone to keep the Sabbath, rather He is saying, if you are running on the Sabbath day, you are going to be persecuted because the strict Jewish will not understand it is time to flee, and they will persecute you for keeping the Sabbath day! Quite the opposite of what the Adventist and Armstrongs say this scripture means.

Further, the context shows it was "Judaea" that Christ is speaking of not China, Japan, India, South Africa, or the North American continent. How foolish of to use this scripture to even remotely think it "proves Sabbath keeping" . But it is typical of their theology and misuse of scripture.

Luke 23:56 "And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. "

Here we find "the women" who are Jews followers of Christ keeping the Sabbath after his death. This is again supposed to prove that Chinese, Japanese, Indians, Africans, Mexicans, Spaniards, and the rest of mankind is supposed to keep the Sabbath day because these Jewish women kept it immediately after Christ's death. Throughout the book of Acts, we find "thousands of Jews (Christians) who are zealous for the law" while at the same time, these same thousands of Jewish Christians, and the Apostles are all firmly commanded not to preach circumcision and the "customs of Moses" as binding on non-Jews! (Acts 21:25, 15:19-16:4). And this is confirmed by written decree from the Apostles and Elders of Jerusalem, in Acts 16:4. The Sabbatarians constantly take the things the Jewish Christians do and then say the rest of humanity has become Jewish and do them also. When nothing of the sort is taught.

Christians in true worship

Two points here. 1) The uncircumcised Gentiles were never commanded to keep the Sabbaths or Jewish Holy days, either Old Testament or New Testament. 2) All people everywhere, Jewish and Gentile alike are and were free to celebrate the Lord's Day in honor of the resurrection of Christ.

In Acts 20:7 we find the church, the disciples coming together to break bread and to hear the preaching of Paul. There is something often overlooked which needs our attention to demonstrate that the Church did not meet on the Sabbath day. Paul is Troas 7 days in verse 6. The day before the church gathers to worship was the Sabbath day and it passes by, without any record of a Sabbath meeting. No meeting, no fellowship, no worship, no breaking of bread, no preaching on the Sabbath. It is only "upon the first day of the week” that the disciples gather to break bread. The conspicuous absence of any Sabbath gathering confirms that the Gentiles nor the church worshiped together on the Sabbath but “upon the first day of the week.

(1 Cor 5:7 KJV) "Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:"

(1 Cor 5:8 KJV) "Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

Paul doesn't say "keep the feast of Passover" . It was unlawful for any male who was uncircumcised in FLESH to keep the Jewish Feast of the Passover. Exodus 12 "48And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.

The Apostle Paul spiritualizes the Lord's Supper as "Christ our Passover IS sacrificed for us. The Feast is to be kept in a spiritual manner, not by putting out leavened BREAD, as the Israelites but by putting away malice and wickedness! Paul doesn't say: "Go home and clean out your leavened bread but put away malice and wickedness.

"Upon every first day of the week" 1Cor16:1-2, the disciples came together to "break bread" , the bread of the Eucharist (1Cor.10:15-22) as the body and blood of Christ in sacrifice upon the ALTAR of the "table of the Lord" (Mal.1:7&12) .

If the Sabbatarians ever got the message of "putting away malice and wickedness" instead of focusing on the opposite of the Apostle Paul "leavened bread" what a difference it would make for them. Instead the Armstrongites focus on the Jewish Feast instead of the Christian meaning Paul gives it.

Thus, the Armstrongites make an outward show of Jewishness but forget to do as Paul commanded to put away MALICE and wickedness.

As Paul wrote in his Epistle in Romans 2: "28For he is NOT a Jew, which is one OUTWARDLY; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. "

Unfortunately, the Armstrongites and Adventist have appear to have chosen the praise of MEN rather than the PRAISE OF GOD. And that is why they choose outward Jewishness over Christianity.

Does "Commandments" always mean "10 Commandments" ?

The other scriptures often used are quoted where “commandments” are used. Such as “he that loves me, keeps my commandments” . In every case from the Gospel of John to the Epistles of John, it’s not speaking of 10 commandments, but the commandments either to love one another or to believe in Christ, cf John.14:15, 21, 15:10, 1John 2:3, 4, 3:22,24, 5:2-3. The words, "ten commandments" do not occur in the New Testament. In other place of scripture Paul might say, "circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing but the keeping of the commandments of God. The word "ten" again does not occur. Paul means the commandments which pertinent to the Christians from the church and God. The commandments to love one another, to walk uprightly and to obey the laws of Noah.

There are several times in the New Testament where Gentiles are told to “Keep the commandments of God” from scripture, They should be always taken in context. When it is used for Christian Gentiles it means the commandments of the laws of Noah given in Acts 15, or the commandments to live a godly life. It never means that you must “walk after the customs of Moses” Acts 15:5ff and 21:25. When Christ was asked what commandments a man must keep to enter into live, He quotes the commandments of Noah which are contained in the Decalogue.

The Sabbatismos Rest of Heb.4:9

In the early part of this paper, I addressed that the significance of the first creation Sabbath is tied to the Covenant with the Children of Israel in Exodus 20 and Deut. 5.

The Epistle of Hebrews goes through an allegorical explanation. It compares the rest of God in the Genesis account, with the rest of those whom believe in Christ, Heb 3-4. We (believers in Christ ) do enter rest (Heb.4;3) but Israel was not allowed to enter into rest because of unbelief. The writer of Hebrews is warning the Jews to whom he writes, that just as Israel, kept the Sabbath day but still was not able to enter into God’s Rest, so if they do not believe, they will still be unable to enter into God’s Rest which those whom believe enter into. The Jews knew that the weekly Jewish Sabbath was only a temporary rest because the scriptures always promised a true rest in the future. The Sabbath day reminded Israel, that the Sabbath itself is not the true rest. The Sabbath was not the redemptive rest which they all waited. That would only come in Christ.

It is only when the believer comes to Christ that he enters rest from his labors. Christ said to the Jewish people keeping the Sabbath day, Mt.11:28 "come to me, all you that labor and I will give your rest. " The labors of the law of Moses became a bondage, where everything one did was restrained by a law, eating, drinking, touching, resting, working..etc. Peter says it is a bondage “we neither or fathers were able to bear” in Acts15:10. Christ promised them rest. The Gospel of John begins like the book of Genesis in John 1. It puts great emphasis on the Light of the world, Christ. Comparing to the Genesis account it is clear that Genesis was actually written with Christ in mind. It's upon the first day of the week that God separates the darkness from the light. The Jews had always known, believed and taught that the world had fallen into darkness by the sin of Adam and Eve before the first rest in Gen.2:1. That is why they are excluded from the Genesis account of entering God’s rest. But now a new creation had begun with the coming of Christ.

Hebrews 3 and 4 make a parallel between the creation work of God in the first creation account in Genesis and that new creation work completed in Christ. Christ completed work of the new creation was the day he was raised for our justification, “upon the first day of the week” . When Christ’s works were finished on earth ,Christ ascended to the Father and ceased from his work which he had done.. It was a blessed day, set apart from the foundation of the world for our redemption. The Epistle of Hebrews find the redemptive rest which was pictured by the weekly Sabbath fulfilled in Christ. Hebrews uses the word, “Today” to mean the fulfillment of all that was pictured by the weekly rest of the Jews. When one references the scripture from the Old Testament the words, "Today" are always used in a redemptive manner and the redemptive rest that the temporary weekly Sabbath foretold. That day which all the creative and redemptive work was completed is on the Lord’s day, “upon the first day of the week” . Today, that redemptive rest is available. Today, if you will harden not your hearts. The final scriptures to declare that Jesus himself had spoken of “another day” than the rest Israel had. Heb.4:8 says this, “⁸For if Jesus had given them (Israel) rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. ⁹There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. The word “Sabbatismos” from the word, ‘Sabbatism” is never used for the weekly Sabbath but used for the feasts rejoicing.

Later the writer of Hebrews sees that the Old Covenant of which the Sabbath was the sign has waxed old and already had begin to vanish (Heb.8:13), the NRSV says “obsolete”. The rest in Christ’s redemptive work is fulfilled when we rest like him from our own works, the day He rested, “upon the first day of the week” . The “Today” that Jesus spoke of as “another day” from that of the Jews. Which the Jews observed for more centuries and still did not enter his rest because of unbelief. Heb.4: closes the subject with these words, “⁹There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. ¹⁰For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. ¹¹Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.”

The Sabbatarians will claim that verse 9 says “there remains a keeping of the Sabbath day for the people of God” and that means everyone has to keep the Sabbath. That argument misses the point because the Jews, had kept the Sabbath day and were not able to enter God’s rest. Jesus was speaking of “another day” as His Rest, called the Lord’s Day when man would truly enter Rest through Christ and his redemptive work. The Epistle of Hebrews, often speaks of God’s Rest in the Genesis account but like Genesis avoids any record of Sabbath keeping in the creation account by Adam and Eve or anyone else until Israel.

The last scripture to be addressed is 1Cor.16:1-2. Paul had instructed the churches in Galatia, where the Judaizers had taught circumcision and the law of Moses to the Gentiles, and the Cornith to lay aside money "upon every the first day of the week". The fact that those Judaizers were present at Galatia demonstrates that these Gentile Christians were not observing the law of Moses and worshiping upon the first day of the week.

Because some versions of the manuscripts have a hint that the it may mean to lay in store in a home, the Sabbatarians take this to the farthest extent to mean that on Sunday, they were to collect what was saved from their pay and keep it at home. There is no record of any one getting paid weekly at the time 1Corinthians was written. The meaning is certain, that at various times when they people were paid for their labors, they were to lay it aside by them at the church upon the first day of the week.

To answer them, Paul wishes for them to gather the collection upon the first day of the week, so that he does have to go gathering himself when he gets to Corinth. Had they all still had their money stored at their own home, he would have gained nothing by his own order to them. The same chapter in verse 19 illustrates that the church met in a house, "¹⁹The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. " .

Paul refers to “the church in thy house” (Philem. 2), “the church that is in their house” (Rom. 16:5), and “the church which is in his house” (Col. 4:15).

It becomes very clear that if the collection is to be stored in the house, it means the house of the church, where they gathered "upon every first day of the week" . The purpose the gathering of the collection together is specifically for this reason, "…that there be no gatherings when I come." The collection would be all gathered in one place of the church, so that Paul doesn't have to do any gathering for him. If the church was supposed to keeping the Sabbath, why didn't gather it then? Which makes my point, i.e. they were worshiping "upon every first day of the week" and gathering the collection at the same time. This tradition has been followed by many denominations, unto this very day. When we see the brethren depositing the food and offerings for the poor or needy "upon every first day of the week" we are actually performing a church tradition established by Paul two thousand years ago.

From both the Old and New Testaments, we find that none of the other nations are commanded to be circumcised and "walk after the customs of Moses" . They were obligated to obey the laws of the covenant with Noah because they are Gentiles, not Jews. When the practice of the worshiping, praying and breaking bread was instituted, it was implemented as a day of worship together for the Christians in honor of the Rest in Christ, which He blessed all mankind and fulfilled on the day Christ rested from his redemptive works on earth.

Why Worship on The Lord's Day?

Jeremiah the fourth chapter tells us how the earth was plunged back into darkness and being void and without form again after the sin of Adam and Eve. Jer.4: 22 For my people [the Jews to whom he gave the Sabbath] is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. 23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. In Christ, Paul writes, " 2Cor.5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.". And Isa.65, Isaiah warns us that when the new creation comes the old should not be remembered or called to mind anymore as he says, Isaiah 65: "17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind." Therefore, we should observe the new day when Christ finished his redemptive work on earth and rested in the heavens.

When the Israelites were given the Sabbath as a day of rest, it also entered the hearts of the Gentiles to have rest from their labors as well. In the fullness of time, God gave the Gentiles rest not only physical rest from labors but spiritual rest. There doesn't appear to have been an outright command to cease from labor at the being though some did. Because the Sabbath and Lord's day was made for man and not man for the Sabbath and the Lord's day, the burden of taking a day from their labors of so many gentile slaves that first believed during the early centuries would have cause needless punishment upon the Christians. But at the proper time, the Lord and the church desired that all man Christians should be free to worship without penalty. And the kings of the earth heard the word of the Lord and submitted, as the scripture says, "¹⁰Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. ¹¹Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. ¹²Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. "

The failure of the Sabbatarians to follow the chronology of covenants and apply them in the proper manner and time, has lead them into this error. In the process to justify their beliefs, they condemned the other churches in sometimes mean-spirited speech, referring to other Christian churches them as the whore of Babylon and their children. The uncircumcised Gentiles were never commanded to keep the Sabbaths or Jewish Holy days, either Old Testament or New Testament. All people everywhere, Jew and Gentile alike are and were free and admonished to celebrate the Lord's Day in honor of the resurrection of Christ as commanded and prophesied in Ps.118:19-24. The Lord's Day spoken of in Ps.118:19-24 is the day Christ was resurrected and was prophesied to be a day of rejoicing, for us to "be glad in it" because the stone which the builders rejected become "the chief corner stone" (Eph.2:20, 1Peter 2:7, Mt.21:42, 12:10, Acts 4:11) .

The truths of transition Sabbath to Sunday

The truths of the matter are these:

1) None of the Old Testament Prophets commanded Gentile nations to keep the Sabbath, Holy days or meat restrictions.

2) A Gentile was only commanded to observe these laws when after he had been circumcised of the flesh and had taken the vow to keep all laws of Moses. The Jewish Christians continued to observe the Jewish Law and also celebrated the Lord's Day and the Lord's Supper, "upon the first day of the week" . But, they were commanded not to "trouble" or "subvert" the faith of the uncircumcised Gentiles with circumcision or the law of Moses.

3) When the Sect of Pharisees attempted to enforce circumcision and the law of Moses (Acts15:5) upon the Gentile believers, the unanimous consent of the Apostles and Elders is absolutely, No. This is further detailed by written decree of the Apostles (Acts 16:4) handed to the Churches.

4) The communion of the saints upon the first day of the week originated in the celebration of Christ's resurrection and becoming the chief cornerstone, which the builder's rejected, Ps.118. They celebrated the Lord's Supper together, where they became "witnesses" to the resurrection of Christ

.

5) In time, the celebration "upon the first day of the week" was made a rest for the Gentile Christians as Sabbath was for the Jews. It had nothing to do with paganism but everything to do with being witnesses to the resurrection of Christ upon the Lord's own day of his resurrection.