Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!wuarchive!sdd.hp.com!caen!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!lll-winken!iggy.GW.Vitalink.COM!widener!dsinc!bagate!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: bertsche@llnl.gov (Kirk Bertsche) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: the Sabbath Message-ID: Date: 18 May 91 06:19:19 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Lines: 42 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu I have apparently missed the first part of a discussion of the Sabbath: In article tblake@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu (Thomas Blake) writes: > I am not trying to say that you *must* keep the Sabath on Sunday. Your > keeping of the traditional Sabbath you do to the glory of God. Many > other Christians have kept the Sabbath on Sunday, and through their > observance they have sought to glorify God. I am not trying to be overly picky, but I believe much confusion can be avoided regarding the Sabbath by realizing that Sunday is *not* the Sabbath, never was, and never will be. Biblical usage of the word *Sabbath* always means Saturday. In fact, the word Sabbath is the word for Saturday (ha-shabbat in Hebrew, I believe, or al-sabt in Arabic). It is the way to refer to Saturday in these languages. To say *Sunday is our Sabbath* is like saying *Sunday is our Saturday.* (I know that many people commonly say this, but it is sloppy language.) The Sabbath and Sunday are not only distinct linguistically, but more importantly, they are distinct in their purposes. The Sabbath was set up to be a day of *rest*, in remembrance of God's rest after creation. Sunday is a day of *praise* and *celebration*, in remembrance of Christ's resurrection. This is a crucial distinction. Believers do not need to view Sunday as a day of rest. (In fact, for some of us it is a very busy day!) If we are truly believers who have not hardened our hearts, there is a Sabbath rest for us, but it is not Sunday (Heb. 4). Sunday is a day of praise and worship for our redemption through Christ, a concept foreign to the Old Testament Sabbath (it is more akin to OT sacrifices and festivals than to the Sabbath). It is interesting that New Testament believers are never told in Scripture to celebrate the Sabbath or to set aside a day of rest. When gentiles began to be converted this was not discussed; presumably this is one of the Jewish laws, like circumcision, which were *not* required of gentile converts. We celebrate Sunday largely because of the example of early believers who met on the "first day of the week" (mentioned in Acts, I believe?). I believe that we should continue to meet on Sunday, *not* on Saturday, so that we do not confuse our celebration of Christ's resurrection (even subconsciously) with the Old Testament day of rest. Kirk Bertsche (bertsche@llnl.gov) (415) 422-8139 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory P.O. Box 808 L-397, Livermore, CA 94551-0808