This post by Tim Challies concerning the Law verses Grace is very interesting. We’ve had lots of discussion at our church recently concerning the Law, the Ten Commandments and believers today. The sermon on Wednesday night was a very good understanding of how believers today should relate to the Sabbath. This sums up my best understanding of how the Sabbath relates to believers today. I always get tickled when someone says they observe a Biblical Sabbath and yet it looks nothing like a Biblical Sabbath. Church, nap and Church does not a Sabbath make. Although it does make for a nice day. 😉
What the Law-Keeper Cries to the Gospel-Lover by Tim Challies
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Jewish law forbids work on the Sabbath, but the question that has always plagued law-keepers is this: what actually constitutes work? Many modern interpretations of the law state that using an electrical button on the Sabbath constitutes work. Pressing a button closes an electrical switch and the closing of the switch is interpreted as “building” a circuit. Any kind of building on the Sabbath is strictly forbidden by the law. For that reason, many of the apartment buildings in this area use a feature in their elevators known as “Shabbat [Sabbath] service.” Sabbath service removes the need to press buttons. When the service is engaged, the elevator will either stop at every floor on both the way up and the way down, or it will rise to the top and then stop at every floor on the way down. In either case, the sanctity of the Sabbath is maintained. (Wikipedia’s article on Shabbat service is fascinating in its explanation of the variations of interpretation)
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Be sure to read the whole article, very much worth it.
Some might say that well these Jews have taken the OT Sabbath and become legalistic about it. But if you study what was said in the OT concerning the Law you would see that nope, they aren’t being legalistic. Remember the passage in Numbers 15:32-36? That was taking the Sabbath pretty seriously!
But then if you were to read everything in the NT concerning the law you might be surprised at what the Bible actually says about our relationship with it today.
The Law of Christ by Charles Leiter is one of the best explanations about the Law and believers. I highly recommend reading the book. 🙂
Oh, be thankful for Grace!