Some say it does not matter what day you worship the Lord on, suggesting there is not harm in ignoring the Lord's Day, the Weekly Sabbath. When the Judaism believing Israelites see "Christians" profaning the Lord's Day, they will be offended. Now if someone was to be offended because we were obeying one of the Lord's commandments, that would be different. But where is the command to "sanctify" the first day of the week?
How dare a man,
knowing his
actions will
create a hedge between himself / themselves and God’s chosen people, do
so (even if it were true the hedge was to commemorate an event [But it
is not true. Even the secular world records
that]).
Many say in the New
Testament we have been given liberty and therefore are free to esteem
any day
of worship we desire. A frame of mind to
do what ever one wants to do, in the name of liberty, is evidence of
imperfect
love. Jesus and the Apostles walked in
no such liberty [to offend]. That is not
fulfillment of the Law [of Christ].
1 Corinthians
10:31 Whether
therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of
God.
1 Corinthians 10:23
(NRSV) ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things are beneficial. ‘All
things are lawful,’ but not all things
build up.
Does it matter by
scripture if someone was to accuse those that assemble on Sunday (the
'status quo') of following a day established by idolatrous practices?
1 Corinthians 10:28 (NRSV) But if someone says to you, ‘This has been offered in sacrifice,’ then do not eat it, out of consideration for the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience
It is okay to esteem
the
first day of the week (as a dedicated day). However,
we have been given knowledge [through the example in the Law of Moses]
that if
the first day is esteemed, then the seventh day also must be
esteemed (as a devoted day [See
Leviticus 27:28-29 & 32-33]). [The
Lord can confirm this for you at your request].
What is devoted by God [specially set apart for the LORD] is not
to be
treated as that which is vowed / dedicated / sanctified by man.
Leviticus
27:33 He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he
change
it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change
thereof shall
be holy; it shall not be redeemed.
We do not have liberty
to
create confusion. Jews gather on
this
day…, former Gentiles on this one… This
is just another stumbling block in the way of natural
If we did have liberty
to
esteem what ever day we desire, are not our brothers grieved by our
actions? (Numerous Messianic Jews,
Romans 14:22 (NLT) You may have the
faith to believe that there is nothing wrong with what you are doing,
but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who do
not
condemn themselves by doing something they know is all right.
Galatians
1
Peter 2:15-17 (NLT) It
is God's
will that your good lives
should
silence those who make
foolish accusations
against you. You are
not slaves; you are free. But your
freedom is
not an excuse to do evil.
You are free to live as God's
slaves. Show respect for everyone. Love your Christian
brothers and sisters. Fear God. Show respect for the king.
Do
some care if their purported
liberty sends their kinsmen to hell (by creating stumbling blocks and
confusion)? No they don’t care, which
amounts to spiritual murder! Their
hearts say “I’m going to do what Catholicism set in place, even if it
is a golden calf!”
James
2:11-13 (NLT) For the same God
who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not
murder."So if you murder
someone, you have broken the entire
law, even if you do not commit adultery. So
whenever you speak, or whatever
you do, remember that you will
be judged
by the law of love, the law that set you free.
For there will be no mercy
for you if
you have not been merciful to others. But if you have been
merciful,
then God's mercy toward you will win out over his judgment against you.
Jesus did not teach
doing
away with the Sabbath anymore than King David contended for doing away
with the
Levitical
Priesthood when he ate the showbread.
King David had need of mercy, so the sacrifice was temporarily
overlooked for the sake of love (God is love: see 1 John 4:8
below). The letter of
the Law needed to be forfeited so the spirit of the Law could be
actualized.
Mercy supersedes
sacrifice. God being glorified by the means of bringing
Him honor, can not be done at the expense of compassion to those He
loves. He is benevolent.
Friends don’t honor themselves at their friends' detriment. We can’t love our neighbor
while withholding mercy and Jesus does not love us while withholding
mercy.
Luke
6:3-4 And Jesus answering them said,
Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an
hungred,
and they which were with him; How he
went into the house of God, and did take and eat the shewbread, and
gave also
to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the
priests
alone?
1 John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
Jesus profaned the
Sabbath
and was not guilty because He was satisfying the requirements of love
to both
God and man. That is what the whole Law
and the Words of the Prophets are based on.
Matthew 25:40
And the King shall
answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done
it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye
have done it unto me.
Hosea
6:6
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more
than burnt offerings.