Today a news item reminds me that some forty years ago I worked on Sabbath. As a secretary with World Vision International, then located in California, I helped at an event known as the Vietnamese Babylift Operation of 1975. My desk overlooked a large gymnasium filled with mattresses, each holding a toddler or infant. I could see hundreds of them, and the sound of their cries must have reached heaven. Of course, no Seventh-day Adventist would refuse to do good on the Sabbath, and these cherubic babies needed to find their adoptive parents. They had escaped to freedom.
Sometimes I wonder, as a Seventh Day Adventist whether we place too much emphasis on Sabbath keeping , as an act to show our allegiance to God, as opposed to worshipping Jesus Christ, the actual Lord of the Sabbath Himself. I am of the view that with many SDAs the way in which Sabbath is articulated leads to a behaviourist attitude- I must observe this day so as to be right with God rather than allowing Jesus- the true Lord of the Sabbath to live in me by His Spirit. We focus on outward behaviour too much, rather than the inward regeneration of the Holy Spirit.If my heart is right with Jesus,the Holy Spirit will live in me and I will uplift Jesus. My actions will point to Jesus and I will not have to strain and expend great efforts to tell others about the Sabbath Day. When they see Christ in me, they too will embrace Jesus as Lord and Saviour. This is Spirit filled liviing , something which I dont think we as SDAs truly understand!
I believe it is very possible to make the actual Sabbath day an idol in itself albeit unwittingly. It is very possible for SDAs to be so emphatic on the identification of the Sabbath day and become very âcaught upâ with outward observance activities and forms without truly submitting to or worshipping Jesus as the True Sabbath. Why is this?
Anytime we as a church fail to uplift Jesus in any presentation, we unwittingly will uplift an object, an individual or a creed or even a doctrine and make that prominent to the listeners. This is a mistake. Were we to look at the relationship of Jesus to the Sabbath in the Scripture, we would be more careful to uplift Him- His power,or to be more preciose the power of the Holy Spirit to point men and women not only to the day of worship, but the manner in which it is to be regarded even within the context of salvation by grace through faith.
I believe God in His wisdom did not dwell so much on the Sabbath in the new testament , rather, through the power of the Holy Spirit He moved men to write the Scriptures to uplift Jesus , as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. It is the merits of Jesus that are efficacious, it is Jesus Himself, the Lord of the Sabbath to whom we should offer praise. I think this is one of the key reasons why Sabbath is not mentioned so much in the New Testament- rather it is Jesus as Lord, and especially as Saviour. Perhaps this is one lesson we as Seventh Day Adventist need to learn and learn quickly.
Our Sabbath rest as well as any other thing which pertains to us, salvation, redemption, resurrection glorification,christian conduct - every phase of our lives must point to Jesus,Our Lord.
The monkery that some would impose on the Sabbath is a mockery of what God intended., Adventism has made it a bondage and a puffery much as the Jews of Christâs time. The manna was a good lesson that working for bread or profit is not Sabbath keeping. There are six days in which to do oneâs gathering. There must be time to remember oneâs Creator and Redeemer and rejoice.
The irony is that the Sabbath REST in Christ is defined as the ârest from trying to work ourselves into âheavenâ (salvation)â and we use it as an addendum to "saved by grace = âsalvation by faithâ + Sabbath. The mere fact of making the Sabbath a test of fellowship, we undo âsaved by faithâ.
OK, so we can âkeepâ the Sabbath as an emblem pointing to Salvation through Christ; but as soon as we make it a requirement for membership; or an identifying sign of âthe savedâ, we have negated the meaning of âsaved by faithâ.
I always cherish the mostly Adventist family holiday get-togethers and being woken up Saturday morning by the pastorâs wife banging away in the kitchen for sabbath lunch while her son shows me how he watches the football games on his phone. Happy sabbath!
It can get amusing the way we have created a purely Adventist style of Sabbath keeping, not outlined anywhere in the Bible. Back several decades, I thought fruit salad and popcorn was required for a Saturday night supper. In the college dorm, Sabbath morning breakfast was not served in the cafeteria, so we were given a sweet roll and orange juice to take back to our room - nothing but sugar all the way, as weâre being admonished about our diets in the âlittle red booksâ. Of course, the OT has a whole list of Sabbath rules but they include animal slaughter.
Not a problem for me during SLA days as I had a roommate at Thayer Hall who worked in the cafeteria and brought back extra goodies Friday afternoon which turned into Sabbath morning delights! Didnât have same arrangements during AUC days so I had to âborrowâ motherâs electric skillet to provide Sabbath morning omelets for a few faithful at Thayer Hall! (If I remember correctly, I had to feed the Floor Monitor who was able to keep the Dean away for a short while). Memories!
Thanks Ella,
Good article. But, If we have ârest in Christâ why must we mere gentiles be saved by âlawâ, 4th commandment sabbath/7th day keeping, at the end time? I hear you but believe Rom. 14.
I believe in JBF âaloneâ and I believe both 1st day keepers and 7th day keepers will be saved at the âend of daysâ by grace alone in Christ alone, through faith alone. The issue is about ChristâŚnot days. BUT pick yours.
Regards,
Pat
PS. Remember getting cinnamon rolls at SMC cafeteria in 1962 on Friday evening (yum) and taking back to Talge Hall not available on Sat. morning. Canât offer those fresh good things on SatâŚand I also believe in a literal creation week⌠tho the world likely created much earlier.
Houston, we have a problem!
