I know I have drifted away from apologetics in its traditional sense in the past few posts to focus more on Christian and discipleship related questions. But I promise to come back.
Introduction
While as a non-Christian, you may not find the issue Sabbath relevant to you, I want to suggest otherwise. For example, many Muslims I have interacted with will use Jesus’s healings and teachings on the Sabbath as a way of justifying Allah changing his mind capriciously. Most importantly, the Sabbath and what it means, not the literal observance of it, is a distinct mark that puts the Judeo-Christian tradition in a unique and a conflicting position with other traditions.
That said, the topic is obviously relevant to the lives of the Christian too. Not just because it will provide information on why we don’t observe the Sabbath, but because it will be, or at least I pray it to be, a step towards entering and experiencing the rest of God way before we reach our eternal destiny as well.
And, if we agree that apologetics aims at all things that come between us and the knowledge of God (2 Cor. 10: 5), then I have not drifted away that much. Frankly, I see apologetics as a crucial tool for growing in the knowledge of God and discipleship, not just as a preparation for the gospel message and evangelism. Thus, my writings will seem like a mix of both reflecting my thinking process which does not separate the two fields of knowledge. Some may like it. Some may not. That’s OK. I only hope that this does not confuse you.
Don’t All Religions Have Their Holy Days?
That’s correct now and in the times of Moses too. Some have even argued that the Sabbath originated out of Babylonian traditions. So, why did the Judeo-Christian God think that the Sabbath distinguishes the nation of Israel when all other religions have some sort of holy days incorporated in their rituals? Why do I think that the Sabbath is a distinct mark that puts the Judeo-Christian tradition in a unique position if not a conflicting one with other traditions up till now? Isn't the Sabbath simply the Jewish version of the Christian Sunday, or the Islamic Jum'ah (Friday)?
Isn't the Sabbath Irrelevant to the New Testament Believer?
Christians have heard many times that Jesus has fulfilled the law in general and the Sabbath in particular. But, what does the notion Christ fulfilled the Sabbath mean to our daily walk in Christ? Does this just simply mean that a Christian is no longer required to observe it? Was the Sabbath a case of heavenly bureaucracy that was resolved by the death of Jesus? What is the spiritual significance of Jesus fulfilling the Sabbath to me?
DA Carson, a prominent Christian theologian, has pointed out that the “church has always wrestled with” questions related to our relationship with the Sabbath and the Old Testament.[1] And as a Christian, I concur. I have heard this issue of the Sabbath discussed in the context of debates on how the New Testament believer related to the Old Testament, the commandments found in it, and other rituals.
Most Christians agree that the Sabbath and the priestly rituals and sacrifices have been fulfilled in Christ.[2] Even among those who argue that we should obey the principles of the Old Testament's civil laws agree that the Christian is not required to follow the Sabbath, which is in the ten commandments.
The fact that most Christians agree that we are no longer required to observe the Sabbath is comforting. But, why is it the case that observance the Sabbath is no longer required? Thus, as a Christian, the question is two-fold. Theologically, what is the best explanation of the fulfillment of the Sabbath? Practically, what is the significance of that fulfillment in my daily walk with Christ?
The Outline of the Quest
The Christian and the non-Christian have the same launching point. Both of us need to understand the cultural and the historical backgrounds of the institution of the Sabbath. Then, we need to progress to the theological explanation as given in the Old and the New Testaments. Finally, we need to make conclusions as to why the Sabbath stands for a theological principle that I will argue it to be at odds with all of the other worldviews including Islam and the Pharisaic understanding of the Sabbath. Finally, I will discuss a spiritual application of the Sabbath.
Note
I am not writing this to teach as one with authority. I don't hold a M. Div. I am sharing what I have uncovered in my own personal journey in my formal and informal studies. I hope and pray that you take my word and test it yourself.
Shall we begin our quest?
[1] D. A. Carson, ed., From Sabbath to Lord's Day: A Biblical, Historical, and Theological Investigation (Eugene: OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1999), 17.
[2] I am thinking of Seventh Day Adventists as the exception to this majority