The Sabbath is part of the Decalogue, HIS Law, HIS Word, HIS Commandments and Statutes contained in the Book of the Law. That which is to be kept guarded in our hearts, and in our minds, and in our mouths through Christ's indwelling that we do it, that is the word of Faith in which we preach.
The Book of the Law contained the laws and instruction given by the Lord through Moses to the people of
Israel. Are you a Jew under the Old Covenant? Nehemiah 8:1 - And all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the
book of the law of Moses which the LORD had
given to Israel.
Romans 10:8 - But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the
word of faith which we preach): 9
that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10
For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
SDA's remind me of Israel, who have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge and being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For
Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who BELIEVES. (Romans 10:1-4)
1 Corinthians 1:21 - For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God,
it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who BELIEVE.
Romans 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who
BELIEVES, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. It's time for you misguided teachers of the law to repent and BELIEVE the Gospel.
The Gospel is the "good news" of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) and is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that
BELIEVES.. (Romans 1:16). To
BELIEVE the Gospel is to
trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of your salvation.
NOT trust in Christ + the 10 commandments for salvation or trust in Christ + keeping the sabbath day for salvation which is
not trusting exclusively in Christ for salvation. Man is
saved by grace through faith, not works (Ephesians 2:8,9). Salvation by "grace plus law, faith plus works" is a perversion of the Gospel (Galatians 1:6-9).
Context; sabbath days not Sabbath Day. These are they which were handwritten to the ordinances not the ordinances themselves. The Commandments and Statues contained in the Book of the Law are placed in our hearts and in our mouths. The context of the passage connects verse sixteen and seventeen to verse fourteen.
Blotting out the handwriting to the ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. (Col 2:14)
How can that which was placed in our hearts be contrary to us?
If we receive Christ, the Decalogue, HIS Commandments and Statutes contained in the Book of the Law IN our hearts we will not willfully transgress that to which we are. We are a New Creature in Christ Jesus; behold all things are new and of GOD. That is the GOSPEL.Couple that with the fact that Colossians 1 and 2 are dealing with the victory that we can have over sin through Christ. With that in mind also It is no wonder He was blotting out the handwriting to the ordinances which were against us.
The handwriting to the ordinances were the judgments, the meat and drink, festivals and sabbath days that pertained to getting us back in line with GOD after we sinned, not the Decalogue and the Commandments and Statutes that were contained in the Book of the Law that were to be in our hearts, and in our minds and in our mouths through the circumcision from GOD in the putting of the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. (Col 2:11)
An unbiased reading of Colossians 2:16 will show that this is talking about not just "ceremonial Sabbaths." The words "ton sabbaton" or "sabbath days"; are the same words translated "Sabbath day" in Exodus 20:8 in the Septuagint (the Jewish translation of the Old Testament into Greek).
Look at Paul's reasoning, "Let no one judge you regarding a,
festival - yearly Sabbaths,
a new moon - monthly Sabbaths,
or a Sabbath day - weekly Sabbaths (or if you wish Sabbath days)"
CHRIST, he goes on to say is the "Substance", these things were shadows.
When this passage is compared with Galatians 4:9 an obvious connection in Paul's teaching is revealed:
"But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? You observe days and months and seasons and years."
Verse 10 flatly states, "you observe...",
days (weekly Sabbaths, corresponding to "Sabbath days in Col. 2)
months (new moons, corresponding to "a new moon" in Col. 2)
seasons (the 7 feasts, corresponding to "festivals" in Col. 2)
and years (the sabbatical year and the 50th year of Jubilee)
Obviously Paul is clearing speaking about the observances of all Jewish holy days,
including the weekly Sabbath.
When God wants to refer to the whole system of Jewish holy days, rather than name them all, He would refer to the yearly, monthly and weekly as representing the whole system. SDA's argue that the Sabbath Day of Colossians 2:16 is the years Sabbaths. But yearly Sabbaths were already referred to in Colossians 2:16 as "festivals". The "Year, Month, Week" pattern is so well established in the Old Testament, that Colossians 2:16 must refer to the weekly Sabbath.
Yearly, monthly, weekly pattern proves it is the weekly sabbath
1 Chronicles 23:31 - Yearly (fixed festivals), monthly (new moons), weekly (Sabbaths)
2 Chronicles 2:4 - Yearly (appointed feasts), monthly (new moons), weekly (Sabbaths)
2 Chronicles 8:13 - Yearly (annual feasts), monthly (new moons), weekly (Sabbaths)
2 Chronicles 31:3 - Yearly (fixed festivals), monthly (new moons), weekly (Sabbaths)
Nehemiah 10:33 - Yearly (appointed times), monthly (new moon), weekly (Sabbaths)
Isaiah 1:13-14 - Yearly (appointed feasts), monthly (new moon), weekly (Sabbath)
Ezekiel 45:17 - Yearly (appointed feasts), monthly (new moons), weekly (Sabbaths)
Ezek 46:1-11 - Yearly (appointed feasts), monthly (new moons), weekly (Sabbath)
Hosea 2:11 - Yearly (festal assemblies), monthly (new moons), weekly (Sabbaths)
Galatians 4:10 - years, months, days
Colossians 2:16 - festival, new moon, Sabbath day
Sabbatarians often ask for one text in the Bible that commands Sunday worship and here it is:
LEVITICUS 23:5-11 - Look at verse 11: "'And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord for you to be accepted;
on the day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.'" The day after the Sabbath is Sunday.
Read on specifically looking at Leviticus 23:15 - "'You shall also count for yourselves from the
day after the sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete sabbaths. You shall count fifty days to the
DAY AFTER THE SEVENTH SABBATH; then you shall present a new grain offering to the Lord.'" This is the Feast of Pentecost. It was one of the compulsory feasts of Israel.
Note on the day of Pentecost, a Sunday God's people were commanded to worship. God says, "On this same day you shall make a proclamation as well; you are to have a holy convocation. You shall do no laborious work. It is to be perpetual statute in all your dwelling places throughout your generations." Leviticus 23:21.
If you think this is only applying to "ceremonial" days, Leviticus 23 starts out talking about the weekly Sabbath (see Leviticus 23:1-4). It is called an appointed time and a holy convocation, along with all the other feast days of Israel. No distinction is made by God between these holy days and the weekly Sabbath. He includes them as being equally holy. This would mean that under the Old Covenant the First Fruits Sunday and the Pentecost Sunday were as holy and sanctified as Saturday.
If you think this only applies to Israel, that's the point. The Ten Commandment Covenant, the Old Covenant was made with
Israel, and NOT with the Gentiles.
Look at Exodus 31:13, 16 and 17: "But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'You shall surely observe My sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you....
So the sons of Israel shall observe the sabbath, to celebrate the sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever.."
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