Can i ask you to be honest?
Do you feel the Holy Spirit impress you not to Lie?
Do think stealing is acceptable?
For the same motivation that people want to obey the other 9 commandments. Motivated by love, motivated by The Gospel, motivated by The Holy Spirit. I can be motivated to obey the sabbath for the same reason.
It will not earn salvation.
But because i love my Lord i desire to practice righteousness.
Hi TMS... I appreciate your concern regarding my post as well as Christian's behavior/works, etc.
The post was motivated by concern not only regarding the sabbath-keeping, but other posts made regarding a works-based salvation. Which, according to my understanding of the Gospel/Scriptures is a huge red-flag of no salvation at all, for we are not Saved by works at all. There are simply too many warnings against returning to the Law in Scripture for us to ignore.
While I am no theologian and my understanding of many issues of the Word is less than "mature". I do believe that the idea that keeping the Law/Commandments to obtain or sustain Salvation goes against the very Heart of the Gospel. A Christian's entire (spiritual) position is thoroughly dependent on Jesus Christ... no works that we do, of our own will, will win us favor with God. I'd love to go deeper into explaining that further, but I think that the Bible is sufficient... no need to rewrite that.
Earlier, I posted from Romans 14... and I believe that sincerely. It's not my place to judge people about their particular beliefs about how they conduct their lives. So, if somebody believes, that for them, keeping the Sabbath is a "must-do" thing, then I would not only respect that, I would want to help them maintain their belief. However, if they would go so far as to say something to the effect that all Christians should be living the same way, I would tend to disagree. And when it comes to something like the Messianic, Jewish movement, I'm left with no comment, as it rests wholly on the individual's heart, which is hidden from me.
When it comes to me following the "laws" that God has written on my heart/mind... well, that's a complex issue as well. I think that God, in His infinite Wisdom and wonderous Knowledge, has allowed us (gentiles), with all the diversity of cultures and customs, to not have to conform to the ways of Jewish nation. The idea of honoring our parents, for instance, can range widely from place to place. Again, since you mentioned honesty/lying, that too can be subjective due to culture or situation, imho. Consider for a moment... were the spies that were mentioned in the O.T. (going into the promised land or Jericho), were they "honest"? Did they lie and/or deceive in order to maintain their position of being a "spy"? Did they break the Law?
So too, is the instance of sabbath-keeping... in my mind, God made the 7th day Holy. What day that actually was, I haven't a clue. The Jewish concept of it being Saturday is probably correct, but in truth, I myself do not know. What I do believe, is that my Sabbath rest is found in Jesus' work/ministry on my behalf. Atonement, propitiation, justification, imputed righteousness, the continual forgiveness of my sins, etc., etc. are all accomplished in and by Him. And rest in Him is what I strive to do. While I do try, in my own power, to be an "upstanding" individual, and righteous among men, I do that according to my own upbringing, culture and understanding of Scripture... including allowing the Law to be my tutor. All the while, trying to constantly yield to the Holy Spirit, who is conforming me into the image of Christ Jesus.
Hope that helps...
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