That simple, huh?
You still have not explained to me exactly how you keep the sabbath day and you still have not shown me under the new covenant where Christians are commanded to keep the sabbath. So you assume that whenever the Bible mentions "commandments" in the New Testament is always refers to the 10 commandments under the law of Moses?
Since the old covenant law has been made obsolete, does this leave us with no moral direction? Absolutely not. God made obsolete the old covenant to legally put into place the new covenant. (2 Corinthians 3:6-9; Hebrews 8:6-13) The life of discipleship flows out of the new command, to love one another as He loved us (John 13:34), which Paul refers to as the "law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2) Love fulfills the law (Romans 13:8-10) and out of this single command comes other commands, including references for the moral aspect of 9 of the 10 commandments which are reiterated under the new covenant, yet
the command to keep the sabbath day is not binding on Christians under the new covenant.
1. You shall have no other gods before Me. - Acts 14:15
2. You shall make no idols. - 1 John 5:21
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. - 1 Timothy 6:1; James 2:7; James 5:12
4. Keep the sabbath day holy. -
Not binding on the Church - Colossians 2:16-17
5. Honor your father and your mother. - Ephesians 6:1-2
6. You shall not murder. - Romans 13:9-10; 1 John 3:15
7. You shall not commit adultery. - Romans 13:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
8. You shall not steal. - Romans 13:9-10; Ephesians 4:28
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. - Romans 13:9-10; Colossians 3:9-10
10. You shall not covet. - Romans 13:9-10; Ephesians 5:3
The best way to interpret the meaning of John's writings is to compare them with the other writings of John. The Greek word for "commandments" in Rev. 14:12 is
entole which means "an order, command, charge, precept, injunction." 20 The same word is used repeatedly in the writings of John to refer to the instructions of Christ. John uses an entirely different Greek word in his writings when he refers to the Ten Commandments:
nomas. For example:
Did not Moses give you the law {
nomos}, and [yet] none of you keepeth the law {
nomos}? Why go ye about to kill me? (John 7:19; Jesus is referring to the 6th commandment "Thou shalt not kill"--Ex. 20:13) According to John, the number one commandment {
entolae} of Jesus to the Apostles was not Sabbath-worship, but for them to love one another:
A new commandment {
entolae} I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. (John 13:34) This is my commandment {
entolae}, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. (John 15:12)
Notice how John refers to the "commandments" of God in his letter: By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments {
entolas}. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments {
entolas}; and His commandments {
entolae} are not burdensome. (1 John 5:2-3)
Earlier in the same letter John tells us exactly what the "commandments" of God are: Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, [then] have we confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His [God's] commandments {
entolas} and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.
This is His [God's] commandment {
entolae}, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He [God] commanded {
entolaen} us. The one who keeps His [God's] commandments {
entolas} abides in Him,... (1 John 3:21-24)
From this we can see that in John's writings the "commandments" of God are:
- To believe in Jesus Christ
- To love one another
What are the "Commandments of God"? The whole teaching of Adventists regarding the Mark of the Beast centers on Revelation 14:12 which says that those who have the "commandments of God" do not receive the mark. Adventists claim that this passage is referring to the Ten Commandments, and Sunday-keepers cannot be keeping the Ten Commandments because the Fourth Commandment instructs worship on Saturday.
