Do you observe the Sabbath?

This article I'm reading says the New Testament church kept the Sabbath and referenced some verses from Acts.

"The New Testament Church continued to observe the seventh-day Sabbath (Acts 13:14, 42, 44; 17:2; 18:4), and the Sabbath remains a sign of God’s people today."

I think the below passages, at minimum, show that Paul and his companions regarded the Sabbath, entering synagogues, reading the scripture, talking about Jesus. Do you think it's safe to say the below are examples we should follow? Didn't Paul say to imitate him?

Acts 13
13From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. 14From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down.

42As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath.

44On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.

Acts 17
1When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

Acts 18
4Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.


"The Sabbath is important to God. Even now. Even today. It was important to Him long ago, and prophecy tells us it will be important to Him in the future."

Jesus prophesying a future event, said to pray it doesn't take place on the Sabbath:

Matthew 24
20Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.

source: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/10-commandments/sabbath/the-sabbath-isnt-optional/

So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.
Colossians 2:16‭-‬17 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/col.2.16-17.NKJV

Reading the whole chapter helps but im not postin a whole chapter of the bible.

What everyone is not understanding is that we are living in the Sabbath. Does God need a day to rest? He has unlimited power. His day of rest meant that He was done with creating and now rested to see history unfold. Exodus 16:23-29 explains how the Sabbath started. It is part of the Jewish tradition of the Mosaic Law that Christ gave to Moses for His people. We as Christians are not bound to this tradition. We as Christians should live everyday with God on our mind and in our hearts. Of course gathering together as Christians has its advantages and serves its purposes, but we are living on the Sabbath and everyday is Holy.

The reason Paul entered the synogogs on sabbath days was because that is where the people were gathered and he could speak to them there. Those passages are descriptive not prescriptive. If you read the writtings of Paul he was no advocate of law keeping.

For a minute i thoughr you were on to something. Christ is our sabbath it is in Him that we rest. Which is why He allowed His disciples to break sabbath traditions.( Also the tradition had carried the law beyond what is written but thats another conversation. )

In regards to these passages of scripture in Acts, Paul's work here was evangelism and not sabbath keeping. Paul was preaching the gospel to Jews and Greeks (proselytes). They believed in the Jewish system, but the Bible says in Acts 14:1, that they BECAME believers proving Paul's work there was evangelism and not sabbath worship.

The Greeks were Jewish converts to Judaism known as proselytes. They practiced the law of Moses and kept the sabbath. The only Greeks that were in the synagogue would be these proselytes. These Greeks were certainly not Christians. Acts 13:43 "Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and of the God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the grace of God."

Acts 14:1 - "In Iconium they entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and spoke in such a manner that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of Greeks."

Acts 17:4 - "And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women.

Acts 18:4 - "And he was reasoning in the synagogue every sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks."

Is the shadow more important that the substance? (Colossians 2:16-17)

Matthew 24:16 - “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. You left out verse 16 from your OP which sinks your premise. Praying that "your flight not be on the Sabbath or winter" in verse 20 has to do with "let those in Judea flee" in verse 16. Matthew 24:20 applies to those living in Judea.

I find it interesting that Ellen G White took this same Bible passage that had nothing to do with Sabbath observance by Christians and used it in a manner that is inconsistent with the context of the verse as well. Jesus was not imploring Christians to pray that they would not need to escape upon the Sabbath so that they would not break the fourth commandment. The context of the verse is clearly pointing to the physical difficulties of traveling.

Travel for pregnant and nursing women would be very difficult. Winter cold would make travel extremely difficult along with closed city gates, laws against carrying loads, laws against traveling more than a short distance, laws against buying and selling on the Sabbath. (Exodus 16:29; Jeremiah 17:21-22; Nehemiah 13:15-19) The only reasonable explanation of Jesus' reference to the Sabbath here is that He was concerned with the difficulties these Jews would face if they were forced to leave Judea on the Sabbath day.

So you think Paul went into their synagogues, as was his custom, every single Sabbath and disrespected the Sabbath to their face, by not keeping it, and somehow managed to not get dragged out and stoned to death? Ok.

Obviously, Paul and his companions were keeping the Sabbath. Or do you say that Paul lost his salvation by keeping God's 10 commandments?



Jesus is talking about something that hasn't happened yet because this hasn't happened yet:

Matthew 24
21For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.

Therefore, when Jesus said "Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath" he was referring to an event that you and I may be alive to witness. Therefore, this command is for us. I pray what Jesus commanded us to pray doesn't happen on the Sabbath, doesn't happen. How about you?

Ephesians 8:2-3
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Notice carefully, firstly, your salvation is not based on anything you can do, "this is not of yourselves".

Secondly, salvation is "the gift of God".

Thirdly, salvation cannot be derived from your effort, obedience, any works, legal or otherwise.

Salvation is always a free gift given to those that believe.

Finally, this is for everyone out there. Your salvation is not based on your personal holiness.

Think free gift at all times, when you think of salvation.

Grace first and last.

Your assuming Paul was under the law when he visited the synagogues.

Your also assuming that the Jews fleeing Jerusalem is an end time event.

You have assumed that the ten commandments are separate to the law itself.

You are assuming so much Runningman.

and that is what s d a theology is based on - assumptions.

cherry picking and forming a narrative that Scripture does not say.

O ye of little faith. I know what I am talking about here. I don't make any assumptions and Paul himself claimed he is not free from the law of God... the 10 commandments.

1 Corinthians 9
21To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.

Faith is an effort. How do I know? Because I think we can agree that God wants all to be saved and have none of the wicked perish, right? Well, why doesn't everyone have faith then? Well, that's easy. Faith is willful obedience to God and without faith it is impossible to please Him. So how does that work if your claim that salvation isn't of works? That means we can't give ourselves salvation.

Your in direct conflict with the apostle Paul.

Ephesians 8:2-3
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

You said.

"Paul himself claimed he is not free from the law of God... the 10 commandments".

Make no mistake runningman, you do not believe that salvation is a free gift, given to those that believe.

You are of the ilk, salvation results from believing and doing the law.

Eventually, we arrive at what you truly believe.

Romans 3:24
Being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Your in a state of heresy.

Your not in conflict with me.

Your in conflict with the apostles teaching.

Here is what John had to say regarding salvation.

John 3:18
He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

John 5:24
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

Salvation will always be a free gift given to those that believe.

I agree with all of the verses you’re providing, but I’m understanding them in a broader, more expansive, way than you are because the New Testament says a lot more than what you’re providing in the verses.

I don’t want to derail this the thread, but I believe it’s important to correct issues of misunderstanding eternal life/salvation since so much may be at stake.

Chew these verses over, take your time to let them digest, and see if you still think there’s no work required on your part.

John 6
29Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

Acts 26
20First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds.

Romans 2
7To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.

Philippians 2
12Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

2 Thessalonians 2
11With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.

James 2
14What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
26As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

and after reading these… it will be evident why Paul, a Christian saved by grace through faith, like all other Christians, said he is not free from God’s law and under Christ’s law.

How would you come to that conclusion from me writing that I believe the gospel?

Like this, maybe?

Romans 7:6
we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not the oldness of the letter.

Idk if it's miscalculation as much as it must be misorder but, that isn't a word so the only word that I can think comes close to it is 'disorder,' no strange coincidence intended, I don't believe in coincidences anymore, it's just...

It just looks like many interpreters are mixing the order of "once and for all" up with "once for all and (then)"?
or "and for all once (but)?"

The blood was sprinkled on the ark of the testimony.