Expert: Dr Don Howe - 9/28/2009

Question
I’m searching for a certain denomination and was hoping that by contacting you, you could help me in my search.  This denomination or church will need to have God’s law, the Ten Commandments, and the second coming of Jesus as the basis for their beliefs.

Please correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Jesus write the following Ten Commandments with His own finger and give them to Moses and the Children of Israel?

1)   Thou shalt have no other gods before me.  
2)   Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;  and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.  
3)   Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.  
4)   Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God:  in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.  
5)   Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.  
6)   Thou shalt not kill.  
7)   Thou shalt not commit adultery.  
8)   Thou shalt not steal.  
9)   Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.  
10)   Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's
Some people have mentioned to me that this is the Jewish Law and does not apply to Christians in general.  What do you think?  After creating the first man and woman, Adam and Eve kept the Sabbath holy with Jesus.  Adam and Eve were not Jewish.  Do you think that God was only applying these Ten Commandments to one certain group of people or to all people?

I have found in Genesis that when God created the earth, He created something on every day and then on the seventh day, He created the Sabbath.  Also found that Jesus worshiped on His Sabbath day. His disciples worshiped on the Sabbath day.  John 14:15 says “If you love me, keep my commandments”.  Revelation 14:12 says, “Here is the patience of the saints, here are they that keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus”.  It seems to me that these two texts, which both are found in the New Testament, point back to the law, the Ten Commandments, which God gave to the Children of Israel at Mount Sinai.  God did not just give these Ten Commandments to the Jews, but to the whole world.

I understand that Jesus was raised from the grave on the first day of the week.  This event, in itself, is very important and has great meaning to the salvation of mankind, but nowhere in the Bible does it say that Jesus changed the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first day because of His resurrection.  Matthew 5:18  says “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled”.  

When God made the Sabbath on the seventh day, He blessed and hallowed it (to make holy).  As I see in the Scriptures, nowhere does God bless and hallow the first day of the week because of His resurrection.  As I can see, the disciples were meeting on the first day of the week sometimes just like we meet in church in the middle of the week for prayer meeting.

Man has no right to change God’s commandment’s to meet his/her needs or wants.  God is infinite and eternal. Man is sinful and mortal. It seems like the Sabbath has been changed by man and not by God.  Why should a God who “changes not” change His own commandments.  Is it better to obey God or to obey man?

Why do most denominations, Baptists included, worship on Sunday, the first day of the week, and not on Saturday, the seventh day of the week which God has pointed out as the Sabbath?

God wrote His commandment’s in stone so that man would know that they do not change just as God Himself does not change.

Why does it seem like that the only commandment that people don’t keep is the one that starts with the word “Remember”?  

I’ve seen other versions of the fourth commandment which only say, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy”.  Man changes it to fit his needs.  The full text is as above and was given by God Himself.  The text points out that the seventh day is the Sabbath.

A person told me once, who really knows what day is the seventh day.  God made the seven day week and I believe that He has kept a meticulous eye on the days of the week and that Saturday, the seventh day, is the Sabbath.

Do you worship on the Bible Sabbath?  If not, I would like to ask why not and do you think that the Ten Commandments, God’s Law, are still prevalent today.

I am again looking for a church that worships God and follows all Ten Commandments.  I would like to have your input in this matter.

Sincerely,

Craig E. Latham


Answer
Craig, thank you for your question. You need to try the Seventh Adventist Church, but this denomination has many ungodly cultic teaching, so you need to search it out for yourself. I would imagine you already know this.

  You stated “This denomination or church will need to have God’s law, the Ten Commandments, and the second coming of Jesus as the basis for their beliefs.” The New Testament Church is under the dispensation of Grace and we do not have to burdened down by living under the Law. The Ten Commandments are part of the doctrine of most N.T. churches, but it is not the only thing being taught. We do not have to live under the Pharisaical, legalistic, unloving, without grace living, of the 613 rabbinical laws which Jesus fulfilled down to the last jot and tittle (Matt. 5:18).

  Craig, you stated “Please correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Jesus write the following Ten Commandments with His own finger and give them to Moses and the Children of Israel?
The answer to this question is “NO.” God Himself wrote it. Look what Ex. 31:18 states “And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.” The text says “finger of God” and does not say the finger of Jesus.

  You stated “John 14:15 says “If you love me, keep my commandments”.  Revelation 14:12 says, “Here is the patience of the saints, here are they that keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus”.  It seems to me that these two texts, which both are found in the New Testament, point back to the law, the Ten Commandments, which God gave to the Children of Israel at Mount Sinai.  God did not just give these Ten Commandments to the Jews, but to the whole world.
  You are taking John 14:12 out of context. Jesus is saying if you love me then you will obey what I am teaching. Jesus said obey my commandments which is referring what he had told them, and He did not say the commandments. Jesus is saying if you love me you will obey my words. Jesus clarifies this even more in John 14:23 “Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.”
  So Jesus in not referring to the Ten Commandments in John 14:15.

  Rev. 14:12 states "Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus." The term of “commandments of God” does not say just the Ten Commandments. So if you can say it is referring just to the Ten Commandments. You are taking it out of context if you try to do this. Sabbatarians attempt to make a false distinction in Revelation 12:17 and 14:12 saying the verses prove we must keep the 10 commandments in addition to the Gospel of Christ.
Look at these verses:
  "And He answered and said to them, "Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? "For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.’" (Matthew 15:3-4) "commandments of God" include one of the 10 and one from the book: Ex 21:17; Lev 20:9.
  “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope," (1 Timothy 1:1) Here the commandment of God refers to giving Paul the authority of his apostleship. See Gal 1:11-12.
  “but at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior," (Titus 1:3). Here the commandment of God refers to giving Paul the authority of his apostleship. See Gal 1:11-12.
  So the term “commandments of God” does not refer to just the Ten Commandments, but you have to keep it in context with the verse, and you are taking both John 14:15 and Rev. 14:12 out of context and stretching the scriptures to try make them fit your Sabbatarian agenda.

  You stated “When God made the Sabbath on the seventh day, He blessed and hallowed it (to make holy).  As I see in the Scriptures, nowhere does God bless and hallow the first day of the week because of His resurrection.  As I can see, the disciples were meeting on the first day of the week sometimes just like we meet in church in the middle of the week for prayer meeting.” You are again taking Scripture out of context.
    Exodus 20:8-11, states “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of the LORD thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates: For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” The problem with this is that the Bible nowhere commands that the Sabbath be the day of worship.               In Exodus 20:8-11, “keeping the Sabbath holy” is defined as not working on the Sabbath. Nowhere in this passage is the Sabbath described as a day especially set aside for worship. It is a day of rest and we are to keep it holy. The word holy in Hebrew is qadash which means be sanctified or  be separate by keeping the seventh day as day of rest. Does not say anything about Worship.

  David Guzik states about “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” “The seventh day (Saturday) was commanded to be respected as a day of rest. This rest was for all of Israel - servants and slaves as well as visitors.”
  The idea that the Sabbath day is the God-ordained day of corporate worship is not biblical.

  Craig, you stated “Man has no right to change God’s commandment’s to meet his/her needs or wants.” But by what you have said above,  you are doing this very same thing. You are taking Scripture out of context to meet your own agenda. God never gave the Fourth Commandment as a day of Worship but a day of Rest.

  You stated “Why do most denominations, Baptists included, worship on Sunday, the first day of the week, and not on Saturday, the seventh day of the week which God has pointed out as the Sabbath?” You are right that some denominations worship on the first day of the week, which is Sunday. And no where in the bible is the first day of the week is called the Sabbath. No where in the bible it says to we have to worship on the Sabbath, but to rest. Keep that in mind.

  The early church fathers did teach universally that Sunday was for worship. In 364 A.D., the Council of Laodicea had taught this very doctrine. The authors of From Sabbath to the Lord’s Day shows that Sunday worship was a universal practice of all churches outside the land of Israel by the beginning of the second century. Even Pauline churches in the first century were observing the first day of the week a day of worship. This is apparent in Acts 20:7-8, 11: “And upon the first [day] of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.” It is clearly pointed out in the first and second century churches, Sunday was only referred as a day of worship, and was not viewed as a Sabbath, which is a day of rest. The New Testament never calls Sunday the Sabbath (a day of rest) but is always the first day of the week and this shown in Acts 20:7-8 as an example.
  But according to Church history, later church councils started applying Sabbath rules from the Old Testament to Sunday, and this has lead us to where we are today. The Old Testament  day of rest (Sabbath) has been applied to Sunday. Our way of life in America is a result of this in which we worship on Sunday and rest on Sunday. Look at the Blue Laws that were passed in the 1950’s and 1960’s in which stores had to close on Sunday because it was a day of rest and worship. It is incorrect to call Sunday the “Christian Sabbath” as some have called it. The Bible is very exact and does not change, Sunday is called the first day of the week for worship, and the seventh day of the week is called the Sabbath and a day of rest.

  When we start trying to twist or wrest the Scriptures (as Peter calls it in 2 Pet. 3:16), to meet our own agenda’s or according to doctrines like the Sabbatarians try to portray, you are listening to false doctrines and the traditions of men.  The bible tells us that we need to be not deceived by false doctrines concerning the day of worship, false teaching or philosophies concerning the day of worship or Sabbath, and do not follow the traditions of men. God gives us the freedom to worship what day we want but besure it is not according to the traditions of men, principalities of the world, but according to Christ.
  Colossians 2:8 states, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Paul is saying do not be spoiled or esomai which means deceived by things that are not real through strange philosophy and empty deceit. And do not follow empty philosophies which are based on the traditions of men, or elements of the world because they are not based on Christ. Next look at Col. 2:16 to put this all together which states, “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath [days].” So we are not follow no false teaching, false religions, philosophies, empty deceit which are based on the traditions of men, but keep our focus on teaching based on Christ. This where some of the false doctrine of the Seventh Adventist come into place, but they some more ungodly teachings. So you need to study and ask God for discernment in what you choose to do.

  I hope this helps somewhat.

Dr Don Howe, RN, PhD, ThD