Occasionally people email me asking for my opinion on various personal or church issues. I recently received the following question which I have reprinted below, followed by my response.
EMAILED QUESTION:
Bob, I am currently seeing a woman who is a Seventh Day Adventist. We are both professing Christians and share many of the same beliefs, yet she is adamant in her view that the commandment to worship on Saturday versus Sunday is still in effect, and that to worship on Sunday in place of Saturday would be a grave sin. Why do you believe that the command to worship on the Sabbath is no longer in effect? Why would others so seriously believe that it remains in effect?
MY ANSWER:
I’ve met a number of members of the Seventh Day Adventist Church I consider Christians. But I seriously disagree with any who attempt to impose the observance of a Sabbath on Christians today. While it is a Biblical principle that one day in seven should be set aside for rest and worship, the New Testament does not repeat the command to, “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.” All the other Ten Commandments are repeated in the New Covenant in one way or another.
Colossians 2:14 points out that the law was nailed to the cross. Then Colossians 2:16 states, “Therefore, do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath Day.” Romans 14:5 says, “One person considers one day more sacred than another, another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind.” Clearly, we are freed from the Old Testament Sabbath restrictions.
The Hebrew people met on Saturday to celebrate a finished creation. The first century Christians met on the First Day of the Week to celebrate a finished redemption – Jesus’ resurrection. The Church was begun on the Day of Pentecost, which was the first day of the week (Acts 2). The church in Troas met on the first day of the week to partake of communion (Acts 20). Paul told the Corinthian church to take up an offering on the first day of every week (1 Cor. 16:2). The Apostle John wrote in Revelation 1:10, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day.”
If a group decides to rigidly obey the Saturday Sabbath, they are free to do so. But it is improper for them to be judgmental toward others who don’t share their convictions since the first century church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, established a precedent of meeting on the first day of the week.
Dr. Matthew Sleeth has written an excellent book, “24/6 – a prescription for a healthier, happier life,” which emphasizes the benefits of resting one day in seven. While he approaches the need for rest and worship from a practical standpoint, he doesn’t suggest a Sabbath observance is still a legalistic, binding commandment.
Since you are dating a member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, I’d suggest you do some serious study of its basic beliefs. If your friend considers the church’s founder Ellen White a prophet and all other Christian groups false, it will certainly be point of serious friction in your future relationship. You might want to google, “Why I am not a seventh day Adventist” to learn more about some of the inconsistencies of Ellen White and the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
-Bob
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