According to Galatians wouldn't keeping the Sabbath bring us into bondage?

Caller: I had a question - I just found these new truths out through some of your studies.

Pastor Doug: Okay.

Caller: And I wanted to know about, well someone was talking to me and he said he's trying to just prove that the Commandments are still in effect. He did a few Scriptures but there's one that kind of confused me at the end and it was Galatians chapter 4 verses 9 and 10. And it seemed like observing days would be kind of like bondage.

Pastor Doug: Why don't I go ahead and read that for our listeners okay?

Caller: Okay.

Pastor Doug: It says in Galatians 4:9-11: 'But now, after you have known God or rather, known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I'm afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.'

All right. Let me see if I can just back up and give you the picture of what's going on here. Paul also refers to this in Romans 14. There were two kinds of holidays, very distinct, that were celebrated by the Jewish people. There was the Sabbath of the Ten Commandments that existed before sin. The Lord established the Sabbath there in Genesis chapter 2 - in a perfect world, no sin. And then there were the sabbath days that were ceremonial holidays that came after sin. The Sabbath of the Ten Commandments was spoken by God's voice the other ceremonial sabbaths were spoken by Moses. The Ten Commandments' Sabbath was written by God's Finger in stone the other holidays were written on paper by Moses.

When Jesus came, He fulfilled and nailed to the Cross the ceremonial laws. He did not wipe away the Ten Commandments where we're now free to break the Ten Commandments. That should be obvious to people that now we accept Christ, it doesn't mean we have a license to lie and to kill and to commit adultery and so forth. The Sabbath is one of that package.

The Jewish converts to Christianity were telling the Galatians and the Romans they now had to keep Passover, they had to keep all the Jewish holidays, Day of Atonement, Feast of Trumpets, so forth. Paul said you are telling them to observe these ceremonial shadows that pointed to Jesus. Jesus is the Substance they the ceremonial shadows all pointed to. It doesn't make sense to worship a shadow when the real thing is there. And it's going backwards. He wasn't referring to the Ten Commandments of the Sabbath day of the Law and some people have tried to make this a sweeping statement that said God was abolishing the one Commandment that begins with the word 'Remember'.

Caller: Right and it's a pretty weak evidence right there.

Pastor Doug: Yeah it's a pretty weak argument. But I've heard people use it that way and I've never heard a Pastor stand up and say 'don't come to church Sunday because you're observing days'. I've never heard them say that. They only use it when you present the Sabbath truth. But it sounds like the Lord is leading you and incidentally, we have a lesson that deals with that - would you like it?

Caller: What is it called?

Pastor Doug: Free lesson. You may have it already. It's the one called Things Are Not What They Appear. It's got the bunny rabbit in a hat. You've got that one?

Caller: I don't have that one.

Pastor Doug: Oh we'll send it to you.

Caller: Oh that's good!

Pastor Doug: 800-835-6747. Call our toll-free number. Hey we're going to let you go Francisco because we're going to try to take one more call in one minute.

Caller: Okay - I just want to say your testimony has lead me to the right way in the Bible.

Pastor Doug: Well God bless you. Thank you so much for that.

Co-Host: Praise the Lord!

Related Audio

What can I do on the Sabbath?

Will I be saved if I don't keep the Sabbath?

Do angels or other worlds keep the Sabbath?

Why doesn't the apostle Paul command Sabbath observance?

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