Think of the history of mankind, up to this date, as a child having grown into an adult. It’s in the childhood stage that a parent usually makes a stern example when correcting a child’s behavior; this to impress upon the child the seriousness with which the parent views improper conduct. The example is a lesson meant to last throughout the child’s life. That is exactly what God intended while raising ancient Israel when it was governed directly by Him as a theocracy.
Ancient Israel was set up during mankind’s childhood to be mankind’s older sibling, if you will. Oftentimes that meant that examples would be made of them for their own understanding; for that of other nations during that time (also God’s children); and for later generations of all nations (1 Corinthians 10: 11).
One of those early incidents had to do with the weekly, 7th day Sabbath. God told Moses to put to death one of the Israelites who was found working on that day (Numbers 15: 32-35). God’s intent was to grow all His children in the right way; so He made an example of the Sabbath violator.*
In this episode, does the seriousness of how God views the weekly Sabbath come across? Now imagine, in a later stage of mankind’s growth, God declaring that He was just kidding about observing the weekly Sabbath; that observance is inconsequential; that one can take it or leave it.
That would be pretty inconsistent and frivolous of God, wouldn’t it? Yet, there are many Christians who insist that God allows for Sunday or any other day to be equivalent to the Sabbath. Romans 14: 5 is regularly cited as justification for this belief. It says that if one esteems one day or every day as the same; let it be if the person is fully convinced in his or her mind.
What’s overlooked is that the verse’s author, Paul, is writing to Romans who are converting to Christianity. He’s telling them that they are not required to observe the ceremonial aspects of Jewish law; laws that certain Jewish Christians were insisting they observe. Paul, at another point had addressed this problem when circumcision was the issue (Acts 15: 1; Romans 2: 25-28). Here, in Romans 14, he’s addressing the yearly, Jewish ceremonial holy days advocated by the Jewish Christians.
Paul was pointing out to the Romans that those Jewish holidays, merely shadows pointing to Jesus, can be observed or not.
Paul was not referring to the eternal Ten Commandments, including the weekly, 7th day Sabbath, which were written by the finger of God. He was referring to the completely different and voided laws (Colossians 2: 14) written by the hand of Moses.
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*The stoning episode may cause some to question God’s directive. I write about that in God Killing People – Just or Unjust? Click here to read it.