Sunday Sabbatharian Problem Texts, Part 1

Sunday Sabbatharian Problem Texts, Part 1

According to the 1647’s Westminster Confession of Faith and the 1689’s London Baptist Confession of Faith, Sabbath observance is a positive, moral and perpetual command binding all men in all ages but then says from Creation to Christ it was on the Seventh Day but changed into the First Day of the week from Christ to Consummation.

“As it is the law of nature, that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God; so, in His Word, by a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment binding all men in all ages, He hath particularly appointed one day in seven, for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto Him: which, from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week, and, from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week, which, in Scripture, is called the Lord’s Day ; and is to be continued to the end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath”

From Sabbatharians to Sunday Sabbatharians, how do they explain the following problem texts? Their problem texts?

Romans 14:5-6
Galatians 4:9-11
Colossians 2:16-17

Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotes are from the New International Version, 2011.

Part 1 – Dealing with Romans 14:5-6

“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. Whoever regards one day as SPECIAL does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.”

Romans 14:5-6

According to Sunday Sabbatharians or those who subscribe to 1647 WCF and 1689 LBCF, Paul did not abrogate the command to observe the Sabbath here because he was merely talking about certain fast days, feast days, and festival days only. They are excluding Sabbath in the text.

Reading the text however, anyone can see that there is no explicit exclusion of the Sabbath. Instead what we read is reference to “sacred days” which are “special days”

“[O]ne person considers one day more SACRED than another; another considers every day alike… Whoever regards one day as SPECIAL does so to the Lord.”

Unless the Sunday Sabbatharians no longer consider Sabbath days sacred, Sabbath definitely fits the category of “sacred days” and “special days”.

Why would Paul exclude the Seventh Day from sacred day or special day category? Isn’t the Seventh Day consecrated not only by the Jews but also by the Christian Judaizers who still depend on the Mosaic Law? Remember the prophets charged their forefathers for unfaithfulness for desecrating the Sabbath (Jer. 17:21-27; Isa. 56:2, Isa. 56:4; 58:13; Eze. 20:12-24), making the Sabbath no ordinary days for them.

It should come to no surprise if the Jews and the Judaizers alike tried to condemn or judge Gentile believers for not observing what they deem sacred. That’s why Paul says, “You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister?” (Rom. 14:10), it’s because the Lord Jesus too was accused for violating the Sabbath. They even tried to kill him thinking he desecrated the Sabbath day (Mat. 12:1-14; Mk 2:23-3:6; Lk.6:1-11; Jn. 5:1-18; Lk. 13:10-17; Lk. 14:1-6).

So without a doubt sacred days and special days include Sabbath days just as the text says. But what does this signify? Why do Sunday Sabbatharians try to gloss over the text? It means Christians are no longer bound to observe Sabbath as sacred or special. It means they have the liberty to treat all days equally alike without harm to their conscience. It means LBCF and WCF is wrong for saying Sabbath observance is a positive, moral and perpetual command binding all men in all ages because Christians already died to the law, they now belong to Christ.

So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.

Romans 7:4