Sunday Sabbatharian Problem Texts, Part 2

Sunday Sabbatharian Problem Texts, Part 2

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 2 – Dealing with Galatians 4:9-11

“But now that you know God–or rather are known by God–how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.”

Galatians 4:9-11

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According to Sunday Sabbatharians, Paul in Galatins 4:9-11, is writing against keeping days as necessity for justification. They said the entire letter is an argument against going back to Jewish practices, namely, circumcision as means of salvation and not against Sabbath keeping for non-salvific purpose and therefore no where near teaching the abrogation of Sabbath observance.

While it’s true that the entire letter is an argument against backsliding to Judaism, the initiation of which is through the practice of circumcision (Gal. 5:2-4), the fact is, Paul was writing to believers who are already justified by grace through faith but being enticed to turn to another Gospel (Gal. 1:6; 3:1). Paul shows them his examples on how stand firm and to not give in even for a moment to preserve the truth of Gospel (Gal. 2:5) on the basis that no one is justified by the works of the law (Gal. 2:16). His writes his letter to believers who already received the Holy Spirit (Gal. 3:2) telling them that the Law is not based on faith (Gal. 3:12), that they are no longer under the guardianship of the Law (Gal. 3:25), and that they are no longer under the Law but rather redeemed from it (Gal. 4:5). That’s why he is questioning why they are beginning to observe special days and months and seasons and years (Gal. 4:10) because those were weak and miserable forces (Gal. 4:9). So he pleads with them to imitate him instead (Gal. 4:12), to stand firm for freedom (Gal. 5:1), to not give in but to preserve the truth of the Gospel (Gal. 2:5), to not to be seduced by those who are up to no good (Gal. 4:18).

So granted that the entire argument of the letter is against justification according to the works of the Law why would anyone try to even “observe” a particular day since Paul already called such practice as “weak and miserable forces” (“worthless elementary principle of the world” in English Standard Version 2016) ? Isn’t it true that “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough” (Gal. 5:9)? Why then would anyone, in his right mind, give even just a foothold to anything that would enslave believers who are already set free, liberated by no other than Christ?