Created Wed, Sept. 18, 2002 - updated Dec. 27, 2009 - "All Holidays are Sabbaths"

The New Covenant of God
Why We Don't Observe the Law!

Do you observe the Sabbath? Do you think you should?
Do you think it is necessary to get circumcised or get your baby circumcised?
Do you observe the festivals of the Old Testament?
Do you tithe to your church leader or religion, giving them a tenth of your income?
Do you have priests in your religion?
Do you believe the temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem someday and the temple worship started again in fulfillment of prophecy of God?
Do you believe the Jews are still God's chosen people or will be again?

These are some of the many things that some Christian religions still believe or do. But if you do, I believe you should have reason for concern. I do not believe that you should believe or observe any of them. Did you know that the early Christians did not do them or subscribe to them? Many wonder why the Sabbath is observed on Sunday, rather than Saturday, as it was among the Jews and in Israel in Jesus' day. What if I told you Christians were not observing the Sabbath when they met on Sunday?

We are a very mixed up, confused lot. We don't really understand some basic principles very well. So I wrote this article to help clear all things up. I am going to start with a list of basic assertions that I then go on to prove from the Bible. The following is a summary of which proofs will be supplied in the articles that appear after it.

1. First, it should be recognized that God spoke many things by the prophets in parables, figures, types, and allegories. I demonstrate this in another article under Related Articles called "How to Interpret the Bible."
   
2. God made a promise to Abraham to bless all the nations of the earth through Abraham and to make his seed very numerous on the face of the earth. This promise was one of many allegories with a spiritual fulfillment in Christ and his followers.
   
3. The law was given to Israel by Moses and verified by great miraculous signs and wonders, very powerful works from God.
   
4. The law foretold that a new and better (and somewhat different) covenant would eventually come, and that people must accept it or otherwise die.
   
5. The nation of Israel, as a whole, would reject the new covenant and the messiah and lose out on the new covenant.
   
6. It was foretold many times in many places in the Old Testament that the nations, also called Gentiles, would worship God and have a covenant relationship with Him.
   
7. The law and prophets foretold the coming Messiah, his rejection and death, and his resurrection and ascension to heaven. This I assume everyone understands who is Christian.
   
8. The law also foretold Israel rejecting this Messiah of God.
   
9. Christ would fulfill the law and the law would become obsolete, having finished its purpose. Part of its purpose was to point to the Messiah and install him as the new covenant maker.
   
10. That Christ and the new covenant was a much better covenant, and the one that was foreshadowed by the law and prophets, and far superior to the law and prophets.
    
11. The new covenant did away with the law (the old covenant) so that Christians do not need to keep the law.
    
12. The law brought us under the curse of death from which there was no release. The law is not helpful to our salvation. It did prescribe the way out but did nothing to provide that way out. The new covenant would provide the way out!
    
13. There are two aspects of the law. - 1. The commandments of living and behavior to forbid harm to others in lawlessness and sin; - 2. The various aspects of temple worship and other observances which were signs between God and Israel, and their obligations to Him as sons of Abraham.
    
14. The commandments forbidding sin were still righteous and observed for the most part in the new covenant, BUT . . . the signs between God and Israel, the covenant of Moses, would not be observed any longer.
    
15. Even though the Sabbath was commanded to be kept "forever," it should be understood forever, until the Messiah should come and institute a new covenant with new rituals and observances. The Bible and God do not contradict themselves. Forever must be understood in context or a contradiction would exist.
    
16. "Forever" is an incorrect (wrong) translation of a Hebrew word and this is what causes so much confusion about keeping the Sabbath "forever."
    
17. The signs between God and Israel were figures and types of things to come, heavenly things that would be part of the new covenant. They did not result in righteousness. They did not make people righteous. Not doing them is not sin ordinarily in the same way as murder or rape would be. They would be sins of omission or absence rather than commission or active participant crime.
    
18. The signs are required by God so as to remind Israel of the real thing to come along eventually.
    
19. The Sabbath, circumcision, the temple, the priests, tithing, and all other aspects of obligation to God were to be abolished by the new deal that Jesus announced during and after John the Baptist.
    
20. The new covenant or deal began to be announced by John along with the baptism and anointing of Jesus.
    
21. The new covenant and Jesus were both backed by great and powerful miraculous works from God just as the old one was from God through Moses.
    
22. The new covenant took effect with the death, resurrection, and offering of Jesus' sacrifice in heaven, resulting in the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus' disciples at Pentecost.
    
23. The Apostles also were backed by the same great and powerful works of God to prove their authority as Christ's Apostles.
    
24. The Apostles were given the authority from heaven to open up the new covenant to the nations, the Gentiles, so they, too, could worship God and reign as kings and priests with Jesus in heaven, even as it had been foretold in the Old Testament, too.
    
25. It was God's plan all along to save all people everywhere and have them all under one roof so to speak, one flock under one shepherd.
    
26. The Gentiles and Jews were no longer required to observe the old law covenant between God and Israel. That includes the Sabbath and circumcision as the Apostles make clear.
    
27. The temple was no longer blessed by God or possessed of any authority after Christ.
    
28. Anyone insisting that the law still be kept denies and rejects the Christ and the new covenant, as well as the Father.
    
29. The Jews had all miracles and prophets, all the signs of God's spirit, taken away, never to return. The temple was eventually taken away, too. Only by accepting Jesus can individual Jews return to God's favor and the law will not be necessary.
    
30. The Christians (followers of Christ) were now the sole possessors of all miracles and prophecies since Pentecost after Jesus' ascension to heaven after his resurrection.
    
31. Only by Jesus can we be saved, not through the law.

Therefore, as a result of all these declarations, it should be understood by all that Christians do not observe the old law covenant given to Israel. So they do not observe the Sabbath, circumcision, nor avoid certain foods, attend to temple worship and sacrifices; they have no priests, they do not tithe since they have no priests or temple. After all, these signs were to foreshadow the real thing, namely Jesus and the heavenly things. Since those are fulfilled, what more good would be served by continuing to observe them. We have new things to observe and keep.

The Christians are a spiritual temple of God. Jesus is the high priest and until Christians go to heaven, the only priest. Then on the last day, they shall rise to heaven as spirits to join Jesus as his brothers and as fellow kings and priests with him in God's Kingdom over the rest of mankind that is to remain on earth. And there will be those who remain on earth to live forever in paradise as God had originally planned for man and earth in Genesis 1.

1. We meet on Sundays as a result of the Apostles commanding the first believers to observe the day of the Lord's resurrection, which was the first day of the week, which was Sunday. All Catholic and Orthodox churches have continued to observe this command/ritual ever since right up to the present day. We do not, nor ever have, observed the Sabbath since Pentecost. This is a matter of historical record among early post Apostolic Christian writers as well as a Biblical record and the tradition that I already mentioned as being observed by all non-protestant old orthodox churches right up to the present day. The independent "Churches of Christ" (a specific denomination in America at least) also observe this. There are some other independent movements in the USA that also observe this.

2. We do not worship in any temple or offer any sacrifices nor have any priests. We worship in spirit and truth as Jesus had spoken of. As a result, we do not tithe to support things we do not have, such as an earthly priesthood and temple. We do support those who labor fulltime in our behalf if we want them to be fulltime in our behalf. The worker is worthy of his wages. But there is no set amount that is required. It is voluntary and up to personal judgment and ability to contribute. This is sanctioned from the Bible and was the obvious set up found in the writings of the earliest post-Apostolic writers of the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD who came before Constantine and the Nicene convention.

3. Our sacrifices are spiritual ones of humility, love, mercy, caring, sharing, and forgiveness when it is asked. We fulfill the law by loving God and man.

4. We do not get circumcised for salvation. It is not required. We have new requirements for salvation now such as baptism and observing the Lord's last supper and his resurrection.

5. We do not observe the feasts and festivals and other days of observance of the law covenant. They were only commanded to Israel to foreshadow the real deal, the new deal.

6. We do not avoid certain foods as commanded by law.

7. We observe the real covenant of God, made by Christ, of commands to love and obey God.

8. Jesus referred to the drastic change of the New Covenant in pointing out that new wine must be put into new wineskins.

9. The New Covenant would have to be very different as it served a much different situation than the Old covenant did.

10. Here are at least 7 things that made it a whole new ball game, so to speak.

1. God's people would no longer maintain a priesthood to facilitate animal sacrifices for Jesus was the better intended sacrifice from the beginning.

2. God's people would no longer have their own nation to maintain and defend but would live in amongst all the other peoples and nations.

3. God's people would serve God each and every day and not just one day a week. The "law," so to speak, would be written on their hearts and kept constantly.

4. The old emblems, symbols, and rituals would be replaced by new emblems, symbols, and rituals representing far more and far better.

5. God's people now had a great mission to carry out, one of keeping and spreading the message of the gospel to the world, rather than tending to a now lame temple.

6. The new needs would require a new game plan, a new strategy and direction. New institutions would be required to carry it all out.

7. God's people would be made up of and administered to, many different languages and nations, who all needed to be united in the same religion.

Having accomplished the proofs of all those things in other articles I have here on this page further below, we will see that people and religions who command us to observe the Sabbath, or avoid certain foods, or tithe to the religion; we know they do not know what they are talking about. Either that, or they would just like to have your money. But there is a real need in Christianity to understand how we were freed from the law and the curse that came with the law.

The goal of this article from here on in will be to give support and proof to those things which I have asserted here above. I will deal with all the many prophecies that showed the abolition of the law and the blessings that would be given to the nations/ Gentiles.

I have also supplied essays from two early Christian writers, most of Justin's 2nd Apology, which deals with the Law, the Jews, and the new covenant as does Tertullian's "An Answer to the Jews." Justin's work is the finest and most thorough of all the works of the early centuries, in my opinion. I believe you will benefit tremendously from reading it. Tertullian's work was translated into archaic English so it is a bit challenging to read, but most wording has been updated by me with the exception of a few words here or there. The word order is a little archaic and makes reading a little slower, but it is excellent stuff very much worth making an effort to read.

I have also added a collection of quotes from a number of other early Christian writers who also comment on this topic and are very helpful. At the very least, we will be able to see that this was a unanimous and well understood opinion in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. I will also be adding a number of quotes to show where all the early Christian observances came from and what they meant such as meeting on Sunday, the first day of the week in remembrance of the Lord's resurrection.

In regards to these early Christian writers who came not long after the Apostles and what they had to say about many scriptures and prophecies, I offer this. John said in the very last verse of his gospel, "25 And there are also many things, whatever Jesus did, which if they were written singly, I suppose the world itself could not contain the books having been written. Amen." If this could be said of Jesus, how much more so the Apostles who Jesus said would do works greater than his? So there must be volumes worth of stuff that never got into the Bible about either Jesus or his Apostles.

In that case, we are likely given things by early Christians writers that happened among the Apostles or were taught by the Apostles and never made it into the Bible. They will sometimes mention that such and such a thing was taught or spoken by a certain apostle or by the Apostles in general. So I will be passing such things along when they seem to make sense and are in harmony with the rest of the scriptures, which often they are.

All Holidays are Sabbaths
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Have you ever looked carefully at the word "holiday?" Watch this!   Holi-day;   Holy-day;    Holi vs Holy.   They are the very same word. Holidays are Holy Days, special days of observance. That is how we phrase it in English. In the Bible, they were always religious and ordained by God. But we use the word in the USA to donate any celebration of deemed importance such as some birthdays, or Labor Day, Memorial Day, etc.

Sabbath was a term in the Bible that basically meant a Holy Day, an observance. The weekly Sabbath, treated like all other holy observances, was called a Low Sabbath by the time of Jesus, whereas Passover, Pentecost, and the like were High Sabbaths. Weekly Sabbaths were routine, common, "low." On the other hand, Yearly Sabbaths were much less common or routine and standout in comparison to the Weekly Sabbath. So these are called High Sabbaths.

Even we reserve Sunday and have since the days of the Apostles in observance of the resurrection on the 1st day of the week, the opposite of the weekly Sabbath of the Mosaic law. Also, Pentecost falls on the first day of the week, ager the Sabbath. And every 50th Jubilee year also follows the regular 7 year Sabbath Jubilee cycle. So the 1st day after a Sabbath is also a very common symbol, even in the law as a foreshadowing of what was to come.

I want to point out that we have not been able to keep the High Sabbaths for we no longer have the priesthood or temple, nor do they have any meaning left since the real sacrifice and priest, namely Jesus, has fulfilled the symbols with real atoning blood and as a real priest to appear before the real throne of God in Heaven. I stress the word real, as opposed to symbols and tokens of what was to come, so that it would be recognized, in theory, when it arrived. But they missed it anyway for their hearts were not prepared to receive their king and messiah when he came.

Those High Sabbaths were required to be kept forever. But the English "forever" does not convey the meaning of the Hebrew word we get forever from. In addition, the word must be understood within the context, and if the temple and priesthood are not around, and God has abolished and rejected the old symbols, rituals and ceremonies, and replaced them with new, then it can not be that God intended forever when He deliberately destroyed and discontinued those things Himself. Either He is contradicting Himself, which is unthinkable, or we are misunderstanding Him, which is almost certainly the case. But I present a far greater argument on this in the next section which I provide an in depth article to explain.

I am going to cover here something that may end most arguments that insist on the Sabbath. It is the analysis of the word "for ever" and similar words which occur in reference to keeping the Sabbath. This is an extensive study of the original Hebrew and Greek words. Forever and everlasting are wrongful translations of Hebrew and Greek words that do not necessarily signify an eternity as you shall see. You'll love it!

I will quote many scriptures from the Law and the Prophets as the Old Testament was called by the Jews.

These scriptures will show how Moses performed powerful works by means of God working through him so as to believe the law covenant given to Israel was from God.

The covenant was given to them because of the wonderful and faithful example of Abraham obeying all that God asked of him. So it was through the seed of Abraham, that all mankind would be saved from the sin of Adam. By God's choice and not because anyone deserved it or earned it.

Israel did nothing to deserve their covenant with God and they did everything to reject it time and again.

Israel as a whole was rejected and cursed by God. Only a small remnant of Israel would remain faithful and accept the Messiah, God's son, and the new covenant he brought to them.

Most of Israel would reject the Messiah, and most their descendants would never reconcile, with only a very small number of them accepting Jesus as the Son of God and savior.

The Nations, also called Gentiles, would inherit the blessings intended for all Israel. Numerous scriptures will prove this.

The combined remnant of Israel and the nations would also be called Israel, Judah, Jerusalem, Mount Zion, and other figurative names in prophecy.

There would be a new covenant established by the Messiah, which would focus on worshipping with their hearts, minds, and spirits, in spirit and truth.

So it will be plain from this article that all things that happened under Jesus and the Apostles were foretold in the Old Testament.

The New Testament shows us the exact point in time and circumstance when the new covenant began to be preached, when it was installed at Pentacost with the wonderful outpouring of God's spirit on the Christians as well as the withdrawl of it from Israel as prophecy had foretold.

It shows us the time and circumstance of the nations being welcomed into the new covenant first offered to any of Israel who would except it.

The writings of the Apostles will then declare to us how the Old Testament, known as the Law and Prophets to the Jews, had always foretold the things occurring among them such as:

The old covenant would necessarily become obsolete when the new one came along. The new one was always the ultimate goal to begin with. The old one was only in place until the new one should arrive. The old one was designed to foreshadow the new one.

That many things in the Law and Prophets were revealed in figures, parables, and mysteries which were hidden to the rebellious Jews but revealed to those who love God and have His spirit.

That observances of the law, the rituals, rites, the temple and priesthood, were no longer required of God's people such as the Sabbath, circumcision, festivals, dietary laws, the temple and priesthood and anything related to those.

Christians were now required to worship in spirit and truth, with love for God and man.

That Christians were given new observances by Jesus and the Apostles. These were baptism, the Lord's last supper, meeting together on the first day of the week (Sunday) which began the evening before.

That the law killed and offered no hope. It was meant to typify and foreshadow the coming better things, the spiritual heavenly things of God.

That Christians looked forward to inheriting a priesthood and kingship in heaven with Jesus, as his brothers. This is the heavenly temple and new reward for obedience to God.

This is a combination of what early Christians writers of the 2nd to 3rd centuries record about early church observances, and what the Bible has to say on such matters. We find the following:

That baptism is an essential ritual observance, symbolizing our death and resurrection into Christ, by being plunged into the water and then raised from it.

That Christians never observed the Sabbath, and met on Sunday, the first day of the week, in great contrast to the Sabbath observed on the last day of the week. The first day observance was the command of the Apostles to observe the resurrection of Christ, not the Sabbath. It has a general way of being carried out, most parts of which can be reasonably confirmed by the scriptures quoted.

The Lord's last supper or passover is to be observed as acceptance of the new covenant established by Jesus with his disciples on his last night with them.

That the Apostles kept heretics in check but with their deaths and subsequent absence of their presence and that of the Holy Spirit, both innocent errors and deliberate lies both flourished, and Christianity became corrupted as foretold by Jesus and the Apostles.

That overseers and deacons were appointed by the Apostles with instructions that after the Apostles died and their appointments died, the people of the church should with the cooperation of the previous overseer before he died, appoint a successor to conduct the affairs of the church. Warnings were issued by the Apostles about how such positions would be fought over and corrupted.

An overseer was appointed for life unless he seriously sinned. His office was not to be disputed otherwise, though it was foretold they would be.

Part 4: Early Christianity: Against Keeping the Law

These will show what I have stated using only the Bible previously. An excellent collection of a variety of writers, all offering the same opinion, that the observance of the Law (the rituals and observances) is not required. We live by faith in Christ.

Part 5: Justin's 2nd Apology: Against Trypho (most of it).

An excellent work, maybe even the best of its kind, covering everything considered in this 6 part topic on the law.

Part 6: Tertullian's "An Answer to the Jews"

A work perhaps nearly as good as Justin's, except that due to the archaic English translation, it is a little harder and slower to read, but worth it. It also covers all things considered in this 6 part series refuting the law.

If you have read all 6 parts of this, you will have a thorough comprehensive understanding of this matter. And you will see that we no longer have to observe the rituals, rites and observances of the law such as the Sabbath, circumcision, dietary laws, feasts and festivals, worshipping at the temple, or maintaining a priesthood. We now worship with spirit and truth, observing a few new rituals and observances which have new meanings.

Be sure to consider the Related Articles as well.

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