Sunday Is Not the Sabbath

I recently had to write a paper on whether or not Sabbath observance is binding for new covenant believers today. I want to share two quotes with you that I found to be useful in forming my persuasion:

The first is by Andrew Shead from an article on “Sabbath” in the New Dictionary of Biblical Theology:

We have said nothing about the Christian Sunday since we are convinced that there is no theological connection between Sabbath and Sunday, despite occasional attempts to prove the contrary (e.g. R. T. Beckwith and W. Stott, This Is the Day). There are hints in the NT that the first day of the week was set aside for evening worship, including the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2); Revelation 1:10 refers to “the Lord’s Day”. There is, however, absolutely no indication either that the “first day” replaced the “Sabbath day” in practice (the first Jewish [750] Christians continued to attend the synagogue on the Sabbath), or that there was a transfer of Sabbath theology to Sunday worship. The Sabbath was a day of rest rather than a day of worship, and Sunday became a day of worship but was not initially a day of rest. Regularity, for which the seven-day week provided a ready-made framework, distinguishes (Sunday) worship (e.g. Heb. 10:25); completion, which was (and is) a final goal, distinguishes the Seventh Day. The Sabbath day, then, was a sign of this eschatological rest, whereas Sunday is not presented in the NT as a sign of anything, despite its connection to the resurrection. It is simply a well-chosen day upon which to gather to encourage one another in daily, unceasing striving to enter the Sabbath rest (Heb. 4:11). The only gathering which can truly be described as sabbatical is the gathering of the bond-servants who will reign with the Lamb for ever in the new creation (Rev. 22:3–6). (pgs. 749-750)

The second is from A.T. Lincoln, who wrote a chapter in From Sabbath to Lord’s Day called “From Sabbath to Lord’s Day: a Biblical and Theological Perspective”:

God’s concern for the whole person and for all His creatures being able to have regular rest from their work surely instructs us that although the literal Sabbath day of rest has been abrogated and has not been transferred to Sunday, we should share this concern for regular periods of rest both for ourselves and for others in our society. From this perspective this essay is not advocating that Christians should not rest on Sunday. Rather its position suggests that they should take regular rest, that this rest can be any day or extended part of a day, including Sunday, but that there is no biblical or compelling theological reason why it has to be Sunday. (pg. 404)

Top 50 Countries Where Christians Are Persecuted

Open Doors has released their World Watch List 2009, which details the top 50 countries in the world were persecution of Christians is the worst.

In 2008 the status of religious freedom grew worse in the following countries:

1. Saudi Arabia
2. Iran
3. Afghanistan
4. Somalia
5. Pakistan
6. Iraq
7. Mauritania
8. Algeria
9. India
10. Nigeria (North)
11. Indonesia
12. Bangladesh
13. Kazakhstan

The status of religious freedom grew better in these countries in 2008:

1. Bhutan
2. China
3. Turkmenistan
4. Vietnam
5. Azerbaijan
6. Sudan (North)
7. Zanzibar Islands
8. Cuba
9. Turkey
10. Columbia

You can access a detailed exaplanation of the World Watch List for more information. For example, here is Open Doors’ recounting of conditions in North Korea, the #1 perpetrator on the list:

North Korea tops the World Watch List for the seventh time in a row. Daily life for Christians in the country remains extremely harsh. The border between China and North Korea is almost closed; everything and everyone going in and out of North Korea is strictly checked. As usual, executions occurred in secret. The number of people sentenced to labor camp or prison has increased compared to last year. North Korea is closing its doors and Christians are persecuted constantly. They suffer immensely as no one is allowed to be a Christian in North Korea. Genuine religious freedom does not exist at all. The constitution is firmly based on Juche ideology. The North Korean regime believes that it will collapse if it fails to stop the spreading of Christianity.

Let’s pray that God would give boldness and persevering grace to our brothers and sisters in these countries and that he would grant repentance to their persecutors.

(HT: James Grant)

New Page: “About the Gold”

I just added a page in the bar above called “About the Gold.” It’s my effort to explain the purpose of The Fool’s Gold, summed up in the phrase “sifting and gifting.” I hope it’s helpful.