Saturday Sabbath.
One could entertain a constellation of ecclesiastic, political, pragmatic elements that have legitimized the
change in and perpetuation of Sabbath observance. There is no doubt that during the early church
development, there was tremendous friction between the Christians who claimed their Christian liberty and
freedom from the binding of the Jewish laws, and those new converts and Judaisers who insisited on
retaining their Jewish customs and traditions including the seventh-day Sabbath observance.
new tradition using the power accorded the developing church. Politically, it was expedient to make the day
of worship coincide with the secular Roman feast day, which was popularly accepted by the masses. As
history would bear it out, Emperor Constantinople, a new convert to Christendom, with sanction by the
religious fathers, was to make Sunday a mandatory day of rest and worship. Theologically, the Church found
justification for the change based on Jesus' resurrection, His post-resurrection appearances to the disciples,
the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, the creation of light, all occurring on the first day of the week,
Sunday. In addition, the Pauline passages seem to deemphasize the seventh-day Sabbath (Gal. 4:8-11,
Col.2:16-17, Rom.14:5-6, Acts15:28-29). The seventh-day Sabbath was seen as a shadow of things to come,
a part of the ceremonial law of Israel, whose abolishment was culminated by Jesus' fulfulled mission on
earth. The seventh-day Sabbatarians, however, strongly disagree, maintaining that the Sabbath fourth
Commandment is part of the moral law and has never been abrogated by Jesus. Many Christians also claim
that John received his vision of the new heavens and new earth on the Lord's day, which as discussed earlier,
would equate it with Sunday, lending speculation that that is the Grand day of Jesus' Second Coming.
It seems to me what presupposition one brings to the discussion table largely determines the thesis of
one's argument. Those who believe sincerely in the Sunday Sabbath and who are strongly bound by custom
and tradition in worship, fellowship, and community acceptance, will find all the Scriptural support for
Sunday observance. On the other hand, equally sincere and knowledgeable Christians who believe in
Saturday Sabbath can also marshall Biblical passages and ecclesiastical historical material to document the
unjustified shift from Saturday to Sunday observance. It is my belief that this controversy will not have an
earthly resolution. But is such a resolution important in one's spiritual journey and Christian life?
Even Seventh-day Adventists admit that "Salvation is not now, and never has been, by law or works;
salvation is only by the grace of Christ... One thing is certain, man cannot be saved by any effort of his own.
We profoundly believe that no works of the law, no deeds of the law, no effort however commendable and
no good works--whether they be many or few, sacrificial or not--can in any way justify the sinner.
Salvation is wholly of grace; it is the gift of God." 20 On the efficacy of the law and its keeping in contrast
to grace as God's gift for our salvation, Evangelicals and Adventists are in total accord. Thus, keeping the
fourth commandment in no way earns one's salvation; it is a mere reflection of one's love and obedience to
God in the Adventist context of progressive revelation of God's light as interpreted by the Seventh-day
Adventists.
Jesus summarizes the Christian's expected response to God's grace in loving God with all his and her
heart, mind, soul and strength and loving the neighbor as himself and herself. Whether this response is
regularly, publicly demonstrated on Saturday or Sunday is less important than the motive and genuineness
behind it. I believe Christians ought to follow their conscience and conviction as they are impressed by the
Spirit as to which day is most appropriate for them. At the same time, they are to embrace and practise the
kind of Christian charity and grace that seeks to honor other Christians' belief and their right to that belief.
Anything less is monstrous arrogance and speaks ill of the Christian cause. How God's heart must be
wounded when He sees the same token love gifts from His children wrapped differently in green or blue
being argued as the true expression of love at the expense of true spirituality. What the Lord is most
concerned is not the wrapping, it is the gift in substance.
In conclusion, since the day of Sabbath observance neither constitutes the core requirement for one's
salvation (a gift from God through grace by faith), nor does Saturday Sabbath do violence to the traditional