The Law and The Sabbath ?

Recently a Sister in The Lord asked me how I understand The Sabbath in view of the fact that we are no longer under the Law. I hope I answered her question appropriately. Here is my reply:

Rom 6:14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. Gal 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Rom
7:4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.

Argument from the above text is clear that we are no longer under the law but under grace. We are no longer directed by written rules and regulations. We are now led by the Spirit of God if we belong to Christ. We are under the rule of Grace now not The Law. That means that when there is an infraction to God's law we are not punished as we should be. Like a bank that has a "grace period" on past due bills it does not charge a penalty for late payment as long as its paid in the "grace period" We are now living under God's Grace period.

Now as far as the Sabbath is concerned:
Col 2:13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
Col 2:14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
Col 2:15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
Col 2:16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.
Col 2:17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

Argument from this text would be that in view of our "being alive in Christ" and having all debt forgiven and in view of the fact that the sabbath was a picture of the rest that was to come we now realize and experience the real rest we are not obligated to honor the picture but the reality which is Christ Jesus!!

Now as far as The purpose and time of the Law
Gal 3:19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.
Gal 3:20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.
Gal 3:21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.
Gal 3:22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
Gal 3:23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.
Gal 3:24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.

Argument from above text is this: It asks why was the law given, and until what time it would end.It states that it was added because it would teach us what we really were.... sinners. The Law showed us we were sinners. And then it states that it was in place only until the time Christ came 3:24

The sum of all the law was love. It taught us to love. Mat 22:36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" Mat 22:37 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Mat 22:38 This is the great and first commandment. Mat 22:39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Mat 22:40 .

While the Law commanded it love....it never empowered us to do so. This is the work of the Holy Spirit.

On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." So in The Spirit we produce that by the work of the Spirit Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Hebrews 8-10

We continued to work through the book of Hebrews this Sunday.

We started the second section starting in Chapter 8. In the first section chapters 1-7 , the writer stressed the more excellent name and position of Jesus relative to the Angels, Moses, Joshua, and Aaron.

His Person:

He is eternally more excellent than these candidates. He is superior to angels in that they are not as Jesus declared to be a Son. Neither do the angels sit at The Fathers right hand.

He is Superior to Moses in that Moses in only a servant in the house....Jesus is The Son over Gods house.

His rest is superior that that of Joshua in that Joshua's was earthly and temporal. That which Jesus provides is eternal !!

He is superior to Aaron in that Aaron's priesthood was limited in that you could never count on the priest in that they were always dying. Jesus is always living. Also the Aaronic priesthood was rooted in the law. The priests were priests only because they were next in line. There was no unique quality in them that made them qualified. Jesus however is sinless and separate from sinners and absolutely qualified. Furthermore He is appointed directly by God to be our High Priest. And confirmed by an oath !


His work:

The summary of Hebrews is tied to these two verse's :

Heb 10:11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
Heb 10:12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,

All the work that went on in the tabernacle for all those years and all those sacrifice's had no effect on the people. They only covered the sins temporarily until the time of Christ. Furthermore they could not cleanse the conscience.

However in Jesus, He offered one sacrifice for all time and has done what all those sacrifice's could never do....TAKE AWAY SINS !!

When John saw Jesus he cried "Behold...The Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world"

Further more it is stated that Jesus "sat down" . If you study the tabernacle and the furnishings therein you will notice there is no place to sit down. There is no reason to sit down. The work is never done. Now Jesus can sit down....for He knows that IT IS FINISHED !!