The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed by Anjela Paje of Spokane, WA, from the tape, GC 1301-I, titled "Bible Questions and Answers Part 11."  A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE.  ©1980. All Rights Reserved.

Question

In regards to the Sabbath question, and why we don’t hold the Sabbath as holy any more in the fourth commandment. I’ve been talking to some Seventh-Day Adventists, and, in Colossians 2, it refers to the Sabbath as a mere shadow of things to come. How is it a shadow, and is it to be abolished?

Answer

Well, I think the thing you want to do in that one is look at Hebrews 4 and 5. Because in Hebrews 4 and 5, it says, "we have entered into Sabbath rest." Now, what you have is a very interesting concept. In the Old Testament, the Sabbath was not only a day of rest, it was a picture of a great rest to come. And, when Christ came, the picture was over and we entered the rest. And, in Romans 14, you remember that the Apostle Paul says, some people regard the day and some do not, and if a guy does, don’t offend him. You know, I mean, if he’s still hung up on the Sabbath from his Jewish background, don’t offend him. So, like, if he’s still hung up on pork, don’t force him to eat it a ham sandwich at a Gentile picnic. I mean, let him have his conscience, see.

So, what he’s saying there is, the issue is not the Sabbath anymore. We’ve entered into that. I think, if you really look at Hebrews 4 and 5, over and over again, the writer says we’ve entered into rest. We’ve entered into rest. And, I really feel that what he is saying there is that in the salvation of Christ, having entered into the fullness of Christ, the Sabbath is eliminated. And I think, the early church is an absolutely immediate testimony to that. Because, when did they start meeting? The first day of the week. And, everyday became holy. And, they not only met the first day of the week, but in Acts, chapter 2, they met when? Everyday of the week! And, from day to day, from house to house, they were breaking bread, and sharing in the Lord’s table.

So, I think, that the Sabbath was a picture of things to come. Colossians 2. It was a shadow. When the substance comes, we don’t need the shadow. I think, that’s the heart of the matter. And Hebrews talks about that, and that is a tremendous passage. And, that is a very misunderstood passage. More people apply that to some kind of second-level Christian experience. And, I don’t think that’s what it’s talking about at all. I think it’s talking about entering into the fullness of salvation rest. And, now, you know, I don’t worship God one day a week. There’s no temple, is there? The veil was rent from the top to the bottom. The whole temple schmeer was over and done, and by 70 A.D., it was wiped out and it’s never been rebuilt. There’s a reason for that. And, when the Jews do rebuild it, what will happen to it? It will get desecrated by the abomination of desolations. Because that system is over with. It’s over. The Lord wiped it out. He wiped it out, when He split the veil from the top to the bottom He unmasked the Holy of Holies for the world to see, and then He wiped it out and Titus Vespasian came in 70 A.D., and mopped up the city and utterly destroyed it. And, so, we’ve entered into the fullness of salvation rest. And, now that the reality is come, that picture, that shadow of rest, is no longer necessary.

However, let me suggest this to you. I still think it’s well as we share together on what became in the early church known as ‘The Lord’s Day,’ to make that a day of concentration on the things of God. I think that’s a good thing to do. And, I think, also, that it is true that the human body needs a recovery. God gave to the land, didn’t He, a Sabbath rest. In fact, we’ll see Sunday night, one of the reasons for the captivity was that Israel had failed to give the Sabbath to the land. They got so much materialistic that they never let the land rest. And, the Lord took them into captivity to make up all the Sabbaths that they had not let the land rest. And, all the time, 70 years, they were in captivity, the land was resting, making up for the Sabbaths that they had abused. See.

So, there is a sense in which there is time for recovery. I think, there’s time for meditation and worship on the Lord’s Day. But, I think, we’ve entered into the fullness of the Sabbath rest.

Question (continued)

John, why is it, though, that the fourth commandment is the only commandment in the Decalogue that we don’t keep now?

Answer (continued)

Because it’s the only one not repeated in the New Testament. See. The fourth commandment is the only one not repeated in the New Testament, because we have entered into that rest. It is fulfilled. And I don’t have a problem with it being fulfilled.

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur’s Questions and Answers" by:

Tony Capoccia
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